The Claim - part 9b

By KatiKat

MY BIG THANK YOU goes to all the people who reviewed the 9a-th part of my story: AnaRae, ENurse, Fangbaby, Kinoshi San, Jo, LSnow, Mair, MOrgan, Ryouko, unicorn_144, White Destiny, all the great readers on ff.net and mm.org and to my wonderful Solitude and yami_tai. I hope I didn´t forget anybody *sweatdrops*

Heero felt the peasants' stares following him as he walked the center path of the village, looking straight ahead. He wasn't bothered in the least by the comotion his presence caused. It was unusual for the Enforcer to enter the village without his duty making it necessary to be there for some reason. Today however, the purpose of his visit was private.

He left the main path and turned to the left to the common house, the home of the chieftain. Stopping in front of the door made of hard wood, he raised his hand and knocked briskly. Seconds later, the door opened. Father Maxwell, as everybody called the man who had been their chieftain for over two decades now, stood in the doorway.

"Heero," he said, mildly surprised by his presence. The surprise turned to a scowl almost immediately. "What do you want?" the man asked, annoyance marking his voice.

"I came for Duo's things," Heero replied, unfazed by the hostility in the older man's voice.

Father Maxwell scowled deeper and crossed his arms on his chest. "I don't know anybody who goes by that name. And even if I did, there is nothing in this house that would belong to a person who brought only shame on their family."

Heero's eyes narrowed. The other man's attitude was grating on his nerves. "Father Maxwell, I'm asking you to hand me over what belongs to Duo." Heero emphasized his words carefully as he added, "I won't ask you again."

Now it was the chieftain's turn to narrow his eyes, although his gesture looked less than confident against his skin's pallor. "Are you threatening me?" he asked, his heartbeat speeding up.

"Am I?" Heero answered with a question of his own. Two could play this game.

Father Maxwell glared at Heero for a little time longer, then his eyes shifted to something behind the Enforcer. Heero didn't have to turn around to know curious villagers were clustered at the gate.

"Do you really think that they would be of any help, if you decided to do something as stupid as attack me?" Heero asked calmly, seeing the chieftain ponder all his possibilities.

Father Maxwell glared again, but less confidently. Heero's returning gaze was steady. He knew perfectly who had the better cards. Even though the villagers didn't like Heero, and some of them even hated him, their fear was greater than their hate. As if to demonstrate his power, Heero let his hand rest on the hilt of his sword. The villagers immeditelly backed off, feet shuffling quickly.

The stalemate was broken when Solo stepped next to his father into the doorway. The young man held a plain linen bundle, full packed with clothes. Ignoring his father's glare, Solo handed it over to Heero.

"Here," he said quietly, but firmly. "These are all Duo's things."

Heero looked at him for a moment as if making sure Solo meant it. The Enforcer then reached out and took the bundle. It was quite heavy, and somehow Heero was sure that there weren't only clothes in it.

The Enforcer nodded to Solo. "Thank you." Then he looked back at the darkly scowling chieftain again. "This wasn't the only reason I came," he said. "I wanted to warn you." Heero turned to the onlookers. "All of you. Do not stray too deep into the forest these days. On the way here I discovered prints. The winter is coming and the wolves are on the move. They are drawing closer to the populated areas, seaking food."

"You are the Enforcer. Do something about it!" one of the peasants shouted at him. The rest nodded in agreement.

"And what do you want me to do about it?" Heero asked, raising one eyebrow. "Stop the winter from coming? Kill all the creatures in the forest? I can do only so much. I will lay out traps and kill the ones who wander to far in our territory. I will keep watch, but I can't be there every time you
decide to go pick wood."

"But you're responsible for us," called out another villager.

"I'm responsible for your safety, not your stupidity," Heero answered, looking the man directly in the eyes. When nobody said or asked anything anymore, Heero hoisted the pack higher on his forearm. Without giving the chieftain one last glance he made his way through the gathered people. The crowd parted before him, and closed again behind him as he passed.

Heero walked down the path, ignoring the faint murmurs drifting to him on the early winter breeze. He looked up at the sky. Dark grey coulds hung low, threatening with the first show of this winter. Plans started to take shape in his mind, of what he needed to do before his small hut was snowed-in. He now had two mouths to feed, and what was good for him wouldn't be good enough for Duo.

"Heero!"

He recognized Solo's voice, but he kept walking. He had nothing more to say to Duo's brother.

"Heero, wait!" Solo called again, runing after the Enforcer. Finally catching up, the young man was a little breathless. "I... I wanted to ask you if you could give this to Duo," he said quietly, handing Heero a folded piece of parchment. When Heero only threw a glance at it and kept walking,
Solo added, "It's a letter, from me. I want him to know that I still love him, and that it'll never change. Would you... give it to him? Please?"

Heero looked at the letter from the side again, then as if making his mind, he took it and shoved it into his leather vest. "This is the one and only time, Solo," Heero warned him, without looking at the younger man. "I'm not a messenger. Duo left this life behind. Unwillingly...but he did. Don't try to make him live a life he can never have again."

