The Harvest Moon Festival was a sensory overload of lanterns, music, and the smell of roasted nuts. The streets of the capital were packed shoulder-to-shoulder with beast-kin in colorful masks and festive robes.
I stood behind my stall, Primrose's Moon-Cakes, which was currently the most popular spot in the square. I had sold two hundred cakes in an hour.
Money, I thought, counting coins. Safety.
But just as I was handing a box to a Badger-mom, the crowd parted. It wasn't out of politeness. It was out of self-preservation.
The Little Whiskers Family had arrived.
The Junior Search Party Re-Unites
Arjun arrived first, wearing a miniature General's uniform. He vaulted over a flower planter. "PERIMETER SECURED!"
Jasper walked in behind him, wearing a silk robe that cost more than my shop. He looked at the crowd with deep disdain. "Too many mammals. The body heat is stifling."
Silas slipped out of the shadows, silent as a ghost, holding a single paper lantern.
