Kang was on the verge of tears as he spoke in a hoarse voice, the trembling in his hands worsening.

 

“Lani, is it really you?”

 

The other end of the phone was silent until Lani managed to stutter out, clearly confused and shocked by the sound of his Father.

 

“Dad...How did you...Why….Are you and Rana okay?”

 

Lani didn’t know what to say as he tried to come to terms with his Father being in the same room as Nakai, as well as on the phone. Before Lani or Kang could properly speak with each other, Rana swiftly snatched the phone from his Dad and shouted through the receiver, not afraid if his actions caused his brother to hang up.

 

“Are we okay?! You dare ask that after six years?! What was going through your head that day, you idiot?! Did you really think it was okay to leave like that?!”

 

Kang abruptly took the phone back from his son before he could fully portray his feelings, and he heard Lani sigh before saying.

 

“I wasn’t thinking properly. I’m sorry.”

 

Lani’s words weren’t good enough for Rana and he threw his chair back before storming out of the room, heading down another tunnel with quick steps. Ala had been busy eating the juicy meat like her brother and Zhang, but when Rana stormed off, she finished the food that was in her hand before rolling her eyes and followed after him. Wang Bao was also over taken by hunger and he ate a large slice of the meat the size of his head quickly, making sure to stay focused on the phone call as well; this was hard thought since the meat was glistening with savoury juices and Wang Bao’s stomach currently felt like a black hole. Nakai wasn’t interested in the food but he pulled one of the plates closer to Wang Bao, making it easier for him to eat. Despite Wang Bao eating loudly beside him and the phone being taken off of speaker, Nakai could still hear Lani’s voice through the phone. Now that Kang had the phone back in his hand, Kang couldn't hold his tears and he wiped his wrinkled cheeks with his leathery hands while saying.

 

“Let’s not talk about that anymore, where are you now? Have you been living well?”

 

When Lani replied to his Father’s question, it was clear he was crying as well.

 

“I’ve been well. I was picked up by a fishing ship not long after I left so I had a place to live. They’re good people and they’ve been treating me well.”

 

Kang didn’t mind that Lani didn’t tell him where he currently was because hearing that his son had been okay for the past six years was enough. Kang cleared his throat quickly before replying to Lani, a lightness in his voice when he spoke.

 

“That’s good, I was so worried you would be going hungry or living in poverty….Lani, when are you coming home? Don’t mind your brother’s temper either, you know he misses you.”

 

The other end was silent until Lani finally spoke calmly.

 

“I’ll come see you and Rana soon. I had an accident not too long ago because of a job and I can’t walk for another month. Once I’m fully healed, I’ll come see you two and explain everything.”

 

Kang was worried after hearing his son was injured, but Lani was able to calm his Father before any serious worrying could happen. For the next thirty minutes, Kang and Lani spoke while everyone else waited quietly. By the time the phone call had ended, Rana and Ala were walking back to the table. Rana’s anger had clearly gone down and he started refilling the empty plate with more roasted meat. With the phone call finished, Kang slid Nakai’s phone back across the table before leaning back in his chair. Despite being relieved to hear from his son, Kang looked to have aged ten years. It was only once Rana sat back down at the table with the full plates that Kang started talking, his voice rather quiet and tired.

 

“Thank you, everyone. There wasn’t a day that had gone by where I had wondered about Lani and if he was safe…Haa~ This storm should last two more days, stay here until then and once the weather is fine enough, we’ll take you to the other side of the mountain.”

 

Everyone couldn’t help but be thankful for Kang’s hospitality and Nakai showed a hint of a smile, the only one disapproving of this was Rana but he stayed quiet. Nakai finally started eating and he picked up a large slice of meat that Wang Bao had been eyeing, despite still chewing on a hearty piece. Before Nakai could finish one slice, Wang Bao went back for another but his greasy hands were caught. Nakai leaned closer to Wang Bao, still holding his hands while asking in a quiet voice.

 

“You haven’t had enough yet?”

 

Wang Bao really was still hungry despite having eaten almost an entire mound of roast meat, and a small round belly that hadn’t been there before eating. After hearing Nakai’s question, Wang Bao narrowed his eyes and snatched his hands back, whispering back to Nakai before grabbing another slice of meat.

