The young dwarf was the first of their camp to open her groggy eyes, able to stand upright in her tent thanks to her short size. Csping her palms together, she pulled her hands above her head as far as she could reach, thrusting her chest forward to get that satisfying stretch until her back popped. Her bright carrot colored hair hung in loose strands over her eyes like awkward bangs while the rest of her curly hair bounced freely around her waist. She poured some water in her hands, ran her fingers through her scalp and tied her hair into one long ponytail this time to keep the curls tamed.

  As she stroked her hair to undo any tangles and knots, she adjusted her tunic and fastened the chest piece on, securing the little belt to ensure it stays put. Hopping onto her travel boots, she stepped out and was quickly awoken by how cold the cave was now that the fire burnt out.

  "Hm." She sniffled, wiping her runny nose. Just as she took a swig of her fsk, smacking her lips to savor that sweet fruity wine taste, her stomach growled like an animal preparing for a fight. Nyitzcha patted her chest, looked around and listened to everyone else's light snores, then got to work.

  First, she rummaged through the carriage bags until she fished out a few carrots in one hand and a pair of potatoes in the other. Her horses looked to her and huffed, satisfied when she fed them each despite her eyeroll.

  The dey in her morning ritual did remind her that she needed to reignite that fire first. She wrapped her cloak around herself, slipped out the cave entrance and scouted around in a short perimeter to collect dry wood. Once she had the wood gathered, she cleared away some of the ashes of their st fire before pooling the wood together, rubbing her hands warm, and then repeatedly snapping her fingers until she drew out that tiny spark of magic just enough to light a small spark. Now that the fire had started, she could get to work as she set up a pair of high bars and stabbed them along opposite ends of the fire, then pced a bar between them. She hung up a bck cauldron through that bar, adjusting so that it dangled above the heat at just the right height for her liking.

  "Perfect." She grinned.

  Next came the ingredients. First, she added enough barley to fit a small bowl, then some yellow split peas and onions. While she let it heat, she diced up a few carrots and potatoes into bite-sized bits before adding them into the mix. Now for some water to drown the ingredients in. Needs some salt, bck pepper and a bit of vinegar for fvor. Let's add a bay leaf there and watch it swim. She leaned in and got a good whiff of that while she stirred the boiling mixture.

  "Oh yea," She chuckled, cutting some meat from her bag of rations to add in just as Janette slipped out from her tent.

  "That smells lovely," She cooed, clinging onto a bnket around her shoulders for warmth. She pnted herself down beside her friend, watching her dice some herbs before adding it atop the soup. "Is that Ellena's Grace?"

  Nyitzcha nodded, adding the herbs in. "It's good fer wakin' up in de morning."

  "It's a medicinal herb," She frowned, eyeing the soup as her friend stirred. "Meant to help the body recover from wounds and injuries. Gives a good kick in the arse to start da day."

  Her friend shrugged, leaning back as Nyitzcha took a sip and beamed. "There we go, nice an' hot!"

  "Lovely." Janette reached out with a smile as her friend poured her a bowl. She took a spoonful and hummed in delight. "Not bad."

  "Not bad she says." Nyitzcha scorned, taking a bowl for herself. Picking herself up, she marched off into Reta's tent and threw a boot at the cuddled pair. "Oi! Get yer arses up and git dressed, we gut food waitin' on da pot!"

  Felix flinched and sat up, rubbing his eyes and groaning as his body ached all over. His arms and neck were littered with bite marks, his hair was a mess, and he looked like he barely had enough sleep. Reta rolled on her back and groaned, the shared bnket slipping off to their waist, exposing the hickeys on her breasts, neck and shoulders. Both of them looked exhausted, leaving the dwarf snickering on her way back to the cauldron as she shared the news to her friend.

  Once Felix joined them, he silently took a seat and grabbed himself a bowl. Nyitzcha and Janette shared looks and giggled, giving him a brief pause. He ignored them, the colr of his tunic failing to hide the love bites.

  "Sleep well?" The dwarf asked.

  He took a deep breath and stayed quiet, shifting awkwardly as if each movement caused him pain. When Reta slipped out, she stretched her neck and her eyes fshed briefly once she took a seat. They ignored the smiling gnces they received from their friends, with Reta sipping her bowl of soup and feeling that warmth inside. It helped soothe the soreness she felt, but it was worth the pain.

  Deep in the cave, KuliKuli jolted up as her mother shook her awake, her older sister seated by her side. Several armed soldiers sat around a small fire, trading pieces of dry meat and biting into hardtack. Perdilius sat near his carriage, the only vehicle they had left after the ambush. Raz stood before him engaged in a discussion with another soldier, but the priest stared at the glowing fire with a permanent scowl on his face.

  KuliKuli turned around and recoiled as Leone approached them, handing each of them a wooden bowl.

