Cherry slowed as she came to the fork in the river. Turning in a circle, she glanced at her watch as the panic began to rise.

"Oh man," she panted, looking for something to indicate the direction she needed to go, "can't they put up a sign that says "lake" or perhaps "you need to head in this direction'? It would make it so much easier."

"Then it wouldn't be a challenge," Sam said as she stepped from behind a tree.

"Sam," Cherry flew across the space, hugging her best friend, "I thought I was in this on my own."

"I promised I would be there at the end," Sam said, returning the hug, "but you need to go in the right direction."

"I know, and I'm running out of time," Cherry said, narrowing her eyes to Sam's face, "you know the direction I need to go."

"Yes, and it is along the river, but you need to know which one," Sam said, indicating the main river splitting into three, "I climbed a tree," Sam pointed upwards, "and found your route. Let's hope we aren't violating any laws that require the correct person to see which way you need to go, but either you or I need to find which way you are to go, but you need to take a direction."

"And?" Cherry asked, pausing as she waited for an answer.

"This way," Sam said, indicating the river running behind her, "it's the shortest route to the lake."

"Do I go on my own?" Cherry asked, starting to move in the required direction.

"No," Sam smiled, "we go together."

"Oh ..." Cherry grinned, "thank heavens."

"Ready to run?" Sam asked.

Cherry nodded, and the pair started off along the river. Cherry felt happy to have Sam with her; since she could remember, Sam had been in her life, and now at the coming-of-age celebration, Sam would be there as well. Sam waited for Cherry to keep pace before increasing the speed. They may be going the quickest route, but anything could happen. Sam wanted Cherry to experience her heritage because of the Tenderhook brothers.

Andris noticed Sam moving into the alcove. When she didn't return, his instincts told him of an entrance; he knew there had to be an opening in the rock face. He had heard stories of the mysterious mountain in his childhood when his mother still lived. That had been a happier time for him when he knew something else, but it was too far in his past to grasp what it was or if it was real.

"Ares," Andris called, "we can get in through there."

"What of father and uncle?" Ares asked, glancing at the two brothers fighting back to back, "they may need our help."

"No, they will not thank us for helping them," Andris said, "let's head to the alcove while we can."

The pair moved through the leather-clad people, fighting toward the alcove. A cry of alarm went up as they ran across the sand. An arrow flew, hitting Andris in the back; he bellowed before hitting the floor.

"Andris," Ares ran to his brother, who struggled to rise, "let me help you."

"I'm injured in the leg and now the back," Andris gasped, grasping his brother's arm, "you need to go ... look for the hole in the wall and get to the lake. Remember the stories mother told of the mysterious mountain. Try and be part of the coming-of-age ceremony and celebration, that way, we have a right to what the mountain holds."

"Mother's stories?" Ares frowned, "I barely remember anything from that time."

"You have to try," Andris said, watching the approaching opponents, "go before they get to us."

Ares glanced over his shoulder as he entered the alcove. Andris was being pulled to his feet by two strong, burly men while others headed in his direction. Panic raced through him as he randomly ran his hands over the walls and moved to his right.

"Come on, come on," he muttered, gasping as his hand disappeared into a space between the indented rock face and the alcove wall.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"He came in here," he heard a female voice say as Ares pushed himself through the space, "he went right."

"There was another direction?" Ares muttered, keeping sideways until he came to a small ledge jutting from the side of a tunnel inside the mountain. Far below in the darkness, Ares could hear the roar of a river, "oh great, now I'm going through obstacle courses. What is this place?"

