Later around sunset the winds started to pick up while Ouran was outside playing with Urs again. Quitum was making a few adjustments to the gears he had just brought back. Nero and Frides were in the house chatting with Lyra. When things had come to a bit of a lull, an unexpected guest arrived
"Hey buddy, when were you going to bring I️t to me?"
Quitum turned around to see Gote and Poun walking towards him gesturing at Ouran and Urs.
"Maybe after his brother was done playing with it." Poun snickered.
Quitum got up slowly. "I️ didn't capture I️t."
Gote cocked his eyebrow up. "Then why is I️t at YOUR house in YOUR yard?"
Poun chimed in. "Yeah, why? And what happened to your face?"
"It's complicated. Maybe I got attacked in the Forrest you guys eft me in."
Pouns face turned sideways and confused. Gote got a little irritated. "After going through all of the trouble to bring you your share."
Quitum whipped his hands on his pants. "I️ don't need my share just make sure Frander's girlfriend gets his."
"Who? Oh you mean that guy that died." Poun laughed again.
Quitum stepped up. "Don't talk about..."
Quitum takes a blow to the chin that sends his mind spinning and his body into the dirt.
Gote looks down on him. "I️ didn't have to bring you anything. I️ could've just came and taken the Domaku. I️ was trying to show my appreciation and you, we all lost a comrade.
Quitum started to regain his equilibrium and struggled to stand up. "You guys weren't comrades. We all just worked on the same ships a few times. You didn't know anything about him."
Gote threw a bag of Cardis on the floor. "Say what you will. The money is yours to do whatever you want with I️t, but after you've seen the money I️ doubt you'll stay as duty bound. Take it or leave it. We're taking the Domaku!"
Gote and Poun walked over to Ouran and Urs. Ouran got in front of Urs and she bore her teeth recognizing the two men's scents. Ouran heard the growling and turned to look at Urs. She had gone feral, drooling and looking incredibly vicious and untamed. She gnarled and showed her teeth and her hair started to stand up. A far cry from how approachable she usually was. Gote was even afraid to approach her. When he looked at her, he remembered her mother barreling down on him in the woods.
Lyra ran out of the house. "What's going on out here?"
She saw Quitum on the ground and Ouran looked so tense, slowly backing away from Urs. "What's going on Gote? Ouran get over here!"
Ouran slowly backed away from Urs. Gote looked to appeal to Lyra, as they knew each other. "I️ just came to give Quitum his money."
"Yeah, he should be glad we brought it to him." Poun pointed at the bag of Cardi's on the ground.
Quitum got up and walked to where his brother and sister were standing. Lyra noticed the bruise starting to form on her brothers face. "What money? You guys went into the woods with Quitum?! I'm surprised he even came back alive."
"We did come back alive and we succeeded." Gote said challengingly. He was hoping to get Lyra to calm everyone down but she was starting to instigate and worsen the situation.
"All but one and that one could have been any one of you." Lyra didn't want to open that wound again. It was still bloody fresh.
Pouns thought about the possibilities. What happened to Frander was a stroke of luck and had he not created that opening they all might've died and become food for that Domaku, and it's cub.
"You know how dangerous that forest is. You all grew up here. I️t makes sense for a drunken pirate crew to ignorantly enter it. Imagining a day of fun and a hunting contest, and never returning. You're a greedy fool, Gote."
"A lucky fool. And a rich fool and after I️ have that Domaku, we'll be able to make enough money to start our own business and become Specialists in the green book."
"Yo, what's going on out here? You know these guys?" Nero and Frides walked out of the house.
Lyra slightly turned her head to look at them, nervous still by Gote and Poun's presence not wanting to take her eyes off of them. "Yeah kinda."
"We're just here to pick up our prize." Poun gloated.
"Well you can't have her and I️ think you should leave."
"I wasn't talking to you." Nero hadn't taken his eyes off of Urs. "What are you guys talking about that got her on edge?"
"They're the amateur poachers that went into the woods with Quitum. They want to take Ursella." Lyra glanced over to Nero and fear covered her face.
"Oh, but she's not yours. She's not mine. She doesn't belong to anyone." His tone was as a matter of fact as usual, but his expression.
Gote looked at Nero and back at Lyra. "What does he mean?"
"He stopped Quitum from capturing her and is looking for its mom." As she said the words she stepped back from in between him and Nero.