 

“I just wanted another bite.”

 

. . . . . . .

 

After the meal, Kang gave everyone a room to stay and told Rana to show everyone down the right tunnel. Afterwards he left for his own room, changing into his wolf form once he entered a tunnel behind the fire pit. Wang Bao had caught a glimpse of Kang’s beast form and he was surprised to see Kang was much larger than the other wolves. He would easily tower over Raia, while his fur was a beautiful silver. The colour of his fur was almost shining in the warm glow from the fire, but before Wang Bao could get too good of a look, Kang had already disappeared. Rana also watched his Father disappear down the tunnel before reluctantly showing everyone to their rooms. The rooms were nothing special. They were basically a smaller version of the large open communal area they had come from, but there was no bed and no door. The only thing that made the space a bedroom was the large pile of pelts in the middle of the room, functioning as a makeshift bed.

 

Thanks to the fire pots in the corridors, there was enough light to move around easily and Wang Bao dropped onto the surprisingly soft bed tiredly. He had kept eating despite being full and he needed a minute to let his food digest. In the next room, Zhang chucked Luka onto the pile of fur blankets on the ground before searching his bag for Luka’s clothes. Under the blanket, Luka’s small mink body changed into his human form, creating a large mound under the fur pelt blankets before his head popped out. Luka looked around with wide eyes and wild hair before talking out of astonishment for the previous situation.

 

“I was so scared being in a room with those two, especially Rana. I swear he was about to eat me and Mika.”

 

Zhang pulled Luka’s clothes out of his bag while answering in a plain voice.

 

“No one was going to eat you…Well, maybe I would’ve. You scratched my entire torso thanks to your minor freak out.”

 

Before Luka could say anything, Zhang threw his clothes at his face then turned around to give him some privacy. In the next room, Alo had done the same with Mika, but in a more gentle manner. After being placed on the bed, Mika hid under the large fur blankets while dressing himself. While he was changing, Mika’s muffled voice came from the blankets.

 

“I’m sorry for changing, I just wanted to see Luka.”

 

Alo stood in the open doorway of the room, blocking most of the view from the corridor. Mika hadn’t said anything but it was a bit nerve racking for him to be in such an open space like Kang’s den.When he was finally dressed, Mika couldn’t help but be quietly grateful when he saw Alo standing in the doorway, and it helped ease a little of his fear. Unaware that Mika was dressed, Alo faced the corridor while replying to Mika. 

 

“I understand why you did it. I only kept the two of you separated because of the weather paired with Luka’s body, I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable around Zhang being close with Luka. It didn’t help when the wolves arrived either. Had the weather been warmer, there would have been no issue with you two changing into minks.”

 

From behind, Mika replied in a much clearer voice now that he wasn’t covered under a pile of fur.

 

“What will happen once we leave the mountain?”

 

Because Mika’s voice was clearer, Alo peeked over his shoulder and saw Mika sitting on top of the bed, fully clothed. While answering Mika’s question, Alo sat on the edge of the large plush bed.

 

“We’ll walk down the mountain. At the base of this mountain, there is a small town where we can stay.”

 

Nakai was explaining the same thing to Wang Bao, of course without giving away too much information. Wang Bao had gotten used to Nakai’s vague explanations about their journey, and he didn’t bother digging for more. Once Nakai finally joined him on the bed, he leaned against Nakai’s thigh while Nakai sat up against the wall. While Wang Bao looked up at Nakai, he couldn’t help but think about earlier and what Nakai had mentioned, causing him to say curiously.

 

“Earlier it sounded like you knew what Lani had gone through.”

 

Nakai looked down at Wang Bao, a little confused while asking.

 

“Don’t you also know what he went through? Because of our status there are certain things we have to accept despite knowing it’s wrong or something we don’t want, or we go against it and accept the consequences, no matter what they are.”

 

Wang Bao lifted his arm and scratched at Nakai’s chin before he asked in a quiet voice.

 

“What was your life like back home? Do you miss it?”

