Ambush

"Found you." Raz muttered to himself, emptying the fine blue powder from the glass bottle onto the ground. Throwing the bottle back into his bag, he diverted his gaze back onto the second group as they headed one direction while the others went the opposite route. At first, he presumed they were coordinating some kind of rescue however that was not the case as one elf hurriedly gathered most of the villagers to his side, beckoning them to slip through a narrow opening tucked under the roots of an uplifted tree. It was too sudden, he felt his presence was exposed somehow but the wonders of how that was had shifted into a new concern, how would he capture the two girls now that they had separated?

"Let's go!" Spi'Reto shouted, helping one of the younger Nekomata's catch up as she was the last to join his group.

Alma watched them slip away as she turned her attention to those who stayed behind, with Nukka pushing Felix, Nyitzcha and Zimi atop a crate to her. The Grizzly wiped her paws looking satisfied as Zimi hopped off and gave her a smile. Felix helped Nyitzcha down before turning to the elf.

"So what do we do now?"

"The plan is that Spi'Reto takes his group to a rendezvous by the waterfall and keep under. If we fail to join them, he knows where to go to keep safe."

"If we fail to join them?"

Alma nodded, her delicate fingers pinching the string of her fine bow. "Captured or otherwise."

Felix swallowed.

"I need fighters, Felix. This is what you wanted, yes? This is what you've got, us." Looking around, he wasn't too sure. A Grizzly Bear was obviously their best strength but she seems clumsy and not focused. There was Zimi, a new Nekomata he had just met and Dimyri who was under a spell which kept her stuck in a human form. Plus Nyitzcha and Alma, plus himself, he didn't feel as confident as he initially hoped for.

"This is fine, this can work." It probably wouldn't, he thought, but beggars can't be choosers.

"We'll give it our best." Dimyri reassured them, looking around and holding her arm. "Are we supposed to be moving soon?"

"Ay, s'awful quiet now." Nyitzcha commented, leaning against Felix's leg. "Ah don' like it."

Alma squinted her eyes, scanning the environment to find any sign of movement or presence. With all the shouting and running gone, even the cheering sound of animals were mute today. "He's here, the book of yours said so. It's why we took immediate action, I can't run the risk of him getting the both of you."

Dimyri looked away, uncertain of how to react or feel. She worried for her sister and agreed that it was better for her safety as she was no fighter, not that Dimyri had any fighting experience at all either. But the knowledge of being a target, specifically having to distance herself from her family for this, it felt wrong and it pained her to go along with this call even if it was the right one.

"I hope she's safe."

"She will be. We need to get ready, we need weapons." Alma hurried to her tent, pulling away a curtain to show off several of her paintings piled up for display. The art was short-lived as the elf pushed them aside and yanked a brown rope from the dirt to expose a bag from its burried spot, tossing it onto the table. Felix parted it open to reveal a number of shining swords, each with a unique design to it as well as certain engravings along the sharp edges.

"Whoa!" Nyitzcha gasped.

"These use to belong to friends of ours, lives lost for our people under my charge. May they rest and there weapons bring fortune to our fate. Grab whichever suits you best, treat them with care. Even if you don't know how to handle a sword, I suggest you take one anyway. Except you two of course." Alma crossed her arms facing Nukka and Zimi.

Zimi shrugged. "They don't fit under the touch of a feline, besides what use is a sword to an animal who wields their own natural defense."

As she said this, with a flex of her paws her claws emerged. Nukka snorted from behind her. "She no like those things, especially pointy things. They sting, oooooh they sting lots!"

Alma glanced over to the other duo as Felix inspecting his weapon as Nyitzcha dug into the bag exploring her options. "Don't suppose you have any knowledge using a sword either?"

Nyitzcha looked up with a knowing smirk before puffing her chest forward as her fingers traced along the blue tattoo marks along her exposed body as she wore nothing but a circular chest piece to cover her front side like some sort of odd gladiator armor. "Figure ye know de meanin' o'deez, ya?"

"I do, got a better look at the falls. Had meant to ask if you stole the design perhaps?"

"Nay, was a ritual. Elven, if ye believe it."

"Whats that mean?" Felix asked, joining their conversation. "You mean you use to have elf friends before?"

"Those markings are a display worshipped by elves and given to keen experts with a high count in battle, typically awarded to their best soldiers after wars. Which means our little gremlin has quite the history in her name." Alma explained with a reluctant smile and a nod to the dwarf.

"Ye flatter me, but dis ain't de time t'be sharin' stories." Nyitzcha pushed the lid off the large crate before jumping inside. "Boy, help me 'n 'ere. Gunna need a pair'o hands to put to good use. Ye can start by taking out the powder off o'these fireworks an' store 'em into dis bag."

"You're looking again." Syri mentioned, poking Janette's side as she turned away from looking back.

"I can't help it, I feel like he's watching." Janette ran her hand over her face, hurrying to keep up with the group when suddenly she bumped into someone up ahead. "What the?"

Syri stayed quiet, inching her neck up to try to look over the other heads to see why the group stopped walking forward. Someone starting pushing through from the back of the group, making his way over with his bow and arrow in hand.

"What's the matter, why did we stop?" Spi'Reto asked upon reaching the front of the crowd. A timid Nekomata aimed her paw to his feet, sweating and panting as the elf stepped back to find a thin line of blue powder across their escape. Upon sniffing the air, Syri sneezed and covered her nose in disgust as the fumes burned her nose from inside. Many other Nekomata's began to follow through, with Spi'Reto following the powder with his eyes as the trail slipped under a few roots and hid among the tall grass and plants.

Looking into the tall grass, Spi'Reto narrowed his eyes and lifted his bow, drawing his arrow up as many of the village Nekomata's and children began to panic. "Walk behind me, one by one, now."

With a worried look, they followed his command and inched across to follow the path onward. Spi'Reto held his breath with intent focus, staring at where the power came from. With his foot, he swept away some of the colored dust, erasing a portion of it away when he heard a twig snap.

Fyoom!

He shot his arrow forth to the direction of that sound, his hand quickly drawing another arrow, ready for a second release. One of the Nekomata's shrieked, falling back as Syri and Janette helped her up on her paws. Soon they began to step over the trail, when something sparked and suddenly a bright and eerie blue flame screeched from under the roots, blazing down the trail in the blink of an eye as the villagers cried out. Startled, Spi'Reto stepped aside and felt his foot stick suddenly as he fell on his butt, finding a thin wall of ice separating him from the villagers. Syri and Janette looked down to find Spi'Reto's shoe was stuck into the icy barrier when a sharp scraping noise dragged along the ice as a dark figure emerged from the forest, his eyes staring into Syri's eyes.

"RUN!" Janette shouted, keeping herself between Syri and the nearby Raz as they ran back into the village.