Once Eldin and Lumina finished moving the various casks, crates, and bags of supplies they had bought earlier in the day, the two found themselves outside sitting on the grass and looking at the stars. “Can you even remember the last time we sat here and stared at the night sky?” Lumina asked as she stretched out both arms with a yawn before leaning backwards to eventually lay down on the grass.

  The cool spring air drifted lazily by as Eldin thought, “It’s been years. Even before you left.” He stated as he looked over at his friend. He was still adjusting to having her around again.

  Standing up, Eldin started walking back to the house, “I actually didn’t get to eat my steak back at Jack’s. I’m going to get a quick snack with the new supplies. You want anything?”

  “I’m ok. I think I’ll relax here a bit longer.” Lumina said as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath of air. Focusing on her hearing, she listened to the ambient night. A peaceful serenade of nature rudely interrupted by the thuds of heavy footsteps. Her ears twitched occasionally at the abrupt sound. Eventually looking up, she saw Elrin and Milli making their way back to the house. Standing up and brushing her skirt off, she took one last look at the stars before going to greet her former teachers.

  “The tavern was quite busy tonight. Didn’t think you could fit so many people in that space.” Lumina stated as she approached them. Elrin was the first to reply, “In my experience, with it being the only tavern, there really isn’t much other choice if you want to get drunk. Lumasias knows how much these lumberman drink.”

  “I think she was referring to the bar brawl that broke out tonight.” Milli responded with a lighter more feminine tone. Lumina laughed knowing that Milli was drunk. “You spent two years with her. You take care of it.” Elrin said as he walked past Lumina and into the house.

  Looking up at her master, Lumina let out a sigh. “At least you can walk.” She re-opened the front door and Milli walked through. Her normal confident stride more relaxed. “Did her hips just sway?” Lumina thought to herself as she followed Milli into the house.

  Once inside, Milli laid down on the couch and Lumina walked into the kitchen. Eldin was sitting at the table, a bowl of dried fruit and nuts in front of him. Lumina walked over and grabbed a small handful tossing it into her mouth. Her larger more prominent canines easily noticeable in the brightly lit kitchen. “Hey. You said you weren’t hungry.” Eldin protested as he pulled his bowl closer to him.

  Elrin watched from a distance, a smile on his face. A mixture of pride and sadness swirled inside him as told he them to go to the living room. Standing in front of the lit hearth he couldn’t help but feel annoyed. He was about to tell his kids that it was time for them to leave. Yet Milli was unceremoniously laying on the couch, half her legs sticking off one end. This was supposed to be a keystone moment in their lives. And Milli ended up getting drunk on the very same night they were to announce it.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Once Eldin and Lumina were seated, he spoke. “Both of you have come so far from the small children you once were. Each of you passed and surpassed our expectations time and time again. “We’re proud of you!” Milli said a little too loudly as she continued to lay on the couch.

  “Either way, we both think that you two should leave this town and explore the world. Go on some adventures.”

  Lumina’s eyes went wide. Did she hear that right? Were they actually telling her to leave the village? Instead of staying in it? Blinking a few times, she sat there thinking. “Wait. You want me to leave the village? I mean I have always wanted to, but now you really mean I can go?”

  “Of course!” Milli blurted out as she continued speaking, “We just wanted to make sure the two of you could handle what the world will throw at you.”

  “Indeed. We never planned on keeping you here forever Lumina.” Elrin added in, “However, life outside of Woodvale will be very different for you.”

  Lumina cocked her head to the side as she stared at Elrin. “How?”

  “For starters, you won’t be allowed into most towns.” Elrin said as Milli piped up again, “You may be even attacked on sight for simply being a Fereece.” Lumina looked to her mentor briefly with a look of surprise before focusing her attention back on Elrin. “What she says is true. Fereece are not welcome. You’ve experienced it every now and then here in Woodvale.”

  Looking back on her life, Lumina could easily recall the many times people had treated her differently. It was actually one of the reasons she had left to train with Milli. She would have been perfectly fine finding a guy and settling down in Woodvale, but not one family wanted to risk their potential grand-children to become Fereece.

  Milli spoke, “The only reason, as you know. That this town accepted you as well as it did was because your mother was a hero. And we were here to help further calm their insecurities.”

  “We didn’t want you heading out into the world unprepared. Which is why both of us have trained you so diligently.” Elrin added in as his face took a more serious look before he continued, “We also wanted to make sure you could protect yourself from hunters.”

  Eldin spoke up, “Wait. There are actual people going around hunting Fereece?”

  Milli started to speak, but a large burp escaped her mouth before the words did, “There are plenty of people willing to pay money for a Fereece. Especially degenerate rich folk who like to use them as slaves, or worse.”

  “You mean Fereece kept as pets is really an issue?” Eldin remarked, completely surprised.

  "There is a large market for Fereece. While slavery itself is illegal, most people view Fereece more as animals than actual people.” Elrin explained as he took a step forward to help reduce the heat on his back from the hearth.

  Lumina pulled her tail across her lap and stared at it. “I know there are parts of me that are different from a human, but that doesn’t make me an animal!” She said in a frustrated tone as Milli finally sat up normally on the couch and propped her head up with one of her hands, elbow resting on the arm rest.

  “That’s the main reason we both trained you as well as we could. We didn’t want to send you out there and get captured and enslaved. It may not seem like it, but both you and Eldin are much stronger than most people you will come across.”