“Mr. Zell!” Frauge the toy craftsman greeted Zell later that day.

“Hey there Froggy!” Zell had rushed straight over to the artisan’s stall as fast as he could after school. “Did you make any progress on what we talked about?”

“He-he-he, so you want to know about that?” The big, gaudily dressed leonid painted a sly grin on his face as he turned toward a work station behind him. Thanks to Zell’s injection of an entire gold coin into his business, he was able to expand the space dramatically. “They’re just the first version for right now, but they turned out splendidly, and should work for some time. The custom pieces arrived from your smithy friend yesterday and I finished fitting them just a few hours ago.” Frauge continued to prattle as he returned to Zell carrying a small wooden box.

Zell took the box shakily, he hadn’t been so excited for something in a long time. He opened the handsomely carved lid and his eyes widened as his teeth flashed in an ear to ear smile. They were perfection, just as he had pictured in his mind.

Zell fished out a small cloth purse and passed it to Frauge. The leonid took it curiously and frowned at the weight of it. “I told you this was on me if you arranged the materials.”

“Consider it an investment. Keep expanding and come up with more amazing things. Someday when your toys and gadgets are famous all over the world, you can treat me to something!” Zell rebuffed the leonid’s attempt to return the purse.

“Very well, then.” Frauge bowed deeply and didn’t debate further. “I’d like you to bring the little miss back here to make sure everything fits properly.”

“Of course I will.” Zell stuck out a hand, and it was engulfed by Frauge’s own thick paw as they shook.

A short time later, Zell returned home. He could hear pots clattering lightly from the kitchen and resisted the urge to go and spy on what Turya was making for dinner and instead went straight to the back garden. He couldn’t help but smile even wider at the scene he spied from the doorway.

Everyday after Sira was finished giving them their basic lessons in reading, writing, and arithmetic, Valin and Nilah were free to play outside. They had endured such a terrible early childhood that the play had been awkward and forced in the beginning.

They still played in mostly silence as Valin was mute and Nilah was reserved by nature. In spite of the quiet, they both smiled with delight as they climbed to the top of the huge snow pile before sliding down the smooth, sloped side on small sleds purchased from Frauge’s toy shop. That man was responsible for more happiness than he would probably ever realize, and Zell only wished he could give him even more gold and praise.

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“Looks like you guys really got the hang of the sleds!” Zell called once Valin reached the bottom of the snow pile that had been shaped by Cora’s magic.

“Zell, watch this!” Nilah found her voice, as she could only seem to do when Zell was around.

He looked up and his mouth dropped open a bit as Nilah leaped onto her sled and flew down the hill, standing on her feet. She bent at the knees with her arms out slightly, and her tail moved about to fine tune her balance. She zipped down the hill and leaped off the sled into a somersault which ended in a pounce that landed her right in front of Zell. Her eyes were shining, waiting for a reaction.

“That was amazing!” Zell didn’t need to embellish his reaction to the acrobatic leonid’s display. Valin also stared at the girl in rapt admiration.

“I have a surprise for you, Nilah.” Zell said as he patted her between the feline ears. “Hold out your hands and close your eyes.”

She looked confused, but complied. Valin sucked in a breath as he saw what Zell was pulling from the small box.

Nilah felt something around her wrist, like a snug bracelet, then three rings closed around each finger, just above each joint with something connecting the rings to the bracelet, and finally to a cap at each finger. It wasn’t too tight or too snug, whatever it was, it was comfortable, and she fought the urge to peek. Luckily she didn’t have to wait long.

“Okay you can look now!” Zell beamed.

She looked down at her hand, and the beautifully crafted collection of steel rings and elegant looking black woven bands connecting them all. She instinctively flexed the tips of her fingers, and sharp black claws extended from the fingertips of the device.

“The claws are made from the same demon bone as my pauldron.” Zell explained. “I’ll show you how to put the other one on so-” Zell was interrupted by the girl leaping into him with a tight hug.

Nilah hadn’t cried since the day she had lost her family and been captured. She had endured horrors beyond what nearly any child could imagine, yet she did not cry. She didn’t even believe that she could. The cuts ran deeper than the well of emotion could reach. There was only the emptiness, the hollow hole where her childhood should have been. But when she looked at the gift on her hand, something cracked inside of her.

Her claws had been her only way to defend herself in the cruel world, and when they were taken away it had felt like her willingness to hold on to any shred of hope had gone with them. Now this crazy, kindhearted human who had inexplicably treated her with as much care as his own family had given them back.

The dam that had held every tear and sob back, and had kept her stoic and defiant in the face of her hellish past cracked, and a solitary tear ran down her cheek. Then it burst. Nilah was at the mercy of the torrent of emotions that came flooding out. She sobbed and screamed, and even laughed as she clutched onto Zell for dear life. Sira even rushed outside to check on them, but just nodded at Zell and went back inside.

Zell held tightly to her, and let the girl take all the time she needed. He could certainly relate, having experienced a very similar breakdown after the incident with the mana lamprey. Valin’s small hand touched Zell’s arm and he looked over to see the boy also had tears staining his cheeks. He drew the boy into the hug and the pair shared a long moment of cathartic release.

Half an hour later, Zell and Valin watched Nilah swiping at a training dummy crafted and animated by Vira. The thing had been a point of ethical debate, since it was technically an undead monster. Zell’s unease was overruled by both Agitha and his own mother. The life sized flesh golem was declared to be the perfect training aid. It could be programmed for a nearly infinite variety of applications, didn’t feel pain, and self repaired from any physical wounds in minutes.

The demon bone claws glided through the thick, rubbery skin like it was paper, and left deep furrows in the muscles beneath. Nilah looked at her own hand like it was a stranger before looking back at the four deep slashes raked into the dummy’s torso, which were already closing rapidly.

“Wait for me, you bastards.” She growled under her breath as the hated faces of those that had taken everything from her flashed through her mind.