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Over an hour later, I was thankful for the heavier armor. Falling on my rear hurt my pride worse than my body--though, it had happened enough times now that I was starting to feel the ache. The trails of bubblefoam soaked into the ground after a few moments, sure. Those were usually moments where I needed to move through them while Syreen pulled the imagined attention of the target.

Finally, I managed to time my steps right and go to one knee through the patch, sliding right into a perfect guard position.

Unfortunately, it was a few paces shy of where I needed to be. If the Astalos turned to attack Syreen, I'd be hard-pressed to get close enough to do any damage.

Puffy clouds kept the sunlight off us most of the time, but we were both panting by now. I didn't sweat as much as a human, which wasn't much comfort when I was still getting damp under my armor. Syreen's fins had a bluish tinge along their edges.

"Let's take a break," I said, folding my gunlance to stow it. "I need water and to air out my armor, and I think you need some food, if I'm reading the signs right."

Syreen tried to look composed despite an open maw. "I can keep going."

I wasn't about to let pride get in the way. "I know, but, we have plenty of time to practice and it won't do us any good to tire ourselves out." I pointed to the sky. "If we keep going and he comes down on us, we'll be in trouble."

"You're right," they said, fins folding back. "Sorry."

"It's okay." I shot them a smile. "It's hard to stop when we're starting to get better. Do you need to go back and get some food?"

"No, I think I'll catch a couple fish. A quick snack wouldn't hurt."

I nodded and started stretching to make sure my muscles wouldn't cramp up on me. I kept half my armor on and left the rest to air out, downed half a canteen of water, and then chewed on some sort of jerky-grain-berry mix that made up Guild rations. Syreen was downstream, occasionally snapping at the water. I kept one ear perked for the sound of wings--it wouldn't do to get ambushed with my figurative pants down.

It also let me hear Syreen coming closer, and I turned to wave them down. "How was the fish?"

"Not bad," they said, "just a few small bites. Enough to get my strength back--if you don't mind talking for a time while we digest?"

"I was just going to suggest it," I said, gesturing at the spot across from me. To my slight surprise, Syreen instead sat right next to me, curled in a crescent shape--their head fins in range to touch if I reached out. Aside from our contacts during training, it was the closest I'd gotten to them since the shared nuzzle the night before. I could see the blue fading back into yellow along the edges, and even see the hints of veins if I looked closely enough.

Syreen's eye was on me, I noticed. "You can touch if you want," they said. "Unless you're curious about something else?"

I was, but once again, I chickened out. The fin was warm under my fingers. It felt like a cross between stiff leather and the firm cartilage in my ears, though it didn't seem to have the range of motion of the latter. A soft thrum came with their exhale when I traced along the edge. I decided to be bolder; if I was going to be feeling them, I might as well make it count. That Syreen started to make sounds somewhere between a purr and a pleased growl as I caressed the fins and traced the ridges on their head, well, how could a wolf help that?

"Training canceled," Syreen muttered after a couple minutes. "Let the Astalos have my territory."

I tried not to laugh. "That good, huh?"

They looked less like a fearsome monster and more like a Felyne fresh from a spa day, and I hadn't even moved past the top of the head. "It's... been a while since I've been pampered like this." An azure eye focused on me. "I hope I'm not imposing?"

"Only in battle," I joked, and it took a moment before Syreen snorted and bumped me with the edge of a fin. "Is it odd to say I'm enjoying this, too? Just... getting to be close to a very magnificent being, not just touching but_talking_, like there's hardly any difference between us at all?"

A smile crossed their muzzle. "It doesn't hurt that you keep flattering me, you know. I wish I could repay you."

I patted their neck. "Maybe after we're done practicing, you can show me a good spot to bathe? I'd hate to go to bed all matted and smelly."

Syreen's head tilted, and then the muzzle turned, nostrils flaring. My ears went back; I hoped I wasn't starting to offend.

They flattened further when Syreen leaned in, pressing their nose to my chest and taking in a breath. First short, a brief caress of warmth at the start of an exhale, and then a longer inhalation. My tail wasn't sure whether to go rigid or start wagging, and my heart was starting to pound.Do they know what this means with my people? No, they couldn't, I thought. They'd certainly have asked permission before doing something so... intimate.

Syreen withdrew and lifted their head enough to get more level with my eye. "You don't smell bad to me."

I swallowed through a dry mouth. "Thanks." Hopefully my voice didn't sound as unsteady as it felt.It's just curiosity. Syreen doesn't know that was borderline foreplay for wolves. You got a casual scent off just about anyone you met, of course, but getting so_close..._ It didn't help that my own nose was being graced with fresh rain and cherry wood, and that same floral-adjacent scent that seemed to come from the bubblefoam. The kind of scent I wouldn't mind leaning in and getting more of.And yet, there's so much I still don't know.

Their gaze was searching, and I felt my question of earlier coming to my mind. "There's something else you want to ask, isn't there?" Syreen murmured.

I opened my mouth, closed it, and tried to approach the topic gently. "I have to admit, beyond obvious cases like Rathian and Rathalos, I, um, have a hard time distinguishing male and female for a lot of species."

"Does that affect your hunting?"

"No. I mean, it can," I said, trying to fumble after words. "In this case I guess it doesn't? Not for the hunt, anyway. I, I guess to be honest, I don't know that I can distinguish different Mizutsune, either."

Syreen's eye didn't leave mine, even when a smile spread on their muzzle. "Oh, you want to know how to tell if the next Mizutsune you meet is my gender?"

I hoped a deadpan look would transcend the difference in species. From the glitter in their eye, it did. "You're toying with me, aren't you."

"I wasn't planning to, but you're dancing around the question you want to ask."

I was, and I kicked myself. I should have known better. "Okay. I have to admit, I don't know if you're male, or female, or... I want to be more accurate than thinking of you as 'they.' Unless you'd prefer that."

"