The wolf, who was as tall as Kenji and with red eyes, watched every small twitch of Alia's muscles.

The forest was dark and damp, with thick shrubs and trees that towered above her. Alia's feet squished into the mud beneath her boots, and she shivered as the cold air caressed her skin. She could feel the sweat trickling down her back.

Alia's knife shook in her hand, and she started sweating. "Stay back," she said to the wolf. "I'm not afraid of you."

The wolf growled and took a step towards her.

Alia took a step back and raised her knife. "I said stay back!"

The wolf took another step towards her and growled louder; its red eyes burned into hers.

Alia held her knife tighter and tried to stop herself from shaking. "I mean it! Stay back!"

The wolf took another step towards her, ready to jump.

She reacted fast by throwing her knife at it, but she didn't use magic for it; its speed was slow, and it missed the wolf. The wolf jumped towards her, but she jumped back.

She landed on the ground and quickly got up, but the wolf was already in front of her. She turned around to run, but it was too late.

The wolf was upon her, its sharp teeth inches from her face. It growled at her, its hot breath blowing against her cheeks.

Alia tried to push the wolf off her, but it was too heavy. She closed her eyes as she cried until she opened them after the wolf dropped on her. She was drenched in blood.

Her hand touched its head, and she realized the wolf was dead.

Alia quickly got up and ran towards the trees, where she collapsed and cried. She curled herself into a ball and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Are you okay?" Kenji asked as he appeared behind her.

Alia lifted her head and looked at him. "What?"

"Are you hurt?" Kenji asked again.

Alia shook her head and wiped her tears. "No, just sucks to be a failure."

Kenji sat next to her. "It was your first time."

"That doesn't matter. You don't understand."

Kenji sighed. "Maybe I don't, but you should be proud. Most people wouldn't have been able to even move after meeting a dire wolf for the first time."

"A monster hunter would."

"You're not a monster hunter."

Alia frowned. "I want to be."

Kenji shook his head. "We will see."

"What does that mean?"

"We will see if you still want to become one later. Let's go back," Kenji said.

Alia got up and walked behind Kenji.

***

Alf was holding Bob while looking at Naru.

"What do you want, boy?" Naru asked.

Alf moved closer to him and held Bob up. "Bob stinks. Can you clean him?"

Naru raised his eyebrows. "I'm not a maid, boy."

An older woman with wooden skin and gray — almost white — hair came over. She wore a simple dress and a necklace made from colorful stones.

"Be nicer to the boy, you old fool," she said. "What is your name, dear?"

"Alf."

"And what is this cute little thing?" she asked, pointing at Bob.

"Bob."

"He's a goblin," Naru said.

The woman's face twisted into a frown. "So what?"

"It's a monster," Naru said.

Alf's gaze fell to the dirty ground, and he bit his lip. "I know," he said, his voice barely a whisper.

The woman kneeled in front of Alf and took Bob from her arms. "What makes a monster?" she asked softly.

Alf shrugged.

"It's what's inside that matters," she continued. "The heart, not the body."

Alf looked up at her with a confused expression.

"All creatures have a soul, and all souls are equal. What they do with them is what determines who they are. A human can be evil, just like a goblin or a monster, but a goblin can also be good, just like a human. Do you understand?"

"Demons don't have souls," Naru interrupted.

The woman glared at Naru and continued, "There are exceptions to every rule, but most creatures have souls and are just like you and me, and this little fellow here."

Alf nodded. "I think I understand."

"Good," the woman said. "Now, let's clean your little friend."

"Bob," Alf corrected her.

The woman laughed. "Of course, let's clean your little friend, Bob."

She took Alf and Bob to a large tent, where she had a barrel of water, soap, and a cloth.

She gently cleaned Bob and dried him with a towel. "There, all better."

"Thank you," Alf said.

The woman smiled. "You're welcome, dear."

Alf picked Bob up and walked out of the tent.

"Bob is an unusual name for a girl," the woman said.

Alf looked at Bob. "What?"

The woman laughed. "Your friend is a girl."

Alf shook his head. "No, Bob is a boy."

"Sorry, dear, but I'm afraid she is not."

Alf looked at Bob and back at the woman. Monster girl? he thought. "Wow."

"Does it matter?"

