Complete Private Western Brisshal [Reaping Season] A History of Blood

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

0/100

Kyra stopped mid-step, her ears twitching as she seemed to search for something. Slowly, her eyes wide, she turned to look back at the catgirl, the shock clear in her face. Her voice, when she spoke, was barely more than a whisper, the words carried through the cave through mere luck.

"Me...? But...why am I keeping you here? Why...why would you keep coming back, for me?"

Her mind raced as she realised that the answer was likely something that she both wanted, and didn't want to hear. Heart pounding and face on fire, she spun around and stomped off into the cave in the direction she'd originally been heading.

"OhheylookIfoundsomething!"

The words were shouted so loudly that even Kyra winced in response, the words far louder than she had intended for them to be. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before speaking again.

"The...uh...line runs up here...and around the corn-"

She came to a sudden halt as she turned the corner, running face first into a spitting image of the thing that had lain crumpled on the floor. Her eyes went wide again as she stared at the ghostly visage in front of her, her feet back peddling moments later in response.

"OhshitRubythere'ssomethinghereanditdoesn'tlookfriendly..."

She fumbled with the scythe on her hip, trying to force herself backwards as she went to get away from the apparition.

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

The way Kyra reacted to Ruby's words were cute, but more importantly, seemed to distract her from the negative feelings, even if for a fraction of time. The question brought a small smile to her lips.

"Because I care for you, and I would miss you. So if the game ever be too much for you, at least give me a way to keep sending a hello." She didn't want to lose anyone anymore. Be it like she lost Shane, be it like she lost Sol.

The hasty and loud words caught her attention, with ears perking up in reaction while she kept a stance, following Kyra when she mentioned the line. "This line of yours, what is it?" Ruby asked, with her nose twitching at a strange smell.

Something was there for sure, and the sudden reaction from Kyra just enforced it.

"It truly does-" Ruby said, with her eyes glowing in a negative hue once again, flickering as it sought-

"We aren't here to hurt you!" She called, resting her hand away from the blade, but placing her body between Kyra and the creature, regardless if the girl would keep running or not. "There are better ways to solve this."

She hoped.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

0/100

If it weren't for the fact that she was standing face to face - once again - with some sort of spirit being, Kyra might've had some fumbling words to say to Ruby. For the moment though, she put that distraction aside as she tried to figure out what she had just led them into.

The thing looked identical to the creature that she had seen in her visions - the darkness of it almost emanating off the form of the apparition. Her ears had pinned themselves back as she tried to fight against the fear she was feeling, an almost unnatural fear.

"Ruby...this is it...this is the thing...that I saw..."

She expected it to charge them, to rush forward in an attempt to attack them. She waited, scythe at her side as she readied herself for the on-coming assault. A few breaths passed, in and out as Kyra waited for the thing to suddenly move.

"Uh...okay...uhm...it's not...it's not moving..."

Kyra looked over at Ruby, before looking back at the thing before it. It was clearly more than just an image - the thing seemed to waver in the wind, as if it was being touched by a breeze ever so slightly. Imagine what an all out wind storm would do to...wait...

"Hey Ruby, there's no wind in here...so why is it..."

A sudden idea occurred to her, and Kyra stepped forward, reaching out towards the apparition ever so slowly. The thing didn't seem to move in response, in fact it stayed right where it was, right up to the point when Kyra shoved her hand through its chest, looking back at Ruby in shock.

"Uh...did not expect that."

She glanced again at the apparition, trying to figure out what was going on here. The thing had a lifeline, as far as she could tell...

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby nodded slightly, in acknowledgment of Kyra's words.

So that was the thing that scared her friend so much? No wonder, it sure didn't look friendly, but also it didn't muster any hostility. Perhaps it was a neutral figure, at least as neutral as it could be with those looks. Swaying her tails, Ruby squinted, leaning in and pondering once again about the true nature of that thing.

For her surprise, Kyra took the initiative, moving further and trying to touch it... But failing to do so, after all, the creature had no physical form.

Intriguing, but somewhat expected.

"So this is a spirit." Ruby crossed her arms, considering the entity to not be very palpable.

"But the fact we can't touch it doesn't mean it is a fake, it could be a real thing. We must be careful though." Ruby said, taking steps until she was next to Kyra, facing the creature closely.

