The scent of blooming jasmine and damp earth clung to Leonotis as he drifted in the embrace of sleep. He found himself on a winding garden path paved with smooth, moss-covered stones. It beckoned him forward, the air alive with the gentle hum of unseen insects. At the path's end stood an ancient tree, its gnarled branches reaching towards the sky like the arms of a slumbering giant. A dark opening yawned at its base – a cave promising secrets.
Drawn by an unseen force, Leonotis stepped into the cool darkness. In the heart of the cavern, bathed in a soft, ethereal glow that seemed to emanate from the very stone, stood the woman from his recurring dreams. "Hello, Leonotis," her voice echoed, a melody both familiar and otherworldly. "I'm waiting for you."
This time, the hazy veil that had obscured her features lifted. Recognition struck Leonotis with the force of a physical blow. He had an unusual feeling that he should recognize her. "Who are you?" The words escaped his lips, a hesitant whisper.
A warm, radiant smile bloomed on her face, chasing away the shadows in the cave. "You can finally hear my voice. I am glad, my child. I am waiting for you. Come find me. I need your help."
Then, from behind her, a figure stepped forward. His shoulders were broad, his stance a little uncertain. Leonotis' breath hitched. It was him. His father. He placed a hand, a gesture both tender and hesitant, on the woman's shoulder. "How are you… son?" he asked, his voice thick with an emotion Leonotis couldn't quite decipher.
Leonotis jolted awake, the lingering scent of jasmine fading into the stale air of their makeshift camp. Every detail of the dream remained etched in his mind, vivid and unsettling. Was it merely a trick of his sleeping mind, or something more? The woman… her silhouette was undeniably familiar, yet there was a subtle difference, an ethereal quality that defied reality.
A soft sniffle drew his attention. He turned to see Jacqueline curled on her side, tears silently tracing paths down her cheeks. In her hands, clutched tightly as if they were precious relics, were a pair of cracked spectacles, their lenses fractured like shattered memories. Leonotis instinctively reached out to wake her, but Low, ever vigilant, placed a hand on his arm, shaking her head gently.
Their eyes met, a silent understanding passing between them. Whatever had befallen Jacqueline before their paths intertwined had left deep scars. Those broken glasses were a tangible piece of that unknown tragedy. Low was right. They were strangers still. Trust, and the willingness to share such pain, would take time.
The quiet rustle of their preparations for breakfast filled the morning air. Leonotis kept his back to Jacqueline as she stirred, pretending not to notice the furtive swipe of her hand across her eyes. "What's for breakfast?" she asked, her voice a little rough, attempting a normalcy that didn't quite reach her eyes.
The forest floor was a tapestry of greens and browns, and Leonotis, his stomach rumbling a quiet complaint, scanned the undergrowth with a hopeful eye. He spotted a patch of familiar-looking bushes, their branches dotted with tiny, dark specks. "Berries!" he announced, starting towards them.
Low didn't even glance over. "Don't bother, Leonotis," she said, her voice flat with the weariness of their journey. "Those are buffalo thorns. They're always tiny, barely a mouthful for a bird, let alone three hungry travelers. And don't get me started on the taste."
Leonotis, however, felt a stubborn pull towards the bushes. He pushed aside a curtain of leaves, ignoring Low's sigh, and then he grinned. Nestled deeper within the foliage, hidden from casual view, were clusters of berries, not small and withered, but large, plump, and gleaming a deep, juicy purple.
"Well, look at these, then!" he called out, holding up a branch laden with the unexpected bounty. Low stopped, turned, and her eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise, a rare crack in her usually stoic demeanor.
After a silent meal, of delicious and sweet berries, their small group began their trek northward, their destination the looming silhouette of Water Mountain on the horizon. The dream, and the quiet sorrow of their companion, weighed heavily on Leonotis' mind. The path ahead was uncertain, and the past, it seemed, walked with them.
The overgrown path led them to a small, eerily silent village swallowed by the encroaching woods. Houses sagged like tired old men, their windows dark and empty. A lone figure stumbled out of the trees, his face pale with terror, clutching a bloodied arm.
