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  Four pairs of boots trudged through the forest's foliage. With how far into the wild they had traveled, the shrieking wind above and beyond the treeline escaped their ears. Team CEDL followed in a singular line. "Asche" held their exposed and isolated rear, while Cardin took the lead in the chance of ambush.

As they snaked through the woods, "Asche" would drop a glowing prism stone, marking their pathway. True, they were confident in their navigation capabilities, but the champion of ash preferred to spare no chance. Thankfully his landmarks went unnoticed by his good compeers, which helped to avoid a lengthy discussion of how prone to becoming lost the ashen one generally was.

Whether it was the winding and ill lit Catacombs of Carthus, the despised Farron Keep, or the cesspool that was the Irithyll Dungeons, the unkindled one had been long accustomed to losing his way. Hours, weeks, years, decades even had been wasted by his poor sense of direction.

Still, it often led him to those oh so coveted, and often hidden,"shinies" from warriors past. In the end, maybe his horrible coordination was a blessing in disguise. Without it, he would have never found those tucked away areas he unintentionally uncovered.

He became lost in thought, until he eventually collided with an object in his path. Almost from nowhere, two sets of armor crashed into one another. The rattling and clinking of the separate platting resounded in a deep and dull series of chimes, almost as if several iron pans had been tossed onto a counter simultaneously.

"Asche" stumbled backwards, recovering from his misstep. The boy, Dove, bent over to rub his now bruising foot.

"Ah shi- My foot…." Dove winced, mitigating his voice.

"Is something wrong, Cardin? Why did we sto-" Sky prodded, oblivious to why the four came to a sudden halt.

Immediately, Cardin held a hand in the air, silencing Dove and Sky. "Shut up!" He hissed.

Something was wrong, very wrong. His teammates took a single glance at his troubled face. Without a word, they shared his unspoken sentiment…

It was far too quiet.

He, along with the rest of CEDL, paused. Their ears strained, trying their best to hear even the faint rustling of a mouse. Yet nothing was to be heard. Even a drop of the pen would be thunderous at the current state. Dove wagered that had they been indoors, they might be able.to even hear each other's heartbeats… Aside from "Asche's" long since hollowed chest that is, though Dove was still oblivious to his nature.

Cardin waved a hand in a cutting motion, causing the boy's to draw their weapons as swiftly and silently as they could muster.

Sky unstrapped his halberd, lowering the weapon into a stance once reminiscent of ancient pike formations. Dove on the other hand, pivoted to his side, his shortsword at the ready. "Asche" finally, had immediately nocked three arrows into his "Black Bow of Pharis", more than ready to strike with supportive fire.

A small rustle issued, followed by more maddening silence.

"Bags, Drop em!" Cardin softly barked over his shoulder.

In unison, the boy's let their bags fall to the forest floor, freeing both of their hands and shoulders. The clambering of their collective gear only sounded for a moment, yet it felt as if it had rang for minutes. The clattering and shuffled weight was cruel, almost being a beacon that blatantly screeched to the team's location.

Then, they, the team, fell backwards, their spines facing and nearly pressed into each other. A small, collective inhale was heard, almost like a cushioned whistle. Following this, the forest returned with it's own whistle… a sharp, ravenous rustle from the now insidious brush.

This exchange died down before leading into another frustratingly long pause.

"How many?" Dove calmly began.

"They're prowling; not enough for a charge but too many to stay silent." The leader stoically answered.

"Which means?!"

"Less than ten, but more than four."

Without warning, the first of the beasts lunged from the shadows. It was a beowulf, noticeably larger than the ilk the champion encountered and slew during his journey by the river a week prior.

Before the beast of darkness could snap its jaws on whomever it targeted, three arrows were sent loose from the champion's bow. They cut through the air, shrieking as they dashed to strike down the monster.