 

Wang Bao noticed Nakai never liked to talk about his own life, but he had always been curious about Nakai’s country. At first Nakai didn’t say anything as he thought about his home and parents. Thanks to being raised in the military, Nakai didn’t fully feel connected to his parents or the monarchy, having a deeper connection with the people and soldiers instead. After his brief reminiscence, Nakai finally answered Wang Bao, speaking in a rather distant voice.

 

“I stopped missing home a long time ago. As for what Giant country is like...It’s loud, colourful, bright.”

 

Wang Bao already knew Nakai was a man of few words, but hearing such a vague nondescript explanation he couldn’t help but scoff loudly. Dropping his arm down Wang Bao asked, a little baffled.

 

“What sort of explanation is that?”

 

Nakai simply shrugged his shoulders before saying.

 

“A fair one…”

 

After Nakai finished speaking, neither of them spoke again. Nakai appeared to be deep in thought while his hands massaged Wang Bao’s legs gently. Wang Bao waited patiently for Nakai to say what was on his mind while enduring the massage, but once Nakai’s hands moved up to his stomach, he swiftly stopped Nakai’s hands. Just as Wang Bao stopped him, Nakai started talking again but his voice felt a little distant.

 

“I wonder what your Mother’s plan is...She’s killed more officials while also putting a false accusation on your name. Not to mention she is still using Wang Lei’s name as a shield...Wang Bao, what do you know of your Fathers death?”

 

Wang Bao felt his blood run cold whenever he thought about his Father’s death. He stayed silent for a couple seconds, and Wang Bao felt Nakai’s caress his cheek tenderly, waiting patiently for him to answer. When Wang Bao did finally answer, he could feel the words want to stay in his throat, almost refusing to come out.

 

“...I know that he was murdered…He was shot and the bullet was quickly inspected before it was revealed to be from a weapon only Giants used…But in Lei’s letter, he said that it wasn’t actually the Giants and that the Giant’s were our friends. I actually never told Lei this, but I always felt our Mother had something to do with our Father’s murder. She was never kind to me or to Father…And now we know that she is involved in horrible things like trafficking so…”

 

Wang Bao’s voice trailed off and he went quiet, thinking about how pitiful his Father’s death really was. Until recently, Wang Bao had been living in his own nightmare fueled world that he hadn’t realised that his Father had also suffered thanks to the Queen Mother. Wang Bao could feel tears fill his eyes but he was sick of crying and quickly sat up, moving his body to staddle Nakai’s lap. Wang Bao leaned against Nakai’s chest comfortably before asking in a whisper.

 

“Do you think my Mother will find us or Wang Lei?”

 

Nakai slowly rubbed his hand along Wang Bao’s hair while answering in a similar whisper.

 

“I think we’re bound to run into her at some point.”

 

Nakai rarely sugar coated things and Wang Bao appreciated the honesty. The two continued to laze around until Wang Bao fell asleep; seeing Wang Bao was in a deep sleep, Nakai slowly moved him onto the soft furry bed before leaving the room. He wanted to find Rana but bumped into Ala instead who was coming back from the communal area. As soon as Ala saw Nakai, she spoke in a blunt quiet voice.

 

“I just calmed Rana down. He’s not happy about you staying here so don’t go making him boil over again.”

 

Nakai had noticed the way Rana looked at Ala, as well as the way she interacted with him. The pair looked to be close despite having not seen each other for six years. Before Ala could walk off in a huff, Nakai stopped her by asking quietly.

 

“What’s up with you and that timebomb? How come the two of you are so close?”

 

Ala rolled her eyes without bothering to answer before she walked away, heading into her own room. Nakai didn’t bother to push for an answer either and he continued down the hall before entering the large main room. Rana was still in his human form, sitting in front of the grand firepit; although his back was facing Nakai, he didn’t need to turn around in order to know who was behind him. In a lazy monotonous voice, Rana took a dig at Nakai.

 

“What is it now? Room not up to your royal standards?”

 

Nakai simply scoffed at Rana’s words and sat at the table, off to the side of Rana. Instead of beating around the bush, Nakia decided to ask Rana out right.

 

“How did you know so much about the Queen Mother’s activities? Your people don’t leave the mountain.”

