Hey Now, You're a Brawl Star! (A Brawl Stars Story)

Nita Arc Chapter Three

Silent feet padded quickly through the forest, somehow dodging even the smallest of twigs. Nita prowled down familiar paths, on the hunt for her friend. Bo and Leon followed close behind. Bo used his powers of sight to scout through the trees, and Leon occasionally scampered up trees to try and see any signs of the bear. They worked as a well oiled machine; they were, after all, a family on the hunt.

What they weren't was relaxed. Every noise had the trio nearly frantic to find its source. They moved without rhyme or reason, often walking in circles chasing hunches or misplaced scents. All three prided themselves on being proficient hunters, but the bear seemed to be smarter than the prey they usually tracked, and Nita's emotional state was not helping matters. She was anxious at best; nearly hysterical at worst.

"No! I saw him! I swear I saw him!" Nita cried.

Bo sighed from a few feet behind her and lowered his bow. "Nita, we should begin the trek home. It's late and we have seen no sign of..."

"Bruce," Leon supplied.

"Bruce."

Nita stared sadly into the woods for a moment, then turned to face Bo. "Can we look for him tomorrow?"

"Of course. Let us return home." With that, the trio turned back towards their home. They had only been walking for a few minutes before they all realized something was wrong. Footsteps quickened and shoulders tensed. Leon grabbed Nita's hand and nodded towards the canopy of trees. Barely visible dark shapes cast shadows across the ground as they leapt across the branches. The siblings scampered closer to Bo, who took Leon's other hand.

"On my signal, we all need to run as quickly as possible back to camp," Bo whispered. Leon and Nita nodded discretely. Bo dropped Leon's hand and paused for a moment.

"Go." With the signal, all three were off, weaving their separate ways through the forest while desperately trying to stay in sight of each other. Nita caught glimpses of Bo running near her and the occasional flash of green from Leon's cloak as the three fled from their pursuers.

Nita was the first one to smell smoke, but Bo was the first to see the flames.

"Bo-"

"I know." The two picked up the pace. Leon did the same after a moment, flying through the forest like a green ghost.

Nita was the first to get to the village, followed closely by her companions. Fire had already ravaged the village. People were crying, and hunters were pulling people and bodies out of the huts.

"Grandmother!" Leon shouted, and dashed into the village. Bo chased after him, shouting at him to stay away from the fire. Nita stood stationary, connecting dots in her mind.

The figures chasing them, Bruce disappearing... could they have found him?

Could they have hurt him?

Nita turned tail and bolted back into the forest, now even more determined to find her friend. She tried to move as quietly as she could, but the people chasing her were still on her tail in a minute.

Silence be damned! she thought, then started shouting for Bruce.

But she could only run for so long, and she had been running all night. Her legs screamed with every step she took. She stopped and pulled her spear out before slumping against a tree.

A roar echoed through the forest, and before Nita had even had time to catch her breath, a bear was galloping at her. In one fluid motion she shoved herself away from the tree and away from the path of the beast. The bear turned at the last moment. It's side slammed into the tree, drawing a ghastly groan from the wood. It paused for a moment to regain it's bearings, giving Nita a chance to look it over.