Still smarting in the pride sections of her mind, Rhidi found herself in a foul mood the rest of the day as she packed away her new gear.

Said foul mood did not dampen her curiosity on their new uniforms, however, as both she and the other Kafya grouped together in the barracks to see just what the Humans had provided for them. Since the Lilgara and Pwah wore regular uniforms due to their body shape, they could wear the same gear as the Humans for the most part, though Lilgaran tails required some ingenuity.

The Drafritti and Kojynn made hay where they could if they joined up properly with the UAA Army, as rare as it was, though the extra arms of the Kojynn required some custom work due to their need for an additional set of sleeves.

Rhidi, flexing and moving her ears from under her new cap, couldn't help but smile despite her still simmering rage; The new patrol caps had been finely tuned to Kafyan biology, tailored with deep half-moon cutouts for their ears. To keep the patrol cap itself from floating away, an odd, body heat sensitive stretch material hung low along the bottom of the ear, tightening once worn and adding a catch to keep the hat in place if the wind caught it.

With the half-moon cutouts sitting down close to the bottom of the ear, the patrol caps fit snugly in place and Rhidi could finally keep the sun out of her eyes when the wind was blowing hard.

Kafyan troopers had a nasty habit of losing their caps as soon as the wind caught them, with much chasing to follow.

The uniforms, now called KBDUs, were the biologically tailored Kafyan battle dress uniform, shoring up issues found in the first evolution of their combat uniforms; The uniform had been specially tailored to fit more attractively around the partially digitigrade legs and feet of the Kafya, as well as finally nailing down the whole tail issue.

Facing the same issue with the Lilgara, the UAA Army and their AI helpers finally threw up their hands and said, "Fuck it, make it a button", as all KBDU and LBDU bottoms now had a tail slit that was sewn with tight spandex. The stretchy material allowed the reinforced slit to be spread open via the fingers, in which the tail was then shoved through and buttoned closed with a tidy, under-tail button flap.

The effect gave the uniform bottoms a rather playful bit of scrunch, which the males of both races were not exactly fond of, despite the giggling and tail wagging of their female counterparts.

As Rhidi looked at herself in the mirror, along with the other female Kafyan Droppers, the new uniforms were more slimming than the old, giving them all a more professional look that allowed them to look as formidable as their Human and Pwah brothers in arms.

She looked down at their new paw boots, flexing her toes and giving them a little wiggle as well. Ever tinkering, the Humans had devised a paw boot that released strain on their toes, based off Human footwear known as "toe shoes".

They were odd, and were taking a bit to get used to due to their unique socks, but Rhidi felt as if she was walking barefoot with extra steps.

While the other female Kafya chatted and posed around in their new uniforms, Rhidi slapped her new patrol cap on her thigh and tucked it under her arm, stepping out for a bit of fresh air and to take a walk.

Striding out into the hallway of the lovingly restored Airborne barracks, Rhidi walked along the old tiles towards the stairwell.

Very few of the original barracks were around, due to the amount of combat the base saw during the early war with The Pactless, and only a handful of the old "H Houses" still stood, cobbled together from the remnants of their partially destroyed brothers and sisters. Rhidi smiled down at the scuffed floor tiles, marked and chaffed from the heavy black boots of Human soldiers from all the way back to the 1980's, possibly even the 1970's as far as she was aware.

The air in the place was heavy, but not in the brooding, dour way that bore unease upon the shoulders.

No, here the air was heavy with history, her bootfalls echoing off the walls that heard the boots of other soldiers from a time before Rhidi was even a thought, still a mote of stardust waiting for her time. Where she stepped down upon the stairs, countless other Airborne troopers had also once tread.

In this place of history, this place of honor, she added her steps, her sweat, her curses, and her breath.

The thought brought her an odd happiness, a calm that cooled her.

As Rhidi popped out the stairwell into the relaxation area, "Old Pongy" still stood strong, a heavily duct-taped and glued ping-pong table that had survived the war in relatively one piece.

The hollow "thock" and "pock" of paddles hitting the hollow ball greeted her, a male and female Pwah doing their best to get a point on the other. A small gathering of Humans were watching quietly, muttering to each other as they watched the game.

