Without asking Lyra dropped down into a squat and began to pet Hura, who was lying on the floor next to Zarath’s chair. Lyra’s own tail wagging so fast you couldn’t see it that well.

          “Oh, my ancestors you have a bonded Brakkron, her in Vaerthruin only the temple and city Krellar have Brakkron well them and some of the traveling tribes that migrate through now and then, oh who’s a good girl, are you a good girl, yes, yes you are, What’s her name.” Lyra was talking so fast that Zarath couldn’t even answer any of her questions or respond to how quickly she ignored him and went back to petting Hura. Suddenly the Fennec was standing behind her with his arms crossed. Before she could react the Fennec gently but firmly smacked Lyra on the back of the head making her wince and pay attention.

          “Sorry about my daughter she can be a little excitable when meeting new people, my name is Raan'Tor my wife Kaela the lovely chef over there own this place and our children help us run and manage it.” Raan’Tor placed his hand on the back of his daughter Lyra’s head and forced her into a slight bow.

          “Now apologizes to our guest dear.” He spoke softly but in a firm tone.

          “I’m sorry for being so rude it’s just that you’re a Grak’Shrak and well I don’t meet a lot of new people.” Her words were very clear, she was sorry, but her curiosity had won that fight. Tharon looked at Zarath and gave a quick nod of his head towards Lyra to say don’t make the girl cry say something.

          “Look, Lyra, right? It’s ok, it’s just that we mean me and my friend aren’t used to dealing with this kind of situation. We are from one of the traveling tribes, so all the noise and smells are a bit overwhelming. Lyra quickly sat down at the table.

          “Oh, that’s ok I wasn’t trying to be rude so again I do apologize, hey if you guys want, I can show you around Vaerthruin, it’s easy to get lost if you don’t know where you’re going.” Raan’Tor rolled his eyes as Lyra spoke to Zarath and Tharon he knew he wasn’t going to get any more work out of his daughter and simple returned to his job at the bar. As Lyra continued to talk to Zarath and Tharon completely ignoring her father as he walked away.

          “That’s ok I think me and Tharon will just get something to eat and then head to the temple from her.” Zarath looked to his friend for a little help.

          “I will go tell her dad what we want to order you two have fun chatting.” Tharon stood up excusing himself from the awkward conversation Zarath was clearly trapped in. All Zarath could do was mouth the words you suck as his friend walked away. To which Tharon just smiled and left.

          “Oh, you mean the temple of the sacred waters right my mom told me about that place.” Lyra’s face suddenly turned into a small pout as she crossed her arms.

          “Well sadly you can’t get in today, you see they are doing some big ceremony thing about remembrance or something I don’t know.” Lyra continued on still oblivious to how uncomfortable she was making Zarath. But he knew what she was talking about the ceremony of the ancestral remembrance it was a ceremony preformed on the anniversary of someone’s death as the religious believe of the Wolfkin was that they joined their ancestors in the afterlife and that it was the spirits of their long deceased kin that watched over the land and the people of their tribes. Zarath remembered having to take part in all the ceremonies of ancestral remembrance last year for the Iron Claw tribe as part of his Grak’Shrak training with Koto the tribes Tharakar. So, he knew there was no way that he and Tharon were getting into that temple today. The ceremony lasted from dawn until dusk.

          “Hey if you want, we have spare rooms to rent out here.” Lyra slammed her hands down onto the table popping up out of the chair as she did. Her tail wagging a million miles a second. Here eyes sparkling like stars as she looked at Zarath.

          “What do you mean I don’t see any rooms.” Zarath was caught off guard by her sudden outburst of energy.

          “Oh, not down here up in the canopy.” Lyra points up through the hollowed tree that made up The Barking Dog tavern. Up a few stories in the air, a carved-out balcony with a staircase that was built into the outer layer of the tree’s inner trunk.

          “That’s just the family section of the house we have a few rooms built on the outer branches as well as a storage area, my parents rent out the spare room every now and then.” Lyra tail kept wagging behind her.

          This time the one to interrupt them was Lyra’s older brother. Toren. He grabbed his sister and forced her to sit back down in the chair she was now standing on.

          “Lyra can you clam down your making the boy uncomfortable, and besides did you even talk to Va’tar(father) and Va’mir(mother)? About any of this.” Toren looked at Zarath as if he was saying I feel sorry that you caught my sister’s attention.

          “No, but you and dad are always saying we need more business. I was just trying to help.” Lyra burst up from the chair pouting at her brother Toren.

          “Why do you not use Sariik, it is the native tongue of our people.” Toren looked at his sister as she sprang up and pouted, he was so used to her hyperactive personality he didn’t even flinch except for his ear twitching from how loud she was.

          “So is Urrak, but other than the language our parents speak, we both speak common and even speak Sylvanian and the only elf we know is dads’ friend, on top of that we both speak a little bit of Felari and I’ve never once seen a Felinar in all the thirteen years I’ve been alive have you Toren. Or should I say Boren.” Lyra put her hands on her hips daring her brother to do something with Zarath a paying customer sitting at the table both siblings where about to start again when suddenly all you heard over all the noise and commotion of the tavern was a single person with a distinct femmine voice.

          “Toren! Lyra! stop causing a scene in the tavern, Lyra either sit down or get out of that chair do not stand on my furniture do you hear me little lady.” Zarath turned to see the wolfkin chef that was working in the taverns open kitchen standing there untying the apron from her waist as she started to walk over to the table. At the same time Tharon reappeared at the table.

          “Ugh what did I miss Zarath?” Tharon asked his friend just as confused as he was.

          The wolfkin chef approached the table. Her fur was a dense thick mess of gray with dark streaks down her sides and back, despite the slight amount of baby fat on her arms one look and you could tell she would crush you if you crossed her. As she approached the table her fiery amber eyes bore into her two children. As she grew closer you could hear and feel the weight of her steps, the table Zarath and Tharon were sitting at shook a little. She stood an imposing almost seven feet tall, just slightly shorter than the guards at the gate the boys seen earlier now up close you could tell that despite being a mother and the head cook of this tavern Lyra and Toren’s mother was the real muscle of this place, as she had the body of a warrior and the marks along her forearms to prove she had seen her fair share of fighting.

          “Both of you dishes now!” She pointed towards the open kitchen where their father the Fennec Raan’Tor was keeping his head down clearly knowing not to angry his wife.

          “Yes Mother.” Lyra said.

          “Yes Va’mir.” Toren said. Both heading off towards the kitchen. The woman turned to both Zarath and Tharon and with the sweetest voice.

          “Now I do hope you two boys weren’t put off by that my name is Kaela and as you can guess from that display, I am those two’s mother, my husband and I run this place now let’s get you boys and your friend something hot to eat.” Kaela sauntered back to the kitchen yelling something at one of the kitchen aids. Zarath turned and looked at his friend Tharon, both boys trying to hold in a laugh.

          “Is it just me or was that just the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to us.” Tharon asked his belly, jiggling slightly as he tried to keep calm.

          “I don’t know I think that we fell into that old hunting net was weirder remember how long it took old man Thren to get us down.” Zarath covered his mouth.

          “Yeah, that was weird, I wonder if Thren is still leaving in that hut out in the northern plains our tribe hasn’t gone that way in a while.” Tharon thought about that time both he and Zarath where only seven winters old when that happened and old Thren was one of the few wolfkin they knew that lived in a permanent location.