My true appearance definitely startled the Wolf Pack, although everyone had gasped, a silence piercing across the room for several moments as they took it in. This town wasn’t so large a town that I worried too much about what they thought. Revealing myself to be a human and a lord might have some risk elsewhere, but this was already a town of rejects.

A woman stood up and threw a finger in my direction. “It’s your fault!”

Her words startled me, but they seemed to open a floodgate for the rest. Other people began to stand up as well, shooting accusatory or hateful looks my way.

“You gave her that power!”

“You brought here!”

“She’s the reason we’re cursed!”

“Curse?” I asked, but my voice was lost to a torrid of angry shouts.

The wolfkin stood, as the crowd was quickly becoming hostile. Some people were clutching things in their hands as if they were a moment from throwing them.

“You should have let her die.”

“You’re the reason we suffer.”

“This is your responsibility!”

At that moment, someone let loose. It was a glass cup just like the one that I had been drinking out of, except that it was aimed at my head. I moved my hand, causing my sword to form. I blocked the drink with the broadside of the blade, and then I slammed it into the ground, causing a resounding thud that cut through the screaming crowds.

“Enough!” I bellowed, causing the entire group silence in an instant, and even a few to break out in tears. “I came here for answers, not for accusations. I already take it by your actions that my Miki is connected to this Lady Death. She started here. What. Did. You. Do?”

I cut off each word, and it was enough that several rage-filled eyes turned to shame, looking down to avoid my gaze.

“It seems…” The mayor’s voice arose, causing everyone to turn to him. “That it is impossible now to continue to hide our story.”

“So, you’ll speak? Good, start by answering my questions. Why are you cursed?”

“It… wasn’t us. It was the catkin who did this.”

“The catkin?” I frowned.

“It was the king’s orders. We couldn’t disobey…” He spoke helplessly like he had given up all hope.

“The king?’ The wolf pack leader spoke out in startlement. “Don’t you mean the rabbitkin?”

The mayor looked confused for a moment before shaking his head. “No, these were catkin who built it. They were the ones who were doing…”

His voice broke and he stopped talking.

“What did they build?” I demanded starting to walk toward him. “What were they doing?”

The mayor let out a sigh. “I need to show you something.”

He stepped down from the table, his head lowered in defeat, his tail down. The people remained silent as they watched him walk up to and then past me, heading to the door. I looked at the four wolfkin and then gave a nod, following behind him.

“When were you going to tell us you knew lady death?” The pack leader whispered as we left the end.

“I didn’t know.” I shrugged. “I’m sorry I kept what I knew from you, but it was safer that way.”

The wolfkin looked around at the icy and still somewhat hostile stares of the foxkin and then shuddered. “It might have been safer had you kept it in.”

“We don’t have time,” I responded. “We need to understand what happened.”

The group of us walked out of the inn, following the mayor to see what he had to show.