Zane finished helping Calley down and arched his back in a long, satisfying stretch, turning his goggle-masked gaze to the wolf and rider. �Ah, Lady Cassidy��
The older girl half-smiled. �I really wish you�d stop that��
He shrugged, finishing his stretch. He only grinned in response. �So, Calley, this is Lady Cassidy of the Talston Guide Hall��
��I�m a Ranger, Zane, not a �Lady,�� she interrupted with a smirking glare. She slid down from the wolf�s back and turned her emerald gaze on Calley. �It�s nice to meet you� call me Krysta. And this,� she gestured to the wolf, �is Jackavar.�
Calley was awe-struck, mouth hanging slightly ajar. Her eyes were fully on the wolf-maow. �Wow� I remember seeing a picture of you in my Jr. Ranger class� it�s so rare to see a kriewolf so big��
The kriewolf watched the young girl steadily, but calmly, nodding his head in acknowledgement. Krysta, meanwhile, looked questioningly over at Zane, looking for confirmation, �So� is she working on becoming a Laral Ranger?�
Makzin snorted, busying himself with his gem to summon Timber from home. �She�s not even a Junior Ranger yet.�
�I am! Well� I will be after my test....�
Krysta, still smiling slightly, looked from Makzin to Calley and back again in assessment. Makzin rolled off a quiet incantation and in a slow swirl of magic, his fox-style companion materialized in the grass beside him, yawning and stretching from what had apparently been a comfortable nap in the sunroom at home.
Makzin looked up from his gem and met eyes with Krysta, �She�s my sister.�
Krysta couldn�t help a laugh. �I see. Well� I think we have some business to attend to. The house is unoccupied at the moment� if you don�t mind the mess.�
Jackavar nuzzled Krysta; his gem suddenly developed a slight glow, and a disembodied, deeply quiet voice surrounded them. [If you don�t need me, I will stay with Sadira.]
Krysta nodded at the wolf, hugging Jackivar's neck with one arm and then patting him in a friendly farewell. �That�s fine, Jack. I�ll call if I need you.�
Zane motioned Calla to come along, and the small humanoid rodent scampered easily down Sadira�s long neck and wing and into the grass, obviously so used to wearing armor that the heavy leathers she wore didn�t hinder her balance. Calla fell in step behind Zane, allowing the larger human to push a way through the tall grass for her, her eyes bright and curious under her mask-like helmet of reinforced leather and black, hardened wood.
With a gesture for the others to follow, Krysta lead the way around the lighthouse to a large, stonework house shaded in windswept trees, hidden from the public road by the Guide Hall�s glass-roofed building. It was private, with a nostalgic cottage air, aside from the ramp that was built in place of steps. A cobblestone sidewalk wound in walkpaths around the house and out towards the Hall and the Lighthouse., crossing through the grass and sparse trees.
Pushing the door open, Krysta led the three visitors and three maow into her home. �Can I get you anything?�
�I�m fine for now, thanks,� Makzin replied distractedly; he was keeping an untrusting eye on his sister.
The cottage was mostly a single level save for a closed loft that served as Krysta�s bedroom. The floor was flagstone in the foyer and very dirty, likely from tracking in mud from recent rain; a worn broom rested next to the cloak rack. Makzin thought briefly of his mother and what a fit she'd throw if her foyer was this dirty.
No matter the broom�s work, however, Calley noticed the tire tracks. �Uh, do you guys ride your bikes in here?� she asked as she untied the leather strap of her heavy wool cloak, pulling it from her shoulders.
Krysta glanced down, following Calley�s gaze but already understanding. She laughed, truly amused. �No, no� that�s from Mom�s wheelchair.�
Calley froze. �I-I�m sorry��
The Ranger shook her head with a smile, continuing on into the living room. �Nah, it�s ok.�
Calley looked back at her brother, expecting his glare; indeed, his eyes were dark upon her. She half-heartedly stuck her tongue out at him as she hung her cloak, but she was genuinely embarrassed enough that Makzin didn�t feel the need to retaliate.
Krysta motioned her guests to the various, comfortable-looking seating; most were dispersed easy-chairs, and there was a single, suede-soft couch. There was obviously room for a wheelchair to maneuver. �Go ahead, take a seat�� she said lightly as she moved to the wide bay windows that overlooked the ocean. She opened a sliding glass door to allow a breeze and pushed back the curtains. �Have a good flight?�
�As always,� Zane replied, plopping down unceremoniously into a broad easy chair. �I see Jackavar�s still doing well.�
�He�s actually getting rather stressed, lately,� Krysta replied, wandering back to choose her own chair. Despite her easy-going demeanor, she was sitting on the edge of her seat, hands in her lap. Her emerald gaze followed Calley as the girl was marveling at the various aquariums in the room. �Our work has been busy, recently��
�These are huge tanks!� Calley exclaimed, admiring the small tropical fish. She picked up Nips and held the round rodent in her arms, allowing him to see as well.
�Only 30 and 50 gallons�� Krysta shrugged in response, smiling. �The Guide Hall has our showcase tanks. The biggest in there is over 5,000 gallons��
Calley�s eyes nearly fell out. She was silent a moment, trying to visualize how big that would be. �I think I could swim in that��
Makzin rolled his eyes, staring up at the ceiling. �Yah, I could drown you in that,� he muttered under his breath.
Zane, ignoring his friend, grinned to Krysta. �So your Dad hasn�t convinced ya yet to get a bigger tank?�
Krysta smirked, her eyes bright. �No, not yet� they�re pretty, but we have other things to spend our money on. Filling the pools and maintaining the spring is expensive enough.�
She turned her eyes to Makzin, cocking her head towards the unseeing Calley in an unasked question. Makzin understood what she was getting at, and rolled his eyes again in response, showing his dislike of having to bring his sister in the first place. �Krysta� how�s the beach right now?� he asked. Timber stood next to Makzin�s chair, enjoying as Makzin scratched him behind his triangular black ears.
Krysta nodded, accepting his idea. �Actually, quite nice. The sun�s hitting the sand now, so the shallows will be warming. Calley? If you brought a bathing suit, you can change in the bathroom just over there.�
Calley left the tanks, enthusiastically swinging her battered bookbag around to show it and, in the process, unintentionally scaring the fish into scattering behind rocks and plants in the decorative tanks. Nips had to clutch to her shoulder to keep from slipping from her arm. �Yeah, I did! Are we gonna go?�
�Actually, Calley, I trust you and your erinacci down there by yourselves. We have some things here that we need to talk about, and I don�t want to bore you� just head back towards the cliff and there�ll be a trail down to the beach.�
Calley grinned. �Okay, thanks! Maybe Jackavar will be down there too?�
�He might� you might see any number of other maow or people down there. It�s generally empty, but you never know if you might run into someone from the Guide Hall.�
Calley was already bouncing towards the bathroom.. �Nips, Nips, to, the, BEACH!�
Makzin watched her go out of the corner of his eye with an unimpressed expression. When she�d disappeared into the bathroom, he sighed. �I�m sorry I brought her� parents dumped her on me.�
Krysta shrugged, nonchalant. �It�s no problem. She�ll be fine on the beach. That erinacci of hers needs a good sand-bath anyway. So� about the bayyo?�
* * * * *
