Viyal quickly stomped out the fire and ran for the small grove. She hoped the pursuers could not see her under the moonless night sky, and the river's noise masked her steps in the undergrowth. The trampling Shinoona hooves came down the slope and approached her position right as she cowered behind a brush.

  Fighting that crocodile bear had been insane, but a dozen mounted warriors with bows and spears was an entirely different matter. Even if most of them likely never fought a Mosyv seriously before, they knew not to underestimate one even as young as Viyal. They would keep her at a distance and not let her get a bite or sting in.

  "A Matagai. What sort of warrior did that?" one of the riders wondered, lowering his torch to look at the carcass next to the extinguished campfire. "That couldn't have been the young lady, right? She is still a child."

  "Here is its pelt. Maybe a local hunter?" another pointed out the scrubbed pelt drying on the rock a short distance away.

  "I taste venom in the air," responded a familiar voice. It was Yava, the Khevelir warrior, who tried to assassinate Viyal while she rested with her mother in their tent. "Mosyv venom."

  Yava was with the Sakhatul tribe before their union with the Zakhira. She must have had plenty of opportunities to witness Zagaro or any of his kin use their stingers in battle. On the other hand, Viyal had been protected all her life, so she had not even been taught how to use her tail. If not for her instincts kicking in, that Matagai would have done the job for these pursuers.

  Viyal stayed completely still and observed the riders from the darkness of her hiding spot. They checked the embers of the fire and noted that they were still hot. Considering they had seen the light from it earlier, whoever put it out could not have gotten far. And the only likely hiding spot nearby was the grove a few dozen steps away.

  Half of Yava's men dismounted and walked into the dark undergrowth with their torches. The Khevelir warrior remained outside to oversee the situation and ride Viyal down if she tried to run. At least, she would not be found by her sense of smell immediately. Perhaps there was a chance for her to get out of this situation yet.

  She remained still and waited for as long as possible while the men carefully searched the undergrowth. The grove was not too large for six men to comb through, and any movements would be picked up on immediately. It was only a matter of time before they stumbled upon her hiding spot.

  One of the warriors stabbed his spear into the bushes near Viyal to check for anybody hiding inside. She waited as the man headed toward her and pulled back his spear. Right as he thrust it in her direction, she jumped out and grabbed the shaft. In the same motion, she stung him in the exposed throat with pinpoint accuracy. She was truly grateful to have such an instinctive control over her natural weapon.

  The man dropped his torch and held his throat. He could not even let out a wheeze as the venom seized up his muscles and cut off his breathing. He tried to pull back his spear, but Viyal yanked it out of his weakened grasp. Before she could turn it around and stab his heart, he died on his feet and fell backward onto the torch, putting it out with his body.

  "What was that?!" another man searching in the vicinity heard his comrade collapse and spun around. To Viyal's dismay, he was a Bavadi with superior night vision, spotting her standing out in the open with a spear in her hands. "The Omen Child is here! She is armed!"

  Viyal lunged at him and thrust the spear forward with reckless abandon. He noticed in time and dodged the attack by taking his distance. The weapon slipped out of her hand and flew into the darkness. The Bavadi warrior did not lose a moment to punish her failure and attacked. Viyal just barely avoided the first thrust and tried to counter with her stinger, but she could not reach him.

  The other pursuers waiting outside dismounted from their Shinoona and approached the grove. She had taken one of them down because of the element of surprise. However, in a direct confrontation, these adult warriors were far superior to her. There was no way for her to get out of this situation through her own strength.

  But Viyal would not give up. She let out a roar and lunged at the Bavadi in front of her with her teeth and claws trained on him. Her ferociousness shocked him; he had expected to find a weak and pampered girl, not a seemingly feral beast. With such a reckless attack, perhaps she had slain the Matagai herself after all.

  Still, he was a warrior. Even if he was stunned for a moment, his body reacted on its own. His spear was aimed at Viyal's face, the frontmost target in his view. But she surprised him again when she caught the spearhead with her teeth. The powerful thrust cracked her sharp teeth and slipped off, splitting the corner of her mouth.

  Viyal was willing to sacrifice that much to get into range for her scorpion tail. The man raised his hand to defend his face, catching the stinger with his palm. The tip emerged on the other side, and only a little venom entered his hand. She drew back and tried again, but the man swung his spear in an arc to deter her.

  Even that little amount of venom would be fatal to a Bavadi, but it would take a while longer to reach his vital organs. He was not out of the fight yet, as desperation and anger caused him to charge at her with her spear. However, Yava's voice suddenly spoke from surprisingly close by, "Stop."

  The warrior froze and looked at the Khevelir, who approached through the undergrowth. She drew her Gadat sword and cut off the man's forearm in one swift motion. He screamed in pain and stumbled back. "Why did you do that?!"