The first of the arrows buried itself into the wolf's neck. A second missile sunk into a gap between the beast's ribs; and the final pierced deep into the beowolf's stomach. The monster then tumbled, rolling twice before crashing into a tree, snapping every arrow shaft in the process. Almost immediately, the Beowolf began disintegrating.

One of the beasts was slain.

But another two dashed from their cover, striking from the opposite direction as the first beowolf. The first of the two lowered it's stance, sinking closer to the ground as it made a charge to Dove's shins. The other however, blitzed at an angle, lunging from the center left.

"Two, on me!" Dove exclaimed, causing Cardin and "Asche" both to turn to aid the boy.

Instinctively, the leader reared his mace from his right side, bringing the mace in a diagonal descending direction. "Asche'' meanwhile, dropped his bow with no cause for hesitation. He channeled his altered Dark Hand to blast back the second Grimm with a near untraceable Farron Dart.

The first of the duo was greeted by the crunching of it's bone encased snout. Collapsed like the shell of a consumed walnut, Cardin's mace was wrought down on the beast's nose, entrapping it long enough for Dove to pierce the skull with his shortsword, finishing the monster off. The second monster however, leapt away from "Asche's" sorcery, immediately disorienting itself.

Before the beowolf could recover though, a halberd swung down, decapitating the monster of Grimm from the soft gap of its bone plating.

That made three beasts slain.

Sky tugged at his weapon, which had become stuck in the withering body and the soil below. From the corner of his eye, he saw more commotion from the shrubbery… until his attention was diverted.

Right as the group, aside from the champion who had casted Homing Soul Mass, attempted to catch their breath, three beowolves gave chase from Cardin's side. The closest of the trio was met and soundly dispatched with the five consecutive orbs of magic that dashed toward it, courtesy of "Asche".

The projectiles imploded once they made contact, leaving little to nothing to dissipate afterward.

Dove meanwhile, had spun around, drawing a second shortsword from his waist.

"Heads up, I'm using you!" He announced, bending at the knees.

He shot upward, kicking off of an unbalanced Sky before kicking off the champion. Acting quickly, "Asche" placed a hand under Dove's boot, giving a boost to his height and trajectory. The airborne boy threw his second blade at the next beast, who tumbled directly into the reach of the awaiting Cardin.

CEDL's resident mace wielder brought his weapon down, crushing the plating of the monster's skull. With another two blows, the beowolf began to disintegrate.

The third however, threw itself at Dove, who tucked his body into a roll as he landed. In a fraction of a second, he locked eyes with the crimson pupils of the beast, momentarily flinching as he heard a strange sound… one he guessed had been the snapping of a jaw, and the shattering of his bones.

But after coming to a halt, and after not being welcomed by the sensation of pain, he opened his eyes.

"Asche" stood with the other two boy's, crouched and holding his "Crescent Moon Sword". The shotel-like weapon burned a vibrant and proud emerald, a color that slowly faded with each second. Dove had been saved by the weapons crescented projectile.

He collapsed to his back, savoring each breath. "That was so fu-....hah, close." He began, letting his head drop onto the grass.

He relaxed, taking in larger heaves of air. These were not the inhaling of exhaustion, but rather the deep breath of calming oneself. After nearly facing a gruesome injury or worse, death, he felt his heart throb and rapidly slam against his sternum. For several seconds, he laid there… breathing. Exhaling. Relaxing...

And then he recalled something, something he caught a glimpse of whilst momentarily airborne.

His eyes swung open, jumping to his feet.

"There's another!" He warned, causing the leader to glance at him with ire. "It'll...It probably ran to gather more. We need to leave, now!"

"Run? They wouldn't do that…" Cardin scoffed.

"What?! Of course they will! We could be overu-" Dove began, frantically gathering his first shortsword from the grass.

"Bullshi."" Cardin interjected, cutting the other boy off mid sentence. "These, for whatever reason, were all alphas. They don't retreat…"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Sky, who was still preoccupied with unburying his halberd, failed to realize the pair of red eyes from the brush. In an instant, the final beast bolted for the vulnerable member of CEDL.

