KuliKuli raised her arm, feeling the low-hanging branches scratch her as she barraged through. Her feet would kick her off the ground, propelling her forward. Scanning to her left, she spotted her mother with Tootsie clinging to her hair. To her right was Dimyri and Na'Vi panting loudly to keep up with the group. She gnced over her shoulder to find Felix and Janette weighing behind, with Syri squeezing her hand.

  "Wait-!" Janette wheezed, coughing loudly and clutching her belly. "I-I can't!"

  Syri slowed to a stop with her, letting Janette lean onto her for bance as she bent forward. Her dress was heavily torn at the edge rising up to the hem, leaving a once fanciful fabric looking tattered, soaked and stained. She fell back against a nearby tree and slid down until her butt cushioned her descent, where she held Syri's paw as she continued to cough. Felix grimaced in pain, grinding his teeth to bear with the piercing feeling growing in his arm. The wounds were taking its toll.

  Janette shook her head, sliding her hand up to caress Syri's worried face. "I'm sorry, I can't keep running like this. Not in this state."

  "We have to go." KuliKuli urged, stepping toward them with Syri blocking view of her friend. "Maybe if we carry you-"

  "Kuli." Syri hung her head and moved to the side, revealing the growing red stain at the waist of Janette's dress.

  Everyone held in their voice in silence, unsure of what to do next. Dimyri's ear flicked upright when she picked up the sound of running water nearby. It had been present before, but now that they had rested, she took a moment to absorb their surroundings. She walked several paces west of their location, calmly approaching the edge of a river flowing down that same direction. Perhaps it was a ravine, but the size seemed narrow enough to cross, only its movement would make it incredibly difficult to do so without getting carried along its path.

  "Guys." She called out behind her. "There's a river down here."

  Janette had leaned back, staying in her spot with Syri and Felix for company. Emyri remained close, with Na'Vi and KuliKuli checking the view alongside Dimyri.

  Na'Vi pressed her lips together and shook her head. "We're in no shape for a swim, and the water must be freezing."

  They held themselves in silence, gazing from the riverbank. It was te at night; the three moons loomed over them with only one seemingly full while the other two were shrouded in darkness. The nd at the edge of the river was barren of any trees, letting the moonlight bnket them in a feeling of tranquility paired with the chirping of grasshoppers and the small cloud of glitterbugs buzzing nearby. The calm blue light stemming from the moons cshed in a stark contrast from the eerie red glow coming from behind, a daunting reminder of what came for them.

  KuliKuli's eyes widened as an idea came to mind. "That river, it's going down the same direction that leads to Master's house! We would go swimming or gather fish from there. This could take us back, we can drift down and maybe we can lose them on the way."

  "What's to stop them from following course?" Na'Vi reminded her. her paws firmly pnted on her hips. "No matter where we run off to, they won't stop. Not until that hunter catches us."

  "Perdilius," Emyri chimed in, a brief hesitance giving her pause before she collected her thoughts. "Perdilius is who is... n-nevermind."

  Felix hung his head, keeping quiet to think of something. Both he and KuliKuli were contempting on what to do next. Both she and Dimyri had ideas, but neither mattered if they didn't find a means to escape Perdilius and his men first. But there was something that grabbed his attention, a certain look on his mate's face.

  "Kuli, what's on your mind?" He asked.

  She briefly shook her head. "Nothing, just a something I noticed back there." She gnced toward her mother briefly. "It can wait."

  Emyri caught her look and shifted uncomfortably when the sound of raised voices echoed through the woods. They could faintly hear the sound of hooves clomping and wheels groaning as the wagons they heaved approached them. A herd of men marched with them, undoubtedly armed and searching for them.

  KuliKuli lifted her head with a determined look, marching down between everyone. "We've taken their wagon before, maybe we can take it again. That hunter is on our tails."

  "You're sure?" Felix asked.

  She nodded. "I have his scent, he's close. And I hear hooves, I think he's on horseback. We might be unable to cross that river, but that doesn't mean we give up. Tootsie, can you fly?"

  "Me?" Tootsie squeaked, fpping her wings rapidly until her tiny feet dangled above. She winced and fell back on Emyri's cupped paws. "I can fly a little."

  "If we can't make it, see if you can fly back to Kershin Market. But for now, fly to the trees and hide. We don't want you getting hurt for us, okay?"

  The pixie nodded and delivered a curtsey to the rest before flying up and clinging to the highest tree branch.

