She had blurted the thing about runes, and Quantumoon's eyes had gone all stormy-quiet. The kind of quiet that made her fur itch. But before the silence could choke her, a sound drifted in. Soft pawsteps, the rustle of leaves.

  Then Lyrawinn padded into the clearing, steady as stone, herbs clamped gently in her jaws. The bundles dangled green and gold, stems dripping with dew. Idalia blinked rapidly. Oh, oh! Lyrawinn!

  The Liorex apprentice lowered her haul neatly before Quantumoon. "I found the moonleaf, the ashbloom, and the bitterroots you asked for." Her voice rang calm, certain, like water pouring exactly where it should.

  Quantumoon inclined her head, and for the briefest flicker there it was. Praise. Approval in the Shaman's eyes. A glimmer, quick as lightning, but Idalia caught it.

  Idalia's mouth popped open. Wait. What? Lyrawinn… getting praised for plants? For weeds? And she looked so proud about it, too. As if she'd hunted a whole ceratopsian by herself!

  Something gnawed at Idalia's mind. She nearly connected the dots; Lyrawinn's calmness, her careful paws, the way she delivered herbs like they were prey. Like she wanted Quantumoon's approval. Like maybe, she was interested in Shaman teachings.

  But no. No-no-no. That couldn't be right. Lyrawinn was Mama's pupil! Mama's warrior apprentice! Warriors fought. Warriors roared. Warriors didn't fuss over flowers.

  Idalia's tail lashed, confused, stubborn. She puffed her chest, blurting, "Hah! Lyrawinn, you're supposed to be training for battle, not playing fetch for the Shaman! Are you gonna start wearing leaves instead of claws?"

  Lyrawinn's blue eyes half-lidded, steady but sharp. She said nothing at first, only flicked her tail as if to brush off Idalia's sting.

  Quantumoon, however, turned her gaze on Idalia; sharp, cutting, more terrifying than a roar. "Do not mock service you do not understand, little one. Without these herbs, your kin would wither. Without healing, even your mother could not fight, nor your father endure."

  Idalia's ears flattened. She fumbled for a comeback, but her claws only scraped dirt. She wanted to roar she didn't care, she'd never need herbs, she'd never need healing… but Lyrawinn's calm pride lingered in the corner of her vision, confusing her worse than the runes had.

  Her brain sparked and sputtered, almost making the connection. Almost. Almost.

  Lyrawinn's gaze softened, just for Idalia, quiet as a pawprint in dust. Not pity. Not mockery. Something else. Something steady. Something that felt like… reassurance.

  Idalia hated it. She loved it. She didn't know which. Her tail lashed, her chest still puffed from her defiance, but it deflated a little when Lyrawinn's gaze softened again. Not sharp. Not scolding. Just… steady.

  "Idalia," Lyrawinn said gently, "you must be feeling sorrowful. About your father. Solrift."

  The name hit like a claw to the ribs. Idalia's ears twitched, her throat tightened, but she didn't answer. Couldn't. She didn't want to admit it, not out loud. If she spoke it, then Papa really was gone. And if Papa was gone, then Mama—oh, Mama must be grieving right now. The thought made her claws curl into the dirt.

  Lyrawinn dipped her head, calm as ever. "Your Mama is strong. But she is hurting. I know. And you are hurting too."

  Idalia scrunched her nose, eyes watering, but hissed, "I'm not hurting! I'm fine!" She swiped a paw across her muzzle, but her voice cracked anyway. "I just… I just need to do something! Anything!"

  "Then let's hunt."

  Idalia's head shot up, ears perking instantly. Her whole body jittered with sudden excitement. "Hunt? Hunt-hunt? YES! Excellent idea! Brilliant idea! Let's go right now! Where's the prey, where’s the chase—" She bounced in a circle, nearly tripping over her own paws.

  Lyrawinn gave a small, warm chuckle. "Slow down, little one. I've been granted distinguished permission to take young hunters on training hunts before." She turned her head toward Quantumoon, bowing her muzzle with respectful grace. "But still, Shaman… would it be acceptable if I took Idalia into the fields? So that our whereabouts are known."

