When under the forest canopy began to be dark enough to basically be night the adventurers discuss and decide who should do a night watch. Katherine volunteers to do it the whole night but is refused by everyone—even Lira, who seemed to be her supporter— as she doesn’t have a weapon and she didn’t have a magical way to defend herself or the others.

  Katherine sat on the ground, lean against the log where she ate the food, she was offered which was just some jerky, some bread—mostly stale, but still edible— and a cup of tea.

  The tea wasn’t sweet like Katherine had hoped as Lira has some kind of air about her that she couldn’t place

  Oddly, no one took part in the tea. “Why is no one else drinking the tea?” Katherine asked.

  “Don’t why, I’m not doing anything nefarious, if that is what your is what you are asking,”

  “Okay?” Katherine asked sensing a ‘but’ that hadn’t come. “What is in it?”

  “Nothing to dangerous,” Lira admitted. “Just an assortment of tea leaves along with just a pinch songbird powder.”

  “Which does?”

  “It will help you relax.”

  It was at that moment Lira shouldn’t have said that. Katherine was a ball of tension since she woke up. Lira had seen the demeanor of a fighter in Katherine. Now however, it was almost like Lira was sitting next to an extremely dangerous animal—possibly even a monster.

  “You drugged me,” Katherine asked, words like a splash of freezing water. “You drugged me. Someone you don’t know,”

  “Yes, I did.” Lira agreed, not sure if she should keep going, but like her father once called in a loving jeer. A bull with no regard. “I would also do it again. Since you woke up you’ve been tense. Calculating to the point of overcaution. Out of the everyone here are the two least trusted in this group. I’m not sure how trusting they are of you specifically, but how you came is what will bother most of them.”

  “You still drugged me, Miss Wynford. Without my knowledge or my consent. What in your mind you compel you to drug m—hu-oh” Katherine, who had been aggressive had her words cut off by the songbird powder taking effect as her shoulders and associated muscle relaxed.

  “Better?” Lira asked, also slightly relaxing as Katherine did.

  “Much,” Katherine admitted as she leaned further back.

  The next exhale was like peace entering Katherine into her very soul.

  “Here,” Lira said, handing Katherine some kind of canteen

  “It’s just water, I swear,” Lira assured, seeing Katherine’s skepticism. “At least I think it is,” Lira pulls the container away to pull of the top and sniffing its contents before swapping it out. “Now, I am sure it is water.”

  ...

  Long after everyone was relatively asleep. Lira, who was not on the night watch was looking over her notes in necromancy to try and figure out what or who the coven was trying to summon— or more like cult in Lira’s opinion. However, the tenseness was back. Lira was distracted by the noises Katherine was making

  The songbird powder had done wonders on getting Katherine to relax and getting her to possibly sleep. As Lira had noticed Katherine was curled into a ball. All the slight jerked movements Katherine made was followed by snippets of dialogue, that sounds like tactics mixed with regrets of someone getting hurt in a memory.

  “No, no, no, no, don’t do this to me,” Katherine pleaded, her entire body locked in tension as if she were desperately clutching a dying comrade. Though her voice was little more than a strained whisper, inside her head panic thundered—she was convinced she was shouting. The metallic tang of blood and chaos flashed through her memory, echoing the traumatic night when an ambush left one of her fellow marines fading in her arms. “Doc, get your ass fucking over here.”

  Lira closed the notebook she had open on her lap and tried to use her aura skill try to relieve some of Katherine’s tension.

  Apparently, Katherine subliminally knew what Lira doing, or more like it was just coincidence. Katherine snapped out of the traumatic nightmare as if she was a firecracker, grabbing Lira’s arm before Lira’s aura could even touch Katherine’s own.

  “By the gods,” Lira half screamed in response as Katherine grabbed her arm.

  Katherine’s breathing was ragged, cold sweat beaded on her forehead. The grip she had Lira’s arm was like a vice and was sure leave marks of the grip’s bite.

  “Are you all right, Kathrine?” Lira asked, making sure the tone made it about Katherine’s mental well-being.

  “I’m fine,” Katherine obviously lied, wiping at her face.

  “No Katherine, you’re not,” Lira countered, taking a breath choosing her next words carefully. “I’ve work with the city guards. Some do talk in their sleep, like you. However, even after all the battles and skirmishes, I have never ever heard so much pain and regret haunt someone so thoroughly to wake them as if a demented spirit was after them causing them to rise from slumber as you just did. I won’t press, however, if you ever want to let go of some of your pain ask either one of any guild officials in any guild or a city guard and ask for me by name. I will come running.”

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Right,” Katherine said in a dismiss way that said that she had heard that before and had a different outcome.

  “Katherine, do not make any sudden movements,” Lira told Katherine as a way of caution.

  Before Katherine could turn around, she felt it. At first it was breathing like an animal sniffing something—an exceptionally large animal.

  As Katherine slowly turned, adrenaline surging through her veins as the last whispers of songbird powder faded, she found herself nose to nose with the hulking shadow of a massive feline predator. The fire’s waning light revealed its rippling muscles, tense beneath fur so black it seemed to swallow the glow entirely. Crouched low, claws unsheathed and poised just inches from her, the creature’s breath mingled with Katherine’s, a visible fog in the night air. Its eyes glowed—unnatural amber flickering to violet—locked onto her with a cold, unwavering hunger. Lips curled back to expose razor fangs, and a low, guttural growl rumbled between them, vibrating through the narrow space. The beast radiated lethal intent with every taut muscle and deliberate movement, and Katherine, locked in its unblinking gaze, understood with chilling clarity: she was facing not a rival, but a predator considering her its next meal.

