Lilly lifted Vim's spear, gawking at it in her hand.

"Renn…" she groaned at me, and I shifted a little as I watched her study the thing.

Either she knew what it was, or was able to tell by sight and touch how special it was. I was anxious to hear which it were.

After a few heavy moments, Lilly lifted the spear with both hands… as if to proffer it to someone. With reverence. She didn't though; she simply lifted it and studied it with her keen eyes.

"Vim gave it to me before we left Telmik," I told her.

It was interesting that some members didn't see anything odd with it, beyond it being a weapon, while others like her and Lellip stood awestruck with the thing.

"Celine once asked me if I knew where it was," Lilly then whispered as she ran her left hand along the shaft, as if to search for the best place to grab it at.

"Celine did…?" I asked, a little surprised.

She nodded. "Before she realized I didn't like her. I had been younger. It'd only been a decade or two since joining the Society. Back then I didn't really understand what she meant, but as the years went by it made sense. This is it, isn't it? The one he used to kill gods?" Lilly asked with a hushed voice.

A shiver ran down my tail as I nodded. "I think so, yes," I whispered back.

We were alone, in the little meadow where we sparred and trained. So there was really no need for us to whisper, but I knew better than to not feel the same… desire for secrecy as Lilly had.

Lilly shook her head as she lowered the spear, until it touched the ground. Tip downward. She slowly, carefully, slid the tip of the spear into the soft grass, and I watched her shiver as it sunk in.

"By the dead gods Renn, it's sharp," she said, her voice thick with respect for the weapon.

I nodded. "That's why I don't want to train with it. It's why Vim's making us new ones," I said. He was doing it right now, with Nebl and Lellip.

They had already finished Lilly's request. A full set of leather armor, and metal armor, alongside a few weapons had been made for Branches. Vim had also made Lilly a new sword, and leg armor… though nothing else. I wasn't sure why she only wanted armor on her lower half, but I assumed it was because she used to have wings. If she was flying up in the sky, as her daughter Sap had done, I could see why they would want to protect their legs. They did dangle as they flew.

"Yes. I'm glad you don't want to either. This would kill me if it got me," Lilly said as she lifted the spear. Lilly sighed as she shook her head. "This is… a relic. I can see why Celine wanted it now," she said as she gingerly let go of it, and we watched it slide a tiny bit more into the ground as it settled… and then remained there.

I shifted, unsure of what to say. What was she staring at it so strongly for…? Wouldn't any spear do that?

"Kind of expected it to just… keep sinking, sliding and slicing ever downward," Lilly said.

"I'd hope not, how would we get it then if it did?" I asked. I hadn't even thought of doing such a thing, or testing it that way. Lilly was odd sometimes.

She hummed as she crossed her arms, staring at the spear.

Then before I could say anything she grabbed it, spun a little… and threw the spear.

I startled, a little shocked, and then I heard the sound of bark and wood. I turned, and… found the spear lodged into a tree.

Really lodged in.

"Huh," Lilly frowned as we hurried over to the tree she'd just speared. It was one of the old, moss covered ones. It was many times thicker than us, and the spear had gone so deep only a couple hands worth of it was sticking out… and coming out the other end, was the tip of the spear.

It was undamaged. Not a roll on the blade, or even a stain from sap or anything. I kind of didn't like the way it loomed in the air, not far from my head thanks to its position.

"I kind of expected it to go right through. But this is still amazing. I barely tossed it," Lilly said as she tapped the thing with a fingernail.

I groaned at her. "Barely? You startled me."

"Hm… sorry," Lilly apologized as she grabbed the spear… and then we both watched in awe at how easily it slid out as she pulled it.

The thing barely made a sound as it came out, and I shivered a little at it since it felt almost unnatural. "That seemed a tad too easy," I said.

"Yeah. Especially since it had stopped. There was no resistance at all… that means it should have kept going, and into the next tree," Lilly said with a hum.

I sighed at it, and her. "Well… it's as you said. A relic," I said.

"Yeah, but I had just used a word I heard before. I'm not sure what that actually means, you know?" she said.

