The city and valley was growing warmer. By now the days were pleasant but just boarding on hot. The spring storms of the past few months have given rise to the flowers of spring. Neal had left his hoodie back at the apartment, it was just too warm for it.

It had been three weeks since he came back to the guard, and things had changed. For the better! Sable had backed off him for the most part and was treating him, like a normal guard. He was being given the normal guard assignments with the normal guard expectations. He still messed up occasionally, and was punished accordingly, but seemingly not to excess. So no more mucking out sewers.

The heavy slap at his back reminded him he was not alone on the track. The minotaur woman slapped at his back several times. It was strange, but it seemed to hurt less than it did before, even though her strikes seemed harder. “Ha! I'm catching up to you, human.” She laughed and winked.

His smile concealed the deeper smirk. It was true she was getting better, but she was nowhere near close to matching him. Sadly, though, she was the only one that remained.

After with Sable did last month, nobody was willing to exercise with him besides her of course. It was strange, the minotaur seemed to be trying to get closer to him. If he didn't know better, he would say that she had a crush on him. But that was nonsense talking. If nothing else, they were two completely different species. Could they ever possibly have anything resembling a relationship? And even if they could, did he want one with her?

“Owe, my furs all matted again.” She spoke as she pulled at the furry hair on her legs.

As he watched her groom and preen, she struck a rather unattractive pose. Shaking his head and he an answer for the day, and one that would suffice. Then again, even if he did want to pursue something, the species barrier alone would be enough to say ‘no’. It wasn't something he thought about often, but sometime in the future he would like to have kids. Would that even be possible with her?

Another strong slap at his back. “Hey, the Castles probably got some spare lunch. Wanna try and grab something free before a shift?”

Another thing about her that he didn't really like. She could eat like a cow. Which reminded him that she kind of looked like one. Albeit a very well-endowed one. Shaking the troublesome thoughts from his head, he thought about her proposal for a second and agreed. Food sounded good after the run. The Castles kitchen wasn't all that far from his apartment either , certainly closer than the park they currently were in. Grab food, take a shower, get dressed, go to work. It seemed like a perfect plan.

Although, Coquo wasn't exactly happy to see either of them. “You realize this food is for the guests this evening, not you?” He yelled at both Neal and Mith.

Mithril had already left by the time he started yelling, whereas Neil stuck around for a few seconds to bear the brunt of the dark elf chef. Somehow it seemed only fair, their payment for a free meal.

“Well, if you're not going to help, then get the hell out of my kitchen!” Coquo Yelled while also handing off a couple ‘bad’ sandwiches. One of the new cooks had screwed up in making them. Instead of a savory sauce, he’d put something like a sweet Mayo. But as Neal took a bite, it still tasted good.

Given Mith had consumed three for his one, he had assumed that she thought the same. It was strange and hard to explain, but he actually enjoyed this moment. The truth was he found himself enjoying a lot more since he rejoined the guard, and felt himself smiling more sincerely. Not often, but certainly more than before.

The brief respite between exercise and guard duty gave him a chance to look around the castle. There were decorations all over the place. The various cooks and servants of the castle were setting out food and trays for guests later. Neil had already been through one Spring Festival already. However, the last time he wasn't exactly in the mental condition to enjoy it.

Illania had Four Seasons like Earth. The country celebrated each of the four with a different festival. Each celebration would do one of two things, highlighting the benefits of one season or minimizing the detriments. For spring, that often meant a lot of flowers and plants. Of the four, it was probably the prettiest. Though perhaps one of the more boring as well. Unlike the summer and fall festivals, there weren't usually many games. And what games there seemed to be much simpler.

It was still something he had to get used to. The lack of computers and video games meant his days were boring. Drinking was an option, but he didn’t want that to become his hobby.

But he was still trying to find ways around the daily boredom. Reading was an option, and he finally picked up that book Coruscis gave him, but that was just barely better than doing nothing.

He really wish this world had something like soccer. Was never a good player, but it was still fun. Well, he supposed there was something to add to his list that he would work on later, So that he could ignore it in the present and then when the later came ignore it then as well.

As he was finishing off the last of the sandwiches, he noticed Mith was trying to smell herself. It kind of turned his stomach and made him put half the sandwich down. Unlike him, Myth had brought her armor with her. Recently she got in the habit of just dressing out at the track and going straight to guard duty. However, today she had different plans.

“Hey, Neal, your apartments nearby, right?”

He did not like where this was going.

There was a problem with minotaurs. And that was you couldn't argue with them. Right. Wrong, otherwise. It didn't matter, they were always right unless you could hit harder than they could, and you couldn't.

Back on earth, Neil was not a stranger to having guests in his room. But for some reason, having her enter his apartment was strange somehow. She was just a friend, but being around her did stir something he didn’t want to consider.

But as always, she didn’t give him a choice. As Mith got up and walked in the general direction of his apartment she called out, “Come on!”

Even as she entered the complex itself, her attitude was one of awe and shock. Passing the security desk for the building, she can only stare in amazement.

