“Are you sure about this?” Mouse dropped a bag outside Ghost’s stall. He could see the white’s of the horse’s eyes and decided, despite wanting to give him a pat, it was better to stay outside the stall.

  Jule nodded, bent down and rummaged through her bag. “We traveled on our own before meeting you two. We’ll be fine on our own. And it’s not like we’re leaving the country. We’re just going to Haasundra.”

  Yeah, but that was before they knew about the rip and… Mouse gazed over the stall door, studying Ghost’s legs. “That was before Ghost got injured. If something happens on the road, he won’t be able to get you two to safety.

  “What, are you going to lend us Sweet Bun, then?”

  Mouse shot her a glare.

  “So Ghost it is. Besides,” Jule rose, snuggling her face easily into Ghost’s, who flicked his ears forward and purred for her. “He’s strong and all healed up. He’s been with us through everything. He’ll be alright.”

  Ellio entered the stable lugging a bag on his back and carried a smaller one in his hands. He set them both down, to which Jule scowled. “Wait, wait, wait, whose bag is that?”

  “Ah,” Ellio scratched his head, more from nervousness than anything else. “Azhar said she’s coming with us.”

  Silence lingered for about half a moment before Jule burst out with a “what??” But Mouse tuned it out, walking out of the stable and into the guildhall. He found Azhar by the mission board. He walked to her, not saying anything as her eyes scanned over the missions.

  “Are you sure you should be traveling with two humans?”

  She shrugged. “Why not?”

  Taiga said she didn’t remember when she sleepwalked or how she transformed. It seemed, by her blank look, she really didn’t. “Why even go?”

  Mouse couldn’t imagine being alone with two humans for so long. The trip to Haasundra would take them close to two weeks each way, in the cold. Then for however long it took them to find whatever it was they wanted to know. Mouse guessed the trip would take them at least a month or two, though he wasn’t really sure. Either way, being trapped with humans for so long? Azhar was a fool.

  “Well,” Azhar rocked back and forth on her heels, “I have to make him happy. How can I do that when I’m so far away?”

  “Who, Ellio?” Taiga probably mentioned something like this to him. It sounded familiar, at least. She nodded.

  Just for that? Oh, she was indeed a fool. Why couldn’t she ‘make him happy’ once they returned? Whatever the fuck that meant, anyways. “Be careful. Those two get suspicious easily.”

  “Be careful of what?” Azhar turned to him, her head rocking to the side.

  Was she serious? Did the fact that if she were discovered as a shifter, and she’d be killed if caught, not worry her? He scratched his head. Or maybe she simply forgot?

  “Fuck it. I’ll talk to Taiga.” Maybe he could talk her out of it. After all, if she got caught, Mouse and Taiga would take a lot of heat for it, and it could put both of them at risk, too.

  Although, maybe if she got caught far away in Haasundra, they wouldn’t get in trouble. Except maybe from those two human siblings. He stomped up the stairs to the third floor and entered their room.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  He slipped his boots off quietly and drew towards the bed. The curtain hung darkness through the room and he lit a candle on the nightstand before carefully sitting on the bed. He set a hand to the lump of blankets before pulling the top few layers down to find Taiga’s hair.

  Taiga groaned, shrinking further beneath the blankets. Mouse held the back of his hand to his forehead. Cooler than his own, but warmer than it should be. The fever went on for close to three days now, ever since the first snow fell.

  “Hey, how’re you feeling?” Silence. That bad, then.

  “Did you see them off?” Taiga croaked from beneath the covers.

  “Not yet.” He stood, sliding to the end of the bed and reaching beneath the covers. His fingers found the now cooled heat stones and pulled them out. “I’ll reheat these.”

  “They’re leaving today, right?” Taiga pulled his head out of the covers, eyes following Mouse.

  “Yeah. Azhar says she’s going with them.”

  “What? Why?” Taiga sighed, pulling himself to a sitting position. His eyes drew long, blinking slowly through exhaustion.

  Mouse watched his slow, trembling movement for several long moments. Mouse stood, readjusting Taiga’s pillows so he could lean against them. Taiga thanked him and did. A normal human wouldn’t hear it, but maybe because Mouse wasn’t, he could make out the creaks and snaps of Taiga’s joints and limbs as he moved and resettled. Each snap was followed by a grimace on Taiga’s face.

  “She said to ‘make him happy’ or some shit.”

  Taiga shook his head, his eyebrows scrunched together. “Leave her be. She’s stubborn enough to travel the country searching for him. I doubt she’ll listen to me.”

  “But if she gets discovered…?” Mouse went to the table, preparing a hot tea that he’d brought earlier.

  “We didn’t know.” Taiga tried shrugging, paused mid shoulder raise, and gave up. “How would a couple of ex-farmers know how to spot a shifter?”

  So, they’d abandon her. Mouse didn’t mind the idea. He handed Taiga the tea, which he clasped his stiff fingers around gingerly.

  “And once we’re in the clear… If they, for some reason, didn’t kill her on sight, we’ll have to save her.” That sounded more like Taiga.

  “You mean, me, right?” Since Taiga couldn’t exactly go running about swinging his sword in his state.

  Taiga attempted a weak, creaky smile, “of course.”

  After the tea, Taiga slipped back under the covers. Mouse descended the stairs and heated the stones at the firepit. Once he’d placed them back beneath the blankets on the bed, Mouse let Taiga return to his nap and exited the room silently.

  “Well?” Jule asked once he descended the stairs. “You asked Taiga about Azhar, right?”

  “How did you…” It didn’t really matter how they knew. “He said she can go.”

  Jule made some sort of gibberish curse while Azhar giggled and ran up to where Jule and Ellio stood near the stairs. “I have an idea!”

  “What?” Jule crossed her arms tightly over her chest.

  “We can take a mission to Haasundra. We get paid, have company on the way, and—” Something in the distance caught her attention and she wandered past them.

  “And?? And what?” Jule asked, spinning around as Azhar passed them. When Azhar was unresponsive, Jule tapped a foot and sighed. “She’s going to wander off in Haasundra, and I’m not chasing her around the city.”

  Mouse shrugged. “Let her, then.” It didn’t really matter to him whether she came back or not. As long as she didn’t bring trouble back with her.

  “I’ll keep an eye on her. It’ll be fine, Jules.” Ellio soothed. “But she had a good point about the mission.”

  Jule tapped her foot, pursing her lip and watching the orange headscarf disappear out of the guildhall. “I mean, I guess. Fine, only if there’s one heading to Haasundra.”

  “She was looking at the board, so she probably found one.”

  And Azhar did, in fact, find a job. An escort mission for as soon as possible, making it feasible for that evening. They packed, met the merchant group they would travel with, and prepared for departure. Once Mouse saw them off, he hopped back down the road to the guildhall.

  He stood beneath the archway. Only a couple mercenaries mingled about, talking to the commissioner. A stablehand walked in, making his way to the back hallway. The firepit roared with life.

  Peace.

  He’d forgotten what quiet felt like. Mouse breathed, for the first time in what felt like a month. Then he climbed the stairs to find the heat stones and warmed them again. Perhaps tomorrow, he’d go out and check on the rip. If he was lucky, there’d be a few demons he could play with. The thought of going wild spread a grin over his face.