"Who…are you?" Rinky and Craynt stared at the masked man in shock and confusion.
The masked man looked around, then he spoke, "I know you see us,".
He picked up the wolf by his shirt collar and warned, "I don't intend to kill him, so take him back, before I change my mind."
Immediately, the crows on the trees charged down and disrupted his vision and snatched the wolf away, without a single sound made.
The masked man turned towards Rinky and Craynt, he gave them a nod, and then he left.
"…I have too many questions…" Craynt said in disbelief.
"Wha-wait! You haven't answer my-" before Rinky could finish her sentence, she collapsed to the ground.
"Damn it…that kick…" she thought as her eyelids slowly fell.
"Rinky?"
Craynt tapped her face, "Rinky? Hey, hello?"
She didn't respond.
Craynt looked at her, then he looked around and took a deep breath.
***
"Hm? You're here early."
Rinky looked up to see herself in a library and Qinny reading.
"Qinny? Does that mean…oh yeah, I fainted." Rinky said.
"Fainted? You vomited in class or something? You had a heatstroke?" Qinny asked.
"Nope," Rinky dusted herself and explained, "some weird dude with powers kicked me on the stomach, his strength was severely inhuman let me tell you."
Suddenly, Qinny who was lazily reading Japanese mangas gasped quickly but intensely, and she stood up and grabbed Rinky's shoulders.
"A guy with powers?! Was he a wolf?" Qinny asked loudly, but she didn't sound scared but rather mad.
Shocked, Rinky stuttered, "Ah-uh-huh? Well, yeah?"
"It's them, it's gotta be them!" Qinny let go and considered for a bit, then she pointed at Rinky's star necklace.
Then she demanded, "Rinky! Listen to me! Do me a favour and-"
Everything went black.
***
Rinky opened her eyes slowly, and the first thing she saw was the back of Craynt's head, giving her a piggyback.
"Ugh…mm…Craynt…?"
"Rinky! You're awake!" Craynt said in relief.
"Where…are we going?" Rinky asked.
"I don't really know, I was just planning to ask neighbours around where you live and wake you up when we get there, but now that you're awake-"
"Wait, please don't drop me home. Well, not like this. Can you just take me somewhere else?" Rinky interrupted, highly aware of her injured appearance.
"Um, sure. Where do you wanna go?" Craynt asked reluctantly.
Rinky hesitated for a moment, then she asked, "Can I stay at your place for a bit?"
"Wha-?"
"If anything, you're the only one I know right now that can treat my injuries without giving me a lecture."
"…sure."
***
In a small household, a mother was seen walking in circles nervously with her tail lying really low while she is murmuring something.
"Calm down mom, he's gonna be home soon." her son Kent said with a bored stare.
"But what if he doesn't? He never comes home this late! He doesn't have any activities at school today! What if he's kidnapped? Or…or-"
"Mom, I'm home!" Craynt opened the door and said, interrupting her mother's panic attack.
"Craynt!" his mother exclaimed with her cat ears straight up, "Where have you been? Why are you late today? And-…who's that girl?"
Craynt's mother stared at Rinky who was standing behind him, and Rinky waved awkwardly.
"Um…hi?"
"What's going on-" Kent stared at Rinky in surprise, then he smirked teasingly, "Craynt…don't tell me you…"
"I didn't." Craynt refuted immediately.
"Alright, alright, whatever you say."
Craynt's mother looked down and saw his mildly burnt arm, then she yelled worriedly, "Craynt! What happened to your arm? And you, girl, there's little blood dripping out your mouth!"
"There is? I didn't notice that."
"Mom, I'm sorry but can we just go in first, please? I'll explain everything later." Craynt said tiredly.
"…you better not miss a single detail."
In the living room…
"Ow, ow, ow! Mom! Can you be gentler?" Craynt shouted, with his tail bristling aggressively.
"Tough up, Craynt. You've been through this once, with a more major burn!"
"But it still hurts!"
Rinky sat at the side watching Craynt painfully letting his mother apply ointment on his burnt hand.
"And…done!" Craynt's mother finished bandaging his arm and stood up, "Alright, I'll leave you two here for a bit, 'kay?"
"Alright mom." Craynt breathed out heavily and said.
"Got it, Mrs. Marlver!" Rinky said enthusiastically.
"Oh and, Rinky, right? If Craynt ever tried to scratch his injuries, grab his arm away."
"I'm not a kid anymore, mom!"
Then she left, leaving Craynt and Rinky in an awkward state.
"I guess she's quite experienced, considering she probably treated your…that." Rinky gestured at his half burnt face.
"Seriously? You too?"
"Alright, my bad."
"Anyways, you feel any better? I mean that kick looked like it hurt a lot." Craynt asked.
"Oh, no worries. It's nothing fatal surprisingly, even though that kick sent me flying like 4 feet away. Dude had the punches of an airbag." Rinky said, leaving them in an awkward silence.
Realising this, Rinky felt embarrassed and tried to rephrase herself, "Oh uh, what I was trying to say was-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Craynt burst out laughing, "Sorry, sorry, I kinda had to process that for a second, I'm bad at interpreting jokes. But that was hilarious, I'll give you that."
Hearing this, Rinky completely froze in shock by the fact that someone actually thought she was funny.
"I…I guess." she looked away shyly.
Then, she recalled Qinny's interrupted sentence before she woke up.
"She pointed at my necklace, and asked me a favour, she even seems to know that wolf…who was he anyway?" she thought.
At the same time, Craynt was panicking internally, "Huh?! What did she mean by 'I guess'? Did I say something wrong? What's going on? Damn you, Craynt! You and your inexperience with girls!"
"…Eh, whatever. I'll just ask her tonight." she shrugged and spoke to Craynt.
"Hey, Craynt, do you-"
"Hm? Yeah what's up?"
"You…are scratching your bandaged arm." Rinky pointed out, finishing a sentence with a mischievous smirk.
Craynt realised and said, "…spare me."
"Come here!"
"No way!"
As Rinky chased Craynt in the living room, the masked man, standing on an electric pole looked at them through the window.
"I sense an immense emission of Source from that girl, but…it's not hers."
***
In Rinky's dream, Qinny punches the floor out of frustration.
"Damn it! Don't go waking up before I finish talking!"
Then she stood up and said furiously, "They're back, and so close! THOSE GODDAMN CONNERS!!"
***
Outside an apartment building, the crows carrying the wolf flew towards a window and knocked on it.
A man in a scientist coat breathed out smokes from his cigarette, and he sighed. He opened the window, let the crows fly in and rest the wolf's body on the couch.
"Thanks, birdies. You can leave now." the man said, his eyes glowing with red spirals as the crows flew away. Then, he watches as the wolf woke up groaning.
"Way to go, Anjer. Couldn't have done your job any faster."
"Shut up, old man. How would I know that masked prick was gonna show up?"
"Fine, I'll let you off the hook this time. He has been a threat to our company for 2 years already, it's no wonder you would lose, it's not like you're in the Top 5-"
"Don't mention those pricks. They always get the privilege all cuz they are the bosses favourite toy. This fucking unfair company!" Anjer barked, fire started to grow on his body in rage.
The man sighed, then simply stretched out his hand and suddenly the first blew to nothing, shattering the window in the process.
Anjer was stunned, then he took a deep breath and calmed down.
The man stood in silence, then he said, "It is unfair, of course." then he turned around and looked at Anjer with a smirk.
"That's why we'll make it so they favour us instead."