Renalia woke in the middle of the night and almost winced at the unexpected ache all over her body. The pains around her covered wounds she could understand. She had anticipated that the numbingweed powder she had stolen before dinner would wear off around now. So she had planned to steal a second dose in the wee hours of the night.

But this… This was like someone had beaten her all over with a stick while she slept. Any attempts at movement hurt, even just curling her fingers.

Lying there without moving allowed her some time to process the events of the day and she realized what had happened. Her plan–her secret plan–to push her body beyond its limits must have succeeded.

It explained why she had such a difficult time slicing through the hare with the saws. It wasn’t because the tool’s teeth were dull compared to Shim’s knife; it was because she did not command the same strength as she had during the battle.

But how did she do it?

Renalia struggled to recall the battle with the hare and found it hazy and chaotic. She only remembered stabbing the hare over and over until it stopped moving. Some stabs went through, some didn’t. Both [Restrain Impulse] and [Dull Emotions] were activated back then, but she had done that when trying to disassemble the carcass too.

Thinking back, she realized she must have become strong even before stabbing the hare. How else could she explain snatching the hare–by herself–and slamming it down into the mud? At the Ongocks’ workshop, carrying the backend with Marcy had been difficult enough.

Oh, I was trying to save Boogie! It was exactly like how that mom saved her kids during the fires last year.

The elation at finding the trigger quickly faded, though. The whole point of learning to push beyond her physical limitations was so that she could be strong on command. If someone had to be at risk of dying for it to happen… Well, it’s good that she would be strong enough to save people from danger, but that’s not what she wanted…

No one dies at peat harvesting.

She was weirdly grateful and ungrateful at the same time. If she didn’t think her eye muscles would hurt, she’d roll her eyes at herself.

Alright, enough lying about. Renalia suppressed the urge to go back to sleep, dulled the unpleasantness of the aches, and left the straw bed. With creeping movement, she took out the packets of numbingweed powder from the pocket of Shim’s old pair of pants. Pockets! Why do boys get all the good stuff?

She replaced what she had pilfered and dumped a packet into her mouth, chasing it down with some water. The pain medication had been the motivating reason for the urgent trip to Myfanwy’s, not the plants she had gathered. As far as she knew, Myfanwy had to let the harvest dry before processing it, anyway.

She had also lied to Myfanwy, saying that Shim was being whiny and needed more medication. But that was a good lie, as it prevented the midwife, and therefore her parents, from worrying about her.

Myfanwy had demanded confirmation that she wasn’t hurt though, and Renalia had relied heavily on her skill cards to get through the physical examination. Thankfully, she had used [Bogling Skin] enough during the day that no wounds showed anymore.

Renalia pushed her muscles into action again and plodded back to bed. This pain is nothing, she thought to herself. Nothing, compared to the pain of losing Boogie.

She dreamt the same dream again, an abstract world of colors and shapes. Except this time, when the black shadows collided with her, their outlines merged and their colors intermingled. She bulged with the increase in mass. Her feeble attempts to ward against them failed, as she absorbed the shadows whenever they touched.

The pressure within her built to an unbearable degree, shredding her outline apart and spraying her colors into the world. She jolted awake and shuddered, her body coated in a sheen of sweat.

She quickly looped through her skill cards, and aided by exhaustion, fell back into a dreamless sleep.

Renalia awoke to Shim and Marcy arguing in hushed tones about her chores for the day. Shim wanted her to clean out Boogie’s kennel and assist with leather working, whereas Marcy wanted her help in organizing the house.

Marcy finally won by mentioning how their mother used to do “spring cleanings” and they have not done it since she passed. Renalia blinked, impressed by Marcy. This girl fights dirty!

Malchim, in a better mood than the previous morning, agreed with their plan. He wanted Shim to assist him in slicing the hare hide into workable pieces, which their [Cut] skill performed much better than manual tools. He had no new commands for Renalia, only nodding at her and saying, “Good morning.”

Helping Marcy consisted mostly of sitting in place while the girl, along with the younger children, grabbed various objects, told a story about them, marginally dusted them, and placed it back more or less where they got it from.