Rhidi skipped along, cutting a hard right to exit out the side door and pushed on the middle bar, the familiar "ktch-ack!" of the latch coming loose and the door swinging open. Georgian air filled her nose as she breathed in, and she set off to the ancient jump towers.

The silent giants of the old drop field stood above her, looming on high in the slowly darkening sky. The old "34 Foot" towers still stood strong despite the war, robustly built and still recovering from their positions as machine gun nests while fighting off The Pactless.

As Rhidi climbed the stairs of the tower, she ran her pawed hand along the rail, looking around her at the many pockmarks and dings from enemy fire. Just like the barracks of old, millions of Humans trained and honed their art of war on these towers, all the way up until they came under fire.

There was a tale of Humans still training on the towers even as The Pactless closed, slinging themselves down the cables so they could quickly qualify and jump on an already warmed up aircraft. Further stories circulated of one Human planting both of her feet into the chest of a Pactless fighter as she came down the cables, crushing in the man's chest before being riddled with weapon fire by the incoming fighters.

It would have seemed improbable, if it wasn't for the alleged pictures.

Her fingers traced along the old paint, steel, and concrete, journeying in and out of the holes bored by alien weaponry, and she couldn't help but smile to herself as the fading sun glowed on her yellow fur. The stairs creaked as she entered the old, gunmetal gray box, and she stepped along the rough floor to the jump door.

She looked to her left, and the emblem, war torn but still freshly painted every month, greeted her. This was called the "Gingerbread Man", the emblem of a unit that was the worst of The Pactless to face. Trained to be the enemy of their own forces for training, the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment proved to be the bloodiest thorn in the side of the invaders from the stars.

They continued their reign of terror into the war with the Ur, and the sight of the little man on the patch became the same as someone coming face to face with the devil.

Above her head, the oiled and conditioned cables swayed and rattled lightly in the wind, a serene calm falling under the old training yard. The more modern training towers glittered with the late sun, quiet for now as the training cycles went through their paces.

As a strong gust of wind rattled the cables, Rhidi, sat down and scooted out to sit on the reinforced gang-step, letting her paw boots dangle over the side in the open air. She looked past her knees, raising her eyebrows as she looked down to the grass below.

Thirty four feet must have felt like two hundred for those Humans, the first time they took that leap of faith out of these doors. They had nothing but silk or nylon when they leapt out into the air… no fancy suits of armor, or failsafes in a comfortable pod.

Nothing but a thin membrane and webbing between them, death, and the battle below.

Rhidi sat where those Humans once jumped to face their fears, and pulled out her data-slate. As she cued up her music, she pulled out a pair of newer ear buds that better fit her ears, tucking them into place as the guitar began to fill her mind.

She had bought these yesterday while she had the time, ordering them and taking them from the over-worked delivery drone that quickly sped off with its next order.

The Human woman's voice sang into her ears as she closed her eyes, slowly kicking her feet back and forth as "Lifeboat" began to play. She didn't understand why, but Rhidi liked the way that country music hurt. It was silly, really, but the music genre was obsessed with telling a story, and they never seemed to be happy.

Instead, the Human singers' goals were to pull and tug at her heart strings, to carry her with the story along the chords of their voices and guitars. She had never heard music like this before, the raw emotion of pain and anguish that she had not experienced there to comfort her, or energize her.

It was more like "country" music's main aim was to make the listener feel alive by showing them the hurt, allowing them to feel happiness by reminding them that they could feel pain.

The sorrow a light to illuminate the joy.

Georgia wind pulled at her fur and ears as "Mercy" started to play, and Rhidi looked up into the sky. Above her, the clouds and atmosphere were turning from blue, to golden hues and purples.

Rhidi felt the stairs below thud and rattle as someone ascended, so she paused her music before the next song could play, pulling out an earbud slightly so she could hear.

After a few moments, a familiar voice called up from the back of the tower box.

"I thought that was you sitting up here." Shorsey called out, Rhidi turning and smiling at the Human woman. "You shine like a glowplug when the sun hits you right."

