The village lay quiet under the late morning sun, the haze of ash rot lingering in the air. Most adults slumped in the shade, too weak to even leave their homes, while the children darted across the cracked streets, laughing despite their hollow stomachs.
The girl swept her gaze over the settlement. "They won't last long on scraps alone," she said softly. "We need to hunt."
Nilo practically bounced in place. "Finally! Action! Let's go feed some people!"
Kanan rubbed his temple, stick in hand. "I don't even know what's out there…"
The girl didn't hesitate. "Then we'll find out. Together."
The old man stayed behind, setting his kettle over a small fire. "I will keep watch here. Bring them something to live on."
The three set out across the sand, heading a few miles from the village where sparse shrubs and hardy grass had begun to push through. The terrain was uneven, dotted with jagged rocks that cast long shadows in the morning light.
Nilo crouched in his usual squatting pose, following the sequences he had memorized from the old temple carvings. He let Oorja flow through him, feeling the subtle hum of the earth beneath his palms. Rocks rattled, sand shifted slightly, and the wind stirred, a faint pulse guiding him forward.
Kanan followed, stick ready. His vision still blurred from ash rot, though the meat from the previous hunt had restored some of his balance and reflexes. He could no longer rely on sight, but instinct sharp and honed through months of survival kept him moving.
The first ox-like beast appeared on the ridge, massive and scarred, with bone-white horns curved like sickles. Then another, and another, until five of them grazed the sparse grass. Their eyes glinted with hunger, bodies lean but fierce, rippling with muscle as they moved.
"Five," Nilo whispered. "That'll feed the village for months!"
Kanan tightened his grip. "We do this carefully. One mistake…"
The beasts charged before he could finish. Sand exploded under their hooves as they thundered down the slope, nostrils flaring, horns lowered.
Nilo took a deep breath, Oorja humming in his palms. He guided vibrations through the ground, subtle waves that nudged the beasts' momentum, forcing them into a tighter cluster. "Just like the carvings… come on…"
Kanan swung his stick in a wide arc, meeting the first beast head-on. The horn glanced off the stick, cracking it with a sharp snap. The vibration jolted through his hands, but he staggered only slightly. His eyes blurred the beasts into shifting shapes, but his instincts told him where each would strike. He ducked under a horn, pivoted, and brought the stick down on a flank, drawing a grunt from the creature.
The girl moved like a shadow, weaving between the beasts with her twin daggers glinting in the sun. One swung at her, but she ducked, slicing across its flank and drawing a deep mark. She struck again and again, precise and deliberate, her movements fluid and deadly.
Nilo leapt forward, Oorja pulsing through the earth as he guided the beasts' weight. Sand lifted under their hooves in subtle arcs, causing the largest to stumble slightly. Nilo clapped his hands together, sending a jolt of force forward that sent one beast sprawling.
Kanan pivoted, swinging his broken stick as though it were still whole, letting his body react purely to the rhythm of motion and instinct. Horns grazed his shoulder, scraping through his shirt, but he gritted his teeth and drove it into the creature's side, toppling it.
The battle became a blur of motion: hooves, horns, sand, and Oorja-infused nudges that gave the team just enough control. The girl ducked under a charging flank, stabbed with both daggers, and rolled aside, moving as if the creatures' instincts were already written into her memory.
One by one, the beasts fell, exhausted and wounded, until only dust and heavy breathing remained. Nilo collapsed to one knee, grinning from ear to ear. "Did you see that? Did you see it?! I actually did it!"
Kanan leaned on his broken stick, sweat dripping down his brow. He was shaking, vision still blurred, but a faint smile tugged at his lips. "We… we did it. Together."
The girl stood over the last beast, sheathing her daggers. "This will feed the village for months," she said quietly. "They'll survive a little longer."
Nilo grabbed a chunk of meat, holding it aloft. "You know… meat is amazing. I've been craving more ever since the first time we ate together."
Kanan's voice was soft. "We'll always watch each other's backs."
Nilo's grin turned sly, childish. "Thanks sis!"
The girl's lips twitched into a small, almost imperceptible smile.
The old man's voice floated from the distance, calm and patient. "Do not waste this victory. Learn from it, grow stronger. Ash rot does not sleep, and neither should those who walk its lands."
The trio gathered the meat, lifting it carefully for the long walk back to the village. Nilo's Oorja hummed beneath his feet, guiding them, steadying them, a reminder that even in a world of ash and ruin, life could still be reclaimed.
[To Be Continued...]