Winters scowled as he walked through the still, silent forests of Mara, following Io’s instructions to the north and west. While their first two nights out had been somewhat tense and gloomy, they’d filled the time with quiet conversations and jokes, reminiscing about the village and what its occupants were likely doing, talking about Earth and the HEL, or just discussing life itself and taking grand but ultimately unimportant trips down philosophy lane. Now however, both he and Io were on edge, hyped up, angry, and alone. “You’re sure about this Io?”

‘Yes sir. With the nomads effectively gone I believe the ursae thinks itself more or less alone out here. It’s been much easier to track it, especially now that I know what its prints look like.’

“Is that really possible? Could an animal do that?”

‘You mean alter its detectability? Perhaps not consciously sir, but that doesn’t mean that these species haven’t been hunting one another for eons. For all we know it could just be a subconscious function, like how human body hair stands on end when you’re cold or frightened. Besides, unlike when we were having our little game I’ve been rather careful about how I go about looking for it, trying to keep my own signature low. It means lower signal but it’s less likely to clue it into our own movements. That being said it’s not like this beast produces radiation or anything like that. To find it I need to bounce something off of it, be that light or anything else. The heat signature is too faint right now.’

“So what you’re saying is that one way or another it will know we’re coming?” Winters asked darkly, turning over again and again in his head how he intended to kill something of that size.

‘It’s not like I have any choice sir, we’re literally groping in the dark,’ Io protested.

“I didn’t mean it that way Io, sorry. I know you don’t exactly have corvette-class planetary scanners at your disposal or anything. I’m just…what the hell can we do against a thing of that size without the element of surprise?” His VI made her best attempt at answering the rhetorical question.

‘Well it might not expect us if we march right up to it. My guess is no one’s done that for centuries, maybe longer.’

“Oh yeah, that’ll work,” Winters declared, drawing his sword dramatically. “You there, giant monster bear thing! I challenge you to a duel!” Io cracked a small smile.

‘Shall I slap it with a white glove as well and advise it that we meet at dawn with pistols?’

“Hey, if that works I’m all for it Io,” Winters said, his voice a bit lighter as they passed by a well mauled tree trunk. He had is helmet light active that night. Cloud cover had completely blotted out any celestial illumination and a light snow was falling. “In all seriousness though, why do you think it’s been easier to track tonight?” Io shrugged and blew at her strand of loose hair.

‘I honestly don’t know sir. I stand by my first estimation though. I believe it was harder to detect as it stalked the nomadic raiders. Perhaps it was keeping a low profile…whatever a low profile would be for something of that size. Perhaps it moved more cautiously. Perhaps it selectively vented body heat at opportune moments. I cannot say anything for sure sir. All I can say is that although it is very distant I’m not having as much difficulty tonight.’

“Understood Io, thanks for everything,” Winters told her seriously. Io waved him off gently.

‘You need not thank me sir.’

“Need has nothing to do with it, but I do feel that way. Can you imagine me going at this alone with no guidance? I’d be stumbling my way forward with no way to tell what I was doing. Hell, without you I wouldn’t even know that thing was out there. I would just be back in the village probably helping them recover as best I could and…wait…”

‘Sir?’ Io cocked her head as Winters stopped, holding position as he thought for a moment. Then without warning he activated his helmet’s speakers and screamed into the night, a deep, challenging roar that had his back arching and his arms thrown out to his sides like some Spartan of old declaring to Xerxes that he would not yield. ‘Sir what in the nine hells are you doing?!’ Io shrieked, caught completely off-guard as she simulated falling backwards onto her butt.

“Putting your suggestion into practice Io. Hit that thing with everything you’ve got,” he encouraged, eyes slightly manic as his blood pumped harder.

‘I’m going to need a little more explanation than that sir! You just ruined all of my efforts at stealth and…I don’t believe it. No, that can’t be right. Oh for all of…gah! MEN!’ Io fumed, pacing back and forth in frustration before throwing up her raw ursae detection protocol input for him to look at. ‘You did this!’ She yelled, showing a dip followed by a large spike occurring just after Winters’ roar. ‘Now that you have its attention, what are you planning on doing barbar?’

“You said it yourself Io, the element of surprise is lost to us. So fuck surprise. Let’s punch this thing in the teeth.” Io took a deep breath and brought two fingers to her temple, closing her eyes and trying to calm herself. She began mumbling.

