"You were not lying. It's gorgeous..."

Stella and Lien walked through a hidden path that climbed through the mountain. At its end, only a great, cold cliff awaited them. However, the actual appeal of this spot lay a few feet upward.

The Human never tired of gazing at the star-filled sky. Cosmic jewels twinkled on the blackened canvas, accompanied by their big, round lunar sister. It had always brought her comfort, especially after Sofia's death. Now, Lien was here to share this experience with her.

But wait... Something wasn't adding up.

"Why is this your favorite spot? I thought you couldn't see anything?"

The pup chuckled. "Ah, I've heard Monoke come here to see the stars." She scratched her neck. "Also Locci, sometimes. But he only comes when the Sun is out, for some reason..." She shrugged. "Not me, though."

Stella tilted her head. "Then, why?"

She walked to the edge and sat. "It's quiet in here."

The Human sat by her side, with confusion etched on her features. "You? Like the quiet?"

Lien's giggle sounded so sweet Stella's teeth could rot from further exposure. "Even I like the silence sometimes! Besides, my family can be so annoying. I need the space."

Right. The pup had mentioned that before the giant feline pounced on the two. How many days it has been? Four? Five? Stella couldn't believe a week had passed. A week with a weirdo in a superhero costume and a humanoid, talking canine. It still sounded ludicrous.

"My mom, her friends, my aunt, and now, my cousin." Lien sighed. "If they weren't so intent on babying me, I wouldn't run away so often! They don't act like that with the other pups my age!" She huffed.

Stella wasn't sure how to help her best friend. Her experience with family was as deep as a puddle, filled to the brim with sand. Perhaps only listening would suffice?

"You know, you're one of the only people who doesn't treat me like I'm less capable than anyone else. The Knight saves me a lot of the time, but that's his job. He never mentions my blindness when he scolds me when I run away."

The Human's heart clenched at her friend's remark. "W-Well, it's not like I can protect you if you're in trouble. Your cousin was right about me."

Lien landed her paw above Stella's hand. The sudden warmth of her soft, scraggly fur, even if contained in one area, was enough for the Human to ignore the cold breeze.

"You'll get there. Your Saniya is much stronger than last I saw you! I mean it!" Her reassuring smile accomplished the impossible task of stealing the girl's attention away from the stars.

In Stella's eyes, the pup was a star, the brightest one she had found. Her light overshadowed even Namadi herself.

For someone who wandered in darkness for so long, maybe that was why the Human was so drawn to her. That was why losing her to the giant was so painful. That was why she was so determined and impatient to have her back.

But was it fair to dump all her feelings onto her? Stella was so starved for affection, for a meaningful bond, that as soon as she was smitten with someone, it all came crashing at once. The girl was, by all means, a cesspool of self-loathing and shortcomings. Lien was overly touchy, but that didn't mean anything. It meant she had a childish mindset if anything else.

The pup is her best and only friend after YEARS of isolation. She wouldn't mess that up with her hormone-induced bullshit. Besides, she was not ready to face her mother if anything went wrong.

"Thank you."

A few minutes of pleasant silence had passed. Lien hadn't taken her hand off hers once, fueling the Human's conflicted feelings. The more she tried to take her mind off this detail, the more it focused on that. A classic self-fulfilling prophecy, only without accidental incest and self-inflicted blindness.

She cleared her throat. "Do you only come here to enjoy the silence, or...?"

"I like to pay attention to the small sounds in the woods. The chirp of the crickets, the rustling leaves, the steps of a deer or a boar. My favorite ones are the howls of our beastly siblings."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Your beastly what?"

"Don't you know? They're like us, but only walk on all fours, don't wear clothes, and can't speak our language." Lien pouted. "I tried to play with a few, but they're so grumpy!"

Ah, she was talking about "wolves." What was the relation between the regular animal and the Monoke version? Did Lien know the answer? Probably not.

"The priest in the capital told me our conscience was gifted by Tizohi."

Oh. Stella stood corrected.

Lien's eyes shifted to the sky. "But why hasn't he given all wolves that gift? They said the only one who knew the answer was Tizohi himself." She snickered. "I think that's a fancy way of saying you don't know."

Stella laughed along. "That's true."

The pup lay down, arms crossed behind her head. "We should hang out more."

The Human nodded. "Yeah, but... I spend the whole day training! The Knight told me it's to maximize my growth."

Lien's ears perked up. "Hey, you're doing just the boring Saniya cycling or strength training as well?"

"I'm doing both, yeah."

With one swift motion, the pup jumped back to her feet. "You're doing the rock method?!"

Stella blinked, surprised. "Y-Yeah!"

