“Dyle, it would be better if you don’t follow us closely,” Rolo instructed.

  Dyle’s brows furrowed. “Why not?”

  “You’ll draw too much attention.”

  Dyle raised an eyebrow. “Mate, you’re a group of two–sorry, three wolves, a snow leopard Yeager and a human! You’re already eye-catching!”

  “Correct. That’s why we can’t afford to stand out even further. Head to the Lunar Inn if you can’t find us.”

  Dyle groaned. “Fine! I’ll keep my distance. Perhaps I can have some fun while at it.” He chuckled to himself, before jogging in a different direction.

  As the group approached the city, Onyx’s gaze wandered around, taking in the scenery. They were walking between the cottages on the well beaten road. The inhabitants were almost exclusively humans. Men and women strolled around, kids pyed on and around the road. Numerous smells invaded Onyx’s nostrils, most of which he couldn’t identify, save for the distinct smell that came with the river, of spices, of cooking, and, as they passed by stables, of horses.

  Where the river met the city wall, there was a water gate, and next to it the nd gate to the city. As they approached the gate, Rolo led them to the side, to a wooden board hanging beside one of the cottages.

  Onyx tilted his head as he observed the board. Various papers hung there; wanted criminals, announcements, but what caught his attention was an arming number of papers where Yeagers were mentioned. “Is this…”

  “Our job,” Rolo said. “We need armor, weapons, horses. And for that, we need coins.”

  “Wait,” Lily interrupted. “Your best idea of how to get more coins is to hunt monsters?”

  “I don’t know how else you thought Yeagers made their living, but that’s what we do.”

  Lily rolled her eyes. ”You are a Yeager, we aren’t.”

  “Yet. However, if you’re really scared, you can observe. I will do most of the work.” Rolo eyed the board again. “Besides, it is the fastest way to earn coins.” He pointed at one of the papers.

  Onyx’s gaze followed Rolo’s gesture, nding at the bottom of a paper. His eyes bulged. “Three hundred coins?!” His eyes went up the paper. “To hunt…a thunderbird?”

  Rolo scoffed. “Weird.” He tore the paper from the board.

  “Are thunderbirds difficult to take down?”

  Raksha shook her head. “They’re considered average in how dangerous they are. Well, maybe the bottom of ‘average’. This must be a big one.”

  “Or the person who posted this is wealthy,” Rolo added. “It could be something else. Untrained people can’t always identify the monster correctly.”

  Onyx was fbbergasted. “How much can a Yeager make from taking down a truly dangerous monster?”

  “Depends,” Rolo answered. “I know someone who took down a hydra for two thousand coins.”

  Onyx didn’t have a particurly good grasp on monetary matters, but he still knew that that was a stupidly rge amount of coins.

  “Everything has a price,” Raksha chimed in. “Most Yeagers die doing their job. It’s only natural that they get paid handsomely for their endeavors.”

  “That, and when people are scared and desperate to get rid of a monster, they pay anything,” Rolo added.

  Onyx nodded. His gaze returned to the board. “That’s…a lot of monsters that need to be taken care of. Is this normal?”

  “No,” Rolo answered, resuming his walk towards the city gate; the others followed. “Normally, I would think nothing of it; monsters come and go, and they may cause too much trouble in a short short period of time. However, this has been happening more often, and with what you told me about a fox who can control monsters…I believe this isn’t a coincidence.”

  Onyx eyed the paper in Rolo’s paw. “Only one?”

  “I’m only one Yeager,” Rolo replied, waving the paper for Onyx to see. “I can only take one job at a time.”

  “What if other Yeagers come and snatch the rest of the contracts?” Lily inquired.

  “Then they earned it,” Rolo replied.

  Lily shrugged. “Fair enough.”

