As the distant hilltops made way for the morning sun, the early rays of sunlight couldn’t wake Cairo from his restless slumber. Light alone wasn’t enough to wake this man from the comfort of a feathered bed. So, having Mooks sleep in the same room wasn’t the worst idea they’ve ever come up with.

Mooks jumped atop of Cairo, screaming and shouting to his heart’s content, “WAKE UP! WAKE UP!”

Despite the loudness of a wolf’s howl, Cairo barely managed to open his eyes underneath his furry brown blanket. “I’m up,” he said, his voice as gruff and sturdy as ever.

Mooks jumped back down on the wooden floor, smelling the fresh scent of morning dew creeping its way through the windows. “I can’t believe you had me sleeping in the woods this entire time when you had a room like this all to yourself.” Mooks raised a metaphorical eyebrow, considering he didn’t have any.

Cairo yawned, ignoring him. “What do you want to do for breakfast?”

Mooks gave him a puzzled look, “Well, let’s see… Usually, I’d spend the night hunting some poor animal. Then, I’d massacre them for us to eat, and you would do nothing except watch.” Mooks said, wryly. “Ring a bell?”

“Let’s hope Rina makes morning food.”

“So much for a thank you…” Mooks mumbled to himself.

Cairo got up from the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of trousers and white bandages circling his arms. Mooks didn’t want to look, as he knew it annoyed Cairo. However, seeing Cairo’s weathered body was a sight he didn't want to miss. Not because of any attraction, but rather an insight on bits and pieces from his past, which Cairo didn’t talk about much.

At the corner of his eye, Mooks managed to get an eyeblink of a glance at all the scars, wounds, and pain that covered Cairo’s body. It was like looking at a trail map, where a mark on the road was just another memory he didn’t want to return to. For Mooks, one glance was more than enough, so he gulped down the dryness in his throat and headed downstairs.

Shortly after, Cairo followed, wearing a dull expression underneath his beaten brown cloak. This lowly tavern didn’t cater to morning folk very well, and Cairo was used to leaving the tavern at the sight of dawn. This time, having the opportunity to look around, he stomped down the cracked stairs, hood on his shoulders and head firmly perked up. Not a single whisper nor soul lingered from the previous night of drinks and stories.

Cairo took a seat at his usual spot, looking around once again. He noticed things that haven’t really piqued his interest before. Like the bounty board, or even the tiny splits in the walls that had streaks of sunlight spilling through them. A few tables remained unclean, dripping with beer foam and leftover pieces of cooked chicken. This bar was a mess. An unorthodox mess.

The smell of freshly cooked eggs and burnt peppers filled the air like a desperate song. It was pleasant, but almost too much to handle.

Mooks came running out of the back room behind the bar, smiling and galloping onto the open stool next to Cairo. “Food is comin’ in hot!” He howled with excitement, his tongue dangling over his teeth.

Cairo sighed, relieved his usual breakfast wouldn’t be a pile of roasted deer meat. Even Mooks, who was a natural carnivore, felt an open hole empty in his stomach as he saw Rina carrying out the morning meals for them. Two plates, with two different meals.

She looks beautiful. Mooks thought to himself as he laid eyes on the seasoned piece of steak entering his tabletop territory.

She looks beautiful. Cairo thought to himself as he laid eyes on the girl walking out with the food.

Rina set out a plate of rare-cooked steak next to Mooks, and a plate of salted sunny-side-up eggs with veggies next to Cairo. “Eat up!” She beamed with her dazzling smile. “And don’t worry, it’s on the house.” She winked, walking back into the back room.

Before either of them were able to dig in, Oscar started thumping and pounding on the floorboards when descending from the stairs. His reasoning—none other than to wake up the others still sleeping—was to make a loud, thrilling entrance. He yawned, stretched, and cracked a few bones in his body that didn’t seem like they were supposed to be cracked so freely. Wearing nothing but a white linen top and a pair of belted trousers leading up to his midthigh, he took a seat next to Mooks like he’d known him for a lifetime.

“Hello stranger!” Mooks stuffed out his paw into Oscar’s face, “I don’t think we’ve properly met!”

“Aye,” Oscar yawned again, giving a gentle fist tap into the cushioned pads on Mooks’s paw. “Name’s Oscar. Get use’ to it.”

Mooks looked at his paw, unsure of what to make of the bumping fist gesture he received. Regardless, he smiled, taking it as a sign of friendship, or an awkward way that Worcester folk greeted each other. Either way, with a careful sniff, he couldn’t smell any hostility from the bandana-wearing man.