"... What is it desires though? How can we even start to work to make it go away?" She muttered, never really dealing with spirits that weren't other sentient mortals like her.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

Scythe Mastery ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Spirit Magic ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Hemomancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Aeromancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Corrupt

Her eyes were drawn from the creature, the spirit, as Ruby walked up beside her. Her ears twitched in response to the other girl's words, her brow furrowing slightly as she considered the thing before them. Ruby was right, if it was a spirit it made sense that the thing couldn't be touched.

"Its...desires...you think it's...it's sticking around because...it has something it wants to do? But...what would a Leshen feel unresolved about...? What could possibly..."

She frowned, heavily, in response as she considered all the possibilities. She didn't know a lot about the creatures, bare basics that she'd read about in lore books and writings. Everything spoke about defenders of nature, defenders of the forest creatures that they were so aligned with.

"These things protect...they're all about protecting nature...so why would it..."

Her voice stopped suddenly as an idea came to mind, something she hadn't realised previously. A story that she had seen a while ago, about a spirit that had run rampage through a village after it had continued to tear away at the forest it protected, fighting against the industrialisation of the people who had once lived in peace and harmony next to it.

"...Mononoke...it's like Mononoke...the spirit that fought against the people who were tearing apart its environment...retaliating against them as they destroyed the woods and poisoned the animals..."

She glanced over at Ruby, a look of surprised happiness across her face as she began to get excited. There might be a way to stop this, to save everyone!

"It doesn't want to hurt anyone...it's just...it's just trying to protect its domain, or maybe its afflicted by the people nearby!"

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"It is the only conclusion I can think of." Ruby said, side-glancing at Kyra and then facing her friend, listening to her doubts and eventual conclusion into something else. Yes, if a creature was so inclined to one particular thing, it probably meant that anything related to desire or regrets would be regarding it. The protection of the nature... Yes, it made sense. But...

"Hunting has existed for eras. If not being able to end it would cause regret for these creatures, there would be many of those spirits." Ruby said, looking at it with a faint expression.

"... Something bigger. Yes... There is a bigger problem happening, Kyra. Something, someone, is endangering the domain. Something out of ordinary, enough to not simply cause a problem that is reversible." Ruby's ears twitched, leaning in.

"There is something outright endangering its existence, I'd say. Especially seeing it was powerful enough to destroy this guardian of the woods." Ruby peeked at it, wondering what and who it could be. Or if it was a whole group-- She could only wonder.

"Guardian, if you can tell us." Ruby spoke, with her eyes still glowing in the negative hue, drawing her Jian of the Fallen Night. "Who did this to you? Who is endangering this beautiful forest?"

The stars of the blade brimmed, ready to take the regrets the spirit held onto it, if it wished. And to permanently engrave it in her blade.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

Scythe Mastery ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Spirit Magic ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Hemomancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Aeromancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Corrupt

Kyra shifted as Ruby agreed with her. It felt wrong to come to such a conclusion, especially after what she had just done to what would clearly be the charges of this creature. The pain and suffering that she had caused, willingly, in order to attempt to fix things. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on her, as they now called upon the spirit of the defender to show them what terrors had entered its woods. She wouldn't be surprised if it pointed at her.

Instead, a flash of images rushed through Kyra's, and likely Ruby's, mind as the thing seemed to transmit images of whatever it was trying to draw attention towards. Kyra saw a collection of humanoids, what appeared to be axes in hand as they tore away at the trees in a glade, leaving behind little more than stumps. In the images, she could see what looked like an individual in the centre of the clearing, holding what appeared to be some sort of circular silver piece, the thing not entirely visible in the vision. What was visible, was the pulse it was sending out, and the feeling it caused the creature that was sharing the images. Kyra could feel, through the imagery that was being shared, as the pulse pushed the guardian backwards, away from the damage that was being done to its glade.

A sudden snapping sensation, and she was back in the cave, the thing that had hovered before her gone from sight. The feeling, however, lingered. She turned to look at Ruby, a shocked expression on her face as she tried to understand what had just happened.

"I...know where we need to go. It's not far from here, just off to the west..."

She wasn't sure how she knew, she simply did. She took off, grabbing Ruby's hand as she moved past the girl, dragging her behind her as she went. She was determined to make things right, in any way that she could. I'll fix this...that's how I atone for what I did...I can do this...

