Leonotis plunged into the woods, his senses on high alert. He focused, trying to tap into the strange green energy that had manifested during the auction. He willed the roots around him to move, to reach out.
Tentatively, thin roots snaked out from the base of his root-sword, twitching like curious tendrils. He concentrated harder, envisioning the bear-like creature ensnared.
Jacqueline's hands glowed with a soft, blue luminescence, hovering first over the man's bloodied chest, then shifting to Low's slashed abdomen. The air around them shimmered faintly as her healing magic worked, knitting torn flesh and staunching the flow of blood. The rhythmic chanting of ancient words filled the quiet clearing.
The man groaned, his eyelids fluttering open. His gaze was unfocused at first, then sharpened as he took in Jacqueline's glowing hands and the worried faces of Leonotis and Low.
"Wha… what happened?" he rasped, his voice weak.
"A bear," Jacqueline said gently, her concentration unwavering. "It attacked you and my friend, Low."
The man's brow furrowed, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
"No… no bear…" He reached out a trembling hand and gently touched Jacqueline's arm, his grip surprisingly firm. "Stop. Heal her. I'll be alright." He gestured weakly towards Low, whose breathing was becoming less ragged under Jacqueline's ministrations.
Jacqueline hesitated, her glowing hands still hovering over his chest.
"But you're badly hurt…"
"It wasn't the bear that did this," the man insisted, his voice gaining a sliver of strength. "Or… or that killed Sara." A wave of grief washed over his face. "It was a hunter. He… he poisoned our porridge. To weaken us. To make it easier to capture Reab."
Jacqueline and Low exchanged shocked glances.
"Poisoned?" Low whispered.
The man nodded, his eyes filled with a burning rage that belied his weakened state.
"He knew what we were. He wanted Reab. For… for whatever twisted reasons hunters want rare creatures." He coughed, a fleck of blood appearing on his lips. "The poison… it made me weak. Slow. Sara… she didn't stand a chance." His voice broke.
He looked at Low, his expression filled with guilt and a desperate plea.
"The bear… Reab… he was just protecting us. He's never hurt anyone before. He's just a scared child."
Jacqueline's glowing hands shifted entirely to Low's wound, her healing magic intensifying. The implications of the man's words hung heavy in the air, painting a far more sinister picture of their situation. The escaping villager hadn't been a victim; he'd been the predator.
Leonotis spotted the bear near a thick oak tree, its large form surprisingly agile as it sniffed the ground. With a surge of will, Leonotis lashed out with his newfound ability. He stabbed his sword into the ground and roots erupted from the top into the surrounding earth, snaking towards the creature. They wrapped around its legs, then its body, tightening until the bear monster was securely bound to the tree, whimpering in confusion and fear.
Leonotis raised his root-sword for the final blow, but he hesitated. Was this the right thing to do? he thought.
Just then the villager from the path reappeared, his earlier terror replaced by a greedy glint in his eyes.
"Hold it right there, boy!" he exclaimed, hurrying towards them. "Don't kill it! That's a werebear cub! A rare one! People in the Capitol will pay a fortune for something like that!" He grinned, already envisioning his newfound wealth. "Keep it tied up. I'll just go get my van…" He turned to leave.
Suddenly, Low and Jacqueline appeared, supporting the injured father. The man's eyes, though still clouded with pain, widened as he saw the large bear cub struggling against the vines.
"Let him go!" he pleaded, his voice hoarse but firm. "Please!"
"He's dangerous. He might kill you next," Leonotis warned.
As the father's gaze locked with the trapped creature, a strange transformation began. The fur fell off in chunks, the snout shortened, the claws retracted. In its place stood a small, whimpering child, no older than two, his eyes wide with fear as he looked at the unfamiliar faces.
The father shook his head, his gaze never leaving his son.
"He won't. Because… because I'm his father." He looked at Low, his expression filled with remorse. "I am so sorry about the scratch. It wasn't deep, was it? You… you probably won't turn." His voice trembled with guilt. "That man… the one who stopped you. He's not a villager. He's a hunter. He killed my wife. He attacked me. That's what triggered my son's first transformation."
The hunter's true nature hung heavy in the air. Without a word, Leonotis severed the roots binding the child. The little boy ran to his father, burying his face in his tunic.
"We need to leave," Low said urgently, her hand pressed against her side. "Before that hunter comes back."
A silent agreement passed between them. They helped the injured father and his son, and together, they retreated back into the woods, leaving the abandoned village and the greedy hunter behind.
Leonotis watched the small werebear child, Reab, now nestled safely in his father's arms, a profound sense of kinship blooming in his chest. The fierce protectiveness in the father's eyes mirrored a longing within Leonotis himself. He thought of Chinakah and Gethii. They weren't his parents but he couldn't help but worry if they were alright.
Then a desperate yearning for his own father, lost to the terrifying grasp of the Oko Egan.
Would I ever see him? Would I ever hear his voice? The questions clawed at the edges of his mind, sharp and relentless. Was his father even still alive, or had he succumbed to the darkness of that monstrous entity? The uncertainty was a constant ache, a dull throb beneath the surface of his newfound resolve.
He looked at the small, vulnerable family before him, and a fierce determination solidified within him. He would save Chinakah and Gethii but then he would find his father. Save him from that creature.
He had to because that's what a hero would do.