So… wolves were categorised by colour, like flowers, but aja colours were incidental and it was the warmth of their blood which mattered? Cal’s head was spinning faster than a lightning on track day, but she didn’t question. Doing so would be too exhausting. Instead, she filed the information away somewhere in her hurting brain and just nodded.

She and Buddy were a very long way from home, it seemed.

The twists in the conversation were not over there. Alethea seemed to think that there was a type of familiar more impressive than a wolf, which Cal found hard to believe. Wolves were the fiercest of all animals, and defied even the power of the great Volcanic military. Wolves’ magic was stronger even than an aja’s, and certainly more aggressive. Ker were fortunate indeed that wolves only attacked singularly or in small packs; if they ever came together in an army, all the four kingdoms of Xara would have to unite to fight them off.

Cal said none of this. Instead she just asked curiously, “What’s a dragon?”

Her accent drew out the ‘a’ sound, playing on the vowels. The accents on Shaman were varied, but most fairies had a shorter, sharper way of speaking than Cal – more similar to the accents of the Desert kingdom than the Volcano. Alethea’s was different again; more reminiscent of the Rock. Because of the ongoing rivalry between the Rock and the Volcano, Cal had never actually been to the Rock kingdom. She had to base her understanding of their accents off the black market merchants who imported if not illegal, then certainly frowned upon tech. Alethea sounded a little like a higher class version of them.

The young lady’s next words were an expression of sympathy rather than a question, but Cal regarded as such, and considered it. Was it hard for her? She missed her father, certainly – and her mother, if she were forced to admit it. New friends were easily found, and her best one she’d been allowed to bring with her, in any case. She definitely didn’t miss her job. Being back out in the field – even if it was guarding instead of policing – was, hands down, the best thing about being in Shaman. As for the new sights, sounds, smells, words, cultures and creatures, well…

“It’s an adventure,” Cal summed up cheerfully.

Buddy’s muscles were ever so slightly tense beneath her legs; he wanted to lead. Cal smiled. Poor Dark Lightning, overshadowed by a wolf and forced to stay a step behind the mute ‘warmblood’ aja. She made a mental note to encourage him to go for a run when they got to wherever it was they were going to. Outstripping some pigeons in a race would undoubtedly improve his mood.

As the conversation had progressed, the dappled light had become distinctly darker. Cal noticed, now that she wasn’t digesting a whole host of new information, that the air was damper and the mud below hoof wetter. The smell of the forest was becoming more akin to the semi-tropical Volcano.

“Are we going the right way?” She asked, somewhat pointedly.

CALDERA