Olimpia

"Do I know you?" I hesitantly asked the beastkin woman, trying my hardest to sound calm and not to give offense. I had no idea what Kathren and the others were feeling, but my senses were screaming at me that I was in danger and to tread lightly. This beastwoman was far more dangerous than the eagle or any knight I could currently think of.

It was like I was standing in front of a City Lord. Not that I ever had the displeasure of doing such a thing, but that was the only thing I could envision that would give me this sense of overwhelming threat. As if it were all my imagination, the feeling of menace crawling over my skin vanished as her smile stretched a little wider at my words. Ancestor preserve us… I silently prayed.

Anyone who has been around dangerous people knows there are two main types, those who try to exude danger and confidence like it was some cheap perfume wafting around them. Then there were those so confident and in control of their abilities that they could turn it on and off with a flip of a lever.

While the first is, and always will be, dangerous, you can usually guess why they act so confident and judge your own abilities against theirs, an understanding that will let you know if you can take them in a fight. The second hides their strength and skills, only showing them the instant they lash out with a lethal blow. And a blow that you can't see coming is always far more dangerous than the one strutting around. This woman fell into the second category.

Slowly sitting up, the beastkin let her feet dangle off the branch. She grasped her left wrist with her other hand and stretched it above her head, closing her eyes as she languidly leaned to the side. At the beastkin's vulnerability, I heard a slight creak of wood behind me, and I lashed out with a mental tendril, sweeping it out at waist level, "Oww!" cried out Kathren, and I knew I knocked the weapon from her hands by the clatter of her bow against the ground.

The beastkin still had her eyes closed despite Kathren's shout of pain as if she somehow hadn't heard or didn't care what was happening around her. However, I knew it was all an act. Not once since her first appearance had I shifted my full attention away from the beastwoman, so I noticed her slight reactions.

There was an ever-so-small hesitation in the supposedly languid flicks of her tails when Kathren pulled back on the bowstring. At that instant, something besides tension began to build up in the air, and I knew that if Kathren drew and released that arrow, the only thing that it would result in would be her death.

"Ahh." The beastwoman groaned softly before opening her eyes, "I knew you were more than a pretty face. Despite how you like to molest the dead and decided to poke the staff until it breaks. I was starting to develop quite a few doubts for a moment there…"

My cheeks heated slightly, and I knew I was blushing, "I wasn—

"I'm sure~. I'm sure it wasn't what it looked like at all…" She placated slowly, drawing out her vowels. Despite what she said, I did not get the feeling that she believed what she was saying at all.

Opening my mouth to say something in my defense, she cut me off again, "As to how I know you, I can't believe you forgot!" She held her hand against her chest, and her four tails swept up around her body, two of the white tips coming to a stop below her chin and the other two to the sides of her face framing it. The first thing I noticed was her unusually sharp nose and pointed chin.

As my eyes roved over her face, they came to a stop as I settled on her eyes, ignoring how she fluttered her eyelashes at me. Her irises were a dark orange bordering on red, like the embers of a fire. I found them strangely fascinating and enchanting, like looking into the coals of a fire, though they couldn't keep me from processing her… absurd words.

"There I was, standing under the silver rays of the moon, gazing forlornly into the sky! And suddenly, you came rushing forward, Green, sweeping me off my feet. Our arms interlocked around each other as we went for a tumble. I wasn't prepared as it was my first time, and my clothes were ruined with bloody stains because of that feverish night, and the whole time, all you did was lay there as I did all the work."

No one said anything until I found the words that accurately conveyed our thoughts, "The fuck are you talking about? And how do you know my name?"

"Waah!" She flinched back as if I had physically struck her, causing her body to tilt back on the branch until she slid off. As she fell, the woman completed a full rotation, landed on her feet, and then collapsed to her knees, burying her head in her hands as she sobbed out, "He doesn't remember our first night together! Can you believe that?!"

"Instructor?" Kathren asked in an accusing tone of voice. It was to be expected as the beastwoman was talking with such surety — and what had to be feigned honesty unless part of my memory was missing — that even I was starting to believe I had met her somewhere.

"I have no idea where she knows me from."

She looked even more stricken by my words, and tears started to well in her eyes and roll down her cheeks as she looked up, "And here I even left you at the entrance to your camp after you used me most of the night…" At that, she turned her back, her shoulders hunching and falling like she was silently sobbing into her hands.

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At that, I finally understood what bush she was beating around in her intentionally misconstruing words. "Oh… Well… I guess that I should be thanking you then. You saved my life by bringing me back to the legion, and it's more than I can expect from most of my companions." I gave her a bow as I spoke, showing my genuine gratitude that she brought me back to the Triad. But the fact she did it at all and could get that close to the camp undetected was more than a little disturbing. Horrifying was the only way to put it.

