“This dress is ruined,” Vivienne said with a rueful sigh. “My very first present, and now it’s all covered in delicious, yummy, scrumptious…” She paused, her grin widening as she looked down at the bloodstains on her clothes. “What was I talking about again?”

  The guards, who had previously been on edge, had started to rex after hearing Rava’s name and rank. Apparently, the weight of the ‘Serkoth’ name carried some serious weight among them. Rava, however, had remained cryptic about herself, and Vivienne, ever the observer, hadn’t pressed the issue. In the short week or two they’d travelled together, she had learned just enough to get by—and that was enough for her.

  One of the lekine guards, his fur bristling nervously as he eyed Vivieest snack, cleared his throat. “Lady Serkoth, are you sure that thing is safe? Have you tamed it?”

  “Tamed?” Vivienne ughed, the sound uling in its otherworldly echo. “Yoing to put a colr on me, Lady Serkoth? Perhaps tell me I’m a good girl and give me treats when I behave?” Her voice, soft as velvet, was ced with a teasing, sinister edge. But it was the sound of bones snappiweeeeth that ruihe effect—the ch cutting through the air with a siing finality.

  The guards froze, eyeing Vivieh a mixture of fear and fasation. Her bloodstained form, her savage appetite, and the eerie, otherworldly way she moved—there was something about her that uled them deeply. Rava, standing at the edge of the group, sighed but said nothing. She had long siopped trying tn Vivienne in during these uling moments; the woman had a way of disturbing even the most seasoned warriors with her casual cruelty.

  Rava pihe bridge of her nose, her frustration rising. “Just… just ignore her,” she said, her voice strained. “She’ll only be a threat if you show her any hostilities.” She turned her head, her eyes hardening, gaze sweeping over the group of guards, as if daring them to challenge her words. “And I will be too.”

  The guards nodded nervously, their posture tightening at the weight of her unspoken threat. They exged uneasy gnces, each of them still watg Vivienne warily as she tinued her gruesome feast, blissfully unaware—or perhaps ung—of the tension she was causing.

  The older man, who had remained silent up to this point, stepped forward. He was the most senior among them, his face weathered and lined with years of battle. He cleared his throat, trying tain some sembnce of authority. “We o report back to the that there’s increased aetherbeast activity,” he said, voice steady but g fidence. “Let’s get bae.”

  He turned back to Rava, his lips pressing into a thin line as the unmistakable sound of a rge bone snapping echoed through the clearing. Vivienne’s satisfied hum was almost too much to ighe sound of teeth grinding through bone somehow louder than the crash of distant thunder.

  “Lady Serkoth,” the older man tinued, a trace of hesitation in his voice as he flicked a nervous g Vivienne, “may we take our leave?”

  Rava nodded curtly, her eyes never leaving the horizon, sing for any sign of the aetherbeasts that might still be lurking nearby. She’d growo this—keeping one eye on her surroundings while the other was focused on Vivienne’s chaotidencies.

  “Yes,” Rava said with a soft, almost imperceptible sigh. “Go ahead. We’ll follow.”

  She turoward Vivienne, her gaze already hardening as she prepared for the iable. But even she was shocked by what she saw: most of the bodies were gone, devoured or scattered in pieces across the blood-soaked ground. Only remnants remained—shredded bits of meat, crushed bones, and slick ans, all haphazardly strewn about like the aftermath of a storm. Less than an ho, this had been a battlefield; now, it was little more than a grisly feast for one.

  “Viv,” Rava muttered, the edge of her voice betraying a mix of exhaustion and disbelief. “Let’s get going.”

  Vivienne didn’t immediately respond, her attention fixed on a particurly rge femur she’d retrieved from one of the aetherbeasts. She gnawed on it like a dog with a bohe gristle and siwistih her teeth as she chewed with relish, eyes half-lidded in te.

  Rava shook her head, a sigh esg her lips as she turo tinue walking. Vivienne fell into step beside her, an almost childlike energy in her movements despite the gruesome bone she was gnawing on. Her blood-soaked form barely seemed tister the weight of her as, as though none of it had phased her in the slightest.

