~ Tensions Rising ~
SAPHIRA
Saphira can't help the newfound spring in her step, walking through the woods on her return hike to camp. Why is she so happy to have befriended Lykos? It's not as if she didn't already have friends… Okay, maybe it's really just Chloe and perhaps Thalia as well. She thinks on the matter and decides that perhaps it's just that she has found someone who is… like her. An outcast. For the first time in a long time, she doesn't feel so, alone.
She's still fearful of the consequences this could bring upon her and Lykos. The Hunters of Artemis are a group of keen warriors, with some of the girls being even older than her. With that age comes experience and wisdom. Amaris and Laura are two of the sharpest girls, along with Xenia and Marlene. The latter two are more warlike in nature. Should they discover something, they would definitely not hesitate to respond rashly.
Thalia is not nearly as old, but she is still plenty wise and attentive. Saphira truthfully has no idea how she would react but she'd rather not find out. However, the one she truly fears to discover her new secret is none other than their leader.
Lady Artemis.
Saphira hates to fear her mistress, to think that she would react in rage rather than listen, to punish her without a chance for explanation. But Olympians can be wrathful beings. She wishes she could trust the goddess who took her in and saved her from a life of solitude and pain, but she just can't take that chance.
Despite the dark risks hanging over her, Saphira maintains her pleased mood.
Until she gets close to camp.
Her keen senses picked up the sound of soft, hurried footfalls on the pine needles and something rushing through the ferns. In an instant, she has her bow unslung, loaded, and aimed, her movement drawing a female cry of surprise. Saphira finds herself face to face with one of her sisters, a dryad named Willow. Saphira is about to let out a sigh of relief until she realizes that Willow is wide-eyed and clearly distraught.
"Saphira!" the dryad cries. "Thank the gods!"
"What's going on?" Saphira asks. Her answer arrives right behind Willow. A patrol, four of her sisters rushing from the undergrowth. They look ragged and a little beaten, but Saphira's concern for them is drawn away the instant she notices the two girls being carried between the four others behind Willow.
Then she sees the blood.
"What in Hades happened?!" Saphira gasps, her eyes widening. She quickly shakes her head. "Nevermind! Camp, now!"
She takes charge and guides them onward, urging them at a brisk pace. She glances back every few seconds to make sure they're keeping up, and each time, she catches a glimpse of the two lifeless girls being carried, their blood-soaked clothing… Are they even still alive?
Saphira returns her eyes ahead of them and nearly rasps in relief when she glimpses the camp through the trees. They're so close!
"Help us!" she screams, putting every ounce of air in her lungs into her voice. The response is immediate. Her fellow hunters swarm from the camp, rushing towards them. Amaris is the first to reach them and she seems to be stricken with shock upon seeing the state of the patrol.
"Get them to the medical tent!" she commands, moving swiftly to help take hold of one of the injured girls. Saphira dips back to help with the other motionless hunter and is sickened upon finding that she can't even recognize her from the angle and the damage done to her. Her entire right side of her face is… gone, the skin and cheek muscles torn to shreds. Her jacket is also left in blood-soaked tatters, the flesh beneath the fabric in a similar state. This was no animal attack.
"Chloe, Isabel! Get the nectar and moon water!" Amaris shouts. "Rest of you, out of the way!"
Chloe and Isabel poke their heads from the medical tent and gasp before disappearing back inside. Saphira and Amaris follow them inside, pushing through the flap. The two other healers have already prepared two narrow tables of pine, blanketed with a thin sheet. Amaris claims the first to place her wounded on and Saphira swiftly takes the second, gently, but hurriedly placing the ravaged hunter on.
"Everyone else, outside!" Amaris growls, practically shoving Saphira and the other girls out of the way, except for Chloe and Isabel. "Someone get Melanie and Asa in here!"
One of the girls nods and dashes away to do as commanded.
Saphira backs away from the tent, still horrified and confused by the ordeal. She has gotten some of the wounded girl's blood on her hands and sleeves. She whirls around on the patrol just as Thalia, Xenia, Laura, and a former mortal named Stephanie come racing towards them.
"What happened?" Thalia demands. Her electric-blue eyes are hardened with concern.
"We were on patrol, going farther west when we caught the trail of wolves," Penny, a younger girl, starts to explain. Saphira momentarily freezes, thankfully without notice by the other girls. But she said 'wolves,' plural. It can't be Lykos.
