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The Routine

By Evan Drake

© 2019-2021, Evan Drake, All Rights Reserved

Raul squirmed in his seat, tail shivering beneath him as if the temperature had dropped below freezing. It was hard to focus on the interviewer across from him.

It was her eyes. Those brown orbs watched like staring at a bird of prey, searching for any signs of weakness. Just waiting for the opening, for the chance to strike.

He couldn't show weakness, but his body hadn't gotten the memo. His hunched posture, ears flat against his head, paws gripping the edges of his chair like lifelines, and irregular breathing betrayed all attempts at bravado. The arcanist's collar felt too tight around his neck. He inhaled deeply, hoping to take in some air. Instead, he felt lightheaded.

Despite her professional demeanor, he could swear he saw the faintest hints of a smile at the corners of her muzzle.

She knows, he thought. She smells the fear on me like a week's worth of BO. Why did I come here? Why did I agree to this?

"Mr. Felldren," the interviewer said calmly.

Raul felt a sharp twang of panic. What was her name again? She said it at the start of the interview, but now it slipped his mind. He scanned the desk, hoping she kept something nearby with her name on it. No luck. Suddenly remembering his training, he brought his gaze back to her eyes before it became awkward he was looking anywhere else. He thought back to their initial meeting.

Okay, I walked in. She was waiting by the door. We shook paws. Her fur was so soft. I noticed from the angle I could see down her shirt and just make out part of her bra--No, focus. We sat down. She said her name was--

"Mr. Felldren?" she repeated a slight annoyance in her tone. "Is everything all right?"

Say something, you idiot! She's waiting!

"Oh! Sorry, I, I was just wondering...if...I left...my oven..." He drifted off, ears burning.

She flashed a friendly smile. "Well, that's all right. I've done that myself a few times. But back to the interview, I had asked why you feel you're a good candidate."

"Well, you know, being an arcanist and all, I'm just the breast guy for the job."

You. Stupid. Motherfucker.

The slight widening of her eyes revealed she caught the slip. He wanted to just run out of the room.

"Um, I mean--"

She raised a paw, silencing him. "I know what you meant." She leaned forward on her elbows. Instinctively, he leaned back. "I'm going to be frank with you: Why do you want this job? As an arcanist, you're practically guaranteed work at the power plant or even within the cerberus force. Since you can freely manipulate aether, you could even become an engineer and help design new cores. You have so many options, why choose this?"

"I...I didn't want to just take the job everyone thought I should take. I'm tired of having everything planned out for me."

"Does that happen often?"

He slammed a fist on the armrest. "Every damn day! They tell us when to get up, when to eat, when to sleep, when we can visit friends, where we're allowed to go. Even the things they don't tell us, it's just an unspoken rule that you have to do it 'this way'." He swept his arms wide, gesturing to the room. "This is the first thing I've done that I didn't worry was against the rules. For once I wanted to make a choice for myself."

The adrenaline wore off as quickly as it had come and he realized that he just bared his soul to a complete stranger. Immediately, he shrank deeper into his chair.

Great. I just happen to open my mouth. What now? Do I just get up and leave? It's obvious I didn't get the job so why am I still here?

To his surprise, the interviewer simply smiled. "I understand perfectly the need to break the mold and follow your own path." Her smile faded and with it, any hopes he had of receiving good news. "However, this is a very demanding job and passion alone won't cut it. I'm sorry, but it would be far too cruel to hire someone as underqualified as you."

Raul stared at his lap and nodded.

"But there I do happen to know of a job opening I think you would be great for. It's quite difficult but given your training, I think you can manage well enough."

He lifted his head, beaming so much it hurt. If it wasn't so unprofessional, he would have jumped over the desk and hugged her. "Oh, thank you so much!"

She pulled a small business card out of the desk drawer and handed it to him. "Don't thank me yet. This job will not be easy for you but it is one that not many arcanist's apply for. Just tell them Gabby sent you. They'll know what it means."

