"Damn! Talking cats!" Dris exclaimed.
"Shh! Shut your mouth!" Roderic hissed, jabbing him with an elbow.
They watched, hidden, as the Manuga assaulted the Ganshka.
"What now?" Damara whispered, counting the combatants. "We're outnumbered."
All nine of them were battered and weary.
"We just observe for now," Imla said, her voice low with exhaustion.
The Ganshka were being slaughtered.
"Tch! So many vestiges, wasted," Dris clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Feel free to go harvest them. I'm sure the big cats won't mind," Roderic smirked.
"Quiet, both of you," Imla shot them a sharp look.
***
"Where is it?" Lash demanded again.
Dark-green blood frothed from the Ganshka chieftain's mouth. "What… do you want?"
"Acting dumb?" Lash snarled, ripping the creature's heart out.
Kach! The organ burst in his grasp.
"Chief!!!" the remaining Ganshka cried out in despair.
Lash examined the chieftain's body, his eyes locking onto a wooden belt. "Here it is!" He snatched a stick-like key from it.
'Five more to go!'
"Hurry, finish them! We have visitors to attend to!" Lash's gaze snapped toward the hidden group.
"Shit! He noticed us!" Roderic gasped.
"Fuck," Dris cursed under his breath.
Damara and Imla's faces darkened. They were in no condition to fight a powerful Manuga war party.
"He's likely at the Perfection stage of the Bodhir rank," someone whispered.
"We're fucked! None of us is even Awakened! We're outnumbered and outpowered. Whose idea was it to come here?!" another wailed.
"Come out, humans!" Lash roared.
Tension seized them all.
"Imla…" Damara murmured.
"We wait for an opening. Then we run," Imla replied.
"Brother!" Cloe's voice cut through the chaos.
Lash's eyes flicked toward her. "Cloe. What are you doing here? No matter. Hurry up and bring those humans to me."
"Oh, no, another one," Roderic muttered.
Cloe's expression hardened as she took in the scene: the Ganshka corpses, the stench of death, the ground stained dark green, her tribe members still killing.
'These children…'
"Why are you standing there? Capture them!" Lash roared.
Cloe flinched. "I… I can't," she mumbled.
"Cloe, why did you run off?" Ballio panted, skidding to a halt behind her. Helma arrived a second later, her face paling as she saw the horde of Manuga.
"Ballio! Helma!" Dris called out, abandoning the hiding spot.
"Idiot!" Roderic followed, with Damara, Imla, and the others emerging behind them.
"Everyone!" Ballio's face lit up with a brief, relieved smile.
"Nice to see you, but this isn't a happy reunion," Helma said, clenching her bow.
Cloe stared at them, dazed.
"Look, Cloe, they've all gathered for you," Lash said, playing with the wooden key. "Capture them. Now."
"NO!" Cloe shouted, her voice raw.
Lash's eyebrows twitched. "What did you say?" he growled.
Cloe's green eyes wavered. "I won't do this anymore. I've… I've talked with them. We can live in harmony if we just communicate! We—"
"HAHAHA!" Lash's laughter drowned her out. "Cloe, have you lost your mind? Where did you get these naive ideas? Was it him?" He fixed a killing gaze on Ballio, who gulped under the predatory stare.
Cloe threw her arms wide. "Please, brother. Let them go." Her voice was soft, tears welling in her eyes.
"Cloe…" Ballio said weakly, his hands trembling.
"Pssh, Ballio, what'd you do? Use a charm?" Dris joked nervously.
"We need to run," Roderic urged, sensing the murderous intent thickening the air.
"If we fight, we die. If we run, we're cut down from behind," Damara said, levelling her spear. Helma kept her bow drawn, awaiting the first move.
"So what do we do? We can't fight or run!" one of the others cried.
Imla's expression was grim. "We need a diversion. Listen—"
Before she could finish, Lash's ears twitched. The sound of hurried footsteps and guttural barks echoed through the trees.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
The Vrkuga had arrived.
A pack of the wolf-like Manuga launched themselves at the Vyaghruga.
"DAMN YOU ALL!" Lash roared, his body swelling with prana. His claws elongated, his eyes blazing green.
One of the Vrkuga opened its maw, releasing a pulse of greenish energy. Lash swiped his claws through the air, sending a five-clawed projectile to meet it.
Clash! The air vibrated from the impact. The force of the blast knocked the wooden key from Lash's hand.
The battle escalated instantly, devolving into a primal melee of teeth and claws as the two Manuga species tore into each other.
"Now! Run!" Dris yelled, already sprinting away. The others followed without hesitation.
"Cloe, come with us!" Ballio pleaded.
She shook her head, offering a weak, sad smile. "I can't. I have a tribe to save. Sometimes, one's own happiness must be sacrificed for the survival of the whole. Thank you… for talking to me."
A single tear traced a path through the grime on her cheek. She gave him one last look before turning her back and hurrying toward the battle.
"Idiot, move! Don't daydream now!" Helma's shout snapped Ballio from his stupor.
He turned his back, a heavy thought settling in his heart. 'Is sacrificing one's own happiness ever the right choice? I don't know.'
"Where are we going?" Dris asked as the group fled.
"Anywhere far from here," Imla answered.
Woof! Woof!
A Vrkuka landed in their path. "Watch out!" Damara shouted.
The human-wolf hybrid moved with blinding speed, grabbing two of the non-team members and tearing them apart before they could react. The group watched in horror as their comrades were slaughtered.
"Nine against one. But this one is strong. Awakened, I'd guess," Roderic said, tightening his grip on his sword.
"I'll take command," Imla said, her voice cutting through the fear. "Archers, ready! Everyone else, flank left and right. Maintain distance!"
The Vrkuka tossed the corpses aside, its predatory eyes scanning them, drinking in their fear and exhaustion. Its tail wagged happily.
"Woof! The feast will be amazing today!" it snarled, baring its razor-sharp teeth in a dark smile.
***
The Ganshka tribe was nearly extinct, its few survivors fleeing their ravaged home. The Vyaghruga and Vrkuka battled with primal ferocity, a whirlwind of claws and fangs. It was not an elegant fight, but a raw, instinctual butchering.
And in the midst of the chaos, humans faced a powerful Vrkuka. Though they had numbers, they were battered, weary, and their clothes were torn. The advantage was a fragile illusion.
Unseen by any, a figure moved freely through the carnage.
'Damn. I didn't expect the Team 7 reunion to be this explosive.'
Ashan, his presence completely concealed by his siddhi, observed the battle. His eyes fell on a wooden object in the bloodied grass. He scooped it up.
'I'll examine this key later. First, I have to save those fools.'