Village, Hug and Wolf

The village was about what Joash had expected.

Farmland began to appear when Neko-chan was still a minute out, though it remained an hour and a half’s walk from the village itself. Fields stretched out on either side of the poorly maintained road, dotted with small huts that raced by as the ngeru followed the path with uncanny precision.

A thought suddenly speared through Joash.

“Foebe?”

Her voice was almost lost to the wind.

“Yeah?”

“How are the villagers going to react to a ngeru charging straight at them?”

“We’ll find out.”

And that was that.

He decided that, actually, it would be interesting to see how they reacted - provided they didn’t panic badly enough to try defending themselves.

Neko-chan crested a ridge, and the village revealed itself below, nestled among shallow hills.

Foebe sighed.

“It looks cute.”

“It does.”

Neko-chan, however, didn’t care for views. She galloped onward.

The village was encircled by a wall of stacked tree trunks, tall and sturdy enough that it even housed an inn within its boundaries. That was clearly where Foebe was heading.

Their first villager appeared on the road - a farmer hauling a cart of some unfamiliar vegetable. He turned at the sound of thunderous footsteps, went pale, and promptly dove off the road as Neko-chan hurtled past.

Thankfully, she didn’t try to sprint into the village.

She slowed smoothly, easing into a trot as the massive gates began to close from the inside. Far too slowly.

Neko-chan stuck her head into the narrowing gap and let out a polite meow.

Screams erupted from within.

Joash winced. The wall was somehow taller than Neko-chan, making it impossible to see what was happening inside. Foebe whistled sharply.

The great ngeru crouched, allowing them to slide down. But before Joash could take even a step, Foebe latched onto his arm, hugging it tightly to her chest.

His heart jumped.

“Foebe?”

She stared up at him, tail swaying happily, amber eyes soft.

“I said I was going to hug you all day.”

He chuckled.

“I didn’t think you were serious.”

She tightened her grip.

“No running away.”

He smiled.

“Alright.”

Behind them, the screaming continued unabated.

Foebe whistled again, and Neko-chan obediently backed away from the gate. It hadn’t closed any further, leaving a ngeru-sized gap. Joash and Foebe leaned forward cautiously.

“Hello?” Foebe called.

A face peeked out from behind a nearby house.

Then another.

Then a dozen villagers emerged, tension visibly draining from their bodies as they took in the scene: a calm couple standing before the gate, apparently unharmed despite the enormous beast behind them.

One of them pointed.

“Is… is the ngeru yours?”

Foebe nodded, still clinging to Joash’s arm.

“She is. Her name’s Neko-chan. Sorry for the scare.”

The villagers relaxed instantly at the mention of a name.

Then they stiffened again.

“How in God’s good name did you tame a ngeru?”

Foebe smiled, shot Joash a sly glance, and freed one arm to brush her hair aside - revealing her second pair of ears.

The village gasped as one.

“You’re… you’re an anaruhi! But there’s only one left!”

She nodded calmly.

“That’s right.”

Joash could practically see the gears turning.

“So… you’re here on your honeymoon? The wedding really happened?”

The news clearly hadn’t reached this far yet.

Foebe nodded again.

“That’s right.”

For a heartbeat, there was silence.

Then the village exploded.

Cheers, whoops, hollers - people scattered with sudden purpose, shouting instructions to one another. Joash stared, stunned.

Foebe giggled.

“And now they’ll throw us a feast.”

He glanced at her.

“Why?”

She smiled.

“Well, it’s not every day the last of a species visits your random village in the middle of nowhere, especially one who can turn D-tier tools into S-tier ones.”

He nodded slowly.

“I suppose that would do it.”

They remained standing awkwardly in the half-open gate as the crowd multiplied tenfold, rushing past them in organised chaos.

Foebe sighed.

“Let’s find the inn. No one seems inclined to help us right now.”

He chuckled - and was promptly dragged along as she refused to let go of his arm.

Neko-chan opened the gate fully for herself and followed, towering over everyone. Strangely, no one seemed to pay her any attention anymore.

The village itself was built on stone foundations with timber walls. Windows were glass, but paint was conspicuously absent - an understandable omission for a settlement so far from any city.

Near the centre, a large open square was already being transformed into a festive lunch setup. Joash doubted they’d finish in time; dinner seemed more realistic.

Foebe continued pulling him along until they reached a promising-looking building.

She smiled up at him.

“This is the place.”

He smiled back.

“I don’t know why, but I trust you.”

She chuckled and led him up the short steps to the entrance.

Behind them, Neko-chan lay down contentedly, her fur alone taking up half the road.

Foebe was correct - it was the inn, and they did have space available.

In fact, they were the only guests.

Soon they were together in an upstairs room. It was simple yet clean: a double bed, a wardrobe, a small bathroom, all finished in timber. The wood seemed abundant, which was surprising given that the nearest forest was an hour’s walk away even without a load.

Foebe sighed contentedly as she forced Joash to sit beside her on the bed, still refusing to let go.

“This is surprisingly nice.”

He murmured his agreement. She smiled at him.

“Don’t like it?”

He chuckled.

“I do like it.”

She grinned.

“You’re hiding something.”

He shrugged.

“When do we go to Koekoe?”

She snuggled into his shoulder.

“Tomorrow.”

He nodded. She sighed softly.

“I agree, it’s not a very interesting place. The villagers seem nice enough, though.”

He smiled.

“You know it’s just because they want your blessing.”

She shrugged.

“Everyone does. No difference.”

“I don’t.”

She smiled warmly at him.

“And I love you for that.”

He returned her expression.

“And I love you too.”

She giggled.

“Kiss me, beautiful.”

And so he did. He had to bend his neck slightly to reach her, but it was well worth it for the feel of her lips against his. A few seconds passed before they parted, both smiling - though hers was infinitely brighter in his eyes. Her eyes sparkled.

“Thank you, love.”

“Anytime, honey.”

Their shared giggles filled the room, an afternoon of flirting steadily approaching.