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Auror

I wake up to the sound of cars leaving. Whenever I’m asleep, some staff come to my house to clean. As usual, I inform them of my location so as not to be disturbed.

I walk to the kitchen, where there’s definitely food. I can eat human food or raw meat; although I prefer the hot, raw meat of a good hunt, I don’t always go out to feed. Often, I just go for a run to stretch my body.

I head to the terrace at the back, where I can observe the movement in the city. I wait for the signal to go there. On meeting days, there are two bonfires. The conversation circles have become a tradition and a time for the community to get to know each other. It is during this time that I meet with the Férnus leadership.

As expected, food is waiting for me, and a deer has been served. There’s a note next to it:

"My friend,

I hope this deer calms you. I’ll see you at the meeting.

Black"

I take a deep breath, still consumed by the irritation that overwhelms me. I feed on the game, and upon checking the time, I realize that the meeting is about to start.

Entering the dense forest of the isolated hill, I run freely, feeling the air enter my lungs and my paws sink into the soft, damp earth. My breathing is heavy, and as I get closer to the city, my body boils with an unprecedented sensation. I shake my head to try to alleviate the intense, uncontrollable feeling.

“GRRRRR!!!!!” A loud, furious growl echoes through the night, making my throat ache.

I furiously dig my claws into the ground, tearing at the grass and its roots, pressing them against the padded palms of my hands.

My heart races unevenly, and my body seems to boil as I look around and see that I’m close, noticing Férnus transformed, running toward me.

“What’s happening, Auror?” Black asks. We can communicate mentally when we’re in our feral forms.

“Nothing, just uncontrollable fury,” I reply, seeing the others crouch down, certainly feeling the power of my agitation.

“If that’s the case, we can cancel the meeting.”

“No! Update me. I’ll return to the hill soon.”

We arrive at the bonfire, where everyone shifts back to their human forms and starts discussing cattle sales and gold extraction, which keeps us strong as a clan and has allowed us to survive for so many centuries.

“The new vet arrived yesterday,” Jacob, one of the newer members, informs.

“Just one?” I ask, as we need at least two full-time given the demand.

“Yes, still waiting on some responses,” Lannur, one of the oldest Férnus in Forty Mile, replies.

“She faced Bourn,” Arow says, and my body tenses.

“How?”

“We had a case, and he was, as always, rude, but she didn’t back down or get intimidated. She showed that despite being new, she’s neither naive nor unprepared. She found the problem and treated it. Old Moriah left huffing without saying anything.”

“File,” I request, and soon receive the information.

“Anira Montecião, orphaned, no family, twenty-four years old, graduated two years ago, one friend, no partner.” The details start coming in.

“We always prefer people who have no one to turn to. If an incident occurs and she’s killed, it hasn’t happened before, but a furious Férnus is difficult to control.”

“She’s a very beautiful woman,” Jacob adds, and I turn my head toward him.

“We don’t involve ourselves with humans; they are fragile and inferior beings,” I snarl, foaming with rage. This strange sensation is almost making me lose control. “Only the angelics can involve themselves with us. That lineage is the only one offered to us; the daughters of the moon are strong, and even though they may seem fragile, they aid us,” I point out.

“Unfortunately, none of them have chosen to leave the Sacred Tower to be with any of us. All who fell chose to become oracles and serve in the temple. We only see them beyond the sacred triad when necessary,” Montoan adds. The young Férnus, who is less than two hundred years old, still hasn’t found his partner for the hot days.

“They protect us with their magic and can choose to live with us or in the temple; that is the law. If you think any male Férnus is bothering an angelic, I will personally send him into exile. None of us would survive beyond the glaciers,” I say firmly.

Everyone nods in agreement. This meeting could have taken place at my home, but it’s a way to get me out since I haven’t left since my condemnation. I’m informed of additional expenses needed to ensure the well-being of the residents and staff, and then I decide to head home.

As everyone starts to disperse, an uncontrollable urge to approach the bonfire takes over me. I know all the residents of Forty Mile; we aren’t a city that receives many tourists, and due to the ancient magic, they are repelled whenever they come near or get lost.

Restless and still enraged, without a clear reason, I move closer to the bonfire where most of the town is gathered. I see the joy on everyone’s faces, and the music plays softly around. I observe everyone, but the new resident doesn’t seem to be here. I continue to watch everything around me, my ears finely tuned, when I hear her name.

“Anira, I didn’t think you’d come,” Alenna, a young female Férnus, greets her.

“I didn’t think I would either,” Anira replies. Hearing her voice makes my claws extend and an unusual electricity surge through my body.

Clearly, this human is stirring negative feelings within me, and with everything that’s happening, if I stay here, my animal instincts will take over, and I’ll tear her apart.

Struggling to control my instincts, I run away at full speed, throwing an excessive amount of dirt into the air, like a young, uncontrolled Férnus still learning to hunt, making too much noise and scaring all the game in the forest.

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