When I looked up from my feet, she was leaning down inches from my face, a slight, playful smile curling her full lips, causing me to freeze in place. I noticed that her long hair, which hung down to her mid back, was actually a red so deep that it looked black when not seen through with a backdrop of light. "Oh, I saw how much they think of you, Handsome," her lips curled slightly more as she studied me, showing her fangs, then she leaned forward and sniffed, looking me in the eyes the whole time, "…You… actually mean that? Huh… Well, that is a little surprising."

It took every bit of my self-control not to jump back at her sudden appearance inches from my face. And the sniffing and sharp teeth didn't help, but sudden reactions didn't seem like a good choice right now.

Unclenching my muscles, I sent out a quick pulse for the trainees to be calm and wait as I intentionally started coming up from my bow at a controlled speed. The beastwoman raised her head, keeping it level with mine right up until I stood to my full height.

I looked down into her eyes and noticed that she stood a head shorter than me, which was surprising as she was a woman, and I stood at least a head taller than most of the human males I knew. But that meant nothing. Even though I was taller than her, I was under no illusions that I was the one in control of this situation.

"Would I say it if I didn't mean it?" I calmly asked.

"Most Olimpians I have met would have. At least once they realized their… situation."

"Ohh, I am quite aware of the situation, and I still mean it. Such mercy is rare among one's allies and nearly non-existent among enemies. But I think there is something more to your actions than simply mercy."

"Why would you think that? Aren't I just a kind soul passing through the world helping all I encounter in their times of need?" Her tails curled around her body again, and her face took on the veneer of purity and kindness.

"Because you're here," I said matter-of-factly, ignoring her antics. "And you're not browbeating us with your strength. Shit, you're hardly even showing hints of what I suspect is your true power. So you want something from me that you can't just take."

"Hmmm…" she hummed as she walked around me, looking me up and down like a piece of meat. "Looks and a brain, aren't you the rare find for a man. You won't mind if I claim him? No? goody."

Something soft brushed against my left arm, and I tried to stare straight ahead, ignoring the provocations of the beastkin and my growing annoyance. Then, my right arm felt the soft caress, and I could not stop myself from turning to look. I found nothing but an empty forest, only to feel the soft brush again on my left arm.

As I turned to snap at the woman, I stopped, seeing the beastwoman had moved to stand a few feet before me, her hands held demurely at her waist, right hand over left. Her entire demeanor had radically shifted, taking on a serious, professional attitude that made it seem like she had never experienced a moment of levity in her life.

My abrupt movement slowed, and the anger that was building inside of me as she fucked around began to simmer down. Finally, getting down to business. I thought to myself.

"It seems I made the right choice in saving you," she said with a sharp, self-satisfied smile.

"…So, what do you want," I asked after a few long seconds, in which she said nothing.

"To help you." I wrinkled my brow at her words in a silent question, but she didn't answer. Instead, her eyes flicked to those behind me, saying, "But first, we need to get rid of your followers."

My back stiffened, and I could feel a cold drop of sweat run down it as I asked, "Why?"

"Because they can't follow where we have to go, and I'm not going to give them more to report on… unless we can come to an agreement."

I took a moment for her words to sink in, then nodded. Turning without a moment of hesitation, I faced the trio who had retreated to stand huddled together with their backs to one of the trees marking the edge of the beastkin camp. Not feeling a hand burst through my chest or seeing looks of horror on my trainees' faces, I walked over to them.

Stopping a few feet from them, I gave them a nod, "You guys did good during the fight. And don't feel bad that you didn't notice them before the ambush. I only spotted them by chance." I said, tilting my head towards the bodies lying on the ground.

"What gave them away, Instructor Green?" Jim asked. "If I can ask."

"Now's not the time, Jim," I responded, shaking my head, uncaring if he was offended as I kept talking, "Head back the way we came and gather your packs. It should be clear to our hiding spot. Then, wait for the other squads and group up if they aren't already there. Send one back to report to the Triad and one to skirt around the border of the forest until they find something of interest."

I didn't want to say, "Search for the spot where the turma of cavalry was ambushed," due to the beastwoman's presence, but I tilted my head towards the saddle, and Lutious nodded in understanding as his eyes flicked to the side. She probably heard everything we had been saying for a while, but there was no point in not being cautious, and a lot to lose by being open.

"Find someplace to hole up with the others," I continued, "and wait for me until I get back."

"What if you don't come back, Instructor," Asked Lutious, throwing a wary glance over my shoulder.

I followed his look, seeing the beastwoman standing there inspecting and scraping at something under her nails, seemingly ignoring us. "I'll be fine," I said, shaking my head, dismissing the idea, "Whatever she wants, she wants me to report it, and she's strong enough to make sure I come back alive. But if not, move back to the Triad at dawn."

They gave half-convinced nods, but I jerked my head to the side, signaling them to leave. We were wasting time, and I had a feeling deep in my stomach that we were running out of that precious resource. Less than a minute later, their backs were turned to me, and I was watching them leave.

"Well, I guess we should begin," Whispered a hushed, breathy voice in my ear.