7.1

Maryam was silent. She looked like the one who had no choice; she also didn't want to appear desperate to her beloved. Taking a deep breath, she looked around the house as one who looked at something missing. Her smile broke as with her eyes she looked again at Wulfgang's face:

"Tonight... I don't want to sleep..." she said in tears.

Wulfgang had understood that, with her words, the vampire wanted to delay the time as long as she could. Every time he woke up, it was as if life dealt him a blow, and with each blow his grip on the rope to which, with so much effort, she clung so that she could keep him with her until he grew old and died of old age. That night there was no sex for the lycanthrope, only sadness and depression on the part of the vampire. Wulfgang hopelessly fell asleep at some point, first before she did.

…

The first night came to its conclusion.

As soon as the lights came on again, the lycanthrope awoke. Wulfgang, somewhat fond of the pleasant sensation of being wrapped in silky sheets, took a deep breath. Without opening his eyes, through the darkness, he could see a pale blue lump representing his beloved, as well as everything she had done the night before after he had fallen asleep without realizing it. She hadn't gotten out of bed, just tossed and turned like someone looking for the best sleeping position. Suddenly, traces of a white lump took place within the lycanthrope's field of perception. A small accumulation of odor that, according to his position, had stopped right in front of the bedroom door.

"Honey, what's wrong!" asked Maryam almost without being able to recognize her husband, who with a leap stood up from the bed and like a storm opened the door with a backhand of his right hand.

The lycanthrope once again sniffed, and sniffed again, at the same time walking with firm and strong steps, transforming into a beast. Ehimus, who was coming out of his room after hearing the door jerk coming from the matrimonial room, found the leader of the group in "attack mode" looking up and down at the maid who even moved from place to place and kept her head down. With his teeth out, the bestialized lycanthrope scolded Silvia while the vampire tilted her face and smiled as who could imagine the situation.

"Good, good morning, my tenants!!!" said the Great Wise Wizard as he opened the main entrance with his usual amount of energy and charisma.

Once Wulfgang averted his gaze, the old man continued:

"I think Silvia can return to her daily routine, she has not broken "the servant's rules", so I see no reason why she should be punished. On the other hand, Wulfgang, your behavior is not the most polite. We need to talk. As quartermaster and guardian, I can explain..."

...

On the other hand, the dawn inside the Ever-Changing Forest was different. There, where the little guy with no last name was slowly opening his eyes, everything seemed to be less of a problem:

"Will it be bright or will I continue to live inside the eternal night?", Rey couldn't help but wonder. He felt rested, full of energy, uninjured, unhungry, with a book in his arms and his companion at his side, almost as if he had been born a second time.

Not much had changed for the vision of the little one without a last name, his wide eyes scanning the all too familiar roof of the den composed of roots entwined in the giant hollow tree trunk. After blinking twice, Rey turned his head to see if what he felt was real.

Lying there was the body of the little "guardian of Paradise". His faithful companion had just woken up. She stretched her paws until she pulled her claws out, then narrowed her spine with a bow, and finally her tail until she wanted to reach almost to the ceiling. Stretching is a good way to wake up dormant muscles and improve circulation before starting routine activities.

Rey took a deep breath and, widening the corners of her mouth, showed happiness. Tossing the book he was holding aside, he threw himself into a full-force embrace of the one who was waking up and welcoming him with a warm purr.

"Sit on top of me! Let me hug you, I need to feel how much you appreciate me!" said Rey.

After carrying the little feline with his two hands, he buried his face in the black and white fur. He stayed that way for a while and then looked at him sadly and ended up asking for forgiveness in a low voice. The feline was somewhat overwhelmed, ignoring the fact that he had been taken by surprise, he wanted to move from one side to the other to undo the grip, but he was afraid of scratching the little one. Rey lifted his face with some fondness, expressions that apologized for having put their lives in danger, and that much more sorry for the situation she had ended up in because of him:

"I'm going to do my best to learn from it and move on... As long as I'm still living, I can make amends no matter how bad... Trust me, okay?"

The little "guardian of Paradise" pup did not understand what the young man was saying to her, but she could sense that he was suffering and had suffered for her. That did not please her at all; it was true that they had met her father the night before, but she did not remember much more than that she had been beaten by him and tirelessly cared for by the little one there. In an attempt to cheer up, she ran her tongue over the grieving little one's face, purred louder, wriggled harder, and preened her fur against Rey's face with the intention of changing his expression.

