††† Haylee †††

It was already past noon when Siegfried startled Haylee with a whoop of joy. After hours of repetitive application of his simple ability to conjure the organic weapon from his palm, he finally managed to project the exact same feeling on the upper side of his forearm.

When Haylee inspected his progression, she found that the small, sturdy spike was surrounded by a patch of hardened skin, just like it was on his palm. Her own euphoria was quickly shut down when Siegfried's brows knit together in a severe frown. His hand was jerking unusually.

"What's wrong? Are you hurting?" the cat-girl asked, worried.

"No, nothing like that, but… I can't move my hand and fingers like I should. I can move the wrist downwards, but not up," the startled warrior's explanation was accompanied by a flick of the wrist down, but only halfway up, so it stayed in line with his arm. He tried to close his fingers and found that he also couldn't make a full fist.

"Okay, that's… somehow logical," Haylee comforted him. "It's great that you managed to shift the muscle and nerves to accommodate the bone-spike, but of course, the muscle won't work the same anymore."

In that instant, Siegfried's built-up tension from the past days finally erupted. "What the hell is this all good for then?" he roared, slamming his left fist into the ground in exasperation. "What did I get this shit ability for if it's useless? Why did I leave Bolverk in this death trap of a city for?"

Haylee didn't know how to act as Siegfried slammed his fist into the ground over and over again, getting even more furious because the dirt gave way, and he couldn't even hurt himself.

Haylee did the only thing that came to her mind and slung herself around him, pressing her chest against his back and her cheek to his shoulder. "Stop, please," she begged in a shaky voice. She bent her legs around his mid just to broaden the amount of skin contact. Sieg's body trembled beneath her.

"Why must the people I love suffer in my stead again?" he whispered.

Sieg finally turned around— his gaze focusing on Haylee with a quivering that distressed the shaken cat-girl more than everything else. Since she laid eyes on him for the first time, the sharp, intense focus of his gaze was a constant reminder of his unwavering will. And in this instant, it seemed like all would break beneath the grief that Siegfried felt for his old mentor.

Haylee gently laid her hands to his cheeks and projected as much confidence as possible into her next words. "Have faith in our people, Siegfried. Eurydike will not let anything happen to Bolverk, and everyone lends their powers to aid her. And I might not have known Bolverk for long, but the old man is as sly as they can get. I can't imagine him losing his own battles, so you have to focus on yours. He is not alone. And neither are you."

††† Siegfried †††

The tall warrior closed his eyes and bowed his head to rest against Haylee's. Yes, he was not alone anymore. After a while, a low chuckle escaped his throat. "I never even thought about it. If Katharina and I had not been alone, it might not have come that far either."

When he opened his eyes once again, his gaze was focused. "I'm sorry, and I'm okay again. Thank you, Haylee," he said, planting a soft kiss on the hand that caressed his cheek. "You're right. I have to focus on my own battles. Let's see if Ryden's already up. If anyone can help me figure this problem out, it will be him." Haylee nodded, a brilliant smile gracing her lips once more.

When they walked past the bramble, they found that Ryden was indeed already up and about. He was stretching on the plateau in front of the cave. Apparently, they were not the first to spot the healer as several black shadows shot out of the forest.

"Howlers!" Haylee cursed loudly. "I'll distract them— you take one at a time with Ryden," the cat-girl directed. Siegfried's objections were ignored as she jumped out of her clothes and shifted into her fully feline form.

The words got stuck in his throat when Sieg observed the quick transition for the first time. Haylee's chest got deeper, her shoulders popped and stretched as she dropped into a crouch. Dark-champagne coloured fur covered her skin evenly.

The warrior winced involuntarily when her hip joints bucked up in a single, jerky movement, stretching the bandages she wore. Her feet elongated, the ankles moved up, while the muscles of her legs filled out. When her tail grew out above the linen wraps, the cat-girl dashed forward into a full sprint.

Sieg followed right away, but he could tell that he wouldn't make it before those 'howlers' reached Ryden. They were fast, running on all fours, albeit the over-proportional chest and front legs made for an awkward gait. Long, black fur covered them from the tail to their elongated snouts. Ryden took a defensive position at the plateau's edge, but Haylee would reach the pack before that.

The fierce, young shapeshifter didn't slow down when the first howler reacted to her presence. It rose on its hind legs, revealing to Sieg that the front legs were actually thick arms, ending in massive, furred hands with black claws. Their chest and height dwarfed even the bulky warrior. In her big cat form, Haylee was astonishingly fast, but a single swipe from the monstrous howler could likely end her.

Siegfried cried out when the cat-girl continued in a straight path towards the towering canine. In the last instant, she changed direction in a lightning-quick dodge, using her long tail to balance herself.

The howler snarled after her, the warning coming too late for its brethren. Haylee jumped the back of the nearest enemy, which was still focused on Ryden. Her strong jaws clamped down on the neck. Flexing her hind legs, she used her momentum to jump further away, taking a suitable junk of flesh with her.

It all happened in the span of a second. Siegfried was torn between admiration and fear for his companion. He counted five more enemies, and only one was still heading for the healer.

