Debacle

Quiet.

An empty chill calmly surrounds the forest, the crunching sound of movement. Feet frantically shuffling, stepping on the icy frost layer that had begun to blanket the dirt underneath. Birds nests lay abandoned, void of any singing as the season began to change. Trees with the last of their dying leaves before being nothing but bark and wood collecting ice.

When suddenly, a clash rang into the quiet woods. It was the sound of metal and claw coming to a cross, meeting each other with vicious intent. Then movement, a foot gripping the base of a tree before launching off. A pair of paws digging into a branch to swing away.

Another slice, that familiar hearing of a disagreement taking place. In a world lacking civility and security, heated discussions often ended in silence when one's life was tragically ended. There is no room for cowards or big mouths, leaving all the observant ones to play it smart. The one winning move would be not to play, thus leaving the morons at command.

Ting!

And what would come with such power given to someone, passed and unchecked? Would you stand by your morals and paint yourself the enemy, standing for yourself and standing alone versus the world?

Slash!

Fwish!

Ting!

Would you rather sit idly by, nodding your hand as part of the flock, gratefully accepting the ordere given to you? Life would be much easier if you were kept in the role of a child, not knowing better, not asking for more, simply taking, doing, and nodding.

Fwish!

Fwish!

Ting!

Fwish!

Fwish!

Ting!

Ting!

Both of them met once more, his hands keeping a solid grip to the handle of his sword, her paws ensuring to keep his blade away from her as she pinted her claes to his chest.

Leone felt his hands begin to shake to the pressure she was applying to him, their fights were beginning to leave him tired. He hadn't the nourishment to replenish his health and stamina for all of yesterday, but the growl in his stomach was placed second of troubles collecting in his mind then.

KuliKuli was facing him with a matching look of determination, wincing at both the tingling sensation surround her claws as well as the shivering temperature dropping lower than past days. Their panting breath began to mix and collect, visually seen between them from how close they now were.

As soon as one gave way, the other stepped back in anticipation of a swing. The fight lingered on, quietly observed by several others in the background not too far away. Janette was huffing into her palms, rubbing them together while pressing her arms to her chest. Syri was more resistant, they had fashioned a thick blanket for her to cut holes into and wear like a homemade pancho. It was silly, but it was the warmest cloth they could find in the house. Dimyri seemed to fit the tomboy look as there were no female clothes available to her, and cutting the pants into shorts did not seem to her liking giving the weather. She kept Raz company atop the wagon, with a gag to his mouth keeping his muffled mute.

Janette glanced over to the far side beyond the two, catching an eye and making contact. Felix raised his head, wondering if it was his cue. She quickly shook her head then and gripped the rope in her hand, wrapping it around.

Their Nekomata spun around and threw another kick at him only to hit the air as he appeared behind her, countering her by gripping her shoulders and rolling behind to throw her several feet away. Shaking the frost off of her, her eyes narrowed as her tails unwrapped and stretched above her. No hissing this time, just determination as she leaped up and moved from tree to tree above him, keeping a watchful eye to a specific patch of land nearby.

He paced himself and tried to control his breathing, keeping a hard grip around the handle. The direction of what little sun could be seen through the clouds helped in knowing the time of day for him, he guessed how much daylight they still had before nightfall. Even if he won, there were still the remaining two for him to look for. But knowing how they function, it wasn't a worrying thought for he figured they weren't too far off from their family.

KuliKuli meowed and jumped over his head, digging her claws into the rough trunk behind him before pouncing behind and landing her two feet off his back. He fell forward, face covered in dirt before his exposed eye opened up sharply. Janette gasped and hid behind the snow which seemed to be waving when she bumped into it oddly... that wasn't snow, it was a white blanket. He rolled over, quickly managing to be on his feet and dodging another swipe before hiding hid hand behind him. When KuliKuli stepped back and readied herself, her eyes widened when he revealed a smaller crossbow he hid with his cloak, aiming it to Janette's direction.

He didn't hesitate, firing an arrow and cutting at the rope Janette held.

"No!" She fell forward, leaping in a last effort to grab what was left of the rope before it was quickly pulled away. Felix hadn't managed his grip as he was caught by surprise, thinking the worst as he thought the arrow was meant for her. Suddenly, a Nekomata found the dirt pull up from her feet, catching her in their own rope trap they had set up for the hunter. Now KuliKuli was bound and dangling six feet into the air with Leone being victorious.

Syri kept hidden from behing the wagon, feeling her heart race as Janette looked back at her. She swallowed her breath, shutting her eyes and forcing her claws out. They could hear the crunching of frost as he was now approaching them with an easy pace, crossbow in hand with his sword in the other.

