Amber rounded the corner of the block, her steps light as she sniffed the air. Her supernatural senses detected the scent of the scorpions she had fought a few days ago. Now, she was stalking them, which would be a lot simpler if Everest wasn't stomping next to her.

"Weeee! Game!"

Suppressing her sigh, Amber smiled at the dragon. "Yes, we're going to play a game. But we have to be quiet, or we're going to draw too many monsters."

Shivering, the dragon shrank down. "Monster?"

"Yup." Turning back to the offices and squat shops, she shifted her legs into their more bestial form and grew her claws from her toes. Digging into the pavement, she darted forward, just as a scorpion stepped out of a building.

Everest screeched in surprise. "Bad bug!"

Laughing, Amber cut off its stinger and changed her claws into their Soul Form. Ripping through its pincers, she severed them before it could fight back. Pinning it down, she waved for Everest to join her.

"Do you see the fire inside its body?" she asked.

"Yes! Bright!" Still shivering, she inched forward.

"That's energy we can use to grow stronger. You can take this energy for yourself, Everest, but you must only ever do it to monsters."

Whimpering, Everest started backing away. "Bad bug…"

Pressing her hand to it the scorpions head, she activated Soul Siphon. "Do you see how the flame is flowing into me? You can do this too. That's what makes you special."

Perking up again, Everest started wagging her tail. Amber almost laughed at the sight, but focused on the flame snuffing out of the monster. Pulling harder, she ripped out the last of its life and savored the feeling of her own soul growing stronger.

"That felt amazing!" she overplayed the enjoyment, hoping to ease Everest into it.

Everest snuck forward, he steps shaking as she sniffed the scorpion. "Dead?"

"Yup!" Amber chirped, still playing up the mood. "This is how I grow stronger. James has me hunt the monsters down that threaten your family. Once you join me, we can make a game out of it."

"Game? I like games!"

Nodding excitedly, Amber walked over to the dragon and rubbed her head. "Let's find another bad bug and kill it. I'll help you feel the connection between your flame and its."

"Noooo!" Everest whined.

Sighing, Amber knelt by the dragon. "James is going to need you to be strong, Everest. Tonight, he's going to check to see if you learned how to do this. You don't want him to be sad, do you?"

"No…"

Amber felt bad for guilting her, but knew this was for her own good. She needed a way to reward the dragon. "What should you get if you beat me today?"

Cocking her head, the dragon regarded her for a moment. "You. James. Me…"

"You want us all to play together?" Amber asked.

"Mhmm."

Rubbing her head again, Amber smiled. "I'll make sure it happens, but only if you try your absolute hardest."

Perking up, Everest started bouncing in place again. Taking that as the sign to continue, Amber scanned the street and surrounding buildings. Sniffing the air a few times, she honed in on a nearby scent. Waving for Everest to join her, she snuck over to a shop and stepped inside. Her animal-like legs made her steps light and silent as she crouched and walked over the tile.

Everest waited by the door, her nervousness washing over Amber. Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long for the scorpion to show itself. Summoning her Soul Claws, she raced forward before the monster could react. Ripping it apart, she barely left it alive as she dismissed her claws before she was affected too much.

Waving Everest over, she pointed to the monster. "Feel its soul with yours. Pull on it. Make the connection."

Everest nodded, but didn't do anything right away. Drawing closer, the dragon sniffed at the dying monster. "Soul? Power?"

"Yes," Amber answered. "Claim its energy as your own. Grow stronger, Everest. Strong like James."

"Strong like you?"

Smiling, Amber nodded. "Yes. Strong like me. If you get strong enough, we can stay together."

Lifting her leg, she touched a claw to the scorpion. A sliver of its soul flowed into her and the dragon gasped. Amber watched the stream grow and with each passing second, the scorpion grew weaker.

A minute later, it was dead and Everest's body was pulsing with white veins that flowed over her body. The flame in her chest was rippling with power, but she still had a long away to go before she was ready to join real fights.

Letting the scorpion go, Amber hurried over to the dragon and rubbed her head. "I'm proud of you! You did so good, Amber!"

