The twins started to tell Larel about the key but Hotaru growled at them, causing them to back up a step, "Geez," Hayate sighed
"You're even more of a brute with fangs," Rapide said and Hotaru scowled.
"I am [i]not[/i]."
"Maybe brute's a little harsh."
"Just completely incapable of acting feminine."
"Well she is wearing that kimono."
"Yes and she sits cross legged while wearing it."
"That's a good point-" Both of them yelped as she stood up, running and hiding behind the group.
"C'mere you little pests, I'll show you a brute," Hotaru growled, rolling up the sleeves so they would be out of her way, "As far as I'm concerned I haven't been nearly rough enough with you if you think you can insult me to my face so casually," she muttered.
"We surrender!" They held out their staves, a piece of white cloth tied to them as they waved them like a white flag.
"Chickens."

The further in to the cave they got, the warmer it started to get. When they reached the base, Mera shot forwards, her cloak hiding her newest change, but she had run right in to a blazing field of flowers, scooping up a young, barely teenaged Mary.
"Where do you think you're going?" She whirled around and her face paled considerably. Mary's interpretation of that night was severally weighing in on the depiction of their father, who loomed over Mera now.
"Mera!" Eryn called out as the shadow form of the man raised his arm. She snapped out of it, and darted out of the way before his hand hit the ground causing it to rumble. Her hair, which was in a long braid at this time in her past, came falling out of the cloak as she whirled around to keep an eye on him. However, focusing on him, divided her attention from the hissing beast, whose tail came flying out, hitting Mera across the back and knocking her to the ground, though she landed in a way to keep Mary from getting any damage. 
Mary seemed to snap out of the hold at that moment when she felt Mera's grasp tighten on her. She looked up as Mera sat back up, "It'll be alright," Mera told her and Mary's eyes snapped all around the room to try and reassess her situation.
Eryn grabbed a rock off the ground nearby and flung it at the shadow of his father which was encroaching on the girls, "Over here, you ugly ass bastard," He snapped, throwing another one. The shadow turned around as Mera shot out of the way with Mary still in her grasp, the tail crashing down where they had been. More shadows appeared, leaping down from the trees and Mera grit her teeth.
"Mary, you could do not to remember this night so well," She muttered before all of the shadows jumped at them, having them surrounded. The ground moved, vaulting Mera and Mary out from the center of them and she landed at the edge of the field closest to the guys turning and flinging her hand back towards them, the bracelet on her wrist glistening as the flames from the field were sent back towards the shadows in waves, catching the trees on fire. 
The hissing sound turned in to an angry snarl and a large creature sat up in the trees, looking a little like the dragons from the old lore, but this one had no wings and had markings carved all over it's fur covered body. 
"Oh of course it's that."
"Sorry," Mary mumbled, "I told Raina to stop, but then Sola egged her on. I was afraid for years that thing was going to come after me," she said as it moved forward out of the burning trees, the shadows encroaching on them too. 
A shadow arrow launched from the edge of the field, nailing Mera in the shoulder. She grit her teeth, backing up and Eryn pulled her over towards them, "I'm guessing our exit... is on the other side of all of them," she said as Eryn took Mary from her, putting Mary on his back. Mera held her shoulder, looking around desperate for a solution, that night flashing back in her memory as well. The shadow of their father lifted his hand again and Mera looked towards him. As she remembered exactly what had happened that night, the shadows took a tangible form and her father had on multiple artifacts, one on his hand that glistened as he slammed his hand against the ground, causing a crack in the ground to head their way. Mera jumped to the side of the crack and Eryn went the other way before she went forwards, using a vine to hold his arm in place. One of the gypsies at his side went at her with a lance, but a thorn the side of a tree shot up going through his head. 
"She's trying to wear them down. We need to deal with the beast... Mary, do you remember what the thing's weakness was?" Eryn looked at his sister who put her hand to her head.
"It doesn't have any plating, so any mortal blow would do, but it's fast," She said after a minute as Mera took down another one of the gypsies accompanying her father. She had to dive out of the way as the creature's tail crashed down near where she had been, but it drug its tail across, the other gypsies jumping over it, knocking Mera back in to a tree, as if it was there to make sure the score came out the same way as it did before. Her father, the artifacts on his feet giving a glint, shot across the field as Mera brought her focus back, her head ringing. The creature turned to Alari and the others, taking a deep breath like it was about to unleash something