I allowed Morrigan’s mother to come close by taking several steps back. I was not only a stranger but also a human so she might feel awkward around me. I crossed my arms and watched mother-daughter cry as they hugged each other. A part of me felt happy for them while a small ache rose up from my chest as I would never have what they had right now. Sigh. You would think that one would get over this kind of stuff after getting old but no, it never went away. Guess one always needed a mother…

“By the Ancestors! You are making me cry in front of my son-in-law!”

She turned to me while wiping her tears.

…

?

“I should save my tears when he takes you away officially!”

I took a breath so deep that my spit went into my air canal. I started to cough as Morrigan shouted.

“Mom, he is not like that!”

I never heard Morrigan this high-pitched before. She seemed to forget her worries even if she was currently as red as a tomato. I composed myself and turned to Morrigan’s mother.

“Hello, madam. My name is Poyraz Karabulut. I am a friend of Morrigan and currently working together with her for a freer and more just world.”

I scratched my head.

“Which sounds very big but all we did was break free some beastkin. It is nice to meet you.”

“Aren’t you a gentleman! Come here!”

She pulled me in for a close and tight hug. Woah, she is radiating extroverted energy beyond anything I've seen before! No wonder Morrigan was worried! She was the opposite of her mother!

“Welcome to our humble city, my boy! You must be tired. I shouldn’t have shocked you with my ramblings. I nearly caused you to suffocate.”

She put her hands on her hip and smiled. She was shorter than Morrigan.

“I was actually surprised by Morrigan calling you mother. I thought you were her sister.”

She slapped my arm. I demanifested my armor at the last second to not hurt her.

“Ah, you cheeky boy! You know how to make this old girl happy with your words!”

She started to walk towards the city and we followed her. I took that time to observe her. Her skin was darker than Morrigan's, something that could be explained by the heat I felt now.

“Is there a reason there is much warmer than the place we traveled?”

I asked. The temperature change I felt right now couldn’t be explained by the normal weather changes. It made me think something similar to Wolf King’s Tomb was happening here.

“Oh, that is because of Mountian of Black Ash. It is filled with fire elementals and fire-attribute mana so it causes the area to get hot.”

Morrigan’s mother explained.

“Is it a volcano?”

That name sounded a little ominous.

“It is.”

“Oh.”

Hearing my reaction she laughed.

“Don’t worry. As long as Elves don’t break the pact with fire elementals, it won’t explode.”

So this world had elves too. I wonder if they were Lord of the Rings elves or Warhammer elves? I hope they are Lord of the Rings elves.

“Do they live in Whifur too?”

She shook her head.

“No. They live in the forest. We actually took permission to build Whifur here. They were kind enough to allow us to carve a city around here.”

“I see. An alliance to defend against humans, I suppose?”

“Against slavers. They didn’t think of looking here so we were able to flourish.”

She corrected me. I expected her to be colder against humans but I felt no grudge coming from her. I tilted my head.

“Why slavers didn’t think looking here?”

She looked back at me for a second.

“We can’t deal with hotter weather as well as humans.”

“I see. Smart. But it must be hard for you.”

“You get used to it.”

We reached to city walls. Guards there looked a little surprised by me but I was also surprised when they bowed their heads to Morrigan’s mother. I could feel only a small amount of mana from her so she probably wasn’t a warrior or a mage. Yet guards seemed to respect her.

“Morrigan! It is nice to see you well, my child!”

A massive man called out as soon as he saw us. He had long white hair reaching to his neck and an enviable beard. His face was covered with numerous scars and one of his canine ears was missing. He wore a white shirt and I really wanted to ask his tailor for their secret as his buttons were somewhat able to hold his shirt together despite his massive stature. He had two swords similar to Arslan’s on his side.

He took a single step forward and suddenly all the hairs on my back rose up.

What

The

Hell.

He is strong. I couldn’t exactly tell how much but I could tell that if he was with us the fighting would been a lot easier. He patted Morrigan on the shoulder.

“See Aine? I told you she would be fine. You didn’t need to chew me off every day to find her.”

He said to Morrigan’s mother. So her name was Aine. He looked at me.

“She even brought someone interesting. Hello, young man.”

He stepped closer and offered me his hand. I shook it. His hands were calloused and his grip was tight.

“My name is Börü Whitefang. Everyone calls me Captain but there are no ranks here really. I am just the oldest wolf around here so everyone expects me to give orders. Glad to have our first humans here.”

Did he meet Lily already? Man, I hope he didn’t mess up the first impressions.

“Poyraz Karabulut. I am honored you accepted us. I know you might have your doubts but we will try to show you not all humans are the same.”

