Arascus turned on the news. Impossible…

Iliyal, Ilwin and Sara were recalled immediately.

Kavaa took a step forwards as she heard the whispers, Kassandora was saying something, she didn’t hear. Fer turned and looked at her, Kavaa did not understand the look. She didn’t hear them as they began talking, and stumbled forwards. West. She had to go west. Fer suddenly appeared in her field of vision. The Goddess of Beasthood waved her hand as Kavaa stumbled into her, then Kavaa sidestepped the massive monster and kept on moving. West.

Fer stepped in front of Kavaa again. Sighed, then smashed her fist into Kavaa’s gut. Sound suddenly returned as Kavaa fell to the ground with a groan of pain. The rustle of Jungle leaves, Fer’s and Kassandora’s breathing, them walking around her. “Told you that would do it.” Fer said happily.

“I didn’t say it would not work.” Kassandora rolled Kavaa over and looked down on her with those red eyes again. Her hair fell around her face like streams of crimson blood.

“I’m sorry.” Kavaa said.

“Don’t apologize, what did you hear?”

“Nothing.” Kavaa said replied. “To go west, but I… it just… I knew to go there, but I didn’t hear anything.” Fer sniffed the air.

“That’s the way we’re going anyway.” She looked at Kavaa curiously. “Can you stand?” Kavaa got up, her stomach hurt. She wanted to take her armour off and inspect the wound. Surely something was cracked. She didn’t want to heal herself again… “Heal yourself Kavaa.” Kavaa collapsed onto her rear and got to work. The sooner it would begin, the sooner it would end. Muscles tore in stomach tore and regrew, she screamed, her vision blurred, and she rolled onto the grass. “Does it really hurt that much?” Fer asked.

“It hurts.” Kassandora replied. Kavaa mumbled something, she felt spit spill from her open mouth down onto her cheek as the pain started to pass.

“Well you’re getting better at it.” Fer picked Kavaa up and set her on her feet. “You didn’t pass out this time.”

“You didn’t break bones this time.” Kavaa answered as she took a heavy step still supported by Fer.

“If you let yourself go again, I’ll break bones.” Fer replied. Suddenly, the Jungle did not sound so loud to Kavaa. She felt a chill go down her spine as she looked up at Fer. And then Fer started walking again. Kavaa and Kassandora followed. It went on like that for a day. And then a second. And a third.

Sometimes, they ran into more poisoned brambles. Some would be sidetracked, some Fer would fell trees for them to serve as makeshift bridges. They walked through dried out riverbeds and past ancient towns overran by vines. Every now and then, the Jungle would put a fight. A tree would move, only to be smashed by Fer, or vines would awaken to try and stall them. Those, Kavaa and Kassandora cut through what Fer did not rip apart. At the end of the first day, Fer gave the five canteens on her belt to Kavaa. “You take them.” She said as she practically shoved them into her hands.

“Why?”

“Because I know I can’t contain myself.” Fer said. She had already walked off before Kavaa could reply. Kassandora split them with her, they had ran through nine at the end of the first. Four on the next. Then three.

“Better to be overprepared than underprepared.” Kassandora talked to Kavaa as they continued down the trail Fer apparently was following. “She doesn’t need that much blood, she just likes it.”

“I do!” Fer shouted from ahead. “Helenna’s is really sweet! Like grape juice!” Kavaa would be stunned every single time of Beasthood opened her mouth. That monster laughed and giggled and smiled and hummed to herself without a care in the world. How could they have thought against the same Fer in the Great War? It was a night and day difference, simply the complete opposite.

“You mean wine?” Kavaa asked.

“No.” Fer shook her head, from behind, Kavaa watched that golden mane of hair moving like waves in the wind. “Grape juice. Wine is sour. Helenna isn’t as sour as wine is, just a bit.” And so they walked.

Through more swamps and thickets, in the darkness of the jungle. Kavaa had always considered herself a good time-keeper, she knew they must have travelled at least three days now, maybe pushing four. Kassandora kept the time, she would inform them every few hours how long had passed. On one hand, each hour meant Iniri had to spend more time alone, on the other, Fer was certain that the trail was fresh. Iniri was not locked away in some cavern somewhere or being devoured by a plant, instead she was being taken off somewhere. Fer was sure that the gap between them was narrowing, the trail becoming fresher and fresher. Kavaa believed her, she had no choice to.

It almost grew formulaic.

Until they reached a clearing. Fer peered out into from behind a tree.. “Well that’s new.” She said and gave the air a sniff. “And it’s not good.”

“Did you lose it?” Kassandora asked.

“Trail goes right through here.” Fer replied and pointed straight ahead. They looked around to the sides. It was almost a line in the Jungle. “I don’t like it, very open.”

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“Agreed.” Kassandora said.

Eventually Fer sighed. “I’ll go first, you two stay close behind me.” She demanded a canteen, drank it to the last drop and threw it ahead. It landed in the tall grass and sat there. “Alright, we’re wasting time, I’m setting off.” Fer stepped out into the open and Kavaa followed, close behind her.

She wished she hadn’t.

Fer stopped. Her ears quivered, she cast a quick glance behind her. The field stretched on endlessly. So this is how it was. Whatever. She continued walking forwards. Kassandora would be smart enough to use her brain to get out of this. Kavaa would probably make it too. They both had bitter blood after all.

Fer took a step and looked down at a cub. A darkfur. A tiny baby darkfur. He rolled around in a litter of wolves. It was perfect newborns, without a drop of blood on them, quiet and looking up at her with eyes full of love and comfort. Surety that Fer would save them and protect them and raise them.