  Idalia froze mid-bounce, blinking between the two of them. She didn't understand why Lyrawinn was being so formal, but the words sounded important, proper, adult.

  Quantumoon's feathers shimmered as she tilted her head, regarding Lyrawinn with something like amusement. Her eyes glinted, humored. "You conduct yourself with care, apprentice. Very proper."

  Idalia bristled in impatience. "So is that a yes?! Please say yes! I promise I'll bring back the biggest prey you’ve ever seen, Shaman! You'll be amazed!"

  Quantumoon's mouth curved the barest fraction, that quiet almost-smile. "Go, then. Learn. But remember, Idalia…" Her gaze cut sharp, like a talon pressed against the soul. "…a hunt teaches more than how to kill."

  Idalia nodded wildly, not even fully hearing the warning, too busy bouncing on her paws with excitement. A hunt with Lyrawinn! Out in the fields! Prey to chase, teeth to sink, speed to prove! Yes, yes, yes!

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  She darted ahead a few paces, calling back, "Come on, Lyra! Hurry before the prey runs away without us!"

  Lyrawinn followed as her little charge practically vibrated with joy. Quantumoon stayed behind, watching the two vanish into the sunlit brush, the humored glint in her eyes fading into something deeper. Something mindful.

  ??? ???

  The fields spread wide, golden grasses rippling like a restless sea. Idalia bounded into them, tail high, chest bursting. The world smelled alive with dirt, pollen, and distant musk of prey. She breathed it in like victory, prancing ahead, paws crashing through the stalks with no subtlety at all.

  "Shh, Idalia," Lyrawinn murmured from behind, the older liorex's steps were quiet, measured, and almost invisible. "Prey hears faster than you think."

  Idalia froze mid-bound, ears perked, and she dropped into a crouch so sudden her chin nearly smacked the ground. She hissed softly, "I knew that. I was just… testing you. To see if you remembered."

  Lyrawinn's whiskers twitched in what might've been the smallest smile.

  Without further ado, they crept forward together. Or at least, Lyrawinn crept. Idalia jittered more than crept. She tried to mimic but her tail twitched, her claws flexed, her breath came loud no matter how she tried to hold it. But she tried. Oh, she tried.

  They resumed to prowl. The grass parted ahead, and Idalia spotted them. Plump, long-legged hadrosaurs grazing, their tails flicking lazily.

  They were new prey. Idalia's whole body tensed, every muscle buzzing with attack now, attack now, attack now. She nearly bolted, but Lyrawinn pressed a tail-tip against her shoulder.

  "Wait," Lyrawinn whispered. "Watch first. See the rhythm of the herd. Their ears. Their tails. Their leader will lift its head first."

  Idalia growled low with impatience. She wanted to pounce, to roar, to sink her teeth. But she forced her eyes to follow where Lyrawinn pointed.

  Sure enough, one of the hadrosaurs the bigger one kept raising its head, scanning, sniffing. The others mimicked it, like echoes.

  [Knowledge Core [e]: 32 → 33%]

  "Ohhh," Idalia breathed. "So if we go for the head-lifty one, the rest will know?"

  Lyrawinn nodded. "Yes. But if we wait… we might catch one that drifts too far from the group. Less risk. Better chance of a clean hunt."

  Idalia squirmed, paws digging trenches in the dirt. Waiting was agony. But Lyrawinn's calm voice held her still, if only barely.

  Many moments of blinks passed, stretching long.

  Then… it happened! A younger hadrosaur wandered from the edge, distracted by sweeter grass. Its tail flicked with a rhythm that didn't match the herd.

  Lyrawinn's foot nudged her, and she whispered. "That one. We circle it. You flush. I cut off the escape."

  Idalia's heart thundered. A real hunt! With Lyrawinn trusting her with the first move! She crouched lower and slunk around the grasses. As she stalked forward her chest wanted to burst with pride and excitement, but she kept low, low, low, just like Lyra had shown.

  When Lyrawinn flicked her tail—the signal—Idalia exploded. She burst from the grass with a shriek, paws pounding, claws out, tail lashing. The young hadrosaur squealed and bolted straight into Lyrawinn, who leapt out of her portal from the opposite side, cutting it off.

