“Come here,” Deckard bellowed as soon as I got in sight of him. He closed the distance in a few strides, and before I knew it, he lifted me off the ground and spun me around.

“W-What’s going on? What d-did I do?”

“Taking you on as an apprentice was the third best thing that ever happened to me, Little Beast.”

“What? I still . . .” A kiss from my mentor silenced all my thoughts. A bear hug followed.

“Thank you.”

“...”

“Not really my thing to meddle in non-empire affairs, but you’ve got the gal pretty confused, Deckard.”

“Huh? What? Tell him he’s talking shit, Little Beast.”

“I . . . well . . .”

“Tits! Don’t tell me that was your first kiss?”

“W-What? No!” I barked back. “It wasn’t - just . . .”

“Are you sure?” he asked when I trailed off. “Because it looks like . . .”

“I’m not some never-been-kissed virgin. Just . . . a kiss from my . . . my mentor, a teacher, is . . . it felt weird.”

The Imperial Agent burst out laughing while Deckard pulled me out of his embrace and frowned. “Is that the confusion the bastard was talking about? I’m a good kisser.”

“Don’t kid yourself. Are you sure the ladies didn’t just tell you that to stroke your ego, Deckard?”

“Fuck you, Sah. That’s just plain jealousy.”

“Is it? Then ask, Grey.”

“No! Stop it, you two,” I growled and stepped back, afraid Deckard would try to kiss me again. “I’m not some kissing doll for you to prove a point.”

“No, you’re not,” my mentor grinned. “What you are is a little miracle.”

“Unless I’m mistaken, your training seems to have gone well, Deckard?”

“Oh, you have no idea . . . facing almost five hundred level beasts without fear of death, being able to freely test my skills and what I have truly mastered . . .” my mentor paused and looked from Sah to me. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you, Little Beast.”

“So, your bottlenecks?”

“Gone. All of them,” he beamed, the desire to hug me again in his eyes.

“W-wait, you turned off all your skills?!”

“Are you crazy?!” Sah snapped, way harder than I was used to from him. “What if . . . ?”

“Don’t bother. I know what Sanysia said, but I’m sure you understand that when you get the chance, you have to take it.”

Though reluctant, the Agent nodded. “So what’s it like? Are you weaker, or just as strong?”

“What’s with the interest? Are you willing to watch my ass too?”

“More like wondering if I have a chance to beat the crap out of you,” Sah replied. “Seriously though. That’s a report to be done thoroughly - for the sake of all of us.”

“I’ll do it, and don’t worry, I know how to file a report. Actually, another thing I used to be good at.”

“Not anymore?” I asked, teasing him as much as Sah. A small price to pay for that kiss.

“Hey, it’s been almost a decade since the Mind Wars and a few years since I left the City Guards. I got rusty.”

“Not the only thing you got rusty on, huh?”

“You wish. It would take more than eight months down at Fallen’s Cry for me to forget how to kiss a chick properly. Although I have to admit that I can’t compete with someone who has the skill for it.”

My eyes darted to Sah. “You have a skill for - kissing?”

“Don’t be stupid, Grey. That would be a waste of a skill slot. Although, with what we know about the system now . . . a lot of possibilities have opened up.”

“Yeah, about that. Not really what you want to do, Agent.”

“Really? I got the impression you’d rather put your observations in a report than share them with us? Not that I’m not willing to listen - on the contrary, I’m all ears.”

“Damn . . . now I feel like not telling you.”

“Deckard!” I growled, tired of their banter.

“Damn, don’t get your tits in a twist, Little Beast.”

A snarl escaped my throat.

“Fine, fine. No need to get all worked up. Well, it may change as I get a better handle on my skills, but the first impression is that I have my hands full with the ones I already have. Taking on more skills would only needlessly divert my attention elsewhere.”

Surprisingly, that was what I was told in the echo of the past. That it was better to focus on one path than to have each foot on a different trail.

