Remus walks right through the heavy front door sitting on double-swing hinges. I push into the doorway and block the door while the yelling within grows more audible.

“Damned fucking rat, how much damage do you have to cause before you stop using the window as a door?”

“Oi! I didn’t break anything this time. Why don’t you learn not to put your things under the window I enter from?”

“Which window don’t you use? I can hardly keep this place smelling fresh if I can’t use the windows. You lot drag in enough muck as it is. You didn’t even wash the blood off your wingsuit before coming in, did you?”

Not moving a step further inside than the doorway, I watch as Jav stands on a countertop exchanging verbal barbs with a man wearing an apron. I’d seen plenty of his race in Baansguard, seemingly the most populous in Meja.

If you look closely, his central, fleshy body looks similar to an albanics, except without the rest of the limbs from elbow and knee down. Antler-like protrusions from many points in his body remove any other similarity one might see between his race and that of an albanic.

From his spine, the antlers wrap around his body, protecting his soft skin in a way reminiscent of a bony rib cage. The protrusions also pierce out of the back of his arms and legs, creating branch-like limbs that reach beyond the protective cage. Short antlers rise out of his head like a crown.

The variation I’ve seen between the khirig is incredible. The man before me has thin, workable fingers made from the stone antlers and his cage is tight around his vulnerable body. Some in Baansguard had huge antlers with thick cages that prevent you even peeking at the body within. But those large khirig lack visibly working hands, so I don’t know how beneficial it would be for the added defence.

“Stop it you two, you’re putting on a bad first impression.” Remus turns to me while wrapping a limb around the khirig with the apron hanging off his cage antlers. “Solvei, this is Ossian. He takes care of our home while we’re out.”

Ossian brushes off Remus’ tentacle. “I also take care of these slobs when they’re here.”

Remus laughs, his eyes squinting in humour. “Yes, and we’re grateful for all you do.”

“Not all of you.” He turns to glower at Jav already digging food out of the cupboard.

“Anyway, this is Solvei. She’ll be joining our team.”

Ossian focus snaps to me. “This one? Are you sure? She hardly looks out of her preteens. Where are her markings? You’ve gone senile.”

“I’m not that old,” Remus rebuts.

“She’s not an albanic Oss, she’s an áed. I promise she can handle herself,” Jav cuts in before returning to stuffing his face with biscuits he found.

“An áed? Like from your stories?”

Remus nods at his inquiring eye.

“Well, if you’re sure.” Ossian lowers himself to my level before whispering just loud enough so the other two can hear. “Hey, they didn’t kidnap you, did they? You’re not being forced?”

Remus rolls his eyes and Jav throws the now empty container at Ossian’s head.

While he rubs at one of his head antlers, I shake my head. “No, I came here willingly.”

“Well, if you’re sure.” He rises to his branch feet again and storms over to the cupboard. He pulls Jav by the tail and tossing him to the other side of the room.

Jav gracefully glides to a stop, still eating a slice of cake he found.

Something nudges my back and I definitely don’t squeak when I see what has gotten so close without my notice. A huge panther, almost too big for the door, stares down at me from its excessive height. Without thinking, I try to slam the door in its face, but the heavy door comes to a hard stop against the creature.

With a huff, it walks inside before laying on a large couch that I’m surprised doesn’t collapse under its weight.

Still grasping the door, I move back to the doorsill.

“So she’s the one?” a new voice asks. It doesn’t take long to realise it’s coming from the panther now relaxing on the side of the room, its head tilted in my direction.

Okay. With all these new intelligent beings around, I should hardly be surprised anymore. From now on, I’ll assume it’s smart until proven otherwise.

Still… even if it’s a sapient race, those teeth are huge. Massive sabre-teeth exposed outside its closed jaw tell of a naturally predatory species.

“Yep, this is Solvei. Solvei, this is Grímr. They’re one of the portian.”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Portian?” I ask, unfamiliar with the race. Well, I’m unfamiliar with a lot of the races around, so it isn’t surprising I don’t know.

“Yeah, they’re a race of —”

“No!” Grímr interrupts. “No, she doesn’t need to know.”

Remus looks at Grímr with concern. “Are you sure? She’s an áed you know. Like the áinfean, there shouldn’t be a problem if she knows.”

“She is?” the big panther’s eyes scan over me. “Even still, I’d prefer she didn’t know.” He tries to smile at me, but with a maw lined with teeth bigger than my hands, I don’t think it gives the same image I think he intends. “Solvei, you can just think of me as a big cat. It’s good to meet you.”

“Uh, sure.” If they’d had that conversation without me present, I’m sure there wouldn’t be any issue. But now my curiosity is piqued. What about his race does he want to hide?

“So, where are the ladies?” Remus casts his gaze around the room as if they’ll pop out of thin air.

“Where else do they ever go? Bunny is training and Doe is probably at the Order offices in Baansguard,” Ossian says.

“Oh well, I guess we’ll have to wait until they’re back.” Remus drops into a chair across from Grímr before looking over at me. “Solvei? What are you standing over there for? Come in. Relax.”

I shake my head a bit too abruptly. “No. I’m fine over here.”

“Well you’re letting in the cold,” Ossian says. “At least shut the door.”

