Slowly opening my eyes, with my vision somewhere between blurriness and a sense of pain, I gradually began waking up from the fogginess of a relaxing night’s sleep. Well, as relaxing as things could be within the literal depths of a deadly labyrinth. The discomfort was from the faint specs of light particles brightening the den in glee, and, while the angry particles of luminous fury continued to remain ignorant about my desires for more sleep, I was thankfully clutching something soft and fluffy between my hands, providing a comforting counterbalance to my retina’s cruel struggle against the endless endeavor for rest.

  Drawing me further into its luxury comfort, I noticed my head was also surrounded by what I could only imagine was the most pristine of divine pillows, made from only the finest of down fabric and feathers. “So soft...” I had seemingly uttered, completely captivated by the elusive comfort I had been missing during all of my nights within the labyrinth. My body felt incredibly warm, and, closing my eyes, easily began tugging itself back towards an alluring restful snooze.

  [“I’m glad you like it, Ko.”] A voice calmly hummed throughout my mind, before continuing its response to my apparent thoughts [“And, while I am proud of my exceptionally beautiful coat, I do believe I have what is commonly called, “fur”, and not feathers, unless of course, the “surface” would have different names for such things.”]

  “Hmm... 5 more minutes...” I mumbled, happily sinking into the blissful fortress of fluff. “Why of course, though, I imagine others might not appreciate you being so bold. Even if you are being gentle with me like I requested.”

  “Bold...?” I mumbled again, confused this time that the alluring words were no longer within my mind. Next, startling me slightly, I felt a gentle lick across my cheek, prompting me to rub the moistened area slightly in confusion, as another happened to find my nose amongst my continued drowsiness. Eventually, my mind was unable to handle the slobbery assault, prompting me to finally open my eyes in full to a scene I was hardly expecting.

  Still tightly clasped within my hands, was the soft, comforting red fur along Crimson’s neck, as she continued gently licking my face with her massive tongue. Still groggy, I reluctantly found the strength to lightly push her snout away, prompting her to halt the apparent assault, to which she simply replied “Good morning, Ko.” In a light and airy tone.

  “Morning Crimson.” I automatically replied, shifting my body to begin stretching my back and arms before wiping my face dry from the spontaneous “bath” I had just received. “I see you’ve been enjoying yourself, Ko.” Came a voice in a slight huff and pout ahead, jarring me slightly. Focusing my eyes, the blurry picture corrected itself into the crisp image of a fox staring back at me from across the floor, which I quickly recognized to be Inari. Her pointy ears were ever apparent, and her tail was making sharp precise flicks, as she continued to ruthlessly examine me yawning in confusion.

  “Morning Inari. Did you sleep well?” I happily called out to her, while continuing to stretch and pop the pressure that had built up within my joints during our rest.

  “I slept fine, thank you.” She sharply replied, while her tail continued to aggressively flick along the dirt, oblivious to the unfortunate specs of gravel it was relocating against their will from its swooshing motions of doom.

  “Jealous?” Crimson confidently smirked towards the apparently disgruntled fox, while she proudly wrapped her fluffy tail around my waist, making me feel like I had just buckled myself in for an adventurous car ride. Unamused, the two simply continued to glare at each other, leaving me utterly confused as to the situation I had apparently found myself in.

  Wanting to break the uncomfortable stalemate, I eventually spoke to the wolf seatbelt currently keeping me “safe”. “Crimson, as much as I appreciated your fur as a pillow last night, I didn’t exactly enjoy the facial it came with.”

  “Oh?” The canine replied in a curious tone, cocking its head slightly towards my voice. “But I was assured by Coileene that such actions of endearment were happily enjoyed by humans and their wolven companions.”

  I paused slightly at her words, briefly glancing between the canine and fox still diligently staring at one another from across the floor, while my mind easily imagined sparks flying between the two, connecting their intimidating gazes. “Well, that is true in part, not all humans appreciate the sentiment to the same degree. It would seem Coileene deceived you slightly with her words.” I managed to respond, causing Crimson’s ears to twitch. Then, breaking the intense staring battle, Crimson tilted her head at me from the apparent revelation to Coileene’s antics.

