Stephen watched in idle amusement as Rebecca did her best to contain her impatience. They had been waiting at the departure gate of the flight pavilion since sunrise, but she would not dare to complain in front of Grand Ancestor Valerie. Even the Sect Leader would not dare to be rude in front of the venerable snapping turtle, whose bright yellow shell had carried students on field trips for so long that she was rumored to be as old as the mountains themselves.

Stephen wondered whether Rebecca might explode if she waited too long to vent her frustrations. It was likely that she had been forced to take this mission, due to the lack of available alternatives with a decent payout. He had taken it because it looked easy. He would ask her why she seemed so desperate for contribution points, but he didn't dare to speak out of turn in front of one so ancient as Grand Ancestor Valerie. It was difficult to tell whether she was awake. She sat very still with her eyes closed, but this was her standard behavior, and one could never be too careful.

The mission was simple. They were to assist the training hall master, Antony, with escorting the kids through the outermost reaches of the Enchanted Forest. The area was frequently used for training the young disciples, since it was fairly safe. The tree bunnies tended to overpopulate, and had to be culled before they destroyed their own habitat. Tree bunnies had plenty of natural predators, but spirit beasts were more intelligent than mortal animals, and deals could be made. Although he did not know its exact grade, he was aware that a high grade guardian beast, likely an ancestral tree bunny, was responsible for keeping out predators. It notified the sect when the local population was ready for a culling, and the timing usually coincided with a need to train new recruits. He wondered whether that was somehow planned by the ancestral tree bunny.

Something suddenly changed on Rebecca's face. "Oh no," Stephen thought. He tried to reach out and stop her, but it was too late. He knew that look. She was going to complain.

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"What is TAKING them so lon-" she could not finish the sentence, as Grand Ancestor Valerie opened one eye, and Looked at them. Stephen and Rebecca were kowtowing before either one could take another breath. Stephen felt blood dripping from his nose. Then Grand Ancestor Valerie Spoke, "Haaaaave paaaaaaaiteeeence, chiiiiiiiild." Blood was now dripping from every hole in his body. His pants were soaked, his ears were ringing, and he knew he would die if Grand Ancestor Valerie so much as contemplated directing murderous intent in his direction. He felt like a mouse in the claws of an eagle, or like dust before a broom. He was powerless in front of her might.

He could feel when she closed her eye, because he was finally able to fill his lungs with air. He could have moved again if he had wanted to, but he did not dare. It could have been seconds or days before Antony showed up, but he would not have moved an inch. He felt his blood pooling on the ground around him, but he would make no move to stop it, or to clean himself before Antony arrived.

"Children," Stephen heard Antony say, when he and the children walked towards the departure gate, "This is Grand Ancestor Valerie. She has been with this sect for a very long time, so remember to mind your manners."

"Is that ALL he's going to tell them?!" Stephen thought, "the children will die! That fool!" but Stephen kept his thoughts to himself. Even if he wanted to speak, his throat was oddly raw. Had he been screaming?

"Rebecca, Stephen, what are you doing? Stand up, and clean yourselves before you frighten the children. Someone might think you'd offended Gra-" Antony's eyes narrowed, "Oh. I see." Even Antony would offer no further comment. To comment on the Grand Ancestor's punishment, was to pass judgement on her, and such an offense would not be punished as lightly as theirs had been.

Rebecca and Stephen both stood, bowed to the Grand Ancestor, then cleaned themselves with the Cleaning Technique, before helping Antony move the children onto the Grand Ancestor's shell. Neither of them spoke. He wondered how long it would be before either of them could.