“Is it the loss caused by the lack of ‘system guidance’?” the Imperial Agent inquired further.

“No. I mean, yes, there’s definitely that. However, that’s just a small hitch. Without crutches, it’s harder to master what was handed to you on a platter by the system.”

“Interesting. That might put a lot of people off.”

“It’s a lot easier than learning without a system from the get-go, though.”

“Not an experience others can try, Grey. It will be your and Miss Palemoon’s word against centuries of ingrained knowledge. On the other hand, no one is likely to be as crazy as your mentor and take on all the skills at once. Ten Class Skills and a dozen General Skills, right?”

Deckard, already in his favorite casual pose with his hands in his pockets, nodded. “Twenty-two in total. My overall strength, let’s say, down fifty to seventy levels. Like I said, quite a headache, and it’s going to take me more than this morning to get it back to the previous levels, but . . .”

He didn’t need to say more. The way his eyes shone with excitement spoke volumes. Paths that had been closed to him until now opened up. His world was full of possibilities again.

“If you had a tail like mine, you’d be wagging it like crazy.”

Deckard smiled back, not really denying it. “And if you tried a kiss from someone with skills, you wouldn’t be so put off by mine.”

“That wasn’t why . . .”

“I know, Little Beast. And I’m sorry. I got a little carried away.”

Knowing his situation with bottlenecks, it was - understandable. “As long as it doesn’t become a habit, apology accepted.” After all, it was just a kiss, lips on lips, nothing more.

“Don’t worry, it won’t.”

My pride hurt a little. What did he mean? Was I not good enough for him? Was it the beast parts? For one thing, I knew he had no problem with beastwomen. So . . . better leave it at that. It wasn’t that I lusted after him. Deckard was my mentor and, if anyone more, a part of the family I had found here.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“So glad it worked out for you,” I said before the awkward silence could settle in.

“It sure did. What about you, Little Beast? Anything new?”

Except for the scar thing, I didn’t think so. Still, it took me a while to tell him all about it. While having someone to brag to wasn’t usually all that bad, behind my desire to be praised by my mentor stood mainly my beast self.

“Like a mentor, like an apprentice, huh?” Deckard laughed. “I didn’t think you’d hit your first bottlenecks so soon.”

“I told you, they’re not as quite the bottlenecks as yours. I just have to master the tiers properly.” There were a lot of skills to master, though. [Never-Dying], [Heart of Magic], [Striving Mule], [Dancer’s Stride]. The more I thought about it, the more I saw what Deckard was talking about earlier. These were only four skills, yet the mere thought of how much effort it would take to advance them made me groan.

And I wasn’t the only one to express myself, as Sah joined in with his sigh. “You make what takes people years to achieve sound almost easy, Grey. But I know that you and common sense don’t exactly go together.”

“Not my fault.” There was nothing else I could say. I tried, but . . .

“Something to argue about, I would say. Anyway, how long are we going to stand here? Not that I mind being out in the fresh air once in a while, but I’d rather discuss these things somewhere where I’m not in danger of being torn apart by beasts for saying something out of line.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Esudein before we leave.”

“But of course. I didn’t want to just bail out. That would be rude and might be taken the wrong way, since I am perceived here as a representative of the Empire.”

“Tits. The beasts aren’t that fickle, Agent. Unless you’re a complete asshole, you can reason with them. Speaking of beasts. Esudein apparently went to meet someone. Do you know anything about that?”

“I’m more curious, how do you know? Do you speak beast talk and just didn’t tell me?”

Deckard motioned his head toward the World Tree. “Idleaf showed up.”

Sighing, I couldn’t help but shake mine. “Esudein forbids her to show up, so she blabs all about it to everyone.”

“Can’t blame her. Even I’m curious.”

“Same here, Grey,” Sah chimed in. “If Esudein takes something of this nature so seriously, the implications for the Empire could be enormous.”

“But . . .”

