I shoved the door open as I scraped my toe claws with each step. Two people were in the entryway, and they froze as they saw me. Galla, a cute little elf with light brown hair, scurried towards a wall to get out of my way.

After stopping, I took a deep breath and turned towards Galla. “I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m just in a bad mood.”

“The Captain warned us that you might be.” Even though Endalinne’s voice carried with it an air of authority, she was a newer recruit, just like me. She walked to stand between me and Galla. Her blond hair tied in a ponytail blocked my vision of Galla.

“One, I’m not going to hurt Galla. And two, she warned you?” My lips curled to reveal my sharp wolf teeth.

“Yes, she wanted me to stand here so that once you got in and take you to her.” Endalinne didn’t flinch. She was average height for a human, but that still required her to tilt her head back to stare at me. “Are you going to come quietly?”

“Lead the way.” I clenched my jaw and held back a growl. This had better be good.

Endalinne led me through the simple yet large building that had become the headquarters of The Maidens. As we walked to the top floor, everyone was in a hurry to get out of my way. Nobody said a word to me, and all conversations stopped once they could see me.

Endalinne stopped, stepped to the side of a simple wooden door, and waved towards it. “I’m sure she is ready for you.”

I don’t care if she isn’t. Nobody is talking on the other side of the door. It sounds like she is writing something. I shoved the door hard enough to hear something crack as it collided with the wall. A golden-haired elf sat behind a desk full of papers. Simple, essential furniture sat in the small office room. The two half bookcases that flanked the desk from behind were full of documents and extra papers. One of which was the oath I took when I accepted to join The Maidens. There was a pair of basic wooden chairs angled towards the desk that I ignored as I stormed towards the captain.

I slammed both halves of the paper onto the table. The table sounded like it gained a new crack. “Explain!”

Aenwyn sighed. “I have been very lenient with you, given your status, age, and nature. But you are still required to show some manners and salute a superior officer.” She opened her eyes and glared at me.

Growling, I stood straight, put my feet together, and folded my hands behind my back. “Happy?”

Aenwyn stood up. “No, but that is the best I'm going to get out of you right now, isn’t it?” I stared at her. “Watching your ability in combat over the last five years has been encouraging. You’re one of the best I have seen in all of my long years, but your lack of discipline is also the worst I have seen.” She walked around to the other side of her desk. “You’re clearly not ready for this, but I don’t have a choice. You’ve fostered quite the reputation in and out of town.” She waved to the door. “Follow me.”

I stared down at my captain as I took a few steps towards the door. “Are you going to cut to the chase?”

“You’re still young and impatient. If there is anything I have learned over the last hundred and twenty years, it’s that being impatient will not only get yourself killed but others as well.“ I guess it is a good thing I work alone, isn’t it? The elven captain closed the door as she followed me out. “I heard about what happened and that you caused trouble again.”

“He started it,” I grumbled. “People in town have finally learned to leave me alone. Why can’t people who are visiting Aquittemia learn?”

Aenwyn gave me a sidelong glance.“You’re expecting the whole world to cater to your needs?” She’s right. I slumped my shoulders and ears as I walked next to Aenwyn. “You’ve been doing better. At least ever since the incident with the Crimson Tide. And since they’ve been transferred to guard Bronston, Dalettoma, and Alelry for some reason, I doubt you’ll ever see them again.”

I groaned. “How many times do I have to say it? I didn’t swallow his hand. I just don’t know where it went after I spat it out.”

The elf captain rolled her eyes. “I know. Look, they’ve been gone the better part of a year now. Since then, you’ve gotten your wish, people are leaving you alone.” Her dropped. “Mostly out of fear, not acceptance.”

“I tried the acceptance route.” I threw my arms out wide. “And look how that turned out. No, that’ll never happen no matter what I do. People are stupid and panicky. And with people like those from the Crimson Tide, I’ll never be seen as equal.” I flexed my claws, resisting the urge to drag them across the wall. “Those rasists spent so much of their time in a drunken stupor saying how I was nothing more than a public menace. It wasn’t me who started anything, but I always finished it.”

Aenwyn placed a hand on my chest to stop me. I let her. “This isn’t about who’s to blame. It’s about how you choose to react that the issue. Nobody tells you, you have to answer bigotry and hatred with violence.”

I curled my toe claws and dug eight groves into the floor as I grabbed Aenwyn’s hand. “I don’t care! When laws and rules are flawed and allow someone to get away with such cruelty, someone has to take a stand. I just happen to be good at violence.” I threw my captain’s hand back at her before stomping downt the hall.

