The thing leapt off the wagon, breaking wood and metal as it did so. It landed a few dozen feet away, off the road, and onto the grass nearby. It roared in defiance a bit as it spun around, its puffy ball of fur at the end of its tail danced wildly in the air behind it as it glared at us.

Holding my sword's handle firmly, I gulped as I stared at the red cat. It was about the size of a small bear, but it was made larger by its huge puff of fur and fuzz all over its body. It had a crazy mane of red, the kind of red that was… too bright to be real. Not even its blood, leaking from arrows and cuts on its sides, was as bright a red in color. It almost looked fake. What predator was so brightly colored? It was if it was mocking the world around it. As if it was saying that it didn't need to blend in with the environment. That it wanted the whole world to see it, at all moments. As if it was saying its existence was so powerful, so strong, it was the king of the world and none of us could do anything about it.

Yet as loud it roared, as much as it drew eyes, and as strong as it acted… we were still holding our own against it.

Lilly huffed as she stepped forward, raising the spear again. She had been the one to get it off the wagon just now, since it had seemed to outright ignore all the arrows that Light's people kept shooting at it. She had stabbed it in the side.

Glancing down, around our feet, I frowned at the dozens of arrows everywhere.

How come none of them could pierce its skin? The cuts, bleeding profusely on it, weren't just from Lilly and the spear. I myself had cut it, in its rear right flank. I had stabbed it with my sword as it had focused on Lilly and Martin. My sword had dug deep, rather easily too. As had Merit's own sword, and even Martin's hammer had broken its skin.

Maybe it was the tools. My sword, though not special like Vim's spear, was still made by him. Steel, not iron.

"Focus, Renn!" Merit shouted at me as she hurried up next to me, and I blinked as I looked up… and found the monarch had moved. I panicked at first, expecting it to attack me or near me, but instead found it running away from us… to the other group.

"Shoot!" Lilly darted off first, chasing after the monarch as it charged at Light and her group. Martin was there at least, but he was hurt. And the few others who seemed capable, or even willing, to fight at all didn't look very capable from here.

All this time we'd been trying to keep its focus on us. Since Light and the rest weren't as capable. Martin had gotten hurt rather quickly in the fight, and so had retreated a bit to the other group but it seemed to have finally backfired. Maybe there were just too many of them in too close a huddle, and it had drawn the monarch's attention and wrath.

Several people shot arrows at the monarch as it charged at them, and Martin readied his large hammer-like weapon, but I wasn't able to see the result of its attack. It leapt out at Martin, snarling as it did, and I was at an angle that only showed me the monarch's rear and back as it fought Martin.

Running over to help, I cursed my slowness when Lilly got there first. She didn't hesitate a beat. She jumped straight up onto the monarch, causing it to roar in surprise as she went and stabbed the spear down into its back.

The monarch continued to roar as Lilly kept pushing the spear deeper. The kind of roar that hurt, and not just my ears. I flinched, but powered through the pain in my bones as I hurried forward. Lilly was still on the thing's back, trying to push the spear deeper into the monarch… likely trying to stab it in the heart.

It spun, roaring as it did, as it tried to spin around to swipe at Lilly. It was surprisingly agile and limber. It jumped a bit, spun around and swiped at her with a huge paw. It hit her, sending Lilly off its back. Before the monarch landed on the ground, it spun back around and landed on all fours… with the kind of quickness that seemed almost impossible.

I arrived right as it stood back up, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Lilly roll and flail on the ground nearby. The spear was still stuck in the thing's back, and it was trying to look behind itself, likely in an attempt to see the spear and why it was hurting.

The way it acted was as if it was a basic creature… yet then during moments like this it seemed to have a hint of intelligence. It looked as if it was about to bend and contort, as to bite at the spear and to tug it out. Yet before it could, I reached it.

Swiping my sword at the thing's face, since it was distracted, I kept running past it even as my sword connected. I felt the metal hit flesh and what felt like solid stone. The thing's bones were as hard as rock. Yet that stone bled. It hissed in pain as I ran past, after dragging my sword along its face for a few heartbeats.