---

Raul stared at the building in front of him. It was clearly past its prime. The grime-covered windows looked like sad eyes, begging to be put out of its misery. Even the neighboring buildings seemed as if they were leaning away from it.

He checked the card Gabby--assuming that was her name, he still couldn't remember--had given him then looked at the building again.

This is the place. But it's a piece of shit. Did she set me up?

Only now did it occur to him the danger he put himself in. If the rumors were true, magic users weren't liked much outside of Kennel. He did notice a few passersby staring at his collar, marking him as an arcanist, when he walked past. Cautionary tales of arcanists being led to secluded locations only to be robbed blind or worse filled his mind.

A sharp whistle drew his attention. He whirled around and saw a short, brown-furred wolf wearing a long coat leaning against the building on the far side of the street. Silently, the onlooker raised a paw and gestured for him to come closer.

Raul looked around. There was no one else nearby for the wolf to be referring to other than him. Without any better ideas, he crossed the street.

"Um, excuse me?" Raul asked. "Are you the one I'm looking for?"

The wolf looked him over then rolled his eyes. Without a word, the canid leaned in close and began sniffing him. Raul stepped back. The wolf didn't seem to notice and continued his olfactory investigation.

Eventually, he gave a derisive snort and stood up. "Lemme guess: Gabby sent you?"

The wolf had an unnaturally high-pitched voice that contradicted his rough appearance. It caught Raul off-guard and he snorted into his paw. He quickly straightened up and replied, "Yes, Gabby sent me. Do you know her?"

The wolf rolled his eyes. "Figures. I smell one of her damn cards on you. Dammit, I was hoping you were just some Kennel stray who got lost. Honestly, why does she insist on sending me punks?"

Raul frowned. "Excuse me, but you're being very rude. It's true, this is my first time outside of Kennel, but that doesn't mean you can insult me."

"Aren't you the same guy who laughed at my voice? What, your momma forget to teach you manners or you're still learning?"

Raul's ears burned and stared at the ground.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. Now let's get this over with, pup. What do I call you?"

The sudden shift in demeanor caught him off-guard. He expected the wolf to scream or scold him some more. This response made his ears burn hotter. "I...My name..."

"Pull your mom's teat out of your mouth and speak up, boy!"

"Raul!" he squeaked, shrinking away from the wolf.

The wolf sighed and rubbed his temple. "Gods preserve me. All right, Raul, call me Tiri. Now wipe the drool from your chin and follow me. We got a lot to cover and not a lot of time to do it in."

Raul nodded and followed behind Tiri. As he walked, he realized he never asked what kind of job it was. He was so eager to be getting his first job, it never came up.

I guess I really am an inexperienced pup.

---

Raul's ears still burned with embarrassment as he followed the wolf down the street. He replayed their meeting over and over in his head, exploring new routes and things he could have done to handle it better.

Great. The first job I got on my own and I already managed to piss off who I assume is my boss.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, he wasn't watching where he was going and bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm so--" Raul began. He stopped short upon seeing the canid he walked into wasn't Tiri. He looked around for the wolf and discovered an enormous gathering nearby.

Canids of varying sizes and ages stood inside a massive crater. It spanned several city blocks and of the remains of some sort of tower. The canids inside it seemed to be having some kind of protest. They formed multiple circles within the crater, some holding signs, others holding paws as they chanted something.

Someone grabbed his arm and yanked him away from the scene. It was Tiri. "Do I seriously need to hold your paw just to lead you down the damn--" he noticed the gathering his face fell. "Shit, it's today? Of all the times--Quick, take off your collar."

"What? But I can't unless--"

"Take off that thrice-damned collar or I'll snatch it off you!"

