Gwyneth couldn't believe how different the Cathruli were from her own people, and she felt a pang of guilt. The Cathruli welcomed them with open arms, yet she couldn't say the Aecerians would do the same.

She sighed, overlooking the view before her. Apparently, it was common for people to sit on top of houses and buildings to admire the setting sun or moon. She gazed at the volcano that had been still for the past hour. Then down at the town. The building was only a couple of stories high, so she could make out conversation directly below her. It didn't interest her, however, so she peered beyond. A few of the huts they had passed earlier had melted to the ground, the people around them merely shrugging. It seemed most of the Cathruli women wore a short crop top with shorts, while the men wore either a breastplate with shorts or forewent a shirt entirely.

She could see Aston in the distance bullying some poor Cathruli girl. She had dropped a bundle of clothes before picking it up, just for it to disappear. As she looked around, it appeared on her head, falling again to the ground. She reached for it, and the prank repeated. Gwyneth was about to jump down and call Aston out when Cetri plopped down next to her.

"Admiring the moon?" Cetri asked.

"I'd like to," Gwyneth emphasized, "but Aston is making that a little difficult." She rolled her eyes.

Cetri watched the pathetic prank play out before her and had to stifle a laugh. "He do that often?"

"Always."

"Not how I pictured the hero of Halcyone." She laughed.

"Same here." Gwyneth sighed. "How are things with Notus?" She couldn't help but worry about their new Fae companion.

"Eh, he'll live." Cetri shrugged. "You see, we'll tolerate a Fae if they enter our territory. Other way around? We're toast."

The Fae didn't have a tolerance for any outsiders, so this wasn't a surprise. "You're not angry with them for the war?"

"War? What war? Oh! You mean the war five hundred years ago? Yeah, we're over that. Stinks they froze half of Cathrul though. Guess the highlanders don't seem to mind, though."

"You're not angry that they started the war, to begin with?"

"Huh?" Cetri cocked her head to the side. "We're the ones who started the war."

"No?" Gwyneth narrowed her eyes in confusion. "The Fae attacked you, so you had to defend yourselves-"

"Ha! As if the Fae have the guts for something like that! We attacked them as a test of strength. I know, I know, not the smartest decision on our part. Wonder if that's how we found out about our inability to wield magic... Anyway, we quickly learned how outmatched we were and ordered a retreat. Some of us chose to stay behind anyway, and that's how their queen was murdered. There's never been anything quite like it to this day. ...Didn't stop us from picking fights with the Aquariots, though. Friendly fights," she emphasized, a smirk on her face.

Gwyneth shook her head. "I've always heard it was the Fae who attacked Cathrul."

"Then I guess you heard wrong." Cetri shrugged. "I think I would know my own kingdom's history better than you."

Gwyneth paused; she couldn't argue with that. Yet, why would her history books be so blatantly wrong? Something wasn't adding up.

"Anyway! You must be hungry, right?" Cetri pushed herself up into a standing position. "Notus didn't seem too keen on eating, and your other Fae friend is still asleep. Guess that leaves knight boy and hero boy."

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Gwyneth watched in horror as Cetri jumped down from the two-story hut. She supposed cats always did land on their feet.

"Oi! Hero boy! Time to eat!" Cetri called out to Aston.

A towel flew towards her, covering her face.

Gwyneth was ecstatic to be eating something other than fruits and vegetables. She especially hated Losufea's cold soup. The Cathruli seemed to favor meat, as there were plenty to choose from. Armadillos, anteaters, snakes... Gwyneth was hesitant to try the rats and bats. Even insects fried to a crisp were on the menu! On the other hand, there weren't many fruits or vegetables. Bread seemed nonexistent. She was thankful that Cathrul had dedicated chefs.

The group ate outside in one of the many dining areas. Most Cathruli preferred to eat among each other, typically outdoors. Watching them happily eat and interact with each other gave the impression that they were one big happy family. Gwyneth felt slightly jealous, wishing she had something like this at home.

"This is surprisingly good." Gwyneth picked up her food seemingly studying it. Her only wish was that the Cathruli used utensils. "It's spicy, but the flavor is really good."

"Right?!" Cetri beamed before patting the seat next to her. A meerkat jumped up as she broke off a piece of meat to feed it. What a waste.

"It's too spicy!" Aston quickly chugged down his mug of water before summoning four more.

"A bit spicy for my taste, but I will admit it has a good flavor." Elric nodded. "However, I wouldn't recommend feeding it to Isla; she's quite sensitive to spicy food."

Gwyneth couldn't keep her eyes off the meerkat. The way it held the tiny pieces of meat in its paws and ahhhh! It was too cute! She desperately wanted to take one home with her.

---

Aston couldn't sleep, so instead he teleported himself to one of the cliffs. From here, he could see the whole capital. Now... Who could he pull a prank on next? Mitra seemed a little too calm for his liking. Then there was Cetri, confident in everything she did. Though, wasn't that every Cathruli? He nearly jumped when he heard the person in question speak.

"Whatcha doing up here? You know, it's a pain to get up here." Cetri plopped herself down next to him.

"Then why bother?" Aston asked.

"Cause I've been trying to talk to you all day!" She extended her arms up and out to the side in exasperation. "Anyway, you don't seem like much of a hero."

"So I've been told." He rolled his eyes. How many times would he have to hear this?

"That's not a bad thing. If anything, I think you could relate to some of the Cathruli heroes of old. We don't pride our heroes in chivalry and acts of kindness but in strength and honor. 'Be truthful no matter what, for lying is the way of a coward'," she quoted. Guess he had already failed that last part.

"What part of me doesn't fit that?" he asked, knowing there was no way she could possibly know he had lied in the past.

"You're really scrawny."

Aston sputtered, jaw agape. So, her previous comment wasn't about that poor girl he had tormented but his physique? He scoffed, crossing his arms. Part of him wanted to show her just how "scrawny" he was, but he decided to let it go. Mostly because he was tired from traveling. So, instead, he gazed at the moon.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Cetri asked.

"Why do we call Moons, Moons?" Aston asked, not tearing his gaze from the moon.

"Huh?"

"I mean the passage of time. Like we're in the Sixth Moon now, right? Yet, we can't even see the moon half the time."

"It's not that we can't see it, it's that it's not even there," Cetri corrected. "You know about Lunelle and Solus, right? Well, I guess you wouldn't since you're from Aeceria."

Aston motioned for her to continue.

"Lunelle and Solus are the guardians of the moon and sun respectively. Legend goes that Lunelle was injured in a war a long time ago. She lost half her strength, so she can only spend half as long watching over us. So, when we can't see the moon, she's resting."

"That's what you believe?" Aston snickered. "Or it's just that the sun illuminates the wrong side of the moon half the time. I mean, come on, why else would we have crescent moons?"

"Hey!" Cetri snapped. "I don't go around insulting your Almighty! Have some respect! As for the crescents, it shows her slowly recovering, okay?"

"Wow. Some coverup you got there."

Cetri rolled her eyes. "You know who originally came up with the idea of the sun illuminating the moon? The Fae. They aren't exactly known for being credible about anything, so why believe 'em now?"

Aston paused, not realizing the origin of what the Aecerians believed.

"To answer your question," Cetri brought the conversation back on track. "It's just the easiest way of keeping track of time. You always know where you are in the Moon by gazing up at the sky, yeah? And you know what Moon you're in by looking at the constellations nearby. There's Cattus and Flos." She pointed to the stars in the distance. One vaguely reminiscent of a cat, another closer resembling a flower.

"Thanks for the history lesson." Aston smirked.