Irvin and Andri are still fighting with their backs to us. I have no doubt they've noticed the commotion happening over here, but they cannot afford to lose focus. Choosing to place their trust in Lark's abilities as he's their strongest fighter. The beast they're fighting sees the death of its companion, roars in fury and becomes more ferocious in its attacks. Irvin's sword ices further with each vicious swipe of claws. Barely managing to hold on with Andri's aid. Andri doesn't typically fight, usually focusing is on healing, but when he goes on the attack, he fights simply aiming for the opponent's weak spots. While Irvin takes the brunt of the attacks, Andri stands to the side attacking at the beasts lowered defenses. Because Irvin is mageless, he devotes his time to martial arts to compensate, bringing them to near perfection. In a close quarters fight, he could hold off the highest level Elites, begrudgingly earning their respect. Though they still mock him for being mageless.

While they're distracted, I use the chance to try and help Lark. I stare deep in his eyes and slowly speaks because what I'm going to say will alarm him.

"I know you're half werekin."

He narrows his eyes dangerously, "This soldier doesn't know what Princess speaks of."

"Yes, you do. And we don't have time to argue. If you don't want the others to find out, your only options are to forever live without an arm or quickly reattach the one torn off."

Lark gained the ability to regenerate from his werekin bloodline, but the time to replace limbs take significantly more time than we have, but he can shorten the time by using the severed limb. We have a small window of time until the others reach us. If they see him missing an arm now and he regrows it later, he's screwed.

I continue, "I know you have no reason to trust me. But there is no time. You're going to have to attach your arm, now."

Lark grits his teeth and looks at me with suspicion.

"Did you miss the part I said there's no time?"

He hesitates, looking at Daric. I roll my eyes. He's already heard everything it's too late now, "Daric, keep a look out for the others. Tell me when their coming." He looks from me to Lark, shrugs his shoulders, and moves farther away.

When Daric is far enough Lark looks at me for a long moment before coming to a decision. Something in my face must have convinced him I'm worth trusting because he says, "Reattaching limbs take time. Somehow, this soldier doesn't think the meroce is going to keep their attention that long."

I had a moment of confusion before I figured out meroce is the name of the beasts.

"Well try or would you prefer to leave the Elite? Because you know as well as I, they'll kick you out."

Grinding his teeth determination hardens his gaze. He grew half a head. His thin frame bulks up. Considering he was already roughly two heads taller than me, his current hight could rival Irvins'. His ears receded, replaced with small pointed canine ears at the top of his head. Something brushes my leg and looking down I see a thick bushy tail coming from his lower back. His face made cracking and popping noises as it elongates into a snout while his caramel eyes shifts to yellow. His hand thickens to paws with retractable claws. As a soft dusting of dark brown fur, the same color as his hair covers his face to his shoulders as well as from his paw to elbow, fading away to his natural skin tone.

I grab his severed arm and hold it in place. Honored Lark would trust me enough to change. Being a hybrid is one of his most held secrets. Turns out when you watch people without them knowing you learn all sorts of things. However, no one in his unit knows. If it got out, he would be ridiculed as a freak, likely ending up as a slave. Werekin are a species of Primals capable of taking on the characteristics of ferocious animals. And anyone with even a drop of Primal blood is considered inhuman and are treated as such. Mind Asura glows at the juncture of the separation, slowly mending the pieces back together. I take the chance to see Irvin and Andri's progress.

The beast claws with its right paw, Irvin sweeps his sword and knocks away the swipe but not far enough. Claws graze against his clothes tearing the thin fabric. Andri used the chance to attack the right back leg with a quick strike he cuts into the leg with his Asura Sword. The orange glow spreads to the small wound preventing its blood from clogging. In addition to the various cuts Andri delivered, it's losing a lot of blood. It keeps trying to charge at Andri, but Irvin would step in the way to parry the blows. The meroce, realizing they're trying to weaken it before landing a fatal attack, roars in anger. A blue glow erupts from its mouth, shooting sharp icicles at Irvin. Irvin throws himself to the side. Rolling as he hits the ground and coming up into a crouch. The beast uses his distraction to leap at Andri. Andri curses, rather than dodge he runs at the beast! It's moments from taking his head off when he drops into a slide, slipping under the meroce's soft underbelly. Lifting his Asura Sword, he slices open the belly of the beast. Blood and organs drop to the ground, and the heavy smell of blood spreads as it falls to the ground dead.

When the beast drops to the ground, I'm aware we have a few minutes for them to gather themselves and reach us to see Lark's current predicament. Grabbing Lark by his still attached arm, I loop it over my shoulders and drag him further into the brush to keep him from sight. He's diverting some of his attention from his arm to help move quicker. The effort makes it difficult to breathe, and my head spins. I lay him on his back staring at arm he's trying to reattach. I keep my bile down, but it's a near thing as nausea passes.

Knowing it was about to be painful because of the rush job put on it I grab a stick and tell him to bite. He lets his sharp canines bore into the wood. I'm forced to move back as he writhes in pain. His jaw locks with enough force for the branch to crack. Unable to bear witness to such an outpouring of suffering, I lift his head and shoulders onto my lap. I pet his head softly saying his name and wish I could ease his pain. I unknowingly began to glow, before I can understand what is happening. I blink, and a golden light replaces the green glow of Mind Asura. Lark quiets as we both stare with wide eyes at his arm mending with visible speed. All this happens in rapid succession ending with a slightly pink wound circling his arm as though it's been healing for months.

We both stare at is speechless. Lark lifts it slow balling it into a fist before opening and repeat. He sits up, shaky we look at each other wondering what in all actual hell happened. We don't have a chance to get our bearings when Daric ran over.

"They're coming, so I hope you're done," looking at Lark, "I guess so."

I walk over to him, "Sweetheart, you cannot tell anyone about what you saw, okay?"

"Since I didn't see anything there is nothing to tell."

I kiss the top of his head, "Exactly."

Footsteps approach and Lark and Irvin come into view with the others on their tail. They look like they went through a shredder, but all the wounds were minor.

Irvin takes a quick scan, "Everything went well?"

"Yes," Lark replies.

With nothing else needing to be said, he turns to leave with us trailing behind him. Now the adrenaline has burned through I'm going to drop any second. I hold on a tree until the dizziness passes. Andri tries to get me to sit. While Andri checks us Lina and Ryo got to work butchering the meroces. We take meat we can and leave, the smell of blood will soon attract more predators. After about an hour we sit to eat. It's an awkward affair. It seems everyone can tell something happened between Lark and me, but no one knew what it was. Causing them, mainly Irvin, to stare with suspicion.