Solo swallowed and stared ahead, and the two walked quietly for a while. Solo was reluctant to head back. Heero was the only link he had to his brother. "Were you serious? About the wolves I mean," the young man asked, as if feeling the need for some small talk.

"I never lie," Heero answered coldly.

Well, I could think of one time you lied, Solo thought. A picture of his brother, half naked and beaten, popped into his mind. He shuddered, then thought of the latest village news. "Did you hear? The healer's hut burned down." Solo always disliked the man, but when the healer had refused to come when Solo tried to bring him to look at Duo after their father had beaten the lifebearer so cruelly. Solo hated the healer with all his heart.

"It did?" Heero asked matter of factly, his face unreadable.

Solo's eyes narrowed with suspicion. The Enforcer's voice was too collected and calm. "Yes. A candle was thrown over by the wind. All the herbs he collected over the years, burnt. All his work is destroyed." Solo paused, then added, "but he survived."

"What a shame," Heero said, not specifying whether he meant the destroyed herbs or the survival of that slimeball of man.

"Yeah," Solo agreed. He noticed the sideways glance Heero threw him, but decided against saying anything further for fear of angering the reticent man.

When they arrived at the border of the village, marked with a plank fence, Solo halted. Heero kept walking. Solo caught the sleeve of Heero's warm woolen smock. Heero stopped, then turned around, and glared at Solo.

Solo let go immediately, his cheeks coloring as he looked away. "I... I wanted to ask if..." he trailed off. Then he looked back at Heero, and took a deep breath. "Is Duo okay?"

"He is alive, and getting better," the Enforcer answered after a moment.

Solo sighed in relief, but then he realized what Heero had not said. "And the baby?" The Enforcer was silent, but Solo could see something in the other man's eyes. "He lost it, didn't he?" Solo whispered, swallowing hard. He had half-expected this, but it still hurt. The young man closed his eyes tightly, willing the tears to go away. "Tell him... tell him, I'm sorry."

Heero nodded. He turned around and walked away, leaving Solo watching him go.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Somewhere in the middle of the way between his hut and the village, Heero halted in his tracks. There under the tree lay a bloody carcass of a silver wolf. Laying the bundle of clothes on the ground, the Enforcer quietly crossed the small clearing, his eyes checking his surroundings. He felt a cold shiver run up his spine. It felt like he was being watched.

Heero crouched by the carcass. Steam was escaping the warm body in the cold air of the upcoming winter. It must be a recent kill, he thought, and checked the wound. Even in the waning light of the early autumn evening, he could see clearly that the animal was almost torn in half. There were deep wounds, caused by giant claws, marring the silver fur. It was a young wolf, but there were only few creatures living in this
forest that could cause this.

He heard something snap in the underbush. Quickly pulling his knife out of its sheath, the man whirled around, his eyes scanning the trees surrounding the clearing. The forest was quiet again...too quiet. Then his eyes fell on a print in the mood that wasn't completely frozen yet. It was a paw print: a huge one. Shifting the knife into his left hand, Heero laid his right one into the depressed earth of the print. His hand didn't even reach from one side to the other. Heero took a deep breath. It really didn't look good.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

He heard them scream at each other from afar, and the soft whinny of a horse floated to his ears. Wufei Chang was at his hut. Heero's eyes narrowed and his steps quickened.

He stepped into the clearing in front of the house, in time to see Duo close the door in Wufei's face. The Enforcer stopped in the middle of the clearing, the bundle hanging on his forearm and waited, his expression unreadable. Even when Chang turned around to see him, paling visibly, Heero's expression didn't change.

They stood there for some while, measuring each other. A couple of times Wufei opened his mouth to say something, but always closed it again with a snap. Finally the black haired man looked away, breaking the staring match. He shuffled his feet for a moment, knowing that he would have to pass Heero to leave.

As if realizing that the light was quickly fading, Wufei took a deep breath and started to walk to his horse, tied to a tree at the edge of the clearing. When he came abreast the Enforcer, Heero's voice stopped him.

"Come back again, and I will kill you," Heero said softly. He didn't look at Wufei at all. His eyes were fixed on the closed door, behind which Duo was waiting for him.

Wufei swallowed, then nodded. He understood.

Heero waited until the black haired man mounted his horse, then turned around. "Chang!" he called. The man looked at him expectantly, even if a little nervous, as Heero spoke. "Be careful. There is something out there, in the woods. Something big. Don't go through the forest, take the field road. It's longer, but safer. Ride quickly and no matter what, don't stop."

Wufei looked at Heero, as if gauging whether he really meant it or if it was an empty threat to make him nervous. But seeing the seriousness of Heero's expression, he nodded again. "Thank you for the warning, Enforcer," he called out politely, then turned his horse, clicking his tongue, urging the horse to a trot.

Heero listened to the hoofbeats fading in the distance. He couldn't detect any threat to the lonely rider, but that didn't mean anything. He hoped that Chang would follow his advice. Whatever killed the wolf would be hiding in the woods, where there was more food and better cover. The fields were too open. At least for now, Heero added silently. With time the beast might grow bolder, but he hoped to stop it before it came to that.

When the last sounds of the rider finally disappeared, Heero turned around. Squaring his shoulders, he walked up to the hut and opened the door.

TBC