The inside of the Chief's house was fancy. At least, fancy for what I had seen. It was still pretty bland by my tastes, but the wooden floors were clean and shone with a relatively new coat of lacquer. I took in everything; the old furniture, the fraying rugs, the ring stained coffee table, and I was overwhelmed by the feeling of love.

"Excuse me, Chief?" I called out, pushing the feelings of love and familiarity from my mind. "May Rosie come in?" The wolf had been patiently waiting on the porch, tail wagging.

"Of course she may." Kiltont responded. "I will see if Marin has any steak for her."

"Thank you, but I can handle her food."

"You can?" he asked as we entered the kitchen.

"Yes." I said, following after him, and my mouth fell open. The person in the kitchen was a bird, but a person. She had feathers instead of hair and wings instead of arms. Her hands were still hands and they chopped carrots with surprising accuracy. When she looked up at us, her bright orange eyes went wide with shock. She squawked and whirled away from me, hiding her face. There was a poof of feathers, and a normal human woman turned back to face me.

"Dear husband," she asked with barely contained anger. "why didn't you warn me we were having company?"

"It was a last minute decision, love." Kiltont said, walking up to his wife and giving her a hug. "Will you forgive me?" They continued their conversation in hushed tones and I stood there awkwardly. Finally, the two separated and looked back at me. "Tal, this is my wife, Marin. Marin, Tal."

"It's nice to meet you, Madam." I said, bowing to her. "Thank you for having us." Marin's brow furrowed.

"Us?" she asked, confused. Just then, Rosie walked into the kitchen, sniffing at the air. Marin squee'd and I swore her amber eyes turned into hearts. She raced forward and knelt in front of Rosie, holding her hand out for he wolf to sniff.

"You're so pretty!" Marin gasped as Rosie licked her hand. She laughed and pet the wolf gently. "And smooth, too! I've never seen a dog like you." Rosie sat and held her head high, leaning into the woman's pets. She growled half-heartedly, her eyes closed and a smile on her face.

"Love, Lady Rosie here is a Cave Wolf, not a dog." Marin's hand froze, and she turned her head slowly to look at her husband.

"I'm sorry, I thought you just said Cave Wolf." she said. Her face retained its joyous smile, though her voice was shot through with fear.

"I did. Rosie is a Cave Wolf through and through. Probably the same one that battled the Stegin we found this morning, if Tal is to be believed."

"What's a Stegin?" I asked.

"A large herbivore with plates extending from its back and two sets of spikes on its tail. It is powerful, but not very smart, with a small head compared to the size of its body." I frowned. Something about that sounded familiar. I could have sworn that I've seen a creature like that somewhere before.

"Do you still have the body?" I asked. Kiltont tilted his head in confusion.

"We do. It takes a while to process something that big."

"May I see it in the morning?"

"I don't see why not." he replied. "Marin, your stew is burning." Marin swore and dashed for the stove, grabbing a ladle and stirring the pot. "Come, Tal. Help me set the table." I nodded and followed the Chief into the dinning room. It was big, with a large wooden table in the middle and a small table to the side that held a few bottles of liquor, but that was it. It was nice, but basic.

"Supper is almost ready. I used all the meat in the stew so I don't have anything for the pretty Lady." Marin called from the kitchen.

"That's fine. I can handle it. Are we close to eating?" Kiltont came around the corner, holding two bowls of steaming stew.

"Indeed!" he said, a massive grin on his face. Marin followed close behind him holding two more bowls and a plate full of bread. The three of us sat at the table and Rosie sat next to me. Marin placed a bowl in front of me and another in front of Rosie.

"I know you said you'd handle food for her, but we have extra so..." the woman stared at the wolf with pure love and sighed deeply. She walked to the other side of the table and sat next to her husband.

"Thank you for having us." I said, bowing my head to the two. I picked up my spoon and took a bite. The deep, hearty flavor of beef filled my mouth followed by the punch of an onion. The carrots offered a slight resistance and even more flavor, and the meat itself fell apart in my mouth. The broth held a hint of pepper and herbs, and far too soon the stew was gone. I looked up at Marin, a huge smile on my face.