Ryden held his position until the last moment. His stance was low, the knees bent. The beast jumped the plateau, swiping a clawed hand at its prey before it even crossed the ledge. Ryden skipped out of range and stepped in again while the howler was still in a crouched position. The healer dampened the nerves and overloaded the muscles in his right leg, ramming his knee into the monster's muzzle. The impact nearly tore off its massive head, snapping the neck and crushing the jaw. Ryden's shattered kneecap and muscles reformed before he touched the ground again.

Sieg thought against his own anxiousness while running towards the plateau. He wanted nothing more but to rush after Haylee but knew that it would only endanger them both. The nimble cat-girl held the attention of the whole pack— evading the pouncing howlers but staying close enough to goad them. She was buying him time to form up with Ryden on the high ground.

Upon reaching the plateau, he contemplated running for the cave and get his sword, but a quick glance over his shoulder told him that he wouldn't make it. The howlers grew frustrated and let up from Haylee, deciding to go for the stationary prey.

The first to reach the ledge buried its claws into the rock for purchase. Siegfried instantly drove an enamel-coated blade from his palm into the furry arm, pinning it to the rock. When the beast yowled in pain, a second blade stabbed into the open maw.

Two of the howlers were cleverer and used the time to climb up at different sides of the plateau. Haylee constantly harassed the last one, keeping it occupied while Ryden and Siegfried engaged their own enemy, separating them.

The furred predator snarled at Sieg. Instead of pouncing, it stood on the hind legs, claws bared but obviously wary of the pointed blades. The warrior didn't hesitate and continued his charge. He ducked a swing from the left and stabbed the same appendage before evading the claws coming from the right side.

He cursed himself for not taking his sword with him in the first place. His thin bone-spikes were stiff extensions of his forearm and only suitable for stabbing— not his kind of fighting style. He dodged another swing while keeping his blade aimed high, discouraging the beast from following up with a bite.

Ryden had missed his first opportunity. It was a quick, heavy blow, but the howler reacted faster, jerking its head to the side in time. Ryden's punch only grazed a shoulder while leaving him open for a mighty swing of the monster's paw. It collided with his upper arm and torso, flinging the healer to the side like a puppet. Believing the threat to be dealt with, the howler charged onwards.

Siegfried was slowly whittling his opponent down. With the shorter range and missing weight of his blades, he couldn't strike a fatal blow without risking injury, but the howler bled from several stab wounds by now.

The heavy thump of a body hitting the rocky surface forced him to back up and look for Ryden. Sieg's unnatural reflexes allowed him to dodge the new attacker by a hair's breadth, backing up further.

The two monsters advanced on him like a massive wall of fur, muscles and claws. But Siegfried didn't falter. With the wall now to his left side, he was able to use their size against them, as they hindered each other on the small space.

Dodging constantly with the least possible amount of movement, he goaded the howlers along. A single hit could end him, but Sieg's concentration never waned.

Frustration drove one of the beasts to lounge forward, just a step in front of its brethren. Siegfried dodged to the right, bringing the attacker between him and the second howler. Using the extended, furred leg as a foothold, the warrior rose to eye-level with his opponent. He pushed his organic blade through the neck of the first howler and into the muzzle of the second. A quick follow-up stab from his other blade ended the miserable yelping.

Ryden, who had been running towards them, had already turned around to aid Haylee.

To Siegfried's relief, the big cat seemed still uninjured, pouncing and evading their last enemy like a kitten playing with her dark-furred, deadly mother.

The howler raged with fury. It was so focused on the uppity cat-girl that the confusion was visible in those large, brown eyes when Ryden's fist broke through its back and crushed the monster's heart.

"Haylee!" Siegfried called out, bending his knee to inspect her. "Are you alright?"

It was the first time he could appreciate the shapeshifter in her fully feline form. Compared to the street cats Sieg had seen, she was incredibly lean. A deep chest and narrow waist, support by long muscular legs, more graceful in appearance than any other creature he knew.

As Haylee realised that Siegfried stared at her form, her big, yellowish eyes widened, and her jaw opened slightly in shock, revealing her bloody, long fangs.

Before she could flee or force herself to shift back in her emotionally charged state, Sieg blurted out the first word that came to mind.

"Majestic," he uttered, almost reverently. "I've never known there could be a being out there as beautiful as you," he said with absolute confidence in his voice that brooked no dissent.

Haylee froze in her distinctly human expression, not daring to breathe. Her jaw trembled, eyes watering.

Sieg went with his gut instinct and cupped her cheek in his big hand, marvelling at the soft, sleek feeling, and brushed away the first tear that wet her fur. Haylee took a tentative step forward, and the crouching warrior put his forehead to hers, holding her with both hands as he felt her body shudder. A high-pitched wailing left the cat-girl's throat, much more delicate than Sieg would have anticipated.

He wrapped one arm around her long, elegant neck and felt her head pressing against his cheek.

Ryden had considerately given them space, and Sieg continued to just hold her shaking figure.

After Haylee had somewhat calmed down, a slight, low purring escaped her lungs as Siegfried continued to stroke the fur on her neck and upper body.

Sieg couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "There is my little kitty again," he joked— the relief and happiness in his voice genuine.

The cat-girl's purring turned into a rhythmic yipping that sounded suspiciously like laughing to the warrior's ears. She leaned back from his embrace, her feline features surprisingly expressive, as her eyes radiated gratefulness. Only the toothy grin would be slightly unsettling, came it from anybody else but Sieg's little kitten.