  Rava’s eyes narrowed as they moved through the thinning snow of Greyreach Pass, the quiet chatter of the guards ahead still lingering in the air, though now muted. Their voices were heavy with uhe occasional gnce backward betraying their disfort. Even with Rava’s reassura was clear none of them could fully rex with Vivienne in tow.

  The wind bit at her exposed skin, carrying the faiallig of blood that g to the air. The once-pristine snow was streaked with red and bck, the aftermath of their battle a haunting trail behind them.

  “Do you have to eat like that?” Rava finally asked, her tone more exhausted than accusatory.

  Vivienne paused mid-step, her teeth sinking into the femur o time with a loud crack befng at Rava. “What? It tastes good! Fantastic texture too,” she said, her grin wide and uant. She tossed the bone aside, letting it ctter against the rocky path. “Besides, it’s not like anyone else was going to eat it. Waste not, want not.”

  Rava’s expression tightened, her patience clearly wearing thin. “So,” she asked, her tone measured, “how long will that sate you?”

  Vivienne hummed, her bck, serpent-like tongue darting out to p at a smear of aether-rich blood on her lips. The motion was both absent-minded and disturbingly deliberate. “They weren’t true aetherbeasts,” she replied, voice lilting with something too cheerful for the subject matter. “But I should be good for about a week. That said,” she added with a tilt of her head, “I’m never quite sated. You know how it is.”

  Rava’s steps faltered ever so slightly. “What happens if you go hungry?” she asked, her voice quieter now, less frontational and more ed. “ you... trol yourself?”

  Vivieopped entirely, her brows lifting in mock surprise. “What happens if you go hungry?” she tered, her tohick with feigned innoce. “ you trol yourself?”

  Rava frowned, refusing to rise to the bait. “I mean it, Vivienne. Is it dangerous—for others, for you—if you don’t feed?”

  Vivienne’s pyful demeanour dimmed slightly, her grin fading into something subtler, sharper. “Dangerous is retive, don’t you think?” she mused. “If I’m starving, I imagine everyone might feel a little unsafe. But isn’t that the case with most predators? When you’re hungry enough, you stop g about manners.” She shrugged, her tone light again, as if discussing the weather. “I might go out and give people a bad dream here and there if I ’t find aherbeasts to nibble on, but I won’t cause too much trouble.”

  “I suppose so.” Rava nodded in acquiesbsp;

  Vivienne’s expression softehen she gestured towards the guards, one of which was staring at her. “I taste their fear, tell that it’s directed at me. I do want to eat their fear, but you don’t always eat what you want when you want do you? Even if it’s within reach? Sometimes one o watch their weight, or maybe it’s something you enjoyed in the past but should now. Eating their fear now would put me in a politically disadvantageous position. I could wander off into the wilds if I wao, but I want to stick with you, for now at the very least.”

  Rava’s eyes narrowed as she studied Vivienne, her posture stiffening. “You want to stick with me,” she echoed, her voice ced with scepticism. “For now, at least. And when ‘for now’ ends? What then?”

  Vivieilted her head, her griurning, this time ced with an eerie calm. “Then I suppose I’ll decide what to wa. Isn’t that how life works, Lady Serkoth?” Her dark eyes glinted with a hint of amusement. “Who knows, maybe you won’t be able to get rid of me.”

  “Now that’s an awful thought.” Rava said with a quiet chuckle.

  As they walked, the path ahead began to shift, the snow giving way to harder earth marked with well-worn tracks. The air grew warmer, the biting chill of Greyreach Pass softening into a crisp, invigorating breeze. Gradually, the ndscape transformed into endless fields of tall grass, their golden-green stalks bending and swaying in unison like waves in a silehe light of the setting sun bathed the horizon in hues of amber and crimson, the sky a vast vas that seemed to stretfinitely.

  Vivieopped abruptly, her dark eyes widening as they roamed over the expanse. Her usual sharp-edged demeanour softened, her grin fading into something resembling genuine wonder. She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling as though she were trying to drink in the sight before her.