"Heya' Shorsey!" Rhidi replied, patting the spot next to her. "Just listening to some music!"

Shorsey smiled. "Morris made you a playlist, didn't he?"

"... Maybe." Rhidi said with a sheepish grin as Shorsey sat down next to her, her orange hair blazing in the last dying breaths of the sun.

Shorsey pulled out her own plugs, paired them with Rhidi's data-slate, and she pressed play for the two of them to listen.

"Long Time Traveller?" Shorsey asked, smiling to herself. "He has good taste. I didn't think you would like music like this, Rhidi."

Rhidi shrugged. "I like the way it makes me feel."

"The good hurt?"

"Yeah…"

"I knew you were one of the good ones." Shorsey said with a chuckle, then laughed when Rhidi gave her a light pop on the shoulder.

The two women kicked their boots back and forth as they dangled in the air, Human combat boot and Kafyan paw boot, as the music of a once free Earth played in their ears.

One song in particular, "Wayfaring Stranger", brought them both to a pause, their feet slowly swinging to a still as they leaned their heads back, staring up into the sky.

The mournful song intoned in their ears as they stared skywards, reaching down with bitter fingers towards their hearts.

Rhidi knew this one, a song of an old war, a war older than the one against the Ur, The Pactless, far and beyond in the histories of Humanity. Where the world shook with the thunder of artillery, and blood fell so thickly that poppies of crimson hue bloomed like an old reminder of their folly and sins.

Rhidi thought it was no different for her, or Shorsey, travelling to far away lands to wage war, to rend flesh from bone, meat from bodies, and dispel the drought of grass with the lifeblood of others.

The man's voice trailed away, and Shorsey hit pause, the two of them still looking skyward.

"Do you still feel like a Kafya?" Shorsey asked her, leaning back on the palms of her hands.

Rhidi was quiet for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "No."

"When do you think it started?" Shorsey asked quietly, the wind pulling at her orange braids as it gusted across them, rattling the sling lines above them.

Rhidi smiled to herself, leaning back on her pawed hands as well. "From the moment I breathed in your air, I think. The first time I drank your cool water, the first time your food nourished my body and staved away my hunger. As soon as I let this planet wrap its arms around me, feed me, comfort me, lull me to sleep… I think that's the moment I stopped being a Kafya, and started to be a Human."

"You're a little furry for a Human." Shorsey teased, bopping Rhidi's paw boot with her own combat treader. "You might pass for an Italian or Greek I guess."

Rhidi laughed, her teeth glowing gold in the light of the setting sun. "An Italian?! I'm not that hairy!"

The two giggled and laughed until a bright trumpet pierced the air, the speakers humming to life as Retreat marked the end of the day proper.

Rhidi and Shorsey stood, standing at attention at the door of the jump tower as the cables rattled above them, and the trumpet played. As per the modern tradition, each major command on base had their own cannon, spanning the eras from the old fashioned 12lb howitzer carriage guns, to the ones they used today, all of which are veterans of The Pactless war.

It still tickled Rhidi pink that Humans were nailing offworlders with iron round balls, and had to fight to not giggle as the video replayed in her head.

She heard the distant "Ready!" echo at her from afar, and the cannons sounded one by one as the music paused.

Rhidi wondered if that was just a small taste of what the base may have sounded like during the peak of their war for survival, the percussion of guns filling the air.

Rhidi and Shorsey then saluted as the colors were drawn down, and the bugle faded into a trailing echo.

As they went to order arms, Shorsey set her hands on her hips. "Well, it feels too good outside to waste. Want to keep listening to music?"

"Sure!" Rhidi chirped, and they sat back down, letting their boots dangle over the sides of the jump tower.

They relaxed, listening to the music until their bellies gave a low growl.

As Shorsey and Rhidi stood, Shorsey threw Rhidi an odd look.

"Hey." Shorsey began, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder. "Why don't we go eat at a place you haven't gone to yet? I think you'll like it."

"Sure." Rhidi replied, snapping her data-slate to the side of her belt and putting her ear buds away.