She raised her eyes and saw Kassandora standing ahead of her. Those cheeky eyes on her. She saw Neneria standing cold, the smallest hint of a smile on her face. She saw Irinika and Baalka, Olephia and Malam and Anassa. And Arascus standing behind them. Everyone smiling and getting along like the great big family they were.

Fer looked ahead at them, looked down at the cubs, looked ahead and down again. She gave the air a sniff. No smell. Her ears wiggled. No sound. “Whoever you are, I am not impressed.” She said and lifted her leg.

The cubs were crushed. Mercy killings. Fer felt the Jungle recoil around her and she started laughing. “Who do you think I am little tiger?” Fer whispered to the air. “You should be afraid of me.” She approached Kassandora. Her sister raised her arms in a hug and smiled.

“You don’t know me.” Fer said. Kassandora would test her or pull her ears. Kassandora was torn in half. Irinika took a step forwards.

“I’ve been waiting big sister.” Irinika said. Big sister? Irinika was a showman. Irinika would come in bring night to the whole world. ‘Big sister’? Just that.

“Don’t insult my sister like that.” Fer said. Irinika’s head rolled.

Baalka stepped forward. Cute and timid little Baalka. Almost like a child when compared to Fer. “Hey!” Baalka said in that cute voice of hers. Fer never took her eyes of her. Baalka being sweet? To her of all people? The Sun would burn out first.

Baalka fell.

Olephia stepped forwards. “It’s good to-“ Olephia never talked. If Olephia opened her mouth at this distance, Fer would be dead by now. Olephia died in Fer’s grasp. What a farce.

Anassa and Malam and Arascus fell just like that. Fer did not even want to listen to them. Arascus died last. Fer’s fist had made a hole in his chest without a hint of regret. There was nothing to be regretful of. He simply smelled wrong. All of them did. Every single one of them had the exact scent associated with them.

None of them smelled of family.

Fer awakened and looked around the field. Kavaa and Kassandora were still standing there. Should she do something? She supposed she should. She moved in front of her sister and smelled her. That was something the Jungle could never replicate.

That was family.

Fer cracked her fingers. “Sorry Kass.” She said. There was only one foolproof method she knew to break someone out of some hypnotised state.

Kassandora looked around the field. Kavaa and Fer had disappeared. She started walking forwards. Sokolowski appeared next to her. Then Iliyal. The rest of the Generals. Her armies of men spiralled into the distance and the ground raised until she saw the horizon. They were calling her name.

Kassandora did not stop walking. She made it down the hill. She walked to the other side of the field. That obviously was not real. Sokolowski had no way of getting here. Arascus would not suddenly appear out of nowhere. Neneria would not enter and catch up to them. Kavaa had no reason to watch her from the sidelines. “If you’re going to use trickery, you’ve got the wrong person.” Kassandora said.

The world crumbled around and Kassandora woke up.

She saw Fer standing in front of her. Fist curled into a ball and a wicked smile on her face. Instinctively, Of War skipped to the side to dodge, even though Fer threw no punch. “Don’t tell me.” Kassandora said as Fer stood up and raised her hands in apology.

“I know one way which always works.” She said in a stupid tone that was supposed to be some explanation.

“So you were going to break my ribs for it?” Kassandora asked. Kavaa was still stood there in that trance.

“Well…” Fer looked around. “I mean, Kav can heal it.”

“Kav?”

“She should get a nickname too, shouldn’t she?” Fer waved her hand in front of Kavaa’s face and turned to Kassandora. Yellow eyes wide, mouth questioning. “Should I wake her?”

“One minute. Let’s see if she can get out.”

Kavaa walked through the field and heard a child cry. She stopped and looked around. Fer and Kassandora had disappeared somewhere. The child was to her side. She took a step… almost took a step. Then looked back.

Where was Kassandora and Fer? Neither of them would leave like this. She remembered the face Kassandora had made when Kavaa had fallen unconscious last time, those eyes… Kassandora may have been a master of a manipulator, but there was no way to fake eyes like that. Helenna could not express emotion that earnestly.

The child’s cry came from the grass and Kavaa wrapped her hand around her blade. She should check, she was a doctor… Kavaa shook her head and took a step away from the child. A doctor yes, but not a modern doctor. A doctor that came out about long before the first oaths of healing had been established, a doctor whose duty was to end suffering as much as it was to heal it.

She took a step away and came face to face with Kassandora. “How are you?” Kassandora asked.

“I’m good.” Kavaa carefully replied, her pale eyes narrowing, her hand twisting around the blade. There was something off about this Kassandora.

“Come, I’ll protect you.” Kassandora turned and walked forwards. ‘Protect you?’ Kavaa could believe a lot, but she could never believe that the ever manipulative Kassandora would purposefully say something that she knew annoyed Kavaa. She took three steps, then stopped, and looked down at Kavaa’s blade piercing her chest.

“I knew you were fake.” Kavaa whispered. “From the moment I saw you.”

And Kavaa awoke. Fer and Kassandora were looking at her already. Kavaa almost felt disappointed, she was beaten by them again. “I told you.” Kassandora said.

“I never said Kav wouldn’t break out.” Fer replied as she turned. Kavaa gingerly touched Kassandora’s black armour. She saw the woman questioning her sanity. Good. That meant this Kassandora was real.

“How did you know I would?”

Kassandora was about to answer, for once, Of War looked at a lack for words, Fer spoke up. “Like I said at the start.” Fer waved them to hurry along. “Neneria would get trapped in something like that. There’s monsters that use this sort of hypnosis in nature.”

“And?” Kavaa asked.

“They adapt to the general population.” Fer said. “So people with lots of empathy who care about others. You two would never fall for it.” Kassandora stopped.

“Then how did you?” Joyeuse appeared in her hands. Fer only chuckled from ahead.

“I can smell it Kassie. You wouldn’t understand.”