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MHO Chapter 35! The violence continues... perhaps a bit more graphic in this one. But before anyone panics, there is a good reason for a certain character's... excess. Make sure to read all the way to the end. Sorry in advance if any of it gets a bit squicky for anyone- rest assured I don't intend to go that far too often.

-Llox

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Once they started getting close to the camp, the trio hunkered down behind the closest hill and peered over the edge. They could see Kerr giving orders to a small number of thugs that'd stayed behind as the darted around, apparently packing some things away as they prepared to abandon the camp.

"I think Faergus and I can handle the extras," Lykou said quietly, looking over at Kuna. "Can you hold him off long enough to take care of them?"

Kuna nodded. "As long as you guys are quick, I can keep him busy."

"Right," the konuul said, then turned to Faergus. "I'll take the two on the right, you take the two on the left. Sound good?"

"Aye, bit lets sneak aroond and get claise before rushin' in. Wait'll they're well sep'rate."

"I don't know that we can be too sneaky with Kerr there, guys," Kuna said. "If he can sense people like I can, and I'd be surprised if he can't, his range is probably better than mine."

"Ach, mibbie, but thas only if he's doin' tha' right noo," Faergus replied. "Look, his hands arnae glowin'."

"He probably didn't expect us to know where his camp is, and figured he lost us," Lykou pointed out. "We'll have to be careful, just in case, but it looks like his guard is down."

"Aye, stay jumpin'," the lepne agreed.

"Alright, ready? Kuna, wait for us to strike before you hit Kerr," Lykou said. "But be ready to start as soon as we reveal ourselves."

Kuna nodded. "Right. You two go ahead then, I'll be waiting," he said as he summoned up his magic again. "And don't forget your bracers."

"Of course. I'll use 'em once I'm in place," the konuul confirmed. He and Faergus nodded to each other, then they both crept off to sneak around to their respective side.

Kuna took a deep breath and waited, keeping his eyes locked on the bandit leader in the distance from his hiding spot at the hill's top. He used all of his focus to feel around for the energy flowing through the grass at his target's feet. It was a bit of a strain at that distance, but he made sure to have a firm grasp on it for when the time came. Several minutes passed in tense anticipation. Finally, Faergus was the first to burst out, immediately stabbing one thug in the ankle as they were carrying a heavy bag of something, then jumping to nail the other in the neck when they turned to see the source of the commotion. A once again wooden Lykou followed suit immediately and stabbed one bandit in the side, then knocked the other to the ground with a powerful kick.

While the other two were busy taking his henchmen out of commission, Kuna quickly set to work on Kerr. Luckily, he had the advantage this time and managed to shoot a plethora of vines and roots up around the bandit leader and pull him harshly to the ground. Two constricted around his arms and another bound his legs together. But soon the sereva felt that familiar resistance set in as his enemy manifested his own magic and slowly pried himself free.

Kuna took the time to charge in closer, preparing to counter anything the rogue druna tried to attack with. He dodged several large, thorny vines that burst from the ground and tried tripping Kerr again, but found it impossible to move anything quick enough. Faergus charged over, having disposed of the two bandits on his side. Somehow, Kerr managed to smack him aside with a large root-attack at the last minute despite keeping his focus primarily on the sereva. Fortunately, that gave Kuna a chance to lash out at him again- he knew he couldn't hold him, so instead he just had a thorny vine slash across his legs painfully.

Suddenly, Kerr did something Kuna didn't expect- he quickly picked up a knife from a nearby stack of boxes and hurled it at him. Kuna's quick reflexes saved him, but only barely, as the blade whizzed past his side and embedded itself in the ground behind him. The distraction was enough for the head bandit to snatch Faergus away with more vines and thoroughly bind him up on the ground. Again, Kuna lashed out at his leg briefly. One of the other bandits flew past Kerr and landed in a heap near one of the tents as Lykou approached.

Kerr's eyes narrowed and darted between the two for a moment, then he turned to fully face the canid, dodging out of the way of several punches and stabs. Kuna took this as his chance to try and snag the bastard, but every time his vines reached out for him, the lepne leaped high into the air and landed some distance further away. He seemed to have gone entirely into defensive mode.

Finally, Lykou charged forward with enough speed to catch the rogue. He was about to slam his fist into his face, but suddenly paused when he heard a muffled cry from Kuna's direction and saw his captive grinning at him. Something felt off.

"Dinnae want yer friend dead, dae ye?" Kerr asked, gesturing towards the sereva with his head.

Lykou risked a quick glance towards Kuna and his eyes widened when he saw him bound up by vines, with one holding the knife he'd thrown earlier held tightly against his friend's throat. In that moment, Lykou felt a burning, bitter rush of hatred boil up inside him, only amplified by the fact that he knew there was nothing he could do in that moment. With extreme reluctance, he slowly let go of Kerr's shoulder and started to back off.

