"Then what do you suggest, Miwah?" Tamma asked with shaking nerves. "If we can convince the governor of our municipality to send a correspondence letter, it could take weeks or even months for it a response from the duke in charge of the island. And even then, I've got a feeling that the answer would be resounding 'no.' Especially if it's from a threat that they don't know will attack. They're too tied up in the war to spend resources on a small port from a threat that they don't know when they’ll attack. If at all."

Miwah paced back and forth, rubbing her neck as she stared at the ground. Lug bent his knees down and lowered his body, munching on some grass, as if he knew the conversation was going to last a while. "Then Farrowport is as good as gone," she said in exasperation. "It does not matter who is left to defend the town. The Ghenka Clan kills without prejudice."

The hunter put one hand on Miwah's shoulder, ending her pacing. The seamstress greeted her with narrow and worried eyes. "Listen Miwah. I understand your concern. But you underestimate the capabilities of the people of Farrowport!" Tamma's voice carried an air of confidence. "Those that remained behind are surprisingly capable fighters."

"The Ghenkans are not to be underestimated."

"I believe you. But rumor says that they tend to go after weakened communities. Farrowport is far from that. Just because the Remcroftian men have been sent off doesn't mean the town has been left helpless."

With a long sigh, Miwah angled her head to the side. "Perhaps I should reserve judgement before having even seen the town."

The hunter looked in the direction of the thinning. "We're getting closer to Farrowport. Once inside you can determine whether or not to be worried."

"If only it were that simple. I doubt anything short of a proper Remcroftian battalion would stop my worry."

"You have been through a lot Miwah. For now, let's just focus on getting out of the forest and back into town." Tamma eyed the trembling seamstress from the bottom up. "You look like you could use a proper meal. And a bath. And a good nap. Once you're in the right mindset, maybe then we can discuss how to deal with a possible attack from the Ghenkan Clan."

Miwah nodded and blinked rapidly. "That... is a good idea. You are right. Everything I have been through must be taking its toll on my mind." She pressed her fingers against the temples of her forehead. "Panicking will only cause us to make irrational decisions."

"Exactly." Tamma whistled and Lug stood up straight at the tune. "Let's find a different subject to talk about for the last bit of our trip, eh? Something more... relaxing."

"Right. Relaxing."

Tamma continued to lead the walk. "What do you do in your spare time, Miwah? I know you're a seamstress, but if that's your job, there must have been something else that you spent your energy on when you weren't sewing."

"Martial arts," Miwah said swiftly. She moved her hands in a circle. "My family had a dojo. We trained there before supper every night."

Tamma giggled. "So you're not someone I should mess with then, eh?"

"I learned some fighting techniques. But my father focused mostly on discipline." Miwah continued to move her hands slowly and gracefully around her body. Tamma watched while maintaining a steady pace along the path. "The goal is to channel your inner qi. Through devoted training, it is possible to achieve higher levels of clarity."

"Clarity? What do you mean by that?"

"Making decisions based on truth rather than emotion. From the midst of heated battles to choices made over the course of years, they are determined by emotion. What one is attached to. Fears. Desires. Through clarity, it is possible to have truth guide your life. However, achieving this requires strict discipline."

"I'm going to be honest with you Miwah. That does not sound like a fun life."

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"That is because it is supposed to be devoid of ‘fun.’ It is not to be a way to pass the time. Amusement for the sake of one’s pleasure is exactly what is meant to be avoided. Positive emotions can be particularly dangerous when it comes to decision making."

"I get what you're saying, Miwah. But I think there's a lot more to life than just... making optimal choices. You know?"

"I did not understand my father's teachings either. Despite him practicing for decades, he said that he had much to learn. Once he married, he realized that achieving true clarity was unobtainable for him. Detaching from his emotions was something he could never fully do. But because he did not want his years of experience to go to waste, he opened a dojo in the village and had a handful of devoted students."

"And you attended his lessons?"

