Her heartbeat rang into her ears as the stale forest air rushed past them too, Erika dashed along with the rising trees and surrounding foliage, trying her best to keep up with the all too quickfooted Lycans who traveled by tree-branch.

Actual combat, whilst battle faced her ahead, she battled her fears and hesitation within also.

She had basic training with common weaponry back home, she had over this past week gone through rigorous training.

But never before had she faced the chaos of battle.

Even though she hadn’t, the words of her father spoke true in her mind.

So many stories, tales and straight-up advice, she didn’t really know what to expect.

There might be blood, there might be gore, I need to be ready. I must be prepared!

She steeled herself, quickening her pace, Erika pushed further and further beyond her limit.

Then…something filled her mind.

A sensation she had only ever felt twice before…

As the smell, the very taste of the air around hair filled her.

Sounds too, the breaths of nearby creatures, the heartbeats of her comrades.

The flow of blood, she was aware of it.

The aching and flexing of muscle, she was awakened to it.

As she blinked through it, her vision furthered.

Looking on ahead, she focused her vision and it spiraled forward, allowing her to see further…and further.

Flashing through the very trees, her eyes set upon her prey.

The trainees’ campsite lay before her, defenses and all, she strained to look through them too…

Finding no one within at all.

…

Then, she tripped.

Stumbling through the grass and bushes, Erika came to a tumbling stop, finding that she had surpassed her Lycan comrades briefly as they just now caught up with and passed her.

“Not bad, not good enough.” Lizbeth mumbled out in a growl as she went past.

“Hah! Keep a steady pace not a sprint little lizard!” Lune chuckled as she and the rest followed.

“Hm, disappointing but not at all unexpected.” Clarence mused, coming to a stop beside her, “Need a hand princess?” He asked, forwarding one.

Seeing her look of surprise as she took his hand, “Rumours are better at traveling.” He added, pulling her back up to her feet.

“At least rumors are present at all times.” Erika sent back.

Causing Clarence to clutch his chest, “Ow, right in the core!” he exclaimed dramatically.

“That aside, something is off.” Erika then said, turning to face ahead, yet she had lost her connection to that sensation. Her senses had returned to normal.

“Yeah, there’s mud on your face.” Clarence opted to joke.

“No-Clare-” She began to say.

“Please for the love of my sanity just call me Gray.” He cut her off.

“Oh, uh sure, but what I mean is that there’s nobody in their camp.” Erika rushed to say, growing anxious.

Gray looked her straight in the eye, “How do you know that…”

“Like you said, even a Dragon has her secrets.” Erika mused with a smirk.

“Wait but if they’re not there…” Gray’s eyes opened wide then, shock filling his expression as he quickly turned forward to shout.

The sound of branches breaking came faster, as grunts and groans of pain followed, Gray and Erika could only watch as the trees on either side of their comrades ahead shook and converged.

Large branches still filled with leaves flew from either side, the surge of bark and leaf taking the party by complete surprise and surrounding them.

Most got bashed and squashed in between branches as a thin string of sorts shone in the sunlight, bringing it all crashing upon them. Some ending up entangled and caught, some even knocked out.

Some did make it out though.

Lizbeth immediately reacted to the sound of branches breaking, her eyes widening to a reflection before her coming off one string. Turning herself midair she landed her feet squarely on the first branch that came her way, pushing off it and soaring downwards.

Dust had a longer space to react, as one branch came from either side of him, opening his arms wide he met the assault of bark with his bare hands. And as bark cracked upon his palms, he pushed with all his might, watching as several dozen strings spun before and behind him, pulling the branches to him.

Tejil, the shortest of the girls, held onto his back for dear life. A horrified and panicked expression all over her face as her bunny ears reared back onto the back of her neck.

“Shit, catch up with them.” Gray said, grabbing an arrow from his quiver and leaping off into the forest.

“Wai-” Erika tried to call out to him, but it was too late as he had already disappeared from her sight.

“Fuck! Let me outta here!” Gale exclaimed as he lay squashed in between a very agitated beast and bark, both hanging several feet off the air as did everyone else who got caught.

“Arghh! I ca-can’t hold on fo-for much longer!” Dust muttered out.

“No! No! Please! Hold on! Oh please hold on!” Tejil shrieked.

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“Hold on, we’ll get you-” Lizbeth began to say, when a laugh flowed out of the forest.

