Lilian hadn't recovered from her shock yet. She wasn't chosen to Hunt as the piece of wood she withdrew from the pot was uncolored. She sighed in relief at being spared the embarrassing clothes and potentially bloody combat. But now she had to figure out who was in instead.

"Looks like my axe can truly get called a war axe after this!" Gwen grinned as she held up her red piece.

Rio had selected a piece as well but was more neutral in her reaction as she closed her claw around it and nodded. She then turned to Lilian and asked "You were not chosen. Why do you still look worried?"

"You're teamed up with that knucklehead for one," huffed Lilian. "And two… I'm worried. For all the rules explained to us, even Junior doesn't know who you're fighting."

Junior hung his head in apology for what felt like the hundredth time. "The High Pack won't breathe a word about First Hunt opponents. For a few years, it was clay constructs from the Shaman, but in the past, it could be anything from captured creatures to family members. But at least, I can be sure it's not the latter."

Lily, Rio, Gwen and Trey instantly looked at each other with sorrowful expressions. They instinctively assumed it must be involving death and wouldn't pry further.

"Why not?" asked Sora? "And who are the High Pack?"

The boy was instantly met with glares from the other members.

"The High Pack are the strongest and wisest in the village. They make the major decisions. And Father...died in battle long ago against the demons to the North when he was up for consideration to be added," explained Junior, still looking down. "He was one of the few who didn't care how... different I was. The rest of the family would take it easy on me if they were my opponents and I'm sure the High Pack would find it dishonorable to Father if I wasn't challenged."

"Damn it, Sora," Lilian grumbled under her breath. She then cleared her throat before looking at Junior. "Do you at least have an idea of how many it might be?"

Junior finally looked up. "I have an estimate," he said. "The ceremonial Hunt usually has the one trying to achieve Adulthood - me in this case - slightly outnumbered with the handicap only spiking if the team is considered easy for the trial. Since I'm...not a fan of hunting and I'm paired with a human and a Veloverij, I figure it's only going to be one extra opponent."

"Good thing they don't know how capable we are," smirked Gwen. "Nice work, kid."

This made Junior's ears fold back, flattening against his skull as much as they could. "I must request you not call me that derogatory term. In the human gauge, I am twenty solar revelations old. Adulthood is not determined by age - only the results of the First Hunt."

"Guess not by height either," snarked Gwen.

Junior started to growl in response to this. Lilian smirked in response to this since she found it adorable rather than threatening, but then pinched her own cheek as she felt herself start to giggle. That wasn't going to help Junior calm down.

Gwen walked over to pat Junior on the head - something else that wasn't helping Junior's mood - and said "You feel that aggravation? Hold onto that for a bit because you're going to need it. Get hyped for Adulthood, Great Storm Fang - we ain't losing this!"

Two older female Lunefang knocked on the door, asking if they were needed. Junior explained they were there to measure for hunting clothes - though Lilian put a massive pair of quotes around clothes. Junior directed Rio and Gwen to follow them - though Rio only needed directions to somewhere to change.

As they left, Junior looker perplexed and turned to Lilian. "Does your companion...always do that?"

"Be annoying? Yes," replied Lilian.

"Yet I feel…inspired by her words," said Junior. "I was so stunned, I didn't correct her grammar."

Rio was the first to return after many minutes. Her Veloverij hunting attire was like a sleeveless red leotard that went halfway up her neck with a scaly pattern throughout. The patterns were more symmetrical than Rio’s own claws as the leotard was all little diamonds. Naturally, there were openings for her wings. Lilian couldn’t help but wonder if the clothing was actually made with her own scales. It was paired with black legwear that went up to her thighs - they weren’t quite stockings to Lilian’s eyes but they also weren’t boots either.

“When did you get that?” asked Trey, amazed but confused at the same time. His eyes gave away a slight form of longing. “You said you’d never have one made.”

“It wasn’t my choice,” Rio replied. “Even searching for berries in certain areas required protection.”

“It looks great! And definitely looks tough!” Lilian told Rio with Junior nodding in agreement.

“I had a feeling it would become necessary during this quest,” said Rio as she stared at her claws.“I didn’t know if I would need it for a scenario like this however.”