  “A Goddess would lie?” She barked in a higher tone than usual, now visibly confused at my words. “This one does, yes.” I replied, to which I rolled my eyes at the cackling sound of snakes now flooding my mind. “In the future, I would suggest you don’t take everything she says for granted.”

  “You’re no fun Ko.” Laughed Coileene as she finally materialized before us to join the conversation. “But regardless, Crimson and I did have an enjoyable... Discussion last night about you. Not to mention learning some useful information about my fragment of power.”

  “And, would you care to enlighten us about this riveting conversation between the two of you?” I asked with a heavy breath, while resting my hands across my lap. “My, my... And to even pry into the private conversations between such fair maidens, even I would be ashamed to cross such boundaries!” The haughty goddess replied with curled lips as she manically glared into my soul from my apparent “brazen” words towards her.

  “Ha! You, a maiden? I didn’t know you were into standup comedy Coileene!” I scoffed, while the serpent simply laughed at my comments, brushing them off in earnest. Regardless, her antics worked, as she then went on to explain how her “scent” was apparently similar to the “whispers” pulling at the progenitor wolves’ conscious, tempting them to explore deeper within the labyrinth. Crimson had apparently briefly recognized Coileene’s presence within my mind during our duel, leading them to have an in-depth conversation last night on what she knew about the deeper levels, among other things. In a sense, Coileene was able to determine these “whispers” were probably from the main fragment of her body trying to influence other sentient creatures to find and free her. The goddess seemed largely unaware she was unconsciously doing this, as most of her efforts had been focused on conserving her strength, while scanning the fabrics of space for signs of summoning disturbances.

  Listening more, I decided to catalogue these findings as one of many potential contingency plans she was probably implementing without her knowledge, in the hopes that one of them would work. Coileene figured she had forgotten about her main fragment’s calls when she detached her conscious to revive me on the 15th floor, and, when I thought about my initial experience with her powers, made sense, since the serpents never appeared to directly communicate like she does. From Crimson’s recount, the whispers were incredibly powerful on the 70th floor, leading her to believe there were only a few levels remaining between us.

  Next, we went over our plans again to tell Cyan and the rest of the progenitor wolves about my... Lying to them about killing Crimson’s name during the duel. Crimson was fairly confident the talks would go well, since she was still well respected amongst the wolves, and insisted she do most of the talking, which I had no qualms with. Eventually, after consuming and introducing Crimson to the concept of a freshly cooked breakfast consisting of steak and fruit, we packed our things and got ready to meet with the new progenitor wolves’ leader.

  Exiting the den, it was clear to me the wolves were all early risers as well, with most of them already checking the fields below the cliff for the produce they were growing, which Crimson elaborated to be a kind of fungus they would often consume with raw cattle meat from the 65th floor. Additionally, some of the wolves were also playing amongst themselves, with several warriors even competing in what appeared to be mock duels between one another for training, where they were biting and slinging magic spells with unchecked fury. It was a rather loud scene to behold, but appeared uninteresting to the other wolves who were probably well used to this behaviour by now. As we continued, many of the other progenitor wolves joined pace beside us, which I assumed was from Crimson calling out to them telepathically for an upcoming meeting.

  Thus, after a brisk walk, and what I imagined was most of the wolves living on the floor behind us, we finally arrived at a dirt field with several circles etched into them, along with behind us, a sea of neon colours from the observing wolves in attendance. To me, it was very reminiscent of an arena or senator’s chambers, with sections for important representatives and external observers clearly defined. A large viewing section was hollowed out from a surrounding cliff, which most of the wolves entered, and, after gesturing to a nearby circle, Crimson instructed us to wait nearby for Cyan to formally enter the grounds.

  While we were waiting, the area quickly became flooded with the curious gruffs and howls of the progenitor wolves observing us, in what I could only imagine was rumored whispers as to why there was already a meeting being held between the new pack leader and my party. Fortunately, the attendees didn’t have long to gossip over the sudden meeting, as Cyan entered shortly afterwards.

  Putting on an imposing stature, with each paw’s step carefully calculated, Cyan was clearly trying to exhibit the importance of his new position. After several meticulous steps, he would glance around to the wolves in attendance, before bringing his gaze to clearly stare into my own. Then, after reaching the opposing circle, Crimson slowly nodded for me to step forward with her to meet Cyan near the middle.

