The Frostbane blinked at , tilting its head to the side, almost as if it were trying to understand the gravity of the situation. Its ears perked up again, and it resud nibbling on a discarded piece of pizza crust, leaving grease stains on the floor and a trail of crumbs.
"But he’s just a baby!" Macaron insisted, flapping his wings in protest. "Look at him! He’s adorable! And besides, he’s hungry! And alone! We can’t just leave him out there."
I crossed my arms, the weight of my dilemma pressing heavily on my shoulders. "It’s not that simple, Macaron. What if he gets scared and starts using his powers, or worse, what if soone recognizes him? A Frostbane is known to be a fierce predator; even a ’kitten’ of his kind can cause chaos!"
As if on cue, the Frostbane let out a soft, rumbling growl, clearly content to be in our presence. But then, with a flash of surprising chill, the wooden floor beneath us froze, leaving a glossy sheen where the creature had sat.
"Co on, think about it," Macaron pleaded, fluttering closer to , his little wings fidgeting in agitation. "If we don’t help him, who knows what will happen? It’s a cruel world out there for a rare beast like him. We have to protect him! Besides..." He leaned in closer, his big owl eyes widening earnestly, "you can’t deny he kind of matches our vibe, right? A pair of misfits!"
I sighed again, running my fingers through my hair. "No! What would happen if he got bigger and bigger? Obviously we can’t hide him no matter what."
Just as I thought I had made my point, the Frostbane abruptly ceased chewing and gazed at with those impossibly large, pitiful eyes. It was a pleading look that reached deep into the core of my heart, making it difficult to resist the charm of this enchanting creature.
Licking his lips, he leaned toward again, purring softly as he rubbed his head against my arm. "Okay, okay," I relented, the resolve slipping away. "Maybe we can keep him for a little while. But," I added, firming my tone, "you’ll stay at the company once they get the place built there. No more pets in this dorm!"
Hearing my words, the Frostbane let out a delighted purr, as if it understood the deal, and settled back against , eyes half-closed in contentnt.
For the entire day, Macaron and I tackled the ss in the dorm, working side by side to restore cleanliness. But when it ca ti to bathe the creature—whose fur was now a bizarre patchwork of sauces and crumbs—chaos struck again.
In his enthusiasm, the Frostbane unintentionally froze the entire dorm. Ice crept along every surface, turning our already-disheveled ho into an arctic wasteland.
After a hilarious yet exhausting escapade of thawing ourselves and chasing the slippery beast around, the Frostbane was finally squeaky clean. We cleaned the dorm again, wiping down the surfaces and picking up frozen food debris while feeling like we’d just run a marathon.
By the ti we collapsed in bed with the Frostbane occupying Macaron’s side of the bed, I was utterly drained.
Macaron gave a small shake of his head. "I take back what I said. We can’t take care of him."
"Agreed," I sighed, already pulling out my smartwatch to make a call.
"Remillia? What’s up!" Stephen’s cheerful voice greeted .
"I need you to build an enclosure," I said, getting straight to the point.
"What? Why an enclosure all of a sudden?" he asked, confusion evident in his tone.
"I found a Frostbane kitten, and I want to keep him there," I explained.
"Frostbane? How did you manage to get one of those? Do you know how rare they are?!" Stephen bombarded with questions.
"Yes, I know. That’s exactly why I can’t let him go back into the wild," I responded, taking a deep breath. "You already know what their habitat is like, right?"
"Of course! How wide do you want the enclosure to be?" he asked, shifting into business mode.
"Buy the building next to the company," I ordered.
"W-what? Are you sure about that?" Stephen stamred in surprise.
"Of course, money’s not the problem. Start construction as soon as possible, and make sure no one finds out what it’s for," I emphasized.
"Copy that," he said, a hint of excitent now creeping into his voice.
"Thanks." I replied, ending the call with a quick tap. The first step was complete; now it was ti for the next.
The first step was accomplished. Ti for the next. I pushed myself up from the bed and shuffled over to my laptop.
Logging into Cybersky, I navigated swiftly to the official registry of the Biodiversity Managents of Beasts and Monsters. I bypassed all security asures, hacking all the way through.
I created a permit certifying that I had the rights to own a Frostbane, carefully crafting every detail to match the legitimacy of previously existing permits. After that, I inserted my forged docunt into the system, camouflaging it among the legitimate permits to avoid detection.
