Time passed quickly, and soon summer was sliding into autumn, temperatures were dipping and rain was now more common than sun. Ivy was seldom seen these days, busy as she was. I wouldn’t be surprised if we only saw her again once more so she could say goodbye for the winter. Besides this time of year, the spiders in the tree were actively hunting for the winter, and none of us wanted to get stuck in their webs. They spun them all around Nettledale to snare prey of various sizes when autumn arrived and let them stick around until the frost destroyed them in winter.

  Bahruun and Millid got themselves a carpet of their own to make their trips to Appleridge easier. As for Meleri, she was now getting the hang of magic and was self-studying, mostly. Bahruun would oversee her training only when new and advanced concepts were being taught.

  Their practice was, by this point, far beyond my meager expertise in sorcery, so I was glad Bahruun was here to lend a hand. By this point, Meleri was past teasing me and Rathina for our budding relationship. She was too busy with the training Bahruun was putting her through or honing her flying skills. Another change was that Meleri was coming around to using magic for cooking. It was simply too convenient.

  I wasn’t idle myself, however, as I was actively practicing spatial magic with the help of Rathina and to a certain extent Soot. It wasn’t just to upgrade the house myself in the future. Rathina and I were trying to see if we could open a one-way portal back to the Infernal Realm. This required many trips outside the warded area for practice, but that wasn’t a bad thing, as that let me hunt for the upcoming winter as well.

  Now with several more mouths to feed I wanted my pantry stocked to capacity before winter arrived, just in case. This time Winter was tagging along too, as she wanted to stretch her wings. “Mother, I saw a stag not too far from here.” She landed on top of my hat as usual, and Soot landed on my shoulder soon after. “It’s on alert, something must have spooked it.” Another carnivore, no doubt. “Thanks, you two.”

  I glanced over to Rathina, who was busy bleeding another stag by using blood magic to extract the blood, then stored it in bottles for later use. “You think it’ll be enough with this and the one in the clearing?” Rathina licked some blood off a talon. “It should hold us over for a while. That aside, the pantry is almost full, so either way we can’t hunt more after this unless you intend to store them elsewhere.” She was making a good point. “True. You three wait here and I’ll be back soon.” She gave me a lazy wave and blew me a kiss as I cast a spell to silence my movements. As I headed towards the clearing, Soot and Winter took off and landed in the trees near Rathina.

  As I neared the clearing, I could see the stag through the trees. It was busy eating, but now and then it would look up and scan around, then snort nervously. Something was definitely wrong here. Better finish this hunt and get home ASAP. Just as I was about to cast my hex, I noticed movement on the other side of the clearing.

  Something large, gray and fast burst from among the trees and was upon the stag so fast that it didn’t even have an opportunity to run before it was barreled to the ground. As the gray thing went in for the kill, I recognized it as an absolutely massive wolf. This was no warg, it was too powerfully built and far too big, even bigger than Irrunin. This wolf was the size of a cave bear. Maybe even bigger than that. It tore into the stag, devouring it as if famished, then paused. It lifted its snout and sniffed. Then it turned its gaze in my direction.

  “Don’t bother hiding, I can smell you, even if you’re downwind.” The voice was deep, melodious and familiar. I stepped out from the bushes. “Long time no see, Irane. However, I expected you to be bigger than that by now.” Irane let out an angry growl. “I would be, if it weren’t for that wretch.” Wretch? Who in their right mind would piss off a Great Wolf? My expression must have conveyed my thoughts as Irane swallowed another large slab of meat and licked her snout.

  “A few months back I was attacked in my sleep by a cloaked figure. Before I even realized what was going on, I was paralyzed. They forced some kind of concoction down my throat. It forced me to reincarnate, despite being alive, while also disorienting and confusing me. My memories are fuzzy for a while after that. The next thing I remember is ripping the throats of the cloaked figure’s compatriots. I don’t even know how long afterward the initial encounter it was or what I was doing in the meantime. However, it must have been a while, given my size wasn’t much different from my current one.”

  That was… concerning. Wait… “Forcibly reincarnated you say? Huh… Maybe that’s what happened to Irenji then.” Irane froze. “Irenji has reincarnated?” I nodded. “He has. He is currently staying at my place for now, in fact he is getting along so well with my younger sister that the two will undergo a familiar ritual in a week’s time. They would have done it earlier, but the night of the previous blood moon was overcast, so there was no choice for them but to postpone it.” Irane let out a low growl. “Hey my sister’s a good kid, no need to…” My voice trailed off as I noticed she wasn’t looking at me but at something behind me.

  I looked over my shoulder. Rathina was standing behind me with the stag we hunted earlier slung over her shoulders. Soot and Winter were sitting in the tree behind her. “Oh, don’t mind me.” She gave Irane a friendly smile. Irane’s growl deepened. An unexpected reaction, as Irane wouldn’t have met infernals before. At least not as far as I knew. “Is there something wrong?” I glanced between Irane and Rathina. “I recall her scent, she was with the wretches.” Really? Then that meant… “Irane, if you remember her scent, then I can assure you, she is no more an ally of the ones who did this to you than you are yourself.” Rathina’s own smile was fading as well, and she put down the stag.

