We arrived at some stables on the outskirts of town after walking for a while. Frank went inside to talk with the owner, while Mia helped me saddle up one of the horses.

“These belong to the hunter’s guild,” she explained. “They have places like these across the continue. As long as you’re a registered hunter D rank or above, you can borrow their horses at any stable on the continent. All you have to do is pay for the horse’s food during the trip, and then turn the horse in at the stable closest to your destination.”

“Even in Vanir and Exuma?”

“Yes, actually. The hunter’s guild strictly maintains its neutrality. Because of the strength of the hunter’s guild, as well as the importance of keeping the beasts in the Wildlands out of the rest of the continent, the hunter’s guild has established very clear rules to protect its hunters. In this case, as long as we stay neutral in any conflicts that arise, our hunter’s guild passes can get us through country borders.”

“But, surely the aristocracy doesn’t like that, right?”

She laughed. “Of course they don’t! But, what can they do? Like I said, the job that hunters do is absolutely vital to the safety of all people on the continent, so nobody wants to get rid of us. And, even if a king was stupid enough to want to disband our guild by force, how would they? Top ranked hunters are just as strong as the imperial knight commanders, and whichever country started a war with us first would probably get pounced on by the other. Exuma Isle, on the other hand, also maintains its own neutrality, and so doesn’t really involve itself with us either.”

Finishing up on my horse, Mia looked at me. “You do know how to ride, right?”

“Uh…”

Mia laughed. “It’s fine, Gil. Not many opportunities to learn in your little village, right? You’ll pick it up right quick, both of your parents were naturals. Come on, hop on. Frank’s going to be a while, so you can start getting acquainted with your horse right away.”

Approaching the large animal with a fair bit of caution, I reached out my hand to pet its muzzle. “Bumper, huh?” I said, reading the name plate on the bridle. Bumper’s big brown eyes looked at me with curiosity, then closed in satisfaction as I rubbed his muzzle.

Suddenly, Tsune popped her head out of my bag. “OOOH! Horse!” she exclaimed, excitedly hopping onto my shoulder.

Whinnying in terror, Bumper reared back, eyes trained on Tsune. Not turning his back to us for a second, the horse slowly backed away towards a far corner. Tsune giggled, a bit too maniacally for my tastes. “Look, papa. He’s scared of me.”

“What happened?” Mia asked, looking up from her own horse. “What’s got him so scared?”

“I… I think he’s scared of my bond,” I said.

“He’s scared of a cat?”

Mentally, I asked Tsune if she would mind if I told Mia she was a lion. After getting Tsune’s consent, I replied to Mia. “Actually, Tsune’s not a cat, she’s a lion cub. Maybe that’s why Bumper’s so scared.”

“Well, I’ll be…” Mia said, squinting to look closer at Tsune. “Look at that! Her ears are rounded! How did I miss that…”

“Must be getting old,” Frank cut in, walking into the stable. “Baby lion, though, huh? Congrats, kiddo. That’s miles better than a housecat.”

Mia scowled at Frank. I could tell they were about to start bickering again, but some movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention.

While we were talking, Tsune had hopped off of my shoulder and slowly approached Bumper. While the horse was still apprehensive about the baby shedu in front of it, Tsune’s gentle approach seemed to calm it down a bit. Finally, building up his courage, Bumper lowered his head and lightly nuzzled Tsune. Happily, Tsune bounced up and down before jumping on Bumper’s back, settling right in front of the saddle.

Following my gaze, Frank and Mia looked over at Bumper and Tsune.

“I’m glad they get along,” Mia smiled. “It’d be awkward if your horse was too scared to ride.”

Getting on his horse, Frank called out to me. “Get on then, kiddo. Try not to fall off the horse!”