Rina came out with yet another plate of food—for Oscar—and another, and another. Soon enough, there were two other plates of scrambled eggs sitting alone in unoccupied seats. One had salt and pepper, and one had nothing but the cozy tavern air seasoning it to nothingness.

After a few moments, Cairo and Mooks began digging into their meals, while Rina and Oscar waited for the others to come down. Mooks thought they were religious at first, waiting to thank some worthless gods before they can eat. However, that assumption changed once he saw another person walking down the creaky stairs.

It was a boy, looking no older than twenty-years-old at most. His hair was blank white, almost like Mooks’s fur on a sunny day. He wore round, polished spectacles, had a clean face, and an expression of someone who thinks they’re too high and mighty to be living in a tavern such as this one. His clothes weren't particularly fancy in any way, but the linen in his shirt was far more expensive than anything else in the tavern.

“Who are these scoundrels eating our food at this early hour?” The boy said, gawking at Cairo and Mooks like piles of trash blocking his way.

Cairo ignored him, while Mooks did his best to smile again. “Hello sir! Very nice to meet you! My name is Mooks,” He gestured to himself, “This right here is my companion Cairo.”

Cairo gave the boy a look that sent a chill down his spine. That look alone was enough to shut him up, and Rina only continued Cairo’s remark. “Hey! That is no way to treat our guests, and soon-to-be fellow Guildmates.”

Rina gave Cairo and Mooks an innocent shrug, “I’m truly sorry. He’s a bit rude sometimes… That’s Faibel, he’s a little odd, but smarter than any man I’ve ever met.” She made a gesture for him to come over, signaling for him to be on his best behavior.

Faibel humphed, taking his seat next to the plate of unseasoned scrambled eggs. Spices and salt bit his tongue like a shark, therefore, three plain eggs and a glass of water was enough to suit his morning needs. He tied a white napkin around his neck, aligned his utensils, and readjusted his cup of cold water. “Where’s the bitch and the new kid?” He said, fixing his napkin.

Rina picked up a table cloth and slapped him across the face with it, knocking the napkin under his chin right off his neck. “No cussing!” She sounded like a mother, but she was far too young and careless to be one.

Faibel felt one of his cheeks light up with a hint of pain, giving Rina a look that’s too difficult to describe with words alone. It wasn’t a look of rage or anger. It was more of an embarrassed look as if he was a toddler who got his precious toy taken away. “Sorry,” He said as he picked up the napkin and tied it back around his neck.

Mooks and Cairo kept on the low, ignoring and trying to stay silent in this awkward situation. Luckily, their attention dragged onto the stairs again, where another Guild member made their entrance.

This time, it was a girl. She looked about the same age as Rina, early twenties at most. She had a red ribbon on her icy-platinum hair that showed a mark neither Cairo nor Mooks could recognize. It complimented her blood-red eyes nicely, giving her a vampiric sort of look. Her hair was tied in a fancy ponytail, with a few strands running down her cheeks, looking as if it was more for show rather than for comfort. Her left arm had a full sleeve of tattoos from a culture that wasn’t her own. Her face was pretty, young, and quite pleasing to look at. She had a pair of bed-clothes on, which only showed her lack of interest in waking up early. Her natural curves shaped her body perfectly, allowing her to be pleased on the battlefield, and the bedroom.

She had a few bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep, so she didn’t even notice Cairo or the fury beast right next to him. Instead, she just sat down next to Faibel, looking at her scrambled eggs as if she was looking at a pile of puke. “Can I just get a coffee?” She gestured towards Rina with a raspy voice, “No caramel. No sugar. Slight hint of milk and a pinch of Blue Lotus sprinkled on top. Thanks and hurry please.”

Blue Lotus was known to produce anti-aging properties when applied to a heated source. However, all it did was boost the effects of caffeine and raise your heart rate during any sort of activity for a while. However, this girl was not aware of such truths.

“Anything else sweetie?” said Rina, sarcasm biting down at her words.

“Hmm.. Can I also get-”

Rina cut her off by throwing a cupful worth of cold water in her face. “What was that? I couldn’t quite hear you.”

“Ahhhh!” The girl screamed, wiping the water off with a white tablecloth Rina threw at her right after.

Oscar started laughing, and the girl slapped him in the face for it.

Soon enough, all of them began fighting with each other. All of them except Mooks and Cairo, who patiently scooched themselves to the side and ate their delicious breakfast.

“ENOUGH!” A strong, masculine voice pierced through the bar like a bolt of lightning. “What’s going on here?!” Yelled a man from the entrance of the tavern.