  The group walked into the city, passing by the two ironcd men standing guard on both ends of the gate. Inside was a whole different world. The city bustled with activity; carts came and went; merchants shouted at the top of their lungs; people went about the various pces like the shops and taverns; and occasionally, a small patrol of guards passed by. Onyx’s gaze wandered around, trying to take everything in. This pce dwarved their home vilge. In the distance, where he assumed was the center of the city, stood an enormous tower, embraced by two massive trees that coiled around it.

  “Do only humans live here?” Onyx wondered aloud.

  “No,” Raksha answered. “But we entered from the gate of the human district. The river diverges in the middle of the city and separates it into three regions. There’s a third inhabited mostly by wolves and one by foxes.”

  Onyx scratched his chin. “How peculiar.”

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Lily said, raising her index finger in the air. “All three hated each other in the past!”

  Raksha flinched. “Lily! Don’t talk about that in public!”

  Onyx tilted his head. “Why not?”

  Lily smiled sheepishly, her voice lowered. “Well, let’s just say…some of them still hate each other.”

  Onyx’s ears drooped.

  “This city was essentially built on shared interest, and to avoid conflict, not because its people liked each other,” Ulva chimed in, her voice low. “A trade road, a river, diverse wildlife. The three races fought over this spot. Eventually they agreed to share, but old grudges are still there.”

  Onyx gnced back at Ulva, pondering the information, then smiled. “You’ve been silent until now.”

  Ulva averted her gaze. Onyx could see a hint of red in her ears. “The subject…interests me.”

  “History interests me, too!” Lily said. “But not this history. I like older things. I mean, ancient history. Even before the fall of the dragons.” She turned to face Onyx.

  Onyx waved a paw at her. “It’s fine, it doesn’t bother me.” Most of the time.

  “But that’s a poorly documented era,” Ulva said.

  “Exactly why it interests me!” Lily replied, her fingers fondling her hair. “The stories from those times are like legends.”

  Ulva’s ears dropped, her expression shifting to a neutral one. “Then you’re interested in mythology, not history.”

  Lily snorted. “History and myth cross paths more than you realize!”

  “Even the myths that say dragons are fallen stars and wolves came from the moon?”

  “Hey…” Onyx interrupted, his shoulders slumped. “I like to believe those two.”

  Ulva and Lily giggled in unison.

  Do they team up against me?! Onyx wondered.

  “How much time do you have in this form?” Rolo asked.

  Onx nodded in the direction of Lily.

  “Well, depending on the amount he drank…” Lily trailed off while tapping her chin. “I would say ten to eleven hours.”

  “Then let’s make the most of it,” Rolo responded. “Me and Raksha will go East, to the wolf district. The wolf who made this contract is there. We will ask about Yasei on the way as well. Onyx, Lily, Ulva, investigate here then head to the fox district.” Rolo stopped walking and faced Onyx. “Remember; even asking around is dangerous. Try not to say his name to others and don’t draw unnecessary attention. And most importantly–” Rolo jabbed a finger at Onyx’ chest. “–if you run into him, do not act until we regroup. Understood?”

  Onyx’s brows furrowed, falling silent for a moment before nodding. Rolo’s advice was sound, but he imagined finding Yasei, finally having him within his reach, and then having to wait and possibly lose him again. He didn’t know if he could restrain himself, but he wasn’t going to admit that out loud.

  “Let’s not waste more time,” Rolo said, gesturing for Raksha to follow him. “Once we’re all done we will regroup in the Lunar Inn, in the wolf district.”

  Raksha faced Onyx and patted his shoulder, her eyes darting between him, Lily, and Ulva. “Be careful. All of you.”

  With that, the two groups parted ways.

  Onyx scanned his surroundings, then scratched his head. “Let’s hope we don’t get lost.”

  “Fear not!” Lily assured, patting her chest. “I’ve been here before.”

  Onyx contempted reminding her of the time her and Irina had lost their way, but he decided against it.

  Raksha and Rolo made their way to the wolf district of the city, crossing the border between it and the human district; a bridge that crossed the river branch that separated the two regions. There was a quick change in scenery; the buildings were smaller and more humble, and wolves filled the streets, with very few humans or foxes going around.