  "Eat." He ordered, passing the food between them. "We're moving soon."

  Emyri gnced at her bowl of stew before looking up with a sheepish smile. "I suppose this means we are no longer confined in those metal cages?"

  The Hunter shrugged and sat on a rock to join them, helping himself to a spoonful of stew. Dimyri calmly poked and stirred her food.

  "There's some bit of comfort." Emyri sighed, taking a bite.

  KuliKuli sat and stared down at her bowl with remorse.

  "Eat." Leone repeated with a tone of authority. "You don't eat, then you'll starve."

  "Let me starve, at least then I have a choice." Dimyri shot her a look, but she ignored it.

  "Don't be foolish." Leone scoffed, ignoring Emyri's worried look. "You don't retaliate by self-harm."

  "Then what, seize my opportunity and flee when we leave this tunnel?" She scorned, gring at him.

  Emyri pced her paw on her daughter's thigh, speaking in a soft tone to calm her. "Sweetie, you don't know what else is out there."

  "Listen to your mother," Leone spoke out, despite KuliKuli's growing distaste, "Speaking from experience, this forest is infested with other creatures."

  "You would know, with your fancy tools and sword." She hissed.

  Emyri shifted closer to her, "Kuli please-"

  "Why didn't you tell me about him?" She snapped, raising her voice. "We ran in fear from this man and yet you and my sisters couldn't be bothered to tell me?"

  "What- now is not the time-"

  Dimyri turned and cut her mother off. "No, I want to know too. I suspected it but you wouldn't say, and now the secret is out. Mom, Dad? We deserve answers here, while we are still here."

  Emyri stuttered and sunk back, looking to him with pleading eyes. Leone tried fainting ignorance, rolling his eyes and hanging his head. With a heavy sigh, he tossed his bowl aside and hunched forward, his eyes fixated on his daughters. "Your sisters had no knowledge about me being their father."

  "What?" KuliKuli leaned back, gncing between him and Emyri.

  Her mother breathed in, preparing herself before breaking silence. "None of you knew, it was a secret we decided to keep."

  "It was my decision-" Leone urged when Emyri retaliated with a fiery gre.

  "Our decision!" Her voice echoed through the tunnel, causing everyone to turn in their direction. "I held my part and so I share the bme."

  He looked at her ready to argue when the look she gave made him hesitate. Shifting back, he raised his hands in surrender before gesturing back to KuliKuli. "Our decision then."

  "Parents are supposed to protect their children, to raise them together." KuliKuli argued, her cat ears id back signaling her feeling of resentment and betrayal. "Mother, you told us to be honest women of our word. How can I trust you when you do this to us?"

  "I-I'm sorry sweetie." Her voice trembled as she tried reaching out to her daughter. "It wasn't easy for me either."

  "That's no excuse!" She spat out, causing her mother to jolt back.

  "Behave yourself." Leone warned her, scanning around as a few soldiers gnced at their direction. "You don't want to give these folk a reason to bind you or worse."

  "They can't hurt me," She reminded him, dismissing his concern. "They need us, and Syri too. Who isn't here anymore, gosh."

  KuliKuli's voice drifted off, quivering as Dimyri stood up and hugged her side. The two took their time to be seated, still agitated but slightly toned down.

  Dimyri looked up to meet her father's eyes. "Why did you hide from us?"

  Leone recoiled with a pained expression.

  "That's what you did, right? I thought you abandoned us, but the way you and mother are close says otherwise." She expined, her eyes drifting between her parents. "And Mom would spout some lie about you two drifting apart and choosing different paths."

  "It wasn't a lie," Emyri reacted defensively, wounded by her daughter's words. "Dimyri, please understand that we were in a difficult situation then. Being a parent means doing everything you can to protect your children, even if it means keeping secrets from them."

  KuliKuli growled in response. "Protect us from what? He's a Hunter who kills monsters!"

  Leone stood up and scowled. "It's not that simple, Nityri."

  "My name is KuliKuli!"

  He looked around, shifting nervously before looking at her.

  "Look, KuliKuli," He said in a mocking tone, "I understand that you're feeling resentful, but I need you to control yourself."

  She stood up to face him, baring her fangs. "You tried to hunt us down for him, you fought me twice for him! Why should I believe what you say?"

  "You can hate me all you want," He leaned in close, lowering his voice down to a near whisper, "But please do not test them. You and your sister won't be harmed, but that wouldn't stop them from punishing your mother instead."

  KuliKuli closed her eyes and stepped back, raising her paws and shuffling around to try to burn away the tension coursing through her. "You're not my dad. You're not my-no! A father would be there to help raise his kids. Where were you?" She demanded, poking his chest for a response. "Where. Were. You? Did you not want us?"

  "Kuli!" Emyri gasped.

  "No, Dimyri and I need to know."

  Dimyri stood by her sister's side to support her. "Why did you two want this to be a secret?"