Rather than doing as he asks, I pump up my body temperature. The room quickly heats from proximity.

“Oh! Ha, I guess that works too.” Ossian turns to Remus. “I see why you chose her now, finally had enough of the chill up the mountain?”

Remus sheepishly scratches at the top of his head. “The thought may have crossed my mind. But no, she is definitely capable enough to join us. For now, we’ll have her only fill the role of ritual technician, but I think she will be able to join in on the fights after a bit of training from Bunny. If we didn’t already have Jav, she would have made a perfect scout.”

Ossian’s head nods in understanding. “Wouldn’t want the little guy to lose one of the few things he’s useful for.”

“You know I can hear you. Do you want to wake sharing your bed with a snake?” Jav’s voice yells from another room.

Ossian’s smile becomes strained and he remains quiet.

Remus’ eyes rotate around the surface of his head until they land on me. We stare at each other for a moment before he rises from his chair.

“Y’know what? I think we should go introduce you to Bunny. If we leave her alone, who knows how long she’ll stay out?”

“Are you sure?” Grímr, the large panther, asks. “You know how she reacts to being interrupted.” He climbs off the couch and follows close behind Remus.

“Who said anything about interrupting? We are only going to observe.”

I step aside before following them into the forest the other way from where we arrived. Thankfully, there’s no more pressure to go inside. I can’t handle the anxiety and fear I know will explode should the door close on me. I’d rather keep my issues to myself, even if it may cause issues when night comes. How I’m gonna tell them I’d rather sleep outside, I’m not sure.

As we move between the trees, the sound of rushing water reaches my ears. “Where are we going?” I ask.

“There’s a clearing beside the river where Bunny does her training.” Remus casts his eyes back at me. “Don’t worry, we won’t go near the water.”

Loud footfalls and panting sound out as we move through the last of the dense tree line. My eyes immediately catch the albanic woman that must be Bunny. She is nothing like what I expected, considering her name.

Bunny obviously notices us, sending a glance our way, but continues her… training.

Hefted above her head with both arms is a boulder that must be larger than I am. She sprints back and forth between the line of trees and the river’s edge, pressing the heavy rock off her shoulders at each turn.

She’s the strongest looking albanic I’ve ever seen, her muscular arms could compete with an ursu’s.

Seriously? Her name’s Bunny?

“This, Solvei, is Bunny.” Remus answers my inner question. “She’s a weapon master and by far our best fighter.”

I definitely don’t doubt she’s a good fighter.

Bunny drops the boulder and I can feel the ground shake from the impact. Instead of acknowledging us as I expect since she’s stopped running, she unsheathes a thin blade from her waist and takes a stance.

The dance that follows seems far too elegant for such a heavily muscled woman. The gusts created from her swings don’t seem as strong as the General’s had been, but her strikes are far more deliberate and are delivered with swiftness the General couldn’t hope to compare.

“In the future, I believe she can help you learn a weapon. You’ll need something with impact for the times your flame won’t be enough.”

“Shut it in the peanut gallery,” Bunny yells. “If you want to watch, be quiet. I’ll be done soon.”

And so we stand there watching as her blade slices through the air, audibly tearing through it with intense strength. Few in my tribe focused on the sword, but the movements remind me of the fluidity my elders expressed while wielding their respective weapons.

With a final flourish, she sheathes her blade and relaxes. “So, you finally found someone?” Bunny turns and walks up to us. She scrutinises me with her gaze.

Cover her in fur and add a little height and she’d be indistinguishable from an ursu. She’s already taller than most albanic by a good head.

“Yep, meet Solvei; an áed we met in Joiak of all places. Solvei, this is—”

“Tetsu.” She grasps my shoulder in her firm grasp. “Call me Tetsu.”

“You might as well accept it now. She’ll be calling you Bunny soon enough.”

“Tetsu.” She repeats, glaring down at me and squeezing my shoulder.

I’m uncomfortable being held like this. I can feel the tension rising the longer she takes to remove her hand. The stare and squeezing intensifies to a point where I can’t handle it anymore. My shoulder loses its form and wraps her arm in flame as I jump a few steps back.

Tetsu looks down at her hand with a frown. Like Remus, my flames do nothing and she brushes them off with ease. “I see why you were willing to choose one so young.”

I glare back as her eyes dig deep into me once again.

“Now that we have our replacement, we can finally go hunting again, correct? Tonight?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I still need to show her how to work the ritual.”

“You can do that as we travel.”

“I’d prefer she knew what to do before we get in any trouble. I also wanted you to train her in a weapon.”

“Sure,” she says nonchalantly. “I can do that as we travel.”

“At least let us wait until Doe returns.”

“Why?”

“I want to introduce her to Solvei.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s a part of the team.”

Tetsu raises an eyebrow at him. “No, she isn’t. Doe’s a part of the Order’s bureaucracy. She isn’t one of us.”

Remus hesitates, looking uncomfortable for the first time since I met him. “Maybe not, but we can at least try to be civil.”

The two stare down for a moment before Tetsu speaks. “We leave at midday tomorrow at the latest. If she doesn’t arrive before then, too bad.”

“Fine,” Remus sighs.

Tetsu eagerly turns to me. “So what weapon did you want to learn?”

I don’t even need to think about it. “The spear.”