Oh…? "You were supposed to. I was going to ask what that meant myself," I said.

She smirked at me as she spun the spear a bit, and righted it upward so the point went towards the sky and not the ground. I was a little glad it was no longer pointed in a direction that could result in harm, even if accidental harm.

"You think Vim made this?" she asked.

I blinked at that, and shifted a little.

Lellip had asked that too. Or at least, hinted at it.

Should I tell her the truth…? Unlike Lellip, Lilly was someone he trusted.

Deciding against it, for now, I simply shrugged, and didn't answer vocally. I didn't trust my voice well enough to do so.

People saw through me, rather easily. Thanks to my ears and tail. So I decided to start just… not answering, like how Vim does, to hide things. I wasn't sure if it actually worked or not, but I didn't know what else to do.

It was Vim's fault. He's the one who kept giving me secrets. I usually wasn't a very secretive person.

"Wonder how he did it. What even is this…? It feels like his steel, but it's not. It almost feels malleable, like as if it's silver or something, but it's obviously not," she said as she went to grab it with both hand again. I watched her try to bend, or break the spear. I stepped back a bit, as Lilly actually put all her strength into it. So much strength in fact, veins popped out on her neck and temples.

The longer she tried, the lower she began to crouch. She bent forward a little, as if about to push it against her thigh and knee. She didn't though, as she kept trying to bend it.

A little shocked at the obvious display of exertion; I barely glanced at the spear itself as Lilly put her all into trying to bend the spear. After a few long heavy moments, she eventually gave up with a great huff. She stood back up straighter, and started to breathe very heavily as she shook her head.

"Damnable thing," she cursed.

That was sweat on her brow…!

"What would you have done if you broke it?" I asked, smiling as I did.

"Asked you to beg him forgiveness for me. I figured I wouldn't have been able to though, I could somehow tell. Whew… here, before I get any more weird ideas," she then handed it off to me.

I took it, and as I did I noticed the thin layer of sweat on it.

She really had gave it her all, hadn't she?

"I'm sure he's told you all about it, but just in case… make sure Light and the others don't get that, Renn. Don't even let them know you have it. Who knows what they'd do with that thing, if they got a hold of it," she warned.

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I nodded, rather seriously. "I know. I've thought of that already. I'll keep it safe," I promised.

"Hmph. It makes me wonder what else you'll get over the years. You really do make me jealous, you know?" Lilly said, pouting a little.

Although I smiled at that, my heart still hurt from those words. That hadn't been said entirely in jest.

It was hard to understand why Lilly sometimes acted as if she was unhappy. When I knew she really wasn't. She loved Windle. She loved her children, even if they were at odds with each other at the moment. She had a wonderful home, a beautiful newborn… she had so much to be thankful for, yet still she made comments like that sometimes.

Those tiny little hints of emotion that slipped out of her sometimes made me wonder if she liked Vim more than even she admitted. Or if maybe she was just… happy for me, but slightly jealous at the same time. Maybe I just read too much into it.

"Have I told you how much I love you, Lilly?" I asked gently.

Lilly shifted, frowning gently at me. "You have. Actually a little too much, to be honest. I think you bring it up more than my own children do," she said.

Though she sounded annoyed, and looked it, I could still tell she wasn't bothered by it. She had a smile hidden behind that frown.

And again with a comment that made my heart hurt. Her children didn't tell her they love her?

"Well I love you. And I've been meaning to ask, if Lellip joins your family… that makes her my family too, right?" I asked.

"Yeah…? By marriage. I know, it's weird. I've been trying not to think too much about how I'll soon be related to them. I used to tease them, saying they stink and stuff, now I'll probably end up having grandchildren with their smell. What am I going to do, tell my own kids they stink?" she wondered.

I laughed at that. "They don't smell that bad, Lilly!" I said. Lellip and her family did have a tiny faint scent that was noticeable and odd. One that didn't really bother me or anything, but it was unique enough that I noticed it occasionally and had to remind myself what it was.

"Hmph. You know I wish I could remember what you smelled like. I wonder if I had thought you had stunk too," she said with a wave at me.