“Waterfalls.”

I paused mid stride and took a deep breath. “Sorry. It’s just so frustrating always being treated like I’m less than what I am.” I turned back to my captain. “Its just so easy to be angry, and it feels good to see the people fear me. I don’t have your patience to wait for change to happen. I won’t live as long as you. If I want things to change, I have to make them change.”

She gave me an sad smile. “You’re right, if you want change, you need to make it happen.” See I was right! She held up a hand. “But it’s how you bring about that change also matters. I know it is hard, but you have to remember that the rest of the world has its share of problems too. Soon you'll have to accommodate other people’s needs before your own. Especially once you have kids.”

I waved my arms. “Hold on, let’s not jump to me having kids yet.”

The elf curled her lips. “You told me what is going to happen to you during the water season. We’ve made arrangements for you to stay home and deal with it, but one day you'll find someone you love and have kids. It sounds like your nature will guarantee it.“ Easy for you to say. “But we are getting off track.” She resumed leading me through the building. “You have an assignment. One only you can do, apparently.”

I flicked my ear towards the captain. “I find that hard to believe. The only thing I can do is hurt or kill things. I know other people can do that too.”

Aenwyn stopped in front of a door to one of the guest rooms. “There is more to you than that. I hope one day you can see that.“ The frown on her face was almost painful to see. “A group of knights from another company requires a guide through the woods.”

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I nodded. “But why me? There are other hunters and trappers who know the woods well enough.”

“They tell me that none of them will take them where they need to travel. Apparently, everyone says that they need your permission to travel through that section of the forest.“ Oh! There’s only one reason for that. And they had better have a good reason too. I flexed my claws and coated them in ice to make them larger, but still just as sharp. “Waterfalls,” Aenwyn said as she pointed to my claws.

I lifted them and shrugged, dispelling the magic. The ice shattered and fell to the ground as a fine dust that quickly melted. “Why do they need to go through my territory?”

“I’ll let you ask them. They’re right inside this door.“ My captain motioned to the door we were standing next to. I focused on my ears to try to listen in on any conversations, but I didn’t hear any. Either they are using magic or not talking.

“Fine, I will at least hear them out,” I said right before I walked into the room.

The guest rooms weren’t heavily furnished since they were just waiting rooms for people who had business with specific knights. Four people occupied the chairs in the room, while two people stood next to them. On a side wall, there was a small table with a jug of wine and a pitcher of water, surrounded by several small cups. I froze as I stared at the collection of people who were waiting for me. The first person to look in my direction was a dragoon, who stood behind one of the chairs.

His golden eyes focused on me as he nearly flinched away. Blue scales shimmered in the sunlight from the window where they weren’t covered by his brigandine armor. The cloth covering the plates was a dull maroon and looked freshly crafted. Wearing armor in the middle of the day? What is wrong with him? My blood almost boiled when I looked at his face more closely. Isn’t Phan dead? He has been dead for ten years. Is this his kid or something? He looks just like him. He stood taller than everyone but me, and he was about three inches shorter than me. I’ve grown accustomed to being taller than everyone since I grew to seventy-nine inches at the beginning of this year.

The elf sitting in front of him was a skinny woman. She sat there shivering. She wouldn’t be so cold if she didn’t shave her head. Her snow-white skin was in direct contrast to the loose-fitting black robes with a fur inner lining. She tilted her head to the side as she looked at me with her gray eyes. The confused look only made her cute face look even cuter.

“She’s hot!” A human that was standing next to the window stared at me with his mouth wide open. He was tall, but a little shorter than the dragoon, yet just as bulky. His skin carried a light tan like he had spent many days in the sun. He wore very thick silks that swayed as he walked. His footsteps were heavy, and each time his boot struck the ground, the sound nearly echoed in the small room. I leaned back as he stopped just out of my reach. His blue eyes stared at me with fascination. “Will you marry me?” He dropped to a knee and extended a hand towards me.

That’s a new one. Yeah, I don’t like it.

I slowly turned my head towards Aenwyn, who was holding her breath. “Can I kill him?” I pointed to the auburn-haired idiot.

“Eh?” The human tilted to the side as he lost his balance and caught himself from falling to the ground.

“No, no, no.” Aenwyn’s eyes exploded as she rushed to stand between me and the fool. “No killing. He didn’t mean it.”