Rhidi and Shorsey did the long loop, walking in front of the many parachute aircraft that sat parked on display, but then went down a pathway that Rhidi had yet to travel herself. To Rhidi it felt like a rather long walk, and there were buildings she didn't recognize all around her.

The more they walked, the more trees that began to appear, and Rhidi found herself suddenly standing in an odd little grove of ash trees.

"Oh, I've seen this place from the air!" Rhidi said with a smile, turning on her heels to look at the tall, healthy ash trees and their spaded leaves. "I thought it was some kind of garden! There is a DFAC in here?"

"Something like that." Shorsey said, tucking her hands into her pockets as she kept walking.

At first, as they trailed down the pathway towards a large building lit by actual torches, Rhidi thought she could smell cooking meat. The smell changed to something of an odd, herbal tone, and Rhidi's nose could pick out chamomile and nettles.

"Rather odd stew they're making." Rhidi said quietly to herself as she looked up at the tall, imposing building.

How she had missed it from the air was a mystery to her, but it was a foreboding, dark structure that loomed skywards in stepped layers. The roof had wooden shingles that layered like a Skalathir's scales, pitched steeply with dark wooden roof caps carved with spiraling figures.

Inlaid into the wooden walls were weapons, tall spears, axes, and warhammers that glittered with the light of the torches. Broken weapons stood along the walls too, and Rhidi wasn't sure if they were rusty… or still bearing old blood.

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"S-Shorsey…" Rhidi stammered as the two, behemoth double doors slowly groaned open on their own, the pathway inside lit with torches that threw light onto tall wooden carvings.

Shorsey turned as she walked ahead of Rhidi, smiling back at her with sparkling eyes that made Rhidi's ears perk; She had always thought the Human was a little odd because of her orange hair and brownish eyes, but it never clicked with her until the fire light entered Shorsey's eyes in the growing darkness.

They were merlot red, nearly the color of old blood.

"Nothing to be afraid of, Rhidi." Shorsey said, her eyes seeming to glow as the torches burned a little brighter. "Come on."

Rhidi, her finger tips coming together in unease, looked back up at the roof. In the fading light, she could see carvings on the peaks of the stepped roof, growling wolves that bit and snarled at the air around them.

"A-... Alright…" Rhidi whispered, stepping forward after her friend.

As she stepped past the doors, they began to close, and she gazed at the many statues around her.

Rhidi stepped forward slowly, step by step, and took in the grand wooden carvings.

One statue was of a fine boned man with large braids, his hands playing with a large serpent and odd looking scars around his lips.

Another was of a far larger man with a massive beard and a thick single braid, wielding a titanic hammer and wearing a broad belt below his strong stomach.

The next pair were just as odd, a radiant man with a sword and shield that were decorated with rays of light, and a wild looking man that held a large antler across his chest, a boar tattoo carved into his pectoral.

After those two came a towering man holding a grand horn, while another appeared to be cradling a seagull in his rough hands.

The statues continued along the stretching hall, two women flanking the walking path that brought Rhidi to a stop.

A woman wearing armor and a great cloak of falcon feathers looked down at Rhidi, her face smiling as a pair of cats sat perched on her shoulders. The other was more curvy in nature, regal in her garments as she held a great ring in one hand, and an odd bunch of flowering branches in another.

At the end of the path were the largest of the carved statues, and Rhidi stopped to look at them, still standing between the two women.

One man was towering, carved in such a way it was apparent he was wearing chainmail, strong, but he was… maimed.

Rhidi took a few steps forward, squinting at the man; His right hand was missing, a marred stump mangled by what may have been large fangs. In his left hand he held a great hunting spear that gleamed with actual steel at the tip, his face weary, but carved eyes adamant in their resolve.

The other man was maimed as well, half of his face covered by a great leather patch that hid a bleeding eye. A great brimmed hat sat upon his head, while two giant birds sat on his shoulders, each of them looking down at her as if she had done something wrong. In his hands he held a staff, the tip capped in a gold ball.

Shorsey walked up beside Rhidi, looking up at the carved statues as well.