  “Katherine,” Lira warned. “Back away slowly.”

  Katherine did not listen to Lira. Instead, she did three things, but only one of which was consciously. “Aw, look at you,” Katherine cooed, scratching the animal behind the ear.

  Skill: Dual Prescence [Aura] [ Charisma: Intimidation/Persuasion] Is now Active

  To Lira and the other adventurers who were awake, Katherine seemed playful—gentle, almost na?ve in her ease. They sensed nothing but lightness and calm radiating from her.

  But the creature felt something else entirely. Its ears flattened, tail twitching in unease as Katherine’s eyes locked with its own—cold daggers, unwavering. Her presence pressed down on it, heavy and electric, the kind of weight that made the fur along its spine prickle. As her fingers scratched behind its ear, the cat-like beast froze, claws flexing instinctively but not striking, uncertain whether to submit or bolt.

  She murmured, “Here’s what’s going to happen, big guy. You’re going to sit right here and be a good kitty. If you behave, I might even give you a treat.” Her tone was soft, though the steel beneath it vibrated in the air. “Put your claws away if you understand.”

  The massive feline hesitated, then slowly lowered itself, settling back on its haunches where it had been crouched. Its claws slid back into velvet paws, and it turned its gaze away from Katherine—shoulders hunched and ears angled sideways in a display that was unmistakably feline submission, tinged with a hint of shame. Katherine kept her eyes on the creature for a few long, silent moments, making sure her authority held. Only then did she shift her attention, glancing over to Lira. “Could I get a piece of jerky?” she asked, her voice calm but gentle.

  Unbeknownst to her, Katherine’s aura skill faded as naturally as it had ignited, the tension in the air dissolving. Lira, watching the exchange in awe, reached for the food pouch and handed over a medium-sized strip of jerky. Katherine accepted it with a nod, preparing to offer it to their new, unlikely companion.

  Katherine nodded in quiet gratitude before shifting her focus back to the massive cat, who now lounged like an oversized kitten at her side. “Here you go, big guy,” she murmured, her voice gentle as she extended the strip of jerky on her open palm. Her other hand moved slowly, fingers sinking into the cat’s thick, midnight-black fur—softer than she’d expected, plush under her touch. The feline pressed into her hand, rumbling a deep, contented purr that vibrated up her arm. Its golden eyes narrowed with pleasure, and as it cautiously took the meat from her outstretched hand, its raspy tongue brushed her skin—a rough, sandpapery sensation. Noticing the creature’s tentative nibbles and the way it glanced up at her, uncertain, Katherine offered a soothing whisper, “Don’t worry—I’m not going to take it away. It’s all yours.” She smiled as the cat relaxed further, nibbling more eagerly yet still carefully, its formidable jaws restrained by newfound trust.

  Then, with the tension fully gone, Katherine began to hum softly, her voice threading through the quiet space. The calming notes of a lullaby drifted over them, and she let the simple tune spill gently into the air. As the cat nibbled at the jerky, it paused, ears swiveling toward the music, eyes half-lidded in contentment. Katherine continued, words now joining the melody, her lullaby wrapping around them both—an offering of comfort that soothed the creature as much as it did herself. The cat's purr deepened, matching the rhythm of her song, and soon it seemed to eat and listen in a sleepy tranquility, fully at peace in her presence.

  As the last morsel of jerky disappeared between its powerful jaws, the cat-like creature gave a satisfied, rumbling sigh. It shuffled forward, nudging Katherine's knee with the top of its head, then settled its massive, weighty head into her lap. With its eyes closed and entire body relaxed, it placed itself wholly at Katherine's mercy—a living emblem of trust, lulled into surrender by her gentle touch and soft singing.

  Skill Tree: Profession has added Beast Taming and Husbandry skills

  Skill added: Primal Language

  Skill added: Familiar Soul Contract

  You have tamed a Spectral Dire Panther Cub

  The Spectral Dire Panther Cub is now your familiar through a Soul Contract

  You have reached level 3

  “How... how did you do that?” the bare-chested adventurer asked, his voice skeptical yet tinged with awe. He rubbed his arms as if trying to dispel lingering chills, eyes fixed on Katherine and the panther. Despite having felt the gentle side of Katherine’s aura, he seemed unsettled by the sheer improbability of what had just occurred.

  Katherine paused, her hand trembling ever so slightly as she stroked the massive panther’s head. The beast’s soft purr was almost soothing, but her fingers betrayed a flicker of nerves beneath her composed surface. “What do you mean?” she replied, voice low, eyes steady but shadowed with a trace of uncertainty. “He was just hungry.” She hesitated, then added, “I’ve seen animals like him before—they’re not so different from us when it comes to trust.”

  Lira glanced nervously between Katherine and the creature, unconsciously pulling her cloak tighter as if for protection. Her voice wavered, struggling to keep calm. “Katherine, do you know what that is?” The question hung in the air, loaded with the weight of what could have happened.

  “I do now,” Katherine answered, her tone gentle but edged with new confidence. She continued stroking the panther, whose presence seemed to ground her. “Why?”

  Lira’s lips pressed together, her brow furrowing in concern. “I’m going to assume you don’t know the significance of that specific kind of creature.” She glanced at the panther, her mind racing with stories of those who hadn’t survived such meetings. “Most people would have run. You’re not like most people, are you?”