There was a moment of tense silence, aside from Faergus cursing and struggling against the thick roots and vines holding him hostage on the ground nearby. Finally, Kerr broke it. "Right. Drop th' knife, 'n' oof wi' th' woody look, fer starters," he instructed the canid.

Glaring intensely at the lepne, Lykou dropped his knife and slowly disabled the bracers.

"Na back away nice n' sloo. Hands where ah kin see 'em."

As Lykou slowly backed away, Kerr bent down without taking his eyes off him and picked up the discarded knife. "Whit a bonny wee blade ye 'av here. Ne'er seen one lik' it," he commented, looking it over. "'least ah got somethin' o' value t'dae."

While the bandit was busy examining the blade, Lykou again glanced worriedly over at Kuna. The sereva caught his eye and pointed down with a quick flick of his eyes. The canid realized something Kerr had overlooked- while Kuna was mostly bound, he'd apparently stopped struggling to wrestle control of the vines and roots holding him away and dismissed his magic. But his hands were close enough together that he could reach the bracer on one arm with the other hand. They exchanged a look, then Lykou tensed up as he realized what the sereva was planning. He didn't like it, but he saw no other option, and he doubted he could dissuade his friend.

As the bandit boss lowered the knife again, he tilted his head and eyed the bracers on the konuul's arms. "Them tae. Brilliant wee trinkets. Give 'em."

Lykou slowly reached to start taking them off, but then Kuna sprang his plan. He quickly moved to activate his bracers. The movement didn't escape Kerr's notice and the vines quickly drove the knife into Kuna's neck, ushering forth a gush of blood as the sereva cried out and winced in pain. It was a jarring, icy-hot sensation unlike any other physical pain he'd ever felt, and for a moment he thought it might be his end. Fortunately, the bracers quickly took over and started rapidly healing the would-be lethal wound into merely a very uncomfortable one as he slumped back into the roots and vines.

That snapped something in Lykou though. A primal bloodlust he'd never experienced before was flooding through his entire being. He didn't want to merely kill. He wanted to maim. To hurt. He hated seeing people and animals in pain, unless they deserved it. That was always his rule. But now, more than anything, he wanted Kerr to experience unparalleled agony. There was an uncontrollable inferno erupting within him, accompanied by a strange tingling in his muscles and a surge of strength.

Kerr began to raise the knife to defend himself, but it was far too slow. The konuul fell upon him with an avalanche of violence, ignoring any cuts he received. Hegrabbed the lepne by the throat and began choking the life out of while simultaneously lifting him up and repeatedly slamming him into nearby objects and obstacles. When the bandit's grip on the knife loosened, Lykou waited for it to drop,then kicked it away.Hehurled his opponent to the ground and began beating him to a pulp with his bare hands and whatever random junk laying around nearby he could grab. He let out a savage snarl, then dragged the now-dizzy and disoriented bandit over to the still slightly-burning embers of a recent fire by his ears and shoved his face into them. He stomped on the back of his head a couple of times in the process, eliciting muffled screams from the now at least temporarily blinded rogue.

After he let go, Kerr scrambled to try and stand up, frantically trying to rub the hot soot from his face, especially around his eyes. Seconds later, the canid was back upon him and sank his teeth down into his shoulder, then ripped out a chunk of his flesh before he resumed beating and clawing at him. Finally, he hurled the leader against a lone nearby tree trunk with enough force to break some segments of bark off upon impact. He spotted an axe laying on the ground and picked it up, then slowly stalked towards the bloodied and brutalized bandit lord laying and groaning at the bottom of the oak.

"Ach, remember, dinnae kill 'im, lad!" Faergus reminded him, finally slowly starting to pry himself loose from the tough roots and vines.

Lykou glanced at him, then back at his target. He took a long, slow breath as the disturbing feeling started to subside. Still, there was just enough left that he wasn't done yet. A crooked grin crossed his face as he hefted the axe up. "Don't worry... I'm just... disarming him," he said, then brought it down on the bandit's arm, severing it just below the elbow.

Kerr's back arched as he let out a silent scream. Lykou dragged him over and shoved his stump in the coals to cauterize the wound, then kicked him away when he fainted. Finally, as the feeling finished draining from him, he dropped the bloody axe and stumbled around a bit dizzily.

Faergus finally dug himself out of his trap and dusted himself off, then walked over to help Lykou steady himself. "Ach, ye a'right lad?"

The konuul struggled to stand up straight, feeling a bit disoriented and confused. For a moment it was almost like the last few minutes were a hazy, red-tinted dream. "I... don't know...?" he replied, then quickly shook his head and looked up. "Wait... Kuna!" he said, quickly turning to run over to the sereva.

Kuna was weakly pulling himself free from his own cage of altered plants, his flesh still woody. But as soon as he was free, he disabled the bracers just as the konuul arrived at his side to help him up. As the bark faded and turned back to his flesh and fur, a very noticeable mark was visible on his throat. He winced as he rubbed it gently. "Fuck, that hurt," he said weakly.

