‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍Getting this far while trying not to far apart for all the members of this team has been quite awful.Not a single soul had said a word for nearly four hours.

Adrian had boarded the carriage with Kijad all thanks to Jakhyer telling him Kijad wants to talk. Obviously that was a lie as he had noticed the quietness that Adrian was in and thought that he was exhausted from walking outside.

Each carriage has the strength to carry sixteen grown alphas for twelve thousand miles but this one can only house four while having space to contain more luggage for three times the distance. Convertible indeed.

" Adrian!", Kijad cajoled him and he turned to look at him

He blinked like he was resurrected from deep thoughts which he was . Part of it was his personal matters but a significant potion of it lingered over whether he wants to be around Joln or Jakhyer. He wouldn't mind going if those two were staying

Almost as if he could read his mind when they aren't in telepathic connection, Kijad asked if Adrian wants to go with Joln and Jakhyer but he flat out shook his head. It pinched him to forfeit a mission for something like this but to carry on despite the heaviness he is feeling is just forcing matters and making things unnecessarily difficult for himself. More importantly he won't be able to focus properly with Joln around.After that Kijad said that then everyone will be going together.

" Joln wanted to go with someone and naturally I thought you would fit the category of those wanting to go. all the others are too much of a risk , so you would be ideal. However since you are not going , then there is no point ", he answered and placed the cup on the magnetized table

Initially most tables were made of steel and the cup a magnet but the minister of minerals and natural resources had that changed because he said that since the cup will move a lot , it might wear out the magnet. It's best if instead the table is the one that is a magnet. Of course his said proposal was obvious to everyone when the idea of magnetizing was brought up but due to the cost of making a whole table magnet, they thought it would be cost effective to just make it the cups. With time as the economy was improving, the carriages adopted this method.

That being said, he raised his shoulders and asked why Kijad is so talkative today. He didn't really care about that , he just wanted the conversation to end so he can continue the one he was having with his thoughts. He can grow tired of Kijad's uprightness that echoes from his voice

" I feel like our personalities have been swapped", Kijad joked and Adrian told him to stop acting like a fun bunny.

He grabbed from the cup and drank the contents. He wasn't sure what it was nevertheless it tasted rather different from tea or wine. Sort of like a thoughtless mixture of meat and soil plus exotic seasoning. He ran his tongue over his teeth wondering how on earth Kijad could be causally be drinking something so repulsive.

" We are being watched, right?", Adrian slammed the cup down and Kijad kept mute. If he disagreed he would have said so but his silence actually explains it all .

****

" The small village of Inor. Home to the greatest serenity known to the wolf bloodline. We come here all the time", Herim explained running towards a small stall of a young lady who blushed when she saw him

The others were sort of shocked but not entirely surprised because he is very flirtatious by nature. They just didn't think there was someone who would glow up to his arrival.

" You didn't tell me you're coming. I would have made your favorite sweets", she blushed and Herim giggled with her.

She appeared to the same age as him but more maturer. Her hair was tired very in overly with two braids hanging over her shoulders . Her rosy cheeks and red lips mixed with fair skin do significant justice to her innocent and delicate exuberance. Out of mild embarrassment and feeling the eyes of the audience, she bent down and pulled a bottle of water for him.

" No deliveries have been made, why did you visit?", She asked and Herim winked before a worker appeared and smacked him behind the head. He mocked him for too much flirting and requested her to lead him to the village manager .

" Ohh, he already called you", Berlieh exclaimed

The wolves exchanged gazes but Adrian simply stared at the girl with an indescribable look .

Her mother yelled for her and she said that she will return after she takes them to the village head.

" Did the chief plan to call the school?", Herim's voice changed from a marshmallow-like one to a more business wise manner however he was still so delicate with her.

She answered yes without looking to anyone else but Herim. Apparently there was a meeting not so long ago that they would have a messenger go there. Berlieh explained that for sixteen days , every day at night children would be crying and snickering for hours non-stop. Afterwards there would be someone missing. Currently five wolves are no where to be seen and their scents are slowly fading

Before long , the village representative Weda came and bowed to them . she was accompanied by two female maids really who were probably to three years older Berlieh. She asked for Kijad and Jakhyer and the young disciples responded that they were in the carriage ahead.

She stormed to them . Without ceremony, she demanded that he carriage be stopped and she rounded behind and knocked once before peeling the doors without permission .