"Soul felt good! Soul felt good!" Jumping up and down, Everest flapped her wings, pushing Amber back and nearly knocking her down.

Laughing, Amber pushed the wings down. "You're going to hurt yourself, Everest!"

Giggling, the dragon continued to dance.

After a few minutes, Everest calmed down and Amber started sniffing the air again. "Let's keep going. James wants to you to help me by Siphoning their souls while I fight. Do you think you can do that?"

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"Yes!" Everest chirped.

Picking a direction, Amber started her hunt anew.

***

James waited patiently with the kittens in his apartment. It was only a few hours later that he felt Amber and Everest enter his senses. The moment they felt him, they pushed through their happiness and eagerness to play.

Looking at the kittens, he sighed. "You five are going to have to behave while I'm gone. Don't eat anyone!"

They all meowed in unison before cleaning themselves. Content and away from danger, they were starting to purr and pile onto the couch, creating a jumble of fur and fluff.

Before Amber reached the door, he stepped out of the apartment and waited for them. When Amber rounded the corner, he glared at her, pushing anger towards her.

Freezing in place, Amber started to squirm. "Yes?"

"I'm mad at you," he stated.

"Mad too!" Everest added.

Wilting under their combined glare, Amber was on the verge of crying. "What did I do?"

Walking over to her, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the apartment. "Come with me!" he growled, playing up the act.

Everest huffed and growled at the cat as well, losing all traces of the happiness she had been feeling a moment ago.

"James…whatever I did. I'm sorry…" Amber pleaded.

Tightening his glare, he led her inside and to the chorus of meowing. "You didn't tell me you had relatives in town!"

"What the fuck!" Amber exclaimed as she settled her gaze on the kittens.

"Fuck!" Everest cursed.

Turning a real glare on the cat, James pointed at Everest. "Look what you just taught her."

Covering her mouth, Amber glared back at him. "I'm sooo sorry! Why are there Forsaken in my apartment? Was adopting vultures and a panther not enough?"

"I thought they were your siblings," he joked.

Jaw dropping, she started smacking his arm. "You're an ass!"

"Ass!" Everest added.

Sighing, Amber knelt by the dragon. "Those are naughty words, Everest. Until you know what they mean, you shouldn't say them."

"Okay…" the dragon said meekly.

Turning her glare back to him, she got up and smacked him a few more times. "You scared the shit out of me, James! I thought I had actually done something wrong. You know how worried I am about that stuff."

Chuckling, he nodded. "Okay, okay, I might have went too far. But now that your siblings are here, we aren't going to be able to fool around in the living room anymore."

Shaking her head, she closed her eyes for a moment. Rubbing her temples, she said, "Luna is going to kill you for joking like that. Or she'll kill me. Do you want her to kill me?"

"Kill you with kindness?" he questioned.

Her glare turned deadly. "I'm going to poison you."

"I'm resistant," he said with a chuckle. "How much did Everest learn?"

Finally getting to the crux of the meeting, Amber whirled on the dragon with a beaming grin. "She was amazing! She figured out how to Siphon, and we worked together to kill many monsters. But she has a request."

"A request?" Kneeling in front of Everest, he asked, "what would you like, Everest?"

"You. Me. Kitty…together…" Everest mumbled.

Brows rising, James turned to Amber. "I guess we can all play a game together. I was thinking of playing hide and seek in the nearby apartments."

"Really?" Everest asked excitedly.

"Yes, but you have to use your Soul Senses," James explained, "just like I do. Can you feel me pushing my soul outside my body?"

Nodding vigorously, Everest started bouncing. "I can! I can!"

Rubbing her head, he said, "you'll need to do the same. That's how we are going to play. You'll have to sense our souls in hiding. You and I'll hide first, and Amber will search for us."

Looking around, Everest started debating where to hide. Laughing, he stopped her. "We have to play in another building."

Nodding again, Everest ran out of the apartment. Amber stood with him and they followed.

"What made you think of this?" Amber asked.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I didn't have a plan until I started talking. But what kid doesn't like hide and seek?"

