Carved arches held the wooden ceiling over them, the center broken into six glass skylights. Each leg of the six arches separated the baths, with wooden walkways running between them. The water drew sleep to him, the scent of pine reminding him of Leryn’s great trees near the ancestral grove. He’d been only twice in his life before the fall of his people.

  He closed his eyes, tuning out the sound of a few men laughing in another bath. When he opened them, he spotted a bird soaring far overhead. He rested his head back on the bath’s crown, the wood beneath him warm and gentle.

  “Taiga.” He lifted his head back up, chuckling as Mouse swam by. He popped his head out of the water. “You okay?”

  “Just tired.” He smiled. “Didn’t sleep well.”

  Mouse blinked a few times, wiping water from his eyes and contemplating. No one else bathed in the same bath as them. It was early enough for most people to still be sleeping, though Taiga hadn’t slept much since the attack nearly a week ago now.

  “Let’s wait before taking another mission.” Mouse dipped his mouth beneath the water and blew bubbles. He raised it up just enough to keep talking, “can we have a break?”

  Taiga thought the last two days were a break, though he’d gone to help with wall management and clean-up in the afternoons. But maybe Mouse needed a few full days off. He nodded, “alright. A break it is then.”

  Mouse stood, a smile spreading over his face, “yessssss!” He laughed, dipping back into the water, “let’s bring Sweet Bun.”

  That reminded him, he needed to apologize to the stable owner. They hadn’t received the bill for the damages Sweet Bun had caused, but an apology was still in order. He only hoped Sweet Bun wouldn’t incur any more damages before then.

  He sighed, sinking down further into the water. Did they need a linlao? Was she really worth it? His eyes followed Mouse as he smiled at the thought of spending more time with her. Taiga supposed she was.

  He wanted to learn more about the kind of attacks the demons had begun doing in the surrounding areas, but it could wait. There was no immediate rush to figure it out, except to save the Guardian Spirits. But as of then, there was no deadline or any news of another Guardian going on a rampage. He’d checked the newspapers every time a new edition printed.

  When they’d finished their baths, he dried Mouse’s hair and fixed it. If left the way Mouse usually did, his curls turned into a knotted mess. For years now, anytime Mouse’s hair got washed, he’d work on it. It was more manageable when wet. He tightened the two braids on the right side of Mouse’s head.

  After, they wandered to the great hall where Mouse got a free apple from the morning shift cook who took sweet to him, then picked up a couple bowls of rice with grilled river fish as their free meal of the day. Mouse spotted leftovers from donations a restaurant brought in, and snagged a couple muffins.

  They ate on a rug outside. The morning crisp but warm, the dew beginning to dry on the grass. Birds sang carefree in the tree overhead. Mouse munched on the apple, while Taiga closed his eyes again, leaning back against the tree.

  The tingle of soft magics reached to him from within the tree; an offering so gentle and kind. He breathed, allowing tense knots from his shoulders to unravel, freeing from him. He was… so very tired.

  “Taiga?” He lifted his head and blinked at Mouse. He’d eaten his bowl, both muffins, and the apple Ms. Gella had given him.

  “Did I fall asleep?” He shook the drowsiness from his eyes.

  Mouse paused, nodded, and kept his eyes on him. “Want to go back to the room?”

  Taiga put his hands over his eyes, pressing into them and rubbing back. “No.”

  He scooped a few spoonfuls of rice and fish into his mouth before handing the rest to Mouse. He forced himself to his feet, stretched, and let the light filter through the leaves and into his face for a long moment.

  “You’re already finished?” Mouse inspected the bowl with half a frown.

  Taiga nodded, “not hungry.” The thought of more food made him sick. The food itself tasted good, but it sat uneasily in him.

  “You only had an apple yesterday.”

  “I’ll eat more later.”

  Mouse stared into the bowl, dissatisfied. Taiga smiled, “let’s go to the market after spending time with Sweet Bun. I heard the southern streets have a night market tonight. They sell more food than they do during the day.”

  His eyes flitted to Taiga, “you gonna find something to eat there?”

  Taiga nodded, “yeah. I heard a few mercenaries talking about the good sweets they have there, too.”

  Mouse’s eyes lit, a smile growing over him. “Alright.” He shoveled the rest of Taiga’s bowl into his mouth, and stacked them as he stood. “You have to find something there though.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Taiga nodded, if only to appease him. Mouse skipped back to the counter, where Ms. Gella called to him. He said a short hello and thanks for his apple, before returning to Taiga waiting for him by the archway to the street.

  He walked ahead of Taiga a few steps, and passed by the stablehand as he bee-lined for Sweet Bun’s stall. Taiga bowed in Mouse’s stead to the boy. He returned it, but as Taiga turned inward, the stablehand stopped him.

  “The owner is in, if you, uh, need him.” The boy was sheepish in his speech. He took his hat from his head, wrinkling it between his fingers. His eyes followed the straw on the ground and lingered on Taiga’s boots.

  “Good, I’ll see him.” Taiga smiled. Relief flooded over the boy’s shoulders. “Where is he?”

  The stablehand pointed down past the stalls, walking ahead. “This way.”

  “Mouse, stay with Sweet Bun.” Taiga waited for a nod from Mouse before following the boy.

  Past the couple dozen stalls, through a hall and up the stairs to what seemed more like a loft than anything else, crates stacked along the wall. A man dressed in trousers, a worn work shirt, and riding boots hovered over a couple crates. He peeked down into one to his left, before returning to scribble something into a book.