 

It was Rana’s turn to scoff as he continued to stare at the dying fire. Without looking over at Nakai, Rana gave a quiet yet stern retort.

 

“Who said we don’t leave the mountain? I’ve travelled all over this world...In both forms too,  if you were wondering.”

 

Nakai could tell Rana was dancing around the question he had asked, and it pissed him off but he forced himself to have more patience. After a few seconds of silence, Nakai sighed and finally looked at Rana who had turned to look straight at him with a mixture of emotions. Instead of waiting for Rana to talk, Nakai spoke in a simple voice.

 

“I take it you already know Wang Bao’s Brother, the King, isn’t in the palace and placing whatever current orders have been made. To me, it seems like the Queen Mother is planning a takeover and is slowly weeding out the late King's followers; or at least the ones that don’t agree with her. The reason we’re travelling over the mountain pass is to get to Wang Lei with as few people seeing us, but after that I don’t know what Wang Bao will want to do.”

 

Instead following Nakai’s lead with the conversation, Rana continued to push Nakia’s patience by asking.

 

“What if he wants to go back home or convince Wang Lei to return to the kingdom? Will you take him back?”

 

Nakai was ready to snap and his face darkened. Nakia didn’t need to be told to know he would take Wang Bao back to Man country while Queen Mother was still alive, the same way he knew Wang Lei would never return to the palace if it meant taking the throne. After some time of cold silence from Nakai, Rana no longer wanted to mess with Nakai and he stood up, walking around the fire pit towards one of the tunnels while he spoke.

 

“I’m going to bed now. If your lover does desire to return to the palace, I’d advise him to do it before the Queen Mother has killed off everyone she can’t convert to her side.”

 

Before he could walk too far away, Nakai grimly spoke through gritted teeth.

 

“What do you want in return for running an errand for me?”

 

Rana quickly paused and looked back, a glint of amusement and mockery in his eyes as he returned to the table, sitting closer to Nakai this time before speaking quietly.

 

“Depends on what this errand is.”

 

Nakai clenched his jaw a few times before finally speaking, his jaw still tight thanks to Rana’s presence.

 

“It’s best to keep the amount of people that know of Wang Bao and Wang Lei’s location. I need to know how far the Queen Mother’s claws have reached, it would be nice to know more about what’s going on in her head too.”

 

Rana nodded slowly while Nakai was speaking and he thought it over. Before Nakai could grow too impatient, Rana finally leaned back in his chair before saying in a light voice, his eyes looking over to where Ala had disappeared.

 

“It would be hard for a small wolf like myself to do this alone, this sounds more like a job for two-”

 

Nakai had long grown tired of Rana’s roundabout way of talking and he interrupted the man by saying.

 

“I’ll tell Ala to escort you in order to keep you safe.”

 

Rana narrowed his eyes at Nakai, spitting out his next words with disdain.

 

“I don’t need an escort, a companion was all I was looking for.”

 

Nakai simply shrugged his shoulders, happy to finally get back at Rana in a small way. Now that they had made an agreement, Nakai stood up first and started walking away, speaking over his shoulder.

 

“Do you want me to ask her to pack some nappies and bottles for you? Just in case you become too scared to care for yourself?”

 

Rana wasn’t given the chance to reply because Nakai had already walked into the hallway, heading back to bed.

 

. . . . . .

 

Neither Nakai or Rana said anything about the side mission Ala would be partaking in until the night before they left the den. Everyone was busy packing in their room while Nakai headed down the corridor, walking into Ala’s room. Ala was sorting everything in her pack in order to be organised and ready for the morning and she ignored Nakai’s presence. Nakai didn’t say anything either as he leaned against the stone opening of the room. Nakai only started talking once Ala had gotten sick of his existence; his voice was quick and light as he spoke to Ala.

 

“Change of plans, you’re leaving tonight with Rana. He’ll give you the details once you two have left the mountain.”

 

Nakai turned to leave but a heavy hiking boot was thrown from across the room and hit him in the side of the head. Before the boot fell to the ground, Nakai caught it then tossed the boot back to Ala; he wasn’t angry or hurt by Ala’s actions and leaned back against the stone doorway. Ala wanted to scream because of Nakai’s selfishness but she held back, choosing to speak with a tight jaw instead.