"Hyaaa!" Felix shouted, throwing himself at the hunter from his side. Leone dug his blade into the ground, reaching the back of the head of his assailant before propelling his launch into the ground, hurting his head. He rolled to his back and hissed, touching his head while Leone retrieved his sword and sheathed it, eyes fixated to Janette. She was shaking hard, hand gripping a dagger she took from Raz as he stepped towards her at the side of the wagon. From behind him, she could see someone else sneaking up as well.

"Rrrrraaaahhh!" Syri yelled, swiping at his cloak, slicing its midpoint off as the rest cluttered into the dirt. Leone winced and spun around, moving his head in time to duck and dodge from her attacks. Janette fell back, noting the flesh marks behind him, piercing his armor and bleeding. Although caught off guard, he had no trouble maneuvering around her attacks. Unlike her sister, Syri was clumsy, inexperienced, and scared as her paws were visibly shaking in her brief moment of hesitation before forcing herself to attack him again and again. He had no trouble landing a palm to her forehead before pinning her two paws over her head, her back against the wagon.

"Definitely green, you need to face your fears before you face an enemy." He remarked, feeling her lack of strength as she succumbed to his grip rather quickly. Their eyes met, her green eyes shining beautifully as the resemblance became clear. He turned his head to see Dimyri screaming at him, her familiar yellow eyes never changed since she was in his arms so long ago. In a moment of weakness, his eyes grew wide as he heard her soft giggling voice.

This was it, it was his turn. She had beat him in the end, she teased him that one day he would need to prove himself better. For them. And he was failing.

"I can't." Leone looked back at Syri, feeling his world begin to crumble and fracture. Dimyri was staring at this man as his hold began to lessen for her sister to calm down.

Shink!

He winced, feeling a sudden pain to his side begin to grow in sudden ripples through him. Turning his head he was met with Janette's eyes shut closed, tears in her cheeks as she mustered her strength to fight back for once. She gasped upon opening to see his crossed look staring back, letting of the dagger and cupping her mouth as she trembled. Syri felt his hands lose their strongest before he let go, quickly running over to hold Janette tight. Both of them watched as Leone fell to his knees, feeling under his ribs the handle of a dagger sticking out.

"I-I-I did that... I did. I... Oh my gosh-"

He groaned and gripped the handle, feeling the blade to be hilted in rather deep inside. First thought was if anything vital was pierced, he was fortunate she aimed for the exposed area beneath his chestplate for that. Nothing lethal aside from loss of blood, and possible damage to an intestine.

"Oh gosh, oh my gosh!" Janette sobbed, hugging Syri back and shaking hard. Felix had recovered somewhat, approaching them before hjs eyes grew wide. From behind the wagon, Dimyri was staring at the scene before pushing Raz away, digging into one of their crates. Raz spat out the sock in his mouth before turning around.

"By the gods... what have you fools done?"

"It wasn't-no, I-I!"

Syri held her tight, pressing her head into her chest and turning her away. She had no words, only feelings to share as she too was scared. Felix grabbed Leone's sword and ran over, freeing KuliKuli as she landed on her feet before they joined them. She too was taken back.

"It was Janette, she did it when he had Syri pinned."

"It was an accident!" She cried, before KuliKuli kissed her head and nodded with Syri. Felix kneeled down with the hunter, his hand slowly reaching up while darting his eyes from his face to his wound.

"D-Don't!" Janette yelled. "Keep it in to seal the wound!"

"Okay." He swallowed. "What can we do?"

Dimyri shoved a crate back before running towards them, quickly applying a healing herb around the dagger. He hissed and coosed his eyes as the mix began to sting.

"Wait, that won't work on him-"

"Yes it will!" She snapped, pulling her arm away and resuming the treatment. Felix watched as the hunter hung his head against the wagon, muffling several words in a whisper.

"Under the moon... once more... this field of mine... field of mine..."

Felix fell back as Dimyri moved in to finish applying the small bit of herb that remained. "We need to keep him on his back, Janette do you know what to do? Janette!"

She shook her head. "No-I don't know! I-I never treated something like that before, only cuts and bruises."

Leone dug into his belt and tossed a pair of metal cuffs beside him, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes.

They were puzzled, needless to say.

"Nityri, Syri, Dimyri... come with me."

Dimyri's eyes darted from her sisters back to him. "What, what are you saying?"

"P-Prisoner..."

"You're not taking her." Felix said.

Leone shook his head and muttered, "k-kill her... come back..."

KuliKuli leaned in as he raised his head, his light blue eyes meeting hers. "He'll kill her... if you don't... come back..."