Fallen Warrior

Naomi Shah was an almost-16-year-old who loved animals and birds of all kinds.

She was always seen feeding strays or hanging bird feeders around her neighbourhood, Raven Bay. Raven Bay was a small locality in the heart of the town. Naomi had moved there when she was eight. It had all amenities and the folks were kind-hearted and welcoming, but there was one problem. The society in which she lived did not allow pets. And each day on her way home from school, the conspicuous sign near the front gate saying "No Pets Allowed" stared back tauntingly at her.

Naomi had asked her parents several times to move to another apartment, but all her efforts were in vain. Her mother, Sonia, told her each time that their neighbourhood was in the heart of town which meant that they were near to all the important places like the grocery store, the mall, the gym, the Doctor's and the bookstore. This just added to Noami's normal teenager problems, what with (seemingly) unsupportive parents and not-so-loyal friends.

So Naomi had found solace in the only other place that allowed her to be near animals: Raven Bay Zoo.

She volunteered at the zoo every weekend and during vacations. The zoo wasn't a big one and didn't exactly have exotic and tropical animals but to her it was like heaven. A safe haven away from the mundane troubles of daily life and a place for her to just be. And it wasn't just Naomi who loved animals, the animals loved her back too.No one could explain it, but any animal, big or small, predator or prey, mammal or amphibian,  would take just one look at her and wag its tail in appreciation and admiration. It would let Naomi pet it and feed it, even though it wouldn't allow anyone else to come within five feet of it. Anyone who watched her with animals was always enthralled. Some claimed it was a magical experience. But Naomi was always modest and brushed off any compliments with a polite smile, because to her it wasn't a talent but just an aspect of herself. But this unique relationship was not appreciated by everyone. Some were jealous of her, some wary. Soon, rumours had spread about her. Some said she was a witch. Others said that she had been cursed. The kids of the locale teased her, calling her names like "weirdo' and 'freak'.  Naomi learned not to be affected and take those stories and the name-calling seriously. But it hurt. Hurt to know that doing something that was so special to her and brought happiness to so many around her was being used against her. But she bore it patiently. She never blamed anyone. She went about her work, smiling and happy and carefree. It helped that her parents were extremely supportive, always encouraging her and facilitating her trips to the zoo, though they were slightly worried about her indecision over her future.

No one would have believed what was to happen to this sweet, innocent girl that would change her fate.And so Naomi was some-what happy in Raven Bay and did not think that anything would change. Little did she know how very wrong she was.......

A few days later, as she arrived for volunteering shift at the zoo, a cold feeling, almost like a premonition, overtook her. The ravens in the aviary were cawing loudly, which according to her Nani was a bad omen, especially on a Saturday (She herself didn't believe such superstitions, but she agreed that the day had a certain ominous gloominess about it.). She fed the animals as usual and played with them. Tired from all the work, she went to the office to ask for a break. Her good friend Aru, who also volunteered at times, was there. Aru was a shy,quiet girl who never really talked much. But once you got to know her, she was actually funny, with a biting sense of humour and an underlying calmness and kindness that made her a hit with all the animals.

"Hey."

"Hi, Naomi. Come for a break?"

"Yeah. Working with animals is fun but tiring. Especially with the new baby elephants."

"I hear you. They're still so small and need a lot of supervision. The cramped space doesn't help, either. Budget problems or something."

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything. I'm taking my break now. Later, we can talk about planning a fundraiser to get us a larger space."