Dove panicked, preparing to throw one of his shortsword's again. As the beast drew near though, he realized he had no clear shot. He gave chase, dashing toward his now panicked teammate.

With a snarl, the alpha beowolf lunged, it's mouth ajar and approaching closer to Sky. As the jaw of the beast closed, so too did Sky's eyes. In an instant, the creature bore down on a limb, preparing to thrash and drag it's shrieking target into the wilderness to feast.

But the arm, and boy by extension, refused to budge. It bit into something incredibly hard, a mature that may have broken or chipped away at the infernal maw.

The champion of ash stood, his armored forearm lodged within the beast's many fangs. The moon crested paladin stood, unwavering and devoid of feeling. His violet eyes, beneath the silver face he wore, burned deep into the beast, almost as if a prolonged stare would set the monster ablaze.

The monster of rage and bloodlust felt a shift in the air, one it only felt during a harsh winter. It pulled at the darkened paladin, each effort going in vain. Then, it felt an overbearing force grab ahold of it's skull. A snap was heard, one solid, abrupt, and agonizing jolt. Following this, the beowolf shrieked, howled, and cried in pain; to the best it could at least.

It now laid sprawling on the forest floor, jawless. The monster cried out, the pain never subsiding. It looked to the man... no, beast responsible for this; That damned silver mask…

They had discarded the wolf's jaw into the bushes without care, like it had been a pile of rubbish rather than a collection of fangs from a fearsome Grimm. As it's blood began to boil from the gesture, a familiar mace caved in its skull.

The torment, for the beast, had ended.

"...The alphas charge till the very end." Cardin spoke, nodding to a pale and queasy Sky. "Has something to do with their sense of honor, as the leader of a pack."

"Not that Grimm really care about dignity or pride. Just ya know…" He trailed, lazily gesturing his hand.

"Wolf shtick?" Dove quipped, causing Cardin to shoot a snapping-finger gun.

"Yeah, that."

The leader exhaled, ripping his mace from the final beast's skull, a sickening churn of flesh and blood accompanying his retracting.

Sky collapsed to his bottom, shifting his weight onto his arms. The now deceased beowolf lied just a meter from him, having been knocked backward by the punishment his teammates had dealt it. Though it's jaw was cruelly separated, the fangs still shook the boy to his core.

He felt his face grow cold, yet somehow still feeling his forehead's many pores begin secreting sweat. If "Asche" had been only a moment late, regardless if the team slew the monster in that event, he himself would have likely been maimed… or worse.

He berated himself internally, knowing better than to let his aura drop in the midst of a battle.

…

…

…

An hour later, the team found themselves trekking through an unmarked pathway. Again, "Asche" took the furthest position, whilst Cardin led the "charge".

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" Spoke a concerned Cardin.

Sky blankly stared at his leader. He fumbled his words, unsure of how he was meant to respond.

"Of course he's not okay!" Hissed an uneasy Dove. "He and I almost got mauled back there for fucks sake!"

"I know that!" Cardin retorted, causing the group to halt their walking.

CEDL's leader glared at the two boys. After a moment, he shook his head. This was neither rather time, nor place to berate his members, let alone nag them over their rather poor performance earlier.

"Look, you two…" He began. "I get that you're shaken. I get that you're probably pissed or even a little on edge right now…"

"That's putting it lightly…" Dove muttered, causing the champion to drop a bag, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Whatever." Cardin anxiously replied. "Even if one of those bastards got a hold of either one of you, I wouldn't think twice about letting it gnaw on my own limbs instead."

Dove paused, feeling his mind become empty. Sky could only glance at the floor in shame. The champion however, stood silently… as he always had, and as he always shall. The boy's offers their ears, hesitant at what Cardin had to say.