  Truthfully, this upcoming meeting was getting on my nerves more than our initial confrontation. Perhaps it was how cold and calculating everything seemed, and, if things failed here, I didn’t want to imagine having to potentially fight all of the wolves at once. While I was sure Crimson wouldn’t let it come to that, the thought was still bothering me that the wolves could potentially kill us to “free” Crimson after learning about the truth. Heck, for all I knew, even she was in on this potential plan, with me being none the wiser as to their true motives.

  No... Why was I having doubts now? I already resolved myself earlier with my friends, so I just needed to have faith in Crimson’s ability as the former pack leader to see this through. She didn’t seem like the type of person to go back on her word, so why was I still nervous?

  Shaking my head slightly to clear my thoughts, I started examining Cyan in full for any clue as to his intentions. His expression was a mixture of snarls and fangs, until eventually, he started focusing on sniffing the air towards us, with his nose twitching from each and every breath. For a brief moment, his posture and glare appeared to relax ever so slightly after smelling Crimson, before it just as quickly returned to an aggressive snarl. Unsure exactly what had just happened, Cyan eventually howled towards me in a sharp and sinister tone his thoughts.

  “Kotato Yamata... While I am relieved to see Crimson still remains pure, I am appalled at your refusal to take her, even after she so willingly—”

  “ENOUGH!” roared Crimson in response to the blue wolf’s words, startling me slightly as she bared her fangs for all to see before carefully planting her paws just in front of me. “To think that your first words to us would not only be insults towards my husband, but to carry the air you’re relieved I have not been made a woman... It makes me ashamed to have thought better of you Cyan. Is this how you intend to lead the wolves? With insults and mockery?!”

  Great... I thought. We had only just met with their new leader, and things were already off to a rocky start. And husband?!? What the heck are you saying Crimson! I was pretty sure I made it very clear we weren’t married, and you open up our conversation with that?!?

  ...

  Taking a deep breath myself, the brilliant red wolf glanced back at me, offering me a comforting smile, before continuing her words towards the audience with command.

  “Besides, this meeting is meant for something far greater than petty squabbles amongst our kind. Progenitors, while I recognize I am no longer your leader, there is a matter of grave importance I must communicate to all of you today, only learned after a lengthy and heartfelt discussion with the visitors to our home.

  Cyan, during Veritas, my name was never actually slain by Kotato Yamata. The act was a lie, a ruse, a crafty trick by the human to diffuse the tense situation we had all found ourselves in. He preyed upon our ignorance between cultures to deceive and end our conflict without death.”

  Then, pausing slightly to glance around at all of the wolves in attendance, the fur along Crimson’s chest began to glow an even brighter red, as it puffed up to an impressive volume, before bellowing her final words to all of the wolves now intently staring at her.

  ...

  “Progenitors, I am still Lucendi.”

  A deafening silence quickly blanketed the grounds in response to Crimson’s reveal that her name was not actually destroyed in our duel. I swallowed heavily at the scene before me, as anxiety gradually began to overwhelm my thoughts. I was hesitant to believe the wolves would easily accept such a claim without confrontation, and their silence was only making my thoughts worse. Suddenly, the mana around Cyan began to grow in intensity, as his fur also began to glow an impressive blue, matching Crimson’s in volume and light. Then, to my surprise, his stance relaxed into an obvious bow, as a cheerful grin grew across his muzzle.

  “Crimson! You... You are still our leader then!” He happily barked, as more and more of the wolves began to erupt into celebratory howls at the apparent good news they had just received. “Quickly! We must restore your position as our leader and—”

  “I refuse!” Crimson quickly retorted, startling the wolves as she sat down with her back facing me, causing some of them to utter audible gasps from her behaviour. Cyan was the most startled by her actions, prompting him to quickly respond in a sharp bark towards us.

  “You... You would show them respect; after just admitting they had deceived us all in—”

  “Yes, Cyan. Ko and his party deserve my respect for their actions. They never wanted death, and their claim has always been the truth. We were the ones in the wrong, and they have proved just as much in peaceful conversation with me. In fact, it was their idea to reveal this information to all of us and apologise for their actions. Thus, I say to you, why would enemies admit such a truth after deceiving their quarry? Would it not be in their best interest to remain quiet after such a deceit?

