Previously

General Smoot quietly returned back into the house and glanced towards Stephany, Ana and Chiara. With a sigh, he spoke, his voice full of remorse, "I'm sorry, but I just received word from my Leader. We need to get moving."

Stephany stood, but looked concernedly towards Chiara, "Why?"

As she asked the question, Ana began helping Chiara stand. Together, they made their way towards the front door.

General Smoot sighed and walked behind them, bringing up the rear end of the group. "Because, as I said before, one of the seven Leaders is on his death bed. If he does die, some of the Blank Slates will be put through Seven."

There's that word again... Seven. Stephany thought to herself. Almost all of the adults flinched when he mentioned it. I wonder what it is...

*********************************************

Stephany looked around, somewhat intimidated. The cool air caused goosebumps to form on her arms. Her long hair swayed back and fourth in the wind. The group was already three miles from her house, with no intent on slowing down any time soon. 

The sun was now above the mountain tops, the daylight illuminating the path they were all walking along.

Stephany counted sixty people in total. Thirty two foot solders, who wore the blue uniform, walked on the outskirts of the group's circle to ensure no one tried to bolt. General Smith held his position at the front and General Smoot stayed near the rear. Inside the circle, Stephany counted twenty Blank Slates, including herself, five Imps, and Ana. 

As Stephany was lost in thought, two of the solders a few yards behind her began muttering between themselves in hushed tones. 

The soldier on the right whispered to his friend, "Hey, is it true one of the Guardian's is dying?" 

His friend looked around to see if anyone was listening before he replied equally as quiet, "Yeah, I heard it was Shiloh..."

"Oh, man. Weiss is gonna freak if that's true. Those two are super close." the first soldier paused, as if a thought occurred to him. "Wait... does that means the Blanks here will be put into Seven?"

"Well, it's been many, many long years since we last had a Seven, but if I'm correct, I think the rules state only one person from every group is allowed to represent them." his friend replied slowly, trying to remember.

The first man looked around at the group, "Is each group required to submit someone as a representative?"

"Originally, when Seven was created, I think that was a requirement, something imposed to keep the numbers lower since the Blanks were frantically multiplying. But now I'm not sure if that rule has been changed. I mean, there are a good number of Blanks in our group but... " his friend trailed off.

"Yeah, I agree with what you're thinking. If they are required, I don't think this group stands much of a chance... There's a good amount of children here, and all of the adults look pretty lacking... the only one who could possibly hold her own is that woman with the red hair, but since only Blanks are allowed to participate..." he trailed off with a grimace.

"You're right... I wouldn't want to be in their shoes right now..." his friend frowned at the thought.

From behind the two men, someone cleared his throat. Both men stiffened.

"Don't count your eggs until they hatch, boys. I think you are overlooking one here." In sync, both men turned towards the speaker. General Smoot's gaze was directed at Stephany, who was walking alone. 

All the other Blanks are ahead of her were quietly chatting among themselves, but pointedly ignored the girl.

The first soldier grinned, an amusing thought crossing his mind, "Would you care to make a wager, sir?"

His friend snickered, "Oh? You have that little faith in our General's instincts?"

General Smoot laughed at their banter and shot them a devil eating grin, "I'm intrigued. What's the terms of the bet?"

The first soldier shot a quick glance at Stephany, clearly trying to size her up in his mind, "I think... the General is onto something. She does seem to be set apart from the others..." he mumbled, looking back at General Smoot. He paused for a moment in thought. "Okay! I bet that she will be try to be the representative... But," he stressed, "I don't think the other Guardian's will let her enter. Specifically, ours..."

General Smoot paused for a moment, caught off guard. "Hmm... interesting. I hadn't considered Levi's temper and his... aversion  to women." They all snickered. "But I bet I can make him change his mind..." He said, confidently.

The second soldier snorted with amusement, "I don't understand how you can stand to be around that guy, General. I'm man enough to admit it. He gives me the creeps. I don't think I've ever heard him speak more than five words."

General Smoot grimaced, "Give him a bit of a break. The kid went though more than any of you could possibly begin to understand... " he said in his leader's defense, "And I-"

Caw!

As a whole, everyone in the group looked up into the sky. A magnificent crow was swiftly approaching. His size was what caught Stephany's attention. It had to be twice as big as a normal bird. 

It swooped down, making many of the women scream in terror of it's extended sharp claws.

General Smith rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Smoot, get that blasted bird under control or I'll blow it out of the sky," he threatened.