“No, no you actually won’t.” Said the voice, as a fully equipped Seiki appeared out of the treetops above, landing right before Lizbeth as Erika caught up with them all.

Greenhide armour donning her body, plus a fang-shaped dagger per hand, Seiki grinned wickedly as she kicked forth sending Lizbeth tumbling back.

Her form then rose, lycanthropy taking over, her features merged with the animal she came after, a white hare.

Lizbeth did the same, tumbling back onto her knees she pushed herself forth as her body grew, the fox within her taking over.

Erika watched briefly as make-shift spear and ax clashed with daggers, a one-sided dance to say the least.

Until another figure rushed out of the woodwork, a goliath of a man, Del leaped up to two of the still conscious recruits, knocking both Gale and Celest with a quick jab of his palms. He hung off of the still enraged Spinetail, as he turned to face a still struggling Dust.

“Hello, brother.” Del spoke, both his and Dust’s eyes narrowing.

Erika brought herself out of her daze then, grasping one spear backward and taking aim, she put what javelin training she had to the test.

Oh, great ancestors please don’t hit Tejil…Please please, maybe Lune, I wouldn’t mind hitting Lune…

She thought to herself, launching forth the held-together-at-best-spear and it surprisingly soared through the air well enough.

Missing Tejil, and Del, it landed itself squarely on the branch beside him, snapping on of the strings.

Freeing the spinetail’s…well, tail.

Immediately Del launched himself off the entanglement, as the beast cut itself loose, very angrily turning as it fell to face him.

“Haha! Good shot!” Tejil exclaimed, as Dust’s struggle briefly faltered, causing her to shriek right after.

“Hold on!” Erika shouted, taking the opening as Del faced the spined monster alone, she rushed to the side where the strings holding Dust and Tejil up originated from, turning about the tree, her heart sank.

The strings weren’t attached to any mechanism she could see, they only coiled around tree after tree, having burned their way deeper so while she couldn’t see the ones hanging from log to log due to lack of light, she also couldn’t see the ones surrounding the bark.

I have to climb, to reach and get a better look…

She thought, sheathing her last spear around her waist, hanging off a vine, Erika began her climb.

As off to her right Del wrestled the spinetail’s chompers with one arm and its tail with his other, all the while Lizbeth struggled, now disarmed. Escaping and evading the swift and deadly Seiki as best she could, yet she still lay riddled in cuts shallow and deep.

With panic and hurriedness Erika climbed, grasping for handholds, she didn’t look back. Her gaze set on the string she could now barely make out, the sound of Del lifting the spinetail and throwing it aside causing the creature to sprint off, only made her climb faster.

But then…Lizbeth fell to her knees.

Eyes wide as Seiki stood over her, both daggers enclosing her throat like scissors.

“You dance like a raging Rockbull, so unlady-like.” Seiki mused with a smirk, a drop of sweat leaving her chin.

Lizbeth spat on her blades, causing her smirk to flinch. “And you’re so god damn vain.”

“You!-” Seiki began but was cut off as Del approached.

“Stop wasting time, let’s knock her out.” He ordered, “You get the outside, I’ll deal with my brother then.”

“Fine,” Seiki grumbled.

And Erika returned to facing the string, it was now or never.

Holding on with both legs and one hand, she grasped her last spear.

Erika focused, eyes, ears and everything else, she let her senses take over.

Hanging off halfway up a tree, she only had one shot.

One chance, and it was all up to her.

She focused and focused…but no sensation came.

Dammit! No time!

She quickly thought, glancing aside to see Del now standing over Lizbeth, raising his palm aside.

As Dust slowly lost his strength, Tejil freaking out further.

And Clarence, or Gray, was nowhere to be seen…

“It’s over, we win.” Seiki mused.

Erika took her shot, losing her grip right after she did and falling off the tree. She watched the spear soar briefly towards its target, hitting the ground then her eyes closed to the pain, but her ears heard it.

The sound of branches also hitting the ground, and a new clash beginning.

Arrows flew out of the forest as Seiki and Del rushed to evade, also forcing them away from Lizbeth.

The now free Dust and Tejil quickly took action as well, Dust tackling his brother as Tejil took to darting around Seiki with incredible speed whilst throwing rocks at her.

Erika opened her eyes and turned to this clash, briefly glancing at her spear, she shook it off and ran towards the fight.