“You literally have a guard just for your apartment.” Her eyes were wide with shock when she spoke.

Neil just shrugged. “I Guess?”

It took a second, before she said something else, liker her mind needed extra time to process.. “Do you realize how rich you must be?”

“it wasn't unusual back on Earth to have guards at various apartment complexes. Even some of the cheaper ones might have a guard on duty. I guess it just never occurred to me.”

For walking slowed for a bit while she paused and thought. Only to quickly gained up on him. “OK, well here it's pretty rare to have a guard at your apartment. I mean, think about how much we get paid. They're probably paid double that. It's a lot of coin for someone of our stature.”

He was worried about how she would feel when she entered his apartment.

And again, her eyes opened in utter amazement. “Your entire bedroom is covered in carpet. And I've never seen carpet this plush before.” She walked over and stood on top of the fuzzy carpeting. Her hooves digging into the fur. It was strange watching her walk around on it. He guessed she could actually feel it under her hooves, and he had never really considered they were anything but solid chunks of boar. He had never really considered her anatomy before. Well, aside from the obvious.

Every moment of basking in the fluffiness, she noticed the clock on the desk. It was getting late.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“So where's this mythical shower I heard of?”

Neil walked her to a large room off to the side. Once again, her eyes opened wide in amazement. She turned her head and smirked at him. “You really are the princess's pet, aren't you?”

“Just shut up and take a shower and then we can get out of here.”

She stood in the doorway just a little bit too long. “Sure, you don't come in with me? We could save some time. Or not.”

His face grew bright red. As she began to cackle and laugh. The door to his bathroom shut behind her. It was clearly a joke.

Clearly.

He said to himself as he began to hyperventilate. She knew just how to push his buttons, and it was clear she enjoyed it.

Of course after her shower, he took his and then they left for the castle. The walk back which was a little awkward for Neal. Mith didn't seem to have any problem though.

The two made their way through the castle to the Throne Room. Most of the guards were already present and in line. Interestingly enough, Princess Luna was standing by Sable. Usually, she would wait before entering, part of the ceremony for holding court. Clearly, something was different about tonight.

In the distant part of the castle, bells chimed at 6:00 PM. It was time.

Sable stood at the front of the guards. “As you all know, the spring ceremony starts tomorrow night, Wednesday through Tuesday next week. Princess Luna will not be holding her normal Night Court. Instead, she plans to leave the castle open for people to come in and celebrate.”

The squad continued to hold at attention., letting the news sink in. A few of their eyes darted around between each other, but they remained silent.

Luna gave a light bow to her captain and moved forward. “Thank you, Captain Sable. Yes, you heard that right. Normally, only the court is left open at nights with the rest of the castle being closed for visitors. However, I do not believe that it's fair to some of the dark races, especially the races that are active at night. I want the castle to be accessible to all the people of the city. As such the entire castle will be open just as it is during the day during the festival.” Luna smiled and looked between her guards. She seemed proud of her idea.

“With that, Princess Luna will be busy around the castle for the rest of the night. There are things she needs to set up for and prepare. Likewise for all of you, I want you to pay special attention to anything you see. You're looking for security issues. The castle will remain open, however entry and exit will be restricted to certain locations. Anything you find, let me know as soon as you find them. We don't expect any kind of violence, however we do expect the possibility of thefts given recent events. We want to make sure if there are any thieves in the castle, they cannot make a quick exit with the castle valuables.” With that, the Wolf started down the squad line handing out assignments to everyone.

Most of the patrols took the squad over the 1st floor, but a few were assigned to the second, which seemed odd at the time. Finally, Sable stood in front of Myth and Neil.

The wolf glared at the two. “I have some issues sending you two together. But you work well enough as a team. I want you to patrol the perimeter of the second floor. Look for any windows that can be opened or that need to be locked.”

It was hard to tell, but it looked like Sable shook his head before walking off.

Mith leaned over to Neil and asked. “What do you think about the princess's idea?”

He shrugged. “It is going to be challenging. There are fewer lunar guards than solar guards. Protecting and keeping this castle safe at night is going to require additional manpower.”

“So where are we going to get that from?” The smile on her face meant she knew the answer.

Teuta, Oddly enough, piped in. “We aren't.” He seemed agitated, possibly even angry, despite the otherwise flat tone and face.

Delibs and Teuta had been assigned to verify the storage spaces. Ensuring there weren’t any oddities or hiding spots unchecked. The two seemed like odd pairing. Unless your goal was to prevent Teuta from managing crates instead of working on security.

“I think Teuta is just being negative. There are other Lunar guard in the city. We just rarely interact with them. There's no reason why they couldn't be pulled back to manage the castle security.” Delibis rebuked,

The dark elf rolled his eyes, “Except they're needed for security for the evening at the Spring Festival.”

“No common guard is going to handle that from what I heard.“ The frailer elf maintained his ground, and refused to give into the argument, which was getting heated.

The two elves tend to argue with each other. Just by watching them, it'd be hard to tell if they were good friends or enemies. With a head nod, Myth encouraged Neil to leave the two alone.