"Bear monsters!" he gasped, his voice ragged. "A whole family of them… at the small cabin in the north end! They… they attacked everyone!" He pointed a trembling finger towards a barely visible track leading deeper into the village.
Jacqueline knelt beside the injured man, her hands glowing with a soft, blue light as she channeled her healing magic. A visible warmth radiated from her palms, knitting the torn flesh and staunching the flow of blood. A sigh of relief escaped the man's lips as the pain receded.
"Thank you," he rasped, his gaze meeting Jacqueline's with gratitude. He then looked at Leonotis and Low, his expression turning urgent. "This cabin… it's home to a family of three. I need to go tell the next town over about the killer bear. And you… you should leave. It might come back out." With that stark warning hanging in the air, he vanished into the dense woods.
"We need to help them," Leonotis said, his voice firm.
Low's brow furrowed. "We don't even know if there are any survivors, Leonotis."
"But if there are," Leonotis countered, his gaze intense, "their blood will be on our hands if we do nothing." He turned to Jacqueline, his voice softening slightly. "Jacqueline, would you… would you be willing to use your healing again, if needed?"
A flicker of resolve hardened Jacqueline's gentle features. "Yes, Leonotis. Of course."
Low sighed, but her eyes held a determined glint. "Then I'm coming too. We stick together."
Hesitantly, Leonotis, Low, and Jacqueline followed the trail. The small cabin was easy to spot – its wooden walls were scarred with deep gouges, and the door hung crookedly on its hinges. Inside, the scene was chaotic. Furniture was overturned, and the air was thick with the metallic tang of blood.
While Jacqueline cautiously approached a still figure lying near the hearth, Low ventured into a small bedroom. Leonotis followed, his new root-sword held defensively. He noticed a smaller figure huddled on a bed, covered by a tattered blanket. Jacqueline knelt beside the first body, her expression grim. "This is the mother," she said softly. "She's… cold."
The other figure, a man, was lying nearby, his chest rising and falling shallowly. Blood soaked his tunic. Jacqueline immediately began to chant, her hands glowing with a faint, blue light as she attempted to mend his wounds.
Suddenly, a sharp yelp of pain echoed from the child's bedroom. Low stumbled backward, clutching her stomach, her face contorted in agony. A large, furry creature, with sharp claws and teeth, darted out of the room and disappeared into the surrounding woods. A long, bloody gash marred Low's side.
"Low!" Leonotis cried, rushing to her side.
"It… it slashed me," she gasped, her breath coming in short, ragged bursts.
A large bear ran out of the room and out the front door.
"Jacqueline, can you help her?" Leonotis asked, his voice filled with alarm. He picked up Low and placed her beside Jacqueline.
"I don't know if I can heal both," Jacqueline said, her brow furrowed in concentration as she continued to heal the father while stretching her arm to Low. "Let's hope it wasn't a deep wound."
"We have to find that bear," Leonotis said, his grip tightening on his root-sword. "Before it hurts anyone else."
Jacqueline nodded grimly. "Be careful."
Leonotis plunged into the woods, his senses on high alert. He focused, trying to tap into the strange green energy that had manifested during the auction. He willed the roots around him to move, to reach out. Tentatively, thin roots snaked out from the base of his root-sword, twitching like curious tendrils. He concentrated harder, envisioning the bear-like creature ensnared.
Jacqueline's hands glowed with a soft, blue luminescence, hovering first over the man's bloodied chest, then shifting to Low's slashed abdomen. The air around them shimmered faintly as her healing magic worked, knitting torn flesh and staunching the flow of blood. The rhythmic chanting of ancient words filled the quiet clearing.
The man groaned, his eyelids fluttering open. His gaze was unfocused at first, then sharpened as he took in Jacqueline's glowing hands and the worried faces of Leonotis and Low. "Wha… what happened?" he rasped, his voice weak.
"A bear," Jacqueline said gently, her concentration unwavering. "It attacked you and my friend, Low."
The man's brow furrowed, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. "No… no bear…" He reached out a trembling hand and gently touched Jacqueline's arm, his grip surprisingly firm. "Stop. Heal her. I'll be alright." He gestured weakly towards Low, whose breathing was becoming less ragged under Jacqueline's ministrations.