  “It’s beautiful,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. For a moment, the predator’s edge ione was gone, repced by something fragile, almost wistful.

  Rava g her, startled by the siy in Vivienne’s voice. She followed her gaze, taking in the familiar beauty of the fields she had seen a thousand times before. “It is,” she admitted after a pause, her voice quiet. “Even after all this time, it still gets to me.”

  The tranquillity of the ndscape didn’t match the tension that lingered in the air. Vivienne’s sharp senses caught the subtle shift in the guards’ demeanour as they travelled. Their fear remained—a slow, simmering u she could also taste a flicker of something else as the vilge drew closer: hope. Perhaps the thought of returning to familiar walls and loved ones gave them reassurance. Vivienne wondered idly how their emotions might ge if they realised the nature of the creature walking beside them.

  Her dark eyes flicked to Rava, who was staring ahead, her shoulders set aride purposeful. How big is her home? Vivienne mused. The guards’ relief suggested something rger than a simple vilge. A town, perhaps? Or even a bustling city? A pce with more people—and more fear. How would she fare there, surrounded by so many? The thought was both thrilling and unnerving.

  Vivieilted her head as she sidered the implications. She was strong, yes, but strength could only do so much against overwhelming numbers. And what of politics, alliances, and grudges? Humans and their ilk had a way of making things unnecessarily plicated, would the lekine be any different? She g Rava again, her griurning, faint but present. Perhaps she’d manage. After all, it wasn’t just strength she had—it was charm. Or at least, her version of it.

  Still, a faint uirred within her. Why do I care? she wondered, irritated at the question surfag in her mind. Yet the answer lingered just beh her thoughts, uninvited but undeniable. She did want to be liked—or at least tolerated—by Rava’s people. Not for their sakes, no, but for her own. She’d loathe to admit it, but the idea of being utterly alone again, without ao tease or prod, was... uling.

  Her grin faltered, just for a moment, before she shook her head and pstered it bato pce. “ up, Vivienne,” she muttered under her breath. “You’re far too fabulous for self-pity.”

  “What was that?” Rava’s ears twitched as she gnced back at her.

  “Oh, nothing.” Vivienne waved a cwed hand dismissively. “Just psyg myself up for all the charming I’ll have to do.”

  Rava snorted, clearly unimpressed. “Charming isn’t the word I’d use.”

  “Wounding, truly,” Vivienne replied, her voice dripping with mock offence. “Do you ever stop to think about my fragile, delicate heart?”

  “No, because it does.” Rava smirked, her ears twitg with amusement. Then, her expression softened into something more exasperated. “I would rather er the ds with you covered in blood. Did you really o tear into those aetherbeasts like that?”

  Vivienne’s smile faltered only slightly. She gnced down at herself, running a cwed hand through the remnants of blood and fur that g to her clothes. Her lips quirked up in a wry smile. “It’s ly... fashionable, is it?” she mused, eyes flig back to Rava’s. “But I suppose I could have been a bit tidier.”

  Rava groaned softly, her brow furrowing in frustration. “Viv, you have to at least try to show some restraint. Even with your current appearance, you’ll unnerve most people.” She let out a heavy sigh, the weight of responsibility settling on her shoulders. “You’ll be protected while you’re associated with me, I think... but that doesn’t mean you do whatever you want.”

  Vivieopped mid-step, her expression flickering for a moment before she watched Rava carefully.

  Rava halted, turning to face her directly. “I am trusting you to keep your cws to yourself while you’re here. I ’t protect you if you do anything too… extreme.” Her voice was stern, but there was an undercurrent of . “I know what your nature is now, to aent. Just, keep in mind some of the sensibilities, and at least try to emute them.” She sighed deeply, the sound carrying the weight of unspoken fears. “Because while you are in there, if you step out of line, I will be in trouble, and you might end up dead.”