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

With the flash of memories, Ruby recoiled for a moment in response, wincing and frowning in realization that the visions she was having were the answer she was seeking for. And judging by Kyra's reactions, it seemed like the girl was having something similar going on with her.

Thankfully, since it would be hard to explain everything to her again, and that it seemed like she knew what or where these suspicious fellows were in.

"S-So you know the answer," Ruby muttered, taking a firm grip on her blade, now empowered with part of the fallen guardian's regret and desires.

When Kyra took her hand, Ruby allowed her to be pulled, following Kyra along and trying to keep the pace to stand next to her, hurrying her steps and staying close to the other beastfolk. "Do you have any plan, since you know where we need to go?" Ruby asked, wondering how to proceed.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

Scythe Mastery ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Spirit Magic ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Hemomancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Aeromancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Corrupt

Her steps faltered as she realised that she didn't have a plan. Nothing beyond just rushing out to face whatever threats to the woodlands had been seen in those images. Slowly, she came to a stop, her determination slowly fading as she felt her face begin to burn.

"I...had a plan...sort of...I was going to go there, and see if the people in the images were there and...talk to them..."

Even she didn't believe the words she said, her voice filled with the uncertainty that she was feeling. Her eyes moved across everything except for Ruby as she tried to hide her embarrassment. Once again, she had gone rushing in, rushing in to fix things, without stopping to think about it first.

"Do you...do you have any plans? I mean, maybe we can brainstorm something before we rush in together, right?"

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

As Kyra slowed down, Ruby already knew what was coming. Her steps slowed as well, matching Kyra's until they finally stopped. Kyra's words were expected, but actually looking at Kyra's embarrassed expreession as she voiced it out, caused Ruby to snort slightly, holding her mouth with her free hand and side glancing at her Kyra.

"It is fine." Ruby squeezed Kyra's hand, resuming their rush side by side with the foxgirl.

"My plan?" Ruby asked, with her usual faint expressions growing cheerier, along with a confident smirk that haven't appeared on her lips for a while.

"To do it in the Kyra's way, of course. As long as you are here with me, we can do it." They did it so many times before, why today it would be any different? As long as they fought together, they would get to the end of this. Yes, to the very end of all this.

Suddenly, Ruby caught Kyra and lifted her off the ground, carrying her on the arms before looking at her. "For the sake of the old days?" She asked, fondly while releasing a Primal Aura.

She was going to speed up as fast as she could with her dynamism., she just needed Kyra to make her feel the directions.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

Scythe Mastery ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Spirit Magic ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Hemomancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Aeromancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Corrupt

A brief pause, long enough to be picked up before they were moving again. Kyra glanced down at Ruby, the girl carrying her like some sort of prince rescuing a maiden, only to be chased by whatever horrors had originally locked the maiden away. I really gotta stop letting her do this...even if it is comfortable...

Instead of arguing, she sent a Primal Aura response back to Ruby, letting the images guide the two of them through the forest. She knew the place that the creature had shown her wasn't far, an afterimage leaving the location, and the path to it, fresh in her mind.

"What's the plan when we do get there...? Are we going to try talking to them, or...?"

She left the other half of the sentence unspoken, knowing that Ruby would pick up on her meaning. She would prefer to speak, but violence tended to be a resolution of many - and she knew that she was prepared for that if it needed be.

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby blasted through the woods, with ears twitching as the afterimages skipped through her mind as the Primal Aura gave her a hint of the path she had to take. Holding Kyra firmly, she swiftly changed paths, dodging trees and trying to reach for their destination as soon as possible.

As she ran, Kyra's words caught her attention, enough to slow her down but not to the point she would be slower than when they were running side by side.

"As you said, we will talk." Ruby said, looking at Kyra and then averting her eyes to focus on their path once again.

"If they don't want to talk... Then, we will need to do it in the hard way." Not that she wished to fight anyone to death, but if she was forced to, she wouldn't hesitate. Especially when she had her friend to protect. "... But for now, we need to worry about getting there-- And we are almost at it." Ruby took a breath, soon exploding into an even higher speed.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

Scythe Mastery ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Spirit Magic ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Aeromancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Corrupt

She was happy to hear that Ruby was considering actions other than immediate violence. Talking, she could do. She did it in the real world, constantly. She figured it she could just speak with the individuals, the ones from the images, she could maybe convince them to halt their actions, or maybe dissuade them entirely. Chances are they won't consider us seriously. It's going to get violent...and I need to be prepared for that...