‘My partner isn’t crazy. My partner isn’t crazy. My partner isn’t crazy…’

“Aww c’mon don’t be like that Io!” Winters encouraged. “If you’re anything like me we’re both crazy! Worst thing you could do is try to ignore it,” he stated, opting for blind optimism and a dose of insanity as a counter to their depressed mood and ursae hunting conundrum. The conflict was inevitable and he’d decided to have a bit of fun with it.

‘Oh very well then sir,’ Io shot back, hands on her hips. ‘If I were a crazy VI attached to a crazy partner off on a crazy hunt in the middle of the woods what would I be doing?’

“Easy, just do what you did back when we first detected this thing. Bombard it with signal. Make sure it knows we’re here. Make sure it knows it’s not the only hunter on Mara right now. Make it think twice, if it even can. Who knows, maybe in a convoluted way that will get it more surprised than any amount of sneaking around like a Cauthan hunting party ever would.”

‘You’re insane, you know that?’ She asked him dejectedly, waving her hand and showing him that all of her incoming and outgoing detection abilities had been restored to maximum. Depending on how exactly the ursae perceived the world; they’d look like a beacon of light in the middle of the forest.

“I’m not insane Io, I’m a HEL Jumper.” Their laughter grew from a light chuckle to full throated peals as Winters set his foot forward and continued on their quest.

‘That’s what they all say.’

-----

“Ah Veera, it’s good of you to stop by. I was hoping to speak with you actually,” Antoth hailed Veera as she pushed aside the door flap of the barracks. “To be honest I should have found you yesterday but circumstances wouldn’t allow it. How are you?”

“I’m well Antoth, thank you,” Veera replied, following him to his chambers at his insistence. They both sat and Antoth offered her a cup of water. She took it with thanks even though her own canteen had kept her hydrated on her third day of guard duty, easily refilled at the various water troughs throughout town. She’d even begun packing herself snacks and easy to carry meals in her satchel, allowing her to continue patrolling through midday lunch. After the captain had taken a sip he looked her over critically.

“How has your service been these last two days? Again I apologize for my absence. At a minimum I should have made time for at least a day to familiarize you with your duties and given you some rudimentary training and-” Veera cut off his rambling with a wave of her hand and feathers.

“Please Antoth, slow down!” She laughed. “Everything’s been fine, I promise. Between the cloak and the spear and my knife no one really thinks twice when they see me on patrol. Your men have been more than welcoming to me as well. I couldn’t really ask for more. It’s made the last couple of days much better, even with the nightmares.” Antoth’s eyes widened for just a moment as Veera revealed a rather private matter of hers, but he quickly recovered.

“I’m glad to hear it then Veera. You say your sleep is troubled?” He asked with concern, thinking of the few nights he’d spent with Ratha since the raid, her tears, muffled cries, and the occasional scream that woke them both. He thanked the Sentinel that he was at her side each morning. Veera nodded, meeting his pensive gaze.

“It is Antoth. I’m sure that’s not really too difficult to believe. Nor should it be any surprise that the dreams revolve around Russell and the ursae. I don’t even know what one looks like. I just see him swallowed up by the darkness.” The captain allowed a low, rumbling purr, almost like a growl, to escape his throat.

“That may not be too far from the truth Veera. But if anyone can handle it, it’s him.” The captain spoke confidently, thinking he had a pretty good measure of the human after months of observation.

“I just don’t know that anyone can handle it, even him,” she admitted quietly.

“Indeed, but that’s beyond our power. Would you mind if I asked about your experience so far? I don’t mean to step away from your worries but that, at least, I can control.”

“Yes, of course Antoth. I’m sorry for getting us distracted.”

“Think nothing of it. You’re not the only one with unsettled dreams of late.” For a moment Antoth hesitated, expression changing as he realized he said something he probably shouldn’t have. Veera waved her feathers lazily at him.

“She’s lucky she has you then.” Antoth rubbed his scaled forearms at Veera’s words, clearly a bit uncomfortable with the discussion but not denying it.

“Perhaps Veera, that’s for her to decide. Now, you said my own men have been reasonable to you, yes? What of the rest of the villagers?”

“The other guards have been fine to me Antoth, thanks again. And no, I haven’t really had any issues.”