  "I saved your life. Now, get yourself patched up," she responded coldly and pointed outside the grove. Then she turned to Viyal, only to realize she had disappeared into the dark. Her night vision was not nearly as good as a Bavadi's, but she could taste the air and find her blood trail. "Save us some time, Viyal. Give up your life now and save your people."

  She did not respond and hid behind a tree. Dull pain started to spread from her split cheek, but she ignored it and looked around. The torches gave away the pursuers' position, but if another Bavadi was among them, she would be spotted even in the dark. This game of hide and seek was over, and it became a fight for survival.

  Viyal headed for one of the warriors, who was closing the net around her. It was a Jagul woman holding a curved steel sword. Viyal's eyes widened. Could it be one of Tashi's weapons? Such curved blades were exceedingly rare among the steppe people, and usually, only Gadat officers carried them. It was hard to tell in the flickering torchlight, but she still bore hope that he was out there, alive and searching for her.

  "Surrender quietly, Lady Viyal," the Jagul woman said, readying her weapon.

  "Who would do that?!" Viyal flung a rock she picked up along the way at the Jagul, but she sidestepped it almost casually. However, she did not expect the young Mosyv to continue charging at her fearlessly and was blindsided by her reckless assault. As with the Bavadi warrior before, she expected a child, not a beast.

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  But Viyal was not a mindless creature. She feigned a lunge for the Jagul warrior's throat with her sharp teeth exposed. When the woman swung the curved sword in response, she dropped down to go for her leg. Unable to change the angle of her swing, she barely cut through some strands of the young Mosyv's white hair. Then came the stinger, aiming for her chest. Faced with this two-pronged attack, the Jagul had to choose which to defend against. She used her torch to catch the stinger and felt a sharp pain in her thigh at the same time.

  Instead of holding on with her teeth, Viyal ripped off as large of a piece as she could get away with and stumbled past the Jagul. The wound in the woman's leg hampered her, rendering her unable to give chase. And with this, she escaped into the darkness again.

  This could not continue forever. The wounded half of Viyal's face was on fire, and she was tired from the exertion. There were only so many times she could surprise these warriors before they landed a fatal strike on her. She hid behind a tree and calmed her beating heart for as long as she could afford, listening to the sounds of the searching enemies.

  Then, she made a dash for it and tumbled out of the undergrowth onto the rocky riverbank. Her aim was one of the Shinoona the warriors left behind. However, she knew they would simply give chase and shoot her in the back with arrows if she tried to ride away. Her only option was to stand and fight, like her friends, like Rowen had done before. For that, she snatched a bow and a quiver from the Shinoon's saddle and nocked an arrow. The first figure coming toward her in pursuit would get to feel her newfound accuracy.

  When Yava emerged from the grove, her dark brown scales barely illuminated by the scarce starlight, Viyal unleashed her shot. The Khevelir warrior spun around her sword and deflected the arrow almost casually. Several more warriors came out of the undergrowth and approached as one. Then, she heard the sound of more Shinoona hooves echo off the mountainsides coming from behind her.

  There she was, surrounded, six more arrows in the quiver, facing who knew how many enemies. And they would not be deterred even if only one of them remained. All was in the name of saving their people. Viyal had to admit now that perhaps this was the end. Of course, she would struggle until her heart stopped, but the way out seemed to have disappeared.

  She shot at one of the warriors beside Yava, hitting him in the chest. The padded vest stopped it from going deep enough to stop him, and he pulled it out with a grunt. Undeterred, Viyal shot another one at the closest enemy, but he ducked under it. Before she could nock her fourth arrow, Yava sprinted forward to end it once and for all.

  A howl echoed through the valley and caused the Khevelir warrior to freeze. She peered into the darkness past Viyal but could not make out anything. Then, a Shinoon's silhouette came into view, aiming straight for her. It bridged the distance within the blink of an eye, and its rider roared with the fury of a vengeful spirit.

  Yunil emerged from the darkness with her teeth bared in anger and swung her Gadat halberd at Yava. She raised her sword to block the strike, but the force behind it bent the blade and sent her tumbling across the ground. A moment later, Tashi and Altuna appeared behind her and charged into the other warriors heading for Viyal. Riding with Tashi was Mamai, who jumped off the saddle and landed beside the young Mosyv as the other two sped past them.

  "Behind me, master!" the little Diao shouted, spreading her arms and baring her claws to cover for Viyal.

  Tashi was like a spinning top on his Shinoon's back, hacking at the surprised enemies. They could block one, maybe two of his swings, but the third would always find its mark. Altuna's glaive described a glittering arc under the starlight, beheading an enemy in one graceful swing. Her Hyarul turned around and caught a spear in its beak, ripping it out of the wielder's hands before caving his face in with a single peck.

