Karawa, Koten and Wolf

The city Foebe had chosen - Karawa - lay relatively close to the edge of the desert.

It sat within a broad, bowl-like plateau, its buildings spread across the basin below. At a glance it resembled tangata cities, but the differences stood out quickly: there were no walls, and the city was far less compact, its structures spaced with a sense of openness rather than defense.

Neko-chan stood at the rim of the bowl, her silhouette framed against the stone cliffs that formed its edge. A carved path snaked gently down the cliff face for travelers, but from their vantage point Joash could already see the movement and bustle of the city below.

The sun sat behind them.

He swallowed.

If anyone looked up now, all they would see was the outline of a massive beast against the light. He worried someone might mistake the ngeru for a monster and panic - they were too far away for the riders themselves to be visible.

Foebe stared down at the city for a moment longer, then whistled.

Neko-chan launched forward, tearing down the narrow cliff path.

Joash gripped her fur, silently praying they wouldn’t encounter anyone coming the other way. A careless collision here would knock a traveler clean off the cliff.

Thankfully, the path remained clear.

Moments later they reached the basin and surged toward the sprawl of buildings. As they neared the outskirts, Neko-chan slowed, just as she had before entering the town, until she was walking rather than running.

But this time, no one fled.

People stopped and stared as the great ngeru strode calmly toward the city center, two riders seated atop her back. Whispers rippled through the streets. Children laughed and pointed.

Joash kept his eyes fixed firmly on the fur at Neko-chan’s neck, his ears burning.

Foebe, meanwhile, waved cheerfully at a group of children who immediately began following at a safe distance, careful to keep clear of the ngeru’s hind legs.

She laughed.

“Aren’t they just darlings?”

He nodded, still refusing to look anywhere else.

“Yeah.”

Neko-chan came to a halt and crouched, allowing them to slide to the ground. A small crowd gathered, curiosity overcoming caution.

Joash reached for Foebe’s hand.

She looked up at him.

“Love?”

“Yeah?”

She smiled softly.

“That’s the first time you’ve taken my hand like that. I was starting to wonder if something was wrong.”

He smiled, a little embarrassed.

“Oh. Sorry. It’s just…”

She nodded in understanding.

“Crowds, right?”

He nodded.

She squeezed his hand reassuringly as a tall man with cat ears and a long tail stepped forward from the onlookers.

“Let’s try to make this quick, then.”

The cat-man stopped a few paces away and cleared his throat.

“Visitors,” he said. “I am Agis, elected head of the city of Karawa. State your purpose.”

The sharpness in his tone surprised Joash, but Foebe didn’t miss a beat.

“Agis,” she replied calmly. “I am Foebe, and this is my husband, Joash. We’re here on our honeymoon.”

Before he could respond, she brushed her hair aside, revealing her small, pointed ears.

A collective gasp spread through the crowd.

Agis froze, then stared.

“The last anaruhi…” he murmured. “So the marriage ritual succeeded…”

So the news hadn’t reached Karawa yet either.

Then Agis smiled - broad and genuine.

“Well,” he said, eyes flicking toward Neko-chan, “that explains the ngeru. What’s her name, by the way?”

And just like that, the tension melted away.

The edge of hostility dissolved into an easy, welcoming atmosphere - one Joash hadn’t expected so quickly. The crowd relaxed, conversations springing up in clusters as curiosity replaced caution.

Foebe grinned.

“Neko-chan. She’s a summon.”

The chatter grew louder. Some spoke about the newcomers, others about nothing in particular. Joash glanced over the gathered faces and realized he couldn’t spot a single tangata - or taringata, for that matter - anywhere in the crowd.

Agis’s eyes sparkled.

“A summon? You must have a powerful mage working for you.”

It seemed the ngeru interested him even more than Foebe herself.

She giggled.

“She was a gift. I have no idea how she was made.”

Agis laughed, then smoothly shifted topics.

“How long do you plan to stay?”

“Until the autumn rains finish.”

He did some quick mental arithmetic, then turned toward the crowd. His voice rose until it cut cleanly through the chatter.

“HEY! WHO’S GONNA HOST THE-”

He paused and turned back to the couple, suddenly polite again.

“What last name were you given?”

Foebe giggled.

“Fukurai.”

Agis nodded, then faced the crowd once more.

“THE FUKURAIS?”

The response was immediate.

Silence - then almost every hand shot into the air.

Agis sighed and turned back to them.

“Take your pick.”

Foebe looked horrified.

“I couldn’t possibly do that!”

He sighed again, then slowly scanned the raised hands. After a moment, he lifted his head and shouted:

“WHERE’S HEIMRIC?”

The hands lowered. A wolf-eared man carrying a small child stepped forward.

Agis nodded.

“You’ll be hosting the Fukurais. Is that alright?”

The man smiled and nodded.

“Of course.”

Agis turned back to the couple, his tone softening.

“I trust Heimric. He and his family will host you until you leave. Is that acceptable?”

Foebe smiled and nodded.

“Thank you.”

Agis grinned, gave a thumbs-up, then raised his voice once more.

“ALRIGHT! BEST BEHAVIOUR!”

Laughter rippled through the crowd as people began to disperse.

Heimric approached, still holding the child. She had wolf ears like his and a smaller, equally fluffy tail. Like him, her hair was white - strikingly different from Foebe’s warm orange-brown. Still, if not for Foebe’s hidden second set of ears, she could have blended in easily. Wuruhi, Joash recalled - the subspecies Foebe had mentioned.

Agis turned back one last time.

“Alright, Heimy. They’re all yours.”

He winked at the couple.

“If you need anything, find me.”

And with that, he was gone before they could thank him.

Neko-chan yawned.

Heimric stepped closer.

“Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Heimric Koten, and this-”

He gently bounced the child in his arms.

“-is Isi.”

The little girl stared at them with wide, uncertain eyes.

Foebe smiled warmly.

“She’s beautiful.”

Then she turned to Heimric.

“Thank you for offering to host us. I’m Foebe, and this is Joash.”

Joash nodded.

Heimric grinned.

“Then let’s head home, shall we? Night’s almost here.”

He glanced toward Neko-chan.

“And we’ll be happy to have your ngeru as well, though she’ll probably need to sleep outside-”

Foebe whistled.

As Neko-chan began to rise, a parchment appeared in Foebe’s hand. The ngeru dissolved into pure white light and flowed back into the paper.

Heimric stared for a moment, stunned.

Then he laughed.

“As expected of an anaruhi. Well then, let’s go. My family can’t wait to meet you.”

Joash suspected they had no idea they were about to receive guests, but appreciated the sentiment all the same.

Foebe tucked the parchment into her pocket, and together the four of them set off toward the Koten family home, the sun dipping low over the rooftops of Karawa.