Tzirret's triumphant smile turned to terror as he saw the armed group. He gasped and backed into Peiter before he got the message to stay still. Sabine had to cover her mouth not to scream. Both Fendros and Janius turned their heads as soon as they heard the voices.

Rhazii paddled around obliviously for a few moments longer. "Newt, where did you go?" He asked innocently.

"To me, Rhazii. Now." Fendros said sternly, holding out an arm.

Now considerably more frightened, Rhazii paddled to Fendros' arms and followed him out of the water.

"Who are-?"

"-Quiet." Fendros put on a facade of anger to hide his fear and kept his eyes on the bowmen. In response to the crossbowman aiming at Rhazii, Fendros tried to keep his son behind him.

They were the only words heard. Everyone else gathered at the standing stone where the race had ended, completely silent.

Tzirret felt Sabine's hand grab his arm tightly. "Don't run," Sabine breathed with wide eyes, "You must not run." Tzirret was grateful for the grounding, despite the situation. He could hardly think, he didn't have his armour or his spear. The felt vulnerable. He tried to concentrate on keeping his beast spirit in check. It was always strongest when he was genuinely afraid.

Sabine's own heart was pounding. She tried to weigh the options. The weapons that the bandits used didn't look like silver, so it was likely that they didn't know that they were facing down a line up of Lycans. She could shock one of them, but the other would shoot, and they wouldn't have enough time to transform before the others transformed. Perhaps she could coordinate with Irenya, but even if she tried, they might let off a shot and hurt or kill someone. By the looks of it, Newt and Kaleeth hadn't come out of the water and hadn't been noticed yet. Additionally, Meesei might show up. If either showed up, that could be the time to strike. It was rash, but no one could tell her as much right now.

While Sabine was more invested in an oncoming fight, Janius was more collected and patient in his thoughts. These were probably just highwaymen who didn't know that they were out of their league yet. If they weren't slaughtered by an ambush by Meesei, Lorag, Uthri, Ahnasha, and Gallus while they were rifling through their things, that wouldn't be the end of it. Even if they had others amongst their number, which Janius tried to spot in the features around them, it didn't matter. As soon as this band walked away, they would leave a trail and the tide would turn. The best hope they had was to not give them an excuse to try and kill any of them.

The priority in Fendros' mind, above all else, was Rhazii's safety. As soon as an arrow was loosed, he would drop and shield him from any further fire. If he could still move by then, he would carry him away. Then, he would fight or warn the others.