Kiara Nuri eyed her prey from the cover of some bushes and watched them travel down the road. A guardian trainer with a single starter guardian made a perfect target. Every last one of them was arrogant and spoiled, and while usually well educated, they tended to lack street-smarts. Most importantly, they were usually loaded. Commoners didn’t get to particate in the Guardian’s Festival after all.<br/><br/>She and her lackeys waited patiently for the right moment. A successful hunt was about extreme patience and perfect timing. A Poochyena boy named Javen and a Growlithe boy named Marcus waited on the other side of the road watching for her signal. A stunky girl named Temira waited just up the road from her. The boys were what she expected for her first mission. They were fairly new recruits but not totally green, and she had no doubt that they would pull their weight. Temira was another story, and it pissed her off that the boss sent her on this mission, or any mission at all, in her condition, as if she hadn’t been punished enough already. She trusted the girl more than she could trust anyone else, but sending her into combat with a broken arm was just too cruel, even for the Nightfire gang. She couldn't imagine that she would ever forgive the boss for it. Kiara may have treated the girl as a playtoy, but she was also the closest thing to a friend she had ever known, and she couldn't stand the thought of putting her in danger.<br/><br/>But she had a job to do. She wanted that leadership position. It would mean better food, a bigger share of the spoils, and maybe even better sleeping quarters. Besides that, she wanted to give Temira a chance to redeem herself in the boss’s eyes. Javen and Marcus deserved a shot at their rewards as well, and all of that was riding on this heist.<br/><br/>When the moment was right, Kiara waved her arm so that her lackeys could see it, then proceeded to strike nearby clusters of dead leaves with ember attacks. Marcus did the same while Temira and Javen, who didn’t know any fire moves, tossed a few molotovs that Kiara had prepared for them. The leaves were damp and would not burn out of control, and the moisture would create more smoke which was what she wanted. She had two reasons for wanting to make smoke. The first being that she would need to make a quick getaway following the heist, and the smoke would provide cover. The second was to create a spooky atmosphere to hopefully unnerve their prey. She hoped there would be enough of a breeze on the road to keep it clear enough to maintain visibility. As billows of smoke began to cover the immediate area in a thick haze, she cupped her hands to her mouth and let out a howl. It wasn’t a playful pretending to be a feral Lycanroc howl. It was a battlecry. The other three followed suit as the four of them charged their prey. As they closed in and surrounded the guardian and her trainer, she called out,<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)"> “J, use snarl on the trainer! M, use ember on the Aron! T, stand ready!”</span>The group of four quickly surrounded the pair and Javen and Marcus attacked as ordered. Kiara moved closer to Temira in case she needed help defending herself. Temira approached as well, trying to look menacing, but having her arm in a sling spoiled the effect. Kiara took a step closer to the trainer to address him.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)"> “Empty your pockets and hand over your money,”</span>she demanded with a growl in her voice,<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“then we’ll let you leave in peace.”</span>