Raul quickly removed the collar and tucked it into his pocket. He immediately felt naked and exposed. The few times he ever took it off was to shower and sleep, never in public. Doing so barring special circumstances was illegal.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Wait, you seriously don't know?" When Raul shook his head, the wolf sighed and steered away from the crowd. "You see that tower? It used to be a treatment facility for afflicted. Until they all got loose and everything went to shit. To keep them from getting out, a weaver who worked there blew the place up. Took all the afflicted with her...and the surrounding buildings. A lot of canids died that day."

"Oh. That's horrible."

"Yeah, well, that was just the start of the shit storm. Lots of folk think she's a hero stopped of afflicted from getting loose, others say she's a murderer who opposed the facility to begin with. It really got bad when rumors went around that she wasn't registered."

Raul's ears rose. "She was a harbinger?"

"Yep. Or that's what the rumors say. They did an investigation--which everyone claims was a bullshit stunt to shut everyone up--and they couldn't prove the company didn't use unregistered weavers to conduct their experiments. Anyway, everyone screamed cover-up and here we are."

Raul fought back a low growl. Harbingers were dangerous and deadly. "But if she really was a harbinger--"

"Then no one wants her treated like a hero. So every year, they gather at the site and protest for the prosecution of the company what hired her."

"What about the ones who think she's a hero?"

"They'll get around there soon. Then the fighting will break out."

"That's so sad. But what about you? What do you believe?"

Tiri didn't turn around, but one of his pointed ears swiveling in Raul's direction indicated he heard. "I don't care. What's done is done."

---

The rest of their journey went without incident. Nothing was said as they walked through the streets. Eventually Tiri stopped and pointed at a nearby building. Nothing stood out about it, making Raul wonder why this was their destination.

"In here," the wolf said. "Please don't get lost on the way."

Raul blushed at the jab and followed the wolf inside. The inside was cluttered with shelves packed with seemingly random objects. The clutter blocked the windows and cast shadows over the room, sending a chill through Raul.

This place feels more like a mausoleum than a shop.

"Hey, Ribranne!" Tiri called. "Ribranne, get your ass out here! I brought someone to help you with your problem!"

It didn't take long before a female grey-furred fox came out of the back room. Raul recognized her immediately. It was Ribranne, his old landlord. His ears burned as he lowered his head to hide his face.

Shit! What is she doing here? Does she work here? Does Tiri know?

_ _"I swear your mother didn't beat you enough as a pup," the vixen said. "Someone should've taught you to watch your mouth when you're in someone's--Hey, I know you!"

Raul whirled around and tried to run for the door, but something caught his collar and yanked him backward. He lost his balance and fell to the floor, the air rushing out of him.

Tiri stood over him, shaking his head. "Honestly, what do they teach you?"

"Oh, leave him alone," Ribranne said. "He's just shy is all."

The wolf looked up. "You know him?"

"Yep! Back when I lived in Kennel I was in charge of looking after him and a bunch of other arcanists stuffed into a building."

Raul slowly stood up, not even bothering to hide his embarrassment. "Hello, Ribranne. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for--"

"You're still on that? Come on, pup, it was years ago. Besides, I know you had nothing to do with it."

"Do with what?" Tiri asked.

Raul bit his lip. Years ago, he and some of the other arcanists decided to have some fun with their landlord since she couldn't use magic. They used their magic to cause random noises at all hours of the night and make the vixen believe the building was haunted. It was funny until he saw the toll it took on her mental state. They ended the prank and tried to confess, but unfortunately, the damage had already been done. The other tenants were convinced she was either crazy or discriminating against weavers and Ribranne was removed from Kennel. He wasn't the mastermind behind it all, but the guilt still ate at him.

Looking at her now, her fur had returned to its lustrous sheen and she had put on a few pounds. She seemed none the worse for it. Although the look of her shop didn't seem as if she was financially better off.

"I'm sure he can tell you all about it over drinks," Ribranne said. "Anyways, we can catch up later. I'm guessing he's the 'magical expert' you said could help me?"

