*munch* *munch* *crunch* *munch*

The black wolf with orange luster to his fur was hungrily feasting on a corpse.

Meat, fat, bones, even armor, he was gulping down whatever he could bite off - yet no matter how much he ate, his stomach never got any bigger.

If anything, despite all the thick fur, the wolf looked even more like a skeleton than ever before.

"Skwee... (Now you've done it...) Skwee? (Why were you so stupid?) Skwee? (You got a penalty for doing that to master, didn't you, Arion?)"

The blue emperor griffin, Blueberry, standing next to the wolf, watching it devour the corpse with a terrifying speed.

"Raor! (Shut up!) Raor! (Mary herself has said that it was okay!)"

Arion glared at Blueberry and growled angrily, ripping into pink intestines.

"Skwee. (If you don't slow down, you're going to choke.) Skwee. (Her sacrifice would go in vain, so slow down.)"

Blueberry stretched like a cat and mocked the wolf.

"Raor? (What's your deal?) Raor, raor! (It's not like Mary's tamer skills had any effect on you once you grew up into an emperor griffin!)"

Arion scoffed and glared at her, chewing on the liver.

"Skwee... (True, but mommy and daddy asked me to listen to her...) Skwee! (They asked me to be good, so I am!) Skwee... (Unlike a certain someone...)"

Blueberry tilted her head and her strong body shook from a mischievous giggle.

"...raor... (...hmph...)"

Arion shook his head and finished the corpse - just another bite and there was no trace left, even the blood-stains were licked clean, making it seem like nothing ever happened.

"I can't get in contact with Cinnamon and the rest..."

Mary climbed down the nearby tree and sighed dispiritedly.

"Skwee? (They told us that the mist blocks most of the communication skills, remember, master?)"

Blueberry raised her head back up, making herself look as innocent as she could.

"Skwee? (How's your throat?)"

"..."

She asked, stealing a glance at flinching Arion.

"It's fine."

Mary smiled softly and touched the thick bandages wrapped around her neck.

"Mend was enough to stop the bleeding and heal most of the damage, but it's not like it can numb the pain and soreness. Sorry if I made you worry."

She waved both her hands dismissively and laughed.

"Skwee. (You were lucky.) Skwee, skwee. (If that guy didn't come to his senses after tasting your blood, your mend skill would be useless.)"

Blueberry screeched, shrugging her wings, continuing to glance at Arion - whose ears and tail were continuously dropping lower and lower the longer she talked.

"That wasn't luck. I simply believed in him. Arion is a gentle boy, and he's definitely stronger than some curse. Also, even after decapitation, the head is still alive for a few seconds, I bet I could still do something."

Mary proudly puffed out her already impressive chest and declared with confidence.

"Skwee... (Yeah, yeah...)"

The blue griffin rolled her eyes and stomped her hind leg.

"Skwee. (If I were you I would watch out, or him. ) Skwee. (That glutton is eyeing out your chest all the time.) Skwee. (You never know when he will take a bite out of it.)"

"...!"

Hearing her screech that, Mary blushed crimson red and she hurriedly covered her breasts with her hands, even though she was wearing armor.

"RAOR! (NO, I DO NOT!) Raor... (I-I mean I do look sometimes...) RAOR! (BUT NOT BECAUSE I WANT TO HURT YOU!)"

Arion growled panicked, seeing Mary's reaction.

"...Arion is a perv..."

"RAA! (WAIT, NO!) Raa! (I didn't mean it in THAT way either!) Raa! (I take it back! I take it back!)"

...but then Mary blushed even harder, and Arion started panicking even more.

"Skwee. (You two are weird.)"

Blueberry shook her head, blissfully ignorant about what possibly could that whole 'THAT way' mean.

"Geez.... we should go back to the barracks or the Sloth soldiers will think that we got killed. Arion, did you ate your fill?"

Mary glanced at her black wolf, pouting her lips, angry just a little bit.

"R-raor... (Y-yeah... for now I guess...) Raor, raor. (That armored dragon and that two-faced angel-class that we hunted with Blueberry were quite filling.) Raor! (Especially the wings!)"

Arion responded more enthusiastically than was necessary, showing very clearly that he was really glad about the change of subject - which was further solidified by his wagging tail.

"Alright."

Marry nodded and approached the blue griffin who spread her wing and lowered it so the girl could grab onto something as she was hopping on her back.

"...but on our way, Blueberry will carry you in her talons."

Mary added when Arion was just about to jump on the griffin's back, in front of his master.

"Raor?! (Wh-what?!) Raor?! (Why?!)"

The wolf growled in shock.

"Hmph!"

In response, Mary just puffed out her cheeks and looked away, covering her chest with one arm.

"Skwee-wee-wee...! (Pffft... hahahaha!)"

Blueberry snorted and laughed.

"Raor! (Mary, please, don't be like that!) Raor?! (Do you have any idea how scary it is to be carried like prey?!) Roar! (And Blueberry, stop laughing!)"

The black wolf growled pitifully and then barked angrily at the blue griffin.

"Don't shout at Blueberry. Also, until we complete your story mission and remove the curse of gluttony, whenever Blueberry will be carrying us, you will be carried in her talons."

Mary declared decisively, looking away from the black wolf doing his best puppy-eyes.

"Raor! (No!) Raor! (That's so not fair!)"

The wolf cried and kicked the ground with his paws.

"Arion, that wasn't a question! And I hope that you understand why I making such a decision."

Mary furrowed her brows and scoffed.

"Blueberry, let's go. Grab him."

She said in a grumpy voice, and lightly tapped the griffin's sides with her heels.

"Skwee! (Ahaha! Okay!)"

Blueberry laughed and instantly kicked off the ground.

"Raor...! (Wait...!) Raaaaaooooor...! (No, no, no, no, noooooo....!)"

Arion yelped and started running away, but within a second, he was already caught by the strong talons and lifted high into the sky.

"RAOR...! (OH, COME ON...!)"

The trapped black wolf cried.

"RAO-r...? (I HATE TH-huh...?)"

He roared but suddenly the growl got stuck in his throat.

"...This... this cannot be...!"

Similarly, Mary on Blueberry's back stiffened and clenched her fists on the griffin's feathers.

"Skwee...? (Eh, what's going on...?)"

Blueberry screeched in confusion.

"I-it's the wolves... I regained the connection...!"

Mary stuttered and her body trembled.

"Raor... (Avocado and Cherry are... dead...)"

Arion finished the girl's sentence.