It's warmer on the north side of the Lycan Mountains. Not much, but enough to be noticeable. Then again, perhaps I only thought it was warmer compared to the alpine climate we had traveled in for the past few weeks.

I sat in the thickets by a small stream, watching fish make their way toward the pond we passed earlier. It must be so easy, having one path to follow, going only forward or back depending on the season. They had a purpose, a place to be and a reason for being there. So unlike me, who had a hundred choices and no reason to choose any of them. My decision to go to Preene had been random, spur of the moment and honestly, I was beginning to wonder if it was the right one.

The forest was quiet. Not silent, the babbling brook and chattering chipmunks made sure of that. But there was peace in the woodlands, a genuine serenity to the mist. My life had been a battlefield for so long, the simplicity of just surviving in this place, it was... nice. Relaxing. A relief even. I was hesitant to return to human society.

There was a snort behind me. My eyes widened before I turned around. Standing not more than a dozen yards away was a man on horseback. He glanced to where his horse was eyeing, reins in one hand, a fishing pole in the other. His horse pawed at the path. Most likely he was on his way up to the pond, too.

"Hey, you there! Girl! You okay?"

It had been over a month, closer to two, since I heard a human voice. The sound wasn't at all comforting.

"You alright?" He urged his sorrel horse a few paces closer. "You look... pretty rough."

"I'm fine," I said through clenched teeth, at last finding my voice. "Just wandering a bit."

"Through pricker bushes?" He let out a small laugh, approaching closer. I stood up. My heart pounded with anticipation. Should I run? Would he chase me?

A thunderous roar was our only warning before a giant white form burst through the underbrush. The man's horse reared, striking out. I was surprised he managed to keep it from bolting. Fur pressed to my back as the beast rose up on his hind feet, leaning over me and letting out a menacing snarl.

He didn't run. Any sane person would have turned and galloped away as fast as his horse could carry him. But he didn't run. He looked upon my hellish guardian with a kind of awe.

"He's enormous... I've never seen one so large..." The man's gaze switched to mine. No one should be able to look away from the haunting stare of the lycan standing over me, save to flee. "Are you his trainer?"

I blinked. That was the single oddest question I had ever been asked. I hesitated before answering, "Uh, yes?"

The insane man nodded, looking over the lycan like he was a piece of art. "Impressive."

My guard dropped down on all fours. We exchanged a glance. His eyes seemed to contain the same curiosity as mine, which I voiced. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

The man laughed as if he were not just threatened by the most vicious predator I knew. He swung off his horse, marching over to us. Ignoring the growl, he offered his hand. "So sorry, miss. I am Cyrus Khale."

"Cyrus Khale..." I repeated, reluctantly taking his hand. I tried my best to hide my flinch at the feeling of skin contact. I may be cured of my poison, but years of habit didn't die easily. "They call me Desire."

The man raised a dark eyebrow. Black bangs danced over stormy blue eyes. "Just Desire?"

"Just Desire," I said firmly, drawing another laugh from him. "And this is... Blood Eye."

"Blood Eye?" Cyrus considered my lycan companion. "Suits him. But you seemed a little hesitant about that." He chuckled. He certainly was a jolly man.

I pursed my lips. "Well, Blood Eye is his name. I just usually call him Cerberus."

"Now that's an excellent show name if I ever heard one!" He grinned, waving his hand in a great arc. "I can see it, Cerberus: Hellhound from the Underworld!"

I looked down to Cerberus again. He was just as confused as I was. "Show name?"

"Yeah. If I was your manager, I'd register him as Cerberus, not Blood Eye. Hey, where’s your manager, anyway?" Cyrus glanced around, then cast a wary eye to Cerberus. "He didn't eat him, did he?"

"Um, no..." I supposed it would be best if I just came out and asked him, "Why would I need a manager?"

The man furrowed his brows. "To manage your affairs? Registry? Where you stay?" He frowned. "Though clearly, you haven't been staying anywhere civilized for a while... Just where are you from?"

"Askance."

He seemed surprised by that. It was the first logical response he had shown; people rarely crossed from Askance to Preene, the lycans of the mountains had made it near impossible. "Whoa, and you don't have managers there? Who enters you in fights?"

"What fights?"

If it were possible, he looked even more astonished. His jaw actually dropped, which would have been comical if I were not so confused by everything he said. "Don't you have fights over there?"

I had no idea what he was talking about, so I assumed not. "No..."

"Wait, wait, wait." He held up his hands as if to stop me, though I was neither moving nor speaking. "You mean you've never fought this monster before?"

I frowned. I didn't appreciate him calling my companion a 'monster', but decided to ignore that. At this point, I just wanted to know what he was talking about. "No."

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

A grin so large it split his face spread over the man's features. He looked as if he had been awarded several solid gold bars. "No way. I've been looking for someone like you for years!"

I lifted an eyebrow. For someone that didn't appear all that much older than me, 'years' could represent a significant portion of his life.

"Listen," he said, as if I were not already doing so intently. "I'm actually from the capital. I trained to be a manager there. But I couldn't find any worthwhile clients, so I moved to these outer cities. But, seeing as a trainer generally sticks with their manager for years, I've been kind of picky. But if you agree, I bet with that big beast of yours we could make a fortune! All you have to do is let me!"

This time, I stared into Cerberus's eyes much longer. I hoped he would offer some words of advice, an order, anything. He should be making these decisions. He was alpha, after all. But he just stared at me, silently waiting for my next move. He was letting me make the choice, though I didn't want to.