General Smoot stood up straight, rage flashed in his eyes. "I dare ye to try," he growled, his voice carrying a Scottish accent. He cleared his throat and tried again, his voice back to normal. He brought his hand up to his mouth and blew out a sharp, high whistle. The crow, who was circling the group with curious eyes, immediately responded. Tucking its wings tight against its body, it fell into a dive. When it got close, General Smoot held up his arm, allowing the crow to perch. 

He bellowed a laugh as the creature walked his way up along his arm and got comfortable on his shoulder. 

"Hello, my dear friend. Hope you are doing well," General Smoot said to the bird as if it could reply.

The bird just stared back for a moment before beginning to use his beak to satisfy an itch on his chest.

The two soldiers who were originally conversing with General Smoot walked over. 

"Hello, Eld! Long time no see!" the first solder said, gently patting the bird on the back. The bird gently pecked his hand back in greeting.

"Ah, you always were one to make quite an entrance. Pretty sure one of the children pissed his pants out of fright when you came at us like that," the second solder commented, snickering.

General Smoot tried to smother a grin, knowing that the child must be embarrassed, but still found the situation a bit comical. 

As the three of them continue to talk. Ana, who was standing nearby, tuned the rest of their conversation out as she looked down at Chiara, who was clutching her arm in pain. 

The wound had slowed its bleeding, but there was still a slight trail of blood that followed her, making it look like a gory version of Hansel and Gretel...

~~~~~

General Smoot looked around. The adults were all panting and some were even carrying their children on their backs or shoulders. It had been over eight, long hours on the road, with only three breaks in between. The group was about to be at their limit.

"Eld, go grab the General's attention, but mind your claws and beak. I don't want you getting injured because that fool shoots you," General Smoot instructs, "Creator help us if you got shot..."

Without a response the bird silently took flight. He soared over the group and quickly arrived at the General's side. 

General Smith turned his head and found himself eye-to-eye with the large bird. On instinct, his body jerked back in fright. He frowned in annoyance, but the bird's mission was accomplished. He got the attention of the General. 

"HALT!" he roared to the group. As one, everyone let out a sigh of appreciation. Even the soldiers looked slightly pleased.

Now that his job was done, the black crow pumped his wings and took flight towards General Smoot. General Smith was not far behind. 

"What do you want, Smoot?" he growled.

"We've traveled over sixteen miles today. Time to stop," General Smoot replied.

General Smith glared at the order, but didn't retaliate. "Very well," he said as he turned to face the crowd, "Alright everyone. We are going to stop here now and camp in the woods a few yards in. Every adult needs to report to a soldier to get supplies for the night." He paused, glancing at the soldiers. "Men, if any of the Blanks escape, on your head be it," he threatened, meaning every word.

No one spoke as the group began to slowly creep into the woods, looking for an area that would house everyone. It took a few minutes of walking before they found a slight clearing, clearly another group of people had used it at one time. There was a small rock formation that probably used to be a camp fire, and the dirt was discolored in some areas, indicating where tents were pitched. 

"It's time for me to set up my own area," General Smoot said to the crow, "Feel free to scout the area. Let me know of any dangers."

The crow took flight and General Smoot grabbed a small spherical item out of his bag, throwing it on the ground. In seconds, the item began to glow and in its place stood a tent that housed a small mattress and table. He looked around the campsite, observing the other Blanks. 

All of the soldiers also had their tents already pitched. General Smith was no where to be found. 

General Smoot saw that some of the Blanks were struggling. They were only given the equipment without the technology that would build the shelter for them. A small movement to his right flashed in his peripherals. 

It was the girl who ran in front of General Smith's gun. She effortlessly went to each area, putting up the tents and then moving on to the next. What caught his attention was how the other Blanks reacted to her presence. It was almost like they expected her to do this for them. Any time she would get near the next group to help, they shunned her, either by walking away or simply turning their backs. 

The girl didn't seem to acknowledge this weird exchange. She just kept moving seamlessly. 

General Smoot looked around for the girl's mother and was surprised to see her putting up the tent right beside his own. 

While the injured girl stood behind her, Ana was setting up her own tent just fine. 

Sensing the stare of someone, Ana raised her head and locked eyes with the General. She gave a slight smile in acknowledgement and continued to pitch the tent. After a few minutes, Ana grabbed the three sleeping bags next to the injured girl and brought them inside. The girl followed.

General Smoot scanned the camp ground. Stephany was still assisting the others. A slight rustle of the tree next to him caused him to look up. Eld, the crow, let out a soft caw. They were safe for the night.