"Stay close, and keep your scent tight."
Lykos's voice was low, clipped with authority as he passed her a wrapped satchel of dried vine ash. "Smear a bit under your chin. It'll help mask you from the blood-wasps."
Lyra wrinkled her nose. "They smell that well?"
"They smell your fear, too."
Great.
She dipped her fingers into the coarse powder and applied it as instructed. The bitter, peppery scent instantly burned her eyes. The Moonfang patrol near her chuckled.
"She's trying," one of the scouts said. "That counts for something."
Another beastman—a younger one named Korr with tawny fur and bright green eyes—grinned at her. "She's braver than some of the cubs."
"I can hear you," Lyra mumbled.
They all laughed, but it wasn't cruel. In fact, it made her chest warm.
This was her first time joining the Moonfang hunting party outside their inner territory. Technically, she wasn't supposed to. But Lykos had allowed it—grudgingly—after she pleaded and offered her herb knowledge as barter.
Still, his final warning echoed in her ears:
> "One wrong step out there, and I won't always be close enough to catch you."
---
🌲 The Moonshadow Trail
They moved fast through the forest, weaving beneath thick roots and leaping over fallen trees like shadows.
The Moonfangs in beast form were silent, sleek blurs of fur and fangs. Lyra jogged behind in soft-soled boots, panting lightly. Her system offered mild stamina buffs now, and she was grateful for every point.
> 🌿 [Eden Core –
Passive Skill: "Fleet Step" activated.
Speed +5%.
Fatigue -2%]
"Not bad," Korr called over his shoulder. "You keeping up?"
"Barely!" she puffed.
"You're faster than the healer apprentices," someone laughed.
"Don't compare her to those lazy tails!" snapped a female scout—Kiya, the same one who had glared at Lyra over the nest claim.
Kiya dropped from a tree branch beside her, narrowed eyes scanning her form. "Keep your knees looser. Don't stomp. You'll attract bonebeetles."
"Right," Lyra nodded, slightly surprised.
Kiya hesitated, then added: "Don't slow us down."
But it almost sounded like… concern.
---
🍂 The Drop
The group reached a gully filled with thick brush and thornroot patches.
"Silksedge flowers bloom here at night," Lykos said. "That's our mark."
Lyra crouched near the plants, brushing fingers gently across the leaves. She recognized the pattern of gold flecks near the base—exactly what her Eden Core had described before.
> [Scan: Silksedge – peak potency. Ideal for binding salves and instinct-calming mixtures.]
She began clipping gently with her bone shears, careful not to disturb the soil too much.
Then—
A sound.
A yelp.
A crash.
"—Korr!"
The group turned sharply. One of the young scouts had slipped down the slope into the lower ravine. Lyra rushed to the edge and peered down.
He was twisted among jagged rocks, clutching his leg—blood leaking between his fingers. Worse, she heard the low buzzing hiss of something unnatural below.
Blood-wasps.
Three of them hovered near Korr, drawn by the scent of his injury.
"Stay put!" Lykos shouted.
But Lyra was already moving.
---
🐝 Instinct Over Fear
She skidded down the embankment, ignoring shouted warnings, and reached Korr just as the first blood-wasp dived.
> ⚠️ [Threat Identified – Class: Insectoid Swarm. Venomous.]
[Defensive Recommendation: Silksedge + Moonmint application.]
"Korr, don't move," she whispered, heart pounding.
He hissed. "What are you doing?! Go—!"
"No way," she said. "I've got you."
She pulled a small jar of silksedge salve from her satchel and tore open his pant leg. Her hands moved fast—faster than she thought possible—as she smeared the cooling mixture over the wound.
The wasps hovered closer, agitated by the scent.
> Time for the pond water.
She reached into her cloak and summoned a vial of purified celestial water she'd hidden from the others. She uncorked it and flung it in a wide arc.
The drops glistened midair—then exploded in soft, radiant mist.
The wasps screeched and scattered, their wings folding midflight.
> [Celestial Water: Passive effect—calms aggressive beasts and insects.]
Korr blinked at her, eyes wide. "What… what was that?"
"Luck," she whispered. "Good luck."
---
🐺 Fangs and Fury
She heard feet crashing down the slope.
Lykos arrived in a flash—fur bristled, eyes wild, claws extended.
He snarled at the fading mist, scanning for enemies. Then his gaze snapped to Lyra, who was cradling Korr's head.
"Are you insane?" he roared.
She winced. "He was bleeding. I couldn't just leave him—"
"You could've died."
"But I didn't."
"You could've burned through your scent masking. The wasps could've—"
"I didn't," she repeated firmly.
Lykos's fists trembled. His voice dropped.
"You… shouldn't be this kind of brave."
She blinked, heart aching. "Why not?"
"Because it makes me want to keep you too close. It makes me forget you're not mine."
The silence that followed was broken only by Korr's sheepish cough.
"…Uh. I'm still bleeding."
---
🛖 Returning as More
The Moonfangs returned to the den after nightfall.
Korr was carried back, wrapped in healing vines and gratitude. He couldn't stop talking about Lyra. "She saved me. She had this light… like a spell. But soft."
Lyra tried to play it off as instinct. A lucky combo of herbs. She could feel eyes on her—both curious and suspicious.
Even the elder shamans whispered.
But Lykos said nothing.
He walked beside her the whole way back, silent as a shadow, his presence pulsing like heat beside her.
And when they reached the nest cave, he did something unexpected.
He placed a hand gently on the back of her neck—just for a moment—and murmured:
"…Thank you."
She turned.
"I thought I wasn't yours," she whispered, not teasing.
His golden eyes locked with hers.
"You're not," he said slowly. "But I think the forest already disagrees."
---
End of Chapter Seven