Bai Yue didn't have time to think. She didn't have time to process that she was a former office worker who usually handled conflicts with a strongly worded email. The mere sight of those jagged bone knives pointed at the cubs turned her fear into a hot rage.
Emergency Quest? Failure means Game Over? Well, I've already died once, and I am NOT doing it again!
"Miao Miao! A-Li! Xiao Hei! Take Ruì Xuě and run back to the tribe!" Bai Yue commanded, her voice dropping into a terrifying register.
"But—" Miao Miao started, her little eyes wide.
"RUN!"
Bai Yue scanned the ground. Her hand clamped around a massive, fallen branch, heavy, solid oak. As the cubs scrambled back, she stepped forward, positioning herself like a wall between the vultures and the little ones.
The leader laughed. "A little female with a stick? You think—"
He didn't get to finish. Bai Yue lunged. The supernatural reflexes of her new body were no joke. She swung the branch with a primal scream. PANG!
The heavy wood connected squarely with the first vulture's head. His eyes rolled back, and he crumpled into the dirt like a sack of potatoes.
One down. Four to go. Holy crap, I just hit a guy with a tree!
The second vulture snarled, lunging with his knife. Bai Yue pivoted on one heel, felt the wind of the blade miss her ear, and drove her knee upward with everything she had. It connected squarely with his crotch.
The man let out a strangled wheeze, his face turning a shade of purple that matched Ruì Xuě's eyes, and he collapsed, clutching his soul.
But the third one was smarter. He ignored Bai Yue and bolted toward the retreating cubs. He was inches away from grabbing Miao Miao's tail.
"NO!"
Bai Yue threw the massive oak branch like a javelin. It soared through the air and THWACK, hit the third man right in the back of the skull. He groaned, stumbling forward into a bush, temporarily incapacitated.
Oh no. Now I don't have a weapon.
She stood empty-handed as the fourth vulture approached, his eyes full of murderous intent. He raised his blade. "You're dead, witch!"
Whack!
A stone the size of a grapefruit bounced off the man's shoulder.
"Leave her alone!" a voice cracked.
Bai Yue spun her head. It was the snake twins from last night! Shé Yì, the taller one, and Shé Èr were standing on a rock, their little faces twisted in brave scowls.
"Protect Ruì Xuě! Here!" Shé Yì yelled, throwing another stone.
"Thanks, Shé Èr!" She Yi yelled back as they began a rapid-fire bombardment. It was like being caught in a hail-storm. The vultures growled and ducked, but the boys stayed firm, their forked tongues flickering with adrenaline.
"No, no! Brats, go back to the tribe! It's too dangerous!" Bai Yue screamed.
But the fourth vulture had had enough. He lunged through the hail of stones and grabbed the twins by their scruffs. "I'll kill these two first!"
"Let them go!" Bai Yue screamed.
Just then, a piercing shriek echoed from the riverbank. She looked over and saw the fifth vulture, the leader. He had circled around. He was holding Ruì Xuě and A-Li by their tunics, dragging them toward a clearing where he could shift into his bird form and fly away.
Ruì Xuě was sobbing, his little hands reaching out for her. "PAPA! HELP! MAMA!"
The word 'Mama' hit Bai Yue like a lightning bolt. He….called her mama?
She was torn. The twins were being throttled by the fourth guy, but Ruì Xuě and A-Li were about to be flown away into a life of slavery.
"Go!" Shé Yì gasped, even as he was being choked. "Save Ruì Xuě! We're snakes! We bite!"
Bai Yue let out a feral groan. No! She was not going to abandon them!
She dove at the man holding the twins, delivering a rapid-fire succession of punches to his ribs. He let go in shock, and the twins immediately sank their fangs into his calves.
"Good boys! Now run!"
Bai Yue didn't wait. She turned and sprinted toward the river. The leader was already beginning to shimmer, his arms lengthening into dark, oily wings.
"YOU AREN'T TAKING THEM!"
She snatched up a long, pointed reed-stick from the mud and thrust it forward. It wasn't a sword, but it was sharp. She poked it right into the vulture's calf as he tried to jump. He stumbled, losing his balance. Ruì Xuě and A-Li tumbled to the grass, crying in terror.
Shé Yì, who had followed her, suddenly pounced onto the leader's back. "GET OFF MY FRIEND!" He bit the man's ear with everything he had.
"OWW! Get this worm off me!" The leader screamed, throwing A-Li aside.
Now, it was just Ruì Xuě. The vulture leader reached for the boy one last time, his face contorted in rage.
Bai Yue didn't use a stick this time. She used herself.
She tackled the man into the mud and started punching. She wasn't an office worker anymore, no, she was a mother, a protector, and a "Demon" all rolled into one. She punched with instinct, she punched with anger, she punched for every time the original Bai Yue had been mean to this kid.
"DON'T. TOUCH. HIM!" she screamed, her voice sounding feral and strange even to her own ears.
She didn't stop until the man was a blubbering mess in the mud. "I'm sorry! We're sorry! Stop! Please stop!"
He tried to scramble away, but he didn't get far. A massive, black shadow loomed over the clearing.
CRUNCH.
A large hand slammed onto the leader's chest, pinning him to the earth.
Mo Xiao stood there, his fur bristling, his amber eyes glowing with a murderous light. He looked at his panting, crying cubs, and then, his gaze landed on Bai Yue. She was covered in mud, her hair was a mess, and her knuckles were bleeding, but she was standing firmly in front of Ruì Xuě.
"Bastards," Mo Xiao hissed, his voice vibrating the very ground as he realized what had just happened. "I will kill you all for this."
"No! Uncle Mo!" Shé Yì shouted, running over. "They were five! Let us tie them up! The cursed female—I mean, Bai Yue—knocked most of them out! She saved us!"
Mo Xiao froze. He looked at the twins, then back at Bai Yue. Shé Yì was already comforting a frightened Ruì Xuě, who was still shaking but looking at Bai Yue with an expression that was no longer fear.
Bai Yue was still panting, her lungs burning, but her attention immediately shifted to A-Li, who was rubbing his bruised arm. "A-Li? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Mo Xiao's eyes softened for a fraction of a second before he turned back to the Vulture leader under his paw. "Where are your other people? Is the Vulture Clan planning an invasion? What made you think you can make off with taking our cubs?"
"I.….I won't tell you," the man wheezed.
Mo Xiao pressed down harder, a sickening crack echoing through the woods. "Tell me now, or I will feed your wings to the ants while you're still awake."
"I'll tell! I'll tell!"
Mo Xiao looked over his shoulder at Bai Yue. "Take them back to my hut. All of them. Keep the twins with you." He paused, his gaze lingering on her bruised hands. "And.…..thank you, Bai Yue."
His eyes were soft, before he turned back to the prisoner with a terrifying snarl. "Move."
Bai Yue stood there, her legs finally starting to shake as the adrenaline ebbed away. I did it. I actually fought off a Vulture Clan. She looked at the kids, her kids, the triplets, the brave snake twins. Even though the snake twins had plotted to kill her just a day before.
"Come on, guys," she whispered, her voice wavering. "Let's go back."
As they walked back, she felt a small, cold hand slip into hers. She looked down. It was Ruì Xuě. He wasn't crying anymore. He looked up at her, his purple eyes wide and shining.
"Mama fought the birds," he whispered.
Bai Yue's heart did a slow, painful throb.
[DING! ☆]
[Quest Progress: 0.5/1 - He's not smiling, but he called you 'Mama'!]
[Reward: +50 Trust with Mo Xiao, +100 Bravery Points]
I'll take it, she thought, squeezing the little hand. I'll definitely take it.