  KuliKuli narrowed her eyes, getting an idea from the Pixie. "Felix, you and Janette stay here. Mom, watch them. Syri, if you can fight then come with us, if not then stay."

  Syri gulped and wiped her brow, separating from Janette. She gave her sister an obedient nod, standing by her side. "I-I can help, what do you need?"

  "Na'Vi, we need you to grab the wagon for us. Dimyri, you and Syri are with me. We need to stand our ground."

  "Fight them off?? That's suicide!" Dimyri bellowed, her eyes darting out to the woods. "They had no problem picking our clutter apart, and we're just three cats!"

  KuliKuli snarled, hissing outward. "We're cat girls. It's time we take them on our terms."

  Dimyri stuttered then kept quiet. "Fine. Your call, I don't have any other ideas."

  KuliKuli smiled then gave a look to Na'Vi. Understanding her assignment, she wasted no time changing into her cat form and running up a nearby tree. From the sound of leaves rustling and gentle falling down, she could tell Na'Vi was running from one tree to the next. She exchanged a look with her siblings, waiting for them to get the idea.

  "Kuli." Felix called out. "Stay safe."

  "Always."

  Leone calmly pulled his horse to a stop, turning around to catch sight of Perdilius soldiers catching up.

  "Where did they go?" One of the shouted with a short sword in on hand to swipe the foliage and fauna away and a lit torch in the other hand.

  His companion decorated in loose leather armor pointed at Leone. "Over there!"

  Leone counted around fifteen men gathering behind him. "Aye, they were running in this direction. Stay close."

  "Close? And give them time to flee?" The soldier snorted back.

  "They're on foot, not all of them are cats. Besides, some of them seem wounded. I doubt they would cover enough ground without horses." He squinted ahead, gently pnting his heal against his horse's ribs for them to move forward. "Stay near me, I'll track them."

  The older man seemed unconvinced but reluctantly he looked back to the others. "You heard the man. Move out to cover ground but keep him on sight at all times! Nobody moves astray, understood?"

  The others agreed, roaming outward like the wings of a hawk spreading as it takes flight. Some of them raised their torches with a dagger or short sword in hand, while their companions roamed nearby armed with pikes and nets. As they began to disperse, Leone took the lead keeping his eyes glued to the mud to find any more tracks. Unbeknownst to them, three pairs of eyes followed them from above as they crossed under their tails.

  One of the soldiers dragged his tongue across his chapped lips, sweating under the ragged cap dangling over his brow. Raising his torch, he stepped over some roots that raised above the soil. Batting away some of the glitterbugs from his face, he paused and removed his cap to wipe the sweat off his brow and scratch his scalp. He felt a nudge from behind coming from the handle of a sword, feeling his friend's breath against his neck as he whispered for him to keep moving forward. Pnting the cap back on, he marched forward as the pnt leaves and shrubs grew higher the deeper they ventured, the woods grew thick and dense that they could hardly see below their waists.

  A soldier on the far-left toppled forward, arming his friends. "Scitz? Scitz!" One of them cried out, digging his friend out and heaving him back.

  Leone stopped and turned toward them. "Something the matter?"

  "Is nothin'." The one named Scitz panted, wiping his boot. "Sunk through mud, is all."

  The hunter rolled his eyes, annoyed at how the others ughed at their friend's misfortune. "Mind your footing," He muttered, continuing the approach. '

  Scitz nodded, his gloved hands digging through the mud and grime until he sighed loudly. "Oye mate, pass me a dagger will ye?" He looked back to his friend who helped him up, only to see no one there.

  "Gregore?" He called out, looking around. Quickly seeing the others on the move alerted him to sprint towards them, catching up. He grabbed the first soldier's arm as he turned to look at him. "Gregore?"

  The man frowned and yanked his arm away, ignoring him. Scitz seemed baffled, keeping up with the group and lost to the whereabouts of his friend.

  "Uhn-!" Someone yelped in passing, with a torch handler gncing back to see nothing but tall leaves swaying lightly in passing. He stopped and retraced his steps, moving in to inspect the source of the noise. Raising the torch up high, he swung the dagger around in his palm for a better grip before kicking his foot toward the trembling shrubs. His toes met resistance, and as he pushed the leaves aside, he was met with the sight of a fallen soldier with closed eyes facing him.

  He gasped, unaware of Dimyri dangling over him from a low branch. She pressed her palm over his torch, snuffing out the light and shrouding them in darkness.