"Great idea, as always. Now shoo. "

As Naomi left the building, humming Fall Out Boy under her breath, she reminisced about the day she and Aru had become true friends. It had been a dark, overcast day quite like this one and Naomi had been only a fortnight into her zoo volunteer training. It was the first time she had been left alone to feed the animals without supervision and she was racked with nerves,even though it was just the domestic animals section.She fed and refilled the water for the cattle and the sheep without incident. Unfortunately, her worst fears came true and when she went to feed the horses their usual apples, one of them started neighing aggressively and stood up on his hind legs anytime she came near. Entering into fight-or-flight mode, she ran towards the office. Then, Aru had been the cool, mysterious, older volunteer who had years of experience under her belt and Naomi hadn't quite worked up the courage to talk to her. But all her shyness went out the window due to her panic as she explained the situation with shaky breaths and loud sobs. Aru had been amazingly adept and called the zoo veterinarian and had calmed down Naomi in a matter of minutes. She had given her a piece of chocolate to calm her down and told her to go sit in the office. About half an hour later, Aru had shown up with a reassuring smile and the news that it was a bit of colic and that they were very lucky Naomi had caught it in time. Though rattled, Naomi had never forgotten Aru's kindness, especially when she never mentioned Naomi's condition to the Volunteer Manager. From that day on, Naomi had stuck to her side like a glue and now they were the best friends. Aru, now in her first year of college for Veterinary Sciences had given her a lot of advice in topics ranging from friendships and futures to how to get poop off of new boots and how to recognize a snake egg from a bird one. Remembering the awkward conversation about childhood friends they'd had which had led to her discovering her favourite band, Fall Out Boy, Naomi smiled to herself. 

 A sharp, high-pitched ringing broke her out of her reverie.  Recognizing it immediately as the fire alarm, Naomi ran as fast as she could towards the zoo, a sense of dread and urgency filling her. As millions of thoughts raced in her head, the one that really mattered was etched in her mind :

The animals. I have to save them. They're my world. I can't lose them. Please. Not my animals. Please.

******

She didn't remember much after hearing the alarm. She didn't remember running back to the zoo. She didn't remember rushing past the shouting workers towards the reserves. 

The lithe hands pulling her out of the way of a falling beam.

 All she could remember were the screams. The burning trees. The smoke. The ash. The raging fire, rising above everything and destroying everything that mattered to her, her solace. 

******

"She's starting to wake up."

A murmur of hushed whispers broke out.

Naomi stirred. She tried to open her eyes but it was as if they were sewn together.

"Don't do that, my dear. ", the voice said again.

"Where am I ?", Naomi asked, feeling a bit helpless.

"In the ICU, sweetie."

"But...the animals..the fire..wh-what happened?"

"You saved them all. Every single one of the animals is fine."

"Oh.I..I really did all that?"

"Yes, dear."

A sudden thought struck her.

"Ma'am?"

"Yes?"

"What day is it?"

"Monday."

"You mean I've been here for 2 days?"

"No. You've been here for two months."

*********

When she awoke again, Naomi was feeling a bit stronger. She could open her eyes.This time she awoke to her mother's loving  and familiar voice and her father's calm, soothing baritone. Her mother gave a delighted shriek upon seeing her awake and rushed to her side, pulling her in a fierce hug. "You're squeezing me, mumma." Her mother replied, her voice muffled as her face was buried in Naomi's shoulder," Don't ever scare us like that again, baccha. We were so worried."

As the days passed, Naomi got better. She would still have some scars, but the nurses told her they were battle scars, fit for the warrior that she was.

A  month later, Naomi was released from the hospital. Her parents and many of the locals had come to greet her. It was a joyous occasion and it seemed that the crowd was trying to tell the world that their hero was back.

Hidden away from all the commotion, the nurse and Naomi's mother were communicating in low voices.

"She deserves to know, madam."

"No, she must not come to know. It would be too traumatic for my girl."

"...Not knowing and wondering why her best friend is missing will hurt almost as much. She is strong, your Naomi. She can come to accept this."

" That may be so, but I cannot stand to see my only daughter go through so much grief at such a tender age. Though a hero she may be, she is also still a child. I will tell her when she is older. When she is ready."

" How can you possibly hide this from her? If she finds out from somewhere else, she will never forgive you."

" Then so be it."

In the Raven Bay cemetery, the next day there was a hushed-up funeral for the fallen warrior, the unsung hero, Aru Schultz. The tombstone said:

Here lies A.S,

A brave friend and sister, who gave her life to a friend

who she believed deserved better than life had treated them 

She will be missed until the earth starts to crumble and the heavens roll away.