Ravens Vol: 1

"Why the long face?" Naomi asked her younger companion.

A group returned to the camp with the wounded, while the others stayed behind to burn all the S.L. stock. Livya and Gabriel returned to share the news of their successful attack and to treat the wounds on Livya's arms.

"It's this bitter taste in my mouth," she responded. "I felt great dealing with Irmãzinha until I looked around and saw all that killing. They were people."

"Normal," Gabriel cut in, chewing on a leaf. "We create an image of the enemy in our minds that doesn't reflect reality. In the end, they were just another gang like any other."

"That doesn't explain why they had machines and gunpowder," Naomi pointed out as she adjusted herself on the bed, grimacing in pain. "Especially what he said to you in his final moments."

Gabriel replayed the brief conversation he had with Grande Irmão over and over in his mind. There was nothing extraordinary about him. Just an ordinary man, but what he said about the future left an odd weight on his chest. Something bigger was happening in the shadows.

Luís was making a stew with dried meat and vegetables he found in the forest a few meters from the trio. He had changed Naomi's bandages earlier and applied ointment again. Now he was preparing the dishes to serve the food.

"I have no idea," Gabriel replied, his attention on the pot of food. "Unfortunately, I believe he spoke the truth."

"I need to get better quickly, then," Naomi said, accepting a plate. "Thanks. I shouldn't have killed him."

The Raven agreed with that, but got carried away in the moment and ended the man's life. They could have extracted a lot of information, besides understanding the grim message the man left. Deep down, he didn't regret what he did, but it should have been done at a later time.

Two more plates arrived for the other two, who were drying Naomi's. Livya filled her mouth with the hot liquid, but still, that bitter feeling didn't go away. Defeating Irmãzinha wasn't as difficult as she imagined, and that raised a question she shared with the others.

"I don't understand," she said, drawing the duo's attention. "How did Irmãzinha kill three of our companions so easily? I even saw some of them in action, and they were all stronger than me."

"That's something I've been thinking about," Naomi said, setting her empty plate aside. "Being here gave me a lot of time to sort out my thoughts, Livya. The answer is quite simple: exhaustion. We've been through so much in a short time, which left everyone worn out and injured. The tight space didn't help at all."

"I said I beat her in open field," Gabriel added, winking at Livya.

"Then there was the shock of the ambush and their numbers."

"Are you telling me everything would have been different if we weren't so tired?" Livya asked.

"Probably," Naomi answered.

"We made a boogeyman out of her," Gabriel said, laughing. "The spiders and their weird technology fascinated us, but in the end, they were just criminals."

It didn't take long for Sandy and the Ravens who had stayed behind to arrive. They told of how the entire place had burned with satisfaction. The leader didn't speak once, leaving all the glory to her men and women.

"Hey, Naomi," Nahara said as she approached the group. She was with the ones who destroyed the stronghold. "We missed you there."

"From what I heard, I doubt I would have made much of a difference."

"Yes," the tall woman said with satisfaction. "It was an overreaction to send the whole Nest, the princess is sometimes a little impulsive."

Sandy distanced herself from the companions, who were recounting the events to the others, and went to speak with Luís about the wounded. She listened attentively to everything he said, only agreeing with him at times.

The mood in the camp was very good. The Raven Naomi had saved earlier from a hyena brought a wooden box from his car, filled with bottles of liquor, each one a different color.

"When do you plan to leave?" Sandy asked, approaching without anyone noticing.

"As soon as possible."

"I'll send Nahara and Ana together, just for safety."

Nahara didn't say anything but seemed satisfied with her leader's decision. The bottles passed from hand to hand as the Ravens celebrated the massacre.