Master sat atop their farming building with his legs crossed and eyes closed. Behind him, the ceiling’s partial collapse exposed an endless field of golden wheat, barely rustling in the late morning’s still wind. It was the perfect kind of day for the training he’d chosen.

Khukri circled, smile slipping once she knew he couldn’t see. The first day after hunting season ended would be Master’s best chance to escape undetected, even if that’s exactly what Issac’s mother, Sashura, expected. Hunters might leave earlier, or stay a bit later to avoid the rush, but on the day employment contracts ended, thousands of workers collected their last payments and swarmed the port to head home. Many separated from their loved ones for twelve weeks and, without the hefty payment to hold them, eagerly rushed home to share their bounty.

That was six days away, and every night sped them closer to their inevitable parting. She couldn’t go, even if she wanted to. For all of Master’s squirming and scheming, the straightforward approach was most likely to work: infiltrate the port with a disguise and throw more money at a captain than anyone else was willing to. That meant not dragging along a white wolf everyone would obviously notice, and having a substantial sum of money he wouldn't have unless he returned her.

Even if Khukri would never turn on Master, having one animal above her in the order, especially one this weak, was too dangerous. For whatever reason, she wouldn’t challenge him for leadership, but that still left the possibility of something happening that she couldn’t stop. His lack of boundaries made her unstable; something she recognized, but couldn’t seem to control. The few times he reined her in came far too late and resulted in him sulking for hours before she found a way to cheer him up. Neither of them needed that, especially forging into a world both of them had been sheltered from, albeit in very different ways.

One of his corrections came last week. To her, the best use of his time was physical training. Things like combat and stealth would serve his quest after she’d been returned, but Master insisted on experimenting with Dusk, then requesting lessons in traits he’d learned to copy. Each ability apparently presented a unique advantage, one he couldn’t exploit without proper experience. She’d been… vocal with her disagreement for far too long before he reminded her of her place.

Khukri silently placed a clump of moss and dirt behind his right and finished the circle. “And in...”

The nose didn’t fit Master’s face quite right. It had that little groove down the middle that helped keep her’s moist, and left a patch of brown fur between it and his top lip. The feel of his kisses changed too, not that she minded. His chest rose, drawing air deeply through his nose and holding it before exhaling. “On the right?”

“Are you asking or telling?”

He hesitated, mouth tightening. “It’s on the right.”

“Good.” Khukri’s smile returned as she knelt before him. “You’re getting it right almost every time now. I think you’ve got the basics.”

Their eyes met, bringing a smile to his lips. “Thanks. It kind of makes sense, it’s just weird having one sense get so much extra information. It’s kind of like when I tried your ears, except with a sense I barely use.” Master turned his head, checking the moss was really where he’d smelled it. “Still, I can barely tell where something is a few feet behind me. How do you do that trance thing that lets you smell stuff from so far away?”

“Practice,” Khukri said. “I’ve given you a skewed understanding of girls’ sense of scent. Most in security can’t detect something further than three metres away, and that’s when they’re paying attention. Hunters need to be trained for years to get the distances they do. I’m not a good mark for comparison though, since I’m especially good at it, even among wolves. It’s why they call me a tracking specialist.”

His nose twitched the way childrens' did when they were trying to hide it from the overseer. Considering how little was here, it was obvious her scent made him curious, although he thought he was being discreet. It was kind of adorable.

“Training for distance and following scent trails both take a firm grasp of the basics,” she said, getting a compliant nod. If Master’s weakness had one thing going for it, it made him an excellent student. “Next we’ll put two things together while you guess which two I chose, along with the side.”

“It’ll have to wait,” Master said, slowly standing. “Issac’s hunting trip is today. We need to meet to set up a way to get you home and give me my money. Plus, if he’s found some solution in the last two weeks, I’ll need to know it.”

Her fur raised as he mounted the ladder and disappeared over the edge, but she said nothing. Trusting Issac was another sore spot of hers. She didn’t see a way to return to her pack without him, however, certainly not one that got Master the money he needed. She’d just have to hope, for both their sakes, Master’s trust wouldn’t be his undoing until after he escaped.

***

Khukri crouched along Issac’s intended path, eyes flicking open. “There’s animals coming, moving at a male speed. Maybe ten minutes away.”

Master leaned against a tree, covered in his hooded brown cloak. He nodded, pulling a cloth from below his neck over his muzzle to hide his nose. “Probably him.”

“Probably.” Khukri had donned full abyssal armour, along with both knives. She’d almost included Master’s makeshift hunting spear, but decided against it. As good as she was, Issac had a full pack to sic on them should he choose betrayal. A spear wouldn’t change those odds enough to justify the extra weight. “If we stay-”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“We stay.” Master closed his eyes, sinking into the moss. “He’s the only ally we’ve got. Without him, we’re completely cut off from civilization.”

Khukri's teeth clenched as she lowered her head. “Yes, Master.”

They waited in silence, listening to ever-increasing footsteps on dirt until Issac appeared, led by Perch and flanked by his entire pack. Master stepped from hiding, hands held high. After Khukri followed, Issac stopped his girls, then hurried forward. He looked no worse for wear, though he’d lost his earrings and the pink pattern above his eye.

“Ruari?” Issac said, striding forward with a tight jaw. “Thank Deianira you made it, we need to talk... what’s with the scarf?”