  ...

  The answer is obvious, Cyan. They were never our enemies to begin with. We were all scared, and, it took an outsider to remind me what it meant to be a progenitor. What it meant, to be a Lucendi.”

  Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  “Crimson...” Cyan softly uttered as he continued to bow deeper before her. “I do not understand. If your name was not slain, then nothing should have changed! You said yourself that this whole situation was a misunderstanding, and I fail to see why we cannot restore you as our rightful leader.”

  “It’s simple.” Crimson confidently responded while standing up to pace around the open floor. “I, intend to join them in conquering the labyrinth. To complete the mission my father so desperately tried to achieve. And, with your permission, would like to request residence on this floor until we officially depart on our journey.”

  Then, after pausing for a moment, Crimson glanced back towards me before continuing her decree to the fluffy crowd of carefully twitching ears. “And besides...” She said while walking towards me, nuzzling her face deep into my chest, before glancing back at Cyan’s gasped expression with confidence. “I’ve come to enjoy the name “Yamata”, and see no reason why I should abandon the warrior who bested me in battle. You could say, I am proud to call myself both Crimson Lucendi, and, Crimson Yamata. None of your words will shake my resolve in joining them.”

  Crimson’s actions caused an audible murmuring amongst the wolves, as she continued to affectionately rub her snout against me, before forcefully nudging my hand to pet her head, resulting in an even louder uproar amongst the wolves. “I see...” Cyan softly cried while refusing to make eye contact. For a moment, his pupils appeared to have a glossy sheen, which he quickly managed to hide.

  “However, this is not the only information I have brought to all of us today.” Crimson happily howled before leaving my side again to step forward. “If my actions today were not enough, then surely meeting the source of the whispers from beyond would further bolster my claims.”

  Then, as if on a well rehearsed que, I felt Coileene leave my shield to materialize in front of all the wolves, twirling around in the centre to draw their attention. Then, after making sure her black and white dress spun in full from her eccentric motions, the serpent goddess happily clutched her thrice bound eye, while the shackles along her limbs clanged and clattered against the dirt floor below. She wore a maniacal smile, as she continued to laugh lightly at the wolves investigating her, remaining eerily silent.

  Many of the canines jumped back after her grand entrance, with most dropping all attempts to keep their once quiet rumoring to a minimum, as they all curiously began sniffing the air before them. Then, after a dramatic pause, Crimson continued to step forward, before firmly stopping beside the smiling goddess.

  “Before us stands Coileene, the goddess of the depths, and, the source of the whispers drawing us deeper into the maw’s clutches. We should all recognize her scent, and, with her being present amongst our visitors, see this as a sign of great changes to come.

  ...

  Progenitors, we will conquer the labyrinth. We will reach the depths that our ancestors once sought before, and we will finally put an end to the ceaseless calls from the great beyond.”

  Then, after finishing her proclamation, both Crimson and Coileene bowed towards the wolves in attendance, with Coileene returning to my shield, and Crimson joining beside me in a proper sit. All of the wolves in attendance were shocked at the reveal Coileene was the source of the whispers they had all been used to hearing, and were now expectantly staring at Cyan, waiting for his response to this new and drastic information.

  As the whispers continued to grow, Cyan’s paws tensed as his gaze finally rose to meet Crimson’s head on. Then, after another uncomfortable silence between them, he finally uttered in a defeated tone “I, the current leader of the progenitor wolves, will allow your group residence and passage until such time comes... Crimson Yamata...”

  Then, walking away, Cyan meekly retreated with a small escort of wolves, as the entire arena erupted into a cry of celebratory howls and cheers. I sighed myself at the change in tension, glancing down at Crimson who was now affectionately smiling at me from below. Her words had somehow managed to convince them, but, I did genuinely feel bad about how Cyan was treated, even if his earlier comments towards us were rather rude. But regardless as to my thoughts, I was glad things seemed resolved. That said, I did share some of them with the cocky wolf beside me.

  “Crimson... I understand what you were trying to do, but don’t you think your actions went a little... I dunno... Too far?”