Nero looked up at Gote, and saw how riled up Urs was. Focused mainly on Gote. "I️ see. Frides get the goofy one."
"Hey I'm not your..." Frides looked at Nero and recognized this expression. "Easy."
Frides glowed some needles then threw them at the pressure points in Poun's legs making his knees buckle and thunk in the dirt. Gote turned and saw the needles poking out of his legs. Frides' training made finding a nerve and immobilizing Poun, childs play.
When Gote spun back around he was greeted by a fist to the face snapping his head to the side. Trying to gain control he put his weight on his back leg and tried to pull himself up. Gote was a larger guy at about 6'4 and 250 he'd had very few people try to stand up to him his entire life, and of those that did he only lost once.
Poun in an attempt to come to his friends aid he reaches to pull the needles from his legs. "What are these?"
"You've never seen glow before?" Frides asked rhetorically.
Poun confused. "Its purple but I️t hasn't dissolved and released."
He reached for them to try to pull them out. Frides glowed a knife and threw it into his hand. Poun cried out in pain.
The punch from Nero was by far the hardest blow Gote had ever taken. Almost making him pass out. Hearing the sound of Poun scream startled him into consciousness. Allowing him to hold on but just barely, unfortunately.
Frides looked down on Poun. "If you try to resist any further I️ can't guarantee I️ will allow I️t."
When Gote got his head back into position he found Nero's hand gripping his collar and then up to see another fist flying towards his face. He took the blow this time unable to recover, his knees buckled and only remaining vertical thanks to the strong grip keeping him there. He attempted to put his hands over his face but they didn't shield his face from the relentless punches breaking through.
Foot steps, then a hand gripped Neros wrist, his hand covered in blood. He fought it only to look up to find Frides looking up towards the house. He turned to the side and saw the horrified look on Lyras face as she held Ouran close.
He released his hand from Gote's collar. He could see the it in his new friends eyes, frozen with fear. His face began to be covered in remorse and the familiar pains of regret filled his stomach. Nero looked down at Gote's battered face as he grunted and gurgled blood.
"See. This is the guy I️ met in the forest. Go inside. He's not just some guy trying to return animals to the wild." Quitum said triumphantly. Nero looked from Quitum back at Lyra, who was looking at Frides. Frides made eye contact with Lyra and she teared up. She turned away and dragged Ouran inside the house.
"Lyra wait.." Nero raised a hand covered in blood. Not his, someone else's.
"Hey." Frides shook his head.
"But she's going to tell us where the warehouse is." Nero stammered.
"You two are no longer welcome here." Having his family behind him made Quitum bold.
Nero balled his fists and looked up at Quitum. "Or you can tell us."
"It's fine. You can tell us where to find the warehouse, right?" Frides glared down at Poun.
Poun looked up at Frides then over to Nero seeing him stand over his friends unmoving body. "Y...y...yes I️ can. I️ can show you."
"Grab... ursella. We should go." Frides said after finally remembering the Domaku's name.
Nero looked at Urs who was still on edge. He walked over to her and came between her and her view of everyone else. He put his hand in front of her face and she sniffed it. "They took her away from you. I️ get I️t. But she's still out there." He caresses her and pats her head. "Let's take you back to her."
He rubbed her head until she calmed down and picked her up.
Frides reached down and Poun flinched closing his eyes. He opens them as he felt the needles in his legs disappear. He looked up at Frides and offered him the knife sticking into his hand. Frides reaches down but instead grabs hold of pouns arm pulling him up on his feet. "Come on. It's not going to make that much of a difference."
Frides scowled. "I'll remove I️t when you take us there." Frides walked over to the house and Quitum attempted to stop him. Frides annoyed, now looked over at him. "Our bags are inside."
Frides continued inside and grabbed their things from the side of the couch as he walked past the kitchen on the way out Lyra walked over and opened up his bag and put the boxes of food inside.
"I️ made those earlier for you and it's more food than we need. There's no reason for I️t to go to waste now."
"Thank you for your hospitality." Frides walked out of the house and followed Nero and Poun down into the woods
Quitum watched them until they were out of sight. "Ouran! Help me bring Gote inside!"
As Ouran followed Quitum out the door, Her mother stood in the doorway in a white dress. "You have to tell him. He deserves to know."
TO BE CONTINUED...
Thanks for reading!