"Honestly, I'd rather someone with a bigger set, but he'll have to do," Tiri said. He tapped Raul's shoulder. "Come on. Time to see if you're actually worth the trouble."

---

Before Raul could follow the wolf, the bell above the shop's door rang. Turning towards the portal, he saw a jackal entering the building. Judging from his clean but unkempt clothing, he must not have been sleeping much. He looked around the store like a lost pup.

"Can I help you, sir?" Ribranne asked.

The jackal flinched and stared as if just noticing the vixen behind the counter then hurried over.

"Hello. I was hoping you could help me find something. You see, my wife died last year. She..." his shoulders heaved before he continued. "She became an afflicted."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Thank you. She wore a gold locket that I gave her for our anniversary. But I was so distraught by her death, I forgot to claim her valuables."

"I see. And you know the unclaimed items wind up here, so you're hoping to get your wife's locket back before someone buys it."

The jackal's ears rose. "Yes! Thank you so much! You're a real lifesaver. That locket is all I have to remember her by."

"Of course." She reached under the counter and pulled out a small stack of papers. "I just need you to fill these out and I'll see if I still got the locket you're looking for."

"Oh, well, I'm in a bit of a hurry. Is there any way we could skip all that? It's just I'm really in a hurry. Her parents are coming over and I can't leave them waiting outside."

Tiri tapped Raul's shoulder. "Stay by the door."

Raul wasn't sure what the wolf was getting at, but he remained where he was and watched his companion slip out of sight around one of the shelves.

"You could always come back later," Ribranne said. "If anyone tries to buy a locket, I'll be sure to put it on hold for you."

The jackal leaned forward. With his back turned and body blocking most of the view, Raul assumed he was touching Ribranne's arm.

"That's very sweet of you," the jackal said. "But I really don't want to cause too much trouble. I'm sure a lovely lady such as yourself has plans tonight, and I would hate to get in your way. Surely, you can make this one exception?"

Ribranne giggled. "Well, that's very sweet of you, sir, but I'm afraid rules are rules."

"Then at least let me make it up to you for ruining your night."

"Well, if you really wanna make it up to me..."

She spoke in a hushed voice. Raul had to focus to pick up what was being said.

"You can get your ass out of my shop before I get my friends here stuff what's left of you into a locket," she whispered sweetly. "And they won't be gentle about it."

The jackal whirled around, his tail quivering between his legs.

"If you're getting any funny ideas my friend over there is an arcanist and he will curse you and make your balls shrivel up."

The jackal gave a frightened squeak and rushed towards the door. Raul just managed to get out of the way in time before the canid wrenched the door open and bolted down the street.

Tiri came into view, leaning against the counter as he roared with laughter. "You handled that pretty well. I was worried he was gonna try something."

"Nah, I get canids like that all the time. They always think I'm stupid."

"How did you know?" Raul asked. "I honestly thought he was telling the truth."

Ribranne smiled. "The charming ones have that effect on you. But I've been wined and dined enough that I have a pretty accurate bullshit meter. That and he was too determined not to fill out the paperwork. Obvious red flag." She stepped around the counter and headed for the door. "Now just give me a second to close up shop and you two can do what I hired you for."

---

Raul watched silently as Ribranne locked the front door and then led them into the back room. The clutter was even worse. Pillars of mismatched crates and boxes propped up the ceiling, creating a sort of treacherous maze to navigate.

Ribranne and Tiri moved through the maze with ease and seemingly no concern for their safety. Raul followed behind, holding all his limbs close to avoid accidentally bumping something and bringing the whole stack down on his head. It brought a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach thinking about how each of those crates was filled with the unclaimed belongings of a canid who succumbed to the aether.

There have to be over a hundred boxes in here, he thought. _ Even if each box represents one canid, that's still a lot. How long have these boxes been here? How many arrive each day?_

They stopped in what Raul assumed was the center of the room. The boxes blocked his view and made it impossible to get a feel for the size of the place. A single crate sat directly beneath one of the ceiling lights.

