It was the afternoon with the sun burning bright in the clear sky, yet everyone who was familiar with the Great Tree and its surroundings knew that the atmosphere could change at any moment.
As the countless trees bathed in the warm sunlight, two figures ran at an incredible speed towards a distant hill. Their movements were swift and precise, alerting no one to their presence.
"Are you thinking about something?" Kael asked as he jumped over a vine hanging from a tree.
"Yes. About this operation we are about to do," Kiona nodded, as she nimbly dodged a scorpion without slowing down. "My father has always taught me about honor and pride, that it's cowardice to use methods like these."
"Is your father alive?" Kael asked bluntly.
Kiona almost staggered upon hearing the straightforward question and couldn't speak for a few seconds. After that, she sighed and replied, "He is not... Are you saying honor killed him?"
"Sort of. I respect honorable people, actually, because they are someone I can never become," Kael said. "But I also know that being honorable in a land of snakes is nothing but asking for death."
Kiona turned silent, as she began contemplating his words. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that he was right.
If her father had just listened to her brother, then things might have been different and he might have still been alive. Perhaps, even their pride…
"Don't blame him," Kael's stern tone brought her out of her reverie.
"You're contradicting your own words," Kiona felt annoyed by how much his words were affecting her.
"Not really. You see, almost everyone has principles and limits they can't ignore no matter what the situation," Kael spoke softly. "Even I have limits that I won't cross, even if it means I'll die."
He sighed, "This is one of my weaknesses. If I let it go, I'm sure my goals would be far easier to achieve. But I won't. Many times, principles and limits are what define a person, and most importantly, they tell who you are..."
He stopped on a thin branch and turned towards her. "So, set your own principles and limits, just like your father did. So, when you die, you don't have any regrets."
Kiona was taken aback, as she asked, "Do you think my father didn't have any regrets?"
He stared at her for a while, looking into her beautiful eyes, and then smiled. "Of course, he did — or at least, I'm believing he had a few regrets. But I'm sure he was at least not disappointed in himself. How did he die?"
"Standing..." Kiona muttered, her eyes turning red as she remembered that day.
"See? An honorable man died while standing in a battle. I'm sure it was the situation he wanted if he ever died," Kael smiled and reached out towards her head.
This time, she didn't shiver or back away, making his smile widen. He patted her lightly on the head, occasionally touching her fluffy ears.
"I yapped so much just to tell you one thing," Kael said gently. "I have my principles and I'm not changing those for anyone. You should have your own principles, understand?"
Kiona nodded.
"Good! Now, if you take a step more with me, then it means you are assisting me in the assassination of those lions. So, are you still in this?" Kael asked seriously.
Kiona took a deep breath and nodded again, her eyes filled with determination and the burning fury of revenge.
"I want them all dead."
"Noice! Let's go then," Kael winked at her and once again resumed his journey.
He didn't bring the two lion brothers with him for obvious reasons, but he did send them near the hill's base. They were ordered to hide there until they heard a commotion and a signal from Kael.
For the assassination, only two would suffice, so Kael was quite confident.
"Oh yeah, your nose is good, right?" Kael asked all of a sudden.
"Yes? Why?"
"Then, try to avoid the areas where you smell death," Kael said.
Kiona raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was thinking, but complied with his plans without any questions.
On their journey to the hill, they encountered many beasts that they easily avoided and also the areas where she smelled death.
To her surprise, the areas where she smelled death were increasing the closer they got to the hill, making her mind tense as she focused on the smell even more.
She found many routes between those areas to reach their target. It was tough because many areas overlapped, and sometimes she even got confused by the smell.
But ultimately, with the help of Kael, she managed to map out the routes, and they finally reached their first target.
As they sat behind a hollowed-out trunk, Kael pointed at the Fanged Lion sleeping around forty meters away from them.
"He might sense us if we get too close," Kiona said. "The fangs help us a lot."
"Good! You can go over there and wait for the signal, which will be the lion suddenly waking up but unable to move properly and all," Kael said nonchalantly.
He noticed her hand trembling and asked, "Are you nervous?"
"No! I'm just too excited," a grin formed on her red lips. "A month! I've waited for this day for a month."
"Haha! You're tougher than you look," Kael laughed, but was soon silenced by a finger on his lips.
"Don't laugh, otherwise he might notice us," Kiona said.
"Alright, now please go over there!" Kael chuckled at her antics.
As he watched her go to the right of the Fanged Lion, he smiled. 'She is good! Just a bit of experience and she'll become a good subordinate.'
He rolled over to his side and focused on the Fanged Lion. Taking a dart soaked in poison in his hand, he took aim and then threw it with all his force.
However, there was no sound or change in the airflow around it. If one wasn't looking directly at it, they wouldn't even realize something was speeding through the air.
This was the solution Kael had thought of for a perfect assassination.