“Thank you, Aurora. You saved Askold,” he said as he ran his hand over her fluffy back.
Her molten eyes met his, and she hummed in response.
They followed Yepa through the town, Aurora trailing behindthem as she snorted at others watching them, her steps crunching into the dirt road.
“Ya know,” Yepa started. “We’re a community of shifters. The Corvids and Amaru were once considered our kin.” She peered over her shoulder at Sephyr. “But that was thousands of years ago, before the world shifted.”
“How do you know that?” Benny asked her, intrigue quickly slipping off his tongue.
The woman shrugged and chuckled. “We have stories that have passed down from generation to generation. They say angels were born for the Corvids and Amaru. Now we wait for our angel to find us, as well. All that remains of the Lycanthrope community are the Mauls and the Pack. We fear the world is shifting again, as the sun has failed to rise.”
Benny looked up at the twinkling stars above. He didn’t even know what time it was now.
“What do you mean?” he asked, looking back at her.
Yepa pursed her lips and said sharply, “Did you not realize? It should be early afternoon right now. But the moon lights up the sky, not the sun.”
He cleared his throat. This town just went through a lot. Why would the sun not rise? He changed the subject, seeing that her irritation was growing. “The Lycanthropes… Are the packs the canines, and Mauls the bears? And you’re a canine shifter, yes?” Benny asked as he stepped over lumber scattered in the middle of the road.
“Aye,” she responded, her voice softening. “But we’re a community nonetheless amongst our two shifter breeds.” She looked at Sephyr. “Has your angel returned? I heard rumors. I wonder if she’s the reason for the moon’s everlasting glow.”
Sephyr pursed her lips but didn’t respond, instead choosing to look ahead at the dozens of people working.
They walked for a few blocks before stopping at a small housewith a straw roof that looked like all the others. Yepa knocked on the creaky wooden door and stepped back.
“Who’s there?” a deep voice gruffed through the door. “I said I didn’t want to talk to anyone today.”
“You have company, Ojore,” Yepa replied.
The door swung open. “Sorry, Yep—” Ojore started, but froze when he saw Benny standing there. His eyes shifted to Sephyr. “Who the fuck are you?”
Sephyr’s lips curled into a smile before she pursed them back into a scowl. “Sephyr,” she replied.
“You one of those Corvid weirdos?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
Benny interrupted, “Yes, she is. We came for you. Askold is with us also, but he was stung on the way here. He’s healing now, thanks to Yepa here.” He pointed to the woman with his thumb. “Why the hell did you leave like that?”
“Get in here quick. Yepa, you need to hear this, also.” He held the door open, and they walked in, leaving Aurora right outside the door. He looked around a few times before closing the door behind them.
The small home was a disaster, greeting them with a thick animal smell. Mismatched furniture with tears and cabinets with doors hanging on hinges overwhelmed the space.
“Sorry for the mess,” Ojore said. “I lost my temper.”
Yepa gently smiled at him and sat on the small sofa. Benny sat in a chair in the corner that creaked under his weight, and Sephyr stood by the door.
Ojore paced back and forth, clenching his fists open and closed.
“What’s wrong, lad?” Yepa asked as she watched his hands unfurl.
He looked at Benny. “Where are Seda and Ael?” he asked.
“They traveled north to retrieve the Stone of Peace from some beast called La Uma,” Benny replied. “Why?”
Ojore growled and scratched at his curly beard, as if in irritation.
“Can you confirm that?” He looked at Sephyr. “Are the other Corvids with them?”
“What’s going on?” Yepa asked, standing and glaring at him.