My ears fluttered as I wondered about that. "I can smell myself still. I've been told by some people that I smell like the forest. A wet forest," I said.

"Yeah… that's what I think it was. I might not have been too bothered by it then, maybe? I mean I hadn't killed you on sight, so that should mean something," Lilly said with a grin.

"Right…" I groaned at that. Both over the fact that such a thing meant I probably had stunk a little, and that her saying such a thing meant it had been a good possibility that I could have died at her hands back then. She must have considered it, rather heavily.

"Before you lost your scent… how did others act around you? Those like Lellip. Or the lesser folk?" she asked.

"Lesser folk?"

"Prey. The herbivores. The ones without blood lust," she specified.

Huh… herb-a-what? I'll have to ask Vim what that means later. It was probably one of his words anyway. I got the idea of it, though; based off what she was saying and how she was saying it.

"People are more at ease around me now. It's true. I don't want to admit it, but it's a fact. Back before I lost my smell… there had been several people that acted stiff around me, or even outright avoided me. Liina for example, before I lost my smell she didn't even come near me or acknowledge me. Now she talks to me, and before I had left Lumen last time she had even sat down next to me to have lunch together," I said, happily remembering the memory.

I hadn't noticed my lack of smell until long after we left Lumen, of course. But today I now knew the truth. My smell had gone during Lumen. It was why my last days at Lumen, and thereafter such as my trip south with Hera, had been slightly easier going when it concerned other members. They had felt more at ease with me, thanks to my lack of smell.

It was likely also why at the Armadillo's I'd been invited to join their family, to become a wife to their half-blood son. I don't think they would have done that had I still smelled like a predator and put them on edge, since they were all like Hera. Like those who shied away from people like Lilly and I.

"Hm… I wonder if that means we are all like that. Does that mean if we found a way to eliminate my smell, people wouldn't be so bothered by me too?" Lilly asked.

Hesitating a moment, I squeezed the now dry spear as my mind hesitated.

Was it possible…?

"I… I don't know. That's a good question. We should ask Vim," I said softly. If it was true, that meant there was a chance to ease tensions amongst our members. Not just with those like Lilly, but even those like Fly…!

Lilly grinned at me. "Careful Renn. You have to get all intimate with him, right? To lose your smell? Sure you want me to do that?" she asked.

My face grew hot. "You know we've not done anything yet! You keep saying that in front of people, it makes it really embarrassing for me you know!" I complained. She was the only one who knew we'd not gotten to that point yet. Although I loved that she kept it a secret, validating my trust, it sure did seem like she enjoyed teasing me with it!

She laughed at me as she nodded and then stepped away. She walked over to the large flat rock we used as something of a table and bench, and went to grab her sword.

I sighed and went to follow suit. We had come here to train again, after all.

Putting the spear down, I picked up my own sword. It, like the one Vim had made me last time we were here, was dull. As was Lilly's.

Though I wasn't sure if calling Lilly's sword dull was apt.

"Anyway… you ready?" Lilly asked as she drew her sword. It was an odd thing they called a rapier. It was like a really long needle.

"Hm. Later on will you tell me what it feels like to give birth?" I asked, since we were kind of talking about such things anyway.

"It hurts," she answered.

"Well… yeah. But I mean what else?" I asked. That's all anyone ever said about it.

Lilly shrugged. "What else do you want to hear? You feel all weird, it hurts a lot, and then you feel lightheaded and then you get better. I was bedridden with Seed though, for weeks afterward. I almost died. She's the only one I had problems with," Lilly said.

Oh… I hadn't wanted to hear that. "Almost died?" I asked as I lifted my sword, to get ready and spar with her.

She nodded. "I kept bleeding. Luckily Vim showed up, otherwise I might have bled to death," she said as she too raised her sword. Unlike me who did so at an angle, Lilly lifted it upward and pointed it at me. It was a weird stance, which although now I knew not to underestimate… still looked a little silly.

"Vim helped you?" I asked. I'd known he knew how to do such things, but hadn't realized he was so adept at medical stuff.