"That was terrific." I sighed. Rosie barked her agreement and the woman smiled.

"Thank you. I made it with the chuck from the Stegin you were talking about." Wood rattled against wood as Rosie licked her bowl clean and I chuckled.

"May we have seconds, Mrs. Marin?" I asked. She nodded.

"Of course. Eat your fill, both of you." I smiled at her.

"Thank you. You are too kind." After we had finished eating and the table had been cleared, Kiltont pulled me aside.

"May I speak with you? Alone?" he asked.

"Suuure." I replied hesitantly. "What's up?" Kiltont handed me a mug of some kind of amber liquid with white foam and gestured for me to follow him. I did, and Rosie rose from her place in front of the fire. "Stay, Rosie." I said, holding my hand out. She whined, but didn't move. "Good girl." Kiltont scoffed, shaking his head as I slipped by him and out the front door.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"I am amazed that she listens to you." he said, leaning against the railing. I followed suit. The night was warm, but I could feel the temperature dropping. It would be cold tonight.

"She's always been that way, as far as I know. I just met her this morning." Kiltont choked on his drink. He coughed and spluttered a bit, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth.

"You're kidding? This morning?"

"Yes. I found her by the river when I stopped for water. She was injured, so I approached slowly and found this huge spike sticking out of her paw." I reached into the pouch and pulled out the spike, holding it up for Kiltont to see. He took it from me gently, like even touching it would hurt him. I guess it would. I mean, it hurt me when I touched it. "I bandaged her wound then gave her some steak, and we rested for a minute. Then we got up, and we could talk. Well, not talk, but we can communicate." Kiltont laughed aloud, taking another sip of his drink and handing me back the spike. I returned it to the pouch.

"Of course you did. You make it sound so simple. If any one of us had tried what you did, 'Rosie' would have slaughtered us without a second thought. The Terrors you outran should have killed you twice over before you even made it to the walls. That crash broke your neck, and yet you were up walking and talking in just a few minutes." I went silent, staring out over the strange city. The Chief's house was on a slight rise and over looked the rest of the village. Smoke rose from most of the chimneys and lamps were ignited. I could hear the sounds of joy and revelry coming from somewhere out in the night. I looked at the amber fluid in the wooden mug. An image of me looking out over the crystal empire and my favorite tea cup in hand flashed in my mind, and tears welled. I took a sip of the drink and furrowed my brow in disgust, the thoughts of home rudely thrust from my mind.

"Ugh, that's awful." Kiltont laughed again, loud and boisterous. I looked over at him and was, again, struck by feelings of home. He looked so much like Father; kind, strong, intense, but he had a softness to him as well. Their smiles were the same, full of kindness and joy. The thoughts of love and comfort were overshadowed by his face looking down at me with knife raised high, and I was swarmed by betrayal and sorrow.

"You'll grow to love it." Kiltont was saying. He paused and looked at me. "Are you alright, Tal?" I turned away from him, sniffing and rubbing my eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing."

"Hmm." Kiltont took a breath, then a sip of his beer. I did as well, and found that the taste really wasn't that bad. It was still bitter and warm, but not awful. "If I were to sell you some land outside the city, would you consider staying?" Kiltont said out of the blue. I cocked my head to the side in confusion.

"Didn't you say I had to leave in the morning?"

"You don't need to answer tonight. In fact, you should let me finish before you consider your options, and answer in the morning." I took a sip of my beer and nodded for him to continue.

"As you surely know, this world is full of dangerous creatures, from the smallest mouse to the tallest Long Neck. Mankind has struggled to carve out an existence in this hell scape for millennia, and we finally succeeded three thousand years ago. The first Cultivator, Xang Xi, was born. Someone who could manipulate Qi, the energy that resides within and around all living beings, to do miraculous things. Summoning blades of grass, wielding fists of lava, floating on clouds, healing mortal wounds. At first, they were the defenders of men. Heroes who would sacrifice life and limb to help the common folk. As the centuries passed, however, the sects grew lazy, the Masters complacent." His voice grew angrier as he spoke.

