I just evaded two shuriken that flew right front of my face and buried themselves into the tree next to me.
"I see that the Blackwolf has not been completely tamed." Said a voice as I could feel a chill run down my spine.
"So you survived Akane, or should I say Bloodwolf?" I said and turned towards the attacker.
"So you remember me. You honor me Lyn" Said the red haired Viera.
"Bloodwolf? Does that mean?" Leah who stood next to me said.
"We are of the same tribe yes." I replied with my eyes focused on Akane.
"A tribe that threw us both out it seems." Akane said with a grin.
"But you have fallen even lower and joined the Empire it seems, Disgraceful." I said taking a look at her Imperial looking armour.
Akane just laughed.
"Coming from the one calling herself a hero. But come now let our blades to the talking" She said.
I nodded and drew my sword.
Akane's grin grew bigger as she launched towards me and our dance began.

"Have your fangs really grown so dull?" Akane asked after a while into the battle.
I did not reply, But I could see what she meant. I was holding back. Not because I wanted. No. It's because I am afraid. Afraid of my old self.
"This is not the beast I faced back then. This is just pathetic. Boring even." She said
I was out of breath. I couldn't think straight. This battle was more than I had anticipated
I can win If I just…
"This is over" Akane interrupted my thoughts as she came towards me with a final attack.
The pain went through my body as I could feel her blades cut into my flesh.
"And you call me a disgrace." she said as I feel to the ground.
"Lyn!" I could hear Leah scream as she was running towards me.
But Akane stopped her by grabbing her and disarming her in the process.
"Hey! Let me go!" She screamed.
"Oh no not so fast. I will have use of you." Akane said.
"Let her go. this is between the two of us." I groaned.
"Don't worry I will not harm her. But to release her then you will have to let your beast out. Let me relive that fateful day." She said and kicked me so I passed out.

"Leah!" I screamed as I came to .
"By the twelve woman!" Krile said who was tending my wounds.
I looked around the room and noticed that I was back in the Rising Stones.
I tried to sit up but the pain stopped me and Krile said. "You'll reopen your wounds if you try to move too much "
I did not reply and just closed my eyes again. Only to be interrupted by the other sicons entering the room.
"Look who i finally awake." Y'shtola said
"What happened?" Alisaie asked.
"Yes we quite shocked when Yugiri came in carrying you on her back, saying that she found you bleeding out on the side of the road." Alphinaud said.
I just stared up at the ceiling as I replied "A ghost from my past."
"A ghost?" Thancred said.
"A woman known as the Bloodwolf." I continued.
"Is your tribe after you?" Y'shtola asked.
"No she is an outcast like me." I replied.
"But who is she?" Alisaie asked.
"Akane the most brutal and cruel person to ever receive the name of wolf. To brutal and cruel for the tribe to handle in the end. So they eventually exiled her." I said.
"But why is she after you now?" Alisaie asked.
"Well it could be one of two things or a mix of the two. The first is revenge. As you may guess is that she did not take the exile kindly. She attacked the tribe and I was the one who stopped her, and up until now thought to have killed her. The second is that it's the empire that sent her after me"
"So that's what you mean with ghost." Thancred said.
I did not reply and just looked back up at ceiling.
"So I'll take it that this woman holds Leah hostage?" Y'shtola asked.
I just nodded in reply.
"We should perhaps ask Yugiri to scout for possible hideouts." Alphinaud said.
"No. " I simply replied.
"Huh? Why not? " He asked looking very confused.
"It has to be me alone." I replied.
"You know very well we can't let you go alone! Not after what she has already done to you." Alisaie said in a loud voice.
I took a deep breath and said
"Look I know, and I appreciate your care. However it is me she is after and only me. Which means that if she sees anyone else but me going after her or Leah. Then Leah is dead. That's why I have to go alone."
The room grew silent.
I did not like shutting them out like that. But I can't afford to risk anything when it comes to the Bloodwolf.

Meanwhile in the ruins of the Castrum Meridianum. Leah is eyeing the woman who has her captive. She had a large cut in the left ear and had red hair.
She had also removed the armor on her arms so Leah could see that she had a similar scar on a similar looking tattoo as Lyn. That symbolizes their exile.
"I'll take it that you know what this scar means." Akane suddenly said and turned towards her.
Leah nodded.
"So she have told you some things at least." Akane continued.
"However I think that you received it for a completely different reason than what Lyn did." Leah said.
Akane laughed.
"Different circumstances perhaps. But the reasons not so much."
Leah looked confused at her.
"The reason why we were kicked out was that we did not fit in to the overall plan of what the leadership of the tribe wanted. Even if we both did what we were ordered to do. She and I are not so different from each other as you think." she continued.
"You are nothing like Lyn in my eyes." Leah replied.
"I'm not surprised that you see it as such. I can imagine that she has been very picky about what she has told you about her life. And also she is very different now from what she was." Akane said.
Leah did not reply.
"Lyn was the best killer I had ever seen. She truly thrived in the shadows. While I was more one that wanted to be seen and have fun with my prey. Lyn was more of a pure predator that stalked and killed quickly then dash back into the shadows. But just like me she enjoyed it. She enjoyed to see that final rays of hope fade from her victims as her blades cut into their flesh." She said but then Leah interrupted her by saying loudly.
"You are wrong!"
Akane made a smug laugh.
"Lyn takes no pride in killing." Leah continued.
"In her current broken state yes. But if you would see her at her full strength. Then she would not be so tame and slow. No she would be a beast ready to kill anyone who would go against her. Only Grey and Snow could ever keep her from running to wild." Akane said.
"Grey and Snow?" Leah asked confused.
"Ah so she have not told you about them." Akane said with a grin.
"Well she must have mentioned Grey but not by that name perhaps. Yuko Greywolf, her aunt. But it doesn't surprise me that she would leave out Snow. Well it surprise me a bit. Mizuki Snow-wolf her lover and her only light. The only two that the Blackwolf truly ever trusted." She continued
Leah said nothing for a moment. But then she asked.
"Why are you after Lyn really? You seem to have big admiration for her."
"I do admire the Blackwolf yes. As one of the best the tribe ever had and also the one who gave me the greatest fight of my life" Akane said as she picked up her water bottle and took a sip.
Leah looked even more confused at her as she continued.
"And it's that admiration that disgusts me to see what have become of her now. For someone who was born a wolf, to live in the darkness and kill with swiftness and no mercy, To become a lapdog who stands in the spotlight as a hero for good. To disregard what she really is. And I'll do admit that there is a bit of hate there as well for beating me, and my current employer do want her dead."
"So you want her dead for not living up to your expectations?" Leah asked.
"Well yes and no. The empire is wants her dead the most. What I want is either to awake the slumbering wolf within or to put her out of her misery." She replied.
"And you think holding me captive will help you achieve that?" Leah said.
"Oh yes. For unlike Snow so are you her weakness and something that holds her back. So keeping you here will force her to find me, and the risk of something happening to you will force her to fight me. And if that does not work, then getting rid of you will only make her stronger in the long run." Akane said as she tossed Leah some reasons to eat.
Leah did not reply as Akane laughed as she went back to the campfire.