I didn't even wait to see if I had done any real damage or not. I ran straight for Lilly, who was struggling to get up off the ground. At least she was moving. She was alive. She looked in one piece.

Martin wasn't.

Skidding to a stop, I felt my heart skip a beat at the sight. The large hammer was a few feet away, and the hand that still held it was not where it was supposed to be. There was a trail of blood, left behind by Martin who was now near the other wagon. Being pulled back by Light and the others.

The sight made me realize just how quickly it could happen. The monarch was that deadly.

A roar made me spin back around, and ready my sword. I hadn't needed to though. Merit was now the one standing on the monarch's back. She had a hold of the spear, though unlike Lilly who had tried to push it deeper instead tugged it free. The monarch flinched and hissed out with a shriek of pain, probably the worst one yet, as Merit jumped off its back before it could flail around and swipe at her as it had Lilly.

Merit landed nearby, and turned to looked behind us. "Get up birdbrain!" she shouted.

"Trying…!" Lilly's voice sounded strained. I didn't like the sound of it.

She was hurt.

And we had no time to wait for her.

The monarch rushed towards us, or rather towards Merit. I didn't go to stand between her and the creature, because I knew better now than to think Merit actually needed such help. For such a tiny thing she was strong. Probably as strong as I was.

But I still stepped forward. I still helped. I'd not abandon my friends and family.

The monarch had its full attention on Merit, as if it knew the spear she held was the main cause for its pain and concern. Again it showed its intelligence as it roared at her, and went to trying to swipe at her with its huge paws. It seemed afraid to charge at her too haphazardly, opting to attack with its claws instead of teeth as it had just done to Martin.

Merit, likely thanks to how small she was, swiftly dodged the swipes. She ducked and danced under and around them, backpedaling as she did. The spear she held scraped against the grassy ground as she did, the point pointed down instead of up. A part of me feared the spear accidentally cutting her more than the monarch's claws, which felt ridiculous but too real.

I didn't leave Merit to her own devices. I hurried forward and went straight to the thing's rear. The tail was akin to a cat's, somewhat like my own, but at the very end of it was a huge bundle of fuzz. It was dancing and flailing around like crazy, like a fast flying bug zooming back and forth in the air. I focused on the ball of fuzz and swung my sword at it.

Although I didn't feel my sword connect with anything, I knew it had. The monarch roared and suddenly spun around, leaping at me.

Its attack had been instant. One moment I had been swinging my sword at its tail, the next a huge set of bloody teeth and claws were right in front of me. But I had been expecting it. The monarch didn't always respond so to injuries, but it did when they hurt it. And I had just hurt it. I had cut off its tail and I knew from experience how badly it hurt us when our tails were involved.

Stepping forward, not back and away from its attack, I ducked a bit and angled my sword. It was already situated and ready, thanks to how I had cut the tail earlier. I only needed to angle it just a bit higher, up to the sky, and I tilted my whole body and shifted as to dodge the huge paws and claws.

It had leapt at me as a cat would, with open arms as if to hug me. Unluckily for it… I knew exactly how it attacked.

My uncle had done the same thing. Though he had been far bigger, it was the same method. The same technique.

The attack was lethal, because it usually allowed the attacker to bite down and wrap its sharp claws all over you. It then would be able to kick and claw at you with its rear legs, but it had a flaw. One that allowed me to step in and under it, and delve my sword straight into the thing's open mouth.

The cat was too big. Its leaps, although fast, were massive. It jumped several feet of distance in the blink of an eye. Too much too fast. It was the same reason that Merit was able to so easily dodge its attacks. The thing's movements were simply too large, too obvious.

So I stabbed it right in the mouth as I dodged and ducked its leap.

