Perdilius took a swig of his canteen, sighing blissfully and wiping the sweat off his bald head. Raz stepped in to his side, scanning around until Perdilius cleared his throat.

  "Report."

  Raz straightened up. "We've lost most of our food and equipment from the ambush."

  "How much food do we have?"

  "Enough to st the night, should we stagnate." He expined, licking his lips. "Father, we should carry on forward. We've ten men remaining, any fewer and preventing the girls from escaping would prove rather difficult, given their shape-shifting abilities. It's dark out, can't see far ahead without a torch in our hand."

  "Those beasts and their nightly vision." He muttered in a low growl, with a hint of ridicule in his voice as he gnced at KuliKuli. "Still, I should be thankful for keeping most of them with us. Perhaps the gods are testing us with this challenge, in an effort to prove ourselves of their love."

  "P-perhaps." Raz shifted around, uncomfortably so as he turned to look at the cat girls. "The hunter has been keeping close to them."

  Perdilius grunted. "Seems there is no need for him to keep distant now that the secret is out."

  Raz's face scrunched up as his eyes fell on Leone, watching the hunter sit quietly as if he were meditating. "How did a Monster Hunter come to father children with a Monster?"

  "Another fool who fell for the charms of those beasts," Perdilius hissed with disgust, spitting on the ground. "Vile lecherous things with nothing more than candied words and ample bosoms to tempt their prey. Do not lower your guard with them, Raz. The moment you feel at ease is when they are most dangerous."

  He looked up at Raz, standing tall until he nearly towered over him by a head's length. "Don't forget of the Great Divide that took us all by storm."

  Dimyri's ear flinched, seated several feet away with her sister. Her brow raised in curious intrigue as she eavesdropped on their conversation.

  "I-" Raz hung his head down, nodding as his voice became a whisper. "Yes, Father. Never forget."

  "Good d." He grinned, resting his hand on Raz's shoulder before stepping off.

  Dimyri leaned forward, scratching her chin with the tip of her tail. "Hmm."

  She leaned back, acting casual while peaking at Raz from a side gnce. He was frozen with a pained look, shaking his head as Perdilius raised his voice.

  "People, we have lost gains and therefore speed. But do not let these times fill your heads with doubt. See it not as a chain but as a test to prove our faith together." He stood back, watching his men nod in agreement. "Take up arms, ready your torches. We've rested enough, now to regain our speed."

  "Ay!" Some of the soldiers cheered with cups, downing their drinks before grabbing their things.

  Dimyri and Leone got up from their logs, with the Hunter dousing out the fire with his own drink. KuliKuli leaned forward when her mother offered a paw to help her up. She smiled sweetly at her daughter, but KuliKuli frowned and stood up on her own, walking by and leaving her mother hurt. Emyri clutched her breast and hung her head when Leone approached her side.

  "They'll come to forgive you, give it time." He whispered to comfort her, the pair walking side by side.

  But Emyri was not convinced as was evident by the doubtful look she gave him. "I don't know if they should, or if I deserve to be forgiven. We knew the risks when we kept this from them."

  Leone sighed, averting his gaze from them. "Put the bme on my shoulders then. It was my idea; I can bare their hate."

  "No!" She replied sharply. "I agreed to it, stop pushing me aside."

  "I'm trying to help."

  "Then help by speaking to them yourself." She huffed, pulling away and leaving him on his own.

  The group had the carriage take the lead, marching forward as they dispersed the torch handlers to help illuminate their path. KuliKuli looked around, rubbing her arms as the cold was sending chills under her skin. She bumped into her sister, the pair apologizing before locking arms to comfort one another.

  "H-Have we been here before?" KuliKuli asked.

  Dimyri scoffed. "What makes you think girls like us would journey through here once?"

  "I don't know, this is the forest where we lived." She expined nervously, "I thought maybe we came through here before... you know, when I was your Nityri."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  KuliKuli hung her gaze, her voice trembling. "Getting you guys in my life... I don't regret that. I just hate having no memory of it."

  "That's not your fault, Perdilius screwed with your head. He's the reason you can't remember-"

  "He said that he needed Nityri gone," She whimpered, her body shaking as she held her arms pressed to her chest with a look of fear. "I-I don't know what to think, maybe it's all nonsense. But what if Nityri really is gone? I thought my head injury came from a rough storm the day Felix found me, but hearing Perdilius expin it to me... I feel like I'm not myself anymore."

  "Kuli-" Dimyri reached around to hold her when her sister pulled back and looking into her eyes with a frantic expression.

  "Gods, what if Nityri r-really is gone? He wanted to erase my mind and he did! I'm just a lost cause, an empty cup. Am I still Nityri now, am I even KuliKuli? Or did I become KuliKuli because of Felix?"