Marcy glared at Shim in warning whenever he got too close, causing him to shuffle uncomfortably away. It did not escape Renalia’s notice, this change in dynamic.

In the past, whenever she came across the Ongocks in the village, Shim would start lobbing insults at her. It demanded all her attention to defend herself, so she never gave much thought to the younger Ongock children. They remained like the background crowd in a painting, witness to the duels she had with Shim.

But now she was invited into the background, welcomed to partake in all the characters and objects in the scenery, to forget the action in the foreground. She found it enjoyable and relaxing.

In the afternoon, they migrated to the workshop. She helped Marcy hold down Shim’s old shirt while the latter worked her “art” on them. Marcy sewed several metal loops onto the shirt and wrapped them with ribbons for padding. Working together, they picked a brown and green color theme–a Hunter’s theme.

The metal rings looked better–more useful, too–than Renalia could have imagined when she first proposed an alternative to the waves of ribbons that adorned Marcy’s outfits. After they finished, she smiled and held her arms open to thank the girl. Her sore muscles would complain, but Marcy had been good to her, and it was the least she could do for the girl.

Marcy, the day before, had unsettled Renalia with her raw hunger, her ravenous yearning. Renalia didn’t know how to be a mother to the girl–she didn’t even know how to be a big sister–but she could be a friend.

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So she braced herself for the odd girl, but instead of the expected lunging embrace, Marcy melted into her arms and sighed dramatically. Renalia chuckled and wrapped her arms around the girl, amidst soft murmurs of “Huggies”.

Minnie and Sammy hovered nearby, sneaking glances at them. Renalia had no experience interacting with younger kids, but channeling her Mama, she beckoned them over.

She caught Malchim smiling at their group cuddle. Maybe this punishment isn’t so bad, after all.

She pointedly avoided looking at Shim, though. No way in hell that’s going to happen.

The next day was Sunday, and Renalia’s heart beat faster in anticipation of seeing her parents again at Church. She had to slow down consciously and not leave the rest of the Ongocks behind.

Thankfully, Marcy started teaching a lullaby she learned from her mother, which helped Renalia keep her mind off of her parents. Just as well, since she was still acclimating herself to Marcy’s shoes on her feet. It would not do if she ran and tripped herself while Shim was around to observe.

She snuck a glance at Shim, who still avoided her. He had washed up in the morning but wore the same clothes he always did, resisting Marcy’s attempts at dressing him.

Unlike the rest of them.

The girls all wore frilly dresses, generously festooned with ribbons. In the past, envy at the pretty dresses other girls wore to Church almost made her balk at going to Sunday Sermons. But now that she wore one, she felt oddly exposed, even though the layers of cloth covered her more than the thin piece of cloth she usually wore.

And while she looked pretty, deep down, she knew she didn’t deserve it. It was Marcy’s dress, not hers. Marcy was pretty, not her.

The Ongock sisters sported ribbon bracelets, while Renalia had a ribbon tying her unruly brown curls into a ponytail. She also had a ribbon around her neck, which felt weird. Marcy had said it was “very cute” and insisted on the necessity of “balancing” the ribbon headband that Sammy wore.

She had let the girl have her way, which she learned from the other kids early on was the best way to deal with Marcy’s weird demands. Renalia didn’t understand why “balancing” with Sammy mattered though, since she would be sitting with her parents. She pulled at it a little. And why does it need to be so tight?

Mama and Papa. She missed them dearly. Of course, she could have visited her parents in the past few days whenever she finished Shim’s chores. However, she did not think she could hide her muscle pains from them, as they knew her too well to be fooled by her pretense. It would have caused more trouble than it was worth.

She spotted her parents at the same time as they saw her, since they had been scanning in the Ongocks’ direction. She ran towards them, the combination of shoes and skirt almost tripping her. Argh, who designs these things?

“Mama!” she called, as Mama wrapped her up in her embrace.

“Renya, are you okay?” Mama asked her with a crease between her brows.

“Yes, I’m just not used to running in skirts. How do people even–”

“Renya, are you hurt?” Mama held Renalia out at arm’s length, green eyes darting up and down her child.