  On their way, they would ask about Yasei, trying to describe him without saying his name, but to no avail. They crossed the Lunar Inn and kept walking until they reached the city gate and stepped outside. There, scattered cottages and small farms occupied the space. They kept walking until they found their target, which was hard to miss; a burned farm.

  Rolo approached the cottage near the farm and knocked, and soon he was answered, an old brown wolf emerging from behind it, clothes tattered and eyes weary.

  “A…Yeager?” The wolf muttered. “About damn time!”

  Rolo produced the parchment from his pocket and presented it to the wolf. “I take it you posted this?”

  The wolf walked out of the house. “I sure did!”

  Rolo tucked the contract away. “Can you tell me what happened? What did you see?”

  “I…didn’t see much. I was asleep when a thundering sound roused me from my sleep, with blinding fshes of light. My sons…they were both outside.” The wolf averted his gaze, then completely turned away from them. “There was…fire everywhere. And my boys…both dead.” The wolf’s voice cracked, and he rubbed his nose.

  When Rolo didn’t say anything, Raksha stepped forward. “I’m…sorry for your loss. I can’t begin to imagine–”

  “Just…” The wolf interrupted. “Bring me the head of that damned thunderbird, will ya?”

  “First, I would like to see the bodies of the victims,” Rolo said, his tone unchanging, earning a stern look from Raksha.

  “What?” The wolf said, turning to face them again. “B-But the incident was two days ago. They’ve been buried.”

  “Where?”

  The wolf narrowed his eyes at him. “You dare desecrate the dead?! I told you it was a thunderbird! What good will digging up my children do you?!”

  “Do you want the monster dead or not?”

  Raksha stepped between them, shooting Rolo a scowl before giving the wolf a sympathetic look. “I am truly sorry, sir. But this is a necessary step. Inspecting the bodies can greatly help us track and take down the monster. Would you please allow us?”

  The old wolf eyed her up and down, then broke eye contact and gave them his back again. “Fine! If you must…you will find them there.” He pointed in a direction right to his house. “Names are…Adrian and Beamus.”

  “Thank you,” Raksha responded. “I promise it won’t be for nothing.”

  “Just…go.”

  Raksha gestured for Rolo, then they both walked in the direction of the graveyard. Once they were far enough from the old wolf, Raksha spoke. “Do you have…no idea how to read the room? How to deal with people?”

  Rolo scratched his neck. “I’ve heard simir questions before.”

  Raksha shook her head. “I bet.”

  “I know you’re not a full Yeager, but you should know from your training that you should keep emotions at bay. We encounter such cases too often.”

  “I know that! Controlling your emotions is not the same as being insensitive.”

  “I like to think of it as being professional.”

  Raksha scoffed.

  The two arrived at the graveyard. They took permission from the watchwolf, expined the situation to him, borrowed two shovels, and then found the names they were looking for. Rolo wasted no time digging, while Raksha hesitated. She shook her head and took a deep breath, muttering “I hate this.” before digging the second grave.

  After half an hour of digging, paws dirty and the smell of soil strong in the air, they finally hit the coffins. They reached down into the holes and pried them open. Raksha’s heart sank when she saw the bodies. They were both burned almost to a crisp, but bore marks of other injuries as well. What made matters worse was that they didn’t look older than sixteen.

  Raksha averted her gaze. “Poor kids.” She forced herself to look at them again, to inspect them. “Something is not right.”

  “I noticed,” Rolo replied, crouched next to the graves. He touched both corpses and sniffed his paws. “They were both burned by lightning and fire, but I smell something else. Although the burning has distorted the smell.”

  “And those wounds,” Raksha pointed. “They don’t look like something a talon or a beak would cause. You don’t think…”

  Rolo shook his head. “We must investigate the field before drawing a conclusion.”

  They closed the coffins and reburied them before backtracking to the burned farm.

  Gazing upon the field, Raksha commented, “Good thing there’s two of us.”

