Wounds adorned both Inu and Saxa. They trailed across their arms, chests, and legs. From cuts dripped blood, running down their skin. Black and blue bruises speckled their bodies, inhibiting their movements.

Lexi watched the pair continue to slash each other, each hit creating a new injury. As she followed the blood trail down, she started to wonder. How many herbs is it gonna take this time?

There were three reasons why Saxa and Inu asked her to judge their matches. The first was because she was their friend and an impartial judge. The second, she was often available or could be convinced to help. The third but most important reason, she was a healer—a herbalist in training.

Her attention wavered as she lamented all the herbs and salves they would need. Lexi wasn’t that worried about them. She knew the matches never got to the point of endangering either of their lives because it was just practice. They never fought hard enough to kill each other.

But both of them were killing her medical supplies.

Clash. It was another block.

Lexi placed a hand on her temple and reached for her necklace. As she lifted it out of her shirt, the attached spacial ring came into view. Sister Lena noticed that she was constantly carrying things around: books, journals, quills, herbs, etc.

So for her thirteenth birthday, Sister Lena gifted her a ring on a chain.

Ever since she received the present, Lexi wore it daily, using it to carry extra books and herbs. In the subdimension was her old herbal journal. Although she had memorized all the herbs, it was good to carry around. Besides the journal was a pile of forest herbs, potions, and salves. They were all things she saved up from multiple trips to the woods.

And in the corner was a stash of coins: 50 gold. They were her savings from selling plants and random jobs.

Schwing. The noise drew Lexi away from her thoughts. The blades skid against each other, sparks flying as metal clashed metal.

Saxa barely defended the attack. She panted heavily, trying to regain breath and stamina. Her hands quivered as she held her daggers, her legs shaky. She could hardly stand. Inu might win.

With renewed confidence, Inu recklessly marched forward, slightly gasping. He raised his sword high above his head, preparing to strike down and win the match.

But Saxa was faster.

Her arm swung forward. Her hand steady as she brought the dagger to his throat. It was a feint.

Inu dropped his sword and raised his arms above his head. “I lost.”

“Ah.” Saxa fell on her back, lying on the grass. He followed suit and collapsed face-first into the ground.

Lexi strolled towards them with ointment in one hand and bandages in the other. She dressed their bloody wounds, binding their arms and legs.

“Ow,” yelped Saxa. “Be gentler.”

Lexi glared at her, pressing down on the wounds. They trembled as she patched them up.

“So…” started Lexi, “are we still going tomorrow?”

Inu replied in a muffled voice, “Yep.”

“Yeah.” Saxa stretched her arm, admiring Lexi’s skill.

After completing basic treatment, Lexi packed her stuff and got up. She walked towards the church, leaving them behind. “See you tomorrow then.”

------

It was Saturday, and there weren’t any afternoon classes. Lexi had prepared targets for archery practice.

She stood straight, holding the bow steady as she aimed the arrow. Pulling back the string, Lexi felt the tension in her arm. Sweat dripped down her back.

Whoosh. The arrow flew from her grasp, cutting through the air.

As it neared the target, the arrow shook. It landed just in front, falling a little short.

Clapping came from the bench. Saxa watched as Lexi shot another arrow, this time hitting its mark.

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“You’re getting better,” she encouraged.

Lexi shook her head, strands of maroon hair falling down. She eyed Saxa. “I miss half my shots.”

“It’s a hundred meters,” she shrugged, “and you hit the other half.”

Lexi sighed, grabbing the fallen arrows and returning to her position. “It’s nothing compared to you.”

“That’s because I’m naturally talented.”

“Anyways,” she let go of another arrow, “where’s Inu?”

Bullseye. “I dunno. He should be here soon.”

Despite the intensity of yesterday’s match, they weren’t badly hurt. Thanks to Lexi, most of their injuries were healed. They were just a bit sore from taking hits and straining their bodies.

As Lexi continued, her aim became steadier and strength stronger. More of her shots hit than missed.

Saxa began fiddling with a dagger. “Maybe we should leave without him.”

“Wait!” A cry came from the church. Inu was sprinting towards them with disheveled clothes.

“Okay, I'm here.” He patted his waist, feeling for a sword. Then, he pointed towards the woods. “Let’s go.”

Lexi packed her stuff, and the three trekked into the forest.