I didn't have the opportunity to push it in too deeply, because I had to roll on a heel as to dodge the rest of the thing's attack. I was hit by the monarch's giant chest, but it didn't hurt too bad as I was pushed aside. Likely thanks to the thick mane. I skidded around a bit from the blow as I hurriedly stepped away, since I knew there was a chance the monarch would spin around to continue its pursuit. But I slipped a bit on wet grass, and tumbled. I rolled backward, falling over myself as I tried to hurriedly get back to my feet.

Although only a few seconds had passed as I rolled, I still expected to receive a terrible blow as I jumped to my feet. I had given the monarch too much time. I had wasted too long rolling around. Yet instead of being attacked… I found myself being defended.

Lilly and Merit were in front of me. Lilly had the spear again, lifted and poised as the monarch jumped straight at us. It had leapt high into the sky, probably higher than it had done so far, and in its open maw I saw the gleam of metal.

It had broken my sword. But not completely. A part of the blade was still stuck in its jaw. It must have broken it by biting down on it… which showed just how strong a bite it had.

Stolen story; please report.

The thing seemed to float a moment in the air, but then my heart beat again and it fell. It landed upon us in a flurry of movement and chaos, and in the blink of an eye that it happened I panicked.

It had landed right on top of Lilly!

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Merit. She had jumped out of the way right as it landed, to safety, but then had ran straight back into it. Without hesitation Merit ran right into the wild blur of movement as the monarch rolled and hissed, swiping and attacking at… at…

With wide eyes I watched as Lilly rolled and dodged with the monarch. Right in its grasp, yet not getting hit, she ducked and danced as easily as Merit had done earlier… even though it was attacking with far more vigor than before. The monarch wasn't just attacking with its teeth and front paws, but its rear ones too. It was rolling around on the ground, the same way a cat would fight another cat in some back alley. Over a scrap of food.

Through the hisses and roars, I heard flesh being stabbed. I heard thick leather and fur being cut. I heard and saw blood spurt and fly into the air. In the midst of the blur of red, a flash of white like a ghost came and went. I wasn't sure what Merit was doing, but every so often she left the fray only to run back into it.

Grass and dirt flew up as I reeled back. The monarch drew closer to me, and I wasn't sure what to do. I no longer had a sword. No weapon. Could I help? What the monarch even notice if I punched it? It looked like Merit was shocking the thing. She occasionally grabbed onto it, grabbing on with both arms, and then released it a moment later. I didn't see or hear her using her ability, but there was no doubt that was what she was doing.

And Lilly kept stabbing the spear into the thing. Never too deeply. Not deep enough for it to get stuck, which would result in her being unable to dodge a swipe of a claw or a dangerous bite from huge teeth. But every heartbeat that went by she stabbed it again. Usually in its chest area, or sides.

"Run!"

I took a deep breath at the voice. It hadn't been from Merit, or elsewhere. It had been shouted by Lilly, while in the thick of battle.

And that told me how serious the warning had been.

Turning, I ran back while watching the scene. Merit too had jumped away, and once she glanced around and saw me she ran towards me in my direction. Half a moment later, Lilly darted out from under the monarch and ran the other way… Vim's spear gleaming wildly in the sun as she ran.

The monarch rolled a bit, hurrying to its feet… but as it did I noticed it slump. The giant cat had its mouth gaping open, trying to hiss and roar, but only deep heaves and huffs came from it. It stood up, glancing around as if suddenly lazy and tired… like a typical cat would do, and then let out a low moan.

"Lilly!?" I shouted my friend's name. She was on the other side of the monarch, and from here she did look fine… but I had such a hard time believing she was. She had been in the thick of that monarch's attack for more than just a few seconds. And a lot of that had been with her on the monarch, or beneath it. There was little chance she had gone through that completely unscathed.

"I'm fine! Get ready, they always have one last fight in them before the end!" she shouted at us.

Merit hurried over to my side, and as she did I flinched. She had a huge gash on the side of her left shoulder, one that was soaking half her shirt.

"Merit…" I groaned.

"I'm fine. Stay back Renn, let Lilly finish it."

