I looked at Meli. Her joke made the heavy feeling in my chest lighter. She was right. I did get lost easily in the woods. It was good to see that spark of her old self return.

"You are right," I said with a small smile. "I probably would get lost in five minutes without you."

I turned to Elena, Isolde, and Garrick one last time.

"We will be back soon."

Meli and I walked out of the Moon Rabbit's Respite.

The bard said to look for the largest building. I scanned the settlement. I looked for a house that stood out from the others.

Upon leaving the inn and tavern, Cadmus easily notices that the sun is rising and most people are already up for the day. They open various buildings for business for the day, while others headed into the Vestarel Forest for lumber or for game.

Cadmus would notice that the hamlet consists mostly of log cabins. Out of all of the buildings, he also finds the largest wooden building out of all of the buildings in this hamlet. It’s a three floored wooden building, with a balcony on the highest floor 15 feet above the entrance. This balcony is no doubt used for announcements to the crowd if the building doubles as an office. It’s also easy to note that the architecture is different from the rest of the buildings in the hamlet, and it’s the only building with three floors. The roof consists of kara-hafu tiling with stylized wolves at the ends instead of carp.

Meli speaks up, spotting the house, “I think that’s our destination! From a rabbit hole to a den of wolves…I’m sensing a theme with this hamlet,” She then trots ahead and she calls to him, "Come on, let's go, Cad!"



Should Cadmus proceed to head to the house in question, he would reach the entrance easily. But there are two guards in furs and leathers posted at the entrance. They call to Cadmus and Meli, “Halt! Do you have an appointment with Chief Garou?”

Meli ran ahead, pointing toward the large house. My attention was fixed on the pigeon that had vanished inside the roof. Chief Garou was clearly getting communication from outside the settlement. Was he already aware of the Ophidian forces? Or perhaps he was working with them.

We reached the guards at the entrance. I stood tall and faced them, meeting their call with directness.

"No, we do not have an appointment," I stated clearly. "But the need to speak with the Chief is urgent. It concerns Ophidian forces operating in this region."

I paused, letting my words settle.

"If he cannot see us now, then please arrange an appointment for us to speak with him as soon as possible."

When Cadmus looks at the pigeon for any details he can glean about who sent the message, he doesn't really find much. Unlike horses or people, carrier pigeons do not have anything to bear a coat of arms on. So that leaves him with only one option: Looking at the paper itself, tied to the pigeon. However, looking there, he doesn't see any wax seals or coat of arms either. Cadmus realizes that this probably means that the messenger pigeon either came from family or friends from elsewhere, or from someone in the Vestarel Forests.

When he officially addresses the guards and he brings up the Ophidian forces, the guards both look to each other before looking back to Cadmus. They seem to be thinking over their answer carefully, before one of them speaks, "Wait here. I will see if Chief Garou can see you today," The guard turns and hurries inside.

The other guard then looks to Cadmus and Meli as the group wait. After a few moments, Meli asks the guard, "Soooo...how's guard life?"
"Fine," The guard gives a one word answer casually.

"Does it pay well?"
"Yes,"
"Are you uncomfortable in that armor?"
"Nah,"
"Does weird stuff happen here?"
"Sometimes,"
"Do you like your job?"
"Mm..." The guard shrugs.

Soon enough, the other guard returns and he speaks, "Chief Garou will speak with you now. Please follow me,"

"Wow, lucky us!" Meli speaks up before she looks to Cadmus. She looks to Cadmus and she asks, "Is that normal, Cad?"

After he answers, and should they follow the guard, they will find that there isn't much to decoration. There are some trophies, such as antlers and pelts, but there are also some ornamental urns about. The guard leads them further into the first floor into an office. There, a burly man sits behind the desk, hunched over trying to do paperwork.

"Chief Garou!" The guard calls, causing the burly man to lift his head, "These are the two who wished to see you,"

Chief Garou stands up, his head almost bumping into the ceiling. He rumbles to the guard, "Leave us,"

The guard does indeed leave, leaving Cadmus and Meli alone with this bear of a man. He greets them, "It is nice to meet you both. My name is Chief Garou. Please have a seat,"

He takes his own seat once more and he asks them, his voice still rumbling, "I hear you have news about the Ophidian Forces,"

Meli asked if this was normal. I leaned in close to her as we walked.

"It is not normal. But urgent news opens doors."

I followed the guard into the office. Chief Garou was a mountain of a man. I sat down when he offered the seat.

Under the long sleeve of my coat, my right hand curled into a tight fist. I felt my claws press hard against the leather of my glove. The scales on my arm felt warm, but I kept it hidden and remained still.

"Thank you for seeing us, Chief Garou," I began. "We lived in an orchard near here. There was a community of satyrs living close to us called the Moonpetal Gathering."

I paused for a moment to let the information settle.

"Yesterday, a group of mercenaries attacked. They burned our home and captured the satyr families. I saw their emblem. They are known as the Windpikes."

I watched his expression closely.

"They are enforcers who do the dirty work for the Ophidian forces. They are active in this region right now."

I stopped there. I did not ask for anything or make any promises. I simply sat back and waited to see how he would react to the news of the Windpikes and the attack.

Meli nods at his answer as she gives a quiet “Ohhh,” at his answer. She remains quiet as he speaks with Chief Garou. As the conversation continues, Cadmus might notice her try to make herself seem smaller than she actually is.

Chief Garou, meanwhile, listens attentively to Cadmus as he speaks. He does raise a silent eyebrow at the mention of the Windpikes. The eyebrow lowers once Cadmus explained who they were succinctly. Once Cadmus finished speaking and was waiting for a response, Chief Garou speaks up, “I see. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Lad. That orchard was the only reason those Ophidian Dogs left our home alone. Now that we know it has fallen, we’ll begin taking precautions,”

He then puts two fingers to his mouth and gives a shrill whistle. A guard comes in and asks, “Yes Sir?!”

Chief Garou directs the hide and leather clad guard, “Bolin! I’ll need you and the rest of the Greenleaves to increase your patrols. If any of the Ophidian Dogs come here, you are to act accordingly,”

The guard nods before he asks in tense realization, “But Chief! What about the werewolf?! If we go on patrol during the full moon—“

“Don’t worry about the werewolf, Bolin! As long as you have silver or lavender on you, you and the rest of the Greenleaves will be safe!” Chief Garou immediately answers, as though he had this conversation before.

“Un-Understood, Chief!” Bolin answers hesitantly before he takes his leave. Now that Cadmus has a moment, he does recall that all of the buildings in this hamlet had their windows and doorways laced with fresh, fragrant lavender.

The Chief turns his attention back to Cadmus and he addresses him, while leaning forward again, almost looming over him, “Now then, while I will need to know this emblem of the Windpikes, I get the sense that you aren’t here just to warn us. There’s something you want in return?”