Lykou quickly wrapped his friend in a tight embrace. "That was way too damn close," he said, tears running down his cheeks. "Are you going to be alright?"

The sereva smiled and returned the hug with all the strength he could muster. "Yeah, it's sore as fuck, but I'll be alright," he replied, shaking slightly "And I feel...VERY drained now. Shit... might need some help walking back. And maybe need to try and find some food in this stupid camp before we go."

"Sure, of course," Lykou said, refusing to let go. "I can't believe you did something so risky."

Kuna smirked and leaned against him. "You can't have all the crazy ideas, you know."

The konuul chuckled and choked back some tears as he rubbed his friend's back. "I'm just glad those bracers worked," he said, then wavered slightly as he started to pull back some. "Woah... I should... probably sit down for a moment myself..."

Worried, Kuna sat down on the ground with him, each helping the other do so without falling over. Finally getting a good look at him, he drew back for a moment with wide eyes. "Uh... L-Lykou... is... is that b-blood on... y-your mouth??"

Lykou stared at him blankly for a moment, then stared off into space, his expression a mixture of confusion and growing distress. "I... uh... y... yeah...? I... think so...?" He started to grow dizzy again and slumped back against the slope of the hill.

Kuna looked him over, noting all the blood coating his friend. And from the relatively few cuts and scrapes the konuul had, he knew it wasn't his blood. He was growing a bit disturbed, to say the least. In all the fights and hunts he'd been in, he'd never seen that much of someone or something else's blood sprayed across the canid's body, except maybe after butchering the result of a hunt. "...what... happened?"

"I... I thought he... you...," Lykou tried to explain, his head spinning a bit. "And then... everything just... it was all a blur..."

Kuna's eye twitched. "I can't decide if I'm more touched or disturbed that my situation inspired... whatever caused all," he said, gesturing to the canid's bloody, messy body and clothing, as well as what'd smeared off on his own poncho when they'd embraced. "This."

"Ach, dinnae fash yersel'," Faergus said, grunting as he approached, carrying the savagely disfigured and beaten, but still somehow living bandit boss with him. He set the unconscious prisoner down once he was close enough to the two, having tied a rope around his torso and upper arms in case he woke up at some point. "T'was at least partly th' biscuits' influence."

Lykou and Kuna exchanged a look. "Biscuits...?"

"Aye. Moyra's little wake-up snacks?" the lepne explained. "There's reason she dinnae jest hand 'em out tae anyin'. They add fuel ta yer fire in moar ways then one, ya ken. 'n' sometimes, if the situation hits jest right, they kin drive ye a wee bit mad fer a bit."

"Oh..." Lykou said, then leaned back again, feeling a slight bit of relief. Still, the unsettling mix of confusion and self-reflection lingered. "I... see..."

"Aye, th' side-effects are howfer some o' the guards call 'em 'blood biscuits'," Faergus said with a shrug. "We should 'av warned ye it might happen, especially ye not bein' used tae 'em. Sorreh aboot tha'." He glanced down at the rogue druna. "Dinnae feel tae bad. 'e definitely deserved it, especially judgin' fra tha' necklace 'n' belt 'es wearin'."

"True," Kuna said, then looked back over at his friend and gently rubbed his shoulder. "You gonna be alright?"

Lykou just sat in silence for a moment before answering. "I... think so. Just... kind of... dealing with things," he replied, then took a breath before looking over at Faergus again. "No more of those... 'biscuit' things for me, though. Ever."

Faergus chuckled. "Aye, ye wis one o' the 'lucky' ones tae 'av a berserk spell," he said, hands on his hips. "Ye two rest up a smidge, ah'll see if these tadgers have enny decent scran n' water ah kin bring ye."

As their lepne companion darted over to the camp to search its contents, Lykou and Kuna sat in a somewhat uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, occasionally looking down and cringing a bit at the bloody, maimed lepne laying nearby.

"Damn, what... what'd you even do to him?" Kuna couldn't help but wonder out loud.

Lykou's expression fell more and he laid back on the ground fully, finding the sky to be the only thing he could bare to look at for the moment. "Spirits, that thing turned me into a monster..."

Kuna shot him a sympathetic look, thinking back to how he'd felt when the ravager had nearly killed him. He sighed and gently stroked his friend's head. "Nah. Monsters don't feel bad about it afterwards. And like Faergus said, the fucker definitely deserved it. Who knows what he did to the poor people whose, er... bits... are hanging on that necklace, or his belt."

Lykou glanced at the sereva briefly, then sighed. "I still don't ever want to feel like that again," he said, then shivered. "That's... that's not who I am," he added, then started tearing up again. "That's... not who I am. I swear it isn't. I-I don't... do those things. That's not me. I..."