  "Are you alright, sister?" Yunil steered her Shinoon to cover for Viyal and inquired. When she got no immediate answer, she turned around and looked down at her sister with a worried look.

  "Yes, I am now," Viyal finally responded, tears in her eyes. Yunil sighed in relief, but her ear twitched, and she spun around in time to catch an arrow in her hand. Yava had discarded her useless steel sword and aimed her bow at the young Nokkoy.

  "You!" Yunil barked and turned her Shinoon to ride down the Khevelir.

  "Wait," Viyal stopped her, surprising Yunil and Yava both. She pointed at their surroundings, which had grown quiet in the blink of an eye. Tashi and Altuna had made quick work of the other warriors and now approached the last remaining enemy in their midst. "Let her go."

  "For trying to kill you, she should lose her head!" Yunil argued, but Viyal shook her head.

  "What good would that do?" she said with a sad look at Yava and the dead Zakhira warriors strewn across the riverbank. Then she cracked a wry grin at the realization. How much had been sacrificed in order to kill her? What state was the tribe in now? Was this not the classic situation in which someone tried to prevent a prophecy from coming true only for their actions to result in its fulfillment? She addressed Yava with a pitiful look, "Go back to the tribe. It needs you still."

  "What are you saying?" Yava lowered her bow, knowing she could not get an arrow past Yunil's reflexes.

  "Return to my uncle and tell him that I will prove him wrong," Viyal declared. "I am no longer one of the tribe. If it is destroyed now, it will be by his hands."

  She would accept blame for the coalition's failure and its long-lasting repercussions. However, what came after was Gavro's fault for acting on his despair. He brought down Amiro, the rightful chief of the tribe, and sent so many warriors to their deaths in pursuit of the Omen Child. And in doing so, he strengthened her resolve to survive.

  "I will not die before seeing my thirteenth thawing season. I will find a new path in a faraway land," Viyal continued, glancing at her companions. Then, she glared at Yava with her crimson eyes. "And one day, I will return to fulfill my prophecy."

  Yava wanted to rebut that declaration, but she was stunned by the atmosphere surrounding Viyal. Even though she was still a child, wearing ragged clothes and covered in cuts and bruises, she looked more regal than anybody she had ever seen before. More so than Zagaro, Amiro, or Gavro, even more than the Snowblood, who had been an existence akin to a queen. At this moment, the Omen Child's attitude truly lived up to the weight of her prophecy.

  "Are you sure about letting her go just like this?" Yunil asked with a skeptical look at Yava's back as she departed alone on her Shinoon.

  "There are two ways this can play out. My uncle gives up after hearing what I said. Or he comes looking for me personally. Either way, we'll be long gone by then," Viyal responded.

  "To Rowen's homeland?" inquired Altuna with her head tilted.

  "Yes. He gave his life for my future," Viyal said with a distant look at the sky. Her companions stared at her with glum expressions. Finding her alone here had already told them that the old knight must have fallen. She then turned her gaze to the fallen warriors' roaming Shinoona, drinking from the river and looking for edible sprouts in the grove's undergrowth. Their riders had carried plenty of provisions for the journey. "We have everything we need to make it out of the mountains with this."

  With these words, Viyal walked over to the Matagai fur on the rock and picked it up. It was proof of her transformation, the first time when she stood her ground and fought for her future instead of running away. The fur was still wet and required more work, but she would not discard it here.

  "Did you kill that thing?" Tashi wondered with a look at the skinned carcass nearby. A creature of that size could have overcome even an adult Mosyv.

  "It was more luck than anything," Viyal answered with a wry smile, rolling up the fur and putting it on one of the Shinoona's saddles. "Pick up anything you can carry and prepare for a long journey ahead."

  Yunil, Tashi, and Altuna stared at her while she tied the fur down. She had been in a deep emotional pit for a long time, but it seemed that her mind had cleared now. As Yava had earlier, they recognized the change in the young Mosyv. In their short time apart, she had grown up.

  Viyal helped Mamai onto her new mount and climbed up after her. She noticed the looks of her three companions and raised an eyebrow. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

  Her command ran through their bodies like an electric shock. Even though it should have been unfounded, given their circumstances, they felt an overwhelming sense of optimism for the future rise in their hearts. The long night came to an end, and the first hints of a new dawn illuminated the sky over the mountains. This was where their story would begin.

  This is the end of volume 1. If you like this story, please consider giving me a rating or even a review. Now only would it really help me out as an author, but it would tell me if I should continue to pursue this story instead of turning to something that could be more popular to stave off starvation.

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