The captain’s scars twitched and he pressed her for clarification. “You haven’t had any issues, or you haven’t really had any issues?”

“Well it’s nothing really Antoth…” Veera insisted, not wanting to be seen as complaining so soon after earning his trust.

“Veera, if there’s anything going on it’s my job, nay my duty, to know.” Veera exhaled heavily but didn’t deny him.

“If you insist Antoth, but it really isn’t anything serious. I think quite a few of the villagers were just surprised to find me in such a position. Skeptical looks and whispers don’t mean much though when you’re helping to clean up a demolished home and ask for help. I’ve not had any issues on that front. Your men were kind enough to back me up the one time they didn’t believe me. Did you know some of those homes were still burning? A lot of the wood was still hot or glowing embers.”

“Hmm, I can’t say I did know. I’ve never had to deal with a widespread fire like this before and I’ve been primarily with the wounded and in the granary ensuring order is maintained, not to mention rounds and responding to civilian complaints and pleas. Thank you for assisting with the cleanup.”

“Think nothing of it Antoth, it’s my duty now too, right?” Veera smiled at him, pride welling within her chest. He growled and smiled back.

“Indeed Veera, that it is. Even so I apologize for not being there to coordinate those efforts myself.”

“We’re handling it Antoth. I spoke with Zolta about it and he and his master agreed that half of the smiths will assist us each day, especially since there’s not much new work to be done with the village in this state. The rest are cutting trees and shaping wood for the spring I believe, though I did request that a few of them work on sleds for if Russell finds success in his hunt. They were amenable to the idea.”

“Yes, I suppose there will be a lot of new construction come spring. Perhaps we can ask the human for a few tips?” That comment caught Veera by surprise, hearing someone like a high priest actively suggest incorporating human knowledge into their lives. “What’s with that look Veera? I would think his kind probably don’t live in wooden dwellings with dirt floors anymore, no?”

“Of course not Antoth, and I don’t think he’d be the sort of person to deny you if you asked it’s just…”

“Please Veera, you must speak freely with me now. I don’t mind pulling rank in these situations you know,” he advised her with a small upturn of his lips.

“Remember when you met Io for the first time?”

“How could I forget?” Antoth barked happily, remembering the fiery tempered spirit. “What of it?”

“Remember what Russell said, something about starting a war with another species?”

“Oh yes…I do recall that,” Antoth said, his tone falling dramatically. “You think he’d feel compelled to assist us if we ask but he may not be able to?”

“In short, yes Antoth. He told me a bit about his people and how they reached the stars. They were assisted by that other species. He called them ‘space elk’.”

“What is an elk?” The captain cocked his head.

“He says it’s similar to a chesko, though they walk on two legs.”

“Ha! Truly?! The world is full of marvels then. I should like to eat one someday I think,” Antoth declared loudly. Veera couldn’t help a titter of laughter herself.

“Tasty or not as they may be Antoth, I believe part of the agreement was that humans not assist species like us. Russell has already bent those rules quite a bit from what I understand. He does it happily with a smile on his face and ample reassurance, but I know that he’s taking a risk for us.”

“I see. That does complicate matters somewhat. Very well, I shall not ask him to gift us his technologies, but I do intend to ask if he can think of ways to make ours better. Perhaps that will be more agreeable to him?” Veera scratched her chin in consideration of Antoth’s words. If Winters only helped them make the most of what they already had that wouldn’t be against the rules of the treaty, would it?

“I think that could work Antoth. I cannot guarantee his response but-”

“Please Veera.” The captain raised a hand to cut her off. “I would not ask you to do something like speaking for him in his absence. He will give his own answer in time. Besides, this is a distant consideration at the moment. I was planning on making a final round before turning in for the night. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?”

“Yes actually. I want to work the night shifts,” Veera said confidently. Antoth narrowed his eyes at her but made no movement or sound to indicate disagreement. After a moment he spoke.

“You’ll make one of my men very happy Veera. Care to tell me why you want this assignment?”

“You said I’ll make someone happy right? Someone who can spend more time with their family, I assume?”

“Yes, that was the implication.”

“The only family I have left is out there in the dark. When he needs me I want to be the first to know,” Veera insisted, fire burning in her eyes. Antoth nodded immediately.

