Lupa’s barking woke the rest of the party, including the merchants.

  After extracting herself from the tangle of limbs, Bonny found the missing foursome had also returned and was gathered with the rest of the party. She hopped up and grinned at the spectators after catching her breath.

  Lupa remained ying on the ground, dazed, panting, and moaning happily.

  “Hey, uh, sorry. She’s noisier than expected.”

  “Wass that wisse, Bonny?” Eloisss spoke up first.

  Bonny ughed. “No, probably not. I needed it though.”

  Eloisss sighed. “I undersstand, but the monsster definitely heard you.”

  Miu started to protest, but Bonny held up a hand, then motioned her over. When the cat girl jogged over, Bonny pulled her into a tight hug. Miu quieted and melted into Bonny’s embrace.

  Bonny spoke around the purring Miu to address Eloisss. “You’re not mad?”’

  The mia looked confused. “No. Why would I be?”

  “You’re always jealous and mad when I fuck someone new.”

  “No. I …” She sighed again and pointed at the restrained goblin. “Nevermind. What did sshe ssay?”

  “Oh, She says she doesn’t know anything about the cat. It may have just pyed with her for fun, but Pride admitted that a demonic spirit is controlling it. The spirit is after me and maybe anyone with me. Apparently, some of the demonic spirits are abandoning the greater demons and rebelling.”

  “You ssaid it wass not demonic.”

  “I know, I was wrong. It feels different from what I expected. Different from from Wrath, anyway. Pride is more aloof and, uh, distant. I don’t think it’s fixated on me the same way.”

  “Can you sense it now?” Freja asked. “If you know what it should feel like, you should be able to search for it, right?”

  “Oh. Maybe?”

  Bonny extended her aura. By default, it covered several feet in an area around her, but pushing it out further required active concentration and drained both her will and mana. It had evolved over time, gaining overpping effects, both divine and demonic, and she reached out with all of them, feeling, sensing, finding both Courage and Desire in those around her.

  She touched the newer aura powers hesitantly. Fury had already helped her sense incoming attacks more than once. Now she also searched for Empathy and Hope, looked for Retribution, and found she could sense injuries and filth. She concentrated on Pride and found feelings of admiration from her companions and allies.

  Then, she found a sour note, not respect, but disdain. The intrusion into her aura wavered and she sensed the owner was surprised, then angered. It believed itself to be the greatest hunter, the supreme stalker, and it had never imagined anyone could detect it when it didn’t want them to.

  There was a fsh of understanding, of simirity, and she understood its pn, its purpose. It was ying in wait, waiting for the camp to calm enough for it to attack. It wanted, needed, to incapacitate or kill Bonny’s companions, to isote her and destroy her morale, then to tear her ego apart, like Bonny had done to Pride.

  The sense of certainty and hate fshed through her, pinpointing the predator high overhead.

  “Above!”

  Bonny spun with rabbit-like reflexes, almost faster than thought, and much faster than a falling cat. She pulled Miu around in a modified hip throw, flinging her to the side instead of throwing her to the ground, then leapt after her.

  They both nded on top of Lupa, Bonny on top, trying to shield the other two from the demon falling from the treetops.

  But then, Freja was there, standing where Bonny had been, with her legs braced and her shield raised. There was a thump, and Freja’s hooves sank into the soft ground.

  Bonny couldn’t see, but heard the sound of cws against reinforced leather, followed by the hiss of a snake, and a hiss of pain from Freja.

  Not all pain was erotic, even to a masochist like Freja. Pleasurable pain requires the correct expectation, environment, and partner. Like the unexpected bite from Lupa, the snake bite was not at all pleasant for Freja.

  The leopard nded nearby, having twisted off of Freja’s shield.

  Bonny reached out, touching Freja as she rose to her feet, casting as she did. “[Panacea!][Mending!]”

  Bonny saw intelligence behind the golden-green eyes of the cat. It hissed and she suddenly felt drawn to it. It was beautiful in the firelight, the fmes reflecting from its eyes, its golden spotted coat luxurious and soft and she wanted nothing more than to cuddle with it.

  Even the four snakes were fascinating, swaying above the cat’s shoulder’s and neck. They were all bck, with the same eyes as the cat, sinuous and exciting, like Eloisss, only better, promising acceptance and … death.

  She blinked and the feeling passed.

  Bonny shouted the warning as she pushed out her aura again. “Hypnosis! It's trying to enchant us.”

  This time, instead of trying to sense pride and ego, she pulled at those around her. Tried to force them to look at her instead of the cat.

  Admire ME! I am the cutest girl here. You desire me! You can’t resist me. I am so amazing and beautiful, even the Gods and Demons love me. I am BONNY, the best bunny! LOOK! AT! ME!

  “LOOK at ME!”

  She shouted the st thought, and everyone blinked and turned to stare, including the leopard. Their eyes fshed gold in the firelight, reminding her of Haruto and the weird harem he had assembled, none of which were able to think for themselves.

  She released her aura, knowing she didn’t want that. She needed them to be themselves, not sves to her desires.

