The morning of Axel’s sixth day working with Aria started without rain, but Axel felt that this would change soon based on experience. The sky was overcast, with thick, gray clouds hanging low, casting a gloomy shadow over the jungle. The air was still heavy with humidity, and the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves filled the air almost choked the air. Using the time they had, Axel led Aria out on another hunt for supplies and food.

The hunt had been progressing well finding a Gin, the beast’s sleek, muscular body glistened with morning dew. Aria had executed a successful ambush this time and did not land in the river this time, landing a pair of lethal blows on the Gin. However, the beast fled at great speed in a direction Axel did not anticipate, its fur matted with blood. They began to follow the blood trail through the jungle leading to a hilly area, where tall, vine-covered cliffs surrounded them. The cliffs were jagged and imposing, with vines and moss clinging to their surfaces, creating a labyrinthine landscape that would be easily lost in. The trees were not as densely packed, so Axel guessed they had moved closer to the hilly plains area between the village of Jungleheart and the mountainous area of the City-State of Stormwatch.

As they moved through a valley, they found the now unconscious Gin, lying in a growing pool of its blood. The crimson liquid seeped into the earth, creating a stark contrast against the green foliage. Aria moved up to land a finishing blow in excitement but having learned a painful lesson from the Twilight beast, she reacted in time as a Duradons leaped from a warren slightly high up along the hill, hidden by some deep brush and not easily seen by the eye at ground level. The Duradons were likely alerted by the growing smell of blood in the area and came to see.

Axel was also surprised as he had not seen any of their tracks in the area as they had followed the Gin’s trail. They would be either a new young pack or he missed the trails completely. In either case, this was not a great situation. The pack numbered about twelve in total coming out of the warren.

Duradons were 4-foot tall at the shoulder lizard-like beasts that had four-inch-long claws and very sharp teeth. Their scales were mottled green and brown, providing excellent camouflage in the jungle. Their eyes glinted with predatory intelligence, and their movements were swift and coordinated. Most hunters were not worried about them unless they were in large numbers. There have been times in the past when large packs of them could bring down a Thunder beast with pack tactics. Duradons were also very territorial and could run cross-country for days at an decent speed to chase down their prey.

Looking at the Duradons, Axel’s index fed him the following information:

Index basic mode

Duradon

Known Dangers:

* Sharp Claws and Teeth

* Pack hunters

* Resistant to slashing and bludgeoning attacks

Estimated Age: Varied

Beast core Potency: Novice Low

Current Danger to the user: Mild to high due to numbers seen.

“Axel, Aria is not sure that we can fight that many at once,” Aria said, returning quickly to Axel’s side, keeping an eye on the beasts now swarming their prey.

“Not much of a choice for me. They will follow my scent, can climb trees, and are tenacious as the crimson,” Axel replied.

Axel decided that falling back to the area that had a small cliff face that they had passed on their way here before finding the Gin that they were hunting would be the best choice. With a steady backward movement, Axel and Aria moved away from the Duradons so as not to trigger their chasing instincts. When they were out of sight, they hurried to the bottom of the cliff, which Axel wanted to use to stop them from attacking his back. Axel knew that he had a little time as they would fight over the Gin before the losers chased him down.

With his back to a wall, Axel laid out his plan to Aria. “Aria, you fly up the cliff behind me and support me by swooping in and picking off the ones on the edges of the group. Use your new speed to hit and fly away. I will hold the pack’s attention and slowly work my way through them. While this is dangerous, it can also be great training for us.” Axel tried to sound as confident as he could. He was very sure that they would be fine, but a dark corner in the back of his mind was telling him that it would be his deserved place to die to a pack of Duradons in the middle of nowhere with only Aria to know his passing.

Not letting the voice take any hold, Axel gave Aria a confident smile and pointed up to a ledge she could wait on. “Go, otherwise these crafty little shits will know something is wrong.”

Aria nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Easy peasy, yandon squeezy!” With a powerful flap of her wings, she soared into the air, disappearing into the foliage above. The sound of her wings cutting through the air was almost drowned out by the rustling leaves and distant calls of jungle creatures.

A short moment later, seven Duradons arrived at Axel’s location, moving at their easy loping pace, the rest of the pack must have stayed with the Gin. They were likely expecting a longer chase and were moving at a pace they knew would let them run the prey into exhaustion but leave the pack fresh. Axel was happy half the pack had stayed behind.

As Axel saw them, he moved his Journal into combat mode and threw several knives as the Duradons, seeing he was trapped, started running at full speed. The knives hit home, killing two and wounding a third, then they were on Axel right after.

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Keeping his body loose and moving his halberd with smooth sweeping arcs that kept the momentum and closed off the areas the pack could attack him from, Axel fought. His movements were more fluid and precise than they had been in the past, a true testament to his relentless training with Aria and using his memory to fix some gaps he had been growing. The ground beneath him was uneven, covered in roots hidden by fallen leaves, making each step a calculated effort to maintain balance while keeping multiple foes at bay.

The pack skidded to a stop and only the lead beast was hit by the first strike, sending it stumbling from the weight and momentum of it swing. Using the bounce back from the hit Axel smashed a second away with the shaft and side stepped a third. Axel at this point was running more on instinct and trained reflexes as he was beginning to be threat overloaded from the attack directions overwhelming his ability to mentally process it all. Axel gave himself a breathing space when he kicked on and cought a second with his halberd shaft sending them away from him.