“Done. I’ll pick one of my men to pull off of rounds during the night. As for you, how are you feeling today?”

“I can stay up tonight, if that’s what you’re asking,” Veera insisted, patting her satchel. “I have some food with me and I can stop by my home to make tea if I get cold or feel drowsy.

“Hmm, you’re already more resourceful than half my guards, though I think they enjoy their lunch breaks to be honest. Very well Veera. Get about half of a night’s shift done tonight. No need to push yourself the whole night. Tomorrow you can do more, alright?” A small part of Veera wanted to protest that she need not be coddled, but reminded herself quickly that Antoth had never been the type to do so. “Torches can be found in the supply shed near the arrows. If you find yourself needing warmer clothing come and see me,” Antoth continued, standing up and grabbing his own cloak as the sun set outside. Veera stood with him and rendered a casual salute.

“If I see Russell’s light should I come find you here?” She asked, cocking her head when the question gave Antoth pause.

“I…no. Not here.” The implications were clear enough. Veera looked him over as Antoth averted his gaze, clearly still getting used to the idea of being with someone again.

“Does she make you happy?” Veera asked kindly.

“I’m not sure about that Veera, but she does make it easier. ”

“Then that’s all that matters I think. Don’t be so torn Antoth, Uthos himself couldn’t do better than you are given the circumstances.” Anoth just shook his head.

“I don’t know that I’d go that far, but thank you,” he replied quietly, grabbing his sword and helmet. “Come now, we’ve talked enough I think.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, and thank you for volunteering.”

“It’s purely self-interest, sir.” Antoth paused a moment, considering his own budding relationship. He turned his head enough to give her a quick flash of his teeth.

“That doesn’t matter.”

-----

‘I was going to lock the armor sir, but I see that’s no longer necessary. Good morning to you, or should I say evening?’ Io asked with the barest hint of humor in her voice. Winters’ HUD activated and he saw what he’d already felt, his right hand outstretched, reaching for a figment of gold and black in his dreams. In the end his fist closed around cold air and snow in twilight. ‘Was she happy?’ Io continued with an almost unprecedented softness to her voice. Winters shook his head.

“I couldn’t see,” he told her simply, standing and gathering his gear before preparing for yet another meal on the move, something his body was quickly getting used to. They spent the first hour of the journey in relative silence, Io pointing them increasingly due west. As they came to a small valley on the forest floor Winters took a glance at the temperature gauge. “That’s some small comfort I suppose.” Io knew exactly where his eyes were looking and nodded.

‘Indeed sir. Though visibility is a bit worse the cloud cover has definitely kept temperatures moderated. I daresay this may even be preferable. My detection abilities have yet to be impacted by this light snowfall.’ Winters frowned at her statement.

“It’s heavier snow I’m worried about. I guess we’re at the mercy of the weather one way or another though. You’re still getting a clear signal Io?”

‘I am. Dare I say the beast has accepted your challenge sir? This is by far the easiest time I’ve ever had in tracking it, even before this hunt. Frankly I think it took offense to your brazen lack of stealth,’ she postulated, indicating she also still took a bit of offense at his testosterone laden display from the night before. Winters had the decency to shrug and look apprehensive.

“It seemed the right idea at the time, but I accept I might have gone a bit overboard. You scared Io?” He asked seriously. She gave him a searching look in return.

‘I…what do you mean sir? I am technically scared of many things, the heat death of the universe or the star of this system suddenly going nova, for instance.’ Winters couldn’t help a chuckle at her examples, figuring that leviathan monster hunt might actually be closer to those than one would think at first glance.

“I meant concerns that are a bit more proximate, Io. The ursae, are you scared?”

‘Am I allowed to be?’ She replied just as seriously, unsure if her partner was searching for a rock or offering her one.

“You are Io. I am too,” he admitted. “Hell, if it’s as big as you say it is I should be soiling my armor right now.” Io’s look of disgust quickly morphed into one of a not so innocent woman with something to hide. “Io…what’s going on?”

‘Er…nothing sir? I just may have misled you a bit?’

“Are you asking or telling?” Winters replied, raising a brow at her as he climbed out of the valley and continued on through the windswept snowdrifts. It was hard to tell, but the snows seemed to be falling slightly thicker.