  After a few minutes of searching, Rolo called out to her. Raksha hurried over to the spot he was crouched.

  “Here,” Rolo said, sniffing his fingers once more. “Thunderbird blood.”

  “So it was injured. Interesting.”

  “And here we have the blood of another creature,” Rolo pointed at another spot on the soil. “A camazotz.”

  That name alerted Raksha. They were one of the more dangerous types of vampiric creatures. She pced a paw on her chin as she pondered the information.

  “I didn’t see any signs of struggle on the victims,” Rolo continued. “So they didn’t inflict those injuries on the monsters.”

  “So, we have two monsters on our paws. And they fought, bled each other. It’s not unheard of, but why here, in this field?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Rolo said, standing up and wiping his paw on his armour. “The better question is which one should we take out first?”

  “I have an even better question,” Raksh said, her eyes scanning their surroundings, before lowering her voice. “Why are we being watched?”

  The tiniest of smirks tugged at Rolo’s lips. A Rare sight. “Good question.”

  “They looked unarmed. Maybe they’re just curious.”

  “Armed or not, it will be annoying.”

  “Let’s not startle them. They probably know something. We should head back to the Lunar Inn for now.”

  “And I must demand a raise. I’m not hunting just a thunderbird anymore.”

  Raksha shot him a look, paws on her hips. “You’re not serious, are you? You saw the state of that old wolf and you’ll ask him to spit out more coins?”

  “I don’t work for free. And you know we all need those coins.” With that, Rolo walked in the direction of the gate.

  Raksha threw her paws in the air. “Unbelievable.”

  Onyx, Lily and Ulva wandered around the human district for over an hour. It turned out, looking for someone without mentioning their name was pretty difficult. Most people suggested they go to the fox district instead, which they intended to do anyway.

  The district was massive, full of all sorts of pces. Market, libraries, inns, a bank. However, it was not all fun and wonder.

  One shop caught Lily’s eye, for it had herbs and ingredients she could use. Onyx could've sworn he had heard the merchant sell one particur herb for five coins, but when they approached him, he took one look at Onyx and Ulva and said, with a tone of disdain, “Fifteen coins.”

  Onyx’s eyes widened before frowning. “That’s robbery!” He whispered in a low enough voice for a wolf to hear, but not a human.

  Ulva scoffed.

  “Are you kidding me?!” Lily excimed at the merchant.

  “Do I look like a jester to you?” the merchant spat back with a raised eyebrow.

  Onyx overheard Ulva whisper, “Well you’re starting to look like one.”

  Problem was, that whisper was within human hearing range.

  “What was that?” the merchant snapped, eyes narrowing at Ulva.

  Ulva fell silent, seemingly startled. She put on a smile and said, “I said ‘what a reasonable and funny fel’.”

  The merchant scoffed and smirked. “Oh, we have a smartass on our hands, I see.”

  Onyx’s body and mouth moved before he could think things through. “Watch your tongue!” He hissed, stepping forward and pointing a finger at the merchant.

  “Or what? You’ll bite me?”

  Onyx snarled. “A tempting proposition.”

  “Would you please cut your bbbering, Richard?!” A woman excimed as she approached them, hands on her hips and a disgusted look on her face. “At this rate you’ll lose so many customers that you might as well become a jester instead.”

  The merchant scoffed again, crossing his arms and looking to the side. He probably thought it wasn’t audible, but Onyx heard him mutter, “Of course the dog fucker is standing up for dogs.”

  It seemed that Ulva heard it as well, as she shot him a gre and snorted.

  The woman shook her head. She didn’t seem like she heard it. “Come, dies and gent. I’ll gdly do business with you.”

  They didn’t make it far from the shop before Richard called out. “Wait. Fine, you can have it for ten.”

  Onyx gnced back at him, feeling disgusted and, quite frankly, embarrassed on his behalf. Does this guy have no dignity whatsoever?!