Jacqueline hesitated, her glowing hands still hovering over his chest. "But you're badly hurt…"
"It wasn't the bear that did this," the man insisted, his voice gaining a sliver of strength. "Or… or that killed Sara." A wave of grief washed over his face. "It was a hunter. He… he poisoned our porridge. To weaken us. To make it easier to capture Reab."
Jacqueline and Low exchanged shocked glances. "Poisoned?" Low whispered.
The man nodded, his eyes filled with a burning rage that belied his weakened state. "He knew what we were. He wanted Reab. For… for whatever twisted reasons hunters want rare creatures." He coughed, a fleck of blood appearing on his lips. "The poison… it made me weak. Slow. Sara… she didn't stand a chance." His voice broke.
He looked at Low, his expression filled with guilt and a desperate plea. "The bear… Reab… he was just protecting us. He's never hurt anyone before. He's just a scared child."
Jacqueline's glowing hands shifted entirely to Low's wound, her healing magic intensifying. The implications of the man's words hung heavy in the air, painting a far more sinister picture of their situation. The escaping villager hadn't been a victim; he'd been the predator.
Leonotis spotted the bear near a thick oak tree, its large form surprisingly agile as it sniffed the ground. With a surge of will, Leonotis lashed out with his newfound ability. He stabbed his sword into the ground and roots erupted from the top into the surrounding earth, snaking towards the creature. They wrapped around its legs, then its body, tightening until the bear monster was securely bound to the tree, whimpering in confusion and fear.
Leonotis raised his root-sword for the final blow, but he hesitated. Was this the right thing to do? he thought. Just then the villager from the path reappeared, his earlier terror replaced by a greedy glint in his eyes. "Hold it right there, boy!" he exclaimed, hurrying towards them. "Don't kill it! That's a werebear cub! A rare one! People in the Capitol will pay a fortune for something like that!" He grinned, already envisioning his newfound wealth. "Keep it tied up. I'll just go get my van…" He turned to leave.
Suddenly, Low and Jacqueline appeared, supporting the injured father. The man's eyes, though still clouded with pain, widened as he saw the large bear cub struggling against the vines. "Let him go!" he pleaded, his voice hoarse but firm. "Please!"
"He's dangerous. He might kill you next," Leonotis warned.
As the father's gaze locked with the trapped creature, a strange transformation began. The fur fell off in chunks, the snout shortened, the claws retracted. In its place stood a small, whimpering child, no older than two, his eyes wide with fear as he looked at the unfamiliar faces.
The father shook his head, his gaze never leaving his son. "He won't. Because… because I'm his father." He looked at Low, his expression filled with remorse. "I am so sorry about the scratch. It wasn't deep, was it? You… you probably won't turn." His voice trembled with guilt. "That man… the one who stopped you. He's not a villager. He's a hunter. He killed my wife. He attacked me. That's what triggered my son's first transformation."
The hunter's true nature hung heavy in the air. Without a word, Leonotis severed the roots binding the child. The little boy ran to his father, burying his face in his tunic.
"We need to leave," Low said urgently, her hand pressed against her side. "Before that hunter comes back."
A silent agreement passed between them. They helped the injured father and his son, and together, they retreated back into the woods, leaving the abandoned village and the greedy hunter behind.
Leonotis watched the small werebear child, Reab, now nestled safely in his father's arms, a profound sense of kinship blooming in his chest. The fierce protectiveness in the father's eyes mirrored a longing within Leonotis himself. He thought of Chinakah and Gethii. They weren't his parents but he couldn't help but worry if they were alright. Then a desperate yearning for his own father, lost to the terrifying grasp of the Oko Egan. Would I ever see him? Would I ever hear his voice? The questions clawed at the edges of his mind, sharp and relentless. Was his father even still alive, or had he succumbed to the darkness of that monstrous entity? The uncertainty was a constant ache, a dull throb beneath the surface of his newfound resolve. He looked at the small, vulnerable family before him, and a fierce determination solidified within him. He would save Chinakah and Gethii but then he would find his father. Save him from that creature. He had to because that's what a hero would do.