Isher Notra

Stella:

"So, this is it. Back on the road."

The Human girl watched as the Frog's boat carried Tarb and the Knight back to the main road to Pantsti. The wind blowing on her skin was a welcome farewell gift to soften the crushing uncertainty about her future.

But nothing in this world could distract her from the fact that she was the public enemy number one for a lot of Monoke. Especially after that Amikiri weirdo spying on them.

Well, there was one Wolf who came close to.

"Cheer up, Stella! We'll get home in no time! You should be excited!"

She should? The Human was regaining a speck of normalcy here. She had good food and pleasant company. She even learned a few things about fishing and cooking! Okay, that last part was debatable, at best.

However, seeing Lien with that radiant, toothy smile gave back to Stella a spark of enthusiasm. If she was that excited, maybe things wouldn't be that bad.

Yeah, she didn't need to be a stick in the mud. It would be fine!

The pup wrapped her arms over Stella's neck and shook her body left and right. "Oh! I can smell them coming! It's our turn! Our turn!"

While still inconvenient, Stella got more accustomed to Lien's touches with each instance. It was clear as day that this was only a way for the pup to express her feelings. Besides, the thought of being rude to her turned the Human's stomach upside down. She never had that problem before.

Stella's interest shifted to the noise of the opening door behind her. Of course, Kaku had stayed behind, too. "You girls are still here?" They sat on the platform edge beside them, dipping their toes in the water, then took a deep breath. "I hope our home sufficed for you all."

Stella gently broke free of her friend's grasp and joined the Kappa. "Are you kidding? You've been nothing short of amazing! I..." She rubbed the back of her neck and blushed. "Wish I could've stayed longer."

Man, she was pathetic.

The old Monoke giggled like a little girl. "Child, I'm flattered! But you have better places to be than with a couple of old sacks of bones. Better go with the Wolves. They know how to have real fun!"

Kaku, Stella, and now Lien laughed as one. Although the Human's was tainted with sorrow. She had grown fond of them in only a day and a half. They were like the grandparents she never had.

Perhaps Stella was going too fast with all that, just like with Lien. The difference was that the pup was even more clingy than her, so it wasn't much of an issue.

At the end of the day, she doesn't know anyone here. Anything can happen. People can disappoint her, or worse. She had to get herself together! At least until she has a stable home. Her current situation wasn't much different from before, all things considered.

"It's yer turn now, kiddos! Hope you enjoyed yer stay!" Padda's voice was unmistakable.

Stella could do it. If she survived that witch, nothing else could shake her.

Gentō:

"Keh keh keh!" He giggled endlessly.

The thought of acquiring ultimate power, reaching the heights of his fallen brethren, and then everything he desired would finally be his! He couldn't help himself but laugh!

However, his old (and only) friend, Hanaken, didn't appreciate his expressions of joy.

They had known each other for only a measly forty years. Their friendship started when the Oni, who was about to begin her gigantification stage, saved him by beating up some brutes from the capital. Gentō tried to join their gang to gain some respect for his name but only got laughed at and picked on until a hulking red beast came along.

They hit it off ever since, though she constantly made fun of his genius schemes. Okay, none of them lasted long or even succeeded in the first place, but it was only a matter of bad luck! His intellect would bear fruit in the end!

Not to mention, they have the headstart and plenty of time to set their trap. Now, where would be the perfect spot...?

The Baku's eyes searched for their prized location. However, he would concentrate much better if not for HIS MINIONS' CHIT-CHATTING!

"Does he always make these sounds?" Whispered Kreef.

The Oni shrugged. "Only when he's excited. Though I haven't heard him like that in years, it ain't that bad."

What? What was she blabbering about?! He was as ambitious and motivated as ever! Silly Hanaken!

Erm, well... Fine, he became a bit down in the dumps when he got caught on his "duckcrumbs" scam. Right before Ske dumped him, which was before he lost claim of his house, forcing him to live in the woods.