  Vivieook a slow breath, her lips pressing together as she processed the gravity of Rava’s words. She could hear the in her voice, but something about it didn’t quite nd right. Dead? The word lingered in her mind, and she let it settle before answering. Her tone softened, a trace of siy threading through the pyful mask she wore.

  “I’ll do my best,” Vivienne said, her eyes never leaving Rava’s. She tried to offer a reassuring smile, but from the te of Rava’s jaw, it wasn’t enough. “I promise I won’t harm anyone while under your prote in your nds. As I said before, even if I get hungry, I always hunt ieppes. And… I do know how to be polite.”

  Rava frowned, unvinced. “Then why have I never seen you be polite?” she asked, her voice tinged with a mixture of exasperation and something else—something that made Vivienne pause for just a moment. Rava knew her too well, and the weight of that trust, the way it ced upon her, sent an unfamiliar pang through her chest. She fought to bury it.

  “Because teasing such a beautiful creature as yourself is not only easy, but fun too!” Vivienne’s lips curled into a mischievous grin, her eyes twinkling with pyful i.

  Rava threw her paws up in the air in mock defeat, the ers of her mouth twitg despite herself. “Impossible. Simply impossible.” She turned away with a shake of her head, though the small chuckle she tried to suppress betrayed her. “You’ll be the death of me, Viv.”

  Vivieched her with a smirk, a sudden warmth pooling inside her. She had pushed Rava too far before, testing the edges of their uneasy alliance, but something about the way the lekine’s voice softened just now made Vivienne feel… a little less alone. She took a slow step fng back at the grassnds stretg ahead of them, but her attention was still on Rava.

  "Don’t worry, Rava. I’m not so foolish as to bite the hand that’s feeding me... unless she likes it,” Vivieeased lightly, her grin sharp but her eyes glinting with something more sihat lingered beh her usual mischief.

  Rava froze for a heartbeat, her neck flushing a deep crimson. She blinked, clearly caught off guard, but then she quickly regained her posure, pushing the moment aside with a huff. "That’s… inappropriate," she muttered, her voice rougher than usual. She gnced away, fog oh ahead, but her ears twitched—a clear giveaway of her embarassment.

  Vivie the silence hang for a moment, enjoying the effect of her words. She had no particur desire to push Rava too far, but seeing the lekine flustered was an oddly satisfying distra from the deeper things simmering underh her own thoughts. Still, she let the teasing slip into a softer tone. “Sorry, Rava. Couldn’t resist,” she said, her grin fading to something more apologetic.

  Rava didn’t respond immediately, the tensioween them hanging thi the air, filled with all the unspoken things her of them were quite ready to face. The rhythmic sound of their footsteps was the only noise for a while, the wind rustling through the tall grass that swayed like a sea uhe fading light.

  Finally, after what felt like ay, Rava exhaled slowly, her breath a soft release, as if she were letting go of something she hadn’t known she’d been holding in. She gestured ahead, her arm slig through the air as she pointed into the distance.

  “The Serkoth e,” she said quietly.

  Vivienne’s gaze followed the dire Rava’s finger indicated. At first, the world seemed to blur, but then, through the sweeping fields of grass, something solid came into view—something more perma. She squinted her five eyes, the extra pair helping her see through the vast horizon. There, rising from the earth like a monolith, was a wall of polished sto and imposing against the backdrop of the fading sky. It wasn’t just any wall. It was a testament to the Serkoth legacy.

  The stone shimmered in the distance, smooth and almost unnaturally perfect, as though the wall had been crafted by giants rather than mortals. Its surface gleamed with a faint, otherworldly light, even uhe muted glow of dusk. The t structure looked like it had been built to eime itself, each stone perfectly pced to create a fortress that seemed to stretto eternity.

  "Impressive," Vivienne murmured, her voice soft as she took in the sight. “I see why you'd be protective of this pce.”

  Rava nodded, subtle pride tempering the tension in her expression. “It’s more than just a home. It’s the heart of the Serkoth —the pce where we gather, fight, and survive. It’s... everything. And everything that could g if—" She stopped herself, swallowing the weight of her unfihought. "It’s just... important.”