Before Junior could ask what the “quest” was, Gwen burst into the room with her clothes bundled in her arms and her hair tied into a rough ponytail. As she put them down in a corner of Junior’s room, Lilian’s initial fears were made manifest with a few other Gwen-flavored annoyances added to the pot.

As she had seen in the village earlier, the “hunting clothes” amounted to mostly just a bikini with Gwen’s having a slight frill along the edge of the bottoms. Lilian only felt more insecure; on top of being shorter and seemingly weaker than her former friend, Gwen was prettier and thinner than her in Lilian’s eyes with such attire on. Without the hoodie and jeans, a lot more of Gwen’s body was on display. While not the absurd standards of a model, Gwen was very attractive. It only made Lilian feel worse.

She’s even got more of a bust than me! Damn indie rockstar lifestyle, devil-may-care attitude with no serious repercussions, psychic powers, fighting ability and now...that too!? I’m truly cursed…

“Well, what do you guys think? Do I got the savage look down?” she asked as she posed while swinging her guitar.

Trey was practically drooling before Rio gave the back of his head a flick and said “I am sure she means actual verbal confirmation.”

“You do make it work,” said Sora, surprising Lilian with the fact he wasn’t acting just like Trey despite being around her most of the time back home as far as she knew. “I am surprised about the ruffle there. Not a style I expect from you.”

“Oh that,” said Gwen as she gave everyone in the room a little spin and nearly made Trey faint. “Somewhere between trying to fit one together for me, they had to find a way to stitch out the hole for the tail. Leaving that as it was would be a bit much.”

“You truly are the image of a warrior!” Trey said once his senses had returned to him. Gwen couldn’t help smirking at his lovesick state.

“At least you were cautious about that,” sneered Lilian. “Now what about the exposed cleavage in the middle of a fight thing? Whatever you call a heart may not like being a target.”

Gwen smirked. “Assuming that I’d even let someone get close, aren’t you? But I did ask about that and one of the tailors showed me a trick.”

Gwen then looked at Rio. Rio nodded and without much warning other than that nod, she slashed at Gwen’s chest, alarming everyone in the room but Junior. Rio’s claws never met Gwen’s skin.

“Ta-da! There’s special threads right there. And some other places too.” Gwen grinned. “So I’m not exactly going to get my heart and stuff cut at easily. Sure, everything else is exposed, but it wouldn’t be as metal as these guys who fight naked.”

“The threads are very tough so they won’t be removed easily,” added Junior.

Lilian couldn’t bring up any more issues since they all rounded to the point of them being stuck in this battle at all. “Just...be careful, you idiot.”

“I apologize for the rest of you being unable to watch the Hunt,” Junior said. “The rules were set regarding others interfering in Hunts, especially outsiders. Your things will be safe in this room. In the meantime, you can enjoy the village’s hospitality.”

“Good luck,” said Sora as the trio departed. Gwen whispered something to Trey before she did.

Lilian went quiet as they left. She had every intention to just pull up a chair and stay in Junior’s hut until the Hunt was over...if Trey wasn’t immediately pulling at her arm.

“We’re getting something to eat,” insisted Trey.

“That what Gwen told you to say?” asked Lilian, not looking at him.

“...yes, but also sitting here worrying about the fight isn’t going to make you feel better,” said Trey with a kind smile. “You were worried about fighting but also not fighting.”

Lilian frowned. “...okay maybe I am hungry. I just...I don’t like the idea of leaving my fate to anyone else. Or what’s left of any control I have.”

“All wills are free under the wide gaze of the Eternal Maiden,” saud Trey. “Is there something that made you think you have little control over your life?”

“Life itself,” Lilian said bluntly as she fixed her hair. “Fine, let’s go eat. But no more philosophical stuff or about the Hunt, got it?”

=============================================================

As Rio, Gwen, and Junior walked far to the west to a separate forest that the Lunefang used as their special hunting grounds, Junior fidgeted with his vest and the device hanging onto his pants. A few birds chirped and cricket-like sounds echoed briefly, but a chilling silence took their place once past a certain point.

"What happened to that fire I told you to hang onto?" asked Gwen.

