The group had barely made it halfway toward Leonida's residence when the ground began to tremble.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
Silver glanced up.
"What now?"
Something huge and white came barreling down the road.
Silver stiffened instantly as a massive white wolf bounded toward them, her huge tail swishing with excitement. Leonida barely reacted.
"Oh. Lunara."
The wolf slid to a halt right in front of them.
"Leonida!" Her ears twitched eagerly. "I sensed your mana shifting from miles away!"
Leonida smiled, and the wolf's golden eyes went wide.
"Wait…"
She leaned in, sniffing Leonida.
"You're hurt."
Her tail wagged even faster.
"You finally fought Scarlet?!"
Leonida's bruised face turned smug.
"Yep."
The massive wolf nearly shook with excitement.
"And?!"
Leonida gave a proud thumbs-up.
"She completely wiped the floor with me."
"Amazing."
Silver met Leonida's gaze.
The wolf didn't blink.
Leonida's grin stretched even wider.
"Best day I've had in years, Lunara."
The wolf's tail thumped wildly again.
"I knew it!"
Silver let out a sigh.
Apparently, everyone here is obsessed with fighting.
A deep rumble echoed in Lunara's chest as streaks of purple-white lightning flickered across her fur. The sparks grew until she vanished in a brilliant storm of crackling mana.
Her towering form began to shrink.
Massive paws turned into slender hands and feet, thick white fur melted into long strands of silvery-white hair, and the wolf's commanding shape shifted into that of a young woman. Only two snowy wolf ears remained atop her head, twitching as the last arcs of electricity danced between them.
At last, the lightning faded away.
Standing where the gigantic wolf had been was a striking woman with golden, predatory eyes—the very same eyes the beast had possessed moments before. A pair of small fangs appeared as Lunara stretched and flashed an energetic grin.
Only her overwhelming aura remained unchanged.
Wolf or woman, there was no mistaking Lunara, Lord of the Demon Wolves.
The first thing anyone noticed about her were her eyes.
Golden and sharply intense, they shone from beneath a wild curtain of snow-white hair, carrying the unmistakable gaze of a predator. Two white wolf ears perched atop her head twitched at the slightest sound, and a playful smile revealed the faint tips of her fangs.
She was beautiful—almost impossibly so—but there was something wild in that beauty.
Now and then, purple-white lightning danced across her frame, leaping through the air as naturally as breath. Behind her presence loomed the vast, ghostly image of a great white wolf—ancient, fierce—staring out through those same golden eyes.
Lunara's gaze flicked to the boy standing between the twins.
Her ears twitched—once, twice—before her nose wrinkled. She leaned in slightly, sniffing the air around him.
"And who's this?"
Silver straightened. "Silver Crow."
"Hmmm…"
Lunara stepped closer, sniffed again, and narrowed her eyes.
"You smell like that bastard Raven."
Silver visibly twitched.
"Do I?" he replied, trying to sound casual.
Lunara puffed out her chest with pride. "Naturally! I have the greatest sense of smell in the whole world!"
Silver just stared at her.
"…Whatever."
"Hey!"
Before she could protest, Lunara seemed to recall her purpose for being there. She turned to Leonida, her expression suddenly serious.
"Leonida, I need permission to leave the Domain."
"Granted."
Lunara froze, blinking in surprise.
"That's it?"
"You're a Lord. I don't need to interrogate you every time you leave."
"Hehe! Thanks!"
Lunara immediately wrapped her arms around Leonida.
"Ghk—!"
Leonida's whole body went rigid.
"STOP! THAT HURTS!"
Lunara quickly let go, tilting her head innocently while Leonida clutched her still-sore body from her earlier fight with Scarlet.
Leonida shot her a glare. "Where are you even going?"
"The Eastern Federation."
"For what?"
"Hunting."
That made Silver pause.
"Hunting?" he asked, intrigued. "Hunting what?"
Lunara's grin spread, revealing a small fang.
"Thunderstorms."
Silver blinked in surprise.
"You… chase storms?"
"Absolutely."
Sparks of lightning danced between Lunara's fingers as she lifted her hand.
"I want to become stronger. We Demon Wolves hunger for lightning mana. The fiercer the storm, the richer the mana." Her golden eyes practically sparkled with anticipation. "When lightning falls, we chase it. When thunder shakes the earth, we absorb its mana and temper our bodies with it."
Julie blinked. "That's insane."
June gave a quiet nod beside her.
Lunara stood with her hands on her hips, her tail swishing with delight.
"No," she said with a grin. "It's actually pretty fun."
Silver glanced at Leonida, who returned the look with a simple smile.
Lightning sparked around Lunara once again.