  Ulva, on the other hand, was trembling, her paws clenched. She stomped back to Richard and smmed her paws on the wooden stand. “I’d sooner hang than take anything from you.” She snarled, a terrifying look on her face; Richard shrank back, eyes wide as if he was looking death itself in the eye. Ulva took her paws off the counter and stomped back to the others.

  Onyx observed her in disbelief, and she soon noticed. “Sorry, I…shouldn’t have done that.” She said with her usual soft tone, pushing a strand of hair out of her sight.

  Onyx scratched his neck. “I mean…he had it coming.”

  The strange woman ughed, tucking her brown hair behind her ears. “That is one mean woman you have there, hun. You chose well.”

  Ulva’s ears y ft on her head.

  Onyx chuckled faintly, until he realized what the woman was implying. “Oh, y-you got it wrong! We’re friends! That’s all!”

  Ulva hid her face in her paws.

  “Oh.” the woman’s smile faded, then returned in full force. “Well, your loss!” She continued her walk. “Name’s Wisteria, by the way.”

  Recovering from his embarrassment, Onyx replied, pointing at himself and the other two respectively, “Onyx, Ulva, and Lily.”

  “Pleasure to meet you!” Lily said, waving.

  Wisteria nodded. “The pleasure’s mine. Come now, my shop is not far from here. I don’t want to leave my daughter in charge for too long.”

  Onyx wondered if he should ask her why Richard had called her…that insult, but he decided against it, seeing as she didn’t seem like she had heard it. And, well, because he didn’t want to say it out loud.

  “I’m so sorry you ran into Richard,” Wisteria said. “He’s rude to everyone, but especially kemono. Most people here are not like that. Most.”

  Lily waved her hands. “You don’t have to apologize.”

  In a few minutes, they arrived at Wisteria’s “shop”. Whatever Onyx was expecting, it wasn’t that. The pce was two stories tall and at least three times the size of any other shop. Behind the gss front he could see all kinds of herbs, vials and strange instruments. He didn’t know what most of those things were. He had to refer to Lily, who looked starry-eyed as she ogled the pce.

  “Welcome to my humble abode!” Wisteria excimed. “Which triples a shop and b.”

  “That’s…not what I’d call humble,” Onyx muttered, chuckling.

  “Oh my…” Lily mumbled, a wide grin forming on her face. “This looks wonderful!” She bolted into the shop first, and a scream followed from the inside.

  “Intruder! Intruder!” The young girl’s voice shouted from the inside.

  Wisteria rushed into the shop, followed by Onyx and Ulva. There, a young girl was holding a broom high in the air.

  “I’m a customer!” Lily excimed, raising her hands in defense.

  The little girl gritted her teeth. “I have my doubts!”

  Wisteria giggled. “It’s okay, Dahlia. They’re with me.”

  Dahlia snorted, then lowered the broom. “I have my eyes on you, customer!”

  Lily chuckled nervously, before turning around to inspect the interior of the pce. Various herbs, pnts and flowers lined the shelves, alongside vials, some full of colorful liquid and some empt., The scents of everything mixed together were like an attack on Onyx’s nose. Some scents were pleasant, others made him flinch, and Ulva seemed to be having simir reactions. It was one of those times when Onyx envied humans’ limited sense of smell.

  Lily looked giddy as she strolled around the shop-b hybrid. She skipped back to Onyx and stood on her toe tips to whisper, “She has all the ingredients for your potion, and we have your scales! I can make it for you as many times as we need!” She grinned widely, bouncing up and down.

  Onyx chuckled, pcing a paw on her head to halt her bouncing. “You mean as many times as our budget allows.”

  Wisteria gnced at them, smirked, then nodded.

  Onyx rolled his eyes and shook his head. “No, no! Also friends!”

  Wisteria crossed her arms and pouted. “Anyway, darlings. Pick what you want and I will be sure to give you a good deal.”

  Lily was quick to gather a handful of pnts, before the spot deeper into the shop caught her eyes. “Is this where you cook potions?”