Right… Merit didn't have her little sword anymore either. Where'd it gone, I wonder?

The monarch roared a bit, and then it shook itself wildly. As it did a bunch of blood and flocks of fur splattered all around it, so much so it made me wonder how it was still alive. Its front legs were so drenched in blood it was akin to a fountain pouring.

It looked over at me and Merit… and then turned and looked to our right. I followed its gaze, and found it had looked at the wagons. To where Light and the rest were.

Why were they so far away…? They were so far I doubted they'd hear us if we shouted. I couldn't believe how far they were, since they themselves hadn't moved from their original spots. It was us who had traveled such a distance. And we had done it in the blink of an eye, it felt.

Then the monarch turned again, and it finally found Lilly. She was walking around it, the spear raised once more. I saw dark lines on the spear from here, which were likely the thing's blood running down its shaft.

"What's she waiting for, Merit?" I whispered as we watched the monarch turn to face Lilly. She kept rounding it, keeping a distance as she did.

"Probably trying to catch her breath, Renn. Give her a moment."

Right…

Breathing heavily, I stayed on guard with Merit as we watched Lilly continued to walk around the monarch. The monarch itself stayed relatively still… only moving to meek Lilly in its line of sight. It looked like it tried to hiss at Lilly every so often, its mouth and lips raising and moving to do so, but no sound came. My sword, or at least a piece of it, was still stuck in its mouth so I figured that was the reason.

The thing looked… pitiful now. It was covered in blood and wounds. What had been thick and poofy fur and hair was now all matted and soaked. The thing no longer had a tail. Its mane wasn't just soaked with blood but littered with grass and dirt. What had been huge white teeth were now stained, and some were even broken. Its left paw looked mangled somehow, or maybe it was missing half of it. It was hard to tell with how it was standing, and how tall the grass was.

What had been a mighty, proud monarch, now looked like any typical animal about to be hunted and put down. The red beast had seemed kingly before, but now looked like a mangy back-alley cat.

Lilly then slowed a bit, coming to a stop in front of us. My own tail squirmed like mad as I realized she had done it on purpose. She had once again put herself between us and the danger.

How could anyone hate this woman…? She was so…

Then she charged forward. I blinked and she was right on the monarch, who flailed upward in defense. It looked like it tried to leap forward at her, but didn't have the strength. It instead just jumped up a bit and then fell back down onto its side. It tried to swipe at Lilly, but she completely circumvented its efforts by jumping around it to its side, and with a quick and single move… she stabbed it right in the back of the head.

The huge cat had a massive spasm, and then all four of its legs went taught and straight. Lilly stepped into the blow, pushing the spear deeper, and the thing went completely still… and completely collapsed onto its side.

Breathing a sigh of relief at the sight, out of the corner of my eye I saw Merit relax as well. The two of us didn't move yet as we watched Lilly adjust the spear, and then pull it out. She wasted no time in stabbing the spear into the monarch again. This time right into its side, not far above its left leg. Likely to get to its heart.

The monarch didn't even twitch at the new wound… even as Lilly twisted and dug the spear ever deeper into the thing's chest.

It was dead. Completely.

"Gosh…" I felt my shoulders slump as Merit walked forward. She took a few steps and then broke out into a run as she hurried over to Lilly and the monarch.

I followed her, but not as quickly. By the time I reached them Lilly had already pulled the spear free and stepped back a bit from the monarch's body.

"That was a lot harder than it had to be," Merit said as she stared at the red creature.

Upon getting close, I grimaced at the sight. The thing was bleeding so badly there was already a huge pool of blood beneath it. The grassy ground wasn't able to absorb it at all, the blood was so thick and red it was starting to pour elsewhere as it formed little streams.

"Are you okay Lilly?" I asked as I stared at the dead creature. Now that I wasn't worried for my life, or anyone else's, I now noticed it stunk. Terribly. Was that just its blood, or something else…?

"No. But I'll live," Lilly said.

Turning to look at her, I flinched as I saw what I'd just heard.

