Kira's mouth clicked shut as a feminine laugh came from behind her. Rheya sprinted forward, flying up the monolith with ease.
Raider met her eyes, caution in his.
"Don't punch him," Jin advised.
The corner of Kira's eye twitched as Wren gave her his back, signaling she was beneath his notice. Her hands curled into fists as she took a deep breath, releasing it before taking another.
Raider's expression was sympathetic. "Want company?"
Kira shook her head.
He grunted before starting up the wall, searching out hand and footholds as he rose.
She watched him for several minutes before facing the forest beyond the arches. Finn was a steady presence beside her as she moved toward the trees at a sedate pace.
"Wait. Are you actually listening to him?" Jin didn't bother hiding his startlement.
"He has a point." Much as it pained Kira to admit.
Her bout with Graydon might have ended much differently if her energy hadn't flagged in the last half.
Kira moved below the trees' canopy, the leaves cutting her off from the faint warmth of the sun. Here, without its light, a chill quickly set in.
Kira didn't mind it. Once she got moving, she'd be plenty warm enough.
The path was dirt and well-trod, meandering through the trees until it twisted out of sight.
There was a menacing atmosphere to the forest. It felt almost sentient, as if thousands of eyes fixed on her as it waited. The trees rustled and whispered to each other. Trickery and deception lay here, waiting to beguile the unwary. It was the essence of every deep, dark fairy tale forest come to life.
Kira bent and clasped her ankles, stretching the backs of her legs.
"Well, yeah, he does, but when have you let that stop you?" Jin argued.
"When it serves my purpose," Kira told him, ignoring Finn as he waited several steps down the path, his expression inscrutable as always.
Wren's order played to her advantage. Right now, the best thing she could do for herself was to build up her strength and speed. Learn her new limits before she began pushing them.
Kira released her legs and straightened.
"My body feels different," Kira said. "I need to know what I'm capable of."
"I thought you were here to learn how to manipulateki," Jin sounded querulous.
"We are, but Himoto always said you had to start at the base and work your way up."
Strength. Endurance. That was her base. They wouldn't let her down, even if herkinever reached the level of destructive power it once had.
"Besides, this allows us to get the lay of the land. Find out what's what while I regroup."
There was a short silence.
"That outlook is surprisingly evolved," Jin finally said.
Kira grinned. "Maybe I'm taking a page out of your book."
Jin snorted. "About time."
Kira finished stretching and straightened before setting out at an easy pace, conscious of the way her body felt. Finn was a silent shadow.