I stared at the man as his face slowly lost its color. “That is a terrible joke.” I gently moved Aenwyn to the side. “What is wrong with you? You know nothing about me and I’m guessing I’m the first beastkin you have ever met.” I leaned forward and growled at the human. “Why did you ever believe that marrying me was even possible?”

“I...” The human fell backwards onto his butt and slowly scurried away from me.

“Daric often does strange things.” I turned to look at the other male human who was taking a few steps towards me. The human male who came to the defense of the fool spoke with a voice higher than I expected a man to have. Curly red hair bounced with each step. He was the shortest of the men in the group, being just barely taller than the tallest woman. He wore silks just like the other human male, but his were darker colored than the one on the ground. “Don’t worry, he’s mostly harmless, just don’t be too hard on him.”

And people call me immature. “Whatever.” I left the sniveling man on the ground. “So, you wanted my attention. Now you got it.” I flicked my tail back and forth.

A second elf woman with very long brown hair cleared her throat as she sat in a chair. “We have been all over town looking for a guide through the forest to the northeast. Everyone said that they would not step foot in that part of the forest. When we asked why, they all mentioned the name, Lucia. I take it you are Lucia.” Her voice was crystal clear while still being a bit playful.

“Is that a problem?” I glared at the woman. Her skin, eyes, and hair were all the same color, and her face held many sharp angles.

She shook her head. “No, I just never expected to see the famous beastkin of Aquittimia in the flesh. But since we know your name, let us share ours.” The elven woman stood up and raised her left hand in salute towards me. She is also a knight, and not a captain. “My name is Penny.” She pointed at the other elven woman with the shaved head.

The elf woman stood up so quickly that she hopped off the ground for a moment. “Dinar. Just Dinar.” Despite her enthusiasm, her voice didn’t travel much. She repeated the salute Penny gave me.

“Silverlipankeltan. You may call me Silver, ” The dragoon said as he raised his hand. I understand my name is quite difficult for many. How many of them are knights? Wait, she said this was another company. They’re all knights.

“My name is Mark.” The man who defended the fool gave a flawless salute. He is not in charge?

I looked at the last woman with long blond hair in a braid, fidgeting with the tip as she avoided eye contact. She stood the furthest from the door. “Golditress.” Her salute was barely acceptable by the standards Aenwyn drilled into me for an entire week and a half.

“I call her Goldy for short.” The fool finally had the courage to stand in my presence. “I’m Daric, the leader of our adventuring party.” He waved his arm towards the others. His smile spread across his face as he turned towards me.

I crossed my arms and tapped my toe claws. “Don’t you mean knight company? And you are in charge? That sounds disastrous. I would rather it be the human girl in the corner playing with her hair.” I waved a hand lazily towards the one I mentioned.

Daric deflated. “But I’m the hero.”

Hero? Something doesn’t feel right. Whatever. Business first. “Where are you going after you clear the forest? What is your mission? How long is this going to take?” I need to know what his goal is.

“I ah...” Daric turned towards Penny.

I rolled my eyes. “Leader, right.”

Penny rolled her eyes too. “We’re researching the blood anchors. We are working with someone who has been studying them for the last five years since the one was created at the tournament during the prince’s birthday festival.” I winced. That was not a happy day. “We’ve heard of a rumor about another one and we are going to investigate.”

Mark squinted as he stared at me. “Were you at the tournament?”

I lowered my head and ears as I looked at the ground. “Yeah. I would rather not talk about it.“ The vision of Evalana’s severed arm flashed through my memory. I shook my head. “So, you need me to guide you through my territory, and then what? Do I wait for you to return, or do you find your way back on your own?”

Daric looked like he was going to start talking. Silver placed a hand on Daric’s shoulder and pulled him back. “Don’t. Can’t you see she doesn’t like you? Allow me.“ The dragoon straightened up and performed a shallow bow. “We understand that this is going to be a long mission and we could be away for the entire season. Since we plan on packing light, we need someone who can help us live off the land. That is the prominent reason we are searching for a hunter.”

I growled as I turned to give Aenwyn a glare. “I really hate you right now.”

“Why?” Dinar’s voice barely reached me.

“Today was the day I was supposed to leave and go on a vacation with my mom. I’m guessing I have to go with them, don’t I?” I continued to stare down at my captain. “You haven’t left, so I guess you were here just to make sure I didn’t hurt anyone. Am I right?”

“Yes, on both accounts.” Aenwyn returned my glare.

“Fine” I turned to glare at the group. “But first we need to go over some ground rules.”