Lilly's left arm was twisted in an odd shape. Her left hand was likewise broken, with mangled fingers. And worst of all, across her chest and stomach were large gashes. She didn't even have a shirt on the front of her body anymore, thanks to it having been cut into rags and torn apart.

"Gosh Lilly…!" I groaned as I wondered what to do. Those looked terrible! There was a cut along her left breast that looked so deep that… that…!

"Don't panic. We have Light here," Merit said simply.

Huh…?

Oh…!

I hurriedly turned, realizing she was right! Light was a saint! That meant, like Witch, she'd be able to help heal Lilly!

And sure enough Light was hurrying over. Her robe fluttered as she ran towards us.

"Great… uh… don't tell Vim… okay?" Lilly mumbled… and then promptly fell backward.

I rushed forward, grabbing her before she fell to the ground. She crumpled in my arms, letting out a wheeze of pain as she did.

The spear she'd used to kill the monarch fell nearby and rolled into the grass, but I ignored it as I helped pull her away from the monarch's dead body and its blood. Just in case it was poisonous or something.

"Hold on! I'm coming!" Light shouted.

"She's old and slow," Merit said with a huff.

Lilly grinned up at me as I helped her lay down in the grass. As she did, I noticed the blood seeping from some of the huge gashes. And the way her mangled left arm rested lifelessly at her side.

Those wounds were bad. Really bad…

"Lilly…" I moaned at the sight of them.

"I'll be fine. I'd… survive even without her, but… yeah. Please let her help," Lilly said with a strained voice. She didn't just sound hurt, she looked it. Her face was pale.

Merit stepped over and shook her head down at Lilly.

Lilly scoffed up at her. "Shut it fish brain. Should have let it eat you."

"See Renn? I told you she becomes a baby when hurt," Merit said.

I smirked at that, since Merit has in fact never said such a thing to me before. She was just trying to tease Lilly.

Lilly's pained face contorted into a small smirk, then she flinched. As if the smile made her feel worse somehow.

"By the gods…! You actually did it! Hold on, Lilly, I'm coming!" Light shouted as she got closer. She was huffing like mad, as if terribly exhausted.

I wonder if she'd already used her powers to heal Martin. Witch had gotten weak like that too when she did…

"You're not a panda why are you so out of shape?" Merit asked as the saint hurried over.

"Oh shut it! You're…" Light flinched at the sight of Lilly. She stepped around Merit, nearly knocking her over, as she hurriedly knelt down on the other side of Lilly across from me. "Hold on. Take a deep breath Lilly, this is going to hurt," Light said, speaking seriously as she reached out and placed her hands palms open on Lilly's stomach and chest.

Lilly flinched, and with her right hand she grabbed my wrist. I grabbed her wrist in return, and held on with her as Light's eyes started to grow brighter… and I felt a tingle run up my tail.

She was using her abilities…! I could feel it!

Fascinated, I watched in awe as Lilly's wounds started to mend… even as she winced and whined in pain.

I only had Witch to compare to, but it seemed as if Lilly's wounds were healing far quicker than they should be. If I needed any proof that Light was stronger, or her abilities more potent than Witch's… here it was. In a matter of moments Lilly's dreadful wounds stitched back up, forming together without even a scab to show for it.

"Now your arm," Light said with a strained voice as she leaned forward, as to grab Lilly's mangled arm.

This time it took far longer… and about half way through the process Lilly's grip on my wrist lessened, until she completely let me go… and she passed out.

"Lilly…?" I asked worriedly as Light leaned back, huffing in exhaustion.

"She'll be fine. I uh… I might pass out too in a moment…" she said wearily.

Right…! "Okay," I said as I started to stand up. Lilly was at least lying down, Light though was kneeling on her knees. And Vim's spear wasn't far from her… if she collapsed unnaturally, she might hurt herself.

Merit sighed as I heard other people hurrying over. Worried shouts and robes flapping as they did.

"Can we go home now?" Merit asked as she picked at the gash on her shoulder.

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