Before anyone could ask what she was doing, her body vanished beneath a flash of purple-white light. Her silhouette expanded rapidly, and moments later the beautiful woman was gone—replaced by the gigantic white wolf from before.
Leonida looked up at her.
"…What are you doing?"
Lunara lowered her massive head. "Wait—"
CHOMP.
She carefully gripped Leonida by the back of her clothes between her teeth.
"LUNARA!"
With a single toss, Lunara flung the Demon Queen into the air and caught her neatly on her broad back.
Glancing at Silver and the twins, the wolf said, "I'll handle this. You three head back!"
Then she took off.
"WAIT!"
Thunder roared under her paws as she tore down the road.
Leonida clutched at fistfuls of white fur.
"SLOW DOWN! I'M INJURED!"
Lunara sped up.
"LUNARA!"
Another booming leap.
"AHHH! MY LEGS!"
In seconds, the huge white wolf vanished into the distance, Leonida's frantic yells trailing behind.
"YOU DAMN WOLF! SLOW DOOOOWN!"
Silence fell.
Silver, June, and Julie stood frozen, watching them disappear, until Silver finally broke the silence.
"…Those two are freaks."
Julie gave a solemn nod.
June nodded even more solemnly.
The three turned and started heading back toward the Fox compound.
After a while, Silver glanced at the twins.
"That Lunara was strange."
Julie shrugged. "Lunara's still young."
Silver paused. "…Young?"
"Yeah," Julie said lightly. "She's only about eighty."
Silver turned to stare. "Eighty?!"
June frowned at his surprise. "That is young."
"HOW IS EIGHTY YOUNG?!"
Julie ticked off on her fingers.
"Well, Leonida's about a hundred."
Silver's eye gave a twitch.
"And Master Scarlet is around two hundred," June added quietly.
Silver froze, his brain screeching to a halt.
"…Scarlet is two hundred years old?"
The twins nodded.
"So compared to them," Julie said with a grin, "Lunara's actually pretty young."
Silver just stared ahead in silence.
"…"
Apparently, he had stumbled right into a retirement home for eccentric immortals.
By the time Silver, June, and Julie returned to the Fox compound, Silver was still trying to process what he had learned.
Eighty is young… Scarlet is two hundred…
He shook his head.
"I'm surrounded by ancient monsters."
Julie nudged him with her elbow. "You should tell Master Scarlet that."
"I like staying alive."
June gave a quiet nod. "Smart."
As they stepped into the courtyard, Silver came to an abrupt halt.
BOOM!
A surge of mana rippled through the compound.
In the middle of the training grounds stood Scarlet and Lucia.
Lucia panted heavily, sweat streaming down her face as she held her stance. Mana flickered unsteadily around her as she charged forward.
Scarlet stood across from her, completely at ease.
"Again," she commanded.
Lucia lunged, but Scarlet sidestepped without effort.
"Too slow."
Lucia spun and struck once more, only for Scarlet to block with a single hand.
"Too obvious."
Grinding her teeth, Lucia snapped, "I know!"
"Then stop doing it," Scarlet replied, sweeping her legs out from under her.
"Ah—!"
Lucia hit the ground hard. Silver winced.
"…Is she actually training my mother or just bullying her?"
Julie folded her arms. "Both."
June nodded.
"Definitely both."
Lucia sat up, finally noticing the three standing near the entrance.
Her tired face lit up instantly.
"Silver!"
Silver smiled. "Mother."
Scarlet looked over at them.
"You're back already?"
"Already?" Silver stared at her. "Leonida was almost beaten into the ground, then Lunara showed up, turned into a giant wolf, kidnapped Leonida, and I found out everyone here is absurdly old."
Scarlet's eyebrow twitched.
"…Old?"
June and Julie quickly backed away from Silver.
Silver noticed.
"Why are you two stepping back?"
Scarlet gave a terrifyingly sweet smile.
"Silver"
His blood chilled.
"Yes?"
"Who exactly did you just call old?"
Silver's eyes drifted toward his mother.
Lucia immediately looked away.
"Don't look at me. This is part of your training."
"…Mother?!"
Scarlet flexed her fingers with a sharp crack.
"Come here."
Silver took a cautious step back.
"Leonida needs medical attention."
"She'll be fine."
"I just remembered something important."
"Silver."
He spun on his heel and took off. Scarlet vanished in a flash.
"JUNE! JULIE! HELP ME!"
The twins watched their master sprint after him across the courtyard.
Julie just grinned.
"Nope."
June gave a little wave.
"Good luck."
Lucia sighed, though her smile gave her amusement away.
For the first time in ages, the Fox compound felt unusually alive—
and, oddly, like home.