Caster thanked the man for his report. He bowed and left the room, leaving Caster and Vyrena alone once more.
"Miss Vyrena, I think that about wraps up our conversation today. But just one last question."
"Yes?"
"Did you happen to see a large wolf? Apparently the boy, Lycster, mentioned that a giant wolf saved them."
Vy leaned back in her seat and thought for a while, "Well, I have heard before that the Green Forest is filled with creatures of all kinds, some are smarter than others. But no, I did not see any of that sort when I was making my way back."
"Alright then. Thank you for your time. If we need more information, we will let you know."
Caster and Vyrena shook hands.
"That's alright with me. If you ever find out how it all happened, I would love to know."
Vyrena and Lycster met up in the walkway and were both brought out of the gates of the building, with Caster following up till that point. As they walked back to the Town market together, they walked the first part of it in silence. When they were sufficiently far away from the building, Lycster broke the silence.
"Are we safe? Are they going to take you away?"
Vy smiled and patted Lycster on his head, "We're safe for now. You did great Lycster! I'm proud of you."
Lycster beamed with joy and relief. When Vy told him what to say the night before, he was nervous. He was afraid he would slip up and spill the beans on the truth. But everything went as planned. However, Vy was still a little nervous.
-If the situation calls for it, I will tell them the truth. But for now, the lie shall be the truth.-
"But when you turned into the wolf…," Lycster exclaimed excitedly but was immediately hushed by Vy.
"Keep your voice down," she whispered, "But it was pretty cool, wasn't it?"
Lycster covered his mouth and nodded, "But what happened after we left?"
Vy's smile vanished in that instant, her expression looked grim and worried for a second. Lycster noticed it, but only for a second.
Vy whispered to him, "There were hounds."
"Hounds?"
"But I couldn't tell what kind they were. I gave them a scare and they disappeared."
Lycster thought for a while and asked, "Were they normal hounds, or ghost hounds?"
"Ghost hounds?"
"Yeah, I heard the travellers talking about it before. They said that on their way to the town, the started smelling a foul miasma. When they went to see the source, they saw two ghost hounds, feasting on the corpse of a horse and a human. They were so frightened that they ran off immediately!"
Vy pondered over Lycster's words, the hounds she saw must have been the same as the ones these travellers had seen.
"It must have been the ghost hounds then," Lycster said as he bit his lip.
"Yes."
"But don't worry, as long as you don't venture out in the forest alone at night, you'll be alright," Vy joked.
"Well that wasn't my fault," he pouted.
"Hmm, I recall someone running away and getting himself caught."
"But if you hadn't said anything of that sort…"
The two joked all the way back to the market and carried on their day as if nothing happened the night before. For the next few days, the mysterious howl many heard, and the case of kidnapped children was the hot topic of conversation. Lycster became somewhat of a celebrity, having survived the ordeal.
"So Lycster," Gonzo called out as he drank his mug of mead, "who saved you? A wolf?"
The others around him listened intently, all drunk on their drinks.
"A huge wolf! It came out of nowhere and brought all of us to safety!"
Vy sat at the side, chuckling. Carole, who had listened to the boy tell this story multiple times rolled her eyes.
"What colour was its fur," Gonzo asked.
Lycster thought for a while and replied, "It was difficult to see in the darkness, but I think there was a hint of yellow-brown."
"That could be a shape changer!"
Vy nearly choked on her food when she heard the comment. But she regained her composure and continued eating. However, she continued to listen in on the conversation.
"That's true," someone else shouted.
"Yeah, I mean, if it could carry… what was it? Six children, on its back. That's possible," Gonzo replied.
"Are shape changers, common," Vy asked.
"Well, not in these regions. But I have heard of the old tribes that live in the forests and mountains. Apparently they are master shape changers," someone replied.
The conversation topic soon changed to other topics but Vy pondered over what she had learnt. Lycster, who said next to her wondered about it too. He had already noticed the book that she kept in her chest. While she was busy, he had sneaked a peek or two here and there. As Lycster was deep in thought, he did not notice how close Vy was to him.
Their faces were only inches apart when she whispered in his ear, "So, you've been reading the book?"
The boy was startled, he nearly fell out of his seat. Vy pulled back, giggling away at Lycster.
"Don't scare me like that," he exclaimed, rubbing his chest to calm his nerves.
He was blushing as he pleaded guilty, "I just sneaked a few peeks. I couldn't read most of what was written on it anyway."
Vy smiled and ruffled his hair, "Well if you were brave enough, I would have taught you."
"You would?"
She was surprised by his enthusiasm, but happy about it too. Lycster was young, but he was smart. He was like a sponge absorbing all the information quickly and swiftly.
"Well, we could try and practice," she whispered to him, "But you'll have to be awake at dawn."
When he first agreed to this, he thought it would be alright. But as the fatigue set in, Lycster yawned as he dragged his feet. Following behind Vy, they were now in the Green Forest. As it was still early, the sunlight had only just begun to brighten up their surroundings.
Vy brought him here as it was the most secluded place for them to train without being watched.
"Are you ready," she asked.
"Yes, Miss Vyrena!"
"Good. Now close your eyes."
Lycster did as he was told.