  Dimyri frowned and hugged her sister tight. "Shut up with that. You're still my little sister. You may have a different name, but you have the same face that I grew up teasing. And that smile. You're so much like Nityri, if only you knew how alike you two are."

  KuliKuli blinked, looking up to her older sister. "Really?"

  "Yes." She smiled, embracing her. "You still have that stupid cheerful personality in you. And you were a reckless brat, always breaking rules and poking your nose into other's business."

  KuliKuli frowned, shoving her sister off. "Hey that doesn't sound like me."

  "Sounds exactly like you." Dimyri teased, "Only now you go by a different name. I don't bme you for not recalling your past memories, that's not your fault. And worrying about it isn't going to help either."

  Her sister pouted, crossing her arms while keeping pace with the group. "Easy for you to say. What would you do if you lost your past?"

  Dimyri pressed her lips tight, her face scrunched in thought. "Hmm... I too would be scared."

  "See?"

  "But there's nothing to be done except to move forward. Rather than to miss the memories of before, it is better to make new memories ahead. Nityri didn't have friends like Felix around. You got along rather well, in truth I'm a little jealous."

  "Jealous? You?" She seemed baffled. "Really? You're smarter than I am, why would you be jealous?"

  Dimyri sighed. "Being the oldest isn't easy either. You have all these expectations from those around you. I need to do well to make Mom proud, and I need to set an example for you and Syri. It doesn't help that I am to be the Head Mother of our clutter... well, before all of this turned to shit. I don't even know if there is a clutter anymore. But you asked why, and it's because of your carefree spirit. You adapt so well and make friends everywhere you go without worry or doubt, of course I would feel jealous. Making friends is a challenge for me, but you make it look so easy."

  "I... I guess I never noticed that." KuliKuli paused.

  "There's a lot we don't see," She continued, turning her sight on Raz further ahead of the group. "Notice that boy, the one closest to the priest?"

  "The nice one?" Kuli asked.

  "Yea. There's more to him." She mused, keeping her voice down.

  "You think he can help?"

  Dimyri shook her head. "Too soon to tell. But... hmm, it could be nothing too."

  KuliKuli gave her a nudge. "Go with your gut. If something is telling you to take notice, do it. It's what I would do."

  Dimyri smiled back, the two siblings keeping close as their mother watched from the back proudly. Even if her retionship with them was hurt, she could at least take joy in knowing that they love each other.

  Felix sat back, joined by Janette in the front seat of the carriage. He whistled idly to pass the time when Janette poked his waist.

  "Hey."

  "Something on your mind?"

  She nodded. "Been thinking a lot about what Vardare was showing us. This whole thing about Perdilius and the city, about this tower."

  He hummed in agreement. "It's a lot to be honest. When we asked Vardare to tell us about Perdilius, I didn't expect it to be so much."

  "And we still have a lot we're missing on. I kind of want to hear more, to know more about this." She leaned in close, "We're learning a lot more about him, Felix. This could be the advantage we need if we want to get the better of him."

  "You think so?"

  "I know so."

  Felix gred ahead. "Travel is slowing down since there's no path to follow anymore. The horses are getting tired. Maybe we can rest up a bit, having something to eat while Vardare tells us more?"

  Janette grinned. "Good call. Find us a spot to rest."

  She paused as he squirmed in his seat, looking unnerved. "What, was it something I said?"

  "Just... foolish thoughts, nothing worth saying."

  "Spit it out. Least we can do is stay honest." She urged, egging him on.

  Felix sighed. "I'm not the best suited for this."

  "Huh?"

  "This, the whole leadership position you've put me on. I never asked to lead, I didn't want this. I'm not as educated as you, Reta is a skilled fighter and Nyitzcha has her explosions. What can I offer? Just a-a foolish naive boy looking to save his family."

  Janette cocked her head, staring at him bnkly. "That's... a fair assessment to make, I suppose."

  "I didn't mind before but... here we are."

  "You still think what happened was your fault?" She frowned. "We made the calls and he got us. Besides, you're the go-getter."

  "The what?"

  She chuckled and punched his arm gently. "You're the one who pushes us to take action. You had us go to Kershin Market before, took the lead to confront Perdilius, even got close to ending him. I don't know, you may think you're a nobody but you're someone to us, Felix. It's like what Reta told you, don't doubt yourself. We're venturing into some wicked forest to recuse our loved ones, all while hoping to find this Alma person to help us. We're not the smartest pnners, really we're desperate."

  "That's not helping."

  "It's not, but it's true. Now hurry up and find us a spot, my ass is hurting from sitting for so long."

  "Trying, but all this fog isn't helping." He frowned, biting his lip as their carriage shook and rocked under rough terrain.

