I held out my arm for Tigra to take, she smiled at me placing her arm into mine. I was feeling quite nervous I didn’t think I’d ever been on a proper date with Tigra and well this place was new to me, perhaps I should have checked it out before coming, but being busy I had not been given the chance to do so.

“I think this is our first date since we confessed our feelings,” commented Tigra. “Sure, we’ve been out loads of times, or hung out but actually somewhere away from the city, not even dad will know we’re here.”

“I was just thinking about that,” I admitted as I pushed the door open to the place. The scent of cooking meat and fish wafting through the door made me drool. I gulped.

“Hungry,” she giggled.

A Vulpes at the counter smiled nervously when he saw us, bowing to Tigra. “Welcome, your…” I shook my head. “Welcome honoured guests, please come this way to your table.” He picked up two menus from a plinth by the door.

“He seems nervous.” Tigra had picked it up too.

“First day perhaps,” I shrugged following the Vulpes along.

Heading deeper the place was still lit by the light beaming through the large glass windows in the place where you’d expect walls, looking out felt different than looking in, felt relaxing, connecting with nature but inside.

The interior was elegant, dividing screens in places to provide privacy for those dining. The Vulpes took us past a few tables with guests, they glanced over recognising Tigra, mumbling to themselves. I could hear them wondering why the princess of Cathopia was here. I felt tension from Tigra, sure she acted tough, but she never liked the spotlight.

“Here we are.” The Vulpes pulled a screen to the side, to reveal what appeared to be a separate room, with the tree line beside it, I spotted a little stream flowing through the area outside. I caught a glimpse of Raziel flying through the trees, more having fun than what I had ordered him to do, but they needed some time for themselves after such a tough battle.

I guided Tigra to her seat, sliding it in before I myself sat down. Dad had not hesitated in giving me a huge pile of advice for a date with Tigra, but did I really need it, no.

“Can I get you any drinks while you decide on your meal?” He asked handing out the menus.

“Just water please,” said Tigra. I nodded in agreement, and he left.

Tigra opened the menu, an expression of surprise on her face. “Can you really afford this place?”

“What?” I opened the menu to see the prices. “Whoa.” I glanced over the menu seeing long words I had never heard of before, pictures of perfectly presented food, which surprised me, thinking of dad coming here being known as a Feral. “Dad came here.” The prices were also really high at two hundred gold coins to five hundred gold coins per meal, my funds were about to take a hit, but worth it for Tigra. “Order away my treat.” I smiled thinking the most expensive meal I’d paid for was fifty silver coins.

“You don’t have too,” she said.

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“No, I want to.” I encouraged her by looking through the menu. “I think I will start with this chicken poi…” I didn’t bother trying to say what it was called. When the waiter came back, I pointed out what food I wanted, while Tigra flowed through the words with no problem at all, just showed how different mine and Tigra’s upbringings were, sure we spent a lot of time together as children but never knew what she did when we were apart.

“It’ll be out shortly.” He left again, always pulling the screen closed so no one else could see us and I couldn’t hear much that happened on the other side either.

“What made you want to do this?” asked Tigra.

“Well, I have been neglecting my time with you lately and thought it would be nice to have some time with just the two of us,” I answered.

“You are silly, we spend plenty of time together, not like you can leave my side for very long now that you are my Guardian, keeping me safe, protecting me.” She held out her hands and I took hold of them. “How I wish I could give you the betrothal sword, but Dumah still has hold of it, where he has hidden it is a mystery as it cannot be taken out of the city unless it belongs to him, but as we both know I did not give it to him.”

“Alton has been improving since the increase in the number of my clan members, maybe he can ask for it back.” Tigra shrugged and I quickly changed the subject. “Today is about you and me, forget all that is out there, Raziel and Arata have us covered.”

“Alright,” she nodded.

Tigra and I enjoyed our rather expensive meal of which I was certain I could cook better in the wilds but in a way, this was me spoiling her. We spent hours just talking, laughing about childhood memories, she told me some things about Zack during his training with Gual, he was once scared of the dark, she also mentioned that she still hardly got a word out of Link even after talking his ear off with random questions, didn’t surprise me, he was cut off from his emotions and moving to Cathopia had been a lot noisier than his little village.

We drank this pleasantly tasting stuff, which was a gift for our visit, but my gut told me dad had something to do with it.

While the place emptied and light turned to darkness we chatted away, surprisingly Tigra never ran out of words to say. I cherished every word she spoke, every laugh that left her lips and smile that lightened my heart, she really was someone special.

I thought we might get kicked out, but the waiter said nothing, didn’t see him again until mornings light. Tigra and I had finished of two bottles of the tasty stuff, informed it was not alcoholic.

“Guardian Fang.” The screen shifted open. “I have a message here for you.” He handed over an envelope placed on a silver tray, a letter opener lying beside it.

I sliced it open and examined the content. It was from dad, urging me to return to Cathopia for a meeting of great importance, had something happened while I was away, surely nothing he could handle.

“Alex.” Tigra gazed at me.

“Dad wants me to return to the city for a meeting,” I explained.

“Home then.” Tigra stood up.

“Yeah.” I stood up reaching for my coin pouch, ready to count out an insanely amount of gold coins.

“No need to worry, the bill has been covered,” said the waiter. “Please come again.”

“Alright then.” I led Tigra out of the restaurant thinking who would have done that, but the only other Animalia who knew we were here was Brendan, dad, mum and definitely Athena. “Dad paid, the nerve.”

“Nice of him,” commented Tigra.

“Sure,” I sighed, my perfect evening with Tigra coming to an end.

I first returned Tigra to her room, with Dash on duty. Zack had made a complaint saying what the point of having the night off, when nothing is open and no one else is awake, I just laughed and went on my way to dad, I neglected to tell Tigra that it was also with Alton in the throne room, the words, ‘do not bring Tigra.’ On the letter, time to find out was going on as I headed towards the throne room with the lions walking beside me.