Jakhyer wasn't the least bit please to see her. last time they met , she made a move on him saying that she is still fertile despite her lack of education. Wolves are naturally hairy but as werewolves or in human form, they seem untidy and unkempt which is a bit disturbing. This isn't to say he has something against body hair on or that those with hair are unfitting in society, just that it becomes coiled and can make the skin crack when kept for too long . With this in mind , Weda is by far the most wolf officer they have seen with such cracked skin without a single taint of hair

She takes all medication for it but it just seems to get worse. If she wasn't so degrading and boiling superiority complex, maybe Jakhyer would be a little lenient when declining her facade of manners

Kijad pulled a letter to his side and he went to give it to Weda. Naturally they would make arrangements for their arrival but since they are not staying long, there was no real need for that. For etiquette reasons, maybe he should have mentioned it to him but he didn't.

She told them to head to the chief and greet him but Kijad refused saying that Jakhyer doesn't intend to stay.

" It's bad manners to cross someone's garden without greeting even if you weren't going to stay.", She told Jakhyer as if he had said something

Kijad wanted him to refuse but then the lady blurted out the missing wolves.

" How about we talk in the restaurant near the royal house? You must be starving", she explained and before waiting for an approval she headed to the carriage driver then commanded him to go the restaurant while she instructed someone to call the station manager.

Upon reaching the restaurant, they went to the private rooms were tea was already set up. News travels fast here so it's not surprising that chief Caren managed to drop everything and come here within thirty minutes.

The police chief is a stern woman and she is significantly fit almost as built as Nalem. If she didn't look masculine, she would have made a fine maiden.

After welcoming them , she began to narrate . What had happened was as Berlieh had said and currently the people are missing. At first an old lady went missing but her teenager grandchildren decide to transform into wolves and hunt for scent but at currently no one has seen them for four days . It wouldn't have mattered if the second , third and fourth children weren't bizarre. The second had gone to find the baby-cries but after she came back she had been acting weird. The third had his fur falling down after he spent the night guarding his home outside and the fifth went missing but her clothes were scattered everywhere in her yard

The returned ones have a tendency of hiding themselves but their respective families keep a close eye on them. All are currently under the eyes of the doctor. though the doctor says it could be werewolf diseases and wants to watch them, Caren really wants to intervene and the town is undoubtedly traumatized especially by the toddler-cries.

Caren explained that she had passed the matter through her station and the village-chief made aware of it. They had decided to post the letter after they have observed the kids one more day but the missing teenagers and grandmother haven't been found.

It was mentioned that the monthly report and deliveries would be collected by members of the school to the school and then they would decide to have someone sent there. There is no particular reason for this , just that they wanted to wait a little more . Despite this , some villagers believe the more time spent waiting , the events will occur

" Can we go and see the girl as well as the other's house?", Jakhyer inquired and she said yes but only after they have talked to the chief.

Kijad had someone call Adrian and inform him that they are going to visit the chief first while the whole pack waits here . After authorization, a letter will be brought to them and they can head towards the said direction.

Just as they were about to leave , the restaurant owner begged them to not go yet and pleaded them to have a look at his daughter who has having continuous bleeding like menstruation. She has been like that for two weeks and she is bleeding buckets.

He explained that he tried to ask the doctor but the doctor simply said some rest and pills will help but to no avail.

" Where is the girl?",

They arrived at a stable in the back. It appeared sort of like a nest with all the compost he had laid under her.

They found her hyperventilating in her sleep. She looked like she has been running for a long time . She was even sweating profusely that her hair clung to her skin. The area around her orbits was dense with blood and hyperpigmentation added to the bulging thin veins running parallel to her hair strands

" Why is she locked up?",

" I heard the last children that disappeared went away running as wolves. I adore my little Mei but I think she had caught their illness . I don't want to lose my beautiful child", he sobbed seeing her looking like she was having her insides blended

Kijad asked what medications she is on and he said just the typical for these things. Pain killers and a mild sedative.

It is incredibly rare for werewolves to menstruate almost as it it for humans to have pure red hair. The little few that do have periodical menses, it is usually short and comes probably two to six times a year lasting a maximum of five hours each time. The blood is incredibly faint but the pains are described as surrealistically painful almost like being nailed. These pains are the most shortest with the longest lasting thirty minutes.

The fact that they have provided her with medication means that she is probably is an immeasurable amount of discomfort.

" I will stay here while you visit the chief", Jakhyer sang and Caren said she would delighted. Furthermore she offered to have the doctors brought over to discuss anything.

Kijad didn't want to go alone not leave Jakhyer but in this situation his reasons would sound selfish if he shared them . So he has no choice but to let him stay.