"We tried to track them, but it was a trap," Penny goes on, looking more and more in despair.
"How many?" Thalia asks.
"Six. We were almost able to counter them but they got the jump on Samantha and Lilliana," Penny replies with a solemn expression. "They were only on them for a few seconds but…"
Thalia then throws her gaze at Saphira. "Were you with them?"
"No," Saphira says. "I ran into them on my way back."
"I'm so sorry, Thalia." A young blonde girl, a demigoddess named Susan, suddenly speaks. "It's all my fault. I was in charge of the patrol. I thought we could track and kill them ourselves. I was so stupid to not come back and report it to you and now-"
"It's okay, Susan. It's not your fault," Thalia cuts her off. "Give me a second. I need to see them."
Saphira thinks to stop her for a second, but decides to not stand in her way. It's Thalia's responsibility to know about the state and well-being of the hunters under her command. She disappears into the tent for only a few seconds before reemerging with a stunned and dejected expression.
"Samantha is gone."
Those words are like a stab in the gut. Saphira may not be close to many of her sisters, but that doesn't mean she doesn't care for them. She would sacrifice her life for any one of them, as they would all do the same for her.
"And Lilliana?" she asks, not bothering to cover the crack of her voice.
"Amaris was able to save her with the nectar and moon water, as well as stop the curse from taking over by treating the wounds with silver," the sky child replies. She rubs her eyes and grasps two handfuls of her hair like she would tear them out. She pauses just like that, staring at the ground.
"What are you thinking, sister?" Xenia questions. Thalia takes a deep breath before responding.
"We need to have a meeting immediately. This attack will not go with retaliation."
. . . .
Saphira stands quietly within Artemis' war tent, crowded with other girls around a small table with a map stretched out over the surface. The others involved in this gathering consists of Thalia, Xenia, Laura, Amaris, and Lucy. They are generally the upper part of the hierarchy of the Hunt, either the oldest or most experienced members.
"Shouldn't we wait for Artemis to return?" Lucy asks.
"Artemis isn't due to come back for another couple days. We can't wait that long or the monsters that attacked Susan's patrol could escape from the region," Thalia says. "I won't stand for them to get away with this."
"Thalia is right. There is also the possibility that the beasts that attacked are a part of a much larger force in the area. Those wolves may very well have been a scouting party, searching for our camp," Xenia adds.
"My squad still has numerous traps set all over this range. None have been triggered and we haven't seen any signs of the enemy being close to us whenever we go to check them," Laura says.
Thalia shakes her head. "That doesn't mean they're not close by. They could easily be hiding in the next mountain range over."
"So what do you want to do?" Lucy asks.
Thalia stares down at the map, hunched over with her palms pressed firmly into the canvas.
"We need help. We don't have the numbers to be fighting this war by ourselves," she declares and looks up at them all. "I'll take four with me to Camp Half-blood and see if we can possibly get some of the campers to reinforce us."
"Thalia, there are males-" Amaris tries, but quickly falls silent when Thalia glares at her.
"We've been losing hunters left and right for months and have barely been recruiting enough to keep up with this fight, Amaris. We just lost Samantha today. Does the gender of our allies really matter that much right now?" Thalia growls, staring down the healer. Amaris averts her gaze in shame and submission.
"Forgive me," she murmurs.
"Forgiven, but I don't want to hear another word about not liking the campers or the fact that some are boys. Don't forget I used to live there too. I have friends in that camp. I can say with absolute confidence that I would trust them with my life. The leader of that camp managed to earn the respect of Zoe Nightshade herself. Anyone who can do that ought to be real high on our list of people to like."
Saphira shuts her eyes for a brief moment at the mention of the former lieutenant. She quickly expels the stirring feelings with a sigh and refocuses on the matter at hand.
"What are the rest of us to do while you go seek the help of our allies?" Xenia asks.
Thalia heaves a deep sigh, gazing down at the map again. "Do you think you can track down the wolves from where Susan's patrol was attack?"
"Absolutely."
"Alright." Thalia runs a hand through her choppy, punk hair. "We need to know if there is another force out there. Take twenty with you. Try to locate the wolves and find out if there are more in the region. Wipe them out if you can but don't try to take the risk if there are too many."
"Understood, lieutenant," Xenia replies.
"Laura, you and your trappers are to stay here. I want more traps set around the perimeter. Amaris, you, Chloe, and Isabel are to remain here as well. I don't want to send all our healers out in case something happens while we're away," Thalia says.
