Yellow had lived in Eridanus for so long without venturing outside that the glow of Polaris seemed fresh and strange to them, and the buzz of magic almost uncomfortable. But it was on the way to Gemini, whose rift they wanted to visit and whose Hive node they wanted to check on, so they were here despite the way the Spire's crackling made their skin crawl.

Also, they had their gun with them. Just in case. Because what had happened the last time they visited Polaris and Gemini hadn't exactly been peaceful.

It was a shame that Polaris seemed to reject Mother's presence, they thought as they crept along a riverbank dotted with crystal outcrops and glowing mosses. A shame that it could not be made safe and Orderly like the other rooms. Because it was beautiful, when they could get over the sinister feeling that kept prickling at them. Almost like the scenes of rainbow fractals viewed through their kaleidoscope. Yellow tried to imagine what it might be like if Polaris too was made a safe haven of Order. What kind of symmetrical pattern would the Crystal River meander in? What kind of branching fractal arrangement would the crystals-

Oh. Oh no. What was this? A messy tumble of rocks and scratched-up earth and moss, like someone had barged through and flipped them over without a care in the world. Why could people not take care of the caves and pick up after themselves? Without even thinking about it, Yellow bounded over and began rearranging the mess of crystals, setting them down one by one in a careful, radially symmetric pattern, and smoothing over the disturbed soil with their small palms. It would only take them a moment to fix this, they thought, and then they could continue.

Suddenly, light flashed from the corner of their eye, bright enough that it might've blinded Yellow if they'd been looking directly at it. They whirled around, and were greeted with the sight of a-

"VALKHOUND!" Yellow shrieked with sudden, potent rage. It was unmistakable. They knew it at first sight: those neon-tipped spikes, that purple color. That FACE, THE FACE OF A MONSTER WHO HAD BURNED THEIR HOME. THEY WOULD NEVER FORGET. Its own memories of Draconua in Eridanus mixed with a memory seen through the eyes of a dozen siblings of similar-looking beasts that had hurt them and maimed them and wanted to kill them. And now Yellow was out in the open, without trees or cover to run into and climb. There was no doubt in their mind that the valkhound had meant to use some kind of magic on them, to hurt them or to scare them or to kill them. Its vicious features looked built for murder, its form big enough to crush Yellow under a single claw. They probably were barely big enough to get stuck in the valkhound's teeth.

Their small body trembled violently, their eyes locked onto that plated face and those neon eyes and those massive jaws, but- they weren't the same small, helpless sifaka they had been before. They had magic, and they had Mother and their family, and they had--

A gun. Their small hands seized the cool metal weapon and they pointed it right up at that despicable, glowing face. Their fingers pulled the trigger with a vicious determination.

BANG. Yellow shrieked in shock. It was like something had suddenly shoved their arms. They were thrown back by a powerful, sudden force, their ears ringing. They scrambled back to their feet, clutching their gun, which was smoking slightly and giving off an acrid odor. Had it worked? Had they hit that monster!?

Yellow stood there frozen, staring with a mixture of shock and fascination at the neon green blood that spurted from the wound on the Valkhound's chest. It worked...? Of course, it was supposed to work. That was what they'd asked the Collector for, something that would for sure work without the uncertainty of magic. Still, it was stunning to see such a small weapon inflict this injury on something so big, so quickly.

Then the monster removed its hand from its wound and lurched toward them, and Yellow snapped out of it. They couldn't believe it was still trying to fight after that. Didn't that prove just how mindless and dangerous Valkhounds were? That it was still trying to hurt or kill them when they'd just been minding their own business and defending themselves? Their hands shook and their heart raced. They couldn't get a good aim on it while it was moving like this and they only had 11 more bullets. They needed to buy some time.

Amber eyes locked onto the rocky ground beneath the Valkhound's next steps. Yellow pushed pressure magic into that patch of ground, gasping a little as they felt the surge of magic through them. As soon as its foot landed, it would be held down by the triggered trap, and they could have a moment to breathe, aim, and fire again.

The valkhound slammed against the ground, struggling like an overturned bug. Yellow grabbed their gun with both hands and lifted it up again. Maybe a past version of them would have taken the opportunity to flee, to hide, to just save themselves and get out of there. But they knew that that wouldn't save them. It wouldn't stop them from dying and it wouldn't stop their family from dying. They had to fight! That was the ultimate goal that Mother guided them all toward: united, they could fight the impossible monsters and win.

Yellow didn't know where the valkhound's vital spots were, so they just aimed for the biggest target, their torso. If the quills were any indication, at least, that wasn't a spot they'd want to get hit in. BANG! They were prepared for the gun's recoil this time, and just stumbled back several steps instead of falling, ears ringing and arms stinging from the sudden lash of force backward but furious eyes still fixated on the valkhound. The gritty smoke rising from the weapon scraped their throat as their breath heaved.

The Valkhound's threat got to them. A bolt of instinctive fear tore through the sifaka at its hissed words, images of their own body crumpled in its jaws flashing past their eyes. Involuntarily, their heart skipped and their ears began ringing. Yellow screamed, incensed beyond what they thought they could feel by this betrayal of their own mind and body.

"I HATE YOU!!!!!" they screeched in a burst of rage. How DARE it threaten them like that? How DARE it hunt them like a helpless prey animal who could do nothing but give up and die? HOW DARE IT REMIND THEM OF HOW EASY IT WOULD BE!?

"DIE! DIE! DIE!" Each syllable exploded out of their mouth, amplified a hundredfold by magic. "YOU SHOULD DIE!"