  “Master, the linlao’s owner is here.” The boy kept his head low, squeezing his hat in his fists.

  The man turned, and Taiga recognized him coming in and out of the guildhall occasionally. “Ah, yeah, you. How are you?”

  The stable owner put his pen behind his ear, stuffing a hand into his pocket and wrangling a crumbled paper out. He flattened it against the side of a crate and waved Taiga over.

  “I’m well, thank you.” He stepped forward and watched the stablehand hurrying out before continuing. “I wanted to express my deepest apologies for the damages my linlao caused.”

  “Yes, yes. Ruined plans with my wife,” he spoke gruffly, before waving off an afterthought, “and ate through quite a costly amount of food.”

  “I cannot apologize enough,” Taiga bowed deep, holding it as he spoke. “She’s new to us, and we were unaware of her… appetite and dislike for stalls.”

  “No matter.” The owner sighed, sinking into the chair behind his desk. “I heard you agreed to pay, correct?”

  “Of course.” Taiga raised his head.

  He nodded. “We’ll feed her a bit more. I expect you to supplement between meals for her. We also moved her to a larger stall, and will give her more field time. This is in hopes she’ll settle. Any further damages will, again, be on you to cover. Agreed?”

  Surprisingly reasonable. He agreed.

  “Don’t cause any more damage,” the man grunted. Taiga considered a promise, but Sweet Bun would likely break it in his stead, so he declined. He bowed once more and thanked him for his leniency. When the owner returned to his papers, Taiga led himself out and back down the stairs.

  Mouse led Sweet Bun out of the stable behind him. She chirped, nipping at his fingers. When he lurched back, Taiga could make out a distinct laugh from her, despite its disguise in a sweet song. She truly enjoyed causing mischief. How in the world did they end up with a linlao like this.

  Oh that’s right; he’d left it up to Mouse.

  “I really shouldn’t trust your judgment anymore.” Taiga shook his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

  Mouse looked at him from over his shoulder, “hmm?”

  “Nothing.” He dismissed the thought, glancing at the signs at the closest crossroad. “A mercenary said there was a park area with some woods to the southwest of town. Used for hunting in the summer and early fall for the local nobles. Should be a peaceful area.”

  Mouse made an attempt to pet Sweet Bun’s feathers, but she spotted him. She shot him a glare and stomped hard over his foot. He slipped his boot out just before getting crushed, and puffed his cheeks.

  “Humans and their hunts,” Mouse scoffed, “is it safe?”

  Taiga nodded, “hunting season is over. The mercenary said it’s open to civilians again.”

  They checked the signs as they walked. Sweet Bun fell back to walk beside Taiga, despite Mouse’s pleas for her to stay beside him. Taiga met her dark eyes, pressing his fingertips lightly to her speckled feathers. She puffed them, leaning into his hand for more attention.

  “Oh, so now you want to behave, huh?” He chuckled, “I’ll give you more combings if you stop acting like a lunatic in the stables.”

  Her head flicked with intense listening, though he doubted she absorbed a single thing he said. Linalo were intelligent creatures. So she should’ve understood damaging the stall door was wrong. All he could hope for at this point was for her to not do it again.

  “This way, I think.” Taiga pointed to the left at a crossroads, eyeing trees arching over scattered houses and buildings. Mouse led the way. Sweet Bun followed Taiga, her new reins falling loosely over her neck. She nuzzled Taiga’s arm, and he patted her beak.

  Off the path and past a stream and families picnicking, a lake sat nestled between the unwavering trees and gentle grasses. The surface reflected a rippled mirror of the trees from the far side.

  “I wonder if there’s fish in here,” Mouse laughed, walking out to the water’s edge.

  Taiga studied the water's edge. Small bodies moved just beneath the surface. “Yeah, there’s fish in it.”

  Mouse looked out over the water for a few moments while Taiga found a tree to sit beneath. He slid down, resting his back against its bark. Cool to the touch, but the tenderness of the magic within it sent a wave of calm over him. He closed his eyes, letting the breeze on the trees and lake lull him.

  Laughter made him glance over. A smile spread wide over Mouse’s face made Taiga return it. Sweet Bun sipped on the lake’s water, shooting glares at Mouse sitting a meter away. He waited, albeit impatiently, for her to cave. She didn’t.

  Taiga‘s eyes followed them for a few moments, before he pressed into the tree, whispering sweet hums through it. A calmness and a trust only that of a Ganakri could provide pulsed from his back, into the tree, and through its roots.

  It took a minute or two before the first began to appear; small chipmunks of the forest, coming to inspect the magic he sent. Paws climbed over his pant leg, and their beady eyes met Taiga’s.

  He nodded towards Mouse. Uneasily, they glanced between Mouse and Taiga. A rabbit, braver than the others, hopped forward cautiously. It looked at him, waiting for Taiga to smile, before it hopped around him.

  “Mouse,” he called gently. His friend turned, spotting the creature and freezing.

  “A rabbit,” his voice softer than a whisper. A grin spread wide over Mouse’s face.

  As quietly and calmly as Taiga had ever seen him, Mouse crept to the edge of a sunken rock, and knelt down. The rabbit waited for him to stop, before creeping towards him. Emboldened, the chipmunks followed suit.

  Mouse silenced his laughs, holding out his hand and letting the rabbit sniff him. His eyes met Taiga’s, and he smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Anytime.”