Chapter 382: Become Stronger
Arian kicked a stray rock across the dirt path, watching it skitter away into the shadows. The Black Panther clan really didn't take kindly to outsiders, which probably explained why they were so isolated from the rest of the shifter clans.He had been waiting for the merchants from the Lion Kingdom to finally show up. He really, really didn't want to go to the place Caius had mentioned. Caius was a dangerous man, and dealing with him was strictly a last-resort kind of situation.
To make sure nobody recognised him, Sara had insisted on helping him with a disguise. She'd tied a cloth around the lower half of his face and shoved him into a dark blue hooded cloak. He looked like a... well, the important thing was that his wolf ears were hidden, and nobody could see his face.
It was getting late into the evening, and the Lion merchants had finished their trading for the day. Naturally, they were already happily drinking themselves into a stupor.
Arian carefully approached the edge of their camp.
"Ah! I have a knife, don't come closer!" one of the merchants suddenly yelled, wildly waving a dagger in the air. He clearly thought he was about to get mugged.
Arian jumped back. "What? No! I'm not here to rob you! I'm here for some information!"
To prove it, Arian pulled out a gold coin and held it up. Two whole weeks of his pay. Just looking at it hurt his soul.
"I want information on all the half-wolves from the wolf clan, past and present," Arian said, trying to sound much more intimidating than a guy wrapped in a makeshift blanket-cloak realistically could. "Come back with that info, and this will be yours."
The merchant blinked heavily, his drunken panic fading into relief. He wasn't getting robbed, and a gold coin was easy money. Half-wolves from the wolf clan? Couldn't be that hard to look into.
"First, give me that gold coin," the merchant slurred, holding out a greedy hand. "Only then will I bring you that information."
Arian might have amnesia, but he wasn't stupid. "That is not happening. Bring me that information, and then I will give you the money."
Deciding negotiation was too much effort, the drunk merchant just lunged and grabbed Arian's hand, trying to pry the coin out of his fingers. Arian struggled, clutching that gold coin for dear life. He really didn't want this to escalate. The merchant had a bunch of heavily intoxicated buddies just a few feet away, and Arian was severely outnumbered.
Before it could turn into an actual brawl, someone came to his rescue.
Arian just caught a glimpse of long black hair as a stranger wedged himself between them, cleanly separating Arian and the drunk merchant.
"Hey, man," the stranger said, his voice completely casual. "This is Panther territory. Respect the laws. We don't break laws and cause a ruckus in your Lion Kingdom, do we?"
Lions held so much pride for their kingdom that it was almost a character flaw. The second this stranger reminded them that they were actively ruining their kingdom's image, the merchant instantly dropped his hands and awkwardly straightened his posture, trying to look dignified while swaying on his feet.
The drunk merchant mumbled something that sounded vaguely like an apology and stumbled back to his group, clearly embarrassed to be called out in front of the others.
The stranger turned to Arian. He had a relaxed, easygoing posture, his long black hair tied back loosely out of his face. "I'm Silas," he introduced himself. "You okay?"
Arian gave a quick nod, quickly shoving his hard-earned gold coin back into his pocket. "Yeah. Thanks," he mumbled. He pointedly did not offer his own name in return.
Silas tilted his head, looking over Arian's ridiculous makeshift disguise. "You don't sound like a local. If you were one, you'd know not to talk to the drunken merchants. They get pretty handsy when they've had too much to drink."
Arian stiffened. Even if this guy had just saved his coin, he needed to keep a low profile. Making small talk with strangers was exactly how you got caught.
"Er, yeah," Arian said, shifting his weight awkwardly. "I'm not actually from here, so I'm unfamiliar. I'll be on my way, thank you again."
He turned on his heel, hurriedly trying to make his escape before this guy could ask anything else.
"Ran away from the wolf clan?" Silas asked.
Arian panicked. He froze dead in his tracks, his heart doing a painful flip in his chest. He didn't turn around. "N-no," he stammered out, immediately kicking himself for sounding so painfully obvious.
Silas just chuckled, the sound low and entirely too amused. "I'm not here to interrogate you, man. Just that I've overheard a bit of your conversation, and I'm curious. Never saw a wolf before."
Arian took a deep breath. Sprinting away into the night right now would only raise more suspicion. He forced himself to turn around, keeping his posture as casual as possible under the heavy cloak.
"Well, I never learnt to shift," Arian lied smoothly, "because I ran away when I was young. Lived all over the place and settled here. This feels like home." He gave a nonchalant shrug. "Anyway, I should go."
Silas didn't try to stop him this time. He just stood there with his hands in his pockets, watching quietly as Arian practically speed-walked away into the evening shadows.
Arian did not look back, no matter how curious he was. He was quite tired. Why was there danger everywhere? Why did so many people want to hurt him? Was he a bad person who hurt people?
He swore to himself that he would try to become stronger.
Meanwhile, Silas thought to himself about the commission. Information on half-wolves of the past and present. Sure, for a gold coin, he could do that. The only issue was that he did not know if he would meet this wolf who can't shift again.