It was a fierce battle; a desperate battle.
Being attacked from all angles, and with their Warriors and Guards spread thinly, the denizens of the Star Gazing Settlement had suffered greatly.
Dawn led from the front.
Each swing of her spear fell upon a wolf, parting its skull or stabbing into its stomach, spilling blood over the dull soil.
Turning around, she would unleash a devastating horizontal sweep, kicking up dirt and unleashing that foul scent of the felled wolves' insides.
On the 'left' side of the large, human convoy, denizens were slaughtered by the talons of grotesque owls.
On the 'right' side of the group, lives were claimed by the claws of fierce, black tigers.
On the rear, the area where unrest was brewing the most, humans were trampled under the paws of ferocious bears.
In short, it was a terrible ordeal.
The confrontation lasted around ten minutes. Dawn slaughtered the wolves at the front, then she aided in fending off the other beasts.
The Warriors and Guards battled and were felled, too.
Despite sparing the utmost extreme of her efforts, Dawn was unable to protect the majority of her people.
Hundreds had left with her to flee the Settlement; now that number was significantly reduced.
The scent of iron assailed her nostrils as she gazed at the pools of blood dying the soil red.
Her breathing was slightly heavy. She quickly counted the number of survivors, as well as the injured.
"Dawn."
Grabbing a fistful of her sleeve was Selene, who was fortunately unharmed.
Similarly, Sun was also unharmed and was currently kneeling beside an injured man.
"The casualties..."
"Don't worry about that now, Dawn."
"...?"
"You can't lose yourself now, not when the people need you most."
"Selene..."
Selene was right.
Not only losing their home to the crimson flames, but also their people to the beasts of the forest.
The ordeals came one after another, and the people were implicated, and lives were lost.
Now was not the time to lose herself in the losses of the people, for that would only further demoralise her people.
"Those crimson flames are still approaching. Even if your Father is holding them back, nothing guarantees that we will escape them. We must make the most of our time."
"Yes... You are right, Selene, but moving with all of our injured will be difficult. I will have any spare arms lent out to support them, but I will also need spare arms to help deter any beasts that try to approach."
"Leave them."
"Selene...?"
"Leave the injured. Carrying dead weight—especially those covered with the thick stench of blood—will only hinder us. Not only as burdens to carry around, but they would also lure beasts towards us."
"But to leave them behind is too cruel!"
"That is why we do not 'leave them behind'."
"..."
"Dawn! Selene!"
That third voice came from Sun, who approached the two's conversation.
"What is this about leaving the people behind?! We can't leave anyone behind!"
"What can we do? We can't linger around here for too long. The battle at Star Gazing Settlement is not getting any quieter, and the beasts aren't going to hesitate to swarm us! We can not idle any longer than we already have!"
"But we can't just leave them behind. We can just treat them, let me treat them!"
"It will take too long. If we remain here, where the bestial and human stench of blood is thick, the world will not wait for us! We have to move, now!"
"Selene! You can't just abandon these people here, I refuse to... I won't allow it...!"
"But you have no choice in this, Sun."
Turning both their heads to Dawn, they silently left the final decision to her.
Meeting both the cold gaze of Selene and Sun's gaze of desperation, she held her breath and thought for a moment.
"I understand... Have the denizens who remain healthy move forward. Those who have minor injuries can join them; leave the injured here."
"Dawn!"
"I... I will see to them. Those who can move and recover can join us, but those who cannot..."
"Dawn. You can't be serious...!"
"Have the Guards move the people out, now. Sun, I need you to stay with Selene. I can not have you joining me... not now."
"But, what are you going to do?! I know that you don't wield healing Dao Arts, just what are you going to do?!"
Sun already had an idea of what Dawn would do; Dawn spared not another glance as she turned around.
"What are you going to do, Sun? There are still other people who need help, and I need you to watch over Selene as well."
Choking on his words and gritting his teeth, Sun could not let out a retort to that statement. Easing his furrowed brow was a tug on his sleeve.
"You know that there are still people we can help."
Calming his thoughts, Sun held his head low as he reluctantly agreed to their proposition.
"Just come back to us safely, okay? I'll keep an eye on Sun, too, of course."
"Stick together, you two. Don't lose sight of each other!"
Selene waved her off as they left to rejoin the group.
...
After a few moments of recollecting the denizens of Star Gazing Settlement, Dawn separated the majority of the group from those who were terribly injured.
The scent of iron was rich in the air as blood pooled on the earth; the mixed corpses of wolves and humans littered the forest ground.
Occupying this area was a small group of injured people, those who survived the encounter with the beasts, but were too injured to properly move forward.
In Selene's words: hinderances.
"You few are the only people who require extensive aid to recover. Unfortunately."
"The majority who remained unharmed or lightly injured are moving forward."
"It would be detrimental to our group's retreat to bring along everyone who remains here, but I do not want to leave you without choice."
"So... I will not object to those who want to join us, nor will I object to those who wish to remain, so, please, do not feel as if you must refuse."
"You are free to choose; I will leave the choice in your hands."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The silent response was deafening.
Some of the injured lay quietly. Some of the injured groaned painfully. Some of the injured were breathing faintly.
Eventually, one spoke up.
"Do we have a choice...?"
"Of course... If you wish to leave with us, no matter the consequence, I will support your choice."
"That is not what I mean..."
"...?"
"Could we even escape in the first place...? I feel... as though the world is falling apart. Were we given such agency to begin with...?"
Sputtering a cold laugh, the last sparks of life were carried in droplets of blood, spilling hoarsely from his lips.
"Night feels so cold... and yet our home was set aflame... How ironic is that...? I'm sure that nobody here wants to even try and live, if for a little bit longer... for such a futile length of time."
...