The sun had just begun its descent when Nox and Mae returned to the foxian village, this time in the company of a small group of orcs. Lady Kiyo was happy to see her lordship and Mae safe, but she had a change of emotions when she saw the orcs.

“Lots of tails compared to the others. You must be in charge of the foxes,” Orbul guessed correctly.

Lady Kiyo gave Orbul a stern glance. She had asked for the orcs' help, but she still felt deeply uncomfortable around them.

“By the clothes and weapons you're wearing, I can tell that you must be their chief,” Lady Kiyo replied, mimicking Orbul's tone of voice.

Orbul smirked in response. “I’m glad you realize. By the way, aren't foxians capable of advanced magic? Why did they lose to some puny humans?”

Her eyes narrowed as she clenched her fists tightly. “Tsk. You-”

“Alright calm down, Both of you have something to gain from the agreement you made. Let’s leave it at that,” Nox interjected, trying to calm down the two villager leaders.

Lady Kiyo was still furious with the orc chief. “You’re lucky His Lordship is here, otherwise I'd have burned you to ashes!”

“I’d like to see you try,” Orbul taunted her as he laughed.

Seeing neither one was backing down, Nox shouted “Enough!”.

Nox’s shout startled them, and they immediately lowered their heads in apology. He folded his arms and spoke sternly, “How can we win against them if we’re fighting amongst ourselves? I expect better from you both.”

Orbul and Lady Kiyo glanced at each other, realizing they had made a mistake and angered their Lord.

Nox inhaled deeply and then released a long sigh as he uncrossed his arms. “Lady Kiyo, please make dinner for us and the orcs.”

“At once, My Lord.” She waved her hand at the foxians, Mae included, instructing them to begin preparations for an extensive meal to accommodate their orc guests.

“...and Orbul,” Nox continued, “patrol the village and see if there are any humans around. It's possible they sent spies to plan another attack.”

Orbul nodded. He distributed the orcs into smaller teams to search each side of the village before he also began scouting the area nearby.

As the stars emerged in the night sky, the orcs had finished their patrol and the foxians had cooked up dinner. Since there were too many people, they sat on the ground and ate together, encircling a bonfire that lit up brightly. The orcs were enjoying the food but the foxians felt nervous. They were afraid that the orcs would do something to them, but both Lady Kiyo and Mae convinced them otherwise.

After dinner was over, the orcs began their night duty in shifts. Nox, Lady Kiyo, and Orbul discussed their plans while Mae fell asleep from exhaustion. Lady Kiyo and Orbul reiterated their goals of this agreement.

“So the orcs want the spoils of war? Well, we don't have any use for it anyway. As for the female humans…” she looked at Orbul, who had an impish smirk on his face. “Do what you will with them, I couldn't care less. All I ask is some time to extract information from them before handing them over.”

“Sure thing," Orbul responded. "As long as you give them to us after.”

As the discussion finished, Nox was content they had come to an agreement. Orbul left for his night shift as Lady Kiyo returned to her hut. Nox found himself alone, so he took up the chance to observe the village during the night. The foxians were all inside their homes, some had lights on while others remained dark in slumber.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

He looked up at the starry sky. “I wish she was here to share this beautiful sight with me,” Nox thought to himself sadly. He then decided to take a stroll around the village, admiring the peaceful atmosphere that differed greatly from the night before.

Nox almost came back from a full circle when suddenly he heard a soft cry and whisper. He decided to move toward the sound and investigate. He soon came upon a hut, one that he recognized from earlier that morning. “Isn't this the one I got out of this morning? Does that mean It was Lady Kiyo who was crying?” thought Nox.

The voice became clearer as he got closer. Her sobbing got louder as she spoke, each word burdened with guilt. “I’m sorry… I wasn't able to protect all of you from the humans.” Her voice cracked as she blamed herself for her inability to keep them safe.

Nox went inside the hut to see Lady Kiyo, who was curled up in a ball with her tails wrapped around her body and tears streaming down her face.

“Lady Kiyo, are you okay?” Nox asked, worry evident in his voice.

She was startled as she whirled around, her Lord looking at her with deep concern. She brushed away her tears and said, “My Lord, I didn't notice you were here.”

“Is there a problem? You were just crying now, weren't you? And you were blaming yourself too.”

“N-no! That was…” she frowned as Her Lord’s face had a worrying look. “I apologize for showing you such weakness,” she said in a small voice.

Nox came closer and wiped away the lingering wetness on her cheeks. “Tell me, what’s troubling you?”

“I-I…” she stammered, struggling to find her voice as the human memories kept coming back to her, reminding her of the tragic fate of her kin. Her tears started flowing again which made her instinctively hold Nox closely, with all nine of her tails embracing them both together.

Nox was taken aback, the usually composed nine-tailed fox had shown an entirely different side of herself. He chose to comfort her and ran his fingers through her fur like he did with Mae the other night.

Once she had calmed down, Lady Kiyo apologized to Nox. “I’m deeply sorry for showing you this behavior, My Lord.”

She then proceeded to explain how she had interrogated the humans when he and Mae were at the orc’s village. She conveyed the memories of foxians being forced into prostitution by those same people, as well as informing Nox about the human who had made a contract with her.

“So you’re saying we have an insider?”

Lady Kiyo nodded in response. “Correct, My Lord. I will check up on him often to catch up on any news about the humans. If necessary, I can temporarily take control of him - though it is quite taxing."

"Well done," Nox said, patting her head. "It's going to be a long journey, but I will bring back all of the kidnapped foxians."

“Thank you, My Lord. I am indebted to you for eternity."

“Now get some sleep, leave the night to me and the orcs,” said Nox as he walked to the door leading outside. When he glanced back before closing the door quietly so as not to wake her up, he saw that Lady Kiyo was already fast asleep.

Due to his lack of sleepiness, Nox chose to join the orcs on their night shift, making sure no danger came close to the village. He followed Orbul as they patrolled, and then remembered what Lady Kiyo told him about the humans living in a camp near the border.

“Orbul, I’m going to check something out, keep patrolling near here,” Nox said, as he rushed deeper into the woods. Orbul who was a bit confused, nodded and continued on his patrol.

Nox dashed straight ahead, searching for hints that would lead him to the human camp. He then recalled the carriage and its cargo of foxians. This gave him an idea: the carriage should leave traces that he could follow. Taking to the air, Nox sought out this trail.

Soon enough, he spotted it from above--although some segments had been obscured by dirt and fallen leaves. He followed the trail on foot until he heard voices and spotted flickering lights in the distance. Being careful not to draw attention to himself, Nox cautiously approached the area.

Not long after, he found it. It was still visible although some trails were covered in dirt and fallen leaves. He followed the trail until he could hear voices and saw several dim lights, not too far away. Nox proceeded with caution, not wanting to alert the camp. His eyes widened as he hit the jackpot. It was indeed a human camp. Some people were talking around an open flame while others lay asleep. There were many tents spread out here but there weren't any walls or barricades, only guards positioned on certain points.

“Was the one they sent only a scouting party?” Nox asked himself.

Once he had observed the camp from a safe distance for a while, Nox flew away from the humans and returned promptly to the foxian village. As he descended near the bonfire, he noticed Orbul taking a break.

“I located the humans' campsite."