  Wisteria smiled and raised her index finger. “Correct! But I don’t limit myself to potions. I try my hand at whatever comes into my mind. Come.”

  The trio exchanged looks before following the woman into her b.

  “For example…” Wisteria said, pulling a rge vial from under the table. “I’m creating a new beverage. Would you like a taste?”

  Onyx forced a smile. He knew it was dangerous to accept such an offer, but Wisteria seemed genuine, so he didn’t want to be rude. “Ah, thanks? We better get–”

  “I volunteer!” Lily excimed, raising her hand.

  Onyx and Ulva shot her a gre.

  Wisteria ughed. “Rex! It’s harmless. Most likely.” She poured some in her own mouth. “See? I just want more opinions on it.” She poured some of the ‘beverage’ in a smaller vial and handed it to Lily.

  Onyx nudged Ulva’s arm, whispering, “Be ready to act.”

  Lily took a sip of the liquid, before coughing and sticking her tongue out.

  Onyx dashed to her side, eyes wide. “Lily! Are you–”

  “What is this?!” Lily coughed, but otherwise she seemed normal. “It tastes so weird. I thought it hurt my tongue but the feeling wore off quickly.”

  Onyx tilted his head. “Are…you alright.”

  Lily giggled. “I’m fine, silly. Here, try it yourself.”

  Onyx eyed the clear liquid for a moment, then took the vial from Lily. He gave it a sniff, and something in it made his nose tingle. He gave Lily another look, to which she nodded. Hesitantly, he took a sip and swallowed. He half-regretted his decision. The liquid was sour, barely sweetened, and it stung his tongue and mouth like needles. For a moment he was sure he had just downed a dose of poison, but the stinging sensation faded quickly. He coughed. “What is this?! And is it supposed to hurt?” He wiped his mouth before handing the vial to Ulva.

  Wisteria ughed heartily. “Apologies. I still haven’t come up with a name, but yes, the stinging is part of the experience. I still have to work on the taste, though.”

  “How did you make this?” Lily inquired while Ulva’s coughing sounded behind them.

  “It is a lengthy and difficult process, but the main recipe is condensing a mildly toxic gas and mixing it with water.”

  Onyx’s eyes widened. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Hey, I said ‘mildly’! It’s only bad if inhaled and only in extremely rge doses. It is harmless in water. Well, so far at least.”

  Ulva handed the vial back to Wisteria. Empty. Onyx and Lily gave her a long stare.

  Ulva’s eyes darted between them. “What? I liked it.”

  Wisteria ughed. “And the best part? It’s alcohol-free!”

  “Yeah, you repced alcohol with a toxic gas, congratutions,” Onyx retorted.

  Wisteria grinned. “Do you want to try the new candy I’m working on?”

  Onyx raised his paws. “I think we’ve had enough experiments for now.” He cleared his throat, his expression turning serious. “We just want to ask you about something. Red fox, male, green eyes, scar over one eye, wearing a bck cloak. Have you seen someone like that around recently?”

  Wisteria raised an eyebrow. “I mean, red fox with green eyes? You know that doesn’t narrow it down much, right?” She chuckled. “As for the other features, no, I haven’t. You’ll probably have better luck going to the–”

  “Fox district,” Onyx sighed, rubbing the ridge of his snout. “I know.”

  “May I ask why do you look for him?”

  “I just…owe him something. And I’d like to give it back sooner than ter.”

  “Do you have a name?”

  Onyx hesitated. He remembered Rolo’s advice about not saying the name. However, he wasn’t in public, and he had only said the name once before. “Yes. Yasei.”

  Wisteria let out a loud chuckle, startling Onyx. “Darling, that’s no name. That’s a word the foxes use to describe wild ones. I’d wager that fox didn’t want you to find him, which would mean he doesn’t want to be repaid. So I wouldn’t fret too much about it.”

  Onyx’s ears fell ft on his head and his shoulders sagged. “I…see. Thank you.”

  Dahlia emerged into the store again, with a tray carrying five steaming cups.