"Of course it isn't," Kuna said, leaning down over him and gently taking the canid's bloody chin in one hand to get his attention. "You're the most good-natured, kind-hearted, sweetest person I know. Under normal circumstances I don't think you have a mean bone in your body. Only time you do is when someone's trying to hurt someone you care about," he assured the konuul with a smile, letting go of his chin to resume stroking his head. "So take your own advice and stop beating up on yourself."

The konuul stared up at him with watery eyes for a moment, then looked down at how filthy and coated in blood he was. "You trying to tell me this doesn't scare you?" he asked, gesturing to the mess. "That I... I did all this? It doesn't make you see me differently?"

Kuna smirked and dug into a small pocket he'd made on the inside of his poncho, then pulled out a certain stone, holding it up for the canid to see. "Nope. Because no monster would have given me this just to comfort me and keep me from freezing myself to death like an idiot," he said, then laid down across the konuul, nuzzling his neck softly, though the action made him wince as the pain in his own neck reasserted itself. "Not that I need that anyway to know what a good person you are, or that I can trust you."

"Heh... you still keep holding onto it, though," Lykou pointed out with a slightly sardonic smirk.

The sereva sat back up and gave him a look. "Yeah. Because you gave it to me. And it reminds me of how much you care," he said. After a short pause, he grinned and looked around for a moment. He spotted the knife that'd recently gotten entirely too intimate with his own neck and picked it up. Lykou arched a brow and started to say something, but Kuna shushed him. Without warning, he cut his palm, wincing, and clutched the stone in his hand tightly. "I, Kuna, tentatively soon-to-be of the Lakefire tribe, swear on my blood and soul that I trust you and believe you to be a good person, not a monster, Lykou."

Lykou watched with a mixture of surprise and mild amusement. "Did you really just-"

"Yep," Kuna said, pressing the stone into the canid's hand and tossing the knife aside. "Now you hang onto it for a while."

The canid eyed him for a moment, then laughed and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thanks, you goofball."

The sereva happily returned the embrace. "Hey, if you can do it, so can I," he said with a chuckle. After a minute, he rolled off the canid and laid on the grass next to him, pressing part of his poncho to the small cut on his hand until it stopped bleeding. "Man, this is fucking surreal though. We just helped a bunch of people we just met put an end to a major threat that they didn't even know about before we got here."

"Yeah... and just a few weeks ago, the most exciting thing I ever had to worry about was occasionally stumbling across an irritable boar," the canid responded as he stared up at the sky. "And now here I am, covered in the blood of a murderous bastard that tried to kill us and our new friends."

Kuna cringed and shivered a bit. "Yeah, I'm kind of trying to keep telling myself this is just a bunch of sticky fruit juice or something."

"We're definitely going to need to get cleaned up at the next stream we come across. No way I'm going back to Kerney like this."

"Yer in luck, thir's one pretty claise by," Faergus said as he walked up with a jug of water and a small bag full of miscellaneous vegetables. "A little mess fra a battle is a mark o' honor they say, bit ah dinnae blame ye fer wanting to clean up all o' that," he added with a chuckle.

Kuna sat up and greatfully took a big swig from the jug before passing it to Lykou. "Thanks, Faergus. How are you, by the way? Sorry I didn't ask before."

"Ach, ah'm guid," the lepne said. "Ye both took th' bigger scratches 'n' dinnae 'av my tolerance fer them biscuits. Ah'm jest sorry the bastard caught me off with them damn weeds sae ah couldnae be more help agin' him." He glanced back at the still-dozing wreck of a bandit laying nearby, then smirked. "Seems ye handled him laldy tho. Remind me na tae ever git oan yer bad side, Lykou."

"I was just reminding him he doesn't have one of those. Just a protective side that looks that way sometimes," Kuna pointed out, playfully nudging the canid.

Lykou smirked as he sat up and drank some water. Kuna took a radish out of the bag and hungrily began devouring it.

"Aye, fair 'nuff," Faergus replied with a grin. "Yer a fierce and respectable warrior, lad. Glad we 'ad th' chance tae fight alang side each other."

The konuul nodded to the lepne. "Likewise, Faergus," he said, then sighed and rubbed his head. "I really hope that's all the violence we'll see for a while though. I really, really don't want to have to fight anyone or anything again anytime soon."

"Ach, weel, after t'dae, once word gets aroond aboot whit became o' these bandits, ah kin at least say ye willnae have anythin' but peaceful travels in these hills fer howe'er lang yer in 'em," Faergus replied, then gestured to Kerr. "Especially once people see whit their leader looks lik' efter getting' a wee bit o' justice."

Lykou sighed. "Good. Yesterday was nice, I'd love to get back to more of that kind of thing."

"Yeah, it was," Kuna agreed and offered him the bag of food. "I know it's not meat, but try and eat something. It'll keep you going until we get back."

