The easiest kinds of prey were those that were weak but fearless, Soaring Wave mused as the four entered the forest in pursuit of the Mossback Jackals.

Soaring Wave was over the moon at how easy it was to lure Strong River to come along with him in the guise of necessity. He had expected some kind of protest from the bumpkin, but a little prod and that was headed off. The peasant was even foolish enough to wave off the concern of his fellow Ripple-fluffing sycophants!

"Strong River, you're good at dodging in close quarters, so we'll be relying on you to keep those jackals busy once we engage," Soaring Wave explained. "Stumpy and I can cut off their escape routes while Archer can suppress and weaken them with arrows."

Strong River nodded, "Okay."

Soaring Wave masked a sneer at the sheer gullibility of the man. Soaring Wave and Stumpy would be cutting off all avenues of escape, all right, and Archer indeed would be firing for suppression, but Strong River would be the one cut off and suppressed, forced into a melee with a small pack of jackals with little room to maneuver with his barely passing physique.

Soaring Wave had heard about Strong River's supposed kills and was only amused. It was obvious to him that Blue Ripple had suppressed the beasts and given the man an ego boost, a tactic to build up the morale of his newest pet. Now that unearned splendor would be the downfall of the man when he discovered how a pack of mossbacks in a tight space weren't the same as one-on-one with a beast and someone a couple grades higher to watch your back.

He was very proud of this impromptu setup of his. Better yet, while Stumpy required specific instructions, Archer was a sharp instrument and would perform his task without the need for an explicit direction to do so. While Blue Ripple was off glory-hounding, Soaring Wave would be cutting down his new pawn in a wholly above-board manner; with all the ways the scenario could end up, none of them would end well for the newly promoted youth.

The four youths dashed from tree to tree as they neared the cackling that was the signature call of the Mossback Jackals. Checking up on the three men around him, Soaring Wave was a little surprised that Strong River had kept up, as only Stumpy seemed pushed to the limit by the pace they were making. It was no doubt a testament to the brat's unusual agility, and in different circumstances, Soaring Wave might have made an effort to uplift the peasant lad and have a pawn of his own, but their personal differences were already beyond the point of no return after years of suppression. The incident with Beanpole had cemented that he was too unruly and disrespectful, while the matter at the tent...

Soaring Wave held back a growl at the thought of that humiliation. It was too pointed and practiced feeling, that whole pantomime with Blue Ripple. And he had fallen right into it! But now, with Blue Ripple unable to save him, the brat would finally pay for disrespecting him and the Wave family with the only appropriate currency: his life!

"We're circling!" Soaring Wave announced as the jackals came into view, diverting his path through the trees to go around to the other side of the beasts. "They're all yours, newbie!" And may you choke on them, he mentally added.

As Soaring Wave, Stumpy, and Archer set up their perimeter with a precision that spoke of their long history of coordination, the beggar upstart charged forward into the beasts' formation, cuffing one of the animals as he leapt around them. The jackals, four in total, cackled as they regrouped to face their most immediate threat.

Facing the prospect of an immediate foe, Soaring Wave and Stumpy's encirclement was superfluous, and the two watched as Strong River jumped back and forth among the beasts, the space of their battlefield tightening as the jackals grouped together.

Archer fired into the clustered mass, scoring a couple hits on the beasts. Strong River's dance around the creatures faltered, though, as he narrowly dodged the incoming projectiles. His breathing came now in ragged pants, his clear limits being overrun as he faced four third-grade beasts in an enclosed space while dodging the friendly fire. Soaring Wave savored the sight, anticipating the moment at which the near misses would start becoming hits, and the youth went down under the assault of the now-enraged mossbacks...

That moment didn't come. And it didn't come. And it didn't come.

Soaring Wave glanced across the battlefield at Archer, wondering why the man hadn't gone in for the kill yet. Had the bowman missed the plain cues he had been given since they were back at the camp?

Archer's brow was creased in concentration, sweat trickling off his eyebrows as his quiver was nearing empty. He was trying he just... wasn't succeeding! What kind of madness was this, a third-grade warrior evading the experienced aim of a fourth-grade who specialized in archery?

"You know," Strong River started speaking, loud enough to be heard over the mossback cackles and yet calm and without any of the breathlessness Soaring Wave expected, "it's been a good workout, but I think it's time to end this little farce, don't you agree?"

What was this? Was this mere peasant, a weak little ant that didn't even have his first cloak, playing with experienced warriors at the same time he toyed with a pack of Mossback Jackals?

Strong River gave a cry and landed in the middle of the pack, an arm and a leg sweeping out to connect with the beasts surrounding him. The blows connected, the cackling of the creatures cut off in high-pitched yipes as all four were propelled away into trees, striking the trunks with audible cracking sounds as their bones broke and then falling to the forest floor with the feeble twitching of their death throes their only movement.

"Oh good, I got it free now," Strong River muttered, a flash of metal glinting in his hand. "Hey, Archer! That's a pretty crappy name, you know," he taunted, "and it's even crappier with your piss-poor aiming. This is how you aim."

Before anybody else could react, the glint of metal flew from Strong River's hand and straight into Archer's chest with enough force to shove him back against a tree trunk. All were looking at his chest in shock, where a dagger hilt had sprouted. Archer's mouth moved without sound as he made a futile tug at the grip. Then he slid down the tree trunk, a smear of blood marking where the weapon had pierced through his body all the way.

