"You called me?" A dark silhouette emerged from the shadows. His piercing red eyes glowed under the night sky.

"I did." Another man with green eyes leaned against a tree not far away. "What took you so long? I’ve been waiting for you here for an hour."

The other man didn’t say anything at first, but the moment the moonlight touched his figure, he immediately dropped to his knees in front of the green-eyed man.

"I’m sorry, Sir!" He pressed his hands together and begged Luan. "My stupid people were late in delivering your message to me!"

Luan clicked his tongue and straightened his back. "Maybe you were just trying to avoid me, Jarva."

Just a while ago, he had sent a message to Jarva, the Leader of Black Fang, through a dove. It didn’t contain any words—they wouldn’t even be able to read it—but only a symbol of a cat and a circle, and Jarva immediately understood that he needed to find Luan.

"I thought I didn’t owe the Vixeria Tribe anything anymore," Jarva said carefully. "You killed my brother, so... what else do you want from me?"

Luan raised an eyebrow. "Don’t blame me for that. Your brother tried to kill me in my sleep." His voice stayed calm, but there was something sharp underneath it. "And since I haven’t returned the favor by doing the same to you, you can’t say we’re even yet."

The moment their eyes met, Jarva immediately panicked. "No, no, no!" he said quickly, his voice shaking. "You don’t have to do that! I’ll do whatever you want. Just tell me how I can help you, my good sir."

Luan finally smiled when he saw Jarva becoming more obedient. "I want you to find me some birds."

"Birds?" Jarva frowned. "Can’t you just catch them yourself in this forest?"

"I don’t want just any birds." Luan’s tone turned cold. "I want the ones from the Sky Tribe. Track them for me."

Jarva’s eyes widened in fear. "The Sky Tribe? A-Are you serious? Those eagles are terrifying!"

"Oh, so you’re afraid of them?" Luan clicked his tongue several times. "Even a little cat is braver than you."

The moment he was insulted, Jarva immediately straightened his back. "Scared?!" He straightened his back. "No way! I’m not afraid of anything! I won’t just track them, but I’ll even bring you their heads!"

Luan looked at him with fake interest. "Really?"

Jarva was about to say more, but then quickly shut his mouth. "M-Maybe just tracking them is enough?"

Luan let out a soft chuckle. "Yes. That’s enough. Bring me the information in two days. You can do that, right?"

Jarva looked like he wanted to say it was impossible, but when he met those piercing green eyes again, he quickly replied, "Yes! Yes! I can do it quickly! You don’t have to worry about that."

"Good," Luan said calmly. "I will be waiting patiently. And if you’re late even by a second, I’ll use your head as a decoration in my house."

"D-decoration? No, no, no! Don’t use my head!" Jarva immediately held his head and slowly stepped back. "I’ll get the information in two days!"

Luan watched Jarva leave in silence. To be honest, he wasn’t even sure if Roxanna would want a head as decoration in their house, but maybe he could just cover it with clay or something.

Since he no longer needed to wait for anyone, Luan finally walked away, not toward home, but deeper into the forest to look for some poisonous plants.

Those eagles had shot an arrow at Cyrus, so Luan would do the same to them.

But of course... with a little extra surprise.

===

"Are you sure you’re really okay?" Roxanna asked softly after helping Cyrus drink some warm water.

They sat side by side, their backs resting against the wall. Roxanna pulled her knees close to her chest, while Cyrus leaned his head gently on her shoulder. His fingers stayed wrapped around hers, holding on as if he didn’t want her to move even an inch away.

"I’m fine," Cyrus said softly. "I just need some rest."

"Then why don’t you lie down instead?" Roxanna asked.

Cyrus gave a small hum. "This feels more comfortable."

Roxanna didn’t argue after that. Instead, she began to hum a soft tune, like a lullaby. It was the same one Cyrus used to hum for her whenever he stayed by her side at night.

"That’s actually my mother’s lullaby," Cyrus said after a moment. "She used to sing it to me before I slept."

Roxanna slowly stopped, her expression softening. "It’s really beautiful," she said. Then she tilted her head slightly until her cheek rested against his hair. "She must have loved you very much to create something like that."

Cyrus gave a faint smile. "Maybe." After a pause, he added, "I don’t really remember much about her anymore. I can’t even clearly picture her face in my mind."

After all, his parents had died when he was only eight years old. Not long after that, he was captured by the Sky Tribe, and everything he went through afterward had left his memories a little scattered.

"Do you remember her hair color?" Roxanna asked gently, trying to bring those buried memories back to the surface.

"Red, I think," Cyrus replied. "She also had the same eye color as me." He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly realized something. "Oh... I think some people once told me that my face reminds them of my mother."

Roxanna straightened up slightly and reached out to gently turn his face toward her. "Let me see..."

She narrowed her eyes a little, as if trying to imagine what his mother might have looked like just by looking at him.

Cyrus couldn’t help but chuckle softly. His wife looked truly adorable when she made that expression.

"Then your mother must have been very beautiful," Roxanna said with a bright smile. "A handsome son like you has to come from a beautiful mother."

Cyrus chuckled. "I think I should thank my mother more, because this face can make my beautiful wife happy."

Roxanna pressed her lips together. [Why is he suddenly praising me?! I’m the one who should be making him feel better!]

"Roxanna," he called gently, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Can I get a kiss?" he asked. "I’m a bit dizzy."

[He doesn’t look dizzy at all,] Roxanna thought, sure that he was just making an excuse to get a kiss.

Even so, she still leaned closer and kissed his lips a few times. Her lips were soft against his, making Cyrus want more than what she had given him.

"Do you feel better now?" Roxanna asked, her eyes slightly hazy. "Do you need more kisses?"

Cyrus didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he looked at her silently, his gaze lingering on her lips for a moment longer than it should.

"Maybe a little more," he said softly.

Roxanna hesitated for a split second, her heart suddenly beating faster. But before she could overthink it, she leaned in again.

Cyrus gently tightened his hold on her hand and tilted his head slightly, deepening the kiss in a way that made Roxanna freeze for a moment.

"It was painful," he suddenly said in the middle of the kiss. His gaze softened as he looked at his beloved wife. "The arrow... it was painful, but even after my wounds healed, I can still feel the pain until now."

Roxanna pulled back slightly, her brows knitting together as she looked at him. "It still hurts?" she asked softly.

Cyrus nodded, his hand unconsciously moving to his chest. "Not like before," he said. "But it’s still there, like a reminder."

Roxanna gently placed her hand over his chest, right where the wound had been.

[Of course the wound will be a reminder for him,] she thought. [All the things they did to him won’t disappear in a short time.]

"How can I help you feel better, Cyrus?" Roxanna asked softly. "Maybe I can’t completely take the pain away, but... I’ll still try."

Cyrus looked at her hand resting over his chest, then back at her face.

For a moment, he didn’t say anything.

"Just stay," he said at last. "That’s enough."

Roxanna blinked. "That’s it?"

Cyrus gave a small nod. "When you’re here, it feels... lighter," he continued with a smile. "Maybe it’s because all this time, I was always alone, so now that I have you and the others beside me, it feels so much better."

Roxanna wrapped her arms around him, then hugged him tightly. "Then I will stay here as long as you need."

After all, facing pain together still feels lighter than facing it alone.

Cyrus leaned into her embrace, his body slowly relaxing as he rested against her.

They held each other like that until they eventually fell asleep. When the sun came up, Luan finally returned to the Vixeria Tribe.

He brought a bundle of poisonous plants in an animal-skin sack, then immediately woke Azul from his sleep. "Hey, help me make some poison that can burn someone from the inside."