"They stopped saving the people, instead looking down on us from their precious palaces. They let the younger Cultivators run free, doing whatever they wanted with no repercussions. The Masters care more about face and status than they do about honor and safety. They desire only to surpass mortality, to ascend to godhood." He spat and took a long drink from his mug. He was quiet for a minute, and I took the opportunity to think.

I don't know how to survive in the wild, especially not one as chock full of terror as this one. I have Rosie, thank the gods, and she seems to be one of the top predators around here. I could leave and try to find a better city, but should I? Sure this place sucks and is a prison, but it is safe. They know how to survive here. I nodded, an idea taking root. I'll stay here a week or two, get my bearings, then head up the coast to find another village. I still want to fish, after all.

"Cultivators are meant to be heroes." Kiltont said, dragging me from my thoughts. He looked at his hand and fire danced in his palm. It spun through his fingers as he continued. "We are meant to use our powers to help people, but not everyone sees it that way. Some think that just because they can throw a few sparks from their fingers that makes them entitled to the world. They are wrong. If anything, it holds us to a higher standard." Kiltont looked me dead in the eyes, his jade eyes narrowing on mine. "I hold you to the same standard, Tal." The Chief stared me down until I nodded.

"Regardless, that is not what I wished to speak of. The Lord of this province, Andesis, is Lord Parvo Mortil. He is a greedy, selfish, entitled, scummy piece of shit, and there is nothing I can do about that. He skims from the city's earnings, calling it a 'hospitality tax'. He lets only the worst of the trade goods reach us and refuses to listen to reason. He adamantly refuses to send more guards and still hasn't handled the bandit problem." Kiltont drained his mug and slammed it on the railing. "I need your help, Tal. I cannot protect this city on my own, and the guards are useless against anything but the lowest beasts. We have lost too many people already and are loosing more by the day. Help me, Tal. Please." Kiltont ran out of steam at the end, and when he looked at me, all I saw was a tired, beaten man. For a split second, he showed his age. Dark shadows circled his eyes and deep lines drew themselves on his forehead. I sighed and set my drink on the railing, turning towards him.

"Chief Kiltont, can I trust you?" I asked, staring him in the eyes. He gazed back and nodded firmly.

"Of course. Whatever you say to me now, I will tell no one else. I swear on my mother's grave."

"Good, good." I nodded, picking up my drink and draining it, and took a deep breath. "I have no idea what is going on. My body can do things no human should be able to do, my wolf is smarter than some people I've met and your wife is a fucking bird person. I can summon items and survive a broken neck. I'm not entirely convinced this isn't my dying brain playing tricks on me. And now you're asking for my help? Brother, I can barely keep myself alive."

"And that is why I am offering for you to stay here. You've just recently Awoken, yes?"

"What is that?"

"You're a Cultivator, Tal. Close your eyes for me. Look within and find your Qi."

"That's stupid, I'm not..."

"Just humor me. Please." I sighed and closed my eyes, searching for my 'Qi'. "Do you feel it? An energy circling within you, interacting with the world around you." I searched for the warmth that gave me the gauze and found it with ease. My core pulsed faintly, tiredly.

"It feels... warm, comforting, but small. Tired."

"Good, you're on the right track. That warmth is your Qi. It's what makes you a Cultivator." I let the warmth go and opened my eyes. Kiltont was grinning at me. "You're a natural." The Chief stretched, groaning as his muscles shook. He shivered slightly and feathers grew from his skin. His face sprouted a beak and his jade eyes sunk, becoming bird-like. I stood there, mouth open in shock and eyes wide. Kiltont chuckled and placed a feathered hand on my shoulder as he walked by.

"Get some sleep, Tal. You used a lot of energy saving your life today. We start bright and early tomorrow morning." With that, he went inside, leaving me alone on the porch. I sighed and turned back to the village. The moon shone down on an unfamiliar world and unfamiliar, terrifying sounds came from outside the walls. Rosie padded outside the house and came up next to me, whining softly. I pet her head and drank my beer, wondering what the hell I was going to do next.