"Who are they?" Rhidi asked quietly, looking around her in wary reverence.

"Loki and Thor guard the door." Shorsey began, her eyes staying locked on Tyr's face. "The clever, mischievous nature of man and their unyielding strength. Baldur and Freyr stand to their side, radiant with beauty and the peace within."

Shorsey turned to look over her shoulder, prompting Rhidi to look as well.

"Heimdall and Njord watch us from afar and nearby, calming the tides and steadying the stars." Shorsey intoned, then looked up to the two formidable women above them. "Frigg and Freyja guard our love and homes, carried with us by our hearts wherever we tread."

Shorsey then turned, holding out a hand each to the two largest carvings at the end of the pathway, the carved pillars around the statues nearly mimicking the forest outside. "The All-Father, Odin, stands to Tyr's right, his wisdom in war knowing that any weakness can be shored up by skill, tenacity, and brotherhood in arms. Tyr treads beside Odin, and in turn, beside us all, bringing justice to the wicked, and instilling courage in the hearts of Humanity when the light begins to wane."

A voice intoned in from the darkness, deep and carrying as the words thundered into Rhidi's ears despite the even tone.

"Together, they are the Gods of War, the left and right hand of destruction that propels Humans to eradicate the foul, the wicked, and the unjust."

A man, wearing a duty uniform and a cloak over his shoulder, much like Rhidi had seen Shorsey wear, stepped out from the gloom, his fingers laced respectively in a reverent manner near his waist.

"Hello, Rhidi." The man said, his smile cool upon her and reaching up to his dark blue eyes. His was gray at the temples, and his face rough from the weight of years he held on his soul.

"Gothi Riddle." Shorsey said, giving him a slight bow. "Gothja Denson."

Rhidi was confused until she heard a soft laugh behind her, and she spun around, spying an older female Human with hair the color of tarnished gold and wrinkles at the corner of her pale green eyes.

The two Humans had an odd aura about them, as if they knew something Rhidi didn't, and she was not fond of the thought.

"Rhidi has come for her meal." Shorsey said politely, holding her hands behind her back as she smiled at the yellow furred Kafya. "She is quite hungry."

Gothja Denson smiled. "We are ready for her. Private Rhidi, if you would follow us, please."

The two turned and walked forward down the pathway, another large door that Rhidi had failed to see cracking open and spilling out warm light.

"Uh…" Rhidi gasped out, turning to look wildly at Shorsey. "You said we were going to a DFAC!"

Shorsey smiled again, walking forward. "Something like that. I wouldn't linger in here, people say the statues whisper to you if you are alone for too long…"

Rhidi, having no desire to experience that kind of horror, quickly jogged down the path until she was beside Shorsey again.

As they walked into this secondary room, simple long tables stood in neat rows before them, flanked by long-benches where one could sit. There were enough tables to rival a normal DFAC, though only one table had cutlery on it.

"Please." Gothi Riddle said, offering the seat with the cutlery and one of the four cups to Rhidi.

Rhidi sat down quickly, pulling her tail around into her lap as Shorsey and Gothja Denson sat.

"So, Rhidi." Gothja Denson started, smiling at Rhidi like a mother would to their daughter. "You have been impressing us, as of late. One of the only Kafya to wear the armor of destroyers, and you racked up quite the record on your first time in battle."

Gothi Riddle nodded. "Very impressive indeed. The both of us have been hearing your name in our dreams and thoughts quite a lot as of recent, and we wanted to sit you down and have a little chat."

Rhidi perked her ears up at that and cocked an eyebrow; This sounded like some more religious mumbo-jumbo to her, something that Humans were well known for.

"We believe that you, someone born upon another world, is being called to." Gothja Denson said, picking up after Gothi Riddle. "This is unheard of, and I don't believe you are well studied in our religions, but we both agreed that you may flourish under The Odinic Shieldwall."

Rhidi, ears perked a little higher and both of her eyebrows skyward, glanced from one Human to the other, then to Shorsey, who was smiling at her.

This was sounding more and more like some kind of initiation, and she wasn't sure how to play it.

