“So how exactly did I pass the test?” asked Melly.

She watched as Brian poured tea into tiny pink cups. A high tea was laid out on the lavish desk before her. On the other side was the woman in yellow, Mistress Maim. The examiner's office was well lit, with a striking view of the meadow outside. The walls were covered in oil paintings, depicting various mythical creatures in exciting battle poses.

The mistress thanked the man and swirled a teaspoon in her cup. Melly sipped her own tea only to smile and nod politely before setting the cup back down on the desk. The taste reminded her of dish soap.

“The final trial was the real test, to see if you could truly be one of us,” the Mistress said, smiling.

Melly’s confusion rose as she asked, “But, none of the animals liked me.”

Maim nodded. “Indeed. However, that was never the rationale for the test. The animals were there simply to test your bestial affinity. In that regard you are at a higher-than-average level.”

Melly thought back to the original wolf that started it all. None of what she was hearing made any sense. “And the first two tests?”

A burst of laughter filled the room as the woman before Melly wiped a tear from her eye. “As you could imagine, we get many people trying to join us. Out of the hundreds of examinees only eight have ever passed.”

Mistress Maim’s chuckling subsided as she continued, “The first two tests are just to weed out the rejects. Unfortunately, we get a lot of those.”

“And the orb?” Melly asked.

“The actual test.”

Melly studied the orb that now lay on the desk between them, clear and silent.

“Someone with no capacity would pick up this orb and see nothing but a clear glass ball. WE are different.” The young woman tousled her raven hair over her shoulders, then stood up. “Brian, shall we?”

The fuzzy giant grinned and opened the door of the office. The two hunters led Melly outside, towards the rear entrance of the lodge. There she was escorted to a large barn that had been constructed on the side of the hill.

“This way.” Maim said, directing her potential pupil towards a row of large enclosures.

Brian the bear strode to the nearest enclosure and opened its doors. Melly’s jaw dropped when she saw the beast inside. It was at least a head taller than Brian. An enormous fluffy brown rabbit turned its massive eyes towards the newcomers. Atop its head were long, smooth, midnight deer antlers and on its back a set of tiny white wings.

Brian held out his arms and fell into an exaggerated ‘Ta Da!’ pose.

“I… Uh,” Melly stumbled. “What?”

Mistress Maim cleared her throat. “This is Brian’s animal companion.” Mistress Main explained, “this is Wendy, and she, is a Wolpertinger.”

“A Wolper what?”

“Tinger,” Maim explained. “It’s a mysterious magical beast that is rarely seen in the wild. According to legend the only way you can befriend one of these is to get blind drunk beforehand.”

Melly watched in stunned silence as the hunter Brian nuzzled the Wolpertinger’s chin. The enclosure, she noticed was extremely luxurious and well kept. A large pink spinning wheel sat idle in the back, while a thick layer of fresh straw was littered all over the floor. A few metal buckets of half-eaten food lay discarded all over the place. A water barrel painted with a pink love heart was recently filled in the opposite corner.

Melly glanced around and noticed there even was a life-sized white teddy bear in the corner, worn from many cuddling sessions.

This is one ridiculously over pampered bunny, Melly thought.

“See,” Mistress said, “told you Brian was a sweety!”

Melly nodded. The giant bear like man was indeed a sook.

“Well, anyway, let’s move on to my baby!” Maim said eagerly with a sparkle in her eyes.

They left the Wolpertinger in its little palace and continued further into the barn. They ended up climbing a set of stairs which ran alongside a sizeable hole in the roof. Ahead was an enclosure with wide double doors on which two thick metal handles were fastened. The mistress grasped the left handle while Brian took the other. Together, they heaved the giant wooden doors open and revealed the contents inside.

Melly’s brow furrowed as she was met with a large empty enclosure. Inside, the room was bare except for a thick layer of sticks arranged in a perfect circle. The room was completely open to the elements allowing the sun to illuminate the room in a warm glow. Melly’s eyes drifted over the branches and was surprised to see thousands of tiny golden sparkles amongst the wood.

“Are you ready?” Mistress Maim asked her.

“Ready for what?”

The young woman produced a tiny gold whistle from around her neck and blew into it.

A silent whistle? Melly wondered.

Wind buffeted as a large shape soared above. Melly turned her face up and was met with a flash of blinding golden light. With a wingspan twice the length of Nuecus' magical ship, a legendary golden bird swooped towards them. It resembled an eagle with elongated white feathers tipped in gold.

“Melly, meet Andy. A fully grown Alicanto!”

“A what?” Melly asked, admiring the amazing creature before her.

“Alicanto. A metal eating bird.”

Melly stared transfixed. The birds' eyes held a kind of intelligence she rarely saw in an animal. Dog may be able to speak but when it came to intelligence and wit, the happy whale was swimming at the bottom of the barrel.

“The Alicanto live solitary lives in a land far to the south. I can tell you it took a lot of effort to find him.” She said as she patted the Alicanto’s side.

“You said it eats metal?” Melly asked.

The mistress nodded, then said, “Gold and silver to be precise. He can eat normal food as well but prefers metals. Unfortunately, the more metal he eats, the heavier he becomes, and then he can’t fly.”

“Why’s that?”

The Mistress chuckled.

“When he eats gold and silver, his feathers turn into metal. As you can see from his plumage, he has not eaten any recently.”

Melly eyed the specs of gold in the giant bird’s nest and wondered how much Andy would have to eat to be grounded.

“Well anyway, since you 're one of us we should head out for a celebration!” the Mistress said cheerfully. “First let’s give you the hunter's mark then we will celebrate!”

Brian smiled, then jogged out of the cage and soon appeared with a rusty-looking animal claw brand. He tossed it to the yellow clad woman who caught it easily.

The mistress twirled the branding iron in her hands then said, “Let’s heat this bad boy and stamp ya really quick!”