"Gone with a Northern Wind," muttered Junior, almost shivering with the cold thoughts of the Hunt upcoming.. "Such proceedings unnerve me."

"You tail-tucked at the thought of going down like your father?~" A voice laughed and echoed around them, embracing them like a drunk and unliked relative.

This voice was unknown to Rio and Gwen, but Junior went rigid at the sound. “Y-you were banished. Why are you here?”

“We’re fighting other Lunefang?” asked Rio. “And ones you know?”

“I suppose you can say we’re family, little bug,” said the voice, causing Rio to frown.

“You’re no family of mine!” barked Junior, drawing up all the bravado he could muster. “You betrayed Father, Spear!”

“Well, the High Pack believes in us for this chance,” said the voice of Spear, still unseen. “If we’re able to stop you, a bug, and a furless pest, we can rejoin the village.”

Gwen readied her guitar as she sidled closer to Junior. “How bad are these guys?” she asked as Rio joined their position with their backs to each other.

“They ran from battle against the demons when the Lunefang forces were ambushed,” growled Junior. “They were banished for the High Pack from that age, believing they conspired with them.”

“And you believe that?” asked Rio, eyes darting about.

“I don’t know,” said Junior, a hand darting into an inside pocket of his vest. “But I do know Father could have used their help. Maybe he’d still be alive if the numbers hadn’t dropped. And I doubt the rest of the village has forgiven them either.”

“If that’s true, this is just them giving you more pressure to kick some tail,” said Gwen before pausing. “That is a saying your people have, right? I was doing improv at that point.”

Junior actually managed to laugh. “A very old one, but yes.”

It became horrifically quiet in the forest. Not a leaf or branch or blade of grass was crunched as the trio tried to figure out the location of the pack of Lunefang. The number they expected was four, but in the end, that was a well-educated guess. The quiet became unbearable for Gwen as she swung her guitar back around her neck and dug her boots into the dirt.

“Screw this stealth thriller bullshit,” she said. “You act like you aren’t scared, so come out and fight!”

She started to play her guitar - something no one nearby could realize was impossible under normal circumstances. Despite having no amplifier with her, Gwen was playing a guitar like a performance for a small crowd. Rio and Junior couldn’t hear anything beyond perhaps the sound of the strings, but clearly the others did.. Four figures audibly dropped to the ground, crying out in pain.

“Why is it in my head!? Turn it off, you pest!” cried one who crawled into view with the same voice they heard around them previously.

"You can't even handle a guitar solo and you're supposed to be tough!?" shot Gwen. "Couldn't risk you breaking my amp, so you'll just have to take a Psychic Rock Rave instead!"

The male Lunefang - Spear - before them had a fur pattern that was like a black panther - pitch black with spots just barely noticable if one focused. Much of their flesh was heavily scarred and was only clad in shorts.

“Well, this dude is down - take him out, squirt!” shouted Gwen as she kept playing.

Junior was so stunned, he didn’t address the added shot at his height. “Me? But you’re the one who--”

“One step at a time!” Gwen scowled as she turned to Junior. “Are you seriously really complaining about an assist when you didn’t want to get the point on your own!?”

Junior recoiled from the verbal sting, but acknowledged the point. He approached the fallen Lunefang with the slight embers of fury in his eyes. Spear was heavily disoriented but still looked up as Junior approached.

“Needed….arrrgh...this trickery to stop me!?” he spat in Junior’s direction despite being crumpled at his feet. “This is how you plan to get your revenge, huh!?”

Junior took a deep breath before staring Spear down. “I have no intention of getting revenge on your clan,” he said, hand still in his vest. “In the end, I don’t even know if you could have stopped Father’s death. I just need to pass the Hunt. As for your words about trickery…”

Junior withdrew his hand from his vest, pulling out a vial of some kind with blue liquid. He threw it on Spear’s head, making it shatter and spill its contents over his head. The liquid started to expand like soap suds wherever it flowed, trapping Spear’s head against the ground and spreading to more of his body.

“Father told me it was just a sign of intelligence - just like skill,” said Junior. “To dismiss trickery is to dismiss skill. Just because I didn’t kill you didn’t mean I didn’t just win.”

Spear didn’t get to reply as he faced a series of stomps from Junior to knock the foe unconscious.

