The silver leopard had waited for almost half an hour. It was almost noon. The streets were bustling with people. The town was more lively and energetic than in the early morning. Though the sun grew hotter, a cool breeze blew lightly.

The leopard guy glared at the door he was leaning close to. He was losing his patience.

His hands tightened into fists as he raised his left hand to knock. But before his hand could touch the door, it flew open.

Nyx walked out and turned to him. He looked angry, but Nyx ignored his glare and handed him a small leather pouch.

"Here." She said sluggishly.

He stared at the pouch in his hand and slightly opened it. There were silver coins inside. The guy hummed.

"Thanks for the help kid."

"Mmmh." He lightly nodded then turned and walked away with the pouch in his hand.

"Oh.... I'll have to tell you..."

The leopard spoke as he walked away.

"The forests are shifting....."

"Huh?"

Her brows furrowed for a moment. What did he mean by that? She entered the house and closed the door. She didn't have time for him, she still had to make breakfast.

Inside the house, Nyx was downstairs baking in the kitchen. The aroma was sweet and could be perceived all over the house.

Alya, who had been asleep, woke up in an instant. She abruptly sat up on the bed and looked around, but she saw no one. She smelt something delicious coming from downstairs. Unknowingly, her stomach rumbled.

'Food.'

She had been sleeping for almost two hours, and her stomach couldn't take it anymore. With only food on her mind, she ran to the door and opened it. The scent became stronger.

"Smells like bread."

The corner of her lips quirked up as she closed the door behind her and ran downstairs as fast as lightning.

She quickly followed the scent and found herself in a place that seemed to be the kitchen. There weren't any electrical appliances like a toaster or a blender, but there was an oven and a stove, though it didn't look anything like the ones she had seen before.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

She spotted Nyx slowly cutting some onions on a wooden table in the middle of the kitchen. Her eyes were red, owing to the strong stench of the open onion. It looked as though she was about to cry.

Alya was getting impatient. How much slower could she be? She silently tapped her fingers on the other side of the wall. She held her tongue from saying anything, it wasn't her home after all.

Nyx looked up from her work and found Alya at the entrance. Her eyes were completely red, the onion's scent really stung.

"What's with that frown?" Nyx lazily pointed the knife she was holding at her with a glare, but her eyes only stung the more. She let out a harsh breath.

"What frown?"

"Is my junior really this heartless? I'm in pain because I'm cooking for you. As the junior, you should assist your senior." she grumbled.

Alya's eyes narrowed.

"I'm a guest, aren't I? And you're the one who volunteered to cook."

Nyx huffed.

"Also, you're slow, I'm perishing here."

She walked to where Nyx was and snatched the knife she was holding, then held it straight at her face, waving it vigorously.

"Go do the other stuff!"

"Don't point knives at people, it's rude.." Nyx cooed as she tapped the tip of the knife Alya was holding.

"You did the exact same thing to me!"

Nyx looked surprised.

"Did I? When?"

Alya's scoffed at her act. She lowered the knife and went straight to cutting.

"I'll go get the bread out of the oven.."

...

"Fresh out of the oven!"

Alya gazed at the bread with pure joy. Her mouth watered at the sight. The bread was brown and looked so soft like it could melt in her mouth. To her, warm bread was the best kind of bread.

Nyx took a quick glance at Alya's predator-like eyes, and instantly carried the bread far away from her.

"We can eat after we're done."

Alya quickly came back to her senses and continued to chop the onions and other vegetables, while Nyx made the broth.

In less than an hour, breakfast was ready, to be more specific, early lunch. Nyx set the food on the table while Alya helped clean up. As soon as they were done, they dug in.

In less than ten minutes, Alya was already done.

"Done!"

Nyx was speechless, Alya's plate was much bigger than hers. And when she meant big, she meant it. Her own bowl of soup was still half full, but Alya managed to eat both the bread and her soup in a short time. She stared at Alya, dumbstruck.

"You must've been really hungry."

Alya looked away with red cheeks. She felt as though she had eaten like an animal, though Nyx didn't think that way at all.

"I don't remember having a meal like this."

The corner of Nyx's lips lowered. She must've had it rough in her past. She stared at Alya, her eyes shone with concern.

"Don't worry about it, eat as much as you want, I don't judge. If you need more, I could give you some of mine, if you want."

Alya quickly shook her head and jerked up to her feet.

"No need, I'm already full. We still have to save the rest for later, right?"

Nyx frowned.

"Okay, but if you're hungry again, take some."

"Thanks."

Alya smiled and took her empty dishes to the kitchen, leaving a concerned cat beastkin at the table.

Feeling tired and full, she went back upstairs to her new room and sat on the bed. She stared out the window and sighed deeply.

She gazed at the people below, who looked just like her. A whole new scene was right in front of her, completely different from what she was used to. She looked up at the sky, the sun was so bright, and there were no clouds in the sky. If she was dreaming, it was indeed a nice one.

She smiled to herself and lay on the bed. She stared at the white ceiling and thought of what was going to happen next, what her future would hold. She was somewhat excited but scared at the same time.

Minutes later, she grew exhausted. Her eyelids grew heavy, till it finally closed.