"He's the one who taught Tosh and the others how to be surgeons. Back during the wars. You should know by now that he knows everything," she said.

I frowned at that.

Everything…? Maybe. Maybe not.

But it was relieving to hear that he'd be able to help me if there were complications, at least. I'd been thinking about it lately, ever since hearing of the prophecy. Since I'd been told by my elders, my mother and grandmother, that we had lost many siblings and ancestors to childbirth. I'd always thought it was a family trait, but as I've lived I had heard and seen many similar instances throughout humans too. Complications during childbirth were more common than most likely thought.

Though it was a little surprising to hear he had so much experience in such moments. Even though it shouldn't be. Vim's lived a very long time, and he's been the Society's Protector for hundreds of years. There was no doubt he's had to help many a births and the aftereffects from them.

"How many children do you think he's witnessed being born?" I asked as I thought about it. It was my turn to be jealous. What I'd give to hold hundreds, if not thousands, of babies. Especially children of our kind.

"His own or in general?" she asked.

"Um… both…?"

She smirked at me, telling me she had just been teasing me. "Probably hundreds if not thousands, Renn. He's old. Didn't you notice the way he spoke of your daughter the other day? He spoke of her as if it wasn't even his. That wasn't him trying to act indifferent, that was his age speaking. He's too old for his own good," she said.

"I had noticed…" I groaned. I had been hoping it had just been him trying to not outright admit and accept the prophecy. That it had been his attempt to 'break' it without actually doing so.

Lilly lowered her stance a little, making me do the same to my own. She gestured lightly at me. "Don't be worried, Renn. Vim won't let anything happen to you. Or your baby… or any of your family, for that matter. He's called the protector, but trust me he's more protective than you think," she said.

Smiling gently at her strangely comforting demeanor, I nodded. "I know. But you can't blame me for wondering, can you? Plus Vim hates talking about such things, you saw how he got," I said.

"Actually he's doing way better than I ever expected. I know to you he's likely acting stiff still, but I've genuinely never seen him so open. Gah! See? I'm jealous again!" Lilly complained as she got back in her stance.

My tail went stiff as I realized I'll now need to block more seriously. She was upset with me now.

"Go easy on me," I asked kindly.

Lilly then grinned, and relaxed a little… but then she frowned. "By the way, do you have a plan yet?" she asked.

Hesitating a moment, I shrugged. "For what?" Hadn't we already talked about possibly using my daughter as a way to fix the Society? To take it back from those like Light and the rest, who wanted to use it in ways that caused chaos and headaches? We'd not only talked about it in depth together, but had even talked about it with Lellip after we told Vim the idea. He had left after kissing me yesterday, to go busy himself, so over dinner we had all discussed it without him. I had been surprised to hear Nebl and Pram give some rather good ideas concerning it, ones that I might in fact try to implement if Vim allowed.

"For Merit," she said, startling me.

My eyebrows met as my face scrunched up. "No… I know. I don't know what I'm going to say to her." I should by now. We were only a couple weeks from seeing her.

"Tease her. If you're too gentle and kind about it, she'll just cry and shock everyone to death. Better yet be mean about it. Maybe it'll kick her little butt into gear and get her over it better," Lilly said.

Although she sounded harsh, I knew better than to think Lilly was being genuinely mean to Merit. Lilly was one of Merit's few friends, like Nasba. And for Lilly that meant a lot, since unlike Merit who seemed to have multiple friends… Lilly didn't. Other than me, from what I could tell so far, Merit was Lilly's only other friend.

"Nasba said the same. Or rather… she also told me to have a son. To give Merit a son, as an apology," I said with a groan.

Lilly paused a moment… her eyes going wide. "Why hadn't I thought of that…?" she mumbled.

"Not you too!" I shouted. She seemed lost in thought. To the point her long needle-sword's tip lowered almost to her thigh. I groaned at her. "Lilly!"

Lilly snapped out of it, raising her sword back up to position. "Right. We'll talk about it later. Come on, let's get this over with or we'll talk the day away and get no work done."

Then she rushed forward and attacked.

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