Soaring Wave shook himself out of the shock of the sudden reversal, sharing a look with the for-once expressive Stumpy. The thick-bodied thug's stoic facade had crumbled, and his expression was now a contorted mixture of surprise, fear, and regret. Soaring Wave then performed the only act that could result in his survival.

Abandoning his allies, his faithful minions, he turned and fled.

He had underestimated the bumpkin brat. This man had to be a hidden knife of the Ripple family, a carefully honed weapon hidden in their arsenal all this time. How many years, how many times had he ridiculed Strong River, suppressed him, bullied him? How long had the peasant brat feigned weakness, avoiding him, falling for his pranks?

All this time, Soaring Wave had been sharpening a tool of the Ripple family, one guaranteed to be aimed at him. As he flew through the trees at the breakneck speed of one chased by a ghost, Soaring Wave considered how many at the camp would need to be sacrificed to bring this beast in a man's skin down before Blue Ripple returned and muddied up the situation.

His thoughts of political scheming and calculations were cut off as a loud shriek sounded behind him. As expected, Stumpy had been caught. Soaring Wave made a quick mental note to get rid of the lunkhead's family when they returned to the clan; there was no point in feeding mouths that couldn't contribute to the Wave family any longer.

Soaring Wave tried to push his speed even harder. He needed to get to the edge of the forest, to where the camp could see them, where help could be called for. Then he could shield himself while the others took down that monstrous youth; by the time Blue Ripple returned, there'd be nothing he could do about it, and given Soaring Wave's deductions about the scenario, this could even become a tool to pare away at the Ripple family's influence.

Yes, that would be it. A pawn of the Ripples, gone berserk during a minor hunting excursion over a couple close calls with some arrows. They'd clearly done something sinister to the lad in an attempt to strike a blow, but with Soaring Wave's heroism and ingenuity, the plot was foiled. This attempt on his life would turn into another brick of the pavement on his road to the chieftainship! But only if he could make it to the forest's edge.

A loud explosion interrupted that reverie, a considerable object flying from behind to strike a tree along Soaring Wave's escape route. A shower of gore rained down and splattered over him, a warm rain clouding his vision as he cursed. Half-blinded, he careened off course, scraping against the tree trunks as he frantically tried to wipe the blood from his eyes.

His heart racing, his vision blurred, he screamed an incoherent curse as he tripped over a protruding root and careened to the forest floor. Scrambling, he crawled forward on his hands and knees, desperately trying to regain his balance. Breathing raggedly, he made a glance behind him.

Right into Stumpy's glassy dead eyes.

Soaring Wave screamed as he flipped around, trying to scramble backward from that horribly grotesque visage. His back slammed into a tree trunk.

Above him, holding Stumpy's detached head by the strand of spine beneath it, Strong River laughed. "I thought you might want to say your goodbyes, what with how close you two were. Are. Why, you're so close you're covered in him, even." Strong River threw aside the gruesome trophy like it was mere trash. "Do you understand, now, Soaring Wave?"

Soaring Wave fought against his urge to tremble as that icy voice taunted him. "Y-you won't get away with this, you bastard! The Wave family has many friends and allies, they'll see to it!"

Strong River laughed. "That's funny, I don't see any of them here right now. Just you. And me. Oh, and good ol' Stumpy, I guess." He kicked the head, and it flew off into the distance. "Okay, now it's only us."

"I-I can offer you anything you want. Wealth. Women. Servants! Cultivation resources! Yes, you're already strong, but imagine how much stronger we could help you become? W-whatever the Ripples are offering, we'll double it! No, triple it!" Soaring Wave tried to bargain, looking for anything to latch onto to stall this monster's advance.

Strong River shook his head. "You do not understand, do you?" he asked as though questioning an idiot. "Brother Ripple has nothing to do with this. This is just between you and me. As for women? The only one I cared about is dead, thanks to your allies. Cultivation resources? Well, thank you, but I already have some right here, it looks like."

Soaring Wave blinked in confusion. How could he be so powerful without hidden support? When had they killed anybody related to Strong River? What cultivation resources? His calculating mind ran through all the data but could find nothing to match. Was this man mad?

Strong River chuckled. "Don't worry, it should all make sense by the time you've joined your friends in Hell." He raised his right hand and looked at it a moment, his fingers flexing rhythmically. "You're rather weak, but a meal's a meal, right?"

As that hand reached toward Soaring Wave, his breeches were flooded with warmth as his bladder and bowels evacuated in terror. There was a mouth in there! A mouth!

The mouth-palm slammed into Soaring Wave's chest, and he could feel it as the strength fled from his body, his tanned skin visibly paling as a comforting numbness enveloped him. A loud cracking announced the hand's entry into his ribcage, but he couldn't feel it at all.

With a tug, Strong River pulled back his hand. A still-beating heart pulsed in his palm as the youth grinned at his gruesome prize. And then he crushed it.

Soaring Wave at this point couldn't even work up the energy to care. As the world dimmed, he was only fascinated by Strong River's hair. Was it longer? Was it redder than he recalled? Yes, it was longer and redder than before, a nice vermilion shade.

"So red..." he whispered with his last breath.

Just like that heart.