Normally, everyone defaulted to a placating, nodding politeness when it came to Humans and their religions, but that was not normally in their temples, or being pressed by two higher-ranking religious leaders.

"Er…" Rhidi murmured, fidgeting with her tail. "What… what does that mean, exactly?"

Both of the priests laughed kindly, and Shorsey giggled.

"It is simple, actually." Gothi Riddle said as a door to the kitchen opened, and another man wearing a cloak walked out with a tray. "Partake in our meal, and stay a night in the temple. We have already cleared it with your command, so you won't be in trouble or anything like that."

Gothja Denson then poured Rhidi a large cup of mead, which smelled of flowers and honey. "If you hear anything during the night, or if you have some kind of experience, you just have to tell us." She said, setting the cup in front of Rhidi. "If you don't, that is completely okay. If you do, we would like to talk to you after."

Rhidi looked down at the plate set down in front of her from the tray, the man bearing it greeting her warmly.

On her plate was a rather simple meal, though it still smelled comforting despite its simplicity; Two circles of an oddly black sausage, sliced apples, fruits, nuts, stewed barley, and bread with butter and honey. This was in addition to the glass of what the man pointed out was mead, which Gothja Denson explained was a floral variety known for its sweet taste.

Either way, she had to give these people an answer… and it wasn't like they were forcing her to walk across hot coals or something.

Rhidi figured that, if anything, it may gain her a future ally, and she didn't want to either embarrass Shorsey or get on her bad side.

Play ball with these odd Humans, and maybe gain a promotion in the future?

Rhidi had heard of odder things, and they probably just wanted to one-up the other religions by having contacted her first, and subjecting her to their tests.

"I just eat and hang out in your… temple?" Rhidi asked, trying to find the right word. "It's not a church, right?"

Gothja Denson nodded. "Correct, this is our temple. And, yes, you just enjoy your meal and hang out in our temple until morning. You will have a large pillow to sit on so you are comfortable. We will keep your data-slate until morning."

Rhidi, feeling rather pressured, swallowed nervously and gave a jerky nod. "I… um… okay, I think I can do that."

"Excellent!" Gothi Riddle said with a clap of his hands, startling Rhidi who jumped in her seat, causing Gothja Denson and Shorsey to chuckle. "Go on and eat then, you'll need the energy.

For WHAT?! Rhidi screamed into her mind, but she kept her face calm as she began to eat.

—

Walking out of the small dining hall, which she learned was something called a "mead hall", Rhidi's head was feeling oddly fuzzy. When she had said she was thirsty, they just poured her more of the odd honey alcohol, and she figured she must have drank three cups of it before she finished the food.

It wasn't fancy by any means, but it had an odd rustic charm to it that filled her stomach and was easy on her tongue.

That still didn't explain why her head was so fuzzy though.

As she was led back out into the long hall with the statues, a plush ground pillow was sitting on the ground on an ornamental rug. Rhidi tilted her head at it, her eyes trailing along the black, woven knotwork done in the Nordic styles.

"Very pretty." Rhidi murmured, squatting down to run her pawed fingers along the soft fabric. "I always found it rather nice how much work you Humans put into stuff like this."

Gothja Denson smiled down at Rhidi. "Of course, even the most mundane things can be given beauty by just a little bit of toiling with the hands and fingers."

"Now, Rhidi." Gothi Riddle began, Rhidi standing up to face him as Shorsey pulled out a small, wooden ornamental box. "While you are in here, we want you to hold a few things for us."

Rhidi blinked, looking over at the box as Shorsey opened it.

Inside were… flowers, just normal looking flowers.

She didn't know why, but she half expected Gothi Riddle to pull out a dagger or something.

"Have a seat, Rhidi." Shorsey said, coming around to the front of the pillow as Rhidi slowly sat down upon it, pulling her tail around in front of her and across her lap.

As Rhidi leaned forward, Shorsey began to slowly pull out the flowers, smiling at Rhidi with bright eyes.

"Hold out your hands, Rhidi." Shorsey said softly, then began to place the flowers onto Rhidi's palms as if they were made of fragile glass.

