The Moon Goddess' Chosen

509 Testing the One’s Might

Katie Sirius was back… Katie was really back.

Samantha didn’t know how to react to what she was seeing. The little girl she’d raised was finally back.

Samantha was happy… ecstatic, blissful along with a plethora of emotions she couldn’t describe. For a hunter that had learnt to keep her emotions from affecting her, this sudden inflow was overwhelming.

The wolf before her looked fluffier than she remembered. Katie’s large white form stretched its front paws and yawned loudly, exposing a dangerous set of fangs before smacking its lips.

With a swirl of blue mist, the white wolf was again enveloped and replaced by the familiar girl Samantha had known and raised. Dressed in deep blue velvet garments that were not too tight, providing her with just the right amount of mobility.

Katie took a few steps forward and pulled a petrified Samantha into a heartfelt hug, “Samantha! I missed you!”

The hug was warm, emotional and everything one would expect. However, it also forced the hunter to notice the differences between this Katie and the Katie she’d raised.

Katie almost looked the same…

Almost.

.....

Her long silky hair which used to be black and beautiful had turned snow white like the colour of her wolf’s coat. Her hair was also longer. Samantha didn’t want to mention but she could feel subtle changes in the girl’s physique as well.

The way she carried herself was more effortless than before… as though walking was as simple as breathing now. The last thing was:

The hug.

Katie’s hold on the hunter was tighter than it had ever been through her whole life. Katie had never been good at expressing her emotions… This was different.

The hunter hugged the Luna back, still unable to believe what she was witnessing.

Katie Sirius was hugging her…

After nearly two years away, she’d returned to them. Appearing in the same place she left.

“I—I missed you too, kiddo,” Samantha replied, “Are you… okay now?”

“Yes, Samantha. I’m fine now,” Katie nodded, “But I have much to do… I’ll need your help. And everyone’s help.”

The phrase alone left Samantha whiplashed…

She pulled out of their heartfelt hug and narrowed her eyes at Katie, “Okay, who are you and what have you done with the real Katie?”

Katie chuckled, “I can’t save the whole world at once!”

“You got that right. I love the new look!” Samantha clicked her tongue at the girl’s hair and whistled, wriggling her brows, “Someone’ll be surprised… and pleased.”

Katie giggled at the woman’s silliness, holding a bunch of her white locks up to her face before flipping it away. It was an unusual colour on her… but she didn’t mind it.

“Ahem… My Lady,” a gruff female voice interrupted their reunion.

Katie looked around Samantha and walked past her, “Pleasure meeting you at last, Brunhilde. Rise.”

Brunhilde stood from her subdued kneeling position, easily towering over the princess’s height. Katie didn’t look bothered having to look up at her. For some reason, she still seemed to be looking down on her even though their heights were painfully different.

Brunhilde’s own warrior aura clashed with Katie’s as though fighting the aura of superiority the royal effortlessly gave off. The large woman grunted, “Hmph!!! You’re shorter than I thought you would be.”

Katie tilted her head, staring at the woman, a flicker of irritation in her sapphire orbs.

In the next moment, Brunhilde’s knees gave out and the hulking woman dropped to her knees with a look of disbelief, “And you’re a lot slower than I thought you would be.”

“W—What did you do?” Brunhilde stammered.

Fauna and the brown bear backed away from the two dominant females, giving them all the space they needed.

The large warrior’s fear lasted a moment before it was replaced by a bloodthirsty smirk. She gripped the heavy sledgehammer laying at her side and stood, easily picking it up and swiping at the princess in a horizontal swing. The force of her attack was powerful enough to send strong torrents of wind in the direction of the hammer.

Petals violently flew through the air as flowers were severed by the very force of the attack.

Despite the speed or strength behind the sudden swing, clearly meant as a sucker punch, Katie had crouched down low and completely out of the hammer’s way. Brunhilde twisted her foot and planted her other in the direction opposite to the hammer’s movement, halting its movement before turning it back to Katie.

The warrior quickly launched her next attack, swinging with all her might.

Brunhilde had an exceptional perception of her surroundings and was normally used to fighting fast opponents, capable of predicting where they could be and what their actions would be in response to her own situation. As a result, it wasn’t hard for her to adjust the path of her hammer to both block and provide the best offensive tactic, bound to strike anyone who underestimated her.

However, when the hammer returned, Katie wasn’t anywhere in sight.

“Hmm! Not bad,” Katie’s voice came from behind the warrior.

This time, Katie had completely stepped behind the warrior and momentarily leaned against her back.

Brunhilde grunted and spun in place, swiping with the sledgehammer with tremendous speed and agility. Speed fast enough to catch a hare before it got the chance to blink.

Once more, however, the princess was not there.

‘She’s fast!’ the hunter thought.

“Are you going to keep running from me? Show me why we follow you. Show me why we risk our lives for you. I won’t follow a leader who doesn’t have the guts to face me.”

Brunhilde screamed her concerns with conviction, “Come at me, princess.”

Katie had taken several steps away from the hulking woman, relaxing at a distance thrice the hammer’s reach.

“Very well,” Katie sighed, sounding almost bored.

The princess leaned forward, her eyes flashing a bright blue as she got ready to charge at the warrior. An excited smirk covered Brunhilde’s smile once more…

But only for a second.

For in the next moment, the princess vanished from sight and Brunhilde was sent flying across the clearing, the wind knocked out of her.

Gritting her teeth, Brunhilde gripped the sledgehammer and planted its handle into the ground, resisting the force of the attack and bringing herself to a stop. Years of training kicked in.

Adrenaline boosted her senses allowing her to perceive the impossibly fast female dashing towards her.

‘Very fast,’ the hunter grunted.

The blurry mirage of the princess was followed by a punch to the gut that sent her flying even further. Brunhilde, having experienced her fair share of pain, tightened her core and planted her feet, bracing herself within the scores of incandescent flowers.

Brandishing her heavy steel sledgehammer, the warrior swung with all her might at the darting blur of the princess and for the first time since the battle started, the hammer hit something.