Stella:

Oh, yeah! She forgot they were in the fucking woods! Where a 700-pound grizzly bear could live! And the best part was, it was standing on its hind legs! As if it wasn't intimidating enough!

Stella clenched her fists, ready to fight the animal? There was no way she could do it, right? Maybe Lien-

"Hey! Stinky!" Lien puffed her chest as she inhaled enough to launch it back as a powerful gust of wind from her mouth. That was enough to launch the large mammal to a considerable distance, but it came back angrier than before. Such speed for a large creature!

Watching Lien fight reminded the girl of what they went through. She fought bigger and meaner Monoke than this sack of fur! Why was she so afraid of it?!

As the Wolf dodged and weaved through the bear's claw swipes, Stella gathered her Saniya and burst into a golden aura! Her sturdy, developed muscles, honed with days of harsh training, bulged with cracking energy!

Surprising even herself, the Human closed the distance gap with only a few steps. Then, she remembered Hōkō's training and converged as much power into her fist as she could in a split second before striking the bear's side with a powerful punch!

The animal rolled a few inches, moaning in pain. The low pitch of its noise would have sent shivers down Stella's spine if she wasn't staring at her hand, elated by her growth in power. She couldn't feel any bones breaking on impact, which was a good sign.

"Hey! Nice moves!" Lien flashed a thumbs-up. "Your Saniya is leagues above what I saw from you before. Well, except from when we drank that jam."

"Heh. I'll take the compliment, anyway." Stella's smirk was unwavering. "I can't wait to see how much stronger I'll be when my training is done!"

Before Lien could utter a word, the large animal bellowed with rage. That gave the Human an idea.

"Lien," Stella called her attention. "How does bear meat taste like?"

"Kinda like if you put venison and pork into one package. Why you-" Lien's eyes widened in realization. A mischievous smirk slowly carved into her lips. "I like how you think."

The mighty grizzly charged at them! They moved out of its way, counterattacking it with bone-crushing blows at its ribcage! While it reeled with agony, Lien crawled on its back and pierced its neck with her teeth. It seemed somewhat effective, but the animal slapped her away with its paw the size of her head.

When the creature stood on two feet again, Stella took it as an opportunity to land a flurry of punches on its huge gut, staggering it long enough for the Wolf to return and fiercely chew on its ankle, bringing the beast to a vulnerable position, lying on the ground.

A crimson stream was pouring out from its neck and ankle. Its growls weakened by the second. Stella couldn't help but feel pity for the towering mammal. However, it was either them or it.

"Want to do the honors?" Lien asked.

"Yeah." Stella flexed her biceps, which had grown significantly. "I want to test something."

Stepping towards the bear, who weakly crawled away, the Human concentrated all her Saniya again into a single body part, her right arm. It bulged, almost threatening to burst with excess energy. After a few minutes, she couldn't even look at her arm as the light it radiated sizzled her eyes.

Step by step, the girl approached her largest and last hunt for the day. Her arm blazed and ached as if cooking from the inside out, but she had to test how far her power went.

One last glance at the bear's eyes, then her arm SLAMMED into its skull!

The sickening crunch of shattered bone and the blood sprayed on her clothes and face. It all made her curse her perverted curiosity. What remained from the beast's head was a flattened, bloodied pancake with only its tongue and lower jaw remaining intact. The memory of the mangled goopling painfully flashed before her eyes.

As Stella calmed her heart down, her Saniya slithered back to the rest of her body, resuming their natural flow. She stepped towards a nearby tree and leaned her back on its bark, slowly sitting down to recover.

Lien calmly approached her. She paused to sniff the corpse, tail swishing with curiosity. "Damn. It's everywhere! I think you overdid it a bit."

"No kidding," Stella muttered between her raspy breath. "I did all that in only a week of training? How?"

"To be fair, my training started much lighter than yours. More meditating than rock lifting." Lien explained. "Maybe that pego jam did give you a little push?"

That was a reasonable explanation, maybe because it was the only one. Hōkō did mention that the incident gave a headstart on her Saniya control. Perhaps the brush with death was worth it, after all.

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"You think there's enough meat to fill that hole?" The pup asked.

The Human nodded. "With the bear? Hell yeah." She stood up, only stumbling momentarily, before catching herself. "Wait, how are we carrying all of that?"

Lien pondered, adorably tensing her chin. "Can you carry the deer by yourself?"

Stella mulled over the possibility. "If I carry them by the antlers, sure. I can put a few rabbits on my backpack."

The pup smiled. "Neat! I carry the bear by myself and a rabbit in my mouth!"

"That means we'll lose about ten rabbits." The Human concluded. She had been more proficient in counting ever since Asra started tutoring her. It became a quicker process. "Eh. The bear is worth a whole lot more."

Agreeing on the weight division, the two huntresses returned the way they came. Carrying two adult animals this big was not a walk in the park. Regardless of the difficulty, she was smugly grinning the whole way through for being able to even make such a feat.

That was until Lien stopped walking for whatever reason. Was she tired?