"Sky, Dove, and Asche." He began again, catching the full attention of the boy's once more. "You're my team. I'm your leader. But more importantly, we're a team. So stop feeling sorry and give each other a pat on the back dammit."

"The Grimm are obsessed with these kinds of emotions. They'll flock to us like moths to granny's porch light if we're not careful. Even if it bothers you, you just gotta trust one another."

"So no more whining. No more brooding. No more pitying yourself. We've all got each other's backs. And if we take a few hits, so what? If we get a chunk ripped out of our arm, then fair's fair; one of us will make sure whoever did it will get what's coming to them."

"So from now on, no more fancy or wasted moves, Dove and Sky. We'll start putting together better team combos and strats when we get back. And no more being scared of getting hit. Scars are badass." He continued.

"And besides, chicks also dig scars. Amirite?" Cardin devilishly smirked.

Dove shook his head, his lips curling into a steady smile. Thoughts of earlier vanished almost completely, being replaced by a sense of trust and amusement by the leader's words. Sky gave a nervous laugh, turning his head in embarrassment. The ashen one though, let his mind wander yet again...

"Alright, you make a strong case Cards. I'll stop trying to show off and kill-steal." Dove nodded.

"I'll be more ah, mindful of… Where I'm hitting…" Sky agreed.

"What about you? Any thoughts to add Asche?" Cardin prodded, diverting everyone's attention to the masked boy.

The unkindled one dropped the bag within his other hand. His violet eyes scanned over the rest of C_DL, looking at each of them not with malice or frustration, but with watchful and patient care. They were not the hardiest of lads, nor the fiercest or most jovial, and neither were they the most witty or skilled.

But they were of his own, their many many flaws and all.

He slowly gestured an armored hand to the trio, passing over each with leisure. Then he paused, now curling his palm into a fist, feeling his chest's concealed chainmail collide with the gauntlet's plating.

"Wow, no need to scream your lungs out there, pal." Dove chuckled.

"Oh cut him some slack, he's only 'speaking' his mind." Cardin snorted.

"Next time, let me… put my ear plugs in." Sky softly mused.

For the remainder of the day, even after the group found a clearing to set up camp in, the boy's took turns poking fun at "Asche's" silence. Of course, they also exchanged light-hearted jabs at each other.

Punchlines involving Dove's frantic hair upkeep, Cardin's overly masculine facade, and Sky's impulsive awkward behavior were among the banter made. The "mutually-friendly-disrespect" as it was called, only intensified when Cardin stumbled upon Sky's art book… which contained a number of rather perverse content near the final pages.

With a bonfire ignited, kindling close in hand, bed rolls sprawled, and the supplies unpacked, the team carried on with their conversations. The champion was elected to prepare the night's meal by trial of drawing the shortest stick. Each of the aromas from the pans and fire blessed their noses, C_DL feeling their stomachs churn and grumble at the expected meal.

The champion, once done with the food, served each boy. Cardin licked his lips expectedly, glad to have a meal that was not made from cafeteria staff. Dove drooled at the smell, while Sky prodded the apparent "meat" with a fork. The unkindled one however, refused to take up a plate, seeing as he had apparently already eaten whilst cooking. Still though, he held a small platter of the meal.

The boy's then dug in, expecting to have an explosion of flavor grace their taste buds…

Only to become utterly disappointed.

"....this is… uhm…" Cardin began, fighting back a gag. "...An interesting taste."

"The texture sure is… something else…." Dove added in between his excessive gnawing. "Yep, just the way I like it… chewy... Really, really chewy…."

Their ruse fooled no one. The meal was horrible, and even "Asche" knew it. The unkindled one shook his head, feeling his shoulders sink. With a single turn, he laid the plate he held into the foliage behind him.

The other members glanced warily at one another, unsure of what they should do now. Sky continued to munch on the veggies, the only safely edible and most palatable portion of tonight's supper, though that did not mean it was any better flavor or texture wise. Dove prodded the misleading serving experimentally debating if he would put himself through that torment again.

