Stella:

"The fish is smelling pretty good."

Stella and Lien were in a cave in the middle of the woods. Usually, the human girl would protest going to such an ominous place, but she trusted the Wolf's judgment enough.

Well, except for eating raw fish. Stella was fiercely against that, claiming that it was much healthier to roast it. Surprisingly, Lien didn't protest much.

In fact, the girl became quite concerned for her furry companion. Lien started to act weirdly quiet and recluse. At first, she thought it was just fatigue since she made a ton of physical effort against Jólakötturinn.

However, that theory lost its strength when the Wolf went out of her way to sit far away from the girl. Yeah, she was avoiding her.

Stella then decided to stop worrying about that and instead focused on the roasting fish by the bonfire, which was supported by a stick through the animal. Thank goodness she brought a lighter. It was pretty old and used, but it did the trick. The hardest part was gathering the wood without Lien's help, but she had done enough for her. The girl hated not paying people back for their kindness, though these acts became rarer as she got older.

The human brushed off these thoughts, wanting to disassociate with them as much as possible. Better said than done, though.

The light raging against the sheer darkness of the cave was both scary and beautiful in a way. Stella did imagine going through these situations while traversing the forest. But with all of this Monoke business, it made her feel exactly like that light.

Her right arm was sore from holding the fish stick, so she switched to her left arm. Right on cue, a weak tremor could be felt by both girls. Lien put her paw on the ground as if that could help her determine the cause of this phenomenon. Stella liked to think that changing the stick from one hand to the other made her discover a cheat code, and maybe she had unlocked a secret room somewhere.

It was a funny thought, but Lien did not share the feeling. In fact, she now started to curl herself into a ball. That was not ideal.

When the tremors stopped, Stella attempted to lighten the mood.

"Talk about shaking things up!" She spoke with a big, dumb smile on her face.

That was a terrible attempt.

Stella had regretted the moment the words came out of her mouth. And to make things worse, Lien barely reacted, only muttering a "Yeah..."

That was it for the girl. This Wolf, who was so cheerful and full of energy before, was so gloomy and tense.

That did not feel right for Stella. She had to do something.

After taking a deep breath and carefully pondering about her words, Stella finally asked. "Is... everything alright with you, Lien?" Stella used the most soft and non-threatening tone of voice she could make.

The Wolf's ears rotated in the girl's direction, and her body visibly stiffened. "I'm fine... Why do you ask?"

The human stuttered, afraid that her companion would find her concerns stupid. "I-It's just... you've been less cheery than usual since we climbed down that tree. And..." Stella tried to elaborate more, but she failed to find the words. Then, she decided to go in a different direction. "Are you tired? Hungry? Missing your parents, perhaps?"

Lien quickly shouted, regaining a bit of her usual behavior. "No!" Then, she backed down. "I mean, yes. But..."

It was somewhat comforting that Lien struggled to find the right words also, but that did give some uncomfortable implications that made Stella's heart beat faster in anxiety.

Was she the problem? Did she say something wrong? Maybe it was that comment about her not seeing the castle or when she dismissed Lien's issues earlier. She should have known better than that.

It's funny. Stella barely knew Lien, yet her heart sank with the thought of hurting her feelings.

The girl flipped the fish to roast its other side. Her mind was trapped in a self-loathing trance, so she got a little spooked when she unexpectedly heard Lien's voice again.

"I... need to ask you something."

Stella's eyes widened in anticipation, though she maintained the calmness in her voice. "What is it?"

Lien fidgeted her fingers, and her posture relaxed. "Well, you didn't come from the forest. You have this weird smell, unlike any Monoke I have ever met."

Stella's heart pounded louder while the Wolf hesitated in concluding her reasoning. "Are you... a Human?" She spoke the last word as a barely audible whisper.

Stella was taken aback. Of course, Lien had never identified her as a Human before, assuming she was some weird Monoke. The girl never bothered to correct her because she never thought it was necessary.

But hearing that word coming out of Lien's mouth in such a way... Made Stella realize her mistake.

Well, Stella had no intention of lying to the Wolf. Not that it would work, anyway.

"Yeah..." The girl answered uneasily. "I'm a Human."

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"Oh." Lien returned to curling herself into a ball. Stella could hear her voice slightly cracking. "Okay."

Stella's heart clenched. She didn't understand why this was such a big deal for her, but it still hurt.

Maybe the only way to understand this was to press further. "Do you... have a problem with Humans?"

"It's that... I've heard stories... about Humans..." She was trembling. Fuck, she was trembling! Why did Stella do that?! The girl gave up on holding the stick and curled into a ball, ashamed of her actions.

The Wolf continued. "They say that the creatures outside the forest do... bad things to us..."

Stella's breath became more rapid. That was it for them, then? She waited about half a minute to regain a sliver of her composure. She needed to confirm it first.

"Do you... believe in them?" Stella spoke in a monotone voice that betrayed her true feelings in a split second.

Lien did not answer. That was all that Stella needed to know.

The girl was on the verge of tears. Why? It wasn't even a day since they found each other by accident. So why was she so... miserable...?

Rejection was a feeling that Stella was all too familiar with. Whether it was adults who didn't see her as a good fit for their family or other kids who saw her as less of a person because of her financial condition. Even her fellow orphans found a way to betray her.

Except for... for...

Stella started to shed tears. She cursed herself for doing that. Another thing she hated, other than bullies, was when people pitied her. It felt like they saw her as incapable, as inferior. Her pride would not allow that!

