°Didn't you want to close this whole adventure to your satisfaction?° The human asked.

°I did not expect you just to accept getting thrown out with minimal protest.°

°It's not like you complained. You know how those "adult" Ice-kin are.° Mor sighed.

°Yeah. They are stubborn as fuck, and pressuring or threatening wouldn't work. We might be able to punt the Snow chief across the room in a surprise attack, but we can't fight the whole city. So what's the plan?° The human stated.

°The plan?° Mor asked innocently.

°Don't play with me. I know you haven't given up like that.° The human said flatly, and then a revelation occurred.

°OH! You're going with plan D.°

°Plan D?° Mor asked, confused.

°Getting Dino to fix your problems.°

°Dino is not going to fix a problem. It's a curiosity I want answered. Asking Elly might get results, but not if she promised to keep quiet. Still, Mother talked to the chief, so I will ask her instead.° Mor stated.

°True enough. However, you still will need to talk to Dino.° The human demanded.

°Why?° Mor asked, more like trying to seem clueless than being it.

However, the human's drawn-out silence gave him all the answers to how it had worked, namely, absolutely not at all.

°Anyway. Don't you think it strange that it was your mother talking to the chief alone? Where was the Soul-kin representative? Meaning Dino, or your father for that matter?° The human asked, giving Mor pause.

°You're right. However, it is my mother we're talking about. So Dino was probably letting her run loose to evade a rampage by containing her. Meaning she just pestered the chief about my whereabouts. More so with the whole commotion.° Mor guessed.

°Do you really think that? Isn't that a bit careless, even for someone like Dino?° The human asked, and Mor had to agree.

Mor would get the answer to that question when he left the house and returned to his mother, who instantly berated him for running off. However, Mor quickly calmed her down and interrupted the tirade with the question of what was going on.

"I don't know," Sophie answered, the inquiry, and Mor looked at her in confusion.

"But the commotion! And you talked to the chief!" Mor asked, exasperated.

"Yes! Dino wouldn't tell me anything before running off, so I was very worried about you. Everyone in the city noticed that hunters returned hurt or not at all." Sophie pouted.

"What do you mean, with Dino ran off?" Mor asked with a sigh.

"Really, Mor?" Sophie asked. "Do you think Dino has the time just to sit around and wait until you return? He went back home a while ago, just about a week after you left."

"Right," Mor said. "Makes sense. However, for me, it's quite unfortunate."

"Well, don't think about that idiot. His loss. Even Tia bailed." Sophie lamented.

"I see," Mor said. "Thank you for staying."

His bright smile got him another tight hug from his mother, her happiness quite obvious.

"However, I still need to ask Dino a favor and want to know what happened here. Therefore, I will need to talk to him, " Mor said, and Sophie nodded.

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"Can you hold off until we're back home?" She asked, but Mor shook his head.

"No. Maybe, for the question of what was going on here, but not for the favor." He stated.

"Then best get it over with. Your magic does work again, right?" Sophie relented.

"I hope so," Mor confessed, then took a deep breath and concentrated, the connection successfully forming.

"Dino?" He asked.

"Mor? I see your connection is restored, and the spell is working again. However, I don't have much time, so what can I do for you?" A busy sounding Dino stated.

"Then I will get right to the point." Mor acknowledged. "Do you know what's happening in the Ice-kin city?"

There was a long pause, and then Dino's confused voice returned. "What do you mean?"

"If you don't want to tell us, please say so," Mor stated.

"Yeah, we're not dumb." The human added.

"I honestly have no idea what you are talking about." He said.

"Strange, Mother said you spoke with the chiefs but didn't tell her anything," Mor said.

"I did not. I know I shouldn't brag, but this failing is also a personal strength. I'm able to trust my friends and share my concerns," Dino said. "However, this explains why Sophie was so annoyed at me the last time we talked."

"The Ice-kin would not tell me anything else, so I had hoped you knew something. But if not you, who talked to the chiefs?" Mor asked.

"That's what I want to know. Someone walking around with my face can only be illusion magic. Also, in a potency that can only be found in Soul-kin. I'll need to investigate that." Dino mused.

"Did I tell you that magic is bullshit?" The human asked.

"Yes." Both answered.

"Well, it is a mystery for another time. Was that all you needed from me?" Dino said.

"Not exactly," Mor said, unsure how to go about it.

"Mor wants to use his favor." The human blurted out.

"Oh? You decided?" Dino asked.

"More like got my decision made for me," Mor grumbled.

"You can't help it. You have been adopted." The human stated.

"What does adopted mean?" Dino asked.

"Well." Mor started.

"We found a friend, and it adopted us." The human said proudly.

"Could you please shut up for a second? You're making it worse." Mor growled.

"Then stop beating around the bush! I feel bad for Fix." The human grumbled.

"We are not calling it Fix." Mor protested.

"Mor? What are you two talking about?" Dino asked with a stern voice.

"You're aware of those mutated monstrosities." Mor started.

"Yes?" Dino answered in a careful voice.

"We found a non-hostile one," Mor said.

"No! Not a chance. That's impossible!" Dino shouted.

"You didn't even listen!" The human complained.

"You are not keeping a monstrosity! Those things are dangerous! They kill kin." Dino stated.

"It doesn't, " the human protested. It's just a cute little vampire illusion fox!"

"What is a vampire and fox?" Dino asked.

"A fox is a little critter, and I call it a vampire because it drinks a bit of blood," the human proudly said.

"Idiot." Mor sighed.

"See! It drinks blood! So it is dangerous!" Dino growled.

"It doesn't kill someone. It hides with its illusions and just nibbles a bit." The human defended the critter.

"No," Dino stated.

"Come on!" The human said.

"Dino," Mor stated. I know what you're feeling. I did so, too, but Mirage is intelligent, cute, and harmless. At first, I was also scared, but the human convinced me otherwise. It's just something we never explored further. The monstrosities are changing, and that means we have to adapt."

"But it's a monstrosity. They are evil." Dino said.

"I know, just as much as every Ice-kin is a mindless barbarian, and the Soul-kin are useless without magic." Mor countered.

"You have another view on things, " Dino said, defeated.

"I understand and will grant your wish. However, if that monstrosity hurts someone, it's dead, and you will answer for that. Don't let me regret putting so much trust in you." Dino decided.

"Those terms are acceptable," Mor stated.

"Yeah!" The human added.

The connection was severed, and Mor got thoughtful.

°Who was that Dino impostor, and what did he want?° He asked.

°I don't know. However, that is not important right now. First, we also have to tell your mother about Mirage. And I must admit that name is far better than Fix.° The human stated, just as Mor felt something fluffy brush by his legs. Something small and quite invisible.

°Do you think Mirage can hear us?° The human asked when Mor reacted to the touch.

°Who knows.° Mor answered with a shrug.