Ribranne patted the crate's lid and said, "This arrived last night, which is odd because there were no deliveries scheduled yesterday and I'm supposed to sign for drop-offs. I think it might be rigged or something."

"And that's where we come in?" Tiri asked. He looked over the crate. "I don't see anything. It could be someone's idea of a joke."

"Um, excuse me," Raul said. "But isn't this a job for cerberus? If you think it's dangerous, they should investigate, right?"

Tiri's ears rose then his expression changed to shock. "Oh, right! I forgot to explain to you what we're doing. We're basically a civilian outfit that does small investigations of a magical nature."

Raul tilted his head. That response sounded very rehearsed, but he still didn't understand what they were doing.

Tiri rolled his eyes and sighed. "Basically, we look out strange magic stuff that might be dangerous."

Raul's tail tucked between his legs.

You? Help canids? Ha! That's a good one! You barely passed your exams and your spells suck!

"Is-Isn't that a job for cerberus?" Raul asked again.

"Technically, yes, but they can't be running around investigating every little thing on top of patrolling the streets," Ribranne said. "And the paladins are stretched thin as it is hunting down afflicted."

"Just remember that officially we're vigilantes," Tiri added. "The officials can't openly support sending common folk to do this kind of dangerous work."

Raul still struggled to find his voice. There had to be some argument he could make to get him out of this.

What's the matter? Can't accept that for all your hard work, you still wound up exactly where you didn't want to be? Or that your lack of magical skill is going to get someone killed?

Shut up, he told the voice.

Face it. You're a fraud and now you're about to get caught. That's why you really wanted to get away. Because you're a weaver with no magical talent. Remind me again, how many "favors" it took to bribe the social worker to get you a pass to leave Kennel?

SHUT UP!

"Hey, you okay?" Ribranne asked. "You like you're going to be sick."

Raul snapped out of his self-argument and faced the vixen. "I'm fine."

"Okay, but if you're going to vomit please don't do it on the goods."

"We wasted enough time," Tiri said. "Is the crate booby-trapped or not?"

Raul's tail tucked so far beneath him, it threatened to curl around to his front. He stepped forward and held out his paws.

It's okay, he told himself. _ I'm just doing a simple scry to check for lingering aether. I'll be fine. Sensory magics are the one thing I was actually good at._

Yeah, sure. That's why you ranked top of the bottom 10 in your class.

He brushed the voice aside and focused on the scrying spell. As a weaver, he was more sensitive to the aether, and spells left dense pockets that were easy to pick up.

Don't mess up, now. If you guess wrong--

He shoved the nagging voice into the deepest recesses of his mind and closed his eyes. A tingling feeling filled his paws. He held his paws over the crate. The feelings didn't change so he opened his eyes and said, "It's clean. Open it."

---

Raul braced himself as Tiri pried the lid off the crate. He hadn't sensed any gatherings of aether but that didn't mean the box wasn't mechanically booby-trapped. Instead of blowing up in their faces, the lid came off with a reluctant squeal.

They leaned over and peered inside. Raul's first thought was that it was the most exquisite crate he had ever seen. The inside had been lined with dark velvet fabric. It shimmered whenever he moved or shifted his gaze revealing strange symbols on the cloth-lined walls. At the bottom of the crate was a dirty cloth bundle.

Raul tilted his head. This whole crate had him confused. The outside looked like any regular crate; it was made of weathered, well-worn wood. But the inside was lined with expensive fabric. All to hold a filthy bundle of rags.

If someone wanted to hide their intentions, they did the job in spades. Even if this were a prank, I'd be hard-pressed to guess their logic.

He was brought out of his reverie when Tiri gave him a hard shove. "You said it wasn't magical," the wolf said. "The damn walls are shimmering with magic runes!"