The konuul hesitated for a moment, then reached in and grabbed a carrot, then started munching on it. "I hope we find some charnops or something like that soon," he lamented. "These aren't bad, but I don't feel right after eating nothing but this stuff for a day or so."

"Whit's a charnop?"

"It's like this round fruit type thing that grows on the side of lakes," the konuul explained, gesturing with his hands to indicate the size. "Its got a tough beige skin that turns kind of yellowish when its ripe. My people eat 'em all the time, especially when there aren't enough turkeys or boars around. They even grow all year round, too, although a bit slower in the winter."

"Aye? Soonds interestin'. Ne'er seen anythin' lik' tha' aroond here tho. Prolly sin' we dinnae 'av any lakes near here. Jest a buncha' streams, creeks, 'n' some ponds. Bhaltair's crew might ken o' one somewhere tho."

"If we do find any, I'll be sure to learn all I can about them so I can grow them for you," Kuna offered with a smile.

Lykou smiled back and the two one-arm hugged each other as they continued eating.

*****

A short while later, Faergus pointed Lykou and Kuna towards a large stream over some hills nearby. They both thanked him and hurried to go get cleaned up. The sereva was so eager to get the blood off that he didn't even bother hiding or making the canid look away before stripping off his clothes. On the other hand, Lykou was too focused on his own clean-up to really notice.

The water was too shallow to submerge much of their bodies, so they did the best they could as fast as they could. After cleaning themselves, they went to work on their clothing, though it was obvious there would be large stains left behind, which were especially noticeable on Kuna's poncho, much to his chagrin.

"Er... you know what this means, right?" Lykou said, pausing as he held up his shirt and glanced over at the sereva. "...we can't exactly walk back with wet clothes."

Kuna frowned. "Yeah. Not like we could walk back filthy like that, but... what do we do? I'm not walking back naked, either."

The konuul chuckled. "Hey, you survived being naked in the forest for a while. At least out here there's no bushes and twigs and stuff to poke and brush you in places."

"Also nothing to hide behind," the sereva replied, blushing as he tried to carefully wring the water out of his poncho. "And I've gotten used to clothes again, so I don't like the idea of being naked around everyone."

"Well, unfortunately we may not have much choice until our stuff dries out."

Kuna bit his lip and thought for a moment, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. "I wonder if those bandits kept any spare clothes at the camp..."

"Maybe, but I doubt they're our size."

"They're not that much shorter than us..."

"No, but enough. Doesn't take much."

Kuna sighed. He knew the canid was right. "We'll have to look, just in case. Maybe we can just, I don't know, find some blankets to wrap up in for the time being. It's already a little chilly standing here wet like this and it'll get worse walking across the hills without any clothing."

Lykou paused in the middle of cleaning and looked thoughtful for a moment. "That's a good point," he said, then shrugged. "I can handle a bit of chill, but I don't blame you for wanting something more. That blanket idea is a good thought. We can check when we're done here."

They both finished getting cleaned up and wringing as much water out of their clothing as they could. Lykou's was notably still in rough shape, covered in little cuts and holes. "...when we get back to our stuff, I may need you to stitch these up a bit for me."

"Sure thing," Kuna said as he bundled up his poncho and pants, stepping back out of the water. "Wish we could find something you could wear over your shirt for extra protection though."

"Yeah. Hey, maybe the bandits have something we can take for that, too."

"Worth checking for," Kuna agreed with a shrug.

Lykou finished bundling up his own clothing and they both left the stream to return to the camp. When they arrived, they found Faergus sitting casually on the ground next to Kerr, having a snack for himself. Kuna self-consciously used the bundled up poncho and pants to try and cover himself as he walked down towards the tents.

"Welcome back, lads," he said, waving to them, then smirked. "Breeze feel guid?"

Kuna blushed. Lykou rolled his eyes and smirked back. "I'm going to see if I can find something to hang our clothes on to dry out. Kuna's going to see about finding something to cover up with in the meantime."

"Aye, should be plenty tae choose from," the lepne replied, then shot a glare at Kerr. "Bastards certainly 'collected' a lot fra travelers and villages tae hoard 'ere."

The konuul found a decent spot to hang their clothing near the fire, which he rekindled with some wood stacked nearby. In the meantime, Kuna found a pile of clothing and blankets stacked in one of the other tents. After going through them, he dried himself off with some of the extra clothing, then wrapped himself up in one of the largest blankets he could find. After some more searching, he found a knife and cut two holes in it. He stuck his arms through the holes, then found a spare rope nearby and used it to tie the blanket around his waist, forming the whole thing into a very crude robe of sorts. After Lykou had finished hanging up their own clothing, the sereva helped him create a similar garment for himself with another large blanket.