Nonsense! He wasn't depressed! He only needed some cooldown time for his next plan! As proof of that, he had already found the locale of his ultimate victory!

The start of a hill would lead them to the only path to Pantsti. Of course, this was a border of Chikukei's territory, but the Basan had no reason to patrol here. This place was perfect.

Gentō puffed his chest and dramatically opened his arms. "My dear accomplices! This is the perfect place for our trap!" He pointed a tiny finger at them. "Kreef! Hanaken! You will follow my exact orders, understand?! Otherwise, only defeat shall rain on us!"

Kreef was leagues more excited than the Oni. "Aye, aye, captain!" He snapped his claws in rapid succession. It sounded like a musical instrument.

Hanaken was... "Whatever, man. As long as I get a good fight out of this." Always the buzzkill.

The Baku rubbed his hands with malicious intent. "Keh keh keh! Those guard fools will not even see what's coming to them. My plan is flawless!"

"Yeah, good thing you mentioned that," Hanaken crossed her massive arms. "Because you never told us the damn plan! We just followed you for three hours, and you said NOTHING since we left that river!" She somehow became redder.

"I have to agree with her," Kreef interjected. "It would be nice if you don't keep us in the dark." His yellow eyes narrowed. "Like when you told us you didn't know how to make Hanaken cross the river..."

Gentō scoffed. "It all went well in the end, didn't it?"

The Amikiri shuddered. "Say that to my broken exoskeleton..."

Noticing the derailment of their conversation, the Baku resumed his evil gloating. "My partners in crime! We will be victorious against the likes of the Dragon's Guard! For we are-" He stopped mid-sentence, mouth wide open.

"Uh... We are what?" Hanaken ran her fingers through her grey hair.

Gentō couldn't believe how foolish he was. How could he call himself a criminal mastermind if he forgot this simple yet paramount detail! This could jeopardize everything! Everything he worked hard for could crumble like an old statue.

However, this segment of their plan demanded a tough choice. Only someone with an artistic intuition and a resolve as unbendable as a diamond could fulfill this role. Only HE could do it.

"SPILL IT OUT, ALREADY!" Steam came out from Hanaken's nostrils and ears. Kreef immediately recoiled and vibrated in fear.

However, Gentō wasn't afraid. More pressing matters occupied his mind rather than simple, primitive instincts. He turned to the Oni with a sober expression.

"What should we name ourselves?"

No response from either of his minions for a solid twenty seconds.

"What?" Asked Hanaken, dumbfounded.

The Baku paced back and forth. "If we're about to realize such a magnificent feat, we must have a name! Something to remember us throughout history! We cannot be remembered as just Gentō, Hanaken, and Kreef! That will never work!"

Kreef stood perplexed while the Oni rubbed her temple. "By Tizohi's antlers, I've woken up for this..."

The Baku huffed, offended that the two weren't taking this matter seriously. "Listen here, all the most memorable groups have a name! So are we going to do this or not?!"

The Oni closed her eyes, sighed, and turned to the Amikiri. "What do you think?"

Kreef appeared genuinely surprised that they wanted his input. "M-Me?!"

Both Monoke silently nodded.

He fidgeted with his claws. "W-Well, it can't hurt to try... A cool name will show everyone that we're the real deal!" He shuddered when his eyes drifted to Hanaken's. "B-But if you don't want it, I can-"

"Screw it. Let's give this a shot." She slammed her butt on the ground. The impact created a sizeable shockwave.

Hanaken crossed her tree trunks for legs. "One chance. We don't have all the time in the world."

Of course, the dream Monoke already had a perfect name for their trio. If spoken by anyone's lips, it will drown everyone's hearts and minds with fear.

From now on, they would be called-

"THE BAKU BUNCH!" He proudly announced.

However, his pitch was received with the instantaneous "No." from his two minions.

Tough crowd.