“Hell yeah!” said Gwen, still playing guitar behind him.

“Thank you for the help,” said Junior. “I--”

Junior’s words fell short as he heard the furious plucking of strings behind him cease. He spun around to see a Lunefang pouncing at Gwen, who barely dodged. Gwen looked up to see the Lunefang with the same fur pattern as Spear grinning at her.

“HOW...SOUND!? WHAT WITCHCRAFT!?” shouted the Lunefang, wearing only a loincloth and with ears deeply cut from battle. “LOVE IT!”

I had to be fighting the one person in a fantasy world who appreciates the art of rock, grumbled Gwen mentally. But how’d he even run towards me while I had my Rave going? And he’s screaming like he’s deaf. This dude is going to be a pain. Looks like he’ll be something to deal with the old fashioned way!

With the guitar playing over and Gwen dodging wild swipes from her opponent, the other Lunefang appeared before Junior and Rio. One was a massive male whose arms were so long, the back of his fists nearly touched the ground. The other was a female wearing the vest and shorts of a male, but the vest was stitched together to not flap open easily and keep her chest concealed. Her black hair trailed backwards to past her shoulders.

“To think Dad actually got beat,” said the female, tail slightly thrashing. “Yet you let him live. You might be something interesting after all, Great Storm Fang. If Meteor Paw here doesn’t flatten you, Night Blade will have to have a little chat with you.”

“Why not now?” asked Junior, his fangs setting at the thought of having to bypass a huge opponent and knowing Spear brought his daughter into the fight with him. “Who are you?”

“Can't be now. Just...can’t help it. Night Blade just needs to take out your overgrown pixie first before Night Blade can focus on you,” said the female, extending her claws. “Just one of the rules that make Night Blade what Night Blade is!”

Rio’s eyes narrowed while Junior took a step back. “The objective will have the key attached,” said Junior, “and it’s usually in one of the many caves around here. Defeating them isn’t the goal - remember that!”

The trio got split up, each with their own Lunefang opponent stopping them from finding the goal. Rio and Night Blade found each other vexing as neither of them landed an attack on the other for a long time. Their furious dodging led them to the banks of a lake.

“Night Blade knew you were going to be a problem,” she growled. “All the more reason to cut you.”

“I wonder why he brought someone like you,” Rio replied. “Someone whose idea of fun is something like this.”

Night Blade dashed towards Rio once again. She was ready to dodge as she had many times over at this point - but this time was different. Night Blade split into two beings. Both seemed to glow like constructs or holograms, but as Rio would find out they were quite solid..

Rio couldn’t dodge in time and was cut across the face, getting knocked back so she was partially in the lake. Rio’s head didn’t go under the water from the hit so she had the displeasure of watching a line of blood trail down from the slash across her eye. She stared at it, finding herself fixated by it.

“Didn’t think Night Blade could do that, did you?” Both of the Night Blades taunted in sync. “Night Blade cut you but good!”

Rio stared at her trembling claws, feeling something within her body. “You...you did something…”

“Yeah - Night Blade cut you! Or did Night Blade get your brain at the same time!?”

Rio twitched as she didn’t stop the blood from flowing past the corner of her mouth and landing in her claws. “The blood....the blood…”

“The rules said Night Blade had to let you go if you quit.” An odd grin crossed the Lunefangs’ faces. “But if you’re too broken to quit, Night Blade can keep cutting!”

She dashed forward again, intending to make good on that. But a wave of energy cut through the air towards them, forcing a last minute dodge. One of them didn’t get clear in time and was cut through by the attack. The other seemed to return to Night Blade’s normal look with the copy gone - no longer looking like a construct but a flesh-and blood Lunefang - but even she had a cut on her arm as she was unable to dodge completely. Rio kept staring at the cut Night Blade was now sporting.

“Your blood...why is it fascinating...a darker red...but it’s like mine…”

Rio hadn’t seen anyone seriously wounded before beyond monsters. She hadn’t even seen her own blood before. Now she was seeing both in quick succession. A part of her wondered if this rush of a sensation was what other red-claws felt...what the village thought about her. But this was a miniscule part at the moment as Rio wanted to know more about this feeling as her claws had a red glow. She also had to win to help Lilian - which she could do by defeating Night Blade and finding out more about this feeling. Rio didn’t see a reason to not just go with it. It wasn’t just for her, but for her friends - for Lily and her Quest.