The Wolf clutched the girl's shoulders. "How far can you lift it?!"

She blushed. "A few inches, at most. Nothing impressive."

Lien cupped her own chin. "Damn. It took me almost a month. Then again, I suck at concentrating when it comes to meditating and training my own Saniya. So either that or you're super talented!"

Stella chuckled. "Nah. I think it's just I don't have anything else to do. The only place I'm familiar with is the restaurant."

The pup licked her lips while rubbing her belly. "I wish I could eat Caire's food more than twice a day..." Then, she broke off her hungry trance before it was too late. "I know! I can keep you company while you train! The rock stuff, not meditating." She shook her head. "I hate it!"

Stella was grateful her friend couldn't see how stupidly big her smile was. "Yes, please! I'd love to see you!"

Shit, that delivery was too eager. Was it too on the nose?

"Cool! I already know the way, so I'll see you tomorrow!"

Of course not. Lien was as bright as a star yet dense as a black hole, and Stella was grateful for that.

Although, this conversation begged the question...

"Can you lift the whole boulder?"

Lien smirked. "Are you doubting me?"

Stella smirked back. "I don't know. It sounds silly, that's all..." She held back her laughter.

The pup's grin widened.

----------------------------------------

"Eating your words, Stella?"

Holy shit, the mad lass actually did it!

Lien proudly lifted the gigantic rock with a cheeky smile. Stella's jaw would be on the floor if she hadn't half-expected this outcome.

She wondered if her pego-jammed self from the Grýla fight would accomplish this feat. She wouldn't test that theory, obviously.

"How much time?"

"For me to do this?!" Lien slowly put the rock down. "Eh... A year or so?"

Now, her mouth was agape. "You saying I'm stuck here for a whole year?!"

Lien sighed. "I know, it sucks. But you're growing faster than I did, so who knows?"

Optimistic, but not inaccurate. Another reason to enjoy the Wolf's company.

Still, Stella's lack of motivation was hard to shrug off. Surprisingly, Lien picked up on it.

"I know what you need!"

"Wha- HEY!"

The Human's reflexes were sharp enough to catch Lien's furry fist. Now, her wrist was sore.

"Heh. Pretty good!" Lien beamed.

Stella threw her hand away. "What are you doing?!"

"Combat training! Does the Knight do that for you?"

She shook her head. "Nah. He said that'd be after strength training."

"Well..." The pup assumed a fighting stance. "How about some sessions with me?! Let me build that confidence of yours!"

At this rate, Stella wouldn't have a sliver of free time. Meditating, lifting rocks, studying, and now this... She still remembered how the Knight quickly cut off her previous sparring offer, clearly apprehensive.

However, what would she even do other than training? Besides, optimizing her growth meant not being in life-risking danger anymore. She might get some retribution against the assassins with her own hands. She also wouldn't mind a rematch against the Oni...

"Fine." The girl raised her closed knuckles in front of her face. "Don't go crying when I win!" Her cocky grin was only a courtesy. She was made aware time and time again of the wide gap between the two of them.

"That's more like it!" Lien's tail swished frantically. "Here we go!"

The girls engaged in a sparring match for almost an hour. The Wolf knew how to pull her punches with... varied degrees of success. Still, each time Stella fell on her back, the embers of her resolve evolved into a raging fire!

"Still hungry for more?!" The pup pranced towards the Human.

Stella was at her limit but still unwilling to tap out. "Are YOU?! You look a little tired to me..."

The Wolf laughed as her white aura started to radiate. "This is fun! But my mom will ground me if I take too long to return, so..."

"Yeah..." Stella returned the gesture by flaring her own golden Saniya. "One last time!"

The pup approached her like a ghostly blur, fist inches away from the girl. However, Stella had already picked Lien's fighting vices. The Wolf had used this exact same move, in the exact same way, multiple times against her. The fact it took the Human so long to pick up on that didn't paint a good image for her, though.

Regardless, she dodged the blow and then concentrated all her remaining energy on her counterattack!

"Wait, wh-"

"TAKE. THIS!"

A powerful uppercut connected on the Wolf's jaw! The impact made her fly a few feet away, shocking the exhausted girl.

Her knees gave out. Her ragged breath was all her mouth could produce. Her muscles throbbed with the unhuman exertion.

Was... Was Lien oka-

A flash of white light struck her chest! Lien had not only recovered quickly but also counterattacked with a fierce tackle!

That was it. Stella had finally reached her limit.

As her vision blurred, the pup's words echoed in her ears. Almost lulling her to sleep.

"THAT. WAS. AMAZING!" She giggled. "I knew you had it in you!" She howled. "Let's do it again!"

No response. Stella couldn't lift a finger if she wanted.