However, just as I decided to take the moment to lie next to the pond in the middle of the streets. The sight of fish swimming around in there bringing some sort of peace to mind, it wasn’t too long before my ears perked to the sound of someone calling my name. 

“Hound!” Someone called, my head rising a little to tilt before I looked behind me. 

A goblin with dark green skin, shoulder-length brown hair held back into a small ponytail before a beard covered his chin while resembling a Viking’s! I began to narrow my eyes, I liked to think that I remembered every name in this village but, in all honesty? I couldn’t! Looks and sounds were the main things that jogged my memory unless I saw that person every day! Although, as the goblin called my name once more, it was by the sight of a pair of fiery golden eyes that were borderline orange that jogged my memory. Immediately, my tail began to thump against the ground. 

Torin. 

“Torin?” I barked as I got onto my paws, giving myself a little shake before I walked up to the goblin with a grin. 

“I see you still never have the decency to call me by my name.” I teased, causing him to roll his eyes before suddenly ruffling the fur on my head. 

“I was here since the beginning, even now, you’re still nothing but an odd-looking hound to me. Just bigger!” Torin smirked before coming over to hug my head. 

Yet another side effect of being a fresh Guardian...my animal form was bigger! Too many times have I seen Ibis constantly manipulate her sizes but...by default it seemed, her owl form was just bigger than the normal owl. Not that I had too much of an issue being a bigger Great Dane that is. I no longer had to look up at the Sabre-Wolves and now stood just a little bit taller than them! 

“Glad to see that you’ve taken my advice on getting a beard. I thought a stubble was as far as you would go.” I snorted. 

Torin rubbed his hand over it with an exhausted sigh. “It wasn’t like it was my choice, I don’t have time to get rid of this thing since I'm taking of kids nowadays.” 

I let out a small ‘Ah’, a strange thought it was...hell, for some reason, it brought back some memories here and there! From the day I had walked out of Ibis’ cave to suddenly be greeted with a group of nervous, child-like goblins, to the moment I had awoken from a days’ long sleep to the sight of the entire village looking more like adults! I felt bad for not hanging out with him as much I should’ve...especially now since I had more time on my paws.

“Ah yes, you and Khaleesi decided to have a kid alongside the one she already had, haven’t you?” I asked, Torin looking at me with a cocked brow. 

I snickered. “The town likes the gossip remember? Nothing gets passed these ears.” I continued before I nudged the man with my nose to get him to start walking, allowing me to walk right beside him. 

“Really now? Well then...I suppose that means you’ve heard what the town has been saying about you right? ” 

I rose a brow. “No...?” 

“Well then, for starters, people are excited at the fact that you’ve recently become the new Guardian! Both Owl and Dog.” 

I let out an awkward chuckle as I gave myself a small shake. Though it’s been at least a month since I’ve returned from the Desert, I still didn’t know how to properly settle into the role of practically being a deity! In all truthfulness? It didn’t leave me feeling too different aside from the fact that I now had a few more useful sets of skills. 

The power to teleport back to the cave whenever I wished to as well as the newfound ability to become an owl were a few of them but...transforming into an owl? It left me feeling dirty. Especially with Ibis still being alive, being an owl? It left me only being reminded of her...not to mention the fact that flying was harder than Ibis made it look originally. 

“I don’t want anyone treating me differently, there’s nothing too special about me you know?” I smiled, Torin’s eyes widening. 

“Nothing too special?” He repeated dumbfoundedly. 

“You have the power to bring back the dead from other worlds, an entire day is now dedicated to you and anyone who dedicates themselves to a life of loyalty or intelligence now serves and worships you!” 

That word, worship, I hated it.

“They worship the figure, not me by myself Torin.” I sighed, the sounds of chattering starting to increase in volume as we grew closer and closer to the central square of the town. 

“I’m still the same ol’ Eos! I ain’t gonna let ‘godly’ duties tie me down.” I snickered. 

“Really now? Well then, I suppose that can bring me to my next point hound.” Torin chuckled before he leaned against a nearby building, a chuckle escaping me as well before I placed my hands on my hips. 

