Grusha toppled and rolled over once, and her senses completely in her control. New levels of control surpassed her understanding, her conscious and subconscious worked parallel with each other. Twisting and moving around, she landed on her foot and sprung another bound towards the vulture that was feet away from Agatha.

Pummeling into the underbelly of the giant vulture the size of a playing, feathers rained from the sky in a confetti. She somersaulted in the and plucked a quill from her hair, landing on the birds head and impaling it, killing another vulture.

Agatha watched the deformed Grusha with hair quilled and red eyes, her lips quivered and a tear rolled down her cheek.

Growling angrily, she redirected her attention to the vulture that clutched the camper, Aput was hanging from the door frame at the tip of his fingers. Desperately holding on from plummeting to the earth below, where a certain death awaited.

Thick clouds of sand and dirt kicked up, dampening Grusha’s senses but not enough to blind her. Grusha sprinted on the fissured ground below, running beneath the bird that suddenly let go of the camper, sending Aput and the vehicle to the earth below. Tensing her legs, she made a powerful jump towards the falling camper. Long sharp fingers latched to the camper, she swung herself around to the door frame that Aput clung to.

Aput was not clinging out of desperation, a piece of metal pierced his leg and held in place. She grasped the metal rod and shattered the metal between his leg and frame of the vehicle. Arms wrapped around him, she pelted herself from the vehicle, hair extended and balled up both him and her together. Ending in a rolling stop on the ground, Aput certainly was beat up, but he would live nonetheless.

Grusha softened her hair and spied the surroundings, in front of her another vulture crashed into the earth with Lady Hammer standing atop of it with a glorious smile that a warrior would have. Hammer settled her warhammer on the beast, raising her chin high in victory.

The last vulture flapped its wings several miles away from where they stood, a landscape filled with its dead brethren. If it had any emotions at all, the only one Grusha could taste was that of hate.

“Yield! Your brothers and sisters have fallen in a worthy battle, yours would be rather lackluster from here, vulture.” Hammer declared with a finger pointed at it.

The vulture screeched a powerful shrill that sent powerful winds.

“It would seem the animal knows not what yield means, Enyo.” Grusha said.

“Aye, neither do we.”

Lady Hammer jumped down from the bird with Pegasus in hand, she then settled the warhammer Pegasus to the ground. Grabbing the dead vulture by the beak, she hurled the massive bird towards the last living vulture.

The vulture screeched its furious shrill at them while diving, barreling its dead comrade aside. Going straight for Grusha with bloodlust drowning its vision, only hate filled the monsters mind. Nothing would quell insatiable lust for revenge. Only thing that could end the monster's tirade was another beast, Grusha needed to reestablish order.

Both of them roared loudly at each other as they neared one another, sending powerful winds cascading in all directions from the force behind the screams. Suddenly, an explosion knocked them both rolling to their sides. Staggering to her feet, Grusha’s quills quivered violently, recognizing the force as her own roar.

The vulture that loomed over her eyed her angrily, but the color in its eyes mellowed. It became calm, and the frenzy that burned violently in its eyes softened. Taking large powerful steps away from Grusha, it shook the earth as it neared Agatha who breathed heavily and sniffled. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she spread her arms wide open. Aput, Lady Hammer and Grusha jaws dropped, unable to believe their own eyes from what they observed.

“Enyo.” Aput gaped. Unable to put into words what he was seeing.

“I see the same sight as ye, my dear.” Lady Hammer said.

Agatha hugged tenderly the vulture by the beak, the wild animal was tamed in a moment's notice. The giant bird pressed the tip of its beak against the little girl's embrace, acting as if it had known her forever.

“Don’t worry. I will be your friend, you don’t have to be alone anymore.” Agatha muttered.

Grusha reunited with Aput and Hammer where Agatha continued to hug the bird. Having absolute control and knowledge of her own senses, Grusha was able to piece together what happened.

“So that’s what it is.” Grusha remarked.

“What may you be musing about, Wildebeest?” Lady Hammer asked.