Then a moment later there was a snarling yip causing the now pushed back, pack to look behind them to see Aria having dived from above the tree cover, her daggers glinting in the sunlight, struck the wounded Duradons with precision her blades finding the gaps in its armored hide. The leaves rustled loudly as her swooping diver ended, and the scent of crushed foliage mingled with the metallic tang of blood as her blades struck home.

Two Duradons broke off from the group attacking Axel to chase her, but with a playful laugh, Aria ascended rapidly disappearing through the foliage again, leaving them snapping at empty air. As she circled for another pass, she used her aerokinesis to create a gust of wind that knocked one Duradon off balance, showing the results of her training. On the follow-up swift dive, she slammed a knife into the eye of the knocked-around Duradons, right into the brain, using the now dead beast as a shield from its partner and then darted away before its partner could get around. The wind she generated with her launch sent leaves and small branches swirling everywhere, adding to more chaos of the battle.

Meanwhile, Axel used the distraction to his advantage. He used the hooked end of his halberd to catch the ribs of a Duradon, and using his strength, flung it into its companions. The leader of the pack, now the only one free and not dead or tangled member, leaped at Axel’s face with its claws out. Axel rolled, using what was left of his swinging throw earlier to move his position. The claws missed him by a safe margin. Trusting Aria to take the tangled pair, Axel rolled back to his feet after the dodge to see the Duradons land with its claws digging into the cliff wall and then used that to assist in a follow-up leap. Axel only had time to plant the halberd and let the beast skewer itself on the spear point of the weapon.

With a slight effort, Axel swung the beast off and turned to see Aria finish the last one that was just about free from its dead packmate. Aria had splashes of blood over her leathers, along with a crimson streak that lined her cheek, and a focused look on her face. This sight oddly made her look even more beautiful, heck even the midday sun was conspiring as the beams through the leaves added a backdrop to the scene.

“Well, that looks like the last of them,” Axel said after clearing his voice, feeling a tightness in his chest. The more serious look left Aria’s face and the easy smile returned. Then Aria looked around and at her clothes. “Ahh, Aria is going to have to clean for so long to get this out of Aria’s armor!!” Aria then kicked the Duradons in anger. “Stupid beast, now Aria has hours of work to get clean. Aria bets you taste bad too, that would be the only thing that would make this worse!” To show the Goddess had a sense of humor the slightest tang of thunder rumbled in the distance.

Axel chuckled at the sound and began cleaning the kills. The jungle was starting to quiet down as the sun began to set, casting long shadows and turning the sky a deep orange. Just as they finished cleaning the Duradons, the first drops of rain began to fall. Within moments, it turned into a torrential downpour again.

Aria let out a frustrated groan, her wings drooping. “Oh, come on! Aria was not asking for the Goddess to make it worse! Aria is going to complain to management, the Goddess will have an earful about this poor weather management!” she muttered sarcastically. She tried to shield herself with her wings, but it was no use. The rain soaked through her clothes, armor, and feathers, making her look like a drenched, sad bird. Her feathers, usually vibrant and metallic, now clung to her body, darkened by the rain.

Axel couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “Looks like the jungle decided you needed a shower after your comment,” he teased, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

Aria shot him a glare, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips. “You know I hate getting wet. My wings get heavy, and it takes forever for them to dry. I prefer my sponge baths, thank you very much,” she retorted, her voice playful despite her frustration.

“Come on, let’s get back to the cave before we catch a cold,” Axel said, still chuckling. He grabbed the kills, the weight of the Duradon's carcasses adding to the strain on his muscles, and they hurried back to their shelter, the rain continuing to pour down around them. The sound of their footsteps squelching in the mud and the constant patter of rain created a rhythmic backdrop to their hurried movements.

By the time they reached the cave, they were both thoroughly soaked. Aria wrung out her hair, grumbling under her breath. “Next time, we’re hunting somewhere with better weather,” she declared, her voice muffled by the sound of the rain and thunder.

Axel smiled, shaking the water from his clothes. “Deal, if you can find it anyway. But hey, at least we got the Duradons. And now we know we can handle a small pack of them. The rain will also wash out our scents, so the others of the pack won’t be able to track us back,” he said, his voice filled with a sense of accomplishment.

Aria sighed, her frustration melting away. “Yeah, Aria guesses, you’re right. We did pretty well out there together,” she admitted, her eyes reflecting a mix of pride and relief.

They settled by the fire, the warmth slowly drying their clothes. The cave was filled with the comforting crackle of the fire and the soft glow of the flames casting dancing shadows on the walls. Despite the rain and the challenges of the day, there was a sense of accomplishment between them. The scent of wet earth and smoke mingled in the air, creating a cozy atmosphere.

Later that night, Aria was right—the Duradons tasted pretty bad, its meat was tough and gamey. But both of them had a lot of fun going over the fight and working on their teamwork. They laughed and shared stories, the bond between them growing stronger with each passing moment. The night ended with Axel sleeping and not having the blood-filled dreams for once, while wrapped in the warm hug and the still-drying wings of Aria. The rhythmic sound of her breathing and the gentle rise and fall of her chest provided a soothing lullaby, easing him into a peaceful sleep.