Once they were both dried and dressed in their crude makeshift clothing, they again joined Faergus in snacking some more. They were both so exhausted that they were tempted to curl up in one of the tents and doze off. But they had no way of knowing if more stray bandits would show up at some point, and in any case they knew the others would be waiting for their return. So after resting up for an hour or so, they reluctantly got up to head out. Luckily, Faergus was more than willing to handle carrying the still-unconscious Kerr, although Lykou still offered what help he could, grabbing the bandit's one still in-tact arm to help with the load, while Kuna carried their clothing.

*****

It was an awkward and somewhat slow trek back to Kerney, but they eventually arrived in the outskirts. If Kerr woke at any point, he made no indication of it, keeping his eyes closed. A few farmers looked up upon their approach, eyes widening at the sight. Chatter immediately started up and a few of the farmers went or sent members of their family members into the village to spread the word. Soon, a pair of guards hurried over from the walls to help take up the load and check them over for injuries, accompanying them back into the village proper. Once past the walls, two guards carried Kerr away, while a third accompanied them back to the lodge. They could see the caravan's carts, suffering some damage from the battle, sitting once again outside. Rhagnaid had been standing guard near them, and when she spotted the three, she hurried over to greet them. "Welcome back, lads!" she said, looking them over. "Did ye catch th' shitebag?"

"Aye, 'n' lets jest say Grey will, uh, approve o' Lykou's justice," Faergus said with a wink.

Lykou smiled a bit uneasily and shifted uncomfortably. "Er, yeah... he uh... won't be causing any more problems."

"Ach, ye didnae kill 'em yet did ye?" Raghnaid asked, raising a brow.

"Na, bit ye should see th' state o' th' mawkit bastard," Faergus replied, snickering. "Wha's left o' him anyway."

Lykou frowned and looked away, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. Kuna wrapped a comforting arm around him. "Can we head on inside? We're both pretty exhausted."

"Of course," Rhag said, leading them over and opening the door for him. As the two passed through, she caught Faergus for a moment and leaned in. "Blood biscuits?" she asked quietly.

"Aye, caught a wee bit o' the madness," he replied, with a smirk. "Nae worries tho, he's weel past it na."

Ragh nodded and smirked back after a minute. "True warrior efter a'."

"Aye, bit he didnae tak' it weel efter. Best be gentle wi' him."

The guard nodded and followed Faergus inside.

Once Lykou and Kuna had entered the lodge, with Faergus shortly after them, Clara looked up from helping Moyra tend to the caravan team's wounds, then raced over to embrace each of the three in turn. "Thank goodness yer okay! Ah wis sae worried when ah heard!" she declared with somewhat teary eyes. "Are ye hurt??"

Kuna rubbed his neck, wincing a bit. "Just sore and exhausted."

Clara's eyes widened when she saw the mark. "Kuna, ye poor dear! Whit happened??"

"Bastard nearly killed him," Lykou said darkly, his eyes narrowed as he glared down at the ground.

"But he didn't, and you kicked his ass good for me," Kuna reminded him, smiling and rubbing his friend's shoulder. He turned back to Clara and held up his arm to indicate the bracer on his wrist. "Luckily this thing saved me."

The lepne looked a bit confused. "How di' tha' protect yer neck?"

"It doesn't directly. It, er... it's magical. Makes your fur and skin all woody, and makes you heal faster, but it drains your energy over time, too," Lykou explained. "I'd show you but-"

Before he could finish, Kuna simply activated his bracers again. "See?" he said, once the transformation was complete.

Clara's eyes widened as she looked him over. "Wid ye look at tha'!"

"Hey, careful! I can't imagine you have much energy left, especially after that walk," Lykou pointed out, grabbing the sereva gently to help him stay steady.

Kuna quickly deactivated the bracers and slumped down against the wall, with the konuul sitting down alongside him. "Yeah, but it was only for a moment. I'm fine," he said, then his stomach rumbled a bit and he smiled up sheepishly at Clara. "...could maybe use a bit more to eat though if that's okay."

"Of course, of course, ah'll be right back!" Clara said, then bolted off to bring the boys some more food. "Ye too, Faergus?"

"Na, ah'm fine," Faergus said before picking an empty stool and leaning back against the wall, propping his feet up on the table and looking rather content overall, despite recent events.

"Sae ye got th' bastard eh?" Gavin called over from across the room, twitching and wincing a little as Moyra used her magic to mend his leg. "Great job, lads!"

"Aye, cheers fer th' big heroes, Faergus, Lykou, 'n' Kuna!" Finlay said, standing up and lifting his cup up in the air. "Long may yer lum reek!"

A round of cheers went up around the room from the gathered lepne, albeit followed by some pained groans and yelps afterwards.

Lykou and Kuna weren't sure what that last comment meant, but didn't bother questioning it. They just contently cuddled up together on the floor with tired smiles. "Hey, you all fought hard. You're all heroes for taking those bandits on too, you know," Lykou pointed out. "It was a team effort."

"Ach, bit without you three, we'd never'a seen 'em comin'! And yer the ones tha' took down thir big boss."

