“What’s for lunch?” Izal asked as the trio made their way through the forest, though the sun was not yet high in the sky.

“Is that all you ever think about?” Cahir chuckled.

“Yes. I don’t eat to live, I live to eat! And right now I could go for some fish…”

Verena signaled for them to stop and the sound of shouting could be heard from up ahead. She gestured for them to quietly move closer.

“What is that?” Izal was referring to a large, round, and furry dark shape surrounded by several smaller figures.

“It’s an Uma and her cubs,” Cahir said in concern.

The animal let out a large moan and tried to swipe her claws at the cords wrapped around her antlers.

“She’s injured,” Verena frowned. “You two-”

“Got it,” Izal interrupted before disappearing in a puff of wispy black smoke and reappearing behind the poachers. “Yoo Hoo!” he called to get their attention as Verena and Cahir circled around.

“What is all this, then?” Asked one of the surrounded men.

“That’s what we’d like to know,” Cahir countered.

“Are you a slayer? This is our catch, so lay off!”

“Do you know that it’s illegal to harm a nursing Uma?” Verena asked, although it sounded more like a statement.

“We din’t know she had cubs when we caught her,” another man argued.

“Yeah, we was just tryin’ to get some dinna!”

Verena looked skeptically down at them. “A nursing Uma can be easily identified by the very visible gold stripes along her back…” she turned to point out the markings, “…and the soft fuzz that coats her tines. Both of which happen to fetch a high price on the black market.” She faced the men once again. “The meat of a nursing Uma, however, tends to be extremely fatty, and one wouldn’t typically think the effort to fell one would be worth the measly meal you get from it, especially once shared amongst friends.”

“Well… we were ‘ungry…” shrugged one more of the the accused.

“And colorblind?” added his associate hesitantly.

“Yeah, we din’t see them stripes, or fuzzy… things.”

Verena leaned in. “All of you were on the verge of starvation AND colorblind AND regular blind.”

“Yes?”

She looked at her companions. “Let’s untangle her and tie them up instead.”

“Oy, I reckon we five can take on two lads and a lass!” said one of the men, puffing up his chest in overconfident bravado.

“There are six of you, and they don’t even need my help,” she corrected as she turned away.

Moments later the would-be poachers were tightly bound together, seated on the ground with their backs to each other.

Verena calmly approached the wounded bear. The mother snarled and held her young closer, but the slayer held out her hand and soon the animal was soothed and grew drowsy.

“How did you do that?” Cahir asked.

Verena shrugged. “Natural beings tend to be comforted by my presence. Anomalies tend to get agitated, however. Probably something to do with how they were gen-modded by the old gangs.”

She carefully lifted one of the cubs and handed it to him. “Watch these two while I patch her up.”

With a cub each on their hips, Izal and Cahir watched as Verena cleaned, sutured, and dressed the mother’s injuries with care. Finally she stood.

“The herbs should help stave off infection, and the thread should dissolve after the flesh adheres back together. She should be fine if she can take it easy.”

“What about these yobbos?” Izal asked, indicating the still bound group of miscreants.

Verena regarded them. “Could leave them here for the Uma. She’ll need food to regain her strength.”

Loud and overlapping cries of protest rang out until Verena lifted a hand to silence them.

“I will let you go, but know this. I can track your scent to the edges of the galaxy and there is nowhere you can hide for long. If I discover that any of you has had so much as a thought about ever harming another innocent being again, I will find you and I will end you - Slayer’s Honour. Understood?”

They all nodded vigorously and swore their compliance. Izal cut their bonds and they rushed off into the forest in various directions.

“Can you really do that?” Cahir asked.

“They did all smell rather ripe, but no, not at all,” she admitted. “The Honour part was only about hunting them down if I hear they’ve done it again.”

“It’d be a lot cooler if you could,” lamented Izal.

The companions left the furry family to rest and continued on their journey, making their way through the trees once more.

When they came to a clearing Verena surveyed the land.

“This will work well for our training grounds. If we clear the trees at the edges there and find some white wood for the foundation I think we can set up a decent course with enough room to illustrate the Edeti fighting patterns.”

“Alright, should we get to chopping?” Izal gave his hands a clap and rubbed them together.

“You’re on rope duty,” Verena delegated. “We’re going to need a lot of it.”

Verena and Cahir worked on felling trees and splitting logs while Izal gathered and stripped plants for rope. They outlined the course pathway, drove the supporting posts into the ground, and set up counter weighted ATDs.

After awhile Verena surveyed their remaining materials.

“I think we’ll need one more white bark tree,” she concluded.

“I can help.” Cahir moved to follow, but she waved him off.

“Help him with the rope, he’s falling behind.”

Izal scoffed. “I have to do a quadruple weave if I want it to stand a chance against you. And I know for a fact that you can’t braid,” he said, gesturing towards her hair.

Cahir took a seat next to the rope maker and picked up a handful of loose strands.

“Have you always been a Dark Shadow?” He asked as he wound the fibers around his fingers.

Izal grinned hearing his chosen nickname. “For as long as I can remember!”

“Is it genetic?”

He shrugged. “Dunno. I was dropped off on this planet before I could walk or talk. A family took me in, but when I started ‘acting erratically’ they didn’t know what to do and left me in the woods like an old fairy tale.”

“And a roving band of rogues picked you up?” Cahir asked in jest.

Izal nodded. “Pretty much. They were bounty hunters who’d heard how Washend was crawling with criminals on the run. Taught me to fight while I learned to control my power, and after they cleaned up the place a bit they left, but I stayed. I made a little name for myself picking off the last of the crime lords.”

“And when did you fall in love with Verena?”

Izal laughed. “I’m an open book, am I? Well… probably at first sight, and definitely after I saw her take down a giant forest lizard.”

“The one in the North? That was her?”

“You should’ve seen her, it was beautiful! Nice and clean, very efficient. We barbecued the whole thing and it was the best tasting meal I’d ever had.”

“Why’d you go off world?” Cahir asked.

“Well, maybe I was a bit too good at my job,” he shrugged. “Fugitives stopped coming here. But that could’ve also been because of the increase in anomalies let loose by the old gangs; left to roam free and breed. And, once V turned me down it was hard to stay, so I decided to try and find out where I came from, but so far no one’s heard of a planet where people can turn to smoke.”

Cahir looked thoughtful. “I met a trader at the Far Outskirts once who told a story about people who could vanish from sight. Though it was many cycles ago now.”

Izal raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps I’ll make a visit after all this.”

“Do you really think we stand a chance against an Edeti general and her Guard?”

“I say, if anyone does it’s the three of us.”

Verena walked up with another tree trunk over her shoulder. “Is he talking your ear off?” she asked Cahir.

“Just sharing my tragic backstory,” Izal smiled.

“Well, if you’re done with the ropes let’s finish setting up before it gets dark so we can make camp.”

“What’s for dinner?”

“You find enough agaric and tarasacon, I’ll make stew.”

Izal celebrated quietly yet enthusiastically, much to Cahir’s amusement.