SNAP!

I awoke with a jolt at the sudden sound. As I tested my senses, I remained tense and perfectly still. I if I stood, Saki would probably wake up or fall off my back. In the process, she would make a lot of noise. The commotion would alert whatever or whoever was out there.

For now, I decided the young Stellan should remain asleep and unaware on my back, but I was not opposed to waking her if the situation demanded it.

Two dull sparks of approaching light magic confirmed my fears. Stellans. Most likely hunters or the army.

Though my ears remained flattened to the sides of my head, I controlled my desire to growl. Instead, I stared at the missing part of the circular stump and remained tense and prepared to flee upon being discovered.

With each passing second, the two dim sources of magic neared our location. After a few moments, all doubts exited my mind. They are coming here. We need to move.

Saki suddenly murmured in her sleep. It was a good sign that she started to up, but she was still loose on my back. Saki, wake up! My mental pleas fell on her deaf ears. We need to get out of here!

"What is grandpa's old hunting spot?" A semi-childish voice suddenly reached my ears, closer than I originally estimated.

"It's an old tree stump that was struck by lightning when he was a kid, and it's a great hunting stand. It's a family secret, and it's time you learned of it. You're almost a man now. An older voice responded in a quiet voice. "Now, remember to keep your voice quiet. With decreasing rations, we need to fell at least a few deer to last the town a couple of days."

"Yes, Grandpa!" The younger voice responded in hushed excitement. "I can't wait to kill my first deer!"

Soon, I could hear the two pairs of footsteps and only tensed further. I wasn't scared, just cautious. Though I no longer killed Stellans, I would hurt them in self-defense if the situation required such actions. My fur bristled. I forcefully withheld a growl, but I suspected an intense stare remained on my face. Saki once told me I was scary to strangers even asleep; I doubted I was any less threatening awake. I was a monster; I couldn't help it.

A semi-elderly figure rounded the corner, then froze with wide eyes. In only slow movements, the Stellan dressed in brown hunting clothes used a hand to keep the person behind from also approaching. "Hush." He whispered to the boy behind him as he took the bow off of his shoulders. I watched as he silently grabbed a feather-tipped arrow from the quiver on his back.

Though I typically acted animalistic around unfamiliar Stellans, I decided it would be best to speak in the softest voice I could manage. "I would rather you not shoot me with an arrow, thank you."

While the man remained stunned, I studied the old Stellan and the boy peeking out from behind him.

The older man's grey eyes were dull with age, a bit of greyed hair peeked out from under his brown hood. I noticed faded scars marred his face. He was taller than the average Stellan; the tops of his hood-covered ears reached the bottom of my chin. Though somewhat thin, he appeared to be strong enough to use the bow still in his hands. Thankfully, he no longer aimed at me.

The boy looked somewhere about ten years old, and his green eyes were bright with curiosity. Because he was hiding behind the stump, I could not accurately judge his height, but he was shorter than Saki. His unruly curly hair barely stayed beneath the hood of his cloak. He was younger than sixteen, the minimum age at which the army drafted. He also carried a bow, strung over his shoulders with his quiver.

Their magic cores glowed weakly; I doubted either one of them used magic, even on accident. Magic was not a problem. The only weapons I had to worry about were the bows and arrows.

Eventually, the man spoke in an emotionless voice. "What are you? Why are you here? What do you want?"

"If you know what I am, I would like to know," I mused, unwilling to reveal that I was a monster; he probably suspected I was one. Also, I decided to use more of the 'polite' words Mrs. Hanna has taught me over the years. "I am sorry that we are in your way, and we shall be on our way as soon as my companion wakes up. We only desired a secluded place to spend the night. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Though the man never returned the notched arrow to his quiver, he didn't aim at me either. However, I knew if I gave him a reason to fire, he would shoot me without hesitation.

Thankfully, Saki soon began to stir and slowly awoke. "Morning Hoshi," she murmured, then froze. "Oh, uh, hello there." She laughed nervously, "Sorry if we are in your way."

The White-haired Stellan silently nodded to the half-awake Stellan on my back. "Good morning to you as well." He seemed unsure of what to make of the present predicament.

"We didn't realize that this was your spot." Saki apologized as she quickly fixed her hood to be at least somewhat presentable, though a few strands of her hair wildly flowed out from beneath her head covering.

"That's our cue to leave." I stood. Saki frantically grabbed my scarf before she fell off of my back. The man froze, startled with the realization of my size. Thankfully, he restrained himself from aiming an arrow at my chest.

While Saki settled herself, I reached under my scarf. "Here," I wrapped my large paws around two apples, then offered them to the camouflaged Stellans. "They're a bit bruised but still edible. Or you could use them as bait. Either way works for me. I don't care how you use them"

The older Stellan eyed the red fruit in my semi-outstretched paw, then hesitantly accepted. "Thank you." He moved to the side as I approached and did not say any as I passed by him and out of the hollow stump.

Once I was out, I ran down the mountainside as fast as possible without running into trees. I didn't see any deer, but I would not be surprised if I ran right by them without noticing any of them. Since the animals weren't my main focus, I wasn't looking very hard. If I had seen any of the fearful things, I would have scared them towards the waiting hunters.

"Where a-are we go-ing now?" Saki's voice stuttered as she hung onto my back. "W-what about visit-ing the t-town?"

"We will; I'm making sure don't they suspect we are going to the town," I huff, barely out of breath. When I saw the edge of the forest, I quickly changed course towards the town. However, I stayed within the cover of the underbrush.

As I got closer, I could sense the dull magic cores of the town's inhabitants. Once I found a spot to hide, I stopped and looked at Saki. "I'll wait here while you go to town, be quick. That hunter may report us the second he returns to the town, and we need to be far away from here by then."

Saki slid off of my back, then glanced at the small cave. "I'll try to be quick," she nodded at me.

"Here," I offered a bruised carrot from the pocket dimension in my scarf. "I promised, so enjoy breakfast."

Saki grinned and greedily accepted the vegetable. "Thank you!" She hugged my neck, then cast a cleaning spell on the food item after she released me. Once magically cleaned, she happily munched on her meal.

I chuckled, then settled down in the mouth of the small cavern. "The village is just down the slope." I pointed in the proper direction with my wing. "Come back here at the first sign of trouble. Now, go have fun, but be careful."

"I will!" She announced. Once she finished the carrot, she buried the green part under some leaves on the forest floor. With that done, she happily began to traverse down the mountain towards the village.

I chuckled to myself as I settled into a comfortable position. While I waited, I closed my eyes and meditated.

I sensed the two types of energy inside me swirl separately. After years of experience, it was instinctive to keep the two separated.

My mind drifted towards Saki. She had grown quite a bit over the years we had been together. She used to be shorter than my shoulder, and now her shoulders were even with mine. Since my neck was longer, I still beat her in total height, but I noticed her growth through the years.

The young Stellan girl had grown both physically and magically. Despite her initial struggle to learn magic, she became closer and closer to mastering magic with each passing day. She could use many more spells than me and knew how to use her magic wisely as well. I was proud of her, even if I didn't admit it to her face.

Soon, though my senses remained somewhat alert, I mentally dozed off.

Author Notes!

Our characters are all grown up! What do you think of this chapter?