Hunda was the first to notice.
She was the first to wake, and the first thing she noticed was the empty bed where Yujo should have been. She became puzzled, but that wasn't what caught her attention the most. She could only hear the heartbeats of six people in the longhouse.
That was odd.
That meant Garuba wasn't around either. Maybe he was training Yujo? She stepped outside and scanned the field. The morning was bright and lively, birds chirping sweetly and the sun's warm glow striking against her pale skin. Hunda paid no attention to all of this, though, for no matter where she looked she still couldn't find Garuba or Yujo anywhere on the field. The only thing she found was ashes from last night's fire. As a last resort, she whistled three short notes. That was their calling signal. Normally, it would not have carried if done by another person, but her mastery over sound let the tune travel so far, it could be heard from a mile away.
Then, she waited.
A minute went by, then two. She knitted her brows together, then whistled again.
Then she waited some more. She kept looking into the distance. On a normal day, she was supposed to see smoke rising up in the distance; Garuba's reply to her call but this time she saw nothing.
"Maybe he's occupied at the moment," she muttered to herself.
She waited for a short while and whistled a third time, this time the notes were louder and sharper. She put her hands over her eyes to block out the sun and narrowed her eyes, awaiting Garuba's reply.
But nothing showed up.
She was about to walk into the forest but froze, her eyes wide with dread.
It was at that moment she began to panic. She burst into the longhouse, snapping her fingers in rapid bursts. The sound cracked through the air like sparks, ricocheting off the walls. Again, it wouldn't have been that loud if done by any regular person but because it was her, the sound carried. Kahito and Keira shot up instantly—light-sleepers trained for trouble. Mi Lai stirred next, groggy and confused. Yakuso and Reo only groaned, twisting under their blankets before the noise finally dragged them awake.
Kahito rushed to Hunda. "What's wrong?" he asked, puzzled. He noticed her demeanor—she looked distressed. No, she looked scared. Her hands were trembling and her breathing was uneven.
"I can't find Garuba or Yujo," she said, looking up at Kahito. "I've called out for them, but neither has responded."
"Calm down, Hunda. They're probably off hunting or training," Reo groaned, rubbing her eyes.
"That's what I thought too, but there's something else," her eyes swept around her siblings, curiosity filled the room. "There's a faint scent of blood in the air. I-it smells...familiar," she continued, her voice breaking.
The air shifted. No one needed to say another word.
Kahito burst through the doorway, Reo and Yakuso close on his heels. Behind them, Keira snatched her bow and quiver from her bedside in one smooth motion before racing after them, while Mi Lai and Hunda emerged last, the air thick with dread.
"Reo, sniff them out. Yakuso, I need you in the sky. Hunda, keep calling out to them. Mi Lai, we move at Reo's directive," Kahito instructed, assigning his siblings to their strengths.
Reo shifted into a bloodhound, nose sweeping the ground as she tracked their scent. Yakuso touched her shoulder and burst into the sky as an eagle. Hunda kept whistling while Mi Lai waited behind Kahito, tense and silent.
"Keira—"
"—in the trees? Way ahead of you," Keira interrupted, already disappearing into the forest.
Kahito nodded and waited for Reo.
He didn't have to wait long. After a few seconds of sniffing, Reo barked and bolted towards the forest.
"Hunda, Mi Lai, let's go. Reo found something," Kahito called, running after Reo.
They chased the bloodhound through the forest, their footsteps disturbing the warm soil. Burnt trees lined their path, smoke still faintly clinging to the air.
"That's Garuba's handiwork," Mi Lai muttered, his face pale with worry.
Kahito frowned and glanced at Hunda, one brow raised in question.
"The smell of blood is getting stronger," she replied, her voice low, brows furrowed in concern.
Kahito looked forward and sighed. "Don't worry. It's Garuba—we all know that can't be his blood," he reassured them.
After a while, Reo stopped, her body stiffening. The others slowed beside her. She shifted back to human form and rushed forward—then wailed. Mi Lai ran to her side, but Kahito and Hunda approached slowly, goosebumps crawling up their arms.
In front of them lay the body of their mentor, pinned to a large rock by a wooden branch through his chest. His eyes were glazed, a haunting smile frozen on his face. Blood soaked his garments, dark and heavy against the dirt.
Keira had arrived before them. She sat at the base of a tree, head buried in her hands, sobbing quietly.
Tiny drops of blood began to bead on Hunda's skin—her silent symbol of sorrow.
Kahito just stared, dumbfounded. His chest went cold. He was wrong. The man he had looked up to his entire life lay still, smiling through death. Reo pulled the branch free and clutched her father figure's body, trembling, while Mi Lai stood behind her, whispering words of comfort. It was ironic, though, for the latter still mourned, maybe even more than the former.
Tears welled in Kahito's eyes as he scanned the clearing. He cocked his head, brow furrowed. Something didn't seem right. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and walked up to Keira. She was trembling violently. He sighed. He wanted to comfort her, but he also needed answers.
"Keira, where's Yakuso?" he asked.
Keira slowly raised her head. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. She dabbed at them with her palm and stammered, "W-we got here togeth-er. He knelt beside Garuba's body, muttered something, and... flew off. He was really... upset."