"We're almost there. Another...few crossings...animal crossings. I think. The images are fuzzy, but...I think it's close."

The forest was a blur, and even with her enhanced senses Kyra was having difficulty keeping their bearings. Trees past them faster than she could register them, and it was many seconds later that she would see a familiar marker, unable to call it out in advance.

"Two more markers. Just passed...I think that was the sixth crossing, right? We're...there! I see it there!"

The glade was up ahead, approaching faster than Kyra would've liked. She felt herself tensing up, trying to push herself backwards, trying to force them to slow down without leaving the embrace of Ruby.

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby nodded at Kyra's directions, trying to be as smooth as possible in her race toward their destination. There were no efforts being saved to try and get there as quick as possible, but at some point trying to maintain a more controlled speed.

When it seemed like they were close enough, and upon feeling Kyra tensing up, Ruby slowed down, down to a point they eventually halted, in a slightly reserved spot near their destination.

She looked at Kyra's eyes, carefully placing her back on her feet before letting her go from the embrace. "We need to a bit more discreet now, so we should go on slower pace." She said.

Her expressions then softened. "It will be alright." She reassured. "No matter what happens, I will be here. And together we can do it." Ruby's tone was firm, and when she averted her eyes to look at their destination, she reached Kyra's tail with her own, giving a tug to encourage her to go.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

Scythe Mastery ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Spirit Magic ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Hemomancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Aeromancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Corrupt

They weren't far away. Ruby had slowed to a stop much faster, and far smoother, than Kyra had expected her to be able to do at such high speeds. It truly spoke to the girl's capabilities when it came to her speed-based skills. That embrace seemed to linger, though... She shook her head, clearing the distracting thoughts as she took in their surroundings.

"It's quiet...almost too quiet, if they're around here. You don't think they've moved on already, do you?"

She whispered in an attempt to remain stealthy, and undetected. From what, though, she wasn't sure. Her enhanced senses picked up nothing; no sounds, no smells, no visuals of any signs that anyone was nearby. It was like the entire area was...

"Are they blocking themselves with magic somehow...? There's an oddly...vacant amount of sensory. Like...the air itself is dead..."

She didn't like the feeling that had grown in her stomach. The worry, the sense that something was wrong. Everything was screaming at her suddenly, telling her it was a trap. Warning her to try and escape while they still could. Her hand had shifted down to her scythe automatically, her fingers gripping it tightly just seconds before the voice rang out throughout the small area they had hunkered down in.

"Best you not draw that weapon fully there, lest things go real bad for you two, real quickly."

The voice came off from her right, but even as she searched, she couldn't find the source of it. Just the shimmer on the air as the trees seemed to sway rhythmically, even with the lack of a strong breeze. Wait a second...

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Yes... It is way too quiet." Ruby squinted slightly, tapping a finger on her blade's grip and remaining mostly near Kyra, not wishing to stay away from her enough to allow the girl to panic once again like the last few times. An ear twitched, and Ruby shook her head.

"No, I don't think so." That would be too easy, and considering what they could've possibly done to that entity? They wouldn't go that far if they didn't think that place was worth weeks or even months of work.

Something was up, and Kyra's words seemed accurate so far... But things remained mostly quiet and unsettling, until a voice reached Ruby's ears, making them perk up as she shifted and nearly glued on Kyra, shoving her blade forward in a protective stance, ready to parry any incoming attack as she looked around.

"... Nothing..?" Ruby muttered, scowling.

"No, I'm sure I've heard something... You heard it, right, Kyra?" She asked, wondering if she was aware of what was happening.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

Scythe Mastery ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Spirit Magic ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Hemomancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Aeromancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Corrupt

"Yeah...yeah I definitely heard something...I just can't see where it came from. Do...the trees over there seem to shimmer to you?"

She nodded in the direction off to the right of where they had arrived from, peering in the direction even as she did so. She could've sworn there was an almost haze like appearance to the area, similar to the effect of hot pavement on a cool day, causing the area to almost dance and wave in response.

Louder, and directed towards the area that she peered at, she spoke in response to the voice that had warned them. She wanted to try and buy them time - and if this was the group causing harm to the guardian of the forest, well, then she wanted the chance to try and speak with them.

"Alright...we'll leave the weapons sheathed for now. We just want to talk anyways. We're looking for a group of individuals who are doing some...forestry work in the area. We think they may have accidentally angered the nearby guardian of the forest, and well...we want to talk to them about it."

