Zarath and Tharon were taken aback by how busy the settlement seemed to be the pathways of the forest widened to make actual dirt roads but still they intertwined with the natural flow of the land ancient trees hollowed out with staircases leading to platforms up above where intricately built treehouses and walkways where formed, some trees housed one or two families like apartments on top of each other built into the very trees, along the path ways a mix of permanent wooden huts and a traditional tribe Kraan-thurs as well as dozens of market stands with hundreds of Wolfkin from all different tribes mingling and living together if one where to guess some of these Wolfkin where maybe third or forth generation born and raised here in the settlement of Vaerthruin and some just travelers passing through on their normal migration of their tribe. Zarath and Tharon where born to one of the wondering tribes so they did not know how one could leave fixed in one place, but these Wolfkin had not forsaken their ancestors or traditions they had just simple settled to live in one place and what a place it was, despite its size and the number of people it was like an ancient mythical city pulled from one of the old story books as the people live intertwined with the very forest itself protected by powerful magic from an age long forgotten.

          “Fresh berries from the northern plains, won’t find any fresher.” A female merchant called out from her stall.

          “Tears, rips, or simple punctures our Garmakar can fix anything or even fit you for a new outfit.” Another much louder man male called out from across the dirt street. Zarath, Tharon and Hura tried to move amongst the crowd of people their heavy bags weighing them down. As they pushed further down the road to a clearing near another hollowed-out tree the base of which seemed to be a small tavern or kitchen.

          “I honestly didn’t think Vaerthruin was like this I thought it was just some stupid shrine with a few Tharakar living in huts or something.” Zarath caught his breath surprised by all the hustle and bustle of an actual settlement.

          “Yeah, this is crazy, but it is one of the oldest settlements of our people we should have suspect something at least similar to this.” Tharon leaned against the hollowed-out tree. When suddenly a voice came form behind them.

          “Are you two just going to stand outside my window or are you coming into eat.” It was a strange looking Wolfkin. Her ears slightly shorter and more pointed than any other wolfkin, though the boys could only see her upper body through the carved window they could tell she was very lean and shorter than most her age, her fur wasn’t as thick either and rather than a solid color it was a unique mix of reddish and grey, creating a beautiful, mottled pattern. But what caught Zarath’s attention was her eyes, they were a bright violet color similar to that of an amethyst.

          Both boys looked and saw that next to the carved-out window was a large, rustic wooden door with intricate carvings of forest creatures and flora. They slowly made their way to the door and slowly made their way inside. What greeted them was a tavern bursting to the seams with wolfkin seating eating and drinking. The main dining space was a circular area with the hollowed tree's interior walls forming a natural boundary. The ceiling reached up to the tree's canopy, with natural light filtering through gaps in the bark. Wooden tables and chairs, each crafted from the tree itself and other natural materials, were arranged in a concentric pattern around a central fireplace. A large stone fireplace in the center provides warmth and a focal point. Above it, there's a carved relief of a barking dog, paying homage to the restaurant's name. Along the edges of the circular dining area, there are cozy, semi-private nooks created by the natural curvature of the tree. Each nook had soft, warm lighting, plush cushions, and small, hand-carved wooden tables. The walls are adorned with artwork depicting a fox-like race similar to the wolfkin and their environment. Directly behind the central fireplace was a partially opened kitchen connected to the main dining area, allowing guests to see the chefs at work. This area was equipped with stone ovens, wooden prep tables, and hanging herbs and spices. A large female wolfkin stood their dicing some herbs and barking orders to other staff. Surrounding the kitchen was a bar carved directly from the tree trunk itself, with stools made from polished wood and upholstered with animal hides. Behind the bar and separating the kitchen from the counter were shelves lined with bottles containing a variety of beverages, both common and exotic, sourced from the surrounding forests.

          Operating the bar was a creature that Zarath and Tharon had never seen before handing out the drinks was a Fennec, a race similar to the wolfkin but much smaller in size and often known to be cunning trickster who shouldn’t be trusted.

          As the boys stepped inside their path was blocked by yet another person. He looked similar to the girl from the window. His ears were shorter and more pointed his fur A blend of reddish and grey fur, but with darker streaks around his shoulders and back. Once look at him and you could tell he was there to keep the troublemakers out his sharp, amber eyes watching the boys with a glint of both mischief and seriousness. His tail flicking back and forth as he crossed his arms.

          “Leave your bags and weapons by the door cause any problems and I will throw you out, understood.” This strange looking wolfkin was clearly making his point that his job was to protect this place.

          Suddenly the girl Zarath and Tharon saw in the window appeared pushing the much taller man out of the way, now able to see her completely she stood only at Zarath chest her ears would touch his chin, she wore a plain white cloth shirt and shorts and draped over her was a leather apron.

          “Ignore my older brother Toren. My name is Lyra, and this is my family’s tavern, the Barking dog.” The girl who had now addressed herself as Lyra threw her arms up striking a small pose, her tail wagging frantically behind her. Before either Zarath or Tharon could respond she grabbed them by the arm each and dragged them over to an empty table. Hura following close behind.

          “So, what can I get you, my mother is the head chef and the best cook in all of Vaerthruin. So, we have the plane lands steak that’s plain grazer coated in a special mushroom sauce, or, or we have a nice rabbit stew the rabbit is fresh I caught it just this morning and, and.” The girl was clearly hyper and excited. She probably knew every person in this tavern and Zarath and Tharon just happened to be the first two new people she had met in who knows how long. Suddenly the Fennec spoke up loud enough he could be heard from the bar.

          “Lyra dear give them a menu and get back to work.” He held a stern but warm tone like one does when speaking to a child.

          “Ugh, fine dad.” Lyra handed both boys a menu she produced from the pocket inside her apron. Before running off to do whatever she was going to do.

          “Is it just me Zarath or was the whole time she talking to just you.” Tharon laughed too himself as he looked through the menu.

          Zarath could feel it, a lot of eyes were on him, and he knew why. It was because he was Grak'Shrak a death stalker. His white fur made him stand out anywhere as white fur was such a rarity to the wolfkin. In terms of his people’s culture and religious aspects he was considered a holy being connected to the ancestors of their people and if it wasn’t for his fur color it would be his two different colored eyes. He scanned the room, taking in the people but his eyes quickly found Lyra again as she was serving drinks to a group seated at a table near the central fireplace. Suddenly his attention was drawn to the Fennec at the bar serving food and drinks to those sitting there. It clicked in his head she called that Fennec dad. Upon further examination Zarath noticed the similarities that Lyra shared with both the Fennec bartender, the wolfkin chef and even the rude strange colored wolfkin that was standing by the door.

          The Fennec bartender was about five foot eight, maybe five foot nine, his body was lean and wiry with short and sleek fur with a reddish hue, with white markings on his face and chest, large, pointed ears and sharp, green eyes that quickly noticed Zarath appraising him. The Fennec gave a coy smile and waved at him before pointing to something to the left of Zarath. As Zarath turned he nearly jumped out of his chair and fell as Lyra’s face was mere inches away from his.

          “Heya, you ready to order I’ve been waiting for like three minutes now.” Lyra didn’t even attempt to apologize for scaring Zarath as he danced on her toes waiting for his answer.

          Zarath sat back into his chair, never before had someone snuck up on him like that, he didn’t hear her and with all the smells in the room he didn’t even get a chance to know which scent was hers, his fur bristled a bit as he tried to avoid eye contact with her.

          “No, I’m not ready to just let me think ok.” Zarath didn’t know how to respond, still a little taken back by what just happened.