“Show me more...show me….more!”

========================================

“Okay fine, I guess the food is good,” muttered Lilian, having what appeared to be a leg of some kind of prey, well-roasted and seasoned. She would ask what it was but harbored a slight worry that knowing what it was when it was alive would ruin her appetite. She was on a bench sitting between Sora and Trey. “Hey, if I got forced to eat, you should too, Sora.”

Compared to Lilian and Trey, Sora had barely nibbled at his meat. “Sorry - just kind of...distracted.”

“By what?” asked Trey, hungrily going through the pile of food.

“This village. The dynamics here puzzle me - that and...something Lily asked me to not reference.”

“That second thing aside,” grumbled Lilian, “I mean yeah it is bewildering to be here but you looked...confused in a different way. Guess you only read and watch Sci-Fi like Gwen? Not familiar with any of this?"

“Not that much actually,” said Sora. “I read more Steampunk stories to be honest.”

“Never read too many of those,” said Lilian with a smile. “Maybe you can recommend something to me...whenever we get back home. Anything else you are really into?”

Sora starts to answer, but stops like he heard someone calling his name. His gaze turns away from Lilian and Trey and his eyes widen.

“Sora?” Lilian got a weird feeling from Sora’s smile.

“Sorry - just… This village is so interesting.” Sora got off the bench. “I’m going to go explore, okay?”

“Is that wise?” asked Trey.

“I won’t leave the village,” said Sora. “I’ll be back later.”

Lilian said nothing as Sora walked off. Beyond her not liking his affiliation with Gwen, Lilian couldn’t get a good grasp on him. He wasn’t offensive aside from the moment he asked about Junior’s father and seemed quite nice - this only made him always being around Gwen more mind-boggling. Meanwhile, the silence started to bother Trey as he was left to his own thoughts. He started to stare at Lilian. His mind dwelled on how she took charge against the Viremesite when he screwed up. Trey didn’t see her as much of a beautiful warrior as he did Rio and Gwen, but going over the fight in his head, he started to wonder if he was just blind to her skills. She saved him after all.

“Miss Lilian, can you...help me to be stronger?”

“Huh?” Lilian almost choked on her nearly finished meal. “Make you stronger?”

“You helped defeat the Viremesite when Miss Gwen was taken!” Trey’s eagerness grated against Lilian’s mind. “I wasn’t able to do as much as I hoped.”

“I just did what I had to - I didn’t train in fighting,” Lilian replied as she decided to walk away as she finished her food, slightly hoping Trey wouldn't follow.

Hell, Phys Ed was my worst class… If I took a Class, it wouldn't be a Warrior, that's for sure.

“But you clearly do! You told me to flee while you handled it!” pointed out Trey as he followed.

That’s only because you were messing up so badly and were going to get fed on. That and...if I had to fight, I’d rather do it alone…

“You just want to know how to show off for Gwen and Rio,” grumbled Lilian.

Trey twitched. “I-it’s not just that! I have my own want to get stronger! I...don’t want to be protected all of the time.”

“...I don’t know what to teach you. I go by instinct much of the time,” Lilian finally replied.

"Well, what do your instincts tell you?" Trey pleaded.

Lilian suddenly stopped in place as she felt a chill down her spine and the world went quiet and gray. She couldn't hear anyone or anything else around; she was only tuned in to a sense of approaching dread until she was violently shaken out of it. Reality returned, but the worry remained.

"Miss Lily, you're scaring me. What's wrong?" Trey had been trying to stir her for a while and was happy to see a response.

"Again...that feeling…" She muttered. "Just like in your village."

"What feeling?"

"Like something was changed for the worse," she replied.

As she said that, a heavy thud was heard. Then another. Then another. A stall next to Lilian and Trey started to shake with each thud - their contents spilling onto the dirt with a muffled thud.

“Is the village being attacked?” Lilian asked a nearby Lunefang with gray fur.