First laid into her padded palms was a simple daisy, white in petals with a warm, marigold center that bulged like a coat button.

Next came a poppy, the color so red that it looked as if someone had dipped the buds in fresh blood.

Third came a stalk of henbane, an odd little flower that Rhidi had never seen before. The petals were a light green, but the center of the flower was so deeply black that it looked like freshly spilled ink.

Fourth laid onto her palms was a purple orchid, the smell so rich that it tickled at Rhidi's nose even from all the way down on her hands.

Last laid onto her hands was an equally purple flower, but it looked as if the petals had grown into the shape of a tall-crested helmet.

"There we go." Shorsey said, closing the ornate box with a soft clack. "Just keep those in your palms while you're chilling in here."

Rhidi blinked down at the flowers, her head growing more fuzzy by the minute, and brought them closer to her face as she squinted. "Flowers? What's with the flowers?"

"We'll see after we wake you up." Shorsey said, then rustled Rhidi's hair with an aggressive hand. "Make sure you don't lose any of those, they're important and we'll want them back in the morning."

Rhidi growled in her throat and shook her head away, her yellow hair now completely tussled, and blew the strands out of her face while still holding the flowers.

After a few parting nods from the two other Humans, Rhidi was left sitting alone in the expansive hall, her palms full of the odd flowers and her mind buzzing like a hive of bees.

Now that she was alone in the torch lit darkness, it became clear to Rhidi that she couldn't really see anything beyond the torch light. The statues loomed above her, their carved eyes staring down at her, and her head just kept buzzing.

The buzzing turned to fuzz, as if her head was full of comm-link static, and she felt impossibly warm, her muscles uncoiling and relaxing until she…

Rhidi tried to move her fingers, and she lifted her index finger so slowly that it was like her bones were made of the taffy Imridit liked to chew on.

"What…" Rhidi murmured, her own voice low and echoing in her ears.

She moved her middle finger, the two coming down across the daisy, but it felt like a monumental effort. Her teeth buzzed nearly as hard as her brain, her eyes struggling to focus, and time slowed down to a crawl as she tried to curl all of her fingers at once.

Rhidi had just gotten her entire hand wrapped around the ends of the flowers when she felt a cold chill down her spine, and she slowly panned her eyes upwards.

The statues were gone.

"What the…" Rhidi breathed out, her brain screaming for her eyes to move faster, but all they could do was their slow, panning crawl around the room in front of her.

The ones near the door were gone, their bases empty as well as the others, but she could not see behind her. Her heart began to flutter into a panic behind her ribs as the chill down her spine intensified, and her fur stood on end as if she had touched a live wire.

Everything in the room felt wrong, the light turning darker, as if she had stumbled into the den of an Earthen bear.

How long had she been in here, anyway? It couldn't have been more than a few minutes…

Before she could attempt to turn her head, shadows loomed above her, casting her in shaded darkness. She didn't hear anyone step behind her, let alone walk across the room, but the height of the shadows made her want to scream in panic.

Did the Humans leave her alone in a room with unleashed automatons?

Was this some kind of test?

What was in that drink?!

"Odd." A low, rumbling voice said behind her, and Rhidi froze… not that it was hard at that moment.

A female voice spoke up next, the words from both of the unseen figures hurting her ears in a way that Rhidi didn't fully understand. "A little wolf, with legs and arms."

"Not a wolf." A lighter male voice said, kinder, but just as painful. "She is not of this place, we have no words for her."

"Yet, they leave her here." A darker female voice said, and Rhidi felt something lean down behind her. "I smell our steel and oil on her, as well as blood."

The other female voice was closer to Rhidi now, so close that she felt breath flowing over her fur, laced with the scents of wild flowers and the unnatural feeling of adrenaline. "There is also love, here, upon this foreign fur and flesh. I smell sweat and the fight here."

"Her shape is… amusing though." An older male voice said, and the light chuckling behind Rhidi's back was nearly enough to give her legs power to run.

Nearly.

"It would be too obvious a sign to ignore." Another male voice said, this one both world-weary, yet stalwart. "I believe we are in agreement."

