Eiren yawned, showing her teeth to the poor scholar assisting her with her search. It had been a long three weeks of searching the dusty scrolls kept in the Malkese Great Library. At first she’d been ecstatic at the opportunity to go through the history scrolls, but she had learned most of the scrolls were relegated to the cramped quarters of a small cavern and its connecting hallways. Every day she searched in the hope she’d find hints of the mark that rested permanently above her brow.

Keeping her attention on the old scrolls became more difficult as the days passed. She missed Skye’s quiet presence. He never spoke much, but he did tease her, always surprising her with his dry humor. But what she regretted most at their separation was the loss of her ability to speak.

Before she met him in Luthis, Eiren’s life had been one long, interminable ordeal. She’d been ridiculed by her pack and the human Kurites. Though she had, she believed, a high degree of intelligence, Eiren had been unable to share it with those around her. She’d been going mad as the constancy of her affliction wore her down.

Meeting Skye had been a revelation. Her bond with one of the enemy was, at first, difficult with him fighting the new relationship. It also gained her more action than she ever hoped possible. Her life was now in constant turmoil, leaving her to worry what the next day would bring. She giggled at the idea, knowing no one would hear the sound.

It wasn’t exactly true. Right now, her days were filled with scroll upon scroll of ancient writings. Despite the importance of their questions, she was bored. She stood up in an attempt to wake herself.

In mid stretch, she turned her head to take in her companion. Unlike those in her previous pack, Chion never acted like she was inferior. For that reason alone, she greatly respected the white paka. Eiren watched him as he lay there, skimming through a text far older than both of them combined. His intensity and focus was impressive. She wondered at the paka’s character and how he’d been shaped into the force of nature he was.

Compared to the large, muscular paka, she was diminutive in size, altogether useless in a fight. Besides the instincts given her at birth, no one deemed it necessary to train her in warfare. If only the Luthis elders had foreseen her bond with Skye, her Ai. She was the Tal’Ai mate of a warrior. She feared the embarrassment she’d bring upon Skye. Despite her size—or perhaps because of it—she was resolved to learn the tactics pakas used in battle.

She stared in consideration at the paka. Would he assist her in her goal? A ripple of black fur traveled down her back. Did she have the courage to ask?

Eiren made a clipped nod in her mind. Before she could ask Chion a favor, she first required some means of conversing with him. Never before was it so imperative she speak to another individual. What was more, their quest was too important for her not to have access to communication.

Ignoring the human scholar’s questions, Eiren padded through the halls of the library, trying to find some manner in which she could speak to Chion. About the time she was ready to give up, she came across a scroll for kittens. She stared at its face after unrolling it. In its previous life, it was probably used as a teaching guide. The scroll was twice the width of a normal scroll, displaying the entire Kurite alphabet in front of her.

Excited, she allowed herself one small hop before she behaved with the proper decorum for a paka her age. She glanced both ways down the dark aisle. Thank the Goddess no one saw her small act of joy. The years she spent alone made it difficult to join civilized society again. Her antics were now second nature.

Absurdly proud of her find, she used her nose to roll the large scroll back into its original shape. She picked it up and carried the scroll back to Chion, humming a child’s song along the way. Chion looked up at her approach, sitting up when she came within a single stride from him.

Have you found something, little one?

Frustrated at her inability to say what she wanted, she nodded once and then shook her head. He cocked his head, his confusion clear, but he stayed silent, waiting for her to unveil the scroll she found.

Eiren placed the scroll down on the short table made for the paka scholars. With a push of her nose, the scroll unrolled, revealing the aged lettering inside. She waited for his reaction with barely concealed anticipation.

Amusement crept into his eyes, and he chuckled. He nodded his head once in acknowledgement of her find.

I see. It is indeed a find, a true find. He looked at her as he chose his next words. Tell me.

The process was grueling, though she did learn how to say what she wanted with shorter words and sentences. Longer sentences made it difficult for Chion to remember the words, and they both became frustrated. But Chion was patient, persevering through the task she set before him.

She placed her paw on each letter of the word she wanted to say. In many cases, Chion guessed the word long before she finished spelling it. At last, Chion knew her request. In trepidation of his rejection, she sat and waited. He studied her for a long moment, but his expression didn’t betray him.

Many would say training you is a mistake, but I see what you desire. You have a Tal’Ai bond with a warrior.

She fervently nodded in agreement, relieved he understood.

His whiskers twitched once, then he bowed his head. You have gained yourself a teacher.

With no other way to show her gratitude, she ran around him, uncaring that he’d think her young. He chuckled in reaction, his head following her. When she sat down in front of him again, she flicked both ears backward and forward.

He did the same, but Chion went one step further. I believe there is no information here to meet our needs. Do you agree?

She nodded her head.

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I require your assistance in making a decision as to our next step. I do not know which city would best meet our demands. Do you have any ideas?

She stared at him for a moment, thinking through everything she’d read. She quickly discarded Luthis as a potential choice. Eiren doubted any new information would present itself after having spent much of her life in its library. She went to the scroll and selected the letters of the city she had in mind.

You believe Areth holds the answers.

In her mind, answers flashed, and she knew she couldn’t put any of them into words. Thinking back on the history she read only yesterday concerning the Dark War, she debated the best answer to spell out. Slowly, the letters formed words for Chion.

History. Last Dark War. Second largest city of that time. He nodded at her wisdom. I, unfortunately, did not read this text, but your reasons are solid. Tomorrow, we will spend one more day scouring these texts. The following day will find us traveling to Areth. He jerked his head toward the scroll she found. This is going with us. Tonight is your first training session. Let’s meet in the practice field beyond the small courtyard.

With a plan in place, they both turned back to their scrolls with renewed concentration. Their separation from their Ai was the driving reason for their rush. They needed answers and quickly.