‘I decided to run the data on the ursae again while you slept,’ Io said hesitantly. ‘My first guess at its size was based on just a footprint after all. At the destroyed camp we saw many more of those as well as the type of destruction it can cause and the type of hunting it’s capable of.’

“And the conclusion?” Winters demanded nervously, feeling a very human trickle of fear run down his spine again. It had been happening more and more often as they strode further from home. Please don’t be more wheels on the damn truck.

‘I may have overestimated the size a bit sir. If you would?’ Io requested his attention as she commandeered some of his HUD to display what looked like a Bayesian distribution. On the far right was a very large and fluffy long haul rig. On the far left was a much more reasonable four wheeled truck, also furry. In the middle stood an in-between estimate that was represented by a ten-wheeled vehicle. Winters looked intently at Io.

“Got a little excited, did you?”

‘A failure of immediate imagination, sir,’ she insisted more confidently. ‘My first instinct was to scale up a predatory cat or bear from Earth based on the paw size. However there is great variation in paw size among the wild cats of the world and so as you slept I considered if maybe our quarry is more similar to something else. Are you familiar with the Canadian lynx, sir?’ Winters grunted as he hopped over a downed tree trunk.

“Can’t say I am Io. Enlighten me?” Her eyes brightened at his request.

‘Of course sir. It is a wild cat that lives exclusively in the northern reaches of the western hemisphere, primarily in the tundra where snow is an almost constant fact of life. To compensate, its paws are extremely wide and create a natural snowshoe effect. If the ursae is anything like the lynx, it may do the same. This would be especially true if it hunts primarily in the winter.’

“Come again?” Winters requested, both eyebrows rising into his hairline this time. “Primarily in the winter?”

‘We’re entering the territory of rank speculation sir, but for an animal of that size it’s possible that once they grow to a certain body mass they might have issues with venting heat instead of retaining it. You recall the door covering to Ratha’s temple?’

“The really thick, black fur, right?”

‘The very same. We’ve passed by it enough while in the Aegis that I’ve had a chance to play around with it a bit. I haven’t been able to replicate any of the ursae’s detection spoofing, but it’s most certainly an excellent insulator. Couple that with a very large volume to surface area ratio of the body and it stands to reason that at a certain size summer might simply get too hot for them, unless they have some way of venting heat. I cannot say one way or another. If they do not perhaps they hibernate in reverse, remaining in a lower metabolic state in the summer and hunting during cooler months.’

“That’s quite the theory Io. Care to take a crack at another one?”

‘Oh? Certainly sir-’ Io halted her speech a moment, concentrating hard and appearing as though she was listening for a faint sound. ‘Apologies sir, slight course correction to the north. It’s become slightly harder to track too.’ Winters grimaced.

“It’s hunting again.”

‘That’s likely sir, yes. You were saying?’ Io asked in a subdued tone.

“I was just wondering how something that big stays alive. The amount of food it must need…”

‘Indeed, that is an excellent question sir. I believe that likely has to do with its insulation as well. The less energy you lose to heat, the more you maintain for other bodily functions.’

“Sounds like a difficult balancing act to me. Get too large and you can’t hunt in the summer when game is plentiful. But at the same time you retain more energy so you don’t need as much food?”

‘Possibly, but again this is all speculation sir. All we really know for the moment is that this thing has very large paws, significant body mass, and an appetite.’

“Great,” Winters growled, hating their lack of hard information on what was shaping up to be an extraordinarily dangerous target. Unwilling to dwell on the unknowable, he instead shifted the topic of conversation. A couple of hours later the two of them found themselves immersed in the ethics of species uplift, Winters constantly scanning the forest as they talked.

“All I’m saying is relative to spacefaring species, what difference does it make if a species is like Veera’s as opposed to an industrial species? Like, why is it ok to swoop in and disrupt a steam revolution with space tech but Veera’s people need to struggle in the mud?” He fumed.

‘I don’t disagree with you on the distinction sir, but if anything it should be moved further up the technological ladder. My personal opinion is that a hard limit should be placed on all contact with species that haven’t achieved spaceflight, as the resulting technologies required would allow for at least some amount of global presence and acknowledgment among nations. I suppose the drafters of the treaty would insist that by the time of industrial revolutions, stable nation states have formed that can be negotiated with. A foolish sentiment if you ask me,’ Io declared confidently. Winters was about to present a counter point when something very different from the thousands of trees they’d walked past met his eyes.