  Leone pulled his horse to a stop, climbing off to inspect a paw print embedded into the soil. It looked fresh, it had to be. His eyes grew narrow as he figured that they were drawing closer to catch them. With a flick of his hand, he motioned for the others to follow, grabbing the reins on his horse so that it followed.

  The first soldier removed his cap once again, gripping it under his arm as he feverishly dug his nails into his itching scalp. He figured that a bath was long overdue as his gear began to reek of sweat and armpit. A quick sniff under his arm confirmed his thoughts, pulling back in disgust. This time he opted to keep the cap in hand, fastening his sword back into its sheath when a sword brushed past his elbow.

  "I know, I'm goin'. It's just this damn thing is-" He turned around, expining to his friend only to find his sword falling by his leg. A net dangled from the nearby tree, tangled from a high branch leaving the soldier baffled.

  "What the-?" He reached out and gave the net a light tug, only for a boot to slip down and miss his head. He stepped away, raising his torch to shine light on what looked like the silhouette of something dangling above, but he could not make its shape. A boa, perhaps? Squinting, his eyes scanned the figure until he could make out what looked like a pair of legs swinging in the air with one of them missing his boot.

  He fished for his sword when a pair of tails appeared from the tall grass before him, followed by a paw csping his hand. Looking down, he st saw a pair of yellow cat eyes before he was swept off the ground, and before he could scream for help another paw covered his mouth.

  Scitz gnced around, his hands trembling as he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. One of the spearmen batted his weapon around, stabbing in front before taking a few steps forward. Some nearby leaves were rummaging around, shaking as something snaked its way through the foliage. He spotted its movement, his heart leaping to his throat as he stabbed the spear down toward its direction. He breathed a sigh of relief, chuckling to himself when a pair of tails wrapped around his wrists.

  "Huh!? Ha-!" His voice was silenced as soon as his body sunk into the tall grass below.

  The horse began to shake its head and whine loudly, startling the hunter and the remaining men.

  "Easy there, darling." Leone brushed her side, stroking her fur. Once she settled, he motioned for the others to continue behind him. Kneeling down, he raised his brow when he caught the prints of a set of smaller paws running the opposite direction, toward them. They veered to the side, and he followed them until they ended upon reaching a nearby tree. His eyes widened as he stepped back, retrieving his sword in hand as his eyes roamed from tree to neighboring tree.

  "Stand your ground, they hide in the trees." He expined, his free hand digging into the pockets of his cloak.

  "Nay, I see one over there!" A swordsman hollered out, aiming his weapon toward a pair of white tails as they slipped under the green foliage.

  "No, I see one up there! Look!" A torch bearer shouted, waving his light from side to side to alert the others. No sooner had they spotted him when he was yanked down before their eyes, his torch sinking under mood as the fire sizzled out.

  "Aaah!" Scitz screamed out, pushing the others out of his way as he ran for the horse. He tripped and fell forward, his face dragging as he ate dirt. With a heavy groan, he opened his eyes and was met with the hiss of a cat girl's fangs before she pulled him away from the others, with only her tails visible from their perspective. He screamed on the way there, startling the few that were left.

  One of them swung his sword aimlessly, sweat running down his pudgy face. "No-no, no." His voice quivered, teeth chattering as he witnessed his allies ambushed from the grass below or the trees above. A pair of tails coiled around his under arms, heaving him into the tree above as he fyed his legs helplessly, crying for help.

  Leone gripped his sword in hand, stepping back as the st man standing. Rummaging through his belt, he retrieved a short sword with his left hand while keeping the steel sword in his right. Loosening the chain around his colr, he wiggled his shoulders so that his cloak fell down around his feet, liberating him and granting him better movement. His armor showed the damage from their st fight at Kershin Market, but this time he braced himself for them. Breathing in through his nose and exhaling through his lips, he calmed his heartbeat and focused as he caught sight of a pair of tails circling around him. Some branches rattled above, a sign that a Nekomata hid above with him in sight. He whistled for the horse to walk away, freeing the animal from the incoming ambush.

  Hidden behind a tree stood KuliKuli, gring her glowing yellow eyes at the hunter, studying his movements. She scurried up the tree, slipping away from view.

  Beneath the tall grass stood Dimyri, watching Leone as he turned his back to them and held his breath, lying in wait.

  From above, Syri dug her cws into the branch to steady herself, her green eyes fixated on the lone hunter as she recognized the signs of her sisters circling closer.

  Leone closed his eyes and listened to their movements, loosening his grip on his weapons, waiting until they surrounded him. His eyes snapped wide open as the three girls pounced in the air with him as their prey.