  Together they drove it, snapping and swiping, until the prey stumbled. Lyrawinn lunged with teeth locking into its throat. Idalia clamped her jaws on its flank, holding fast, snarling with triumph. The hadrosaur went down hard. The grasses rustled, then stilled.

  Idalia almost got startled when she saw the symbols flash in front of her eyes.

  [Bite]: {Level 9} → {Level 10}

  Bite went up from nine to ten! That probably meant that her fang gnashing greatness became stronger! Bigger, better bites.

  Now panting, muzzle stained, Idalia looked up at Lyrawinn with eyes wide, tail whipping in exhilaration. "We did it! We actually did it! I helped! I hunted! Did you see me, Lyra? Did you see?!"

  Lyrawinn licked particles from her whiskers, but her gaze warmed. "I saw, Idalia. You were fierce."

  Idalia's chest swelled, pride bursting. Fierce! Lyrawinn said she was fierce! Her tail curled around her paws as her excitement melted into something softer. Something warm.

  For the first time in days, since Papa… since the hollow ache… Idalia felt the tiniest spark of joy that wasn't tangled with grief.

  Lyrawinn nudged the prey toward her. "Take the first bite. You earned it."

  Idalia blinked, then scrambled forward, sinking her teeth into the flank, savoring the hot taste of victory. She chewed, swallowed, and purred around the mouthful. The savory flavors were mild, earthy, and gamy. Less like the chicken leg. Not awful, though not the best.

  She wondered how it would've tasted if it were heated. So much that Idalia didn't pay too much attention to the runes that flickered once more in her front of her vision again.

  Power Particles: [2000] → [2800] Units

  She gasped at the wondrous sight. "Best. Hunt. Ever."

  Lyrawinn chuckled softly, settling beside her. "Many more will come."

  Idalia leaned against her without meaning to. Warmth buzzed through her chest. Maybe… Lyrawinn wasn't just Mama's apprentice. Maybe she was something steadier. A rock. A guide. Someone who could help keep the hollow ache away. Idalia almost forgot to be sad.

  Just as she allowed her heart to be entangled with her success sizzling bright in her heart, the strange runes bloomed and shaped themselves before her eyes. They, the words and numbers, returned like constellations connected in the sky, gentle and bright. They read to her, and Idalia allowed herself to drink in the potent information.

  ???

  [Idalia's Stats]

  (Development: Lv 2)

  [Raw Values]

  STR: 12 [+1]

  DEF: 10

  FPWR: 13

  WIL: 8

  RES: 10

  SPD: 8

  ??? ??? ???

  [Accumalated Particles]:

  {2,800 | 3,000}

  Spent = [-100 Particles]

  Distributable = [28 Points]

  [Info]: 1 Pure Particle is gained for every 100 Power Particles.

  ??? ??? ???

  Idalia blinked as she squinted at the words and numbers until they clicked into something understandable. Her mind tingled as she recalled the events that had transpired.

  If biting had caused her [Bite] to rise by one level, then eating the Hadrosaur must have earned her points toward her Power Particles. More chewy, yummy bites must've equaled more prosperous hunts then!

  She rolled onto her back in satisfaction, nipping fervently at the rune-symbols, thinking about all the meats and strength she could gain.

  Then a sudden itchiness from deep within her mind tickled her brain. She pawed at her face in an attempt to catch the tingling, buzzing sensations swirling inside her. The connection then flared bright, becoming abundantly clear.

  If her hunch was correct, would that mean more successful hunts would grant her power?

  If that were truly the case, then she somewhat understood what the fox meant by "play." But did her play mean more victories? Was that what the fox was getting at?

  She shot Lyrawinn a stealthy glance, then turned to concentrate again on her stat thingamajigs. Idalia thought hard for a moment, her eyes focusing on each of the parameters. She now had [28] points to use, so why not feed them?

  She recalled that boosting her strength had made her feel strange, yet it also made her feel mighty and super energized. So, what would happen if she fed the other values?

  Ida's Adventurous Alerts: Never would she have imagined to have an amazing sister-figure!

  Going forward new chapter updates will be posted for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.

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