“You ain’t goin nowhere.” Spoke a rough voice from behind her, as she felt feet clash into her back, forcing her to the ground as Thorn landed above her, a spear in hand and aimed directly at her back. Quickly then spinning the spear in place as two arrows soared at him, bashing them both aside, he snarled whilst his sights set upon the trees beyond.

Erika groaned as she felt the feet above her get heavier and larger, lycanthropy taking over Thorn, he leapt off her back and rushed to the source of the arrows.

Disarmed, tired and grounded, Erika glanced up at the fight before her.

Biting her lip in frustration, as all went to shit anyway.

As Del overpowered Dust, pinning him to the ground and beginning to choke him out as Dust struggled to escape his brother’s grasp.

Seiki, on the other hand, grew tired of the quick Tejil, taking her time and waiting for the right moment, she found it. Seiki threw one of her daggers at Tejil’s feet, tripping the bunny over, she then charged.

Kicking forth with her knee, Seiki caught Tejil squarely in the gut, causing her to belch and wince in pain before passing out with a tumble onto the ground.

Right after, Dust passed out unable to recatch his breath.

Only Lizbeth still stood, as Thorn dragged out a still struggling Gray out of the woods, throwing him in next to Lizbeth.

“As I said, it’s over.” Seiki added with a sigh.

Worn out entirely, Lizbeth tried to pull herself forth, but it was all for naught as she fell back to one knee. Bleeding profusely from both arms as she was, she wasn’t doing anything productive.

Erika stood up from the dirt and mud, unarmed, she still stepped forward. “Not quite yet.” She mused, as the three trainees turned to her.

“You?” Thorn said with a wide smirk, laughing as he turned then aiming his spear ahead. “You’re barely a twig in our path.”

“What can you do?” Seiki chuckled too, “I barely even noticed you there.”

Rage, pure and unbridled, it filled Erika at the sound of their jests.

Del’s eyes narrowed, “Anger is the fuel for fools,” He mused, still facing Lizbeth and Gray. “You two get her, I’ll take these two out of commission.”

“Whaaat? Two of us just for lil her?” Thorn whined.

“Rules are rules, they’re all still conscious and still on time,” Del added.

“Fine then, I’ll knock her out quickly.” Seiki grumbled, leaning over and picking up her dagger, she looked up to not see Erika anymore.

“Little bitch!” Thorn exclaimed, having watched Erika take off into a sprint.

I’m not…

“Catch her!” Del shouted, as Seiki first dashed after Erika in her halfbeast form, gaining on her with ease.

Giving up…

Seiki reached out her free hand, grasping at Erika’s hair that trailed behind her…

Yet!

A fire burned within Erika, the sensation filling up her whole body as once again her senses expanded, yet this time she kept them contained. Focusing solely on one thing.

Faster, faster!

Just as Seiki was about to grasp a lock of Erika’s hair, heat radiated out of her, watching as strands of her long blue turned a searing red.

Her eyes too, shining a bright gold, as blueish energy encased her body.

Slowly, Seiki was surprised as she began losing on her, faster and faster Erika sped forth.

Her steps turning to strides and then strides turning to leaps.

She ran faster than ever before, feeling the flame surging throughout her body, a fearsome blaze yet she felt no pain. No burning filled her, just heat, a smothering warmth.

Until the encampment finally came into view, rising walls made out of logs.

Erika pushed herself for one last stride, leaping up into the air and then again off a branch, breaking it as she did yet soaring just high enough to land inside the walls.

Coming down into a roll to break her fall, she came to a tumbling stop.

Opening her eyes, she saw it, fluttering above her, Erika stared deadpan at the flag.

She reached out for it, grasping at the pole it lay attached to, when suddenly the sound of ropes being cut and wood creaking surrounded her.

Erika knew something was wrong…but she only realized what, when it happened.

When the walls fell inwards all around her.

Enclosing around her, and clashing in together, caging her in except for one exit…the funnel.

Where Thorn and Seiki now stood.

“Well then, enjoy a comfortable stay in there!” Seiki exclaimed, as Thorn kneeled down before the exit, eyes closed as something akin to writing shone green on the ground beneath him.

Roots then grew out of the logs on either side of them, quickly entangling about one another and closing it up.

Erika sighed, letting go of the flag then, she slumped back into the dirt.

Well shit…

Rubbing her still aching shoulder, she groaned in frustration.

Now what?