  Onyx squinted his eyes at Wisteria.

  “Rex! It’s tea!” The woman said.

  Lily giggled; Onyx groaned.

  Despite protesting, the trio sat down and stayed for the warm beverage. Surprisingly, it tasted like normal tea.

  “Do you hunt monsters?” Dahlia asked out of the blue.

  Onyx choked on his tea upon hearing the question.

  “Why do you ask that, dear?” Wisteria asked, tilting her head at her daughter.

  “They’re carrying swords and shopping for potions! Isn’t this what Yeagers do?”

  “You’re not wrong,” Ulva answered with a smile. “But we are not Yeagers. We are merely aiding one.”

  Wisteria’s mouth formed a circle. “Why didn’t you say so?! I have materials especially for such endeavors!”

  Lily waved her hand dismissively. “It’s fine. We can make our own potions.”

  “Oh but I must give you something!” Wisteria left her seat and proceeded to rummage through the contents of the store. “Do you have an idea what you’re hunting?”

  “For now, most likely a thunderbird,” Onyx replied.

  Wisteria nodded, then stood up straight, holding what looked like a block wrapped in fabric. “Then you’ll need this insuting wax.”

  Lily’s eyes sparkled at the sight. “Let me see!” She took the block from Wisteria and unwrapped a side of it, revealing the ivory-colored material.

  “It can resist heat to a degree, so it won’t just melt away if you get zapped once,” Wisteria added. “Just, you know, try not to get zapped at all.” She chuckled. “And don’t eat it! It’s not good for the bowels.”

  “There goes my wax sandwich recipe,” Lily responded.

  “Do you think this will be enough?” Onyx whispered to the blonde woman.

  “Now I can make more, don’t worry,” Lily whispered back.

  “And here’s a cream for burns,” Wisteria added, pcing a small vial on the table. “And a painkiller potion. And an antidote, just in case.” She pced two more vials on the table.

  Lily raised her hands. “I…don’t think we have enough to pay for all of this, ma’am.”

  Wisteria shook her head, smiling. “That’s fine! You don’t have to pay now. Just remember me when you collect your reward, aye?” She winked.

  “We surely will,” Onyx said.

  Onyx’s eyes quickly darted to Ulva as he heard Dahlia excim “It’s so fluffy!”, and saw the young girl sitting next to the she-wolf and holding her tail. “I wish I had a tail!” She added.

  Ulva giggled and patted the girl’s head. “Trust me, you don’t want to deal with the care needed for hair and a tail.”

  “It would be worth it!”

  Onyx smiled as he observed the two. He had never seen that side of Ulva before. She seemed more rexed and cheerful than usual, almost matching Dahlia’s energy. And watching them, he was reminded of Maki and the fun little times he would have with her. He wondered how she and Bruno were doing, or how far his father was into his recovery.

  When Ulva noticed Onyx’s gaze at her while she made a silly face with Dahlia, she quickly averted her gaze.

  After a short while of tea, small talk and ughter, the trio bid Wisteria and her daughter farewell.

  Once outside, Onyx spoke, “Lily, can we agree not to easily accept unknown beverages from strangers?”

  Lily smiled sheepishly and stuck out her tongue. “Sorry!”

  Onyx shook his head.

  “We wasted too much time there,” Ulva commented.

  “True. But you seemed to be having fun,” Onyx replied with a smile.

  Ulva crossed her arms, her nose looking redder than usual. “I meant to say that we wasted your time. Your potion.”

  “Oh…” Onyx scratched his head. “You’re right. But we still have enough time to visit the fox district before heading to the Lunar Inn. However, I learned something from Wisteria; ‘Yasei’ might be just a title, not a name.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Lily scoffed.

  “Still, it would do us good to make a short tour in the fox district,” Ulva said. “You don’t know what we may find there.”

  Onyx nodded. Part of him was disappointed that their chances of finding the fox were slim, but he still wanted to see more of the city. And with that, the three of them made their way towards their new destination.