The cart rolled along, guided by Dinar, who seemed lost in her own thoughts, while the skeletal horses pulled it obediently. The sight of the undead creatures occasionally sent shivers down my spine. But I heard several rumbling stomachs, mine included. We need food.

I rounded up Gifford and Fina to go hunting with me for our day’s meal. They happily followed me. It was a temporary distraction, but sometimes distractions are the best choice. As we ventured into the woods, we split up. More like Gifford went off on his own while Fina wouldn’t let me out of her sight. She can keep up, so it’s fine.

I couldn’t help but feel the familiar rush of the hunt invigorate me, if only for a moment. There was movement in the woods, near a stream. My primal instincts kicked in. I followed the sounds. They guided me towards a group of beavers.

Fina’s ears twitched as she crept closer to the beavers. She kept a step behind me as I stalked our prey. We silently approached the unsuspecting beavers. With familiar precision, I pounced, swiftly taking down several of them. Their blood on my claws and fangs was refreshing. I miss this. Just me, the woods, and my prey. It was such a simple life, but I was happy. Like everything, it was far too short-lived.

I turned and saw Fina shaking the life out of the last beaver as another one lay at her feet, dead. Maybe I should’ve taken her out on one of my hunts more often. She dropped her second dead beaver and picked them both up. Fina’s warm smile let me forget, for just a moment, everything that happened in the last week. I returned her smile and picked up my five kills.

Returning to the cart with our spoils, we found Gifford carrying an arm full of berries. He might not be the best hunter, but at least he didn’t come back empty-handed. I nudged him as I walked by. “Well done.”

I didn’t watch his reaction, but I could tell by his stumbling he was surprised to hear me compliment him. He didn’t fail, so it was only natural to acknowledge it.

Lexia and Zenny were engaged in lively conversation. The two of them were talking about the time we met. They continued telling stories about my childhood, bonding over it. Some of the things Lexia said the original Lucia did caused Zenny to almost stop breathing from laughing so hard. Apparently, I enjoyed attacking our parents’ tails while they worked. My tail attacking exploits weren’t limited to our family. I was the famous little menace of the village that everyone with a tail kept their eyes on.

Two girls with perfect memory talking about things that should’ve been long since forgotten. And I’m the topic of their conversation. Does Lexia really remember everything from the moment she was born? It’s good to know a piece of the original Lucia is a part of me.

I wanted to pay attention to what they were saying, but every time I tried to concentrate, Fina would nudge me to get back to work. I couldn’t help but smile at their laughter as they shared stories. Lexia noticed me watching and gave me a sly smile, clearly enjoying the chance to tease me.

Other than Zenny and Lexia, nobody really wanted to talk. But once the food was ready for those who couldn’t eat raw meat, the two girls stopped talking. Of course, they stop talking now that I can focus and listen in. We ate and then took off on the cart again.

Mom remained reclusive, her focus solely on guiding our path and giving instructions to Dinar. Recent events weighed heavily on her, and she was consumed by her own thoughts. Every time I tried to talk to her, she kept pushing it off.

Escaeris, on the other hand, sat on the cart, her teal hair blowing gently in the wind. She constantly turned back to gaze longingly at the ruins of Aquittemia. Fina walked beside the cart, her watchful eyes never leaving me. She worried about me, and I can’t blame her. But I’m not the only one who needs help.

Anna was sitting alone in the back of the cart, crying. I hopped up and hugged her. Nothing needed to be said as I wrapped an arm around her and let her sob into my chest. The half-elf didn’t stop until she fell asleep. I expect Mom will do the same thing. She raised so many orphans and now she doesn’t know what happened to them. How is she not breaking down worse than Anna? There’s something wrong with her.

As we continued our journey, the absence of Lust was a relief, but it did little to alleviate the unease that lingered in the air. I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was still nearby, watching and waiting for an opportunity to intervene.

“Mom, we need to talk.” I asked one more time. “Who were you talking about back before we left?”

She sighed. “No. And don’t worry about it, it might not be important.”

I jumped on the cart and grabbed Mom’s shoulders, and pulled her until my nose was inches from her own. “I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer. That wasn’t a question.”

Dinar pulled the cart to a stop as everyone watched me.

“You tell me I need to let others help me. Now you need to do the same. You’re hurting, it’s obvious. Let me help you.” I let her go and hugged her. “Yes, I’m a spoiled, emotional disaster and you’re only being the mother and helping me. But if you expect me to watch my mother suffer anymore, you’re wrong.”

