"I-It's an egg!" Lira stammered as she and Kai examined the egg.
The egg was the size of a large watermelon. It was pure white with golden patterns on it.
"Whaaaat? Zer laid an egg?" Kai exclaimed, looking at Zer with a confused expression.
{It's not my egg, you idiot.} Zer snapped at Kai, his eyes glowing and sending shivers down Kai's spine.
"No, you dummy! Mr. Zer is a boy; how can he lay an egg?" Lira said to Kai.
"Oh! Haha, my bad." Kai rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously.
"But how did it get here?" Lira tilted her head in confusion, picking up the egg.
{Guess how?}
Hearing the deep, gravelly voice, Lira flinched and accidentally dropped the egg. Kai, standing next to her, caught it with his quick reflexes before it could hit the ground.
"Careful, Miss Smarty," Kai said as he cautiously raised the egg and examined it.
"But I just heard a voice," Lira said, glancing around to see if anyone was there.
Zer's eyes widened in surprise.
{Oh! So, you can hear me, little one. Interesting.} Zer raised his head and studied Lira.
"I-Is that you, Mr. Zer?" Lira stammered, looking at Zer in confusion. "You can talk?"
{You bet I can,} Zer replied with an amused smile.
"Hahaha!" Hearing the entire conversation and noticing Lira's expressions, Kai chuckled and turned to her.
"See? Zer can talk. Isn't he cool?" Kai smiled at Lira.
"Yes, very cool," Lira replied with a smile, her earlier confusion replaced by surprise.
"But how did you get that egg if you didn't lay it?" Kai questioned Zer, pinching his chin thoughtfully.
"And since you don't leave the cave..."
{Why don't you guess?} Zer smiled at Kai. {Besides you, who else can come here?}
Kai closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. After two full minutes, he opened his eyes.
"Ah! Mr. Nice Guy with the super-strong Wraith Wolf!" Kai blurted out, finally remembering the person.
Zer sighed. {Took you long enough to remember. You were just talking about him earlier.}
"I just... haha," Kai scratched his cheek in embarrassment.
{Forget about that,} Zer said, shaking his head before glancing at the egg Kai was holding.
{It's a very rare and special species, said to be extinct. He found it in some sacred ruins and brought it to me.}
Both Kai and Lira's eyes gleamed with excitement upon hearing that the egg was very rare.
"That guy is really cool," Kai said, admiring the mysterious man who had saved his life and even brought such a rare egg to Zer.
"But what kind of beast's egg is it, Mr. Zer?" Lira asked, turning to Zer.
{You'll find out soon,} Zer replied with a smile. {It's been here for some time. It will hatch soon.}
A heavy silence fell down as they were looking at each other.
Crack!
The sound echoed in the quiet cave, sharp and clear.
"Huh?" Both Kai and Lira gasped in shock.
"Is it...?" Lira whispered, her eyes wide and sparkling with excitement. She took a cautious step closer, her breath hitching.
Crack!
The egg trembled slightly, and Kai could feel a faint warmth radiating through its shell as its tiny fragments began to fall away.
"It's moving!" Lira gasped, clutching her hands to her chest. Kai just gave her a nod.
"Kaa... Kwaa..."
A few small, sharp cries came from within the egg. Kai held his breath, watching as the egg gave one final shudder before breaking apart completely.
A small, creature tumbled into his hands, blinking sluggishly in the dim light.
"Kawk!" It growled softly, half-opening its eyes and looking at Kai's figure.
The little beast was not fully opening its eyes. It was about 25 cm tall and 45 cm long. It had soft, sleek fur of shimmering silver color interwoven with golden streaks. Its ears were slightly elongated, and it had a single tail swishing behind it.
"Aww, it's so cute!" Lira exclaimed, quickly snatching the little beast from Kai.
The hatchling fully opened its amber eyes for the first time as Lira rubbed her cheek against its fur.
"Kawk," it growled again, slowly focusing on Lira. Its gaze was soft, almost inquisitive, as though the little beast was seeing her soul.
Lira felt a strange warmth wash over her. Her fingers trembled as she reached out, brushing against the creature's fur. It was impossibly soft, like the finest silk.
"You're... beautiful," Lira whispered, her voice barely audible.
The little beast tilted its head, its ears twitching.
"Kawk... Kywaa!" It let out a small, happy sound and pressed its tiny nose into her palm, nuzzling against her, making her heart melt. She hugged the little beast tightly, her cheeks flushed with joy
"Hey, it's my turn now," Kai said, extending his hands to take the beast.
"Okay," Lira replied with a smile and gently handed over the beast to Kai.
Grr!
As Kai grabbed the little creature, it growled and bit his hand.
"Aah!" Kai cried out in pain, pulling his hand back quickly.
