I started running toward the sound, which sent a wave of vertigo through my head. I gritted my teeth and kept moving. Brown Bear came up beside me, easily keeping pace with me. The two of us emerged from the brush to find ourselves at the top of a shallow canyon within the forest. The scream had come from below us, a girl was running through the undergrowth. Her outfit was similar to Brown Bear's, a button up shirt with a dark blue bow at her neck. She was wearing a long-sleeved undershirt that was covered in a camouflage pattern of brown, white and tan. She wore leggings with the same pattern. Her hair was mostly a sandy brown but changed to black at the tips. Two large round ears sat on the top of her head and I could see a fluffy tail behind her. Another Friend, then. She glanced back over her shoulder and screamed again as her pursuer came into a view. A dark green Cerulean crawled over a fallen log and its single eye locked on the girl. It reminded me of an eel as it undulated along the forest floor, but it had the pincers of a giant beetle.
"We have to help her." Brown Bear tightened her grip on her staff. I raised my rifle to my cheek and settled the crosshairs onto the Cerulean's stone as it rushed toward the girl. I let the air out of my lungs slowly, steadying myself for the shot...but I paused. The Cerulean had almost reached the girl now and she screamed again. I lowered my rifle and started to turn away.
"What are you doing?!" Brown Bear grabbed my arm.
"If I shoot it, the sound will attract more of them." I shrugged out of her grip.
"So you're going to leave her to die?" Bear snarled at me.
"To help her would put my mission at risk. I can't do that." I started to turn away again. "She's not even human."
Bear glared at me for a long moment. Then she spun her staff in her hand and leapt down the rocky side of the canyon. A thought occurred to me, seeing how the Friends fought the Cerulean might provide some useful information. I knelt down beside one of the trees on the top of the valley wall.
The Cerulean lunged at Bear as she charged it. She ducked and slid underneath the pincers as they clacked together. Her staff came up and slashed across the Cerulean's eye. It shrieked, a shrill piercing sound. Bear rolled to her feet beside the Friend the Cerulean had been chasing. I could see Bear say something to the girl, who nodded. Bear held her staff at the ready and I saw her eyes begin to glow. Bits of incandescent light floated upwards from her eyes, like ashes from a fire. The Cerulean lunged again and Bear dodged to the left, drawing the Cerulean away from the other Friend. The bear's paw on the end of her staff began to glow with the same light as her eyes. Bear swung in a wide arc, the paw connecting with the Cerulean's right pincer and ripping it clean off. The Cerulean reeled and Bear pressed her attack. Using her staff like a pole-vault, she launched herself over the Cerulean. Her staff began to glow once more and she brought the paw down hard on the Cerulean's stone. It shrieked for just a moment and then burst into dozens of cubes that quickly melted into sludge. Brown Bear stood in the puddle of her enemy, breathing heavily. The glowing light in her eyes faded and she smiled at the other Friend. Having seen what I wanted to see, I stood and started making my way through the bush once more. It wasn't long before I heard movement behind me. I turned to find Brown Bear. The other Friend was clinging to her side. Bear's gaze was not kind.
"What is the big idea?" She growled at me.
"Is that a Friend?" The other girl asked her quietly, looking at me with big eyes.
"No." Bear told her. "He's not a Friend. He wanted to leave you to the Cerulean." A look of hurt crossed over the other girl's face as she looked at me. I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. I did my best to ignore it.
"I told you," I said to Bear, "I have a mission to finish. I was not going to risk that mission to save an...animal."
Bear's dark eyes glowered. "You should leave."
"Not gonna happen."
"What if I make you leave?" The glowing light started in Bear's eyes again. My rifle snapped up, the crosshair between those glowing eyes. She blinked and stepped back.
"Do you know what this is?" I asked the Friends.
"A weapon." Bear said, the glowing fading from her eyes.
"Right. It will kill you if I think you are a threat. Understood?"
Bear nodded, slowly. I lowered my rifle and started away from them. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding in. I heard a footstep behind me and my rifle once again pressed against my cheek. Bear stood with her hands held up, showing me they were empty.
"What?" I growled at her.
"I'm not going to stop you, but I am going with you."
I blinked and lowered the muzzle of my rifle, but kept it at the ready. "Why?"
"I don't trust you." She stated. "I'm going to make sure no Friends get hurt because of you."
I stared at her for a moment. Moving as a group would probably attract more attention from the Ceruleans. But how would I stop them from following me? Shooting them would cause too much commotion. Tie them up with the restraints I carried? That would leave them as easy prey for the Ceruleans. They might just be animals, but I wasn't sure I could do that to them. I sighed. I didn't have time for this.
"Suit yourself." I said with a shrug. "But keep up." I started off into the forest again. The sounds of the two Friends following me started a moment later. The thick undergrowth made progress slow and the two Friends made no effort to help clear the way. They kept their distance from me, but they were still close enough for me to hear their words as they spoke in low voices.
"I don't like him." The girl Bear had rescued said.
"Humans are strange." Bear told her. "Hey, what's your name? I'm Brown Bear."
"African Wild Dog." She replied. "You're really strong, Bear. I want to learn how to fight like you do."
"Maybe I'll be able to teach you one day." I could hear a smile in her voice.
The forest opened into a small clearing. I could see what looked like a game trail on the other side that lead off into the brush. A glimpse of the crystals on top of the Sandstar volcano could be seen above the canopy. I rested my rifle in the crook of my elbow and used my free hand to pull one of my canteens from my pack. The water was thankfully still cold and soothed the back of my throat. As I drank I could see Wild Dog watching me from the corner of my eye. I looked at her and saw she was staring at the canteen in my hand. I hesitated for just a moment and held it out to her. She shot a look at Brown Bear before taking the canteen and downing a big gulp. She handed the canteen back to me and I glanced at Bear. She was watching the exchange impassively. I held the canteen out to her then, but was given only a glare in response. I shrugged and stowed the canteen in my pack again.
"That path leads to the Lodge." Bear said suddenly and pointed to the game trail. I raised an eyebrow.
"You're suddenly so helpful..." I commented.
"I want you gone as soon as possible." Bear told me.
I didn't bother to respond and crossed the clearing to the trail. Underneath the trees once more, my eyes had to adjust to the little light that filtered through the branches. It would be night soon and I needed to hurry. Thankfully, following the trail made progress much easier. Still, soon the shadows grew longer and I stumbled a few times as the ground became increasingly difficult to see.
"There!" Wild Dog said from just behind me, making me jump.
"What?" I looked where she was pointing, but just saw a trunk.
"You don't see it?" She tilted her head to the side. "You can't see in the dark, can you? There's a ladder." Now that she said it I could see the faint outline of a rope ladder on the tree. It swayed gently back and forth. Craning my neck to look upward, I saw the floor of an enormous treehouse above.
"That's the Lodge." Wild Dog told me. "One section of it anyway."
"Dog." Brown Bear's voice was hushed and intense. "Get up the ladder." She held out her hand and there was brief flash of light that blinded me for a moment. When my vision returned I saw that her paw-headed staff had appeared in her hands. She looked at me. "I smell Ceruleans."
At her words the forest around us erupted into howling.