  “He’ll get over it.” Crimson happily hummed, as she continued to selfishly enjoy the ear tugs I was unconsciously giving her. “I needed to make it clear to Cyan my resolve. And besides, it’s not like I’ve fully given up on getting you to accept me, Ko.”

  “That said.” She continued in a resolute tone while closing her eyes. “Cyan had always assumed we would mate, and it is his loss for not putting in the required effort to win me over. He only needed to grow stronger, to show me some resolve that he could continue to grow as a warrior, yet he didn’t. Perhaps I was a little harsh with my actions, but he wouldn’t have learned otherwise.”

  “I see.” I sighed heavily, as Raya eventually joined beside us with a cheerful smile, while Inari appeared lost in thought behind her. Looking at the fox, I noticed she was carefully stroking her fluffy right ear with a long face, causing the earring to jingle slightly from the subtle motion, before suddenly noticing she was alone. My heart sank a little, as I realized I was still tugging on Crimson’s ears, prompting me to stop my selfish actions. I didn’t want to think I was dense, and my gut was telling me I should probably talk with her later once I got the chance. I knew Inari cared about me, and I didn’t want there to be a misunderstanding between us about my actions. While I was still contemplating my next set of words, we were happily surrounded by a sea of chromatic colours, as all of the wolves seemed intent on personally greeting Crimson.

  Sighing again, we all decided to talk with and explain to the wolves more about Coileene’s presence, and were eventually offered a formal tour of the village by Lavender, which we all happily accepted. Thankfully, the atmosphere was now surprisingly pleasant, and the purple wolf seemed exceptionally pleased to be personally giving us the guided tour of their living spaces. Many of the wolves in attendance had already disbursed by this time, while others chose to join us along the hike, as we traversed through the various winding rocky roads. By this point, the naming scheme for the wolves had become painfully obvious to me, where I even managed to surprise some of them by correctly guessing their names before their introductions.

  For the ones I did manage to guess correctly, it was enjoyable seeing the bright pink wolf named Fuchsia recoil slightly at my psychic prowess, along with Canary accusing me of “cheating”, claiming Crimson must have told me his name in advance telepathically. Although, I was slightly annoyed that the wolf I had happily named “Mint” was insistent their name was actually Seafoam... Seriously now... Seafoam!?!? What the heck kind of name was that for a colour that clearly looked like mint chocolate??!

  ...

  Regardless as to my disagreeance over the differing shades of bluish-greens, I was pleasantly enjoying seeing more of the wolf village in a relaxed atmosphere. In particular, when I commented to Crimson about how some of the pups were playing with some bones, she was happy to explain that most of the spherical skulls came from the golems below, and that their young often enjoyed rolling and chasing them around, whereas the sturdier, pointier ones were highly valued for removing pieces of meat stuck between their teeth.

  Eventually, I noticed what looked like a potential group of the wolves getting ready to depart for the upper floors and kindly asked if we could join them. They were apparently getting ready for their usual food gathering session, where they would hunt the dairy cattle on the 65th floor to collect meat for the others. The wolves happily agreed to my request, and were apparently excited that Crimson would personally be joining them with us. During this time, we took advantage of the situation to learn how to fight alongside Crimson, where she ended up serving a flanking role near the front with Raya and myself.

  In a sense, Crimson was incredibly agile, and preferred to strike quickly with calculated, precise attacks, while weaving lightning in between breaks of pacing, a technique largely unique to her family name for fighting style. Needless to say, the kobolds were hardly a challenge, and were easily toppled by our combined power, posing little resistance to the 65th floor. While we were here, we simply watched the one-sided battle against the defenceless bovines, taking the opportunity to strategize amongst ourselves an appropriate battle formation. After all, it was obvious that if we were to delve deeper into the labyrinth, then integrating Crimson with our already existing tactics portfolio would be a must.

  While we were waiting for the wolves to gather their prey, Inari led most of the discussions on battle formations, and I would occasionally chip in where I could. Raya was also commenting about Crimson’s capabilities, and wished to fight her in a friendly duel later as well. Before we knew it, the wolves had already slaughtered the helpless cattle, and were prepared to head back to their homes. However, I noticed they were simply content to carry their winnings back individually, prompting me to offer a different solution instead. Inari seemed to pick up on what I was hinting at, and agreed to join me as well in teaching the wolves about the wonders of typeless magic, and the infinite possibilities of the handy spell “Spatial Storage”.