“I never noticed her slip out from the vehicle, my senses were thrown off somehow. Even now I am having to readjust my understanding of what is happening. It would seem to be that Agatha is able to absorb sound, that in turn distorts the physics around her.”

“How do you know that for certain, that she absorbs sound?” Aput winced.

Hammer noticed the piece of metal that was protruding from his thigh, she dropped to her knees and immediately attended to his injury.

“You’re hurt, Aput. Hold still, let me tend to your wounds.”

She pressed hands against his thigh to see how deep it was, pulling it out after confirming it missed arteries. Ripping a sliver of cloth from her red cape, she wrapped his leg to control the bleeding.

While Hammer dressed his wound, Grusha answered his question.

“The blow that took me by surprise, it had my exact vocal signature. Meaning she absorbed my roar and used it against me.”

“Incredible, I never knew she could do that.” Aput remarked. “Ouch!” He yelped as Lady Hammer made one last tug, tightening the bandage firmly around his wound.

“Not an exceptionally powerful ability, but depending on the circumstances, she can demonstrate surprising capabilities. Like today.”

The vulture almost seemed to purr in ecstasy.

“It would also seem she is able to commune with animals.” She added.

“You mean to say our girl could speak with beasts of all shapes?” Lady Hammer asked.

“I don’t know. My ears are picking up sounds similar to the vulture, but it is soft and appealing. I don’t know if Agatha realizes it or not, but she is a beast whisperer.”

Grusha whipped her head around, feeling a strange sensation as if she was being watched. Strange, why is it only now I sense this? She thought. A growing feeling became more obvious in her head, a link to something beyond that she could not explain. It had a direct connection to remaining energy in her core from six years ago, but what she sensed was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. A mixture of energies interacted with her that she could not explain.

“Is something the matter, Grusha?” Aput noticed her fidgety eyes bouncing around.

“We are not safe, not with me around you anymore.” She explained.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Static knows of my return, he will stop at nothing to have me back.”

Lady Hammer punched her chest enthusiastically.

“Let him come! We shall show him what honor on the battlefield truly means.”

Grusha shook her head. “No, Enyo.”

A curious brow raised, surprised by that response. “Why would that be?

Grusha stared at the little girl, she let go of the giant bird and ran down the desert. The vulture bobbed its head happily up and down, completely forgetting about why it was here to begin with. A bond between a demi and beast, and she had her two parents, a bond between demi and human. The common denominator always was the demi.

This is what it means to be alpha, Wildebeest. Hoping her thoughts reached Wildebeest deep inside of her.

“I will handle Static alone. You have a husband and daughter, a family to protect. This will end with who instigated all of this.” Grusha said.

“Aye, but the life-debt I owe, I will pay in full-”

Grusha cut her off. “Your life-debt is fulfilled, more times than I can ever care for. This is my repayment to you for your kindness, even though I am not worthy of it.”

Lady Hammer shared glances with Aput and spotted her daughter.

“How am I to tell my daughter her good friend goes out to battle alone, gaining a glory that surely means death. A battle worthy for my and my family’s entrance into Greater Olympus.”

Resting a long arm over Hammer’s shoulder. “You wouldn’t want to miss the greatest battle yet, which Greater Olympus cannot ignore.” Eyeing Agatha. “The battle to protect what is the dearest to you, guard those precious ones close to you and you will be fine.”

Hammer let out a reluctant sigh, casting downtrodden eyes. “Aye, but still shameful to leave most of the burden on a friend. Would you know where to find us when you succeed?”

“Of course, I can hear your obnoxious battlecry from continents away.” Grusha teased.

Lady Hammer grinned, satisfied with that answer. Droppin her warhammer to the ground, she wrapped her arm around Grusha and hugged firmly.

“This shall not be farewell.” Hammer said.

Grusha was caught off guard from this level of affection for her, a feeling she had not felt for many years. Slowly closing her arms around Hammer, she returned the gesture and pressed her cheek over Hammer’s shoulder. A tear rolled down her eye.

Enyo, you have something to fight and protect, and now so do I.

“Thank you, Enyo.” Grusha said. “For being my first friend.”