“The town’s been spreading some mighty surprising rumors as of late, after all, I was pretty surprised to hear that you actually decided on marrying that Incubus.”

My cheeks quickly burst into color, how in the world did the village find out when I didn’t even tell anyone! They were worse than the gossipers from my old world! However, at the same time? I couldn’t help but find some sort of relief in the revelation. After all, it saved me the trouble and hassle of announcing me and Ryzel’s relationship. 

“How in the world did the town find out?” I snorted before I decided to lie down beside a building, my body shivering from the cool rain. 

“It’s not like you two were exactly keeping things secret, usually, when a man stays over a woman’s house for a night or more. That alone is a sign.” Torin explained.

I rolled my eyes. “Any man can stay over and it doesn’t exactly mean things are happening,” I said. 

“You’d be surprised.” He replied. 

“But...I’m proud of you actually.” 

My cheeks only continued to heat up, he was making this into a bigger deal than it should’ve been!

“Why?” 

“Well, you were pretty insistent on not getting married or anything of the sort when you were younger.” 

“I was a teenager; what teenager wants to get married to some random guy on the first day?” 

“Still! The village was worried for a moment there, that we wouldn’t have some sort of heir to this village!” 

Once more, I rolled my eyes. Although I kicked the bucket in terms of actually getting into a relationship with someone, that didn’t mean I wanted kids anytime soon! Heck, the conversation didn’t even come up between the Incubus and me, and honestly? I was pretty alright with the idea of it never coming up. 

“Well don’t start throwing bonfire parties too soon, I still may not have kids.” I sighed. 

“Really now?” He scoffed. 

“I like kids but not when they’re my own. I think I fit the big sister role more than an actual parent role, besides, I already have it set in my mind that I’ll turn over the village leadership to someone else when I die!” I grinned, another scoff leaving the goblin as he shook his head.

“It’ll be a long time before that happens.” He said, causing me to nod. 

“Yeah, so stop mentioning it like it’ll be soon!” I snickered my smile slowly but surely beginning to fade before a sigh left me, causing me to run my hand through my hair a few times. 

“Besides...I don’t think Ryzel and I are ready to have kids, especially when we’re in the middle of a small argument at the moment.” I hummed. 

Torin’s head immediately turned to look my way, concern beginning to fill his eyes. 

“An argument?” He repeated. 

“About what?” He continued before I quickly waved my hand dismissively.

 “Nothing serious! Just...I told him that I wanted to continue participating in the war.” 

“The Daemonium war?” 

I nodded my head. 

“Well then, if Ryzel is disagreeing with you on that point then I have to agree with him. It’s a stupid wish to want to continue participating in a war that bloody.” 

I almost immediately let out a groan, him as well?! I could handle myself! Life wasn’t life without a few hiccups or bumps in the road and this world? It was no different! 

“You too?! I can fight!” I said, struggling to keep my voice down before the wind suddenly began to blow.

What? Was the very world against my decision as well now? 

“Just because you’re strong, much less a deity who can fight doesn’t mean you should. The war...it’s not just about race, the Daemoniums have done a few things in the past that warrant their current treatment.” 

A low growl began to erupt from my chest. “Like what?” I grumbled, causing Torin to scoff. 

“Such as the fact that the Beast Daemoniums were and still are man-eaters? Though only carnivorous Beasts ate mortals, they still did it!” 

“...You can’t fault an entire race for what they did in the past,” I grumbled. 

“Of course, the only problem is that it's not in the past. They still do it if they're hungry enough and think they can get away it." Torin huffed before he crossed his arms.

"If you were to help them, what if they were to go hungry? You’d immediately be a target and you wouldn’t be able to do anything before you suddenly found a pair of jaws around your throat.” 

I shook my head, I refused to believe him. I saw Beast Daemoniums eat human food when I was in the Desert! 

He hadn’t interacted with Beast Daemoniums personally...I-I just couldn’t believe him; I wasn’t going to let fear stop me. They still deserved help, to be saved from the very real possibility of extinction. 

The past shouldn’t have dictated the future.