  Vivieilted her head, curiosity glinting in her qui of dark, inhuman eyes. “I uand. This is where you came from. Where your people are. But... do you fear what they’d do if they knew what I am?” Her voice was uncharacteristically soft, the teasing edge dulled by genuine .

  Rava hesitated, her ears twitg slightly as if listening to some unspoken thought. “Perhaps,” she murmured, her words quieter than a whisper. “You saved my life. More than o would be a stain on my honour if something happeo you. I trust you, Viv. I trust you with my life. But I have a duty, too. I o report what I’ve seen and introduce you to my mother.”

  Vivienne’s grin widened, fshing too mah, though it carried an oddly ear air. “Ah, meeting the mother. How serious.” She patted Rava’s shoulder, her cwed hand lingering a moment too long. Her true mouth cracked open just enough to share a glimpse of the endless rows of teeth beyond. “Don’t worry. This is my ‘reassuring smile’ smile. Just so you know.”

  Rava gave a low, exasperated groan. “You’ll make the hardiest of soldiers faint with that smile.”

  “Perhaps that’s the goal?” Vivienne quipped, her lips curling into a mischievous smirk. “To leave all the lovely men and women swooning at my radiay.” Her giggle was an eerie melody, the kind that da the edge of unease.

  Rava rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress the fai hint of amusement. “Impossible. You’re impossible.”

  Vivienne leaned closer, her voice dropping to a spiratorial whisper. “So, what’s your mother like? Will she swoon too, or does she have a heart of stone?”

  Rava’s expression darkened slightly, a mix of resped caution flickering across her face. “My mother doesn’t swoon. She judges, she tests, and she doesn’t tolerate nonsense. She’s the High Fang of the Serkoth . The pilr everythis on. The Serkoth are now the closest to Aegis amongst the s, the first line of defence.”

  “Ah, a formidable woman. Sounds like we’ll get along wonderfully,” Vivienne said, though there was a flicker of seriousness beh the humour. “But I’ll behave. For you.”

  Rava g her, studying her for a moment before nodding. “Good. Because if you don’t, I won’t be able to protect you.”

  The weight of her words settled between them, but Vivienne only smiled, softer this time, as they tiheir approach.

  The Serkoth e came into clearer view as they drew closer. The gates were massive, polished stoched with intricate carvings of wolves, storms, and warriors ihroes of battle. Guards fhe entraall, broad-shouldered lekine armed with spears and adorned with fur-lined armour. Their golden eyes fixed on the approag pair, narrowing as they noticed Vivienne.

  One of the guards stepped forward, his fur streaked with silver and his spear gripped tightly. “Lady Ravanyr,” he said, bowing his head in deference. “Wele home. The High Fang has been expeg your return.”

  Rava nodded curtly. “Thank you, Vrek. This is Vivienne. She’s with me, under my prote.”

  Vrek’s gaze flicked to Vivienne, his nostrils fring slightly as he took her in. His expression hardened. “Unusual pany,” he remarked, his toral but his grip on the spear tightening. “The matriarch will want to see her immediately.”

  Vivienne ined her head, a small, polite smile that was still uling in its own way. “A pleasure to meet you, Vrek. I hope we get along.”

  Vrek didn’t respond, his sharp eyes watg her every move as the gates began to creak open. Beyond them y the e, a sprawliwork of structures carved from stone and wood, blending seamlessly with the rugged terrain. Streams of water cut through the vilge, fnked by tall grasses and grees. Lekine moved about with purpose, their ears twitg and their golden eyes sharp as they took note of the strangers entering their midst.

  Whispers began to ripple through the air as Vivieepped inside, her unusual form drawing wary gnces and hushed versations.

  “Stay close,” Rava muttered, her voice low but firm. “Let me hahe introdus.”

  “Lead the way, Lady Serkoth,” Vivienne said with a demure bow, her griurning with just a hint of sharpness. Together, they stepped into the heart of the e, the weight of curious and cautious eyes following their every move.