"Here and there. He taught me a few self-defense techniques as well. But he never wanted me to strive to achieve true clarity. And that is certainly something that I never wanted to achieve. That was something that my brother was striving for."

"I see. Would you be willing to show me some of your martial arts? I could use some unarmed techniques underneath my belt." Tamma patted the sheath that held her knife. "If I didn't have this on me, I don’t think I’d be able to defend myself in a close-quarters situation."

"I would be fine with that," Miwah replied. "But I must warn you, I am no experienced fighter. Just a hobbyist with a passing interest in the craft."

"Aye, that's still more experience than me!"

"What I learned first as a young girl was how to stand," Miwah said. She continued to walk automatically, her mind focusing on here memories instead of staying directly behind Tamma. "With proper posture, it is possible to—" Tamma stretched her arm out, stopping both Miwah's walk and her speech short. The hunter slowly turned her head, looking at Miwah with a finger pressed against her shut lips.

"Shush," The hunter said with a whisper.

Miwah obeyed. She stopped her movement short. Her eyes scanned the area immediately in front of her. A shadow lurked just in front, crushing leaves as it trudged through the forest. With a swift tug, Tamma brought both her and Miwah down to the ground. Even though a low bush obscured most of the view, through the leaves it was clear that something was moving just beyond them.

"Be... very... quiet..." Tamma said almost silently. Miwah read the words on her lips and understood the message. Four clawed feet paced around the area, stopping intermittently for the creature to let out a long and low growl. "We... can't fight..."

"What about Lug?" Miwah said silently. Tamma turned around as much as she could from her prone position. The brillick remained still, entirely oblivious to whatever was in the forest with them.

"Stay low," Tamma mouthed back in silence. She got up to a crouch and turned towards Lug. In a flash, Tamma took the bow off her shoulder and kept an arrow pointed towards the ground. The hunter marched carefully towards Lug, keeping the bow of her string taught as she took constant glances behind her to see if the four-legged creature had noticed her.

Miwah remained low, making sure the gray fur of the claws never left her vision. As she kept her head down, a sudden shadow blocked out the limited lighting that crept through the light of the porous canopy. She slowly lifted her head up, her upper body trembling as she struggled to mitigate any and all abrupt movements. Towering above her was an enormous bear-like creature. Dark gray fur covered its entire body, glistening in the sun's rays. It stood on its hind legs, while its upper body was erect. Its front arms were at its sides; the limbs were shorter than the legs that it balanced on but were still long and lean. It held its hands wide open, bearing its claws.

The beast sniffed the air. Where it contrasted the most from a bear was in its face. The snout was longer and narrower with razor white teeth jutting out from the sides. As it growled, its upper lip curled back, showing its bright red gums as a dribble of saliva fell from its mouth. Its small black pupils darted around fervently in every direction except for beneath it.

The seamstress took another glance at Tamma. She could see her brown eyes opened wide, staring at the beast as she froze with her hand still holding her bow's string wedged between the notches of her arrow. Behind her, Lug started to cower. He blurted out a deep grunt before running towards the side with the wagon still attached to it. The bear-like animal turned its head to the sound of the brillick's whimper.

All four of the beast’s feet hit the ground at the same time. It then curled itself, ready for a pounce before jumping high over Tamma. It landed on the ground with a crash as it chased the brillick into the forest. A roar could be heard as it continued its pursuit.

"Lug!" Tamma shouted as she turned to look at the beast that followed the brillick. She let go of her arrow, sending it soaring through the air and piercing her target in the side. The beast snapped its head back towards Tamma's direction. It stared back at her with pure ferocity in its eyes.

"Run Miwah!" Tamma shouted as she pulled her knife out of her pouch. "Get out of here!"

Miwah got up to her feet. She pulled the diamond out from underneath her top and held the jewel in her hand. "Yalch? Can you hear me?" she whispered. The smoky haze in the jewel continued to drift about in silence. Miwah clenched the diamond tight within her fist and took in a frustrated sigh.

"You can do this, Miwah," she said quietly.