Lexia sat to the side and watched with a frown on her face. Mom started patting my back. “Honey, there’s nothing wrong with me emotionally. I’m just in physical pain.”

Lexia crawled over next to me. “Sis, do you remember how long it took me to recover from magically exhausting myself?” I nodded. “Now Mom’s going through that same thing, but worse.”

I flattened my ears. Now I almost feel stupid for worrying about her. “But Mom, what about what happened to the city? All your friends died there.”

Mom started scratching behind my ear. “It’s a tragedy, and I’ll let myself feel the weight of it later. But right now, it can wait.” I leaned back and saw her smiling as a single tear trickled down her cheek. “Seeing you care about me so much helps. So if I promise you if I need help, I’ll ask you first. Will that be enough?”

“Why? How are you not letting yourself feel?” My tail curled around my mother’s waist. “Tell me how to do that.”

Mom shook her head. “It’s not a healthy way to live. I’m older and can handle it better. You, as you put it, are an emotional disaster. Bottling your feelings has never ended well.” She tapped the tip of my nose. “It’s just who you are and this is who I am.”

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She’s right, I’ve rarely seen her cry. Or at least I can’t remember if I have.

“Sis, Mom’s fine.” Lexia rubbed my shoulder. “Yes, she shouldn’t have used magic to repair the cart.” I glared at Mom. “She told me she shouldn’t have, but it was a little magic and we needed the cart. I’m supposed to make sure she doesn’t use anymore magic.”

“You’re asking Lexia to help you, but not me?” I tried to hold back a growl. “Why?”

Mom cupped my cheek with her hand. “Because you already do so much, it isn’t fair for you to do everything. You saved our lives, you brought us food, and you’ll be the first to jump off this cart to protect everyone. Besides, she asked.”

I nudged Mom’s hand as Lexia pouted. “You’re not the only one who cares about Mom. I’m just as good at helping as you are.”

“Okay, sis.” I hopped off the cart. Maybe I’m projecting. Maybe we’re not all as messed up as I thought. Wait, does that mean I’m the only one who’s messed up? How did that happen? It’s because I’m the youngest one here, isn’t it? I turned and pointed to my sister. “We’re the same age!” I clapped my hands over my mouth. Me and my big mouth.

Everyone stared at me, confused. “Sis, are you okay?” Lexia leaned forward and examined me. Then her lips curled into a wide grin. “I’ll always treat you like my little sister.”

I pouted, but then returned her grin. “Well, you’ve called your ‘little sister’ your alpha. So that means you have to do what I tell you.” I tapped her nose with a finger. “Now be a good sister and daughter and take care of our mother.”

Lexia giggled. “Yes, ma’am.”

Everyone had a heartfelt laugh, even Escaeris. She may not be part of the pack yet, but she’s well on her way to joining. The poor girl’s the only other remaining member of The Maidens. Rophnma will need all the knights it can get after this is all over. So, for now, I’ll watch over her like she is part of the pack. For the good of my home.

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

The trip was easygoing, even if it was a bit bumpy with the cart bouncing constantly. Lucia gave up on sitting in the cart. My sister needs to move around. She’s been extra restless since the demon king was summoned.

My sister flex her claws again, as if nobody was watching. I know she told me that she’s on a mission to defeat the dragon, as Anna called it. But I think seeing it spew fire from its mouth really unsettled her. I wish there was a way I could help her face her fears. But even I can’t hold off that much fire with my ice; nobody can.

Fina tried to walk closer to Lucia, but my sister kept away from the lynxkin. It’s just one more problem she thinks she needs to handle alone. She knows how I feel about that, but my sister’s so stubborn. I guess that makes her all the more endearing.

We saw a village in the distance. There was some smoke rising from within the village. Mom tapped Dinar’s shoulder. “Stop the cart.”

Dinar nodded. “Yeah, this is probably close enough.” She turned to Lucia. “Do you want to take over for the horses?” Lucia answered by grabbing the cart. “You’re going to need to destroy the undead. Even with all the demons, I sincerely doubt they’ll take the sight of undead well.”

“Whatever.” Lucia’s tone was laced with a subtle growl.

Great, she’s brooding again. I’ll have to have a talk with her. Maybe she’s feeling lonely. I’m sure Zenny would love to spend time with her while we’re in the village. My sister crushed the skeleton horses’ heads in her bare hands. They crumbled into two piles of bones.

