Kaari stood motionless as William and James's mouths fell open. The man obviously noticed the change in atmosphere and before he could turn around, Kaari ducked her head and broke the eye contact with her brothers, plunging her features into darkness. The wind still toyed with her robe and at times it revealed her weapon. 

She was a silhouette with the sun gleaming behind her, the blade of her dagger glinting as the sunlight caught it. 

Akira waited for her signal to join her. For now, the wolf stayed put, teeth bared, ready to fight for both of their lives.

The man turned around and gasped. Kaari could tell he was studying her as she watched him from her downcast eyes. Her brothers sputtered aimlessly as they watched their younger sister come find them.

Recovering from the shock of someone catching him red handed, he lifted his sword and pointed it at her, advancing slowly.

"What have we got here?" the man asked in a silky, smooth tone that gave her shivers. Kaari watched him without answering him. The man cocked his head and stopped ten steps away from her. 

"What do you want?" he spat, his eyes glaring her down. Without raising her head, Kaari answered in an equally silky voice. "I would like to know what your doing."

"None of your business unless you would like to die. Leave," he commanded. Kaari laughed despite the fear slithering up her spine, threatening to overrule her. "No." 

All traces of games disappeared from the man's features. "No?" He twirled the sword in the dirt, watching it leave scuffling marks in the dusty ground. 

"Why not, girl?" he spat again, a trace of a hiss hinted his voice. Kaari raised her head slowly and met his murky brown eyes. "You sound like being a girl is a bad thing," she replied coolly.

The man held her gaze before making the mistake of glancing back at her brothers behind him. She took her chance and lunged at him, her dagger grazing his wrist. She grinned evilly as he whipped around and met her gaze with shock flashing in his deep eyes, a thin trail of blood dripping into the sandy dirt. She threw a punch at his nose, not ready to do anymore harm with the dagger if she didn't have too.

The man swept his sword into his hand with a flick of his bloodied wrist. The upsweeping movement forced Kaari to back up to avoid the sharp blade but doing so allowed her opponent to advance. 

He took a step forward, raising his sword to bring his wrath down upon her. She took a deep breath, preparing, and just as he brought down his weapon, an arrow wizzed past her head, brushing her forehead in the process. 

Fear zipped down her spine as she twirled away from the slender sword. A growl sounded behind her as she caught a glance at the commotion behind her. There was a second attacker with a bow and arrow! Akira was on him in an instant, throwing all of her heart and soul into the fight. 

The man's sword struck the ground with a soft thud. He swung it around at her a moment after it scuffed the dirt. He was quick but Kaari's speed and agility was better than his. She threw up her dagger as she spun around to face him, the blades clanging loudly and sparks flying with the collision of the metal. She slid the dagger along the length of the sword in a downward fashion with one hand, using the other to jab him in the gut with her fist.

His hand instinctively fluttered to his side to shield himself, throwing his balance off as he leaned towards her. Kaari kicked the insides of his knees, avoiding the off course sword. 

The man's legs buckled and he landed heavily on his back, his knees bent inward and his feet underneath him. His sword slipped out of his hands in his fall and landed a short distance away from his outstretched arms. 

Panic danced across his eyes but disappeared as quickly as it came. He reached for his sword but Kaari slammed her foot down on the double-edged blade. The man banged his balled fists against her legs, sending shoots of pain up her leg. 

Her legs unwillingly uncovered the sword and the man was back on his feet, sword in hand, in an instant. Kaari pointed the tip of her dagger against his chest before he could raise his defense. A fleet of arrows soared over their head and bounced off the walls. James yelped as one sliced past his shoulder, leaving a deep gash in its wake.

Kaari was overwhelmed with anger and protectiveness. She gripped the hilt if her dagger so hard, her knuckles turned white. "Drop it," she said, her voice scarily thick with her rage. Her blue eyes burned with a fire she never knew before. 

She heard a yelp and then a snarl as Akira held her own against the other captor. Blood dropped into her eyes as the cut on her head bled. She blinked it away, focusing on the fight. 

"Drop it!" Kaari screamed, her hand shaking with the amount of emotion that stormed inside her brain. 

The man surprisingly dropped the sword. Kaari swallowed and tried to steady herself, her eyes still boring into the other pair that were now blank. James moaned, a dark pool of blood draining into the earth. William positioned himself around his brother, shielding himself with his own body from any other possible dangers. 

Akira still battled the other man as Kaari still stared down the man she was battling.

Kaari knew she had to wrap this up so she drew her dagger back and thrust her elbow into the man's collarbone. He shouted something unintelligible and sank to his knees. She stepped behind his back and pressed the dagger just below his chin. 

"Please..." the man whispered, his voice gruff with fear, thinking it was his end. Kaari wasn't going to kill him at all but if he thought so and it gave her an advantage over him, maybe she could make him surrender. Then she would nock him out and tie him up, get her brothers, defeat the other guy, and then leave.  

"Hey!" she barked at the second man. He had dropped his bow and was using a long dagger, not as long as a sword but close. He had it pointed at Akira like he could jab her any second. He looked up at her, annoyance glistening in his eyes. Thankfully, Akira was smart enough to not attack; she knew Kaari had a trick up her sleeves. 

"I have your little friend here," Kaari hissed, her eyes glaring into his. "Don't think he's of any use, do you?"

The captor glanced at Kaari's captive then back at her. "Please, Rowan, do—do what she says..." he gasped, his breath growing heavier and heavier. Rowan looked reluctant and he glanced at the dagger in her hand. 

Kaari pressed the blade harder against his neck, drawing blood. It trickled down his throat and soaked into his shirt, staining it. The other man outside the cave gulped, dropping his weapon. He raised his hands in surrender as if the sight of blood was too much for him. He walked slowly towards Kaari, his hands still in the air. He eyed her suspiciously as he entered the cave. 

Kaari quickly gave commands to untie her brothers and give her the rope. Rowan handed her the rope and then she demanded him to kneel down beside his partner in crime. She quickly bashed her elbow on his head, leaving him unconscious. 

She made swift work of the other and tied them up, deserting them in the middle of the cave. 

"Now, it's time to get out of here," she said, sheathing her dagger and facing her brothers.