Yawning, Amber started stretching. "Thank you for playing with us. She's a bit of a handful, but I love her."

"She's a good kid," he admitted. "She deserves my best."

"Our best," Amber corrected. "I think she still wants us to be together. I wonder if it has ever crossed her mind that Luna is actually part of this relationship."

Chuckling, he shrugged. "It's hard to say with kids. But once we get out of here, we might not have as much time with her as before. We'll be traveling, and I don't know if her mother will take her away or not."

Shoulders slumping, Amber nodded. "I know. Please don't tell her that though. Not until it's time. I can't break her heart like that."

Following the dragon down to the street, James debated what their future was going to hold. He still hadn't sensed Elder Bo around the area, nor had he found any traces of the local Qi being disturbed.

Once they were outside, James pointed out an abandoned apartment complex and waved Everest over. The energetic dragon bounced around, not settling as he explained the rules. "If you are found first, you will be the next seeker. Remember, you have to use your Soul Senses to find someone, and then you must get close enough to touch them. You can move hiding spots, but must stay inside the building."

"What floors are we using?" Amber asked.

"All of them," he stated. Gesturing to the five-story building, he added, "you two both need practice with this skill, and this is the perfect time to do it."

Jumping up and down with Everest, Amber hyped up the energy. "Are you ready, Everest?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Laughing, James gave into the mood. "Okay. Everest and I'll hide. No peeking, Amber. Not until one minute has passed."

"One minute?" Everest asked.

"Count to sixty," James clarified. "If she doesn't, she'll be a cheater." Narrowing his eyes, he poked the cat's stomach.

Giggling, Everest stuck her tongue out at Amber. "Cheater!"

"I am not!" Amber protested with a laugh. "You two better get in there. I'm starting right now."

Everest stopped bouncing around and ran into the building. James watched her leave for a second before whispering, "try not to find her right away each time."

Amber gave him a thumbs up. "One…Two…Three…"

Getting the hint, he ran into the building. It was time to hide.

***

Hours passed before James called an end to the game. He could feel that Luna and the others had returned and were winding down for the day. Most of them had taken injuries that Mender was checking over, and everyone was gathering on the roof.

"Tired…" Everest mumbled.

Smiling, Amber carried the dragon up the stairs. "Go to sleep, Everest. We can play more tomorrow."

Humming, the dragon closed her eyes and was out a moment later. James shared a smile with Amber as they returned Everest to their apartment. With her taken care of, they headed to the roof.

Luna was the first to greet him as she flung herself through the air to wrap around his chest. "Did the cat seduce you today?"

"No," he said with a laugh. Hugging his wife, he caught a hint of sadness from Amber before she quickly schooled her expression.

Perking up, Amber pulled on Luna's ear. "Wait until you hear how he scared me today!"

"Why are you pulling my ear?" Luna howled as she was pulled off his chest.

"Your husband…"

James tuned out the rest as the girls walked away. Turning his attention to Mender, he walked over. The healer looked perplexed as he watched the setting sun.

"Copper for your thoughts?" James asked.

Mender glanced at him. "It was a good day, but I can't help but think that not all of these Forsaken are here by choice. Are we killing innocent Forsaken?"

Leaning against the railing, James thought for a moment. "I saved five kittens today."

"I heard. Luna wasn't happy about the surprise."

Chuckling, James wavered his hand. "It was a long shot to think she would be. But I did learn that not everything is as black and white as we thought. What were five level one kittens doing in the city? How are they still alive? How many more can we save?"

Mender turned to him. "Before you came along, I thought all Forsaken were evil monsters. They aren't are they?"

"Not even close." Looking to the horizon, James lowered his voice. "Everything is changing as we get stronger. How I view the world is…" he didn't know how to put it.

Mender patted his shoulder. "You aren't the only one. It keeps me up at night, knowing that we hunted in the forests to grow stronger. We kept the bodies for food, but still."

James nodded. "Yeah…we did do that. We know going forward though, and we can change. There are true monsters out there, we just need to find them."

Turning to the setting sun, they watched in silence. Everything was different. Everything.

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