"Aye, 'n' mibbie ah'm imaginin' it, bit did ah see 'im usin' magic?"

Kuna nodded. "Yeah, he was a... 'druna' apparently. And a powerful one."

Moyra looked up and frowned. "A druna, ye say?" she asked, then tsked and returned to her work. "Nae. He might've had magic, but naebody tha' uses magic fer such foul ends deserves th' title."

"Either way, it's a good thing all three of us went after him. He was tough enough on his own," Lykou commented.

"And sneaky, too," Kuna chimed in.

Moyra glanced up again. "Th' guards ken aboot his magic?"

"Shit, I didn't think to mention it," Kuna said, sitting up a bit.

"Dinnae fash yersel' lad," Faergus assured him, then turned to Moyra. "He'll be in no condition ta think straight fer a while, even efter 'e wakes up."

The druna's eyes darted between Faergus and Lykou for a moment, then she shot a questioning look to her mate, with one eyebrow raised. He simply nodded in response. Moyra took a deep breath and finished with Gavin's leg. Afterwards, she walked over and sat on a stool next to Lykou, then set a hand gently on his shoulder. "Ah'm sorreh ah didnae warn ye, lad. Ah take it ye had a... reaction?" she asked quietly.

The konuul nodded and shivered a bit. "You... could say that."

"Are ye gonnae be a'right?"

Lykou nodded slightly again after a moment. "I think so," he said, then looked up at her with a very faint smirk. "No offense though, but I don't think I'll have any more of those, uh... 'biscuits' of yours."

She smirked back. "Understandable," she replied, then held her hand up to stage-whisper to him and Kuna. "Ye kin eat the berries alone fer a wee boost without th' side-effects, just so ye ken," she informed them with a wink.

"Good to know," Kuna replied. Just then, Clara returned with their food and the boys dug in hungrily. She also brought them two cups of a familiar drink. At first, Kuna seemed unsure, but she insisted.

"Efter whit ye been through, jest take it, Kuna," Faergus said with a grin, gently nudging the sereva.

"Dinnae worry, ah watered it down a wee bit fer ye," Clara added.

"Thanks, Clara," Lykou said, then took a big sip. "After that mess, this is exactly what I need."

Kuna eventually smiled and took a big sip himself. "Yeah, it's... been a day, alright. Or most of one, anyway. Feels like several though."

"How is everyone else doing?" Lykou asked, looking around. "Where's Bhaltair?"

"Everyin's on th' mend. Mostly minor wounds, other than Gavin's leg. Bhaltair's wi' th' chief again," Clara said, then looked over at Faergus, shooting him a small glare. "Feet, mister."

Faergus rolled his eyes and smirked as he took his feet off the table. "Fine, fine."

"That said, ye want a drink, tae?" she asked the night-watcher.

Faergus pondered it for a moment, then shrugged. "Aye, soonds guid. Ah'll probably git tae kip soon, though," he replied, followed by a big yawn.

"Oh yeah, you've probably had the least sleep of any of us, haven't you?" Lykou commented.

"Aye," Faergus replied with a chuckle, then yawned again and stretched. "It'll be th' first night ah dinnae see th' stars in a lang time."

Moyra walked over and sat next to him. There was some tension and Kuna could tell she wanted to throw her arms around him, but had to keep up appearances. Still, the two exchanged a look and he could see the affection there as she began checking him over for wounds, however small.

A short time later, Bhaltair entered the lodge and as soon as he set eyes on the returned trio, he came over to thank them. "Ah cannae thank ye enough fer savin' oor skins, lads. Yer pure brilliant heroes. Are ye doin' okay?" he asked, looking at each of them in turn.

"Yeah, just exhausted," Kuna replied, leaning against Lykou as he took a bite of his food.

"A few scratches, tis all," Faergus said. "Ye wis fightin' along wi' 'em langer than ah wis. Well doon keepin' them bastards busy till th' rest o' us arrived. Ye 'av a guid swing-arm there, Bhaltair. Ye git tha' hammer in Tannil?"

"Aye, wis a gift fra mi brother back when bandit attacks were more common," Bhaltair replied. "Bin a while sin' it last saw use, bit ah'm mighty glad ah kept it near all this time."

"So what happened back here in Kerney after we left, anyway?" Lykou asked. "How did you deal with the traitor guards?"

"Ach, soon as ye left, Moyra 'n' I took Raghnaid aside, 'n' Clara too, ta let them ken what was ginnae happen," Faergus explained. "Rhag wanted tae 'av their heids right away, bit we convinced her tae wait until they tried somethin' first, in case there wis any ether traitors among 'em to show their hand."

"Aye, luckily t'was jest the three of 'em," Rhagnaid chimed in. "Soon as they tried tae start a distraction, Moyra called 'em on it, 'n' ah came ta put 'em away. Caelan 'n' Barabel tried ta fight back, bit Moyra's magic had 'em tied. Jock wis smart enough ta surrender right awa', tho."