She raised a hand in a wave towards Ruby, trying to silently suggest that they should leave their weapons sheathed for the moment - at least until they had a better idea of what they had walked into. Her eyes never left the shimmering area, but as the man stepped out from it, she had to blink twice. He seemed to simply...appear, as if from thin air.

Burly in build, he was cleared armed like someone who was used to combat. In other terms, Kyra would've labelled him as a mercenary, if this was simply a normal MMORPG. Here, well...here she labelled him as dangerous. But now we know he's here, and likely more of them nearby as well...

"Talk, you say? Nah, there's nothing to talk about. Why don't you two head back the way you came from, and bugger right off?"

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby remained still, with a hand holding her blade tightly, ready to use it if necessary. She squinted when Kyra mentioned the trees, frowning at the shimmer. What sort of phenomenon was that? Some sort of mirage? Ruby didn't know, but she didn't like what she was seeing, being any potential of the enemy approaching something undesired.

Kyra's gestures, however, halted Ruby from keeping a defensive stance. Instead, Ruby paused, nodding at Kyra while her Primal Aura was the only thing she used to communicate right away.

It told Kyra that Ruby trusted her.

"We have a lot to talk." Ruby spoke up. "The harm being caused in the forest will become irreversible at this point. I'm not sure if it is you, or someone else, but someone is going much more far than they should." She stated bluntly.

"To a point that even they will be at loss, for not having anything remaining. It isn't worth it."

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

Scythe Mastery ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Spirit Magic ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Hemomancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Aeromancy ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Corrupt

The man sneered in response, his own weapon - an axe, that looked oddly similar to those Kyra had seen in the vision - hefted suddenly as he waved a hand at them again. Kyra didn't wait for the man to speak, instead taking a step forward and re-opening the wound on her hand. A trail of blood quickly began to swirl around her body as a snarl began in her throat.

"I've had enough...now either get out of our way, or enjoy wreathing on the ground like a dying rat."

There was no pity in her voice, no reservation. The snarl was paired only with a single emotion; anger. She continued moving forward, trusting Ruby to follow behind her as she stepped towards the man and the shimmering trees.

Credit either to bravery, or stupidity, but the man stepped in their way, intent on stopping the two of them from progressing any further. Kyra gave a single flick of her scythe, the blade slashing out across the man's arm and leaving a gash - as well as a surprised look. In response, he lifted the axe, clearly intent on bringing it down upon Kyra. A chance that he never got to take, as her blood shot forward and slammed into the cut.

A few seconds passed as the two of them seemed locked in motionlessness. Then, suddenly, the man dropped the axe, a gasp coming from his throat as his hands reached up to his chest, a wild, scared look on his face. It didn't take long, a few seconds, before the body hit the floor.

"Let's go. There's more of them this way."

Kyra's voice was deadpanned, entirely void of emotion as she stepped forward and into the mirage, passing through it like one would the open air. What she found beyond, was a small encampment. They were on the edge - still within the tree cover, protecting them from the sight of the twenty or so individuals who moved throughout the camp. Kyra could see a few other men - built like the one they had encountered, and armed with similar axes. Among the remainder of the camp were women, children and a couple of individuals who reminded Kyra more of office workers - well dressed, not a sign on their body of a true hard day's work.

The snarl in her throat returned, quickly growing into a growl as her vision focused on the group of people, her body tensing to rush forwards.

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby frowned at the sudden change of atmosphere, with Kyra taking a more offensive role as Ruby prepared herself, mostly trying to keep a protective stance on Kyra before she charged in to attack the man. The fight could barely be called one, with the purple-haired beastfolk finishing the man off quickly.

"Seems like you've improved a lot." Ruby muttered, moving forward and continuing to focus on their path.

Kyra's condition, however, worried Ruby slightly. A few moments ago the girl wished to solve this with the conversation, but she was so quick to change to a violent solution... Ruby wondered if she was just overthinking, but after the incident with the squirrels, it was hard to tell.

When they approached an encampment, Ruby tried to keep a low profile, despite holding a blade on her hand.

The snarl coming from her friend, however, snapped Ruby's attention to her, and she was quick to hold her hand firmly. "Kyra..." She whispered, looking at her eyes. "What's wrong?"

@Kyra Vashtana