“Where are we heading?” asked Inu, his hands crossed behind his head.

“To the lake.” Saxa surveyed the trunks as they passed, following the cross marks. “Lexi wanted to find some white pond lilies.”

“Yeah,” mumbled Lexi. White pond lilies were useful for treating wounds, cuts, and sores. “I’m running out.”

“Oh, right,” Inu winced, “Sorry about that.”

Lexi had crouched down to observe some plants. Although she was kinda annoyed by their constant fights, part of her understood the desire to compete and improve. She waved a hand, “It’s fine.”

“So,” started Saxa, drawing their attention, “we should help her.”

“Got it.”

They continued their stroll, passing clusters of herbs. Lexi kept bending over to identify and collect them. Eventually, Saxa and Inu got tired of watching and waiting for her. They started a game of hide and track.

Hide and track was a game that children of the area played. It was designed to practice and improve their ability to hide from prey and predators while tracking their movements. Players were either split into teams or individually. Then, everyone would hide in the forest while trying to catch their opponents off guard.

It was Saxa’s favorite game and greatly influenced her desire to learn tracking.

With Lexi as the center, Saxa and Inu hid in the woods. They leaped through the trees, quietly landing on the branches. Soft thuds and rustling gave away their positions, but the sounds were masked by forest noises.

Saxa had a stealthier approach to the game. She laid low and lurked in the shadows, stalking her prey. After noticing unusual movement, she silently approached before quietly striking from behind.

Her eyes were glazed as Saxa listened to the passing winds. A crack caught her attention. She peeked in its direction only to notice a giant blur rushing at her.

On the other hand, Inu rushed into it. He would scan the area with his sharp eyesight, finding mismatched colors or patterns. Then, he would gather his strength and burst forward, pouncing on his prey. Inu was pretty good at the game, often catching his opponent off guard.

The blur tackled Saxa. Both of them fell to the ground, crushing fallen leaves in a small clearing. Inu pressed his weight against her, pinning her arms to the floor. She was stunned by the attack.

He cried in victory, “I won!”

After recovering from the shock, Saxa heard quiet thuds approaching. She quickly wiggled under his weight, trying to escape. Her tail smacked his side, pushing him away.

“What?” Noticing her movement, Inu raised an eyebrow. “Even if you escape, you already lost.”

Despite his declaration, she continued to squirm, refusing to speak. She tried to kick him off. He stared at her, baffled by her actions.

“Okay—” As he got up, a dagger was placed by his throat.

Turning his head, Inu saw Lexi crouched down beside them, the dagger in hand. While he was good at tracking his opponents, his methods were noisy and eye-catching. Besides, he frequently got absorbed in his celebrations. This meant that other competitors easily caught him.

Indignified, Inu accused, “Hey! You weren’t playing.”

“Well,” she drawled, resting her head in her other hand, “you were pretty loud.”

“Get off!” shouted Saxa, finally pushing him off.

Lexi pulled back the blade and poked his forehead. “Don’t be surprised if someone else sneaks up on you.”

Saxa stood up and brushed herself off. Blades of grass, leaves, and dirt fell from her clothes to the floor. She turned towards Lexi. “You done?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.” Inu looked up towards the sky. The sun was setting. “We should go.”

As the group dusted themselves off, rustling came from a bush.

Saxa and Inu stood in front, pushing Lexi towards the back. Both pointed their weapon towards the bush, ready to attack. Lexi crept towards a nearby tree and grabbed a branch, lifting herself up.

The rustling continued, followed by soft thuds.

A black rabbit jumped out of the bush, slightly limping.

“Wha?” murmured Inu. It stared at them, and they stared back.

Taking advantage of their confusion, it quickly turned around and ran away. They came to their senses shortly after.

Saxa quickly grabbed them. “We should chase it.”

“No.” Inu shook his head and directed her attention towards the sky. “We need to leave before nightfall.”

She sighed and looked wistfully in the rabbit’s direction. They gathered their stuff.

Lexi opened her bag, searching for the pond lilies. As they hiked back, she trailed behind, leaving the flower and some additional herbs.

The group left, and a nose poked out of the bush. It sniffed around. Long ears popped out and listened to the surroundings, confirming that they had left. Then, a black rabbit hopped out.

Cautiously, it limped towards the lily and observed it. After a while, it pressed the flower against its leg.