"When chief Grey heard whit was happenin', he wis ready tae kill 'em, bit when Rhag 'n' ah wis gettin' a backup team fer the caravan, he insisted oan joinin' in efter he heard th' full plot. Even th' word o' a druna wasnae enough ta dissuade him fra joinin' us," Faergus continued, then chuckled. "Havnae seen tha' side o' the chief in many a year."

"Aye, not sin' he was a guard hisself. His axe lay quiet ever sin' he became chief," Clara said.

"Thas nae entirely true," Moyra chimed in. "He always practiced wi' it 'n' kept it sharp, jest quiet-like, a few times a week, usually at night. Ye kin take th' chief oot o' the guard, bit ye cannae tak' the guard oot o' th' chief," she mused with a faint smirk.

"It really showed. Never expected to see that from him," Lykou said. "He's quite an impressive fighter."

"Always was. Th' fact tha' ye never ken it 'till tis needed is howfer ye ken he's a guid chieftan," Moyra pointed out.

"He obviously took th' plot pers'nally, tae," Faergus added. "Kerr dinnae ken who he messed wi'."

"I'm just glad you all showed up when you did. It was getting... bad," Kuna said with a shiver.

"Ach, ye wis doin' fine," Faergus assured him. "Impressive, even, unner the circumstances."

At that moment, the door again swung open, and the chieftan walked in, flanked by another pair of guards. He had a far more serious expression than the boys had seen on him previously in the village, but it lightened when he saw them. He smiled and propped his hands up on the head of his freshly-cleaned axe, somewhat like a cane. "Faerhgus. Lykou. Kuna. Ah'll have a proper acknowledgement fer ye tomorrae mornin', bit ah had ta come thank ye persn'ally fer catchin' that bastard," he said, then arched a brow and smirked at Lykou. "AND fer givin' him a taste o' his comin' justice."

Lykou smiled back a bit uncomfortably and rubbed his arm. Kuna looked over and squeezed him gently. Faergus raised his cup to the chief. "Here's ta showin' 'em bandits what fer!"

The other lepne in the room raised their cups as well and let out a round of cheers.

Grey nodded and looked around at the others. "'n' ah wantae both thank ye fer all yer help, as well as... apologize," he said, then took a deep breath. "Seein' as some o' mah own clan were traitorous bastards tha' tried ta be a part o' bringin' harm ta ye, th' responsibility fer their actions falls on me. Rest assured that any left alive will ken harsh justice soon, 'n' ye'll be compensated fer yer trouble." Bhaltair began to object, but Grey held up a hand. "Ah insist. Again, thank ye all fer yer commendable bravery."

"Thank YOU for the save," Lykou spoke up. "It was an honor to fight by your side, s-, er, Grey. That's a nice axe you have, by the way."

The chief grinned at the konuul. "Aye, tis a link to mah roots ah'll ne'er forget. Ah hate ta need it, bit ah'm glad tae 'av it," he said, then straightened up. "Ah need ta tak' care o' some things. Rest well, all o' ya. Stay 'n' recover in Kerney as lang as ye need. Ah'll se ye in the mornin'."

Everyone bade the chief farewell as he turned and left, with the other guards in tow. He told Raghnaid to stay with the group- officially as part of her guard duty and to help the others with anything they needed, but he let her know she should unwind a bit as well. Everyone chatted well into the evening, with Lykou and Kuna staying cuddled up by the wall for most of it, until eventually they excused themselves and went to bed. They were fast asleep together almost as soon as their heads were down and they were under the blanket.

*****

The of prisoners were being held in a simple stone building with only a few small barred windows in it, and a single door sealed with an exterior barricade that could be lifted and shut by the two lepne standing guard outside. Most of the captured bandits sat around, looking glum and nursing various injuries. The worst of their wounds had been mercifully patched up just enough that they wouldn't die from them, but otherwise they were still in varying levels of not-insignificant pain. Jock had been mildly spared and put in a different hut, awaiting punishment for his part in the plot, even if he didn't fully follow through with it.

At the back of the holding cell, a disfigured and bloody mess of a lepne slowly sat up without making much sound. Unlike the others, he didn't groan. He just took a long, slow breath, wincing slightly at the pain in his chest from doing so. A few of the others looked over and tried to speak to him, but he ignored them, instead staring off into space, one eye still blinded from his experience. After a while, the few other prisoners that bothered speaking to him gave up and went back to nursing their own pains. Eventually, once the moon was high in the night sky and the others were all sound asleep, he subtly conjured up his magic and began slowly patching himself up without a sound. He considered focusing on trying to restore his missing forearm first, but decided to hold off and deal with his remaining internal injuries, first. Slowly, his mind churned as he gradually patched himself up in the darkness, keeping his glowing hand hidden under his shirt.