The man wore large black robes that stopped at the tip of his ankles. A red line bordered most of the edges of his clothing, along with his sleek black boots. He had a faint stubble wrapped around his jawline, accompanied by a dismissive smirk and lawn-short hair on the top of his scalp. His fingers looked as if he'd crawled himself to hell and back, but the wounds on his knuckles said otherwise.

Oscar, the girl, and Faibel all quickly rearranged themselves into a proper seating posture, trying their best to look as innocent as possible. Rina however, didn’t seem fazed by the man’s appearance at all.

“Cairo, Mooks,” She made a swift gesture with her hand toward the man, “This is Kalvin, the Captain of our Guild.”

Mooks, like always, jumped out of his seat and ran over to Kalvin with intentions of making a new friend. “Hello stranger! My name is Mooks, it’s a pleasure to meet you sir!” He stuck his paw out, tongue swinging from side to side with steak grease gliding between his sharp teeth.

Kalvin gave Mooks a dry look at first, but kneeled down and shook his dirty paw regardless. “Nice to meet you Mooks. My name is Kalvin. Are you by any chance the visitor that Rina had mentioned earlier.”

“No sir. That would be my companion in arms, Cairo.” Mooks swung his nose towards the direction of the cloaked man by the table, giving Kalvin enough information to follow.

Mooks ran back to the table to finish his food with Kalvin approaching the cloaked man right behind him.

“So…” Kalvin started, “What makes you think you’re worthy of joining our Guild?”

Cairo set aside his fork, making a clunking sound as the fork hit the outer edges of the clay plate. He observed Kalvin for a moment, then spoke in a low voice. “Worthy? I’m worthy of nothing, and no one. My life is nothing but a meaningless mess that I can’t unravel.” He paused for a moment, observing recent interactions, then continued. “Take it as you may. I am only telling you the truth. All of you are searching for something? Correct? If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be here.” Cairo glanced around the blank faces staring back at him, “This jewel you all search for. A wish to be granted. You all want something, just like me. I too have a search, one that I’ll gladly give my life for.”

Cairo took his seat again, feeling the eggs enter his stomach like a fresh breath of air. “I’m not here to join some illusive Guild. I’m here to take a step forward, whether it’s in the correct direction or not. If you want me to leave, I will. But if you decide to do so, I’m afraid you will have to forget you ever saw me. And there’s only one way to do that…” Cairo gripped the butterknife on his plate, squeezing it as tight as a king’s sword.

“Leave?” Kalvin chuckled, witnessing the pain and anguish stirring inside Cairo’s eyes. “Who said I wanted you to leave? Another member is another adventure. I’m to assume you’ve met these knuckleheads already?” He gestured his gaze towards Oscar and the rest.

“Oh, I know!” Mooks answered on behalf of Cairo. “Let’s see…” He took his guesses from left to right. “Rina.” He yelped, she smiled and bowed. “Then it’s bandanna, Glasses, and Bitch!”

Rina and Kalvin burst out in a sea of dreaded laughter. Oscar laughed along with them, while the other girl and Faibel sat in silence, keeping their arrogance in place.

The girl with the ribbon bolted out of her seat, giving Mooks a death stare that didn’t seem to intimidate him in the slightest. She wrung out her wet clothes on top of his head, licked her finger and slid it across the remains of his steak. “Paris. Call me by anything else and you won’t live another day, dog!” She pouted, walking back to her stool like a queen to her throne.

Little did she know, the cold drops of water from her clothes managed to give Mooks a nice cold feeling beneath all his luxurious fur. The saliva from her mouth also added a delicious touch to his steak, making it even tastier.

Rina sat back down with her own plate of eggs, beginning her journey of satisfying her hunger. “You guys’ll get used to ‘em. They’re a little rowdy since they only got back a couple days ago.”

“A couple days ago?” Mooks questioned, “Where were they before?”

Kalvin did the honors of patting Mooks on the back and giving an evil smirk that would scare any child up past sundown. “We were searching for a passage. A passage that will lead us through the Black Sea! Although it’s more of an ocean rather than a sea. Whoever named it needs to rethink their naming patterns.”

Kalvin gave Mooks another pat on the back, feeling the softness of his fur intertwine between his fingers like loose strings of yarn. He then focused his attention towards Cairo, “We leave on the morrow. So in the meantime, tell me about yourself, Cairo.” He said with a tint of suspicion in his eyes. “You have quite the face of a man that interests me.”

“About myself...” Cairo said, sitting back down and taking a small bite of burnt pepper. “Where should I start?”