My initial instinct was to be wary of this man. The last one I trusted betrayed me. So had every human I had ever known. But that was Askance, this was Preene. This was a culture I had no idea how to fit into. There was no poison holding me back here, and I needed a guide who knew the area.

"Okay." The word came out with confidence, as if I knew what I was doing. I tried to justify it, to tell myself Cerberus would be beside me, and I always had my dagger strapped to my side. Still, I couldn't help but wonder if I had been flustered into swimming into a fisherman's net.

"Great!" the man cheered. He grabbed his horse's mane, swinging up into his saddle. "I won't let you down! Just one thing..."

I frowned. A catch was never good. "What's that?"

Cyrus laughed. "Don't let that lycan of yours eat my horse, okay?"

I let out a small sigh. "Yeah, sure. We already ate earlier."

"Great! Now, are you going to walk him, or ride with me or...?"

I waved my hand. Cerberus was already bowing down. I grabbed his fur, vaulting onto his back with a practiced ease. When I looked up, Cyrus's jaw had dropped again.

"That's amazing! I've never seen anyone ride a lycan before! You're going straight to the top, you know. You're going to be a star!"

***

We rode for a while in silence. At least Cerberus and I did. I was beginning to wonder if Cyrus knew how to be quiet. Regardless, I didn't mind. At least he was spouting useful information. So far I understood that, in Preene, there were captive lycans. The lycans were made to fight for entertainment by trainers, and the trainers usually had their managers handle their affairs other than keeping their lycans from killing people. It was quite the lucrative business, provided the trainer had a good lycan and managed not to be killed and eaten. This was the perfect opportunity for me to enter Preene with Cerberus by my side without drawing unwanted attention.

"And-" Cyrus paused in the middle of his rant on how the arenas worked. He glanced over to the lycan. "Hey, is he albino?"

"Hmm?" It took me a moment to realize he wanted an answer. "Uh, yeah." If it wasn't obvious with Cerberus's snow white fur, his pale nose and crimson stare should have been a giveaway. "What about it?"

The man studied us from atop his horse for a moment before answering. "I thought albinos were supposed to be the runts of the litter."

"Yeah, well, Cerberus overcame the odds," I said. He fought for his role as alpha and had given it away for me. I once again became aware of the weight in my stomach. I took his pack from him. I looked up, trying to find something to distract myself from my thoughts. "Is that the city ahead?"

Cyrus followed my gaze. "Yeah, Treef. It's small, but they have an arena."

"Good." I leaned forward. Cerberus caught my intention and took off, bounding toward the city.

"Wait! Wait!" Cyrus kicked his horse, galloping after us. He caught up to us just as we reached the city wall, cutting us off as we turned toward the nearest gate. His eyes were wide. "Whoa! They won't let you in the city without a muzzle on him. No way!"

"A muzzle?" I asked, confused at first. Then I realized what he meant. "No! That's insulting! I would never dream of treating Cerberus in such a way!"

The man stared at me, finally at a loss for words. But his silence didn't settle me.

"How could you treat a lycan like a... like some vicious dog? I can't believe you'd-"

A soft touch on my knee brought my attention to my mount. Almost imperceptibly, Cerberus gave a slight nod.

It was a moment before I spoke again. "I... Fine. But we don't have one."

Cyrus paused, studying my expression. After a short consideration, he said, "I'll go into town first and get you one. I think there's an event today too. I'll register Cerberus and we can stay at a fancy hotel tonight."

"Fine, whatever," I huffed. I swung off Cerberus and fell against the wall, arms crossed. "Tell me, what do the other lycans say about having to be muzzled?"

The man laughed, urging his horse in the direction of the gate. "I imagine they would have a few choice words if they could talk." He trotted to the city entrance. Cerberus and I looked at each other.

If they could talk?

***

It was a while before Cyrus came back. Cerberus immediately sat upright the moment he emerged from the gate. Apparently, he didn't want the man to see how much he enjoyed the back of his head being scratched.

"I got the biggest one I could find," Cyrus said once he reached us. He hopped down, holding out a simple leather muzzle. "But I think it might be too small... There aren't really any lycans as large as him around."

"Whatever, we'll make it work." I secretly hoped it didn't work. But I also didn't want to draw too much attention, never mind negative attention.

"I also got you some new clothes," Cyrus added. He handed me a neatly folded pile of fabric.

I unzipped my jacket, discarding it before grabbing the hem of my shirt.

"Whoa, whoa! At least warn me first!" Cyrus said, turning his back to me and holding the clothes out behind him.

I smirked as I hooked my thumbs on the waist of my leather leggings and pulled them off. "What? Don't you want to see this?"

"I-uh, well, it's not that I wouldn't like to..." he stuttered.

Cerberus snarled.

"I'm just trying to be a gentleman," Cyrus hurriedly finished. I finished undressing and grabbed the offered clothes, handing him the tattered remains of my suit. "So, what happened to these? This looks like claw marks..."

"Hmm? On the leggings?" I inspected the dull green of the shirt before slipping it on. "Probably is. Might also be from when I fell in the river."

"A river? In the mountains?! The water's freezing!"

I fastened the buttons of the shirt he gave me. "Oh, it was..." I tapped Cyrus's shoulder. He turned around.

"You look good!" He grinned.

I gave him a short smile before turning to Cerberus. Cyrus handed me the muzzle. I flinched at the brief skin contact. I was no longer poisonous, I reminded myself, it meant nothing.

I slipped the muzzle on Cerberus's face. It was clearly too small and took some work simply to get in place. The leather stretched tight around his nose. He couldn't open his mouth.

I turned away before I was tempted to rip it off. "Let's go," I huffed. "I'm eager to see this Treef."