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  “I remember now, that damn Fabius came into the lab with a pup one day, raved about trying to manipulate its mind. I didn’t like the idea, for obvious reasons. However, since I couldn’t refuse his orders, since he was my summoner, I gave him what he asked for. Although the formula I gave him would have ever-increasing diminishing returns. Not that I told him that, since he didn’t ask. You’re welcome.”

  Irane’s growl faded away after a while. “I smell no lies from either of you. Besides, you have a lingering scent of Morgana on you, so the two of you must have been together for a while. And I know she would never do something like what those people did. The Fae court would have her head if she did.” Irane crunched down on the stag’s leg and began to eat it, bone and all.

  Then, once she finished she looked up at us and licked her bloodstained muzzle. “Very well, I will accept your tale as truth. Not that I have a choice given my lost memories of my time under the concoction’s influence.” She glanced over at Rathina. I gave her a nod. “Glad to hear it. Well then, Irane, the two of us will be heading out, we still need to get another stag to finish our winter preparations.” We turned to leave. “Wait. I take it Irenji is at your house then?” I turned and looked at Irane. “Yes.” She nodded. “I will meet you there then.” I couldn’t help but get a sneaking suspicion I was about to get another family member.

  “Alright then. However, keep in mind, I won’t tolerate freeloaders. If you intend to stay you will be earning your keep.” Irane ripped off some more meat from the stag. “I would be insulted by anything less.” Looks like we were on the same page there. “Good, we can discuss more about that later.” I stashed the stag we hunted earlier, along with the bottles of blood into my pouch for easier transport as Rathina and I left the clearing.

  As I walked away, Soot landed on my shoulder and glanced skyward. “Do we really need another stag?” I did some quick math in my head. “If Irane will be staying, which I am pretty damn sure she will insist on considering she is supposed to be looking after Irenji, then we will have to hunt some more later on anyway. Let’s just head home since the pantry’s bursting at the seams as it is.” Winter gave a hoot of approval. “That sounds good, Mother, as the air is getting… oppressive, and I want to go home as well.”

  Oppressive? I didn’t like the sound of that. I pulled out the carpet, and a few moments later we were in the air. “Besides, it’s almost time for dinner, and Meleri said she wanted us home on time for it since she was trying out some new recipes. Also, it’s easier to dress the stag at home than out he-”

  That was as far as I got before a and bolt of lightning blasted past us so close I could smell the ozone. A few moments later, the rain began. Soot and Winter landed on my shoulders to get out of the rain. “Damn, looks like your feeling was right, Winter. Hang on tight, everyone. This is going to get mighty uncomfortable.” With no other choice, I sped up to get us home as quickly as possible.

  By the time I landed at the house, we were all drenched. Even my Warg cloak was soaked through, which was quite impressive since it was enchanted to repel water unless submerged. That just showed how horrid the weather was. As we got under the roof, I looked out at the torrential rain. “Damn, this looks to become a deluge.” Soot chirped in agreement. “Hope Ivy’s alright.” Winter landed next to him. “She’ll be fine, and so will the rest of Nettledale.” She gave Soot a soft hoot and began to preen his feathers to calm him down. Soot responded by doing the same for Winter. I looked down at both of them. “Well, dinner should be served soon, so when you are done, head inside, alright?” The two nodded as Rathina and I headed inside.

  Midnight looked up from the couch where she was napping. “Oh, welcome home Meowstress, Rathina and… Where are Soot and Winter?” I pointed towards the porch. “Preening outside, they should be coming inside in a few minutes.” I cast a drying spell on me and Rathina to be rid of the water, then did the same for the floor. I headed towards the kitchen. “Hey Sis, how much time do I have before dinner?” I popped my head through the door. Meleri was busy cutting up baguettes, while Millid was carrying dishes over to the table. I noticed Bahruun was sitting on a chair reading, though now and then he glanced over at Millid as she was helping with a big cheerful grin and smiled.

  “Not going to help?” He looked up from the book. “Oh, I tried. Your sister told me in no uncertain terms that I could not after just a few moments, however. I believe her exact words were, ‘If I see you touch my carefully mixed sauce ever again, they will never find the body.’ And seeing whose sibling she is, I decided to take that warning to heart.” I glanced over at Meleri who shrugged. “He was attempting to add pepper to it, which would have ruined the lasagna.”

  Lasagna? How did she-? No, wait she probably made the pasta plates from scratch. Leave it to an actual chef, I suppose. “Well, if it was lasagna sauce I am inclined to take Meleri’s side on that one. That is one of the most important things about it.” Millid finished setting the table. “Well, either way, Boss took the smart approach, and I got to taste test. It’s delicious. I almost feel bad that Ivy isn’t here to taste it.” I glanced out the window. “Considering we have a deluge on our hands I am glad she won’t be taking the trip.”

  Meleri looked out the window. “Man, I was so focused on the food I didn’t even notice. I thought the ‘literal waterfall’ was a metaphor, but no that really is a waterfall.” I nodded. “That it is, so how long until the food is ready?” Meleri thought about it for a moment. “About 20 minutes I’d say. Why?” I walked towards the pantry. “Need to do some field dressing and will be using the pantry for it. I’d do it outside, but… yeah.” Meleri glanced outside. “Alright, if we need anything from the pantry, I’ll bother you for it until you’re done then.” I gave her a thumbs-up and walked into the pantry and closed the door behind me. I should be done in time for dinner if I weren’t interrupted.