The Mawl was still that day—still, as a land where predators lurked behind every blade of grass could be. The Rein Plains stretched wide, a vast sea of golden reeds swaying lazily in the warm afternoon breeze. Above, the sky was a boundless canvas of blue, with drifting clouds casting fleeting shadows on the sunlit ground.

Tame the Owl glided silently above the plains, his wings slicing through the air with precision. His sharp amber eyes swept the landscape, searching. Below, the grasses rippled like waves, stretching endlessly to the horizon. The patchwork of amber and green was broken only by the occasional twisted tree, its bare branches etched against the blue expanse. A steady hum of insects filled the air, barely audible from his lofty perch, while small creatures darted between the reeds, unaware of the predator soaring above.

"Where are you?" he murmured, “I know you’re out there.” 

He banked to the right, lowering himself toward a cluster of sun-baked rocks where heat shimmered off the earth in faint waves. Perched atop one of those stones, a long, sleek body coiled in a lazy loop, lay the one he sought—a flash of black and orange against the pale rock—a snake, still yet watchful.

Tame touched down lightly on the rock, his talons clicking faintly on the surface. The snake did not stir.

"Mr. Pants?" Tame called his tone even but loud enough to rouse the serpent.

The snake shifted, a single eye gliding open with deliberate slowness, revealing a sliver of emerald green that seemed to catch the light unnaturally. He hissed quietly, his tongue flickering in and out as he tasted the air.

"It’s McPants," the snake corrected, lifting his head slightly. His voice was deep, and his tone had an undercurrent of annoyance. "What do you want, Owl?"

Tame blinked slowly, considering his next words. "I’m from the Society of Volatile Magic and Affairs. My name is Tame J. Atticus."

"Yes, yes, I’ve heard of you–Tame the Great Owl," McPants interrupted, uncoiling himself with fluid grace and twisting his body to face the owl fully. His scales caught the sunlight, shimmering orange and black like a flickering flame. "And I’ve heard of your…society." The last word dripped with disdain. "I don’t do cases."

"I haven’t even told you what the case is," Tame said calmly, unfazed by the snake’s dismissive tone. 

"I don’t care what the case is." McPants’ body began to wind itself into a tight coil again, "I’m not interested. Find someone else to be your little investigator."

Tame watched him momentarily and said, "But you helped us with the Rats before."

McPants froze, his body rigid. He let out a long, slow sigh that seemed to deflate him. His eyes flickered with something—a memory, perhaps, or an old regret.

"The Rats…" he said softly, almost to himself. "They were… a different story." His voice dropped into a low hiss. "The Giants were kidnapping them. Left and right, vanishing without a trace. I had no choice. I had to help. Even though we have our…differences."

Tame nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving the snake. "And now, something similar is happening."

The snake unwound himself again, though this time with less certainty. His eyes flickered toward the distant horizon, as though he could already see the storm Tame was speaking of. "I don’t deal with rats anymore, Tame. They’re not my concern unless they are on my dinner plate."

"It’s not rats this time." Tame’s voice was soft, almost coaxing. "It’s something bigger. More dangerous. Something even the Giants fear."

McPants’ tongue flicked out again, tasting the tension in the air. "What are we talking about?"

Tame’s dark feathers rustled slightly as he stepped closer, his shadow casting over the coiled serpent. "Prey and Predators alike are disappearing. And I don’t mean in the usual way of things."

McPants narrowed his eyes. "You mean they’re not being hunted?"

"Not exactly," Tame said, his voice low. "They’re being taken. Vanishing. And whatever’s doing it… it’s leaving something behind."

"What?"

Tame looked down at the ground, his beak curving slightly into a grimace. "Symbols. Old ones. Arcane."

McPants stiffened. "Arcane? You mean magic?"

"Unsanctioned magic,” Tame confirmed. "The kind the Society was made to deal with. And the kind we know you have experience with."

The snake hesitated, his mind working quickly behind those emerald eyes. "And you think it’s… what? A Varmint? A spellcaster?”

Tame shook his head. "We don’t know yet. But whatever it is, it’s breaking the food chain. If it keeps going unchecked, the Mawl could collapse into chaos."

McPants looked over the plains, the long grass swaying in the breeze. He could feel the weight of Tame’s words settling over him. The Mawl is dangerous, but it has always maintained a balance. If something was upsetting that balance, then the owl was right. Chaos was just around the corner and who knows what other realms were out there, waiting for the Mawl to fall. 

"You’ve got others," McPants said after a long pause. "Use them and leave me be."

“I can't leave you. The High Enchanter instructed me to recruit you. We can pay you! Whatever you want, the Society can give you,” Tame raised his voice, before sighing letting out a defeated sigh, ”No one else knows these lands like you. You understand old magic or so I'm told. And more than that, you care, even if you pretend not to."

McPants paused before uncoiling himself fully and slithered closer to Tame, his eyes locking onto the owls.

"I’ll listen," McPants said slowly, his voice reluctant but resolute. "But don’t think this means I’m back in the game."

Tame’s feathers ruffled slightly as he nodded. "That’s all I ask."