“Oh.” Master touched the fabric covering his distinctly uncervine nose. “I’ve been working on a disguise for when it’s time to escape. Thought it might be best if your girls didn’t see, just in case. What’s with the...” Master waved a hand, indicating Issac’s face.

“Oh.” Issac’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, Mother doesn’t like how her ‘daughter’ accessorizes. So I’ve had a change in wardrobe… and guest list.” He shook his head. “Nevermind, that’s not why I’m here. I have a way to get you out, but you need to return Khukri, today.”

“Today?” Master asked. Khukri tensed, eyes sweeping over Issac’s pack before returning to him. She had six more days with Master, and she needed to leave him with something more useful than a nose.

“Today,” Issac affirmed. “Mother’s been in and out of talks with security. I wasn’t privy to the specifics, but it sounds like she can only interfere with cargo ships, not passenger liners. At least, if she wants to keep other companies out of it. There’s plenty of those boarding and departing quickly when hunting season ends, and once you slip onto one she can’t touch you. So she’s taken drastic measures.”

So far, that all sounded good. The predator had blind spots; crevices Master could scurry into and vanish, camouflaged in a river of fleeing bodies. The fact that she was desperate meant Master still stood a chance. “What measures?” Master asked. “What’s she going to do tomorrow that she couldn’t do the last two weeks?”

Issac sighed. “My mother’s a businesswoman; she doesn’t know how to track someone. I don’t know what deal they struck, but Mother found out Via hunted you down once, and pulled some strings to get her off the hook.”

Master’s shoulders tensed, hanging off Issac’s every word.

“I’ve checked the company record. Mother’s signed off on lending Via a team of our girls at midday tomorrow. After that, I suspect Via will search everywhere to bring you down. She’s got your scent too, so I doubt you’ll be able to hide for a full five days. I’ve managed to contact a smuggler. She’ll hide you and help get you onto that ship and into the hands of people sympathetic to your family in the republic. They'll protect you. She won’t do it for cheap though, and I can’t exactly have her bill Mother’s company.”

Khukri’s growl cut through the conversation, causing Issac to take a step back. “Don’t trust him.” She pulled Master back by the shoulder with a tight grip. “There’s no way they have your scent. We’ve been careful, paranoid even, about keeping track of that.”

“I assure you, they have your scent,” Issac insisted.

“The only time your things were unattended was at his house. If they have anything, it’s because he took it.” Khukri shielded Master from Issac, glaring as his pack shifted weapons uncomfortably.

“They’re not tracking him!” Issac yelled, unflinchingly meeting her gaze. “They’re tracking you. You, Khukri. I misplaced the paperwork from your sale, so Mother wouldn’t know you existed, but Via already knew. The pack Via’s being assigned is Maya’s. Every girl in that pack’s been with you for months or years; there’s no way they’d forget your scent in a single season.”

Maya? Khukri’d been afraid her pack would be dispatched to hunt her down since her first day with Master. Somehow, that fear came true, though instead of coming to punish her for her sins, they came to punish her for being too useful. In five seconds she’d gone from Master’s greatest strength to his greatest weakness.

“I can process the return tonight,” Issac said. “Early tomorrow morning, I’ll get you the money and set up a meeting with the smuggler, but you’ll need to avoid Via until then.”

Master sighed, nudging Khukri aside with a gentle touch. “Give me a moment with her. Please.”

Issac nodded, turning to his girls. “We don’t have long, hurry.”

Khukri swallowed, grabbing Master’s hands and looking into his eyes. “Master? Maya’s pack’s the best of the best. I can’t protect you from them.”

“I know.” He lowered his mask and offered her a smile. “It’s time for you to go back.”

“Keep me.” She gripped him tighter. “Order me to get their attention and let them track me deep into the woods to buy you time. You can take me, one last time, right before I go. Take my speed, or stamina, or whatever you need to help you escape.”

“It’s time for you to go back,” he repeated. “Your pack is waiting, and when you get there, you be a good girl.” he leaned in, pressing their foreheads together, staring down at their tight intertwined fingers. “When they order you to track me, you come looking. Bring them to our house, follow my trail, whatever you have to do to get them to trust you again.”

A tempest of wild emotions flared; the same emotions she needed the pack to keep in line, and why Master would forever be in danger if he kept her. A deep breath escaped as she held a moment longer.

“Say it.”

“I’ll be a good girl,” she promised, slowly releasing his hands.

Master nodded, threading fingers through her fur and scratching behind her ears. “Issac! Khukri won’t be in trouble when she goes back, will she? She’ll return to her old pack?”

“What does that...” Issac scratched his head in irritation, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Yes! Okay? She returns to her pack! Just hurry up!”

With a nod, Master released her with a final parting pat. “They won’t let you keep the armour if I sent you back with it. Especially when they turn you over to Via...”

“Of course, Master.” Khukri unclasped her buckles while Master slipped around, raising the cloth over his muzzle to discuss the details with Issac. When the last piece fell from her to the forest floor, she sighed, brushing her fur before marching to the men, head held high. She’d done it. Eleven weeks of valiant service to a kind, weak master, and she hadn’t gone feral. She’d stood at his side, obedient and helpful, protecting him from the moment her service began, till the moment he relinquished her. She’d always planned on smiling for him when she left. He’d like that; his last memory of her to be her smile. It was always his favourite part of owning her; so much so that he’d taken it as his first Dusk. “Goodbye, Master. I was happy being yours.”