"Someone is walking outside the main road." The pup warned. "Uncle?"

Stella broke her grip on the carcasses. "What's he doing here?"

The pup's ears twitched to the side. "Do you want to eavesdrop?"

The girl sighed. "Yes."

Through the thick vegetation, they approached what was supposedly her uncle, who suspiciously had business in the middle of nowhere. The rustling sound of smashed leaves was a fun distraction, while Lien took the lead as her guide and danger detector.

Finally, the pup stood her paw, murmuring. "Wait. I hear a conversation."

"What's it about?"

"Erm..." She frowned, confusion etched into her milky eyes. "About... a full house? I don't get it."

Stella was blindsided. "What the hell is going on over there?"

"No idea. But there's more than one Saniya signature over there. I wonder if Mom is there, too."

"Let's hope not." The Human added. "The last thing I want is to make her angry. She scares the shit outta me."

Lien giggled. "She's pretty scary for everyone when she's angry. I think that's a thing with all moms."

If it was, Stella couldn't confirm. I think that's my orphan remark for the chapter.

"Shall we?" The girl's curiosity grew with each passing moment. Lien only nodded in response and marched on. Which wasn't a great idea since Tarb was a Wolf and had enhanced senses like his nephew.

...

I think a change of perspective is the most sensible decision.

----------------------------------------

Tarb:

"So, anything interesting happened on your last patrol? I've heard your team was the one that found the Human girl."

The old guard sighed. Of course, they'd want details.

Tarb was sitting on a round table with four Monoke. Three Wolves and a Crow. It would be two Crows, but Buth was busy with his shop while his family was in the capital to worship Tizohi. A shame since he was the only player who was somehow worse than the veteran.

Speaking of playing, the old Wolf got the short end of the stick this round. He was so confident in his Full House! But of course, the shadows have blessed his opponents' cards because he couldn't have one good thing today!

And now, he had to pay the price...

"Fine, I suppose." His gaze was focused on his failed cards.

"Then why do you look so bothered?" One of the Wolves, Lorith, asked. He was a florist who dragged Tarb through the "wonders" of the SPC (Sharing Poker Circle). His floppy ears and long fur reminded the veteran of his mage colleagues, only the florist had more of a brownish tone, coupled with his yellow shirt and blue overalls.

As for the SPC, if you have the worst hand in the round, you must share something with the group.

Why had he fallen for this sham?

"It was your sister again?" Lorith pressed on. His honey-colored eyes were transfixed on the veteran, pressuring him to spill the beans without uttering a word.

"It was something my nephew told me. My 'dear sister' said, behind my back, that my greatest asset on her crew is to drool all over the floor so the enemies can trip."

The four players snickered at what he shared. Wasn't this supposed to be therapeutic?

"Gee, thanks, guys. Your input is so appreciated..." Tarb grumbled.

"Sorry!" Lorith covered his muzzle. "Are you sure you should get so worked up for a silly comment?"

That struck a nerve in the veteran.

"We don't have an actual conversation for YEARS!" He slams his paw on the table, making a few cards fall out. "Now I learn her opinion of me is that I'm a lazy bum who can't fight to save his life!"

"Okay, maybe you're overreacting a bit." The Crow player interjected. They arrived at Pantsti a few months ago, so their name wasn't sticking on Tarb's mind yet. It came with old age, perhaps.

Lorith added. "I agree. But I think there's something in the fact you two don't have a heart-to-heart for years. When was the last time you reached out to her?"

The guard sighed. "About... Um..." He clutched his head. "About a year after... You know..."

"I don't." The Crow chimed in.

"Well, I ain't drunk enough to tell you the details." Tarb picked up the fallen cards from the ground and haphazardly threw them on the stack. "Just know it was a dark day in our family's history. And Tash was the one who took the full brunt of it."

"I see..." The avian Monoke recoiled in shame.

Tarb looked upwards. The canvas of thin beams of light that broke through the gaps between the leaves of the towering oak trees was mesmerizing in its own right. As far as Pantsti's territory went, it was the perfect place for self-reflection.

"The thing is, I know why we drifted apart."

"Oh?" The florist's ears perked up. "Do tell."

He wiped out the drool of his floppy cheek and sighed. "She blames me for the whole thing."

And for that, he was sentenced to an agonizing quietness and awkward stares. This was a terrible idea from the start. Why in the world, he thought-

...Wait, his flat nose picked up something else among the trees.

...

......

.........

Shit.

"Lien!" He called. "The hell are you doing there?!"

A faint voice in the distance reverberated through the woods. Anyone but the Crow could hear it.

"S-Stuff?"

The veteran groaned. "Get over here! And don't leave that Human of yours alone!"

His nephew spoke to her companion. "You heard him! Wahoo!"

The Human's voice was next.

"Lien! I'm still- SHIT!"

A few screams, then a loud thud was heard.

"Climbing..." The Human's tone cracked with pain.

Tarb wished he had some mead. Damn you, Buth!