Suddenly, the scene was interrupted by the behavior of the large book that had been left on the floor. The knowledge-storing object transformed into light and disappeared into thin air. Rey gave it no importance, he understood that this was how a book was burned by receiving the fire of time or perhaps it returned to where it belonged. Identifying that the situation was hopeless, he chose to laugh and improve the expressions on his face. Showing a warm smile, he groomed his companion's head and then stood up and marched out of the den.

Although the forest was dark by nature, once Rey left the cave, the light coming from Heaven touched the side of her face, as if it were a light and discreet greeting. Focusing his eyes on the glow between the trees in the distance, the little boy felt a thousand thoughts come to his mind. Images of how long he kept running, feelings of advancing every last drop of energy, the smell of the water, the warmth of the fire, the cold of the snow, the stickiness of the mud, the sting of the smoke, the hardness of the floating stones. The little boy had to admit that he had not expected to be so close to the entrance, and that there was nothing that disappointed him so much after all his effort.

On the verge of having his blood boil and smashing the nearest tree with his fists, he decided to calm himself with the following words, "The forest must have changed its structure while we were sleeping"; returning his gaze to his companion, he regained his composure and acted as if there was something more important to do.

"You know what? I learned an interesting word...White. How do you like it for a name?"

The little creature stuck out her tongue and looked in the direction of the light curiously, completely ignoring what the young man was telling her. She could understand certain basic words, as well as behaviors and gestures, but her culture did not go so far as to understand the meaning or significance of a name.

"White shall be your name and path to greatness," Rey said. "It's not like I can keep having you by my side without knowing what to call you either."

Stepping forward, Rey nuzzled between the standing ears of the newly named little feline to continue walking into the light. The child's footsteps echoed through the hollow darkness, through the trees of the metallic forest. The divine light pointed the way and guarded a whole magnificent landscape with him. Rey walked in his wake, not as a vanquished one forced to return, but as a triumphant one returning in search of his family.

Once the two little ones passed the barrier of trees and entered the green pastures, they had to narrow their eyes until they could easily see into the radiant light. They were in for a big surprise to find Heroclades, folding his arms, waiting for them with a haughty smile and a haughty posture, like someone winning a bet.

"How did you know I would come out through this part of the forest?" asked Rey and then said with a sharp voice and an intimidating look: "A spell?"

Heroclades noticed in Rey movements characteristic of a nocturnal predator:

"Woo! After only spending one night, you are able to let such murderous intent slip out. You surprise me little one..."

Uncrossing his hands, the tanned-skinned fellow raised his open palms in front of his chest. Like one who didn't want a confrontation. He sincerely expected the attitude of a defeated convict, however, he got the impression of being in front of a defiant and self-confident beast, one who had lost all sense of discipline, friendship and honor for having learned to be independent.

"The training has not yet begun my dear disciple. And yes, you got it right the first time. On you I put a spell, but it was to find you first that your parents did. I have a warning to give you..."

Rey gave a smile and a step forward, he opened his body as one who needed to take up more space in the place.

"Hero, it's still me. Rey, why are you acting like this, like I've turned into a beast that you must reason with....."

Heroclades put his hand to the back of his neck, like someone whose thoughts had been read.

"Well, I thought I would get nowhere if I didn't first regain your trust. And what better way to take someone's trust than by making them curious and disposing them to agree to something. I've already proven more than a hundred times that if someone is distrustful, you're not going to talk directly to their more thoughtful side, you're going to talk to the more distrustful side. I wanted to distract you and then, a little at a time, you get into the subject."

"What subject?" asked Rey as he approached his master.

Heroclades, bringing his hands to his waist, continued:

"Before your father's nose there are no lies and no one who can escape. So, if you have done something you shouldn't have at night, you'd better think of an explanation for when he arrives. He may know everything that happened, but not what was said. That's one of your advantages against your father... however, your mother is a walking lie detector. She not only has the ability to control and provoke emotions in those around her, but she can also distinguish the slightest physiological changes in someone's body when they speak, so you will have to separate the one from the other.