Katherine and Shade caught up with Lira and the group sooner than expected. To Katherine’s surprise, her bond with Shade had two effects: it granted her skills for taming and caring for creatures—like the primal language skill that let her understand bonded beasts—and also allowed her to tap into some of Shade’s abilities, adding them to her own magic skill tree.

  Shadowstalking

  Track a target and travel using shadows as a conduit.

  It took Katherine a while to use this new skill effectively as a means of travel; the magic felt strange and was difficult for her to grasp at first.

  Shade was the catalyst for Katherine’s first successful attempt—he walked into a shadow as if it were nothing. He even poked his head out briefly, making it look like a floating head, which was both unsettling and oddly encouraging.

  When Katherine finally emerged at the camp on the forest’s edge, she managed not to lose her lunch—though the others couldn’t hide their surprise.

  “By chimera’s hairy anus,” exclaimed the same fighter who’d once wanted Lira to kill Katherine.

  “Is that what you see when you look in the mirror?” Katherine shot back, earning a round of chuckles from the group. The man looked ready with a retort, but Katherine cut him off, her tone playful but sharp. “Careful, you two brain cells and their fight over third place.”

  “Jeez,” Lira said, shaking her head. “So ruthless.”

  Katherine saw the hostility. Although it wasn’t directed at Lira, she could sense the sharp edges usually meant for her.

  “You know you don’t need to be rude,” Lira whispered, her smile tinged with concern as she leaned a little closer to Katherine.

  “No, I needed to,” Katherine whispered back, her tone quietly resolute. “It was either that, or Shade might get a nibble of a finger—or possibly a toe.” Katherine finished her thought by opening and closing her mouth once, teeth snapping together in a playful, if slightly threatening, gesture.

  Adisa, standing beside Lira and directly in front of Katherine after she had emerged from Lira’s shadow, watched with wide eyes. “You’re full of surprises,” Adisa remarked, her voice shaky. “But can you not do that—especially when it’s this dark? It’s kind of creepy how you can just pop out of nowhere.” She glanced over her shoulder, visibly unsettled by Katherine’s sudden appearance.

  Adisa’s unease was palpable. Only a day before, Katherine hadn’t known the first thing about magic, yet now she was slipping in and out of shadows as if she’d done it all her life. “I thought you couldn’t use magic?” Adisa asked, her nervousness apparent.

  Katherine shrugged, meeting Adisa’s gaze with an uncertain smile. “It was mostly Shade who did it,” she admitted. “When our bond was made, it gave me a few magical skills—like walking through shadows.” She paused, her eyes reflecting a mix of awe and lingering anxiety. “The sensation was disorienting at first—a cold rush followed by weightlessness—and I had no idea where I might end up. I could’ve easily ended up on the other side of the world or still be lost in the forest.”

  Katherine stepped out from behind Lira and Adisa, making both herself and Shade fully visible to the group. She approached a felled log that had been turned into a makeshift bench and settled onto it, glancing around at everyone gathered nearby.

  “So, we should be in town tomorrow, right?” Katherine asked, her tone hopeful as she looked from face to face.

  Adisa nodded, her eyes flicking nervously between Katherine and Shade. “Yeah, we would have gotten there by late morning or early afternoon,” she replied. “After what happened earlier, we thought it was best for everyone not to push you too hard.”

  “I appreciate that,” Katherine said, offering Adisa a grateful nod. She reached over to give Shade a gentle scratch behind his ear, her movements calm and reassuring.

  Lira leaned in slightly, concern evident in her voice as she looked between Katherine and Shade. “Are you both okay?”

  Katherine managed a small smile, glancing at Shade before responding. “Yeah. It’s new for me—having my emotions open to someone else, let alone a child.”

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  Shade let out a protesting feline sound, clearly offended by the remark.

  Suppressing a laugh, Katherine addressed Shade with playful seriousness. “Shade, the screen I have that shows your skills and attributes labels you as a cub—that means child. No matter what your kind’s traditions say.” She looked back up at Lira, her expression softening. “And on top of that, being able to read emotions that aren’t mine… it wasn’t the best experience.”

  After a moment, Katherine stopped scratching Shade and murmured to him, “Go hunt and eat another meal—but don’t go far. I’m past my portion of the rations.” Shade hesitated for a heartbeat, then slipped off into the undergrowth, leaving Katherine watching him with a mix of amusement and lingering concern.

  “You seem to understand him,” Lira observed as Shade disappeared into the brush to hunt.