"No, it doesn't. Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear," the woman said.

Alf walked out of the tent and walked to Naru. "Did you know Bob is a girl?"

Naru looked at Alf and Bob and shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's a monster."

"So, what?" Alf asked.

Naru didn't reply, but the woman threw a shoe at him; Naru caught it. "Why did you do that, old hag?"

"You're an old fool," the woman said. "You're holding on old ways, ancient ways, like they're your mother's breasts."

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Naru glared at her. "Maybe."

Alf left Naru and walked to a group of children. He sat down and played with them.

***

Alia walked beside Kenji. They finally arrived at the clearing where they left; the camp was ahead of them.

"I don't think one deer will be enough," Alia said.

"The hurt probably can't eat a lot," Kenji said. "And there aren't many that aren't hurt."

"That's true."

"Do you know any recipes that we could use the deer for?" Kenji asked. "Anything that would help people."

Alia nodded. "Yeah, how about a soup?"

"Soup? What kind of soup?"

"Well, it's a simple soup. You cut the vegetables and meat into small pieces, and then you put them in a pot with water and cook it until the vegetables are tender. The longer you cook it, the thicker the soup will be."

"That's interesting," Kenji said. "It seems like a good idea. Let's try it."

Alia smiled. "Okay."

Kenji and Alia walked toward the camp, where everyone was gathered around an enormous bonfire.

"Alf," Kenji called as he approached Alf.

"Hello!" Alf greeted them. "How did it go?"

"Fine," Kenji said.

Alia sighed. "Not fine."

"Really?"

"I couldn't hunt," Alia said; she walked past the group of children.

"Don't mind her," Kenji said. "We're going to make deer soup today."

"Really?" Alf asked excitedly; his smile got Bob, and she nodded her head in excitement too.

"Yeah," Kenji said. "Do you know any herbs around here that are used for flavor?"

"Yeah, I know a few," Alf said. "Follow me!"

Alf took Kenji and Bob to a small meadow where there were many herbs and flowers growing.

"Here," Alf said, pointing at a leafy green plant with small white flowers. "This is thyme. It has a strong flavor and can be used for seasoning meat or vegetables."

"You know so much, Alf," Kenji said. "What other herbs grow around here?"

Alf showed Kenji various herbs, including basil, sage, mint, parsley, rosemary, and dill.

"These will be perfect," Kenji said. "We just need some vegetables, too."

"I know where there are some!" Alf exclaimed.

Kenji followed Alf and Bob to a small garden near the camp. Alf showed Kenji a variety of vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, and garlic.

"These will work great," Kenji said. "Now we just need some water and a pot."

"Where do we get a pot from?" Alf asked.

The woman from before appeared behind them. "You can take my pot," she said. "But I want some soup."

Kenji looked at her with eyes wide open before around them. "You just walked up to us?"

"Yeah?" she said.

"Weird."

Alf looked at Kenji, confused, and the woman just shrugged. "Do you want my pot or not?"

Kenji nodded. "Yes, please. I'm—"

"Kenji." The woman smirked. "I'm Tera."

Kenji nodded and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Tera. How do you know my name?"

"The old fart told me," Tera said.

"Naru?"

"Yeah."

"You two are an interesting couple."

Tera smiled, turned around, and walked away.

***

Alia was sitting below a tree with her knees close to her chest. She looked at the people in the camp and wondered if they were ever happy.

"Why do you look like this, dear?" Tera asked as she sat beside Alia. Tera's body was wet and she had a pot in her hands which had a few drops of water on it.

Alia shrugged. "Why are you wet?"

Tera smiled. "I had to get a pot for the soup."

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'm curious," Tera said. "I haven't seen a face like that for a while."

"Like what?"

"Longing," Tera said. "Homesick."

Alia looked away.

"You miss home," Tera said.

"I don't have a home anymore," Alia replied. "The goblins took it away from me."

Tera nodded. "I see. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thanks," Alia said. "But it's not your fault."

"It's not yours, either."

Alia looked at Tera. "How do you know that?"

"Because you're a child," Tera said. "You're not responsible for what happened. Only the ones who did it."

"And Kenji still keeps that monster with him."

"It's a her," Tera said.

Alia frowned. "It's a monster, not a girl."

"She's a woman as much as you are."