Rhidi blinked, and the shadows were gone.

She jerked her head up, free of whatever sedation she assumed that the Humans had put into the drink at dinner, and she snapped her head around, wide eyed.

All the statues were in their places, early morning light peeking in through the windows.

The torches were unlit, her back hurt, and her knees creaked as she unfolded her legs, stretching them out before her.

"I can't believe those bastards drugged me." Rhidi mumbled, then looked down at her hands.

A flower was missing, and she blinked blearily down at them.

"What… where…" Rhidi murmured, looking around the floor and the edges of her ground pillow.

No flowers or petals were present, so she spun around on the pillow to look behind her.

Rhidi's breath caught in her throat as she looked up at the statue of the one-handed warrior, her ears flattening against her head and her tail tucking.

There, in the statue's massive fingers, was the purple, helmeted flower, the morning light nearly making it glow. Rhidi didn't think a flower could look smug, but it was pulling it off.

"Shit!" Rhidi hissed, setting the rest of the flowers down carefully and sprinting over to the statue.

Taking care of her nails, she made to climb the leg of the statue and… slowly slid back down the man's calf.

Rhidi stumbled back, looked at her hands, then rubbed her finger pads together.

"Oil? But…" Rhidi looked up at the flower again, astonished, then looked back at the leg.

If she had climbed up the leg in her drug induced state, there would be nail marks all over the damned statue… but there were none.

She had a sudden thought to scramble up the statue and snatch the damn flower back anyway, but she reckoned that it would be highly unwise to cover the Humans' nice statue in scrape marks.

Instead, Rhidi started taking off her paw boots.

—

"Good morning, Rhidi!" Shorsey called out happily as she jerked open the doors to the hall, Gothja Denson and Gothi Riddle right behind her, but the trio paused as Rhidi spun around, boot in hand.

Gothja Denson and Gothi Riddle's eyes slowly trailed up the statue of the one-handed warrior, and raised their brows as they spied one of Rhidi's new paw boots sitting on the tip of his spear.

"... Good morning." Rhidi said flatly, boot still raised for a tenth go at knocking the flower down.

Shorsey blinked a few times, then stepped further inside as Gothi Riddle gave her a small prod in the back with his finger. "You uh… throwing your boots at Tyr?"

"... Uh…" Rhidi mumbled, looking back up at the statue. "The uh… uhm…"

"The wolf's bane." Gothja Denson said with a smile, pointing at the flower still held in the hand of the statue. "Look, Riddle."

Gothi Riddle grinned at Rhidi, crossing his arms. "Well… I guess we should be getting your boot back, huh?"

The two Humans laughed as Shorsey jogged up to Rhidi, her face incredulous. "Why are you throwing your boots?!"

"You said to not lose the flowers, and the damn thing is on the statue!" Rhidi hissed, jabbing an accusing finger at the purple bud. "How the fuck did it even get up there?! Did you jerks fly a drone in here after drugging me?!"

Shorsey snorted. "Drugging you? What are you talking about?"

"You drugged me, with the drink stuff!" Rhidi called out, while behind her Gothi Riddle was poking at her boot with a long pole.

Shorsey rolled her eyes, pulled out a medical tester, and poked it right onto Rhidi's nose.

Rhidi looked at it, crosseyed, as it beeped a few times, then snatched it out of Shorsey's hands to look at the reader.

"No… foreign contaminants." Rhidi read, her voice low. "But… but you drugged…"

Shorsey hugged Rhidi with a laugh, shaking the yellow furred Kafya back and forth. "No drugs, you silly Kafya! Just really good mead and good food!"

"But… the voices… I…" Rhidi whispered to herself, turning her head to look at the massive statue of Tyr.

Gothja Denson was using a long grabber pole to pluck the flower free of the carved hand, while Gothi Riddle gave out a triumphant "Ha!" as he got Rhidi's paw boot free.

"Don't think too hard on it, Rhidi." Shorsey said, holding a finger to the side of her nose. "Odd things happen at night within the halls of the temple. You should hear about what happens at the Templar's churches…"

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