The sound reached them first. High, sharp, desperate. Nilo froze mid-stride, head tilted, squatting down in his usual odd way as if listening through the soles of his feet. Kanan nearly tripped over him.
"Why do you always sit like that?" Kanan hissed.
"It makes the dust talk louder," Nilo whispered, squinting. Then he grinned. "And also, it looks cool."
The boys crept forward, the dry wind whipping grit into their eyes. Up ahead, they saw her; alone, surrounded. A girl no older than them, daggers flashing like twin sparks as she fended off a snarling beast. Its hide was dark, plated like stone, its jaws clicking in hunger. Each strike she landed barely seemed to scratch it. Still, she moved with a kind of rhythm, her blades spinning close to her body, precise and sharp.
For the first time, Nilo didn't joke. "She's not going to last."
The creature lunged. Dust burst into the air. She rolled, one dagger biting deep into its flank, but the beast only roared louder, its tail whipping toward her ribs.
Kanan didn't think. He grabbed a half-buried branch, charging forward with a shout. "Over here!"
The monster snapped its head toward him, hissing, distracted just long enough for the girl to scramble free. But it also meant Kanan was in danger now, the crude branch shaking in his hands.
Nilo's chest pounded. His squat-pose flashed into his mind, the one he did half as a joke, half because it felt… right. He dropped low, steadying his breath, letting the desert's heat press into him. Something answered. A faint tingle in his arms, a warmth in his belly. He didn't understand it but his body did.
When he leapt, it wasn't just his legs pushing him forward. There was something else. The Villaku stone at his side gave the faintest pulse of light, almost approving.
He slammed into the beast's side, shouting nonsense to cover the fear boiling in his throat:"HEY! Dinner's running late, ugly!"
The creature reeled, more from surprise than pain. The girl saw the opening. With sharp precision, her daggers cut across its exposed throat. Not a killing blow, but enough to stagger it further.
Kanan, emboldened, jammed his branch into the monster's eye. It shrieked, thrashing, snapping wildly. Dust spiraled, stinging everyone's lungs.
For a heartbeat, the girl hesitated. Her eyes narrowed. Her body shifted an aura, faint but undeniable, almost rising off her skin. It was as if the air itself bent toward her will. Then, just as quickly, she reined it in, burying whatever strength had threatened to surface. She dashed forward instead, twin blades gleaming.
Together, the three struck the branch breaking, the daggers piercing, Nilo's weight crashing down with a wild yell. The beast shuddered once, twice, then fell still.
Silence. Just their ragged breathing and the wind's whistle.
Nilo flopped backward, coughing sand. "I told you the pose would work!" he wheezed, grinning despite the sweat streaking his face.
"You nearly got eaten," Kanan muttered, though a hint of a smile tugged at him.
The girl wiped her blades clean on the beast's hide, breathing steadily. She didn't thank them—didn't even speak at first. Instead, she glanced at Nilo, then Kanan, something unreadable in her eyes. Finally, she said, "You fight recklessly."
"Compliment accepted," Nilo beamed.
Kanan shot him a look, but the girl was already kneeling by the beast's side. She gestured. "Help me."
Together they worked, dragging the carcass into shelter from the wind. The girl's movements were precise, practiced, she knew how to cut clean, how to find the right parts. Nilo winced but copied, while Kanan followed carefully. Soon, a fire was crackling, the smell of roasting meat filling the air.
When Nilo tore off a strip and shoved it into his mouth, his eyes went wide. "This is… this is incredible!" He laughed, grease shining on his lips. "I think my stomach just forgave me for everything!"
Kanan tasted more cautiously, chewing slow. It was rich, heavy, unlike anything they'd eaten before. For the first time in days, warmth spread through them that wasn't just from the desert sun.
The girl ate quietly, her expression unreadable, but her shoulders eased just a little.
Around the fire, a strange thing happened: they didn't feel like strangers anymore. Not entirely. They had fought together, bled together, shared a meal born of survival. Something bound them now.
Nilo leaned back, patting his belly. "Not bad for getting lost, huh?" He flashed a grin at the girl. "So… are you always this cheerful, or is today special?"
The girl didn't answer. But in the glow of the flames, her lips almost, almost curved upward.
[To Be Continued...]