 

“Two things, Nakai. First, don’t make decisions for me. Second, Tell me why I need to go with Rana and I’ll consider your change of plans.”

 

Nakai narrowed his eyes before he gave in and explained the plan to Ala.

 

“...Fine. I’ve asked Rana to find out more about the Queen Mother and her plans while we go to Wang Lei. Bring him to the small island once you’ve found out enough information. By then, the worst of winter should be behind you two.”

 

Ala’s anger fizzled out quickly after listening to Nakai and she settled down, looking down at her pack. Nakai could see her shoulders slumped slightly as she asked quietly.

 

“I guess you’re serious about being with Wang Bao then?”

 

Nakai hummed lightly in response to Ala’s question while she finally raised her head, the sad look from before was gone, instead she looked determined with a hint of confidence. Packing the rest of her things into her bag, Ala agreed to Nakai’s sudden task by saying.

 

“Okay, I’ll play nice for you. Take care of Alo while I’m gone though. He's too nice for his own good.”

 

Nakai thanked Ala genuinely before speaking in a warmer voice.

 

“He’ll be fine,Ala. But make sure you take care of yourself out there, there are some real freaks out there now.”

 

Ala simply rolled her eyes at Nakai’s attempt at care before shooing him out of her room. While Nakai walked back to his and Wang Bao’s bedroom, Wang Bao was busy packing his own bag. He wasn’t too focused on what he was doing though because he was too busy wondering why Nakai had gone to see Ala. He knew they had been friends for a long time, and that they had settled things between them, but he couldn’t help but want to know as well as wonder if it was okay to ask. When Nakai came back into the room, he moved around the room, picking up everything that Wang Bao had taken out of both of their packs. It only took Nakai a couple minutes to pack away all of his things while Wang Bao was moving at a snail's pace. Nakai quietly knelt beside Wang Bao on the floor then gently flicked Wang Bao’s unmoving hands away. Wang Bao leaned against Nakai’s side as he watched his clothes being folded then packed away neatly. After a few seconds, Wang Bao decided to bite the bullet and ask Nakai.

 

“What did you need to talk to Ala about?”

 

Nakai didn’t pause or hesitate as he replied to Wang Bao, his hands still busy packing all of Wang Bao’s clothes.

 

“Rana and Ala will be going on a different mission than us tonight. I only told her about it now.”

 

Wang Bao hadn’t been expecting this and he looked up at Nakai with a confused face while asking.

 

“What mission?”

 

Nakai completed packing just as Wang Bao finished asking and he helped Wang Bao stand before placing their bags beside the doorway. When he turned around to face Wang Bao, Nakai held Wang Bao’s face in his palms gently before saying some of the plan; he didn’t want to give Wang Bao all of the truth since he knew it would only scare him.

 

“There is something Rana wanted to check out but he needed someone to go with him, Ala is closest with him so it’s best if she goes.”

 

Wang Bao already knew Nakai wasn’t telling him everything but he didn’t pry; instead he  chose to question Nakai about something else.

 

“Did you ever have feelings for Ala...even a little bit of something more than friendship?”

 

Nakai started chuckling as he stepped forward, guiding the both of them back to the bed until Wang Bao was laying on his back. Nakai held his body up with his arms on either side of Wang Bao’s head, laying between Wang Bao’s legs. By the time they were both on the bed, Nakai was laughing loudly at Wang Bao’s question. Wang Bao had never seen Nakai laugh so hard before and he playfully slapped Nakai’s arm with a sour face. When Nakai calmed down enough to answer Wang Bao, he cleared his throat before whispering in a seductive voice.

 

“Never...However I can’t say the same about Alo.”

 

Wang Bao’s face went from wide eyed shock to dark betrayal. Seeing Wang Bao’s sudden emotional change caused Nakai to erupt into more laughter, and he buried his face into Wang Bao’s neck, attempting to muffle some of his loud guffawing. Wang Bao felt betrayed once he realised Nakai was joking around and he slapped Nakai’s back as hard as he could, but it only sent Nakai into another fit of laughter.