The Missing | A Horizon: Forbidden West Fanfiction

Chapter 5

"Aloy!" The imposing armor the commander of the Desert Clan wore clashed with his outstretched arms and friendly demeanor as he stepped toward the three of them, passing under the rusted arches of the ancient ruins that made up the rebuilt village of Bleeding Mark. "I'd heard there was a certain famous machine-riding warrior with red hair and a habit of taking down Thunderjaws wandering this way. I'm glad it was you."

Not bothering to hide her amusement, Aloy smiled and shook her head. Drakka greeting her like that could only mean one thing—he needed her help. She dismounted her Charger before helping Beta climb off as well. "Hi, Drakka." She gestured at the now thriving town, once a disaster zone. "Looks like things have recovered nicely from the mudslide and the flood. Is that why you're here?"

"Yep, the people of Bleeding Mark are tough. Didn't take long for the water to drain and thanks to you, we got a lot of people safely out of it." He placed a hand on his chest and for a moment, almost looked solemn. "But you got me—turns out I find myself in need of your help once again." He glanced up as his attention went to Seyka and Beta for the first time. "You've brought friends! Care to introduce us?"

Wondering what else could be plaguing the Desert Clan and also where in the world Sokorra was, Aloy quickly introduced them. "Uh, right. Seyka, Beta—this is Drakka. He's the commander of the Desert Clan."

"Hi," Seyka and Beta replied in hesitated unison.

"Great. Oh!" Drakka pointed at Beta and then at Aloy. "Are you two...is she related to you? Sorry, you just look alike and all—"

"She's my sister, yeah." Aloy wondered what their encounter would have been like had Yarra remained commander. Probably not as friendly, but most likely less talking. Drakka had helped take down Regalla's rebels at the Grove so she couldn't fault him too much. "We're looking for a warrior named Sokorra. Is she here?"

Drakka's eyebrows shot up. "Sokorra? Yeah, hold on." He stopped a passing Desert Tenakth. "Find Sokorra. Tell her to report here immediately. Her...new squad has arrived." His chuckled a bit at his last sentence.

"Right away, Commander."

Aloy tilted her head. "New squad?"

"Ah, long story," he said. "Kid was leader of Eagle Squad, did really well, lost her brother to a Bristleback. Kind of a hothead but you'll never see me complaining about that."

"And...now?"

He rubbed his arm where part of his armor dug into his inked skin. "Well, that's where you come in. One of our own went missing a week ago. He survived the mudslide—you rescued him, actually. We thought he just went out to hunt but then six more went missing after that. No one's returned, but Sokorra volunteered to track them down, suggested I call on you for help. Her squad's headed for some training at the Grove so I gave her leave." He grinned. "Perks of being Desert Commander and all."

"Right."

"Commander." Sokorra's bark preceded her hurried steps as she approached them from inside the walls. Once stopped, she saluted Drakka before turning to Aloy. "Aloy, you came!" Her attention went to Beta and Seyka, though Aloy noticed her gaze linger on Beta, despite having already met her days ago. We need to figure out a better way to explain this to people. She noticed Sokorra was not wearing the Focus she had given her. "It's good that you're here."

"She's your new commanding officer now, so make sure you treat her with respect," Drakka ordered, his tone still good-humored but sincere. Aloy admired how at ease he was around the other Tenakth.

"Yes, Commander." Then, with a salute to Aloy. "Ready to depart on your order."

Aloy successfully ignored the stifled snort from Seyka, but it was difficult. Beta remained quiet, watching in awe as she took in the town, the people, and the situation they found themselves in.