After double-checking my work—ensuring every detail aligned perfectly—I saved a copy of my permit to my secure storage for extra safety. Once I was satisfied, I logged off the system and closed my laptop with a satisfying click. Feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over , I climbed back into bed and drifted off to sleep again.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
I woke up the next morning, accessed the Cybersky again, and hacked into the international cri files on poachers. I grabbed Macaron, who was still sleeping, and shook him awake.
"Macaron, do you rember the guys who hunted Glacier?" I asked, showing him the laptop screen.
Macaron whose eyes were half-closed, squinted at . "You nad him Glacier, which is cool, but you nad Macaron?!"
"It was first ti having a pet so I thought of my favorite food," I smirked. "Just point out the faces you recognize."
"Fine!" he grumbled, as I clicked through the images.
There were five of them, all located in Adriana.
"Wait, how did you end up in Adriana, anyway? That’s on the other side of the world," I asked.
"Just like you, who goes on missions or whatever to level up, I also try to level up myself," Macaron replied.
"Oooh so that’s why when you co back, you always empty out my fridge?" I asked, annoyance bubbling inside .
"Of course! Eating is the best way in regaining your strength after a day of training!" Macaron chirped proudly.
I lightly smacked him in the head. "Just hunt so animals like you used to and not empty out the fridge! I was the one getting hungry because of you!"
"But... human food is much better than food in the wild," Macaron complained.
"You greedy little pig," I can only say. Maybe I should buy two refrigerators instead of one. One for and another for Macaron and Glacier.
As I was getting ready, I felt a soft fur brush against my legs. It was Glacier. I bent down and rubbed his head. "Are you hungry?"
He purred in response.
I went to the fridge and pulled out so at, letting it unfreeze on a plate. But before I could look away, Glacier snatched it and bit into it like it was candy, completely unfazed by the fact that it was still freezing.
Yesterday, I taught him where to pee and poop—right in the bathroom—but just to be safe, I told Macaron he was in charge of looking after Glacier.
I gave Glacier another scratch on the head before stepping outside. I glanced at my list one more ti.
1. Jaxon Kade
2. Zander Reid
3. Kyler Finn
4. Oliver Chase
5. Tatum Wells
Since it was hunting season in Adriana, it was ti for to return the favor to those poachers.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Aeonia Portal Station
It was the weekend, and the station was bustling with people lined up for various portals, but the queue for Adriana was nearly empty.
I approached the staff and presented my passportal.
"Miss Remillia Lockhart, identity confird. You may now enter the portal! Enjoy your trip to Adriana!" the staff mber said with a smile as she opened the gate for .
As soon as I stepped inside, I felt the chill of Adriana’s weather wash over . I was glad I had dressed warmly, especially since all the people were staring at weirdly considering how hot the weather is in Aeonia.
I made my way to a nearby inn, hoping to gather so information about the poachers. The place had a cozy vibe, with the scent of warm food wafting through the air. I walked up to the bar and caught the attention of the innkeeper, a burly man with a friendly smile.
"Excuse ," I said, leaning on the counter. "I’m looking for information about poachers in the area. Have you heard anything?"
He raised an eyebrow, glancing around to ensure no one was eavesdropping. "Poachers, huh? This isn’t a safe topic to discuss out in the open. Why don’t we chat over there?" He gestured to a quieter corner of the inn.
I followed him, feeling the weight of my mission pressing down on as I took a seat. "What do you know?" I asked, eager for any leads that would help track them down.
He leaned in closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "If you’re looking to join the poacher’s group, I’m afraid you’re out of luck. The last position was taken by that young lad over there," he said, nodding toward a man who was drunkenly laughing at another table.
I frowned but pressed on. "Do you know who’s in charge of the poachers here?"
He thought for a mont, furrowing his brow. "I believe there are two of them—Jaxon Kade and Kyler Finn."
That was exactly the lead I needed. "Thanks for the information. I’d also like a room for the night," I said, sliding a pouch of gold nuggets across the table.
The innkeeper’s eyes lit up as he grabbed the pouch. "Absolutely. I’ll get you settled right away." He scribbled sothing on a notepad and gestured for to follow him to the stairwell at the back of the inn.
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