Laura and Amaris both nod.
"Lucy, you will be going with Xenia's group. They'll need your tracking skills."
"Got it."
"Saph?" Thalia says, now turning to her. Saphira raises her chin to pay attention to the daughter of Zeus. "I need you to stay here. If an attack comes by, I want one of our best fighters here to be ready for it. If the camp is overwhelmed, gods forbid, I want you to pull everyone out and escape. Go to Camp Half-blood to meet with us. That goes for you too, Xenia. If the camp is gone, meet us there."
"Understood," Saphira says, while Xenia nods.
"Assemble your force, Xenia. We're leaving in an hour. Everyone else is dismissed," Thalia says.
They all begin to leave the tent, but Saphira finds herself getting pulled back by her arm by Thalia.
"Hey. I'm counting on you to keep those who remain here safe. If you get attacked and they outnumber you, call the retreat. You won't be a coward for keeping our sisters alive," she says, her voice low.
Saphira understands the underlying message laced within her words.
"I know."
"Good. If everything goes right, I'll be back in just a few days with our help. Hopefully our combined forces will be enough to eradicate the Pack," Thalia says.
"Travel safe, Thalia," Saphira says.
The lieutenant nods and releases Saphira's arm, leaving her free to go. She exits the tent to find Xenia having already gathered a group of fellow hunters as part of her battle force. Many of the timber wolves and falcons are among them. All together, it's twenty-one girls, nine timber wolves, and six falcons. They should be enough to deal with a reasonably large battalion of monsters, but against the full force of the Wolves of Lycaon…
It is difficult to say.
They never quite know just how many followers the first of the werewolves has. Definitely more than the numbers of the Hunt. The Pack can reinforce themselves by tearing through any village or small town, turning humans by passing the curse through a bite, and eating any who put up more resistance than others. Not only that, but slain wolves may also return from Tartarus, like any other monster.
The hunters don't have the luxury of returning from death.
Lycaon and his ilk may very well number somewhere in the hundreds. The Hunters of Artemis have only ever hit a peak number of eighty members… and now numbers at fifty-seven, along with the pack of seventeen timber wolves and twelve falcons.
Indeed, they are in dire need of help.
Saphira hopes that Xenia and Thalia will be successful in their missions so they can finally put an end to this blood feud. She also hopes that once the Pack is gone, Lykos will remain free. The Hunt may not accept him. The hatred for wolves is too strong. But perhaps he may find a place elsewhere, maybe at the demigod camp. They have been known to be more understanding. Actually… that's not a bad idea. Should Lykos ever be threatened by her sisters, Saphira can possibly find a way to get him to Camp Half-blood to be safe.
She'll need a more thorough escape plan. She'll piece one together later tonight.
Thalia has assembled the team that is to travel with her. She exchanges a brief hug with Xenia, before signaling to her followers to trail behind her. That is how farewells are often done here. Quick, to the point, with no waste of time. Both Thalia's and Xenia's groups set out from the camp, sprinting into the forest and disappearing quickly.
"Saph!"
Chloe's voice draws Saphira's attention around. Her blonde friend is racing towards her with bloodstained hands, most definitely a result of her efforts to save the severely wounded hunters.
"You're not going with them?" Chloe rasps as she catches up.
"No. Thalia wants me to stay here and make sure the camp stays safe," Saphira replies.
"Oh, thank the gods! I wouldn't have been able to stop worrying if you were gone!" Chloe sighs in relief.
"That's sweet, Chloe, but you wouldn't have to worry. I can handle myself."
"Ha! The day I don't have to worry about you is because there will be someone else who would look after you."
Saphira rolls here eyes, though understanding of Chloe's sarcasm. "Yeah, like who?"
"I don't know. But hopefully some kind of guardian that devotes their entire life to keeping you safe," her friend replies.
"Not much chance of that happening."
Chloe stifles a soft giggle, casting her gaze downward for a moment before looking back at the direction that the two war parties have left.
"Do you think they'll make it?" she asks, her voice going soft. Gone is the humor, replaced by a new expression of concern, worry, and perhaps a bit of righteous fear.
Saphira has been a part of this life for far too long to ever be too hopeful for something to go right. It's not in her nature to be overly or ignorantly hopeful. With a deep breath, she gives her reply.
"I don't know, Chloe. I just don't know."