“You know, you could have asked nicely for me to release them instead of breaking them.” Lust’s voice hung in the air as she didn’t reveal herself.

Lucia looked up at the sky. “Why should I care about anything you do?”

“All work and no play makes the wolf girl a sour pet.”

Escaeris clenched her fist. “Nobody cares about you.”

Lust only laughed. It was far more haunting since she somehow made it echo all around us. Lucia shook her head as she grabbed the cart to pull it. The closer we got to the village, the more it looked like it had been attacked recently. There was a huge bonfire going with a large stack of corpses, fallen demon corpses. There were several other smaller fires for the townsfolk who died as they were put to rest.

When we got closer, some of the villagers raised weapons and glared at us. Lucia instantly extended her claws and prepared to attack them if they so much as flinched in our direction. I hopped off and grabbed her shoulder.

Once she resisted my attempts to turn her around, I jumped in front of her. “Lucia, waterfalls. We don’t need to make things worse.”

She shook her head and turned around. “Sorry, it’s the weapons.”

Dinar hopped off. “Then stay here.” She pointed to Escaeris. “Do you want to give me a hand? And Nora, do you want to explain to the good people why you’ve brought us here?”

With help from both Dinar and Escaeris, Mom got off the cart. Her movements were stiff, and I could see the pain in her eyes. Lucia flinched more than her when she stood on the ground.

I grabbed her head and whispered into her ear. “Stop blaming yourself. If you don’t, I’ll have to do something I’m not going to like.”

She gave me an annoyed look. Okay, maybe empty threats won’t work on her. Then she sighed. “That’s easier said than done.”

Gifford was holding Fina back and shaking his head. Fina’s tail flicked behind her. She’s sharing Lucia’s aggression. Why? She’s usually so level-headed.

A couple of men armed with swords and shields marched up to Dinar, Escaeris, and Mom. “State your names and business. We’re still ready to fight you if we need to. You won’t find this town easy pickings.”

Mom raised her hand. “We have no intention of turning to banditry. Please calm down. You’re agitating my daughter, and, for your safety, lower your weapons.”

Dinar stepped up. “We’ll answer your questions. Don’t worry. We just want to make sure things stay civil.” She placed a hand on her chest. “My name is Dinar.” She motioned towards Mom. “This is Nora Stormleaf, and this is Escaeris Teal Aqua.”

Anna stepped off the cart. “My name is Anna.” She then motioned towards each remaining person as she named them. “That’s Zenny. She’s a trained doctor. If you have any injured, she can help with that. Those two are Lucia Silverbreeze and Lexia. The fox beastkin is Gifford. And the lynx beastkin is Fina.” Anna then started walking over to one of the larger bonfires. “You were attacked by demons, weren’t you?’

Thankfully, the two guys lowered their weapons but kept their shields up. “Those are some fancy names. You willing to prove who you are?”

Mom nodded. “Without hesitation. It would be easier if you had an oracle stone here.” She waved her hand. “I already know you don’t. Skargness doesn’t have one. There is one who will verify I’m who I say I am. Does Piaka still live?”

“That elven witch?” one of the men scoffed. “We’d throw a celebration the day she leaves, or dies.” He pointed to one of the houses at the edge of the village. “If you gave that name, then we believe you. Whatever your business here is, finish it quickly, and take her when you leave this place, please.”

Mom nodded. What did this lady do to make these people hate her so much? And if they hate her, why do they let her live with them? Why does Mom look like she understands what they’re talking about? I have so many questions.

I looked and saw Lucia’s face. She probably had the same questions running through her head.

Mom sighed and motioned for us to follow her as she headed towards the house. The villagers then returned to cleaning up debris and patching up the damage. Lucia grabbed the cart and pushed it.

Dinar skipped to Zenny and whispered into her ear. “Go and help these people. They have wounded; do what you can.” Zenny nodded and headed towards the people. “Anna, give her a hand, would you?” Anna followed the human girl.

The rest of us followed alongside the cart, and we stopped after Mom waved her hand when we got closer. Mom stepped up to the door of the house, which was pristine. She knocked several times and then waited.

The door opened, and an elven woman with vibrant blue hair and a face very similar to my mother’s walked out. She was carrying an infant in her arms. “Oh, it’s you. The world’s ending, and you expect me to suddenly want to see you? No. I’m going to tell you the same thing I tell you every time you find me. Leave. Me. Alone!”

Mom didn’t move. “Hello, mother.” There was no joy or love in her voice.

“Mother?” Lucia and I shouted simultaneously.