Edging along, Ares gasped as his foot slipped, pushing himself against the wall, trying to dig his fingers into the wall to keep himself from falling; he felt the stone tear at his skin but didn't wince. He had felt more pain than that in his life. Breathing steadily, standing frozen while waiting until his feet were braced underneath him. He needed a point where he could head. Looking around, he spotted a pinprick of light and began moving again. This would take some time ... he wondered how his brother was doing; was he alive? Had they killed him? Who were these people? Would his father and uncle appreciate his efforts this time, or would they condemn and criticise him for not doing something or coming up to a standard or expectation? He was tired of always trying and coming up short. Most of what he had done in his life he never wanted to do, but most of all, he wanted to belong. It kept him trying even when all this hate and anger had twisted the relationship he wanted with his father. Scoffing at his irrational thinking, he knew his father to be a cruel and sadistic man, and his uncle was worse than any of them. Ares was sure he enjoyed the pain and death wrought by their hand. It seemed to bring his uncle pleasure. Exhaling as he finally swung himself onto a wider ledge covered with light, Ares took a moment to catch his breath before stepping through branches into a meadow filled with flowers, tall trees and random piles of rock, glowing strangely in the natural light.

"Where have I come out?" Ares frowned, "it's beautiful, but it doesn't get me any closer to the information we need to succeed."

Walking through the knee-high grass and flowers, Ares strode forward. He had no idea where he was going or what he would do. The only thing on his mind was finding Cherry and that pest Sam and getting the information before everything on the outside fell apart. There was something else his father told him he had to do ... frowning, he tried to recall it, but it felt elusive and far away. It would come with time and before he got to the end of whatever this was.

The sound of an old-fashioned horn suddenly filled the space around him rattling his hearing and startling him; clapping his hands over his ears, Ares looked around, "What the heck is that?"

The horn continued, echoing through the cavern and sounding long and low. Was it some pre-recorded thing, or was it intended to take the hearer back in time and give the illusion of being somewhere else? Glancing to his right, Ares paused as he watched his brother march into an area behind two stone pillars. He could get his brother out and finish this off together. Moving in that direction, Ares gasped and ducked behind a large tree trunk as troops of leather-clad men and women ran out into the meadow. The line continued to come from between the stone pillars. Peeking out, Ares frowned; they looked like they were preparing for war. The horn continued to blast, and Ares sensed he was alone in completing this journey. There was no way Andris could be extracted now. Returning to the direction he was going, Ares began to run. Ares felt unsure why he ran. Was it away from these strange people or the end of years of torture, pain and a loveless existence? He knew he had to simply get away.

Cherry and Sam ran along the river. The sound of the war horn brought Sam to a stop. Something inside her resonated with that sound and called to her. Turning toward a tall slope, she scanned it until she found the end of the horn appearing through a large stone circle.

"Sam? What is?" Cherry asked, panting as she walked back to where Sam stood with closed eyes and breathing deeply.

"It's a call to war," Sam said, "it's something serious."

"What could be so serious?" Cherry asked, confusion rippling on her face.

Suddenly Sam turned to Cherry, "A Tenderhook is inside," Sam grasped Cherry's arm, scanning their immediate area, "we need to get you to the lake before whichever one succeeded in getting in gets to you."

"Sam, there is no way they can get inside," Cherry scoffed, "come to think of it, how did you get inside?"

"The same way Steve did," Sam said, "through the side door. If they figured it out ... it only takes one of them to take away your heritage and everything our parents have protected over the years ... and died for was for nothing. We need to move ..."

"Sam, stop pulling me," Cherry said, "move where?"

"Forward ... to the lake," Sam said, her head snapping to the far wall as the tall grass rustled and parted, and her eyes narrowed as she locked gazes with a stranger, "Ares ... he is the one inside. Run. Run and don't look back. When you get to the lake, declare you are Cannon Bassett and dive in. If necessary, declare it while diving and before you hit the water."

Cherry silently repeated the instructions and started to run next to Sam, "What are you going to do?"

"Fulfil my destiny and hopefully make it out the other side to continue protecting you," Sam said, "no more talk ... run."

Ares could not see what was making the extraordinarily tall grass wave, but it had to be someone or perhaps more than one someone. For a moment, the waving grass parted, and he made eye contact with the pest called Sam. The one that had hunted them for years, always coming a little too close for comfort and never seeming to die. She had Cherry ... if she had Cherry ... he grinned, and a joyous chill entered his chest.

"It's time to hunt," he whispered, "time to play."

Slowly he changed direction, hoping he would be able to meet them before they got to their final destination and he could end them both before they succeeded.

"It's going to be so much fun," he sang as he cut through the tall grass, "oh, so much fun indeed."