Cardin looked back and forth between the two. He sighed, putting his own plate to the side.

"Okay, yeah. It's... pretty damn bad." The leader said between his spitting.

"I'm sorry Asche, but I'd rather just eat an old leather boot"

"Asche" excused the two, waving his hand in a defeated manner. He picked his plate up once more,, glaring at the hideous excuse of a meal.. he then scraped the remaining pieces into the bonfire, half expecting the flame to reject his cooking as well.

Sky scavenged his teammates' plates, being offered no resistance. Contrary to what the rest of CEDL thought, he favored the steamed veggies. Salted asparagus and peppered broccoli, although they were the preserved variant, had been items he already frequently ate, even if "Asche's" cooking was… subpar at meeting his expectations.

Dove and Cardin opted to instead eat protein and fiber bars, also being sure to intake dried fruits and various nuts.

The rest of the night carried on as expected. The boy's sorted out the next day's affairs, agreed on a "On Watch" routine, and let themselves drift off to sleep. "Asche" opted to take the second watch, letting Cardin have the first. The next two mattered little, seeing as the champion would later refuse to wake them anyway.

As the rest of the group slipped into their slumber, and as Cardin took position, the team shared one final thought…

They would find out what happened to Russell, discover who had a hand in the ordeal, and most of all… make sure "Asche" was never trusted to cook alone again.

Half jesting aside, they knew nothing of what the knowledge of Russell's disappearance would bring. Nor did they understand exactly why the boy vanished. The champion figured it would paint the way for their next goal. He supposed that it would build his comrades' determination, and strengthen their resolve in some strange way.

Then again, he was only guessing what it could do. He had still been largely uneducated on "normal" conduct and customs, various responses to certain situations included.

But, there was one thing he knew for sure… "Asche" would do everything in his power to improve his culinary skills upon their return… after raiding every cooking book in plausible sight of course.

…

…

…

Several hours would pass. Sky and Dove now deep into their unconsciousness. They both were comfortable and completely at ease, even despite the foreign sleeping environment. The champion of ash, as always, felt slumber escape him, just as it always had.

He lay on his side, his back to the seated and watchful Cardin. Once he felt enough time had passed, he slowly rose… but heard Cardin's armor scraping against itself.

So he, the ashen one, placed a hand to his concealed forehead, sitting upright in a hunched manner. "Asche" then stretched, overextending and over emphasizing each tug and turn of his body. After a moment to further drive the point he had "just" awoken, "Asche" gave a forced and nearly inaudible yawn.

"Oh, hey there. Was just about to wake you for your shift." Cardin groggily said, yawning.

"Asche" gave a delayed nod of the head, still wearing a facade of fatigue. The silver masked boy then attempted to trade places with Cardin, sitting next to the leader. Cardin, before he departed for his turn of rest for the night, tugged at his teammate's sleeve.

"Hey, Asche?" He trailed, earning a tilt of the head from the other boy.

"No matter what we find out, I'm glad to have you here. Someone other than me has to watch out for these two idiots." Cardin dryly snorted, gesturing to the other two sleeping boys.

"Also, I meant what I said earlier, by the way. Come freaks, come Grimm, come bandits, I'm still gonna be your leader." He finished.

A moment of silence overtook the two. Carding stared into the abysmal sockets of "Asche's" mask, only capturing a slight glimpse at the now dimmed lavender eyes beneath. With a nod and reassuring pull of the lips, Cardin placed a hand on the other boy's shoulder. Three soft pats were given, before he rose to his feet, eventually finding his way to his bed roll.

"Oh and one final thing…" He trailed again, finding a somewhat comfortable position.

"...Get better at actually checking your scroll. It's been buzzing all damn day." He mused, turning over and immediately slipping into sleep.

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[BONFIRE: LIT]

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||| "Don't You Dare Go Hollow..." |||