Sable and Luna continued to talk as the two left the throne room. For a moment, Neal could overhear the conversation.

“Do you think it's wise pairing them up the way you have?”

The wolf's eyes seemed to twitch slightly as he smiled. “I assure you, Princess, my pairings make sense if you understand these guards.”

Luna did not seem convinced. “I see. It's just two of them are clearly arguing with each other. The dwarf over there seems to be talking down to the female dark elf he’s with. Who seems like she is about ready to kill said dwarf. And then those two over there are going to flirt all night rather than actually do the patrols.” The last phrase seemed to be directed towards Mith and himself.

At first, Sable struggled to keep his voice under control, nearly shouting. “My Princess, I appreciate the feedback. But please trust my decisions.” It was clear he was growing frustrated with having his decisions questioned, but due to his station he couldn’t say what he truly wanted.

Perhaps Luna caught on to that, or just decided to move to something else. “As you wish. Now I do have some concerns about the entryway over here...”

Sable and Luna went out of ear shot as Mith and Neal left the room, and neither could hear the remaining one-way conversation. Despite the anguish Stable may have put Neal through, he did feel for the captain a little bit. Having all your decisions questioned by your superior over and over again could not have been a good feeling. Yet at the same time, perhaps it would make him a better captain. Knowing how it feels to be powerless under the weight of a superior. Though, that rarely happens in reality. Most times, people just become bigger bullies.

Neal didn’t want to indulge in any schadenfreude. In truth, the human didn't hate the wolf, he just wanted him to stop biting and barking.

Ever since General Torrent discussed the issue with Sable, the Princess had been more on his case about every little thing. Neal suspected she had also talked with him about something, but wasn't sure what. Regardless, it was like a dam had busted.

The second floor of the castle was in fact above the first floor. Understanding this fact was true, but this is the only fact of the second floor. In fact, the height of the second floor differed across the castle. Stairs after stairs after stairs. Neil had grown used to running again. And was in good shape. But his legs burned before the night was even half over.

They approached the part of the second floor that was often used to store valuables. But not just any valuables. These were items that the castle wanted on display. Many of them were historic. Most were diplomatic of some kind, gifts from foreign states. The majority were pretty or at least nice to look at. A few not so much. But one consistent thing between all of them was they were not expensive. While they had some value to the castle, the price for them was, to be blunt about it, cheap.

Some old clay pots. Old carved wooden totems. Some metal worked and forged items as well. But by far the nicest thing about this area were the benches along the wall. Since the castle wished to display and show these items off, it only made sense to have benches along the way for people to sit and observe and think. A few feet down the hall where various conference rooms that diplomats would sometimes sit in and argue for things they didn't understand but were insistent they were right about.

But as soon as an opportunity presented itself for them to sit down, Neal took it. Mith gave him a hard time, but she also took a seat.

“I feel like I've climbed to the top of the mountain, that it's not even half over.”

“Ha. Weak human.” Mith laughed.

While their actions were necessary, so far they had not found anything of concern. It was beginning to feel like a waste of time. All the windows that could be shut and locked were. The only exception of that were ones which were sealed and not meant to be open at all.

Neal turned to ask his Minotaur friend, “What do you think about all these thefts?”

She shrugged her response. “I have no idea. Things get stolen from time to time. It's just the way of the world.”

“Yeah, but is it normally this much? This just seems like a lot to me.”

The minotaur tilted her head and thought. Before shrugging again. “I don't know, I guess it's more than usual.”

Neal could only smile and shake his head. As always, she was not of much help when it came to questions.

Neither the guards paid attention to nor were aware of the shifting shapes and shadows above them. So subtle were they. However, a noise, a sudden crash and a yell. That, did catch their attention.

Neal and Mith got up and, ignoring the pain in the legs, jotted down the hall quickly. Not too far away from them was one of the storage rooms in the castle, a smaller one, but one which still held many crates and boxes.

The sounds of yelling, swearing and cursing could be heard behind the door. Also something that sounded along the lines of crying. Mith and Neal nodded to each other before they pushed down the door, and ran inside.

There on the floor were splinters. Large fragments of a wooden crate. In fact, several. Next to it, Teuta kneeled on the ground, mourning the broken crates. He didn't seem to be crying at the moment. But earlier, it certainly sounded like him. Delibis was struggling to maintain he composure as the two stood in the now ruined doorway.

“Are you two OK?” Mith asked with hammer still in hand.

Delibis Just nodded. “Why did you break the door?”

Neil looked around sheepishly. “We heard screaming and then crying. We thought somebody might be hurt.”

“Ohh no, no one's hurt. I think Teuta is just-“

“Do you know how much paperwork this is going to be?” He didn't look up from the crate fragments. Despite his usually stoic and flat face. It did almost sound like he was crying. Almost.

They didn't really have time to console the Dark Elf. Out in the hallway, almost silently, but not quite. There was a crash. And the sound of hurried footsteps down the hallway.