Alia shook her head. "It's a monster."

"Don't be so harsh, dear," Tera said. "Not everyone is as bad as you think."

"Shut up."

"That's not nice of you to tell your elders that," Tera said.

Alia got up and walked away from Tera.

"You know, I let my family die too," Tera said. "Maybe I didn't see it, but I could have stopped it."

Alia stopped and looked back at Tera. "What did you say?"

"I let them die," Tera said; she held out her hand, her palm facing upwards, and orange light formed on it until it showed three girls, four boys, one man, and a woman. "I will never forget them and there's not a single going without thinking about them."

Alia watched the family with a sad expression. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Tera said. "It was a long time ago."

"What happened?"

"They died," Tera said. "That happens to everyone."

Alia shook her head. "Not like that. Not so soon."

"Sadly, it does," Tera said. "I try to live every day like it's my last."

Alia sat down next to Tera. "How do you do that?"

"By doing what makes me happy," Tera said.

"And what's that?"

Tera smiled. "Helping people."

"What do you mean?"

"I spent a lot of my life being selfish," Tera said. "I focused on myself and not others. A protector people called me, but I did it only for my benefit."

"It changed after your family died?"

"No, when my family died, I was a thief. I used my strength to steal from people."

"But you were a protector."

"No, that came years later. I learned the value of life when I met a man. He taught me how to be a better person, and I wanted to do the same thing for others."

Alia looked at Tera with admiration. "What happened to him?"

"He became an old fool," Tera said with a heavy laugh. "But I still love him."

"Where is he?"

Tera pointed towards the camp. "He does what he loves most, watch over people with his enormous toy."

"Toy?"

"His sword."

"Oh, the big old man," Alia said.

Tera laughed. "That's the one."

"He seems like someone who cares about people, but he's very annoying."

"These are his two strongest traits," Tera said with a smile.

Alia laughed. "So, how do you make every day your last?"

"You make every day worth living," Tera said. "Do something that makes you happy."

"Even if it's selfish or bad?"

"Even if it's selfish or bad," Tera said. "You deserve to be happy."

"I'm not sure I can anymore."

"Don't worry, dear. You're still young. There's plenty of time for you to find happiness."

Alia nodded. "Thanks."

Tera got up and hugged Alia. "We should go make the soup before the villagers get their pitchforks."

Alia laughed. "You're right."

The two of them went to the camp to join Kenji and Alf.

"I saw a garden," Alf said.

"Yes, we have a small vegetable garden," Tera said.

"We got some," Kenji said. "Hope that's not an issue."

Tera shook her head. "It's okay."

"Do you know any herbs that are used for soup?" Kenji asked.

Alia shook her head and put her palm on her forehead. "You're really know nothing about cooking."

Kenji smiled. "I was hoping to help people with monsters and they teach me recipes and how to cook."

"Oh, I see," Tera said. "It's an exchange. I like that."

Alia frowned. "That's a terrible idea."

"Why?" Kenji asked.

"You need money to survive."

"Well, people who can't teach me how to cook can just pay," Kenji said. "Or trade. It's not like I will starve."

Tera laughed. "You're funny."

Kenji grabbed the deer meat he cut out. "How do we make the soup?"

Alia sighed. "First, you need to fill the pot with water and put it on the fire. Then, you add the meat and vegetables."

Kenji nodded. "Sounds simple enough."

"Once the water boils, you add the herbs and seasoning," Alia said.

Kenji poured some water into the pot and added the meat and vegetables.

"I think we should have made a stew," Tera said. "With smaller chunks of meat and vegetables."

"It's fine," Kenji said. "As long as it helps people."

"It's good enough," Tera said. "You're right."

The four of them stood around the pot, watching it boil. After a few minutes, the water bubbled, and the vegetables softened.

They sat around the pot and talked until the soup was done; they called the villagers and brought some to the hurt.

Naru was still watching over everyone until Tera walked up to him with a bowl.

"Thank you for this," Naru said. "Hag."

Tera smiled and kissed his cheek. "I'm glad you like it. Fool."

Kenji and the others smiled and continued to eat.

Alia watched the people around her as she ate, and she thought about what Tera said. She might be right, Alia thought. Maybe I deserve to be happy, even if it's selfish.