Thankfully, Lien was blind, so she couldn't see that pathetic display of weakness. After cleaning the tears from her face, she got up, packed her stuff, left the fish, and walked towards the entrance.

Of course, Lien could hear her steps. "What are you doing?" Her voice lost a lot of the uneasiness.

Stella closed her heart to her feelings and looked at the Wolf with an emotionless expression. "Leaving. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

She walked a few more steps. When she got closer to Lien, her cold facade started to break. She didn't realize how she missed Lien's electric and contagious personality until it was too late.

She would miss her. Truly.

Her voice almost broke the facade, but Stella pushed through. "Thank you."

And so, she marched on.

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Lien:

Stella's footsteps could be heard farther from her with each step.

What would Lien do now?

Her mind became a storm of conflicting thoughts. On one hand, she was raised with stories about Humans. Her mother and many other parents used those stories to alert them of the dangers of venturing outside Sayama.

Not to mention... Weth...

On the other hand, Stella did save her from being further hit by rocks by the Lads and escaping Jólakötturinn. Also, she had fun moments with the Human earlier, and she was nothing but kind to her.

Stella was completely different from what the stories say. As far as she knew, that Human was a regular girl, a friend.

Besides, she knew the smell of tears all too well.

A friend that was going away if she didn't do anything. The Wolf couldn't bring herself to move until her resolve was settled.

Damn it! There was no time for overthinking things! Lien needed to follow her instincts in times like that, as she usually did.

Lien let her body do its own thing. She stood up and dashed towards the Human! Thankfully, Stella was too slow for her, being easily intercepted.

The Wolf spread her arms to block Stella's passage. Judging by the breeze hitting her back, Lien assumed they were near the exit. That was close.

"W-What are you doing?" Stella's stuttering showed how surprised she was by the gesture.

"Hey, I know you're a Human and all, but! There's no way you will go outside in this cold! You have almost no fur!" Her voice didn't carry much conviction, but she was trying.

Stella sighed. "Look, I appreciate what you're doing, but-"

Lien became quite frustrated at the Human stubbornness. "No 'buts'!" Now, her voice carried a lot more conviction. "Stop being a fool and stay here! It's the least I can do for-"

Something clicked inside Lien's mind. Of course! She saved Stella's life and vice-versa. That meant...

"Look," She pointed her left finger towards Stella, only to accidentally poke her nose. The Human let out an "Ouch!".

The Wolf apologized. "Sorry!" Then she put her paws on her hips. "What I was going to say is, in Wolf culture, when someone saves you, and you save this someone in return, that makes you part of a pack!"

Stella did not respond. Of course, the Human would be very confused. Stupid Lien!

Then the Wolf elaborated. "When two individuals are part of a pack, it is their sacred duty to not abandon each other, no matter what!" She shook her left index finger from side to side.

She waited for Stella to say something. However, she only heard... sobbing? And the Wolf smelled more tears. Did she do something wrong?

After a solid minute, Stella responded. "T-Thank you." She became silent for a few more seconds, then cleared her throat. "Well, since we're a pack now, it is my sacred duty to escort you back home. Pantsti, if I'm not mistaken?"

That made Lien very excited. She nodded. "Yes! I think we can get there by tomorrow. My mom..." Just thinking about her made her deflate. "Will ground me so hard..."

Stella started chuckling. Lien found the sound of her laugh quite pleasant, actually. The Wolf questioned why she was so afraid in the first place. That Human was just a girl, though it might be easier for her to ignore that due to her blindness.

And so, the Wolf joined in the laughter. A beautiful moment, only interrupted by an intense smell.

Even the Human knew what the source of the smell was.

"Fuck! The fish!" She went running back to the bonfire.

Lien's heart accelerated. "My dinner!" Then she ran along with Stella.

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Leppalúði:

The night in the Ganvi Woods was the perfect time for hunting. The subtle light of the moon, the unsettling whispers that could be heard sometimes, and, of course, who arrived to hunt amidst the nightly darkness.

Not even the nocturnal Monoke expected such an intimidating beast to get out of his lair, shown by them fleeing in sight when Leppalúði's steps could be felt from miles away.

The Ogre patriarch enjoyed the fear and respect the ones who lived under his turf felt. He thought about going outside more times, just in case they forgot who commanded this section of Sayama.

While he basked in this superb feeling, something else took the attention of his nose. It was quite a strong smell, and he already identified the source.

Fish. A very burned one, at that. Someone had really fucked up their cooking. It could have been Stúfur and Jóla since the Cat loved some fish, or...

Maybe it was those girls his son wouldn't shut up about. In any case, it was a win.

Leppalúði gave a devilish grin. Coupled with the row of sharp teeth, it could make most Monoke paralyzed in fear. Then he turned his head to a random spot in the woods and whistled.

From that spot, his twelve children came running from the bushes, all with the same grin. Truth be told, they were all more interested in capturing the girls.

Taking the lead was his oldest son, Ketkrókur, wielding his trusty meat hook with pride.

Leppalúði pointed towards the direction of the smell, a tiny cave, almost impossible to stop amidst the trees. "Do you smell that too?"

All the Lads nodded eagerly except Ketkrókur and Giljagaur, who nodded with a bit more composure.

"There's our lead. Go to that cave!" The giant's voice reverberated for miles, spooking birds and avian-like Monoke. That was on purpose.

All the twelve Lads went to investigate that cave, creating a path of destruction wherever they went.

The problem with reaching adulthood was that an Ogre had to deal with their slowness, but with his children, it wouldn't be a problem.

When the Lads softened them up, he would deal the final blow.