“No, I’m fine,” Renalia answered with a new winning smile, wide and definitely convincing. She had retired her previous winning smile since she used it so often that her parents had started labeling it her “lying smile.”

“Papa!” She held her arms over her head, glad for a distraction. Papa grabbed her and launched her high up in the air. She laughed as her skirt puffed out. See, perfectly healthy and doing perfectly normal things. After he caught her, she wrapped her legs and arms around his left arm.

“How’s my little squirrel?” he asked, as he palmed the top of her head and dropped his arm, turning her upside down as his muscles thickened.

Her squeals of delight turned to horror as the layers of her skirt opened up like flower petals greeting the sun. Stupid skirt. Couldn’t even be a squirrel while wearing one. She pushed off with her feet and stiffened her neck, Papa’s hand helping to rotate her upright. She landed and noticed Mama marching up to Malchim with pounding footsteps.

“Eiry,” Papa said, but Mama ignored him. Father and daughter abandoned their play and hurried to catch up.

“How dare you send her out on a hunt?” Mama yelled at Malchim. “She’s just a little girl. You had no right! You’re not her dad.” Mama jabbed her finger at Malchim’s chest. The Ongock children stood frozen, staring at a mother’s wrath.

“Mama,” Renalia tried to interject, while Papa tried to pull Mama’s other arm back, neither really succeeding.

“Whoa,” Malchim responded, wiping away the spittle on his face. “Now I know which side of the family Renalia gets her balls from.” He chuckled as if he said something funny.

“Eiry,” Papa said, wrapping up Mama in a hug as the latter started to raise her arm to slap Malchim. Her pale skin flushed red, and she struggled to get at Malchim, screaming obscenities all the while. But Papa lifted her as easily as he had with Renalia.

Renalia tugged insistently on Mama’s shirt. “Mama, it’s okay. I’m okay.”

Malchim held up his hands with the palms out. “Listen, she’s a born hunter, that one.” He tilted his chin in Renalia’s direction. “She’s wasted as a farmer. You should have seen the–”

“You do not get to decide that!” Mama shouted. “You do not get to put her in danger.”

“Mama!” Renalia shouted, matching her mother’s intensity. “It’s okay. I’m good at it.”

Her shout finally distracted Mama, who responded softly, “No, it’s too dangerous. You can get hurt.”

“It’s fine. Boogie can protect me.”

“Who?” Mama asked.

“Our wolfhound,” Malchim responded. “Big enough and ferocious enough to hunt by himself. He just needs the right guidance, is all.”

It wasn’t completely true, but neither was what she added. “I’m not hurt, Mama. And I like hunting.” And the cards that come with it, she did not say.

“I don’t like it either, Eiry,” Papa said, “but she is old enough to make her own decisions now.” He held Mama gently, now that she no longer struggled. “We never wanted you to follow our path, Renya. You were always destined for something greater. But make sure this is what you really want.”

“Yes.” Renalia nodded, a little sad. Papa didn’t understand. She’s not abandoning them. She’s doing this so she could become a better peat farmer. Otherwise, she’s just like some weak, undecked kid. A disappointment, no use to them at all.

Mama wiped away her tears and crouched in front of Renalia. “Listen to me, young lady. When there’s danger, you run away, okay? Don’t do anything stupid.”

Renalia nodded, not daring to voice a lie.

“Well, this is a touching family reunion,” Malchim said. “We’ll see you guys in there.” He gathered up his children and headed to the church. On the way there, he elbowed Shim. “Like mother, like daughter, eh?”

After they left, Mama smoothed out Renalia’s curls and cupped her face. “So you’re really not hurt?”

“No, I’m fine, really.” Renalia tilted her head and rested her face on her mother’s palm.

“Not from him either? Or that boy Shim?”

Renalia recalled Malchim slamming his hand on the table, which seemed like a lifetime ago. She shook her head in the negative.

“You had us so worried,” Mama said, hugging her. Renalia buried her face in Mama’s red tresses, feeling safe. This is my Mama, my world, she thought to herself, and I will do anything to make her happy.

She released the tension she unconsciously held, and hoped she made the right decision.