Time passed quickly. Days became weeks, weeks became months and months became years.
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"Haa...Haa..." A boy, no older than twelve, was panting heavily, leaning against the wall of a huge house.
"There he is! Let's catch him for good!" shouted a middle-aged man who was carrying a shovel.
"Shit!" The boy cursed under his breath and bolted, glancing back at the three middle-aged men chasing him—each wielding a shovel.
Surprisingly, all three of them had resembling faces, same eye and hair colors.
The only thing that distinguished them was their heads—one had long brown hair, another was bald, and the last one had a blocky head.
"How did I mess up?" the boy muttered under his breath, recalling how his plan to steal some goods had failed.
He had been confident he wouldn't get caught—after all, he'd been doing this for years. Yet, somehow, he had been exposed. Well, technically, not caught, since he had managed to steal the goods, but the shop owner had found out.
And now, the owner and his men were dead set on catching and beating up the culprits.
The boy peeked over his shoulder with his ember-colored eyes. His blood ran cold as he saw them slowly closing the distance.
'What's taking you so long? Damn it!' he yelled inwardly while taking a few twists and turns through the narrow alleys beside the market square.
As the boy took a left turn, the three men chased after him. But before they could follow, the top wall of an abandoned mansion suddenly crumbled, crashing down in front of them.
"What the—!" one of the men exclaimed, stumbling back a few steps, narrowly avoiding the falling debris.
Recovering from the shock, they hurried past the collapse, only to reach a three-way alley. Just as they hesitated, a voice rang out beside them.
"Help! Someone stole my money and ran that way!"
A figure clad in a black cloak shouted, pointing in a direction.
Hearing the urgency in the figure's voice, the men didn't hesitate and dashed off in pursuit.
As they disappeared from sight—
"Took you long enough," the boy who had been hiding behind a large dumpster said. "Can't you be quicker?" he added, stepping closer to the cloaked figure, who was almost the same height as him—though a little shorter.
"Oh!" The figure unhooded her cloak, revealing platinum hair tied in braids. Her fair skin was smudged with a little dirt, but it didn't diminish her beauty.
"Was I the one who got caught?" she said, turning her bright emerald eyes toward the boy. "You should be grateful that I saved your ungrateful ass from those lechers."
"By the way, did you get it?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Yup!" The boy grinned, flashing a pouch at her. "Luna's gonna love it."
"It better be a good one," Lira insisted as she turned to walk away. Suddenly, she paused and looked back at him. "It's her birthday, after all."
"Of course, it is." Kai flashed a toothy grin as he tucked the pouch back into his ragged tunic.
"Alright, let's go!" he said, and both of them bolted from their hiding spot.
After a few minutes of walking, they reached a large cave. It stood at least 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide, its interior filled with the damp scent of rock.
"We're back," Kai said as he stepped inside.
[Mama! Papa!]
The moment they entered, a small figure dashed toward them. Its white fur shimmered with yellow-golden streaks, and it wagged its two furry tails excitedly.
"Luna!" Lira spread her arms wide, and Luna lunged into her embrace. She was now a little larger than a house cat.
"Hey, Luna." Kai stroked the soft white fur on her head.
{You're back.}
Zer's voice echoed lazily in their minds, though he didn't even bother to look up from his resting spot.
"Yep, still lying around, huh?" Kai commented with an amused expression.
But instead of replying, Zer remained comfortably sprawled out, unbothered.
Lira gently placed Luna on the ground and crouched in front of her. Reaching into her cloak, she pulled out a small sack, untying it to reveal a neatly wrapped piece of meat.
"Happy Birthday, Luna!" Lira said cheerfully. "This is the meat of a Shadow Panther. They say it's pretty rare and hard to obtain."
She placed the meat down in front of Luna.
[Wow!] Luna's eyes sparkled as she eagerly bit into it. [Yummy! Mama is the best!] she exclaimed between mouthfuls, making Lira giggle.
Lira flashed a grin at Kai, clearly pleased with how much Luna liked her gift. Then, she reached into the sack and pulled out a piece of bread.
"Happy birthday to you too, dummy!" she said with a smile, handing the loaf to Kai, who was standing nearby.
Since Kai was an orphan and didn't know much about his birth date, they had decided to celebrate both his and Luna's birthday on the day she hatched from the egg.
"Thanks!" Kai happily accepted it and took a bite.
"Mmm!" A pleased sound escaped his lips as the flavor melted on his tongue. "It's delicious."
"Hmph!" Lira scoffed, puffing out her chest in pride. "Of course it is! It's high-quality with added sweeteners."
Kai crouched down beside Luna and reached under his tunic, pulling out a thin leather strap with a silver bell ornament. The bell was engraved with delicate swirling patterns.
"Happy birthday, Luna. Here's your gift," Kai said, leaning forward to put the collar around her neck.
Luna's eyes gleamed with curiosity as she lowered her head, allowing Kai to fasten it.
[Kawaa! It's beautiful!] Luna exclaimed, jumping around excitedly, clearly more than satisfied with her gift.
[Thank you, Papa!] She threw herself into Kai's arms and began licking his cheeks.
Kai glanced sideways at Lira and flashed a victorious smile.
She turned away, puffing her cheeks.
Chuckling, Kai placed Luna back on the ground. She immediately lunged toward her unfinished meat, sinking her teeth into it. As expected from the rare Shadow Panther, the meat was pitch-black in color, its rich flavor making Luna savor every bite.
Kai reached into his tunic again, this time pulling out a necklace.
It was simple yet delicate—a thin silver chain, slightly tarnished, with a small pendant shaped like a majestic bird in flight. There were no jewels, but the craftsmanship was fine, with intricate details etched into the tiny wings.
"This is for you," he said, extending his hand toward Lira.
"Huh?" Lira snapped her head toward him, eyes widening in surprise.
A gift? For her? But why?
Thoughts swirled in her mind, but before she could voice them, Kai motioned for her to lower her head.
Reluctantly, she did. Kai leaned in, unhooking the chain before carefully wrapping it around her neck and fastening the clasp at the back.
Straightening up, he looked at her and smiled.
Lira's eyes gleamed, sparkling as if filled with invisible stars. She ran her fingers over the tiny bird on the pendant, admiring its fine details.
"It's beautiful," she whispered. Then, without a second thought, she threw herself at Kai, wrapping her arms around his neck in a warm embrace.
"Thank you!"
Kai hugged her back, his arms circling her waist. After a moment, they pulled apart, and Lira leaned back slightly.
"Why did you give me this?" she asked softly.
"What? You don't like it?" Kai teased.
"No, no, no! I love it! I was just saying—" Kai cut her off before she could finish.
"If you like it, then good. I gave it to you because we're friends, after all."
Lira nodded with a smile.
"Want some?" Kai offered his loaf to her as she sat beside him.
She leaned closer, took a bite, and began nibbling on it.
"Good, huh?" Kai asked, watching her reaction.
"Mm-hmm," Lira nodded while munching. "Of course! Like I said earlier, it's of very high quality."
They stayed in the cave, chatting and playing around with each other.
As time passed, the sun dipped toward the horizon, painting the sky in warm hues of orange.