  “It’s a skill I picked up,” Katherine replied, tearing off a piece of bread. “I can understand him as if he’s actually speaking, even if it looks odd to everyone else.”

  Adisa perked up. “So, you really do have the taming and husbandry skill tree? Most people ignore that one, or it ends up merging with a different skill set.”

  “That’s because the animal or beast you bond with is often what connects one skill tree to another,” Lira explained, unscrewing a liquid container that was probably filled with booze. She took a quick drink before continuing. “I know people who have spent years trying to figure out exactly how that skill tree works.”

  Before anyone could add more, Shade reemerged from the shadows, an animal clamped in his jaws. He settled beside Katherine, who rewarded him with a gentle scratch behind the ears before he lay down to eat.

  Watching Shade rip into his meal, Katherine glanced at Lira. “So, having a bond with a familiar can actually influence you? Does it change your abilities or magic?”

  Lira considered this for a moment. “I’d say it depends on a few things: the person, the familiar, and how long you’ve been bonded. For instance, if someone has a strong connection with their familiar over many years, it might unlock new abilities or strengthen their ties to certain types of magic.”

  She leaned back, thoughtful. “In short, most people with this skill tree only have enough power to care for a single familiar, maybe a few, or beasts they hope will become familiars. But true bonds—ones that really change you—are rare.”

  Adisa nodded in understanding. “So, it’s not just about looking after animals. The bond itself is what matters.”

  “Exactly,” Lira agreed.

  Katherine joked, “Are there any cultural differences I need to be aware of? You know, like people poisoning me as a customary greeting to show favor?” She grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

  Lira recoiled, her voice sharp. “That sounds barbaric. Where would that ever be considered a gesture of favor?” She glanced around at the mages, who exchanged meaningful looks—implying that Lira, of all people, might know exactly where such customs existed, or at least had heard of them as signs of goodwill.

  With a dramatic sigh, Lira continued, “Okay, let’s make this clear: if a witch—and you know for a fact the person is a witch—hands you poison and you knowingly drink it, you’re a fucking idiot.”

  Adisa, wanting to break the tension, gave Lira a quick slap on the thigh. It was just enough to draw Lira’s attention, as well as that of Katherine and Shade.

  Even with his meal in front of him, Shade’s fangs glinted in the firelight as he let out a deep, rumbling growl that seemed to vibrate through the air. Adisa’s face drained of color as Shade fixed her with an unblinking stare, his amber eyes intense. Katherine reached over and gave Shade a gentle pat on the head, her touch firm and reassuring, silently telling him to relax and keep eating.

  Adisa let out a slow breath, her tension easing. Gradually, the color returned to her cheeks as she kept a wary eye on Shade, making sure he wasn’t about to pounce.

  “But in all seriousness, are their any customs that I would need to be aware of?” Katherine repeated.

  “Honestly, we don’t know you would have to tell us,” commented a woman who was probably buff enough to be unhealthy. “Given the information you’ve told us about you and where you’re from you would know what would be weird or not before we would.”

  ...

  The next afternoon, they finally arrived at the gates of the closest city in the Wynford Duchy.

  "You guys go on ahead," Lira said. "I'm going to get our guest some better fitting clothes so she'll be more comfortable in her new surroundings."

  A few people nodded in acknowledgment. "I'll make sure your share is waiting for you at the guild," said the oreseeker—a member of a race Katherine had learned not to call dwarves, since they found that term offensive.

  "Come on," Lira said to Katherine after thanking the oreseeker. "I know a wonderful tailor who should be able to fix you up with a few outfits that are more suitable than what you're wearing now."

  Katherine’s outfit fit so tightly it left little to the imagination. In the forest, this hadn’t been much of an issue—the group mostly ignored her unless they needed to speak directly to her. Shade, however, didn’t make things easier for anyone.

  The cub’s massive size and his instinct to assert dominance meant that Katherine had to keep him by her side at all times, except when he was out hunting or scouting.

  Katherine kept a close eye on Shade, hoping he wouldn’t act out or accidentally attack someone. Despite his imposing appearance, she could sense his nervousness as they entered the city walls. "Go on, Shade," Katherine encouraged, hoping he’d find somewhere less overwhelming. Shade didn’t need to be told twice—he slipped into Katherine’s shadow, vanishing to who-knows-where until she called for him again or he sensed she was in trouble.

  “I think you will like this shop,” Lira said beaming at Katherine weaving their arms together.