  This actually ended up being an exciting moment for all of us, since it appeared that the wolves, despite their natural mastery over commanding magic, had never discovered themselves a technique to make carrying items easier. Teaching them was rather simple, and, after only a few tries, most of the warriors were able to efficiently store their slain cattle within their own personal storage spell. Their eyes appeared to widen at the possibilities this new knowledge had granted them, and actually insisted on extending their journey to test their new capabilities when the bovines finally respawned.

  Not wanting to impose on their curiosity, we all agreed to wait the usual 30 minutes for the respawning process, where the warriors all seamlessly slaughtered, then stored their new prey inside their storage pockets. “This really is incredible.” Crimson muttered, after finally getting the hang of the spell herself, as she happily continued practicing releasing a cow’s corpse, while catching it in the air with a fluid motion. While I wasn’t expecting their practice to divulge into a game of “juggling cow corpses”, the wolves seemed to be enjoying themselves, so I tried my best to ignore the oddities of the situation. Eventually, after several intense rounds of “juggling”, with the orange wolf named Mango apparently winning their mini competition, we all made our way back to the 67th floor for an agreed upon sparring and training session with the other wolves.

  During the mini competition, Crimson largely served as a referee, with Inari and Raya showcasing their own unique combat capabilities against the wolves. Inari’s use of hex and curse magic proved to be a difficult counter to the warriors, with none of them managing to best her in battle. While Raya, on the other hand, appeared just as skilled against their fighters, showcasing her unique affinity for earth magic to its fullest, making for a near impenetrable fortress when faced against the wolves’ magically reinforced fangs and spells. I also joined in on the fun, taking the opportunity to hone my swordplay, and overall, found it an enlightening experience. I was reminded of the times on the surface learning magic with Felice and Inari, and how the entire experience was enjoyable to the fullest. It was easy to forget we were trapped below Solara’s surface, and realized that the relaxing atmosphere was something I think we all needed.

  Next, as we gradually began wrapping up the day from a good bout of friendly duels, the wolves had apparently decided on hosting a celebratory feast, where we decided to introduce our new canine companions to the joys of cooked meat.

  The technique for roasting and grilling steaks was apparently captivating to the progenitor wolves, with many of them wooing in awe at the newfound textures and flavours introduced from the humble carbon atom’s signature sear. Raya was adamant in teaching them how to properly form a suitable grilling platform with earth magic, along with how to efficiently gauge the toughness of the steaks by touch. Many of the wolves were swift learners, but all of us were quickly appalled when the most popular technique ended up being burning the meat beyond all sentient recognition. My heart sank for the poor cows being forced to suffer such a fate, as even I couldn’t muster seeing such wonderful steaks go to waste. Thus, with the orange and red wolf aptly named Fire being the most proficient at quickly burning the wagyu delicacies, Raya, Inari and myself, all quietly excused ourselves from the celebrations, with our eyes unable to endure any more steak tragedies.

  Eventually, we all made it back to our den for the night, with Crimson helping lead the way since we were still learning the general layout of the various caves and lodgings. After continuing to follow the winding road, I eventually recognized the general area, as we all entered the den after another exhausting day. Pleased we could once again finally relax; I happily began setting up my sleeping supplies while infusing some light particles into the nearby torches for some light. Then, after loosening my armor, I was surprisingly greeted by a fox also laying out her sleeping arrangements next to mine. Truthfully, I was confused by Inari’s actions, since all of us had always given each other adequate spacing during night time.

  Noticing the fox’s choice of sleeping location, Crimson nonchalantly took the opportunity to lie down between the two cots, earning herself a heavy defeated sigh from the vulpine. “Hey Crimson! Could you help me outside the cave for a moment? There’s a special technique I forgot to show you when grilling steaks. This one in particular helps bring out more wonderful flavours than my earlier examples! I think the other wolves would love it if you showed them!”