“Eyes forward Io,” he ordered, drawing his pistol and feeling his body crouch slightly, priming his legs for explosive attack or flight. As they moved forward smoothly Winters became more and more sure of what he was seeing, an otherwise immobile formation gathering snow. “Oh gods damn it, I think it’s one of them,” he swore, making out a limp tail attached to the body that lay before them. He kept his sidearm pointed at it, but as he knelt down he was more than convinced he’d not need it. His sensors showed almost no heat left in the body.

‘What do you think happened to it?’

“To her, you mean?” Winters asked darkly, making out the larger crest and arm feathers under the snow. Holstering his gun he reached forward and grabbed the corpse by the shoulder, turning it to face them. Io screamed.

‘I…I think I’m going to be sick! Oh my god!’ She cried, quickly running off of his HUD and making a very distinct vomiting noise. Winters just blew out a long breath and tried to keep his body from shaking. The Cauthan he held had been split from hip to shoulder and had died where she’d fallen, blood soaking down into the snow beneath her. When he’d turned the carcass over the entrails had remained in the snows, easily liberated from their confines by the cut of a massive claw. Winters tried to look away but he couldn’t stop staring at the face, a look of pure terror etched onto it as a testament to what could only have been a horrific final moment of life. Io had since returned and was now staring sadly with him, breathing heavily and trying to process what she was seeing, her human sensibilities most offended by the sight. ‘Why sir?’

“What do you mean why?” He whispered, trying and failing to ignore the black spots on the white face, the stripes on the body’s arms.

‘Why would it do this? I still shudder to think of what happened at that camp but those Cauthan were eaten. That made sense, right? She…she wasn’t. Why?’ Io asked again, shocked at such brutality against an otherwise harmless creature. Winters, however, knew exactly why the Cauthan had died. He was human after all.

“It’s a warning,” he spat venomously, bringing a hand to his neck and clutching at the rings there, desperate to feel that he still had them. “It accepted our challenge Io, and it’s telling us what will happen to us if we come after it. I got her killed,” he whispered before punching his hand deep into the snow and yelling at the top of his lungs. “I killed her! God fucking damnit!” The snow gave too easily and his anger was far from dulled. It only served to enrage him further before Io stepped in.

‘Sir, please! How is this your fault?’

“I was the one yelling in the forest last night, telling this thing I was coming for it!”

‘And even if you hadn’t she might have just as easily become a snack! Enough! You may have killed her brethren but you didn’t kill her. That thing did and we’re going to kill it back!’ Io yelled, her disgust and shock having passed into a rage to match that of her partner. Winters closed his eyes tight and forced the burning tears back. It wasn’t like him to cry over such a thing, not after he’d killed so many already.

“She was innocent Io,” he said sadly. The VI hung her head.

‘I know, sir.’

“And now she’s dead.” Winters’ words hung in the air like a scythe above them. “Now they’re all dead.” Io removed her cap but firmed her expression, pleased to see that her partner was doing so as well. She could practically feel the fires burning hotter inside him thanks to her links to his armor.

‘They are dead, in all likelihood. But we are not. I know we spent much time debating the size of this creature but I find myself caring less and less. No matter how large, we will bring it down.’ Winters snarled in agreement.

“Yeah Io, yeah we will. Fuck a trophy; I’m going to feed this thing an explosive round straight to the brain if I can. For now though…” he sighed, looking down again at the face of the dead. The rational part of his mind knew it wasn’t Veera, knew it didn’t even look like Veera very much. His Cauthan was tall, fit, happy, and golden like wheat before a harvest. Her face was livelier and softer than this one. The rest of him didn’t care though. In that moment it was far too close a thing to handle with anything other than respect and care. With a tender touch he forced the mouth shut, easily overcoming the rigor mortis before reaching his fingers up to shut the Cauthan’s eyelids. The horrified look, a product of flight, starvation, and being hunted like an animal was gone. In its place was a calm and peaceful sleep, far different from the gaping wound below. With a heavy sigh he rolled her back over, thinking that position more dignified than the gore he’d unearthed beneath her body. Without a word he stood and drew his rifle, firing a shot into the air and listening to the echo in the trees as the snows continued to fall. “That’s right you bastard, I’m coming for you.”