Kahito facepalmed and stood abruptly. "F***!" he yelled, jolting the others from their mourning. He paced around the clearing with his head down, fingers pressing the bridge of his nose.
Reo shuffled toward him, her eyes filled with worry. "Kahito, Yakuso's not here," she said quietly.
"Yeah, I know," Kahito replied. "I think I know where he is."
Hunda's eyes widened. "You don't think he's—"
"Yes," Kahito cut her off. "Yes, I do."
"But why would he—"
"Because he's Yakuso! He's brash and careless—and this is him on a good day. Now we've got a friend blinded by rage, soaring through the skies straight to his grave," Kahito said, dragging a hand down his face.
Reo shot to her feet. "Well, you don't exactly blame him, do you? We all woke up to see the only family we've ever had pinned to a rock—dead! What did you expect him to do—nothing?!"
"No, Reo. I'm not saying he should do nothing. But charging into a fight he can't win helps no one. Now we have to risk our lives to save him. I don't mind that, but if a situation is avoidable, don't you think it's best to—oh, I don't know—avoid it?!"
Silence fell, heavy and tense. Kahito sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Look, there's no point arguing. Time's against us. Let's just go help him before it's too late," he said.
"Go where?" Mi Lai asked, crawling toward them.
"Emönæ," Kahito replied with a groan.
"What? Why?" Mi Lai asked, brows knitting in fear.
"We're going after Prismix. Garuba always said if anything bad happened to any of us, we should go to Emönæ—because Prismix would be the one behind it," Keira explained, rising shakily to her feet.
"Except he isn't," Reo said.
The words hung unspoken for a moment, the air heavy with tension.
Confusion arises...
Kahito frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The person who killed Garuba... was Yujo," Reo whispered.
Another bout of silence. Then confusion turned to shock.
Mi Lai shot up in defiance. "Woah, you can't just make accusations like that. That's not fair. Just because he had a falling out with your sister yesterday doesn't mean you should blame him for this," he retorted.
"Mi Lai," Hunda called, her eyes heavy with pity. "His blood and scent are everywhere," she added softly.
"Well, that just proves he was also here. What if Prismix ambushed them both and took Yujo captive? That's more reasonable than what you're charging Yujo with. Do you know what you're accusing him of? This is patricide, Hunda. Murder," Mi Lai pressed. He couldn't believe they would accuse his friend—no, his brother—of such atrocities.
"Mi Lai is right," Kahito confirmed. "What you're accusing Yujo of is very grievous. His blood and scent prove he was here, not that he killed Garuba. How sure are you of your accusation?"
Reo and Hunda stared at each other for a brief moment, communicating without words. Hunda nodded and gestured for Reo to go ahead.
Reo walked up to Garuba's body and picked up the branch. "This branch reeks of him," she muttered, head bowed.
She handed the branch to Kahito, who showed it to the others. Keira was last to take it; she examined it until she stopped, her eyes blazing.
"Even though his scent is on it, it's not concrete—" Mi Lai began.
"Mi Lai!" Keira snapped. "Look at the tip. Notice something? It's whittled. Garuba taught this only to Yujo and I. It's the only way Yujo fights at long range," she said, glaring at Mi Lai.
Mi Lai stared, mouth open, dumbfounded.
Shock morphed into anger.
"ARGH!" Keira yelled as she nocked the branch. "Wait till I find the little shit. I'll kill him with his own arrow."
"Wait, Keira," Kahito pleaded. "If Yujo did this, then Yakuso is headed to Prismix's palace to attack the wrong person. He's going to get himself killed." His face went white with dread.
Silence fell. The realization sank deep—their friend was about to walk into a fight he couldn't win.
And so anger became action.
Without warning, Reo morphed into a horse and galloped toward Emönæ. In one swift motion, Keira grabbed her mane and swung onto her back, bow slung across her neck.
"Wait, guys—" Mi Lai began.
"Mi Lai: you either follow us to help Yakuso, or you stay and defend a murderer. Which is it? With us or with Yujo?" Kahito asked, staring intensely at him.
Mi Lai sighed and flames erupted from his feet, propelling him forward as he tailing Keira and Reo. Kahito looked back at Hunda and raised an eyebrow.
"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up after I prepare Garuba's body," Hunda said, bending down to lift her father.
Kahito nodded and took off into the forest.
"Rest easy, Dad," Hunda sighed, closing his eyes.
********
In the palace of Emönæ, two armored guards secured the entrance, swords in one hand and shields raised in the other. The purple flag of the kingdom swayed majestically in the soft morning sun, its insignia glinting with pride.
On a ledge directly above them, a white-throated needletail landed. It looked around, chirping softly—then morphed into something larger. Something humanoid.
"Hey, did you hear that the king sent invitations to the other rulers in the neighbouring kingdoms?" one soldier asked.
"Yeah, I think I heard about that. Why do you think he did?" the other replied.
"I heard he wants to negotiate some sort of alliance," said the first.
"Makes sense, I guess. Given the state the world is in right n—"
Something fell on him before he could finish, knocking him out cold. Before his comrade could react, a column of fire slammed into him and sent him sprawling.
The humanoid figure rose slowly and gripped the palace door handle.
"Where are you, Prismix?" Yakuso muttered as he pushed the doors open.