That evening Eiren walked to the large practice field on the other side of the city’s center. Because of the urgency of their task, Eiren’s excursions into the city beyond the library and her room were rare. By the time they called a halt each evening, Eiren had no desire to do anything but go to her rooms and rest. For that reason, contact with Malkese’s inhabitants, except for the servants who attended her in her rooms, was few and far between.

Deep in thought, she didn’t realize her direction until it was too late. She ran into a tall man, causing him to trip and fall. She cringed when the weapons the man carried in a broad sack scattered across the small path, forcing both directions of traffic to come to a halt. Eiren turned to make sure the man was uninjured. As he rose to his full height, he glowered at her, making her feel worse. She tried to convey her apology to him through her body language. But, with rising despair and frustration, she knew the man didn’t recognize her bow for what it was.

He stomped over and said with a sneer, “What? No apology?”

Resigned to the inevitable, she sighed. Without Skye to run interference, her status had regressed back to ridicule and taunts. Her audience would witness her coming humiliation. She shook her head and folded away her emotions, hiding them in the recesses of her soul.

She’d learned from observing her Ai that showing her emotions made her appear vulnerable, weak. Holding Skye steadfast in the forefront of her mind, she tilted her head to peer up at the man leaning over her. His anger rose when she didn’t supply him with a public apology. Instead, with dignity, she bent to pick up an axe with two dull blades.

In dismay, she cursed her luck—or lack thereof. This bulky man was a weapons smith; a man that held a high level of respect from the city’s people. Of all the men and women to accidentally run into, only those of nobility would have caused a worse spectacle. Eiren brought the axe back to the man and laid it at his feet. Not knowing any other way to apologize, she dipped her body in a graceful bow.

When she lifted her head to see his reaction, she almost shrank back in fear, but her memory of Skye when he faced the council had her stiffening her spine. She refused to curtail beneath this man’s anger.

He sputtered in outrage, looking as if he’d raise his hand against her, “You dare to bow in mockery? After you’ve refused to apologize?”

She flicked her tail in irritation. She felt like screaming. At least everyone in Luthis had recognized her on sight. In this new city, no one knew her.

It was an accident. An accident!

People called out, riling the smith further. She glinted golden eyes at the crowd, curling her lips up to show her teeth. How dare they incite this man’s temper. Silence descended when a roar of disgust echoed up and down the path. Time stopped as the crowd split wide enough for the paka to squeeze through.

She almost collapsed in relief at the sight of her savior. Chion maneuvered around the scattered blades as he approached. His coat shined a brilliant white, and the sleekness of his muscles were apparent with every move he made. She watched him come up beside her to stare at the man with obvious distaste. Eiren envied him his self-confidence. With Skye, she’d come to realize her self-confidence came from specific situations. She flicked her ears in annoyance; this wasn’t one of those instances.

Chion’s commanding voice rang out, What has happened? Why are you antagonizing this paka?

The man pointed at her in accusation. “She caused this mess. She’s arrogant. She has the audacity to mock me, refusing to apologize. Since this was intentional, I’m calling upon the city guards to deal with the likes of her.”

Chion turned his head to study her. He said softly, as if no one else was watching, Is this true?

Glaring at her, the man jabbed his finger into her face and said, “I demand an apology.”

At the man’s blatant disrespect, Chion lowered his head and growled. The sound rolled along the ground, and the crowd tensed around them. The weapons smith, realizing his error, fell back a couple of steps with a gasp.

Eiren shook her head. She had learned over the weeks, that although he was usually even tempered, Chion had a short leash when he believed someone was mistreating his chosen companions.

Later, she would purr in contentment at his loyalty to her. Aside from Skye, she had never had a friend who she couldn’t converse with. But now was not the time to show aggression. The situation was already too tense, restless, on edge.

Seeing that Chion’s contempt was intensifying by the second, she crowded the paka until her body shielded the man from a potential attack. As they gazed into each other’s eyes, the crowd murmured in surprise.

Eiren attempted to convey her determination by the look in her eyes and her flattened ears. This was no time for tempers and instincts to reign. She sighed. Besides, this wouldn’t be the last incident to occur with her seen in a suspicious light.

After a moment, he huffed a soft chuckle. Is the man’s claim true?

She nodded her head, waited for a moment, and then shook her head.

Ah…I believe I understand. Was this an accident? At her nod, he asked, cocking his head a little to the right. Did you try to apologize?

Her mind raced as she tried to figure out how to tell him. She flattened her ears to her head in frustration. Her head dropped and her eyes landed on the proffered axe. She looked back at Chion and nodded once. He sat down and waited.

The man interrupted them, snarling, “She owes me a public apology.”

I am sure she gave you one. He looked back at her. Show this man again what you did. If he does not listen, I will deal with him.

The threat had the crowd tittering in excitement and the man shuffling back and forth on his feet. Watching his face, the way he looked over his shoulder, Eiren realized the weapons smith was thinking of running, leaving his scattered weapons behind.

Eiren picked the axe back up and took it to the man, laying it in front of his feet. This time she refused to bow to this man in respect. After a quick glance from her to Chion, the weapons smith’s mouth tightened into a thin line, and he bent down to grab the axe. Eiren didn’t hear Chion walk up next to her, but she felt his presence nonetheless.

Weapons smith, this paka has issued you an apology. Perhaps the next time an incident like this occurs, you might consider whether the individual can speak.

She followed Chion through the crowd, leaving the people to whisper amongst themselves. Soon Malkese would know there was a small paka cursed with the inability of speech. If she could have, Eiren would have curled up in a den, hiding from the people’s pity. But she dared not show her true feelings, her weakness and vulnerability. Eiren left them behind, showing them her proud dignity as she walked away.