  "Careful!" Nyitzcha shouted from inside the carriage.

  "Just settling down!" He hollered back as the horses paced themselves to a stop.

  It took around twenty minutes for them to stretch their limbs, unpack a few things and set a small fire to cozy around. There was no cave to find comfort in this time, only a small clearing beside a boulder with some low hanging trees and foliage. The ground was wet and cold, but they didn't care so long as they rolled a bnket below to y on. Nyitzcha cooked up a light broth with some sliced bread to keep them from starving, with Felix pulling back as the brew burned his tongue.

  "Vardare." Janette reached out, her owl friend calmly approaching her. "Could you tell us more about Perdilius while we rest? We left off about his meeting."

  "Ah, of course miss." Vardare fpped his wings briefly before clearing his throat.

  "Sir, please be seated. There's no need to be rash."

  "You desecrated our sacred nds, that was not a part of the agreement!"

  "I assure you, Father Perdilius did no such thing-"

  "I have witnesses, I have seen the evidence with my own eyes. Do you think I am blind?"

  "Nno-no sir, that's far from the ca-"

  "Why are we wasting our time with you? Where is he?"

  Perdilius marched down the hall, their voices echoed through the doors as he breathed in deep. Closing his eyes, he exhaled and pushed past the doors, entering into the meeting room. On one side was his helper, a squeamish middle-aged man quivering under pressure from the guests. Standing opposite of the table were three lean adults, one hunched over with his hands on the table gring daggers while the other, a woman, held her arms crossed.

  These three didn't wear any robes or tunics, their clothes were more distinct and fashioned in brown and green colors. Perdilius struggled to tell if they wore leather clothing or any fabric underneath, as their sense of fashion revealed their thighs, waist, and arms. Their shoulders were draped with animal fur, and their chests coated with a distinct seal depicting a brown leaf. They stood barefooted with leather wrapped around their ankles up to their knees, a brown loincloth, and wooden bracers suited as fingerless gloves to shield them. If the polished longbows and daggers carved from animal fangs and bone wasn't enough to announce who they were, their painted faces, tanned bodies, and pointed ears made it clear of their elven ancestry.

  These were Woodnd Elves, a species of reclusive Elves that reside in nature and wildlife as their homes.

  Perdilius csped his hands together, bowing politely to them. "Honored guests, to what do I owe the pleasure-"

  "You lied to us." The one in charge interrupted him, his long bck hair draped across his shoulders as he locked eyes with Perdilius. "We agreed to permit you access in pursuit of knowledge and study, and instead you unearth our sacred relic!"

  "Tsuko, I assure you that we did not mean to cause any trouble-"

  "But you did, and now here we are." Tsuko gred, the bck eye paint making his anger clearer to him. "Not only that, we learn that your people are at war with another group. This was not mentioned in our st meeting, why is that?"

  Perdilius raised his hand, keeping himself at bay by remained at the far end of the table. "Our quarrels is of no concern to what you and I agreed to, that is reason enough not to make mention of it."

  "You being at war means trouble. Trouble that you bring here to our nds!" Tsuko smmed his fist down, burying his dagger into the table. "The Forest of Faehorn has no interest interloping with your foreign battles. Take your people and leave, Perdilius."

  "That needn't be an issue for long. Our Lord Territh is due to visit in the next week to see this building in the city of Faehorn. I apologize if unearthing it brought a rift between us, but it was necessary to grant entry inside. I assure you that my word remains, we only wish to study its purpose and soon be on our way. We do not intend to make this our New Haven of sorts, our presence is temporary."

  "Make it so." Tsuko demanded, his two allies nodding in agreement.

  "There is another matter to discuss." Perdilius trailed on, raising his brow. "Our deliveries have been unable to pass through your forest. I do not wish to point fingers, but I do recall that you promised safe passage for myself and my people. But we have been without rations for weeks."

  "I do not know of any cargo." He answered quickly. "We keep a keen eye for outsiders, none have been found since your arrival."

  Perdilius sighed, uneased by what that answer entails.

  "I see. Give us one week until my Lord arrives, then you will see us gone."

  Tsuko nodded, satisfied by the agreement. As he and his group took their leave, Perdilius stood by, leaning down as his helper approached him.

  "Thank you, Father. I didn't know Lord Territh was on his way."

  "The news just arrived this morning to me." He turned to him. "How did they know about us and our war? What spies have they been keeping on us?"

  "I-I don't know, they are woodnd elves. Whisperers of the Woods and such-"

  "Such nonsense." He fumed, "But I would be a fool to dismiss such beliefs. I need to go, there's a tower ripe with secrets lying in wait for me."

  "What if the elves return?"

  "If per chance they are to return before next week, send word for me." He scoffed, rolling his eyes as the doors closed behind him.