Arena stands with thin streams of gold flowing from the tips of his fingers into the grass below. Next to him is a different wisp. Lahar recognizes the round, slightly chubby body made of sand, a small ball of sand on top of the head that resembles a hair bun, and the brown satchel strapped around the body. She knows all the wisps have a lantern head with a flame floating inside.

"Get ready to make your move, Doc," Arena says to the wisp. The wisp nods as she opens the satchel and places her hand inside.

In front of them rages the battle. In the field are creatures Lahar has never seen. They have the bodies of wolves covered in midnight fur. They are the size of stallions, with hooves to match. Each one has a pair of bull horns piercing the rotting wooden helm that covers its face. Lahar wonders how they can see, as the helms cover their eyes.

Pie bursts into flames and charges toward one of the Beasts. Without the it noticing, Pie puts his head under its body. He lifts his head and tosses the Beast into the air. King's feet and hands have turned to stone. Erupting from the cracks are flames wrapped around each appendage like bandages. King jumps high into the air and strikes at the Beast, sending it bouncing across the field.

King lands safely on the ground as four more move closer. Walking to King's side is a third wisp. He is more muscular than the rest and stands a half foot taller than the others. This wisp's arms are long, about three-fourths his body size, and half as thick. He has three small horns pointing out of the top of his head.

A Beast charges at the larger wisp. "Watch out, Crew!" Arena shouts at the large wisp. Before the it's horns can pierce the large wisp's sand body, Crew grabs the Beast by the horns and lifts him off the ground. He hurls the Beast with great strength and sends him bouncing down the field like a stone being skipped across a pond.

Two of the Beasts charge at Doc and Arena. Doc grabs a blue vial from her satchel and throws it at one. The vial shatters, and a bubble appears around the Beast. Its head starts to nod as it desperately tries to move forward but to no avail. Soon the bubble puts the Beast to sleep.

Lahar pulls the water gun out of the holster and fires a stream of water at the second Beast charging at Arena. The Beast avoids the shot and stays on course. A loud clanging noise is heard as the horns slam into a golden shield that has appeared on Arena's arm. The shield has strange writing taking the shape of a big X, with a triangle made of the same writing. The shield emits a golden glow that repels the Beast.

Sitting across the field upon a small hill are three Beasts watching everything peacefully. Each one looks different from the others. Each wears a wooden mask perfectly crafted to fit it. The main difference is that each one has eyeholes, but inside each isn't an eye but a red flame flickering.

Lahar looks up at the three. One is larger than the others, even bigger than Pie. The Beast wears a tree stump for a mask with drill horns bursting through it. His fur is like looking up into a storm.

To his left is a much slenderer Beast with a smooth, finely crafted mask. His blade horns cut through the mask, not ruining it but adding to its beauty. His fur contrasts with the beauty, as its color resembles dying grass.

Lastly, in the middle, sits the last Beast. His size is average, as is his horn. His mask is ivory in color but looks as if it is made of wood. His fur is the color of the sand on the beach. The main difference, though, is that as the other two are staring at the battle, this one is staring back at Lahar.

They watch intently, making no movements whatsoever. Lahar looks back at Arena and the Beast he has pushed back. She aims the barrel at the Beast.

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"Don't shoot yet, Lahar," Arena says.

The Beasts the wisps sent flying runs back toward the brawl. Arena chants a spell with words that Lahar wouldn't have recognized a week ago. A circle of golden light shines around them all. Lahar looks down behind her to see a golden symbol in the grass. It is in the shape of a triangle made of the same strange writing found on Arena's shield. Inside the triangle is a symbol in the shape of a brain.

Lahar looks around to see that the circle of light is made of the same symbols. As Arena chants his spell, he raises his hand. With a snap of his fingers, crystals in the shape of squid tentacles rise from the symbols. Each crystal shines a rainbow of colors.

"Now that this is set, how about we talk this out?" Arena says.

The three Beasts stare at him as the rest back away.

"Phenomenal," Arena says.

"What is?" Lahar asks.

"These crystals allow us to share thoughts," Arena says. "I wanted to see if the wisps accidently stepped in these animals' territory, pissed them off, or something along those lines. My goal was to talk this out with them."

"I guess it isn't that simple," Lahar says, gripping the water gun tighter.

"I'm not getting any individual thoughts from the animals the wisps have been going against. It's like they think what the three sitting in the back want. Even then, their thoughts are abnormal. I think it's best if you hear it."

Arena points at Lahar. She can hear three distinct voices chanting the same word over and over. Hunt. "From what I can tell," Arena says, "the Beasts that all look the same are not living creatures. Instead they are more like puppets, controlled by the three in the back."

"So they're hunting the wisps. On top of all that, I have never seen any animals like this. Have you?"

"I think so, in one of my books. I'm not certain, though." Arena steps forward. "Why are you hunting the wisps?"

The voices stop. The large Beast steps forward as the other two stay back. It slowly walks toward them.

"Don't come any closer!" Arena shouts.

The Beast stops dead in its tracks and starts to growl.

"We don't want to cause any harm. Whatever the wisps did to you, I apologize and will do what I can to make up for it. We don't need to fight anymore."

Lahar aims the barrel at the large Beast, her finger lightly on the trigger. Gray clouds with thunder booming from them block the sun. Strings of gold swirl around Arena's free arm. A nearby Beast inches forward with his horns aimed at Lahar. From the corner of his eye, Arena can see this. The large Beast lowers its head, aiming its horns at Arena.

Both Beasts charge at their targets. Lahar fires at the one charging at Arena. Golden arrows sparking with electricity fly from Arena's gold streams at the one charging at Lahar. Simultaneously both shots hit their targets, sending the Beasts off course and crashing to the ground. The large Beast stands right back up, and the one charging at Lahar stays on the ground with electricity surging through its body.

The large Beast, with the aid of another, charges at Arena once more. Crew and Doc handle the smaller one, with Doc throwing a bottle that cements the Beast's hooves to the ground and Crew slamming his enormous hands on the its head. Arena lets the large Beast pass through his body, with King on the other side ready to greet him with a swift kick to the head.

Two Beasts charge at Lahar. Pie tackles one before it reaches her. The second one leaps into the air. Lahar hits it with a shot, but not without its horn scratching her arm. The Beast falls to the ground, and in a split second, lightning strikes it down. Arena looks at the two Beasts sitting in the back watching.

In a blink, the thinner Beast disappears, and then a strong wind hits them. A tornado surrounds them all, blinding them with dirt and dust. Lahar hears something shattering, and she turns and aims in that direction. She stops herself from firing. It might be a Beast, but it could be Arena, the wisps, or Pie.

Arena raises his hands as he chants his spell. A golden arrow fires out of his hand and into the sky, leaving a trail of lightning. The dark clouds spark with gold as a tornado breaks out of them. The tornadoes collide with each other. Lahar flies off her feet but is caught by Pie biting down on her shirt. The tornadoes turn in opposite directions, canceling each other out.

As the dust cloud settles, footsteps can be heard. They brace themselves for the upcoming attack. Nothing happens. The cloud fades, revealing that the Beasts are gone. Two tentacles have shattered as the trail leads deep into the field. They have already moved too far for them to see.