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

He patted my shoulder and I felt the weight of a thousand elephants press down on it. Was he doing it on purpose or was he just a harsh person?

“Don’t worry about it. Amaterasu relayed to me the things you did. I thank you for all that. She also told me that there were many things else you had to tell in private.”

I nodded together with Morrigan. I was about to open my mouth to speak but my stomach was faster. I quickly covered my face in shame as it let out a loud noise. Börü laughed but Aine smacked him.

“How improper for us to hold you like that when you just came here. Come on Morrigan, Poyraz. I cooked a feast. Let’s go and eat!”

Aine walked forward and we followed her.

“I had a friend and a girl with me. Do you know where they are? They just entered before us.”

I asked. I really didn’t want Lily to cause trouble just as we entered.

“Purple-haired human and a big-horned girl, right? Don’t worry, I sent them ahead. We will be lucky if they haven’t eaten all the food when we get there!”

We passed through crowded streets. The city was developed. Street vendors, blacksmiths, restaurants, tailors, and more stores were busy and working hard. Compared to human settlements I have been to until now this place definitely had better conditions.

Well, except how I was scanned head to toe by every beastkin who saw me with less than hospitable eyes. But I couldn’t blame them. Thankfully, I never received anything worse than frowns and them speaking behind our backs as soon we got a little bit away. While I “slept” I was far from rested. What bothered me right now wasn’t my physical state, at least mostly. My mind on the other hand was a wreck. I really needed some quiet time. I didn’t want any conflict even if it had a low chance of it escalating to be physical with Börü and Aine us.

“Wow. I know several people who would feel jealous of this garden.”

My mother included. In front of the house was a large garden. 3 trees reached their branches into the sky and I could see the fruits growing out of them. One had a swing dangling from its branches. I took a look at Morrigan and imagined her as a child playing there. Another one had a table and chairs under its shadow. All around were lush, vibrant flowers.

“This kitty got the keep herself busy somehow!”

Aine laughed. I took a deep breath. Flowers smelled nice. Nature was pleasant when it was not trying to kill you. We entered the house. The house was built primarily from natural materials, such as timber and stone, giving it a rustic yet charming appearance. The wooden beams supporting the structure were painted with several rune-like letters. When I tried to focus on them I was able to read them. Huh, thanks Aliera.

“Prosperity.”

“Happiness.”

“Honor.”

Interesting. Perhaps they were something like prayers in beastkin culture. Aine led us to a big room. Wooden floors were covered with woven rugs. Lily and Larve were there.

“Poyraz!”

“Guh!”

Larve’s giant horns hit my stomach as she charged to hug me. I demanifested my armor so as to not hurt her. Maybe I should just let people hurt themself by hitting me next time.

“Are you angry?”

She said meekly without looking at my face. I sighed.

“All's well that ends well, I guess. But you really need to listen to me next time.”

“I will!”

That’s what you said the last time… Sigh. How can I be angry when she has this little cute face? I pinched her cheeks.

“You sit down. Morrigan can you help me honey?”

I tried to help them set up the table but Aine showed a surprising fiercity and forced me to sit down. Börü laughed as I got scolded.

“She doesn’t allow her guests to move a finger.”

He explained while sitting down in front of me around the wooden table. Not soon after, the room filled with the aroma of a home-cooked feast. Aine had prepared a delightful spread of dishes, and the table was laden with colorful plates and bowls. I couldn’t help but salivate as my stomach let out another angry growl to attack the food. It’s been so long since I actually had proper home-cooked food. Despite that, I had to show proper manners, unlike Lily who tried to eat before everyone sat down. I smacked his hand.

“Awwww.”

"This looks incredible. Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs Blackclaw."

I ignored Lily. Aine waved off my thanks with a warm smile.

"You're our guests, and it's the least I can do. Please, help yourselves. You also don’t need to be that formal. You can call me Aine!"

As the feast began, I couldn't help but indulge in the delicious spread. The flavors were a delightful mix of home-cooked dishes, and I savored each bite. I didn’t recognize most of the ingredients, though there was a variety of fish. I smelled the sea while coming here as the wind blew from the south.

Even though I was ashamed of gourging myself to bloating especially being a guest, the taste of food and hunger I felt made me eat everything at the table. Aine also didn’t help by putting more and more every time I emptied my plate.

Even after feeding us food enough to feed a small village, Aine’s hospitality didn’t end. She immediately went on to make tea. Larve, now full fell asleep on my lap while hugging Gökbörü.

“So, I think you have a long story to tell us?”

Börü asked as Aine handed us the tea. It smelled nice. I took a deep breath and started to tell everything that happened while leaving some small details.