Ribranne cut in before Raul could offer a hurried defense. "He said it was clean. And it looks clean to me." She reached inside and pulled out the cloth bundle. Even in her paws, it was clear something had been wrapped up inside. "These looks like they're here for decoration, so it won't show on a magic check."

Oh, thank you so much. If it weren't inappropriate, I'd kiss you.

Tiri shrugged and pointed to the bundle. "So what is it?"

Ribranne slowly unwrapped the cloth. It revealed a large dagger. Raul was no expert on weapons but it looked very well-made. The center of the blade looked like steel but the edges of the dagger were a deep black. It was a sharp contrast as the steel was well-polished and reflected the light while the black absorbed it. The core had strange markings etched into it. Upon closer inspection, it was the same marks like the ones inside the crate.

"What is this?" Ribranne asked. She dexterously turned the blade over in her paws and gave a few quick swipes at the air. "It's well-balanced." She plunged it deep into the crate's lid with ease. "Sharp, too."

"The edges are made with obsidian," Tiri replied. "That's an anti-mage weapon."

Raul shuddered. Even living his entire life in Kennel, he had never seen a weapon like that. The cerberus force there carried the standard-issue gunblades and none of them were made with obsidian.

"Obsidian weapons don't come cheap," Ribranne said. She pulled it from the lid and slipped it under her belt. "But why'd someone leave this here?"

"You didn't have any orders coming in?" Tiri asked.

"Not for another week."

Raul started to feel left out, and was still eager to redeem himself for not detecting the magic runes, so he spoke up. "Shouldn't we tell the cerberus about this?"

"And tell them what?" Tiri asked. "Someone left me a nice knife?"

"He's right," Ribranne said. "We'll need more to go on before we tell anyone about this."

"So until we learn what that something is, we'll be staying right here with you," Tiri said.

---

Guard duty wasn't what Raul had in mind when he set out on his own. The goal was to be independent and do something new, not wind up with the same stereotypical occupation.

Imagine being so terrible at looking out for yourself that you manage to wind up right where you didn't want to be, his mind chided.

He pushed the thoughts away and focused on the task ahead of him. Ribranne said they could stay the night and even provided them with blankets and pillows. But there was something he needed to take care of first. The hatchet had to be buried.

With a heavy exhale, he knocked on the door.

"Come in," the vixen replied.

He cautiously pushed the door open, fearing a stab in the gut the moment he entered. Instead Ribranne stood on the far side of the room, tucking something away in her dresser.

"Aw, you came to tuck me in and kiss me goodnight," she said, a small smile crossing her face. "That's so sweet of you."

Raul's ears flushed. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Her smile faded as she pushed the drawer closed. "Listen, if you're worried about Tiri being hard on you, that's how he always is. His own mother says he was angry even in the womb."

That got a chuckle out of him and it eased some of the tension. "No, I wanted to apologize for what I did to you all those years ago."

"That's what you're worried about? You were just a pup back then. It's fine."

Raul's ears fell. No, it's not okay. We nearly drove you insane.

A paw falling on his shoulder brought him back to reality. He hadn't even seen her cross the room, but now she stood inches from him, giving that same mothering look she used to give years ago.

"Really, it's fine." She gave his shoulder another reassuring pat then went back to the dresser. "But I can see you really need to talk about it. So who's idea was it? I know it wasn't yours."

"It was Gaius' plan. He thought you were too hard on us and wanted to teach you a lesson."

"Gaius...oh right, the fox who used to drag you all over Kennel on his crazy adventures. You two hung out so much, I thought you were fused at the hip. So what is he up to now?"

"I don't know. I haven't spoken to him in years. He snuck out of Kennel and no one's seen him since."

Ribranne looked up from her task of rearranging the drawers. "He snuck out? Why would he do something so foolish? He could be branded a harbinger!"

Raul looked at the floor. Yeah, and he did it anyway. Unlike me who's a complete coward and didn't follow his friend when he asked him to go. "I-I have no idea."