  The leopard snarled, then leapt.

  Freja tried to intervene, but it rebounded off of her shield like it had expected it to be there. Freja stumbled back as the cat arced higher and aimed for Bonny.

  Bonny summoned Wrath’s spear, her left fist turning scaly and red around it, but before she could set it, the cat batted it away with a paw and nded on Bonny.

  She brought her other arm up just in time, catching the leopard under the chin and preventing its gigantic, snapping teeth from tearing at her face. It tried to force it's head down and even Bonny's increased strength was barely enough to keep it off of her.

  It twisted it's head and tried again, snapping at her, trying to end the fight quickly.

  Bonny dropped the spear, dismissing it. It was too big anyway. She brought her left fist around, punching the leopard in the side of the face. Her hand was still scaly and red, a manifestation of Wrath, and the cat’s head whipped to the right as it impacted, giving Bonny a moment to deal with the four remaining snakes that were striking out, biting her over and over on her head and shoulders. The venom burned, agonizing and distracting.

  “[Analgesia!]” Bonny muttered the skill, dismissing the pain. There much be some way for the cat to control whether it numbed or not. She followed up with healing. “[Panacea!][Mending!]”

  The cat’s fore paws dug in, cws hooking into her shoulders, and the cat twisted, rolling to the right, pulling Bonny over. It’s hind cws tucked up between them and raked down, tearing at her abdomen.

  Zeal had done the same in their fight, but Bonny had had armor then, not that it had helped much against a dragon.

  This time she was naked and the cws sank into her body like a knives in butter, tearing her open from her abdomen to her knees. Blood and gore sprayed out of her, painting both of them red. The snakes continued to strike, bites falling like rain while she concentrated on keeping the cat’s teeth off of her face.

  “[Mending!][Panacea!][Mending!]”

  She wasn’t wearing the crown this time, but her healing skill had been enhanced enough that she barely felt the drain on her mana. She took a breath, blinked to clear her eyes, and …

  Eloisss was there, one falcata punching into the side of the leopard’s chest, the other severing a serpent from the monster. Glowing arcane arrows sprouted from the cat’s neck a moment ter, nding inches from Bonny’s face. Freja’s spear jabbed in and out like a sewing needle, perforating the cat’s side with quick shallow punctures. Blood ran from the cat's wounds, mixing with the blood already coating them.

  Lupa was suddenly behind Bonny, helping her disengage from the cws and pulling her out of range of the injured leopard.

  Roots erupted from the ground a moment ter, constricting around the cat. Wind and light howled around it, then another spear joined Freja’s, and another sword and more arrows sprouted from the cat. It wailed, it’s eyes still focused on Bonny as Lupa dragged her further away.

  Bonny stood after a few seconds, legs shaking, her thigh and core muscles torn almost too much to support her. Lupa helped, holding Bonny under one arm. Miu joined a second ter, supporting her from the other side.

  Bonny looked down at the cat, helplessly pinned to the ground. She raised her chin and narrowed her eyes as she addressed both it and the spirit of Pride within it.

  “You are a failure. All your efforts were wasted. Useless. We will feast upon your flesh and your strength will strengthen us. The spirit within you will be humiliated and broken for it’s transgression against me.”

  She didn’t know if the leopard understood or not, but she felt like she had to say something.

  The cat growled again, then slowly stopped struggling, the light in it’s eyes dimming.

  Bonny looked around and smiled at her friends. Most looked relieved. Zeal looked angry.

  Zeal hadn’t approached the fight, but she stared at the fallen cat, her whole body flushed red and her fists were clenched and shaking.

  “Zeal!” Bonny called out. When the dragon girl met her eyes, Bonny smiled and said, “Good girl. Come here.”

  She turned back to the rest of the party and continued, “Freja, you need to come over here for healing. Everyone else, attack the cat before it dies.”

  Eloisss continued Bonny's thought as Iona, Kori, and the merchant group slowly approached. “Bonny iss right. Thiss may be your only opportunity to sstrike a tier three monsster.”

  The rest of the serpents had been cut from the leopard and were no longer a threat.

  Bonny bent to straighten her wounds and cast “[Mending!]” several times as Freja and Zeal made their way over.

  After healing Freja and fring her cleansing aura, she gave hugs and kisses to everyone around her, then sat down and pulled Zeal onto her p.

  “Thank you for not interfering. I know you could have beaten it without me getting hurt. I know it was hard to see that, but I need to get stronger.”

  Zeal nodded. Tears trickled from the corner of her eyes.

  “Are you okay?”

  Zeal nodded again.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Zeal sniffed. “I-I did that to you too. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine.” Bonny squeezed the dragon girl tight. “I’ve already forgiven you. Besides, you weren’t yourself.”

  Zeal sniffed again and wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “It wasn’t in control either. I … she could be me.”

  “I know. But she’s a wild animal. We can't handle her even without the demon. I can’t take her in as a pet.”

  Bonny left the ‘like you’ unspoken, but Zeal heard it anyway.

  atomically