“It couldn’t be,” was the reply. “The rumbling started like it was something within the vi--”

A stone hand blasted out from a nearby hut right past Lilian’s head, tearing out bits of hair in the process. Lillian held her head as she staggered back while Trey flew around to be at her side.

“What the hell was that!?” she spat. “How many times are I going to get attacked today!?”

Soon, she saw what the hand came from - or rather, what it was attached to. It was a towering golem with one “eye” - a glyph on the center of the top section. Two more came to join it and all of them were focused on Lilian and Trey.

Cursing under her breath, Lilian flung the bone she had in her hand past the golems’ heads while dashing away.

Damn it, what can I do against this? The bugs were easy enough and it had weapons to use against it! This is impossible! Unless I find a weapon...or I….n-no! I refuse! I’m never using that!

“Having a very concerning thought right now,” Trey pulled Lilian around the corner to hide her.

“More concerning than being chased by golems?” Lilian snarked.

“Yeah...in a manner of thinking about it.” Trey ushered Lilian along as a golem turned the corner but was tripped up by one of Trey’s threads. “Those are the Shaman’s constructs, right? If they are here, then who are Miss Gwen and Riowytax fighting?”

“Damn it,” grumbled Lilian.

Before she can start cursing this thought, a Lunefang is sent flying past her. The golems continued on towards her. The two run into another home, hoping the High Pack that kept being mentioned would show up at any point to save their hides. The golems seemed locked on to Lilian and didn’t lose her for a second; they barreled through the wall trying to grab her.

Trey cast his strings to bind them, securely holding them in place.They made no noise indicating frustration, so Lilian didn’t feel they had achieved much. In fact, despite the well-laid trap, Lilian only felt anxious and her left eye started to pain her before she could even finish throwing Trey a slight compliment. She fell to her knees while struggling against the suffering. Trey couldn’t turn to check on her without losing his focus on the binding strings.

“We can’t stay like this,” whimpered Lilian. “I don’t know...why they are after me...but may not have a choice--”

“Don’t do anything reckless!” shouted Trey. “I’ll hold them as long as they have to! I’ll crush them with my wind magic!”

“Don’t start...nnngh...with that bravado…” Lilian wanted to smile. She never thought she’d see that cliche in real life. But the pain was too much to even literally see it..

In the time Lilian held her eyes closed, there was a rush of wind as well as several slams. She looked up to find one of the golems knocked back but another missing an arm - but the one-armed golem had Trey in its grasp and the remaining golem was staring her down. Trey continued to struggle and shout insults at the golem, but he suddenly went silent as he gazed at Lilian as the hand covering her left eye dropped down.

“I hate...having to use this…” she gasped. “But I hate you and whoever sent you a lot more…”

==========================

“Something’s wrong at the village! I can sense it!”

Back at the Hunting Grounds, Team Junior was reunited - but not yet victorious. Junior was roughed up, but was mostly fine as he managed to hold off Meteor Paw. Gwen had bloody cuts trailing down her arms and one cut string on her guitar, but the Lunefang she was fighting was out cold. Rio, by comparison, was shaking as the other two tried to calm her down. Around them were downed trees; it was unclear if it was her or Night Blade responsible for the aftermath they found her in but clearly the battle shook the Veloverij. Only thing Rio could confirm as she stopped hyperventilating was that Night Blade was still around, but retreated.

“You can sense them that far?” asked Junior. “I can’t hear--”

“Telepathy works differently,” said Gwen. “I just feel like Lily is in trouble - we need to go back!”

“We can’t,” said Junior. “That’ll count as a forfeit which may cost you as well as me. Besides that point...Lilian seems tougher than credit is given for. Perhaps she is alright and you are...overworrying?”

“Her having to manage things on her own is what nobody wants!” shouted Gwen as she tried to get more feeling into her arms. “She. Needs. Help!”

“We can’t...let them rejoin the village,” muttered Rio without looking up as she took deep breaths. “Lily...wouldn’t want to ruin things...even if it’s to her benefit.”

“And look at our current state,” added Junior. “Rushing too much may get faster results, but the risk of failure and further injury rises dramatically.”

Gwen spat into the dirt as she knew they were right. “Fine...then we need to find that key and make a plan quickly. Luckily, I have quite a few plans in my head already. ”