  "Were we a mistake?" KuliKuli whimpered, sinking back as her mother stood up to comfort her in an embrace. "Is that why you're helping him put us away? So that you can forget about us and move on?"

  "Hush, sweet pea." Her mother whispered, stroking her daughter's silver hair. "Please, breath in. All of this is making your heart race."

  Leone stepped back, refusing to answer when Emyri held his hand. "Leone, they need to know. It's the least we can do."

  He pulled his head back, breathing in deep. "Kuli, Dimyri, I needed to go away for your protection."

  "Protection from what?" Dimyri asked.

  "From myself." He sighed, "From other Hunters. Being a Hunter isn't just a course in training. We're taken from a young age and molded into these weapons. We study about these monsters all day and train in weapons all night. Swords and archery. Once we reach adolescence, we undergo a ritual that few can survive. I'm one of the lucky few. When we began, I recall the number of us reached one hundred. After the ritual, only a handful of us survived."

  KuliKuli's ears flickered as she turned to him with intrigue. "What do you mean, what ritual?"

  "They did things to us, Kuli. There's a pool that we walk into, and it bathes us in this light," he expined, staring at his hand as he was reminded of his firsthand survival of that process. "When I went, they had us drink this concoction and whispered incantations while I stepped through. They strip us naked and paint us with these marks, and we step through the light. I came back a different person. That ritual rids you of any dark essence in your soul and fills the missing gap with light essence."

  He closed his fist and brought it to his lips, whispering the words, "Gcies."

  By his command, tiny drops of water pooled around his fist gathering from the surrounding damp cold, bursting into a beautiful swirl of ice. It spun around fast, contained in its shape while waiting for his next command. KuliKuli and Dimyri's eyes grew wide as they stared in awe.

  "It enhanced us, made us quicker, stronger, faster. Even if we were born with no magical intuition, surviving this ritual would grant you these new abilities or strengthen the talents you had before. I can cast any magic that contains light essence, but dark essence is outside of my reach." He csped his hand shut, extinguishing the ball of ice as the light snuffed out.

  KuliKuli collected herself, gathering her thoughts when her ears shot up. "But why didn't you just... walk away from them?"

  "Walk away?" He repeated, confused by her suggestion.

  "You know... be a dad to us. How would you protect us by leaving us, wouldn't it make sense to protect us better by being with us?" She argued.

  He sighed and shook his head. "I swore an oath to them, Kuli. You don't break oaths without repercussions."

  "Could family be the exception?" Dimyri inquired, "Couldn't you tell them you had a family to raise?"

  Leone ughed nervously, gncing back at Emyri before facing his daughters. "That ritual? It leaves you sterile."

  KuliKuli stepped back, her eyes wandering off as she was shaken by his words. "What? No, but we're here? Did you..."

  "Adopt us?" Dimyri completed her question, holding her sister close, both of them sharing the same frantic looks.

  "He's your father by blood," Their mother expined, holding the two close.

  "But we were never meant to be born, were we?" KuliKuli asked.

  Leone hesitated, dragging his hand down his tired face. "I was never meant to father any children, KuliKuli."

  "But that doesn't change the love we have for you." Emyri added, cradling her daughters against her chest. "Don't think otherwise."

  KuliKuli looked up, meeting her father's gaze. "But you're helping him take us now, aren't you? You left us to protect us, and now you're here to bring us to him."

  "Kuli-" Her mother brushed her hair, trying to make her stop.

  But she refused. "Because that's your oath, right? To get rid of Monsters? Is that what we are to you, dad? Monsters?"

  Leone stepped back as KuliKuli approached him, her eyes seeing right through. "Are you going to track my sisters down too because you want to protect them, or because Perdilius needs them? But he doesn't need Na'Vi since she's not reted by blood, so what then? If Perdilius asks you to kill her-"

  "Kuli!" Her mother shot up, stepping in between them and escorting her away. "That's enough!"

  She walked back, but never looked away, her icy gaze fixated on the Hunter. "If your here to protect us, but you're ordered to bring us to him, what kind of father does that make you?"

  "Stop it!" Emyri hissed, taking her away.

  Leone hung his head, pacing around with his lips cmped and his hands trembling. He was breathing through his nose, stepping in and kicking his bowl of food in frustration.

  Dimyri remained there, watching him in silence. He turned and looked at her, bobbing his chin as he expected her to say something.

  She pced her empty bowl aside and stood up, brushing herself down. "I spent months fixated on the idea that dad was this mystery man, this wanderer fighting monsters and saving lives. People out there look at Hunters like saviors to rescue them from beasts. I just forgot that they look at us as the beasts."

  She brushed past him, walking several steps away before turning around. "Maybe you should have stayed gone, dad. I liked you better then."

  She walked over to her mother and sister, leaving Leone alone to his thoughts.