  Startled slightly, I turned around to see Raya happily calling out and waving towards Crimson. The wolf’s ears twitched slightly at the mention of her name, and her red pupils glistened with delight at the apparent offer to learn more about grilling the succulent meat slabs. Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity, I caught Crimson briefly glance at me, before jumping to her feet to join Raya outside the den. Then, almost as soon as the red wolf had left the cavern, I felt Inari gently lay into my shoulders, prompting me to turn towards her.

  Her eyes appeared to be filled with a hint of sadness, with their gaze gently resting on my hands which were neatly folded across my lap. Hesitant on what exactly I should say, we kind of just sat there quietly, with Inari continuing to lean into me, with the only nearby sound being Raya’s enthusiastic explanations lightly blanketing the meekly lit cavern. Not entirely sure how much time had passed by this point, I eventually saw Inari briefly look into my eyes, before just as quickly averting her gaze. Then, after taking a deep breath, she suddenly lied down across my lap to look into my eyes from the new lower vantage point. Surprised by her actions, and, after watching her shift herself slightly to get more comfortable, Inari eventually spoke to me in a breathy, yet quiet tone.

  “You... Can pet them too... If you want, Ko. I... Wouldn’t mind it, really.” She said, with her ears twitching slightly at the mention of me touching the fluffy delicacies. “Is... This what this is about?” I calmly replied, while looking at her soft ears flickering ever so slightly below me.

  In response to my apparent comments concerning her ears, Inari’s snout wrinkled slightly to form a rather cute pout, before ultimately relaxing into a soft smile and laugh. Then, keeping with her antics, she lightly booped my nose with her paw, before continuing our conversation.

  “Heh. Honestly Ko, it’s exactly like you to say that.” Inari hummed in a light and comforting tone while staring into my eyes. “It’s just... You seemed really interested in Crimson’s ears, so I figured you might want to...

  ...

  Crimson... What is she to you, Ko? You two seemed awfully comfortable with one another this morning.”

  “That’s...” I paused briefly, thinking about and choosing my next set of words thoughtfully. “You know how she can communicate with us telepathically? Well, we had an in-depth conversation last night about my world, where I focused on how humans and wolves often formed powerful bonds of friendship.”

  Taking my time, I then softly began stroking Inari’s ear, making sure to appreciate the softness her fur offered. She twitched ever so slightly from the sudden contact, but quickly relaxed as I began tugging and scratching the fluffy triangle in full. Starting to enjoy the attention, Inari shifted herself again, turning towards my chest while I continued to pet her ears. Then, having finally figured out how I wanted to continue our conversation, softly spoke to the fox cuddling into me.

  “That said Inari, there was one thing I neglected to tell Crimson about last night. And, I’ll tell you it, but only if you promise to keep it a secret from her, alright?”

  Curious about my words, the fox shifted again, except this time turning to face me with a wrinkled expression, with her eyes sparkling to learn more about this mysterious truth I was withholding from her. “And... What exactly didn’t you tell her, Ko?”

  Then, trying to keep my voice as quiet as possible to avoid Crimson potentially listening in on our conversation, I gently whispered into Inari’s ear the truth Crimson should probably never learn about from my world. “That wolves and dogs... Were generally kept and seen as pets for humans.”

  After a brief pause, Inari’s nose and whiskers wrinkled from my comments, while she quickly brought both of her paws to cover her mouth in a cute, but vain attempt to suppress the soft giggling noises she was currently making. “Haha! That’s amazing Ko! I’m... I’m speechless!!!” she continued snickering before rolling into my chest in an attempt to help muffle her enjoyment further. I laughed lightly at the scene as well, mostly in part due to the contagious noises the fox was continuing to make while laughing into me. Then, after both of us had finally collected our emotions, Inari was quick to spring onto her feet, making sure to flick my face with her tail in the process, before turning around to offer a paw to help me onto my feet as well.

  “Come on, Ko! Let’s go see what Raya’s teaching Crimson about in cooking those steaks then, shall we?” Inari happily giggled, while offering a sly wink to her comments. “Agreed, Inari, and, thank you.” I confidently responded to her, matching her subtle wink with one of my own.

  Simply smiling at my words, I grabbed Inari’s paw, and continued to hold it tighter, before walking together with her outside the den to finally greet Raya and Crimson, who were still both captivated by an enthusiastic discussion over how to properly “burn” our precious wagyu steaks.