He knew. He still dreamt about it sometimes and how he wished it had gone. Gaius had gotten tired of the rules of Kennel, being told when to eat, when to sleep, what to say, and who he could hang out with. Rather than wait until he was 20 and request official leave, he decided to run away. "If I leave when they tell me I can leave, I'm just doing exactly what they want," he had said. "It's time I cut the strings and forged my path."

And I didn't follow because I was afraid. Now look at me, years later clumsily following in your footsteps just like when we were pups.

"Raul?" Ribranne asked.

He started at the sound of her voice. Once again, she had crossed the distance between them, her brown eyes staring worriedly into his.

He quickly cleared his throat and backed towards the door. "Well, I should let you get back to it. Good night."

"Wait, are you sure you don't--"

He slipped out of the room and closed the door. He leaned against the wall and took several deep breaths to steady himself. The burning in his eyes and the water veil obscuring his vision couldn't have come at a worse time. Any longer and she would have seen him cry then things really would have gotten awkward.

After wiping his eyes, he turned away from the door and headed downstairs to get some sleep.

---

Raul awoke the next morning feeling as if he hadn't slept. All night the noises of the wildlife, moving about in the dark and rustling the bushes kept him awake. If he into a too-deep sleep, an ambush could come at any moment. He yawned and tried to take a deep breath, but the air felt so heavy and thick.

Wait, I fell asleep within the inner city and inside of a building. There are no bushes. And what animals could reach me here?

He snapped his eyes open and sat up. Wherever he was, it wasn't Ribranne's shop. The room--if he could call it that with giant gaping holes in the walls and ceiling--was empty save for the piles of debris sealed with years of dust and grime. Moss covered what walls remained standing and long blades of grass had replaced most of the floor. Everything looked as if it were made of a fine mist and would vanish under a powerful wind.

He jumped to his feet. "Tiri? Ribranne?" he called. No one responded. He looked through a hole in the wall. There were more dilapidated buildings but nowhere near what he was used to seeing.

A...village? Small town? I don't know about any neighborhood that looks like this even in the Outer Rim. And where'd everybody go? No one's been here in decades at least.

He looked up at the sky. It was a shade of bright bluish-green without a cloud in sight. Upon closer inspection, there was no sun either.

What's wrong with the sky? Where am I? Okay, okay, first things first, I need to calm down.

He struggled to take a few deep breaths because of the thick air. Instead of feeling calmer, his light-headedness worsened, but at least he could think straight.

The first order of business was to figure out where he was, then figure out how to get home.

It still didn't stop him from wondering how he got there in the first place. There was no way he slept through being carried or even a teleportation spell. He still remembered the training. Teleporting made him nauseous.

Thinking back on the familiar sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, his insides churning like leaves in the wind, made him feel like vomiting all over again.

Suddenly, he felt a strange pull. A ghostly paw fell on his shoulder. Panic overtook him and he tried to pull away, but the paw tightened its grip and pulled. He immediately lost his balance and felt himself floating in the air.

The room began to spin just like during teleportation. Colors blurred together in a sickening rainbow that hurt his eyes. He squeezed them shut. The familiar feeling of his inner organs mixing like pudding came over him. He fought the nausea. Any changes made to the subject during teleportation were often unpleasant.

Just like teleportation, it was all over. In an instant, his feet touched solid ground, he fell to his knees, and threw up spectacularly.

"I really can't leave you alone for five minutes, can I, pup?" Tiri asked.

Raul lifted his head. He was back in Ribrannes' shop. He recognized the room as the one he and Tiri were given to sleep in. The walls were intact, the floor was made of wood instead of dirt and through the one window, a bright blue sky welcomed him.

The wolf stood over him, holding the strange dagger in his paws.

"You wanna explain why you were sleeping with this thing?" Tiri asked, holding up the blade.

To be continued...