Lira swiftly picked up the beast again. The little creature stopped growling and smiled warmly at her, nuzzling into her arms. Seeing this, Lira burst into giggles.
"Hmph!" Kai scoffed, turning to Zer, who had an amused grin on his face.
"By the way, what kind of beast is this?" Kai asked, seeking an explanation about the creature from Zer.
Hearing his question, Lira's ears twitched, she smiled leaning closer to Zer.
{She is a 'Dual-heart Kitsune,'} Zer replied, glancing at both of them, his voice low.
{As I said, it's an extremely rare beast.} He paused for a moment before continuing.
{As the name suggests, it has two hearts. One heart beats here, in the physical world, granting her extraordinary strength and agility. The other beats in the spiritual realm, giving her high intelligence and magical abilities.}
Both Kai and Lira leaned forward, captivated.
{Unlike other beasts, Dual-heart Kitsunes are highly intelligent and wise. They often use illusions to hide and trick their foes.}
Zer paused, his glowing eyes meeting Lira's.
{They are reclusive by nature, only revealing themselves to kind and loyal individuals,} Zer explained, before shifting his gaze to Kai and shaking his head.
{They are also incredibly loyal and will never abandon their tamers, even without a formal contract.}
Hearing Zer's explanation, Lira smiled at Kitsune.
"Wow, Kitsune, you're awesome!" she exclaimed.
The Kitsune growled cutely in response, making Lira's eyes sparkle with great pleasure. She buried her face in the Kitsune's soft fur, rubbing it gently, which made the little creature laugh.
{Why don't you give her a name?} Zer suggested, lowering his head into a resting position.
Lira stopped playing with the Kitsune and began pondering, closing her eyes. 'What should I name you? Umm...' she thought to herself.
"Kwaa?" The Kitsune tilted her head in confusion, watching Lira deep in thought.
"Her name should be Ker," Kai blurted out, breaking the silence. "Zer, Ker—cool, huh?" He grinned at the duo, only to find their lips curled in a 'meh' expression.
"Then what about Silky? Or Furry? Or Goldy? Or... Meat?" Kai added hastily, his face growing redder with each passing second. He avoided their gazes, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
Both the Kitsune and Lira shook their heads, clearly unimpressed, and ignored him.
Kai's shoulders slumped. "Fine," he mumbled, crossing his arms and sulking like a scolded child.
{You're just a...} Zer began but stopped mid-sentence, shaking his head and turning his attention to Lira, who was still deep in thought.
"You-" Kai clenched his fists and glared at Zer, but before he could say more, Lira's sudden exclamation cut him off.
"I've got it!" Lira said looking at the Kitsune, her voice filled with excitement. "How about... Luna?"
The Kitsune paused, tilting her head as though weighing the name carefully. A moment passed, then another.
"Kwyaa!"
"Kwyaa!"
Joyful cries broke the tension. Kitsune bounced slightly in Lira's arms, her golden streaks glinting in the dim light.
{Looks like she likes the name,} Zer commented, observing the Kitsune's reaction.
"Alright, from now on, we'll call you Luna," Lira declared, giggling as she cuddled the Kitsune. Luna responded with a cheerful cry, making Lira laugh even more.
Zer watched them with amusement, while Kai crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, pouting. He sneaked a quick glance at the duo.
"Whatever!" he muttered, his cheeks puffed as he quickly averted his gaze.
Lira stepped closer to Kai and extended her arms while holding Luna.
"Luna, be a good girl and say hi to Papa," she said with a smile.
"What? I'm not her papa!" Kai snapped, glaring at Lira.
"Oh? Is that so?" Lira smirked mischievously. "Do you want to be her Mama instead?"
{Hahaha! Yeah, he's more qualified for that! Am I right, Mommy Kai? Haha!} Zer joined, laughing heartily.
Both Lira and Zer began teasing Kai, and seeing them laugh, Luna joined in, letting out cheerful little cries.
Kai's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.
"Fine! I'll be her papa!" Kai pouted, extending his hand to grab Luna. But as he was about to touch her, Luna started growling.
"Bad girl! Mama just said, say hi to Papa," Lira scolded, narrowing her eyes at the little Kitsune.
Seeing her mama displeased, Luna stopped growling and reluctantly calmed down as Kai held her.
"Kwa," Luna muttered in a dry voice, avoiding eye contact with Kai.
Kai didn't mind and began rubbing his cheek against her soft fur, a wide smile spreading across his face. Luna still seemed unhappy but didn't protest further.
"You're really very cute," Kai said with a soft chuckle, his lips forming a small "w" as he brought Luna in front of his face to admire her adorable form.
"Kai," Lira called out, her voice soft as she looked at him with a warm smile, her hands clasped behind her back.
"Do you want to tame Luna?"