Chapter 135: Sorin’s Return And The Fox Assassin’s Deal!
Sorin walked into the cave.
He immediately saw something disappear from Neve’s hand when he entered. The red panda was holding something, and then it just vanished into thin air. But Sorin did not have time to process what that was. His mind was too focused on one thing.
Neve.
He had his fox tribe friend standing behind him, just as he had promised. But right now, Sorin only had eyes for the red panda.
"Neve?" he called out, his heart beating so fast that he thought it might burst out of his chest. He had missed Neve so much that the less than twenty four hours of leaving had felt like an eternity. An endless stretch of time filled with longing and worry.
"I’m back," he added, his voice filled with emotion.
Neve turned and saw Sorin standing by the cave entrance. His face brightened immediately when he saw the eagle beastman. But then his eyes shifted to the person standing behind Sorin, and they widened slightly. His jaw dropped open as he took in the appearance of the newcomer.
Sorin called Neve’s name again, noticing that the red panda had gotten distracted.
"Neve?" Sorin said again.
Neve snapped his gaze back to Sorin, focusing on the eagle beastman instead of the mysterious figure behind him.
Neve did not see the fox beastman’s full face yet, but he could see the meter floating above his head. 0% Favorability. Another mate was coming his way.
The red panda walked away from Popi and toward Sorin. He stretched his hand out and took Sorin’s cold hands in his own. The eagle’s skin was freezing from the seven hour flight.
"I’m so glad you’re back, Sorin," Neve said warmly, squeezing Sorin’s hands gently.
Sorin pulled Neve closer, abandoning the handhold in favor of a full hug. The eagle beastman wrapped his arms around the red panda, holding him close. Neve’s face buried into Sorin’s chest as he heard the eagle’s heart beating rapidly.
It was a comforting sound. It meant he was back.
"I brought him just like I promised," Sorin said as he pulled away from the hug. He turned to the side, clearing the path for the fox beastman to step forward.
"His name is Sable," Sorin said, introducing his companion.
Neve parted his lips. He almost wanted to say he already knew because after all, the fox’s name was floating just above his head with a 0% favorability meter. But he stopped himself from revealing that he could see the system information.
"Uh, he’s a bit calm but..." Sorin started to explain, trying to prepare Neve for the fox’s quiet nature.
"Murderous," Sable said coldly, interrupting Sorin mid-sentence.
The single word hung in the air like a threat.
Neve looked at Sable carefully, taking in his appearance for the first time. He dragged his eyes from Sable’s striking orange hair, down his muscular abs, and across his chest. The fox wore nothing but a loose animal skin hanging around his waist, leaving most of his body exposed to the cold.
Neve looked back up at Sable’s face, meeting those sharp fox eyes.
"Uh, I’m Neve," he said, stretching his hand out in greeting. It was the polite thing to do. Maybe, diplomatic thing to do.
Sable stared at Neve’s outstretched hand for a long moment before taking it. His grip was firm and possessive, like he was testing Neve’s strength or claiming something.
"Just as Soso introduced, I’m Sable," the fox said, not letting go of Neve’s hand. His eyes were calculating. Studying..
Neve furrowed his brow as he looked at Sorin. Was Soso Sorin’s nickname? The fox had shortened Sorin’s name to Soso. It was an oddly affectionate gesture from someone who had just described himself as murderous.
Neve almost laughed at the juxtaposition but held it back. He looked back at Sable and carefully pulled his hand from the fox’s grip.
"Did he tell you why you’re coming here?" Neve asked, getting straight to the point. He needed to understand what Sable’s role would be. He needed to know what he was walking into.
"I only discuss payment first," Sable said, his tone businesslike and cold.
Neve froze.
Payment. Of course there would be payment. The fox tribe were mercenaries. They did not work for free.
He remembered the story Popi had told him about her father hiring the fox tribe to eliminate a rival. They had asked for twenty five crystals. Twenty five crystals. That was an enormous amount of currency. Neve did not even know if he had access to that kind of wealth.
He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist at his side.
"What do you want?" Neve asked, lifting his head to meet Sable’s eyes directly. He needed to know what price he would have to pay.
Sable parted his lips to say something, but Neve immediately held a finger up, stopping him before he could speak.
"Hold on," Neve said urgently. "Before you say anything, I don’t have a lot. I don’t have twenty five crystals or whatever it is you’re going to ask for. So please, say something simple. Say something reasonable that I can actually provide."
Sable’s expression shifted into something that looked like amusement.
"What I want is simple," he said, his eyes scanning around the cave carefully. He was taking in the space.
"Let me stay here for two seasons."
Neve’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"What?" Neve asked, clearly not expecting that answer. "Why would you want to stay here? Why would you stay in the leopard tribe territory for two seasons?"
Sable’s expression shifted into something that looked like he wanted to say something private. He looked at Sorin as if he wanted the eagle to break the news. Like he wanted Sorin to explain the situation.
Sorin understood the look and stepped forward.
"A war is going on within the fox tribe," Sorin explained, his voice serious and heavy. "Their chief died on his way back to the tribe from the winter festival. A sudden death. No one knows how it happened. No one knows who is responsible."
He paused, letting that information sink in.
"So now, choosing a new chief is... deadly," Sorin continued. "Everyone is fighting for the position. Everyone is willing to kill to get it. It’s chaos in the fox tribe right now."
Neve looked back at Sable, understanding beginning to dawn on him.
"Oh," Neve said slowly. "So you need to stay away from the fox tribe for a while. You need to stay out of the succession war."
But then another thought occurred to him.
"What do I do?" Neve asked, his voice uncertain. "I’m not the chief of the leopard tribe. Soren is. I can’t make decisions about who stays in the territory and who doesn’t. The chief is the one who has authority over that. And the chief is the one you have to eliminate for us."
Sable grinned, a sharp expression that showed his teeth.
He reached into his skin and pulled out something so thin that Neve almost could not see it. He caught only its reflection in the light. It was thread. Thin, delicate thread that looked like it could not hurt anything.
But Neve knew better. In the hands of an assassin, anything could be a weapon.
"I’ll make his death painless," Sable said softly.
But Neve shook his head firmly.
"No," Neve said, his voice cold and filled with conviction. "I want him to die a painful death. I want Soren to suffer for everything he’s done. For everyone he’s hurt. For Doris and all the others."
He paused, thinking through the plan carefully.
"Once my mate becomes the new chief, he’ll let you stay here," Neve said, his voice becoming more confident. "Is that a deal? You kill Soren painfully, and in exchange, you get to stay in the leopard tribe territory for two seasons while the fox tribe succession war settles down."
Sable pulled back the thin thread and saluted with two fingers.
"A deal it is."