Kafla flicked his hand as we entered the large hut, gesturing to the cushions on the floor. They all looked the same, a mass produced chair cushion that was definitely not within their creative skills. I looked around and saw a lot of things that they'd found and were using.

Petersen sat on one side of me, Merrick on the other. It wasn't within his scope of duties but I knew that Petersen would watch over me regardless. The rest of the platoon were behind us in a semi-circle that faced a raised platform. In the center was the leader, a young man to one side and an older one to the other side.

A flap to our side was lifted and one of the tribe pushed in a middle aged man.

"Oh, hello." He said. "Are you human or vampire?"

"Vampire," Petersen offered.

"I'm Gus Olsen, and I'm an explorer who happened to stumble upon this place. Lucky to be alive, eh?"

Petersen nodded.

"They keep me here to tell them what things are and how to use them. I've managed to learn their language, well, pieces of it. So, I guess that I'm here to interpret for you."

He sat down on a cushion to the side of the platform and our semi-circle. The leader barked something at him and Gus nodded.

"Yes, okay. The high priestess wants to know why you are here."

"We have come to for a friendship between her people and the vampires and to negotiate a path for the future." I offered and pulled out the picture booklet. "You can tell her that is my mother. She jumped the gorge to save me from a creature that was attacking her. We call them alphas."

"The tall, gangly ones?"

We all nodded.

"They are the Hirioakan."

Frowns turned our way, the three on the platform stared at us until Gus calmed them down with a few words.

"There are two species of the creatures that dwell in this land. These people call themselves Kronthelm and they are quite similar to the vampires. The Hirioakan are almost like a form of them that has suffered a mutagenic diversion. They are quite violent as they lack the brain capacity to understand. Between the two species, the Kronthelm are the more intelligent, powerful and advanced. They'd already mastered things like making weapons and fire, they created huts and utilized what they have found in the decaying remnants of our former world. As for the Hirioakan, they climb trees to rest at night. They do not have a functioning community and their weaponry is whatever they can find on the ground, usually rocks to throw."

"You seem quite knowledgeable about them," Petersen commented.

"I was a young man when I came here. When they finally accepted that I wasn't a threat and that I didn't need to die because I was useful to them, I was faced with a choice. Stay and learn, lead a simple life or return to the world that is being destroyed by greed and commercialism. I do not fear death here but on the other side of that gorge, I did. The decision was an easy one and my life has been better for it. Now, as for this, we'd better get on with it."

Gus turned to the high priestess and showed her the picture again, talking to her. All three lifted their eyes to me. When the high priestess said something to Gus, it was calm and controlled, unlike the last thing that was hissed out at him.

When he turned back, I was hopeful. Things were quiet, no one was getting heated over what has been said. Gus offered an uneasy smile.

"The high priestess says that a picture is not proof of your lineage or even that you are one of them."

"Kafla saw,"

"Please," He interrupted. "If you want them to believe you then you need to show them."

Taking a deep breath, I huffed. This was frustrating but I accepted it.

"She said that you could be one of those things from the other side of the ridge."

"The vampires?"

"No," Gus murmured regretfully. "Unfortunately, you are not the first to find them. When I arrived, they managed to tell me that more of my kind had been over, it is why I was met with a lot of hostility. They mistook me for human and it took some time to convince them otherwise. As for the humans that had come here before me, the tribe either sent them running or killed them. Sadly, it was enough to leave a permanent impression. When the bases were set up along the other side of the ridge, they saw it as a positive move. It is something that will work in your favor, I will make sure that they understand that it was the creation of the vampires and not humans. This is why it is important that you need to prove what you are."

I nodded and closed my eyes. It wasn't easy to make the inner creature surface when I spent so many years hiding her. Letting anger consume me, forcing the heavy emotions out, I opened my eyes. The high priestess looked at me with a knowing smile. I hissed, feeling the rows of fangs push out. She gave a simple nod as she said something.

"The high priestess thanks you and grants you permission to retain the name that your mother gave you."

I snapped back to my form and frowned at Gus.

"What do you mean?"

"When a child is born, they are presented to the leader where a naming ceremony is performed. She also mentioned that your name is not Otanawa but regretfully does not know what Rahya intended for you. The last time they saw her, she was still pregnant. Perhaps we could discuss it later with your father?"

"Sure. So what does Otanawa mean?"

"Otanawa is a sequence of words for Kronthelm, it means protect my love. If your mother jumped the gorge to flee an attacking Hirioakan then it would make sense that she would say this. You said that she jumped the gorge, what else happened?"

"She climbed the base wall and gave me to my father, well, my adoptive father. He said that she'd appeared a couple of times before that day, they were communicating with a few signals, he'd send food over to her and he believed that she trusted him. He didn't know that she'd had a baby until he opened the bag, but by then she was already dead on the ground below."

"It sounds like the attack brought on labor, the Kronthelm are not known to birth their young outside this village."

"Why were they jumping the gorge?"

"Perhaps the same reason, I suppose. This village is quite safe, the Hirioakan do not dare come near it."

Taking the book back from him, I flicked a few pages to the back where there was another photo. Emmeline asked that I take the photo of her mother and ask if they recognized her.

"Can you ask them if they recognize this woman please?"

"Of course."

Gus turned back to them, showing the picture. They shook their heads and I felt a wave of disappointment flow through me. I'd hoped to return with good news for Emmeline but it would seem that was impossible.

"Turn the page over to the one behind, the woman with red hair. That's her daughter and she's a Kronthelm as well."

Gus nodded and showed it to them, slowly the high priestess turned to the older man beside her. She said something and the man nodded. One of the guards was called over and after a few commanding words, he left the hut.

"It would seem that she looks like someone they know. Perhaps there may be an answer for you after all."