“Don’t worry. I’m well aware that spying on them could lead to an even less desirable outcome. And believe me, I don’t want to be responsible for a disaster in the heart of Sahal, let alone the end of the Empire. Still, don’t tell me you’re no less curious?”

To say so would be a lie. “I’ll ask Esudein, okay?”

“That’s more than I could ever request,” Sah gave me a light, grateful bow.

Silence fell between the three of us, only the rustle of leaves in the Idleaf’s canopy above us echoing through the expanse. The plan was simple, but none of us had any idea when Esudein would actually return. It could be a few moments or even a few days.

“Perhaps I should ask Idleaf?”

“Please do, Little Beast.”

“If you will, Grey.”

No doubt they also felt uncomfortable just sitting or standing around doing nothing but twiddling their thumbs. And so, not to prolong our ordeal any further, I ignited the rune on my side. Not even a breath later, a short distance away from me, Idleaf popped into existence.

“Korra’leigh,” she cried in delight, her four legs bouncing excitedly. “You’re not playing with mossbear anymore? It was so boring.”

“A bit of a stretch to call it ‘playing,’ if I may say so.”

“Don’t mind Sah. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Even though I said that, I couldn’t agree more with the Imperial Agent. However, if Idleaf saw through that little lie, which was quite certain, she didn’t show it and giggled instead. “He doesn’t, does he? So . . . what do we do? I was just with Zeewet, flying with her high above the plains that way.”

“That’s the north, northwest - the territory of the former Terran Federation, perhaps?” the Imperial Agent commented on the direction Idleaf had pointed to.

“Yup, that’s what Zeewet said. There are so many coming here, Korra’leigh.”

“You mean terrans, you know, beastmen, those people with fur and tails like me?”

The spirit pouted at my clarification. “I know who terrans are. And no, not just them. All kinds of beasts.”

“Don’t stress, Grey. A common occurrence in recent years,” Sah explained, not quite sharing Idleaf’s enthusiasm. “Refugees, from . . . from whatever it is in the north. Some seek refuge in the southern parts of the former Federation, others all the way to Sahal. It puts quite a strain on the northern parts of the Empire, and in fact on Sahal as a whole.”

“The Empire supplies food and basic necessities to the southern parts of the former Federation,” Deckard explained.

“It’s cheaper to keep them outside our borders than to deal with overpopulation within them.”

“I get that,” I said, glad for the explanation on the one hand, and annoyed that they felt the need to explain it to me like a little child on the other. I wasn’t Idleaf.

“No offense, but given your background, I don’t think so. The Federation was one to ten times the size of the Empire, and while not as densely populated, it still had twice the population of all human lands.”

“Shit! I’m surprised they didn’t decide to, you know - wipe out the humans.”

“Too much internal friction, too many tribes to hold together.”

“Besides, while we were occupied by the South and the Mind Mages, they had their hands full with the North,” Deckard added.

“Boring!” Idleaf squealed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Zeewet said that many new beasts might take shelter in the woods.”

“What kind of beasts?” The Imperial Agent inquired.

“I don’t know. Lots of them.”

“Do you think Esudein will let them stay?”

She puzzled over my question. “If I ask him, he will.”

I didn’t have her confidence. Sure, there were plenty of animals in the woods already, from birds to squirrels, but no larger predators or prey. No wonder. If I weren’t what I was, my instincts would have warned me to stay away from Esulmor, just like those of the Imperial agent. But the question of the beasts aside: “What about Esudein? Still . . . talking to that visitor?”

“No, to Mother Mossbears.”

“About him?”

“It could be her too,” Sah remarked. “Never rule out all possibilities. Even children are capable of nasty things in a given situation.”

“Why are you looking at me?” Idleaf pouted. “I am not a child. Just too young, according to the elders.”

“My apologies; I didn’t mean to imply anything.”

“I am not a child,” the spirit insisted.

“And I will remember that.”

“So, Idleaf . . . did you look at this visitor?” When she was like that, it was better to divert her attention elsewhere. Thankfully, that was very easy to do.

“No, I did not. Esudein told me not to.”

“Come on . . .” I knew that as far as Esulmor and its surroundings were concerned, she could perceive them just as well if not better than I could see world through my inner domain. Throw in her undying curiosity, and . . . well, I wouldn’t be able to resist not taking a peek, let alone her.

“T-They saw me,” Idleaf admitted, frowning.

I couldn’t help but exchange glances with Deckard and Sah. Despite my skills and intuition, which always warned me of the gaze fixed on me, no matter how hidden in the deepest shadows, I never felt Idleaf’s gaze, and neither, it seemed, did they. Likely because hers was as omnipresent as mine, not really something to point out, but if so, it spoke more to the abilities of Esudein and the one who came to talk to him.

“I’m sure they won’t mind,” I ruffled Idleaf’s hair, trying to ease her worries. Not a lie. At least not in Esudein’s case. He was incredibly patient and benevolent for how terrifying he could seem - er, that man-eating moss thing.

Just as Idleaf giggled again, her ears perked up, as did mine. The ground, and the trees with it, shook.

“Esudein is coming,” Idleaf squealed with excitement, while I swallowed dryly.

It wasn’t long before the trees parted at the edge of the expanse and the ‘Lord of the Woods’ entered. Though I saw him at night, I couldn’t help but marvel at his size and grandeur, memories of nine months ago. No one spoke, all waited for him to reach the World Tree and lie down in the shadow of Idleaf, where he had spent most of his time over the past centuries. When his eyes finally fell on us - on me in particular - my whole body shuddered, all my senses alert.

It was a more piercing look than I’d ever experienced from him.

Acting on my instincts, I dropped to my knees and bowed my head in submission. It was not the anger I felt from him, yet I motioned with my wings for Sah and Deckard to do the same, fearing that the humans might truly anger Esudein.

To my relief, no explanation was necessary. Only Idleaf remained standing, bouncing restlessly to and fro.

“Pup,” Esuden spoke in Eleaden Standart, and my bones shook. “Korra’leigh, fellow Guardian of Idleaf.”

The breath caught in my throat as the power behind the words rolled off his tongue, weighing down my very being.

“You again done unprecedented deed, bringing to surface fears forgotten many cycles.”

Many questions sprang to mind, yet my tongue refused to utter a single one. I told Esudein last night about how I got lost in Fallen’s Cry - to the extent the Oath allowed - so why did he take it so seriously until now? Was it the visitor? If only the ancient beast hadn’t spoken so slowly.

“Worries concerning yourself and, with it, danger to these woods.”

Fuck! Not the way I thought my talk with him would go. Not after the friendly reception I got last night. But if he was worried about his family, so was I.

“I’m willing to pay the price, even if it’s my life. Just spare my friends, and don’t blame Idleaf; she meant no harm.”

“Korra’leight?”

The air in the expanse grew heavy, only to be blown away by a fresh breeze. “You indeed worthy Guardian, pup, Korra’leigh.”

“She is, isn’t she?” Idleaf beamed proudly, as if everything that transpired slipped past her.

“I no regrets. Many concerns been raised. I allayed them all.”

“C-concerns? By whom, m-may I ask?”

“You may, though they wish to remain hidden, reveal themselves when they see fit, if at all. Their right.”

In other words, whoever it was that came to Esulmor was someone Esudein couldn't afford to piss off and so he wasn’t going to tell me. “I understand, Esudein, and thank you for standing up for me.”

The ground shook with his satisfied humming. “I allayed their concerns of you, and now I allay yours of them. Stay true to yourself and you find yourself in no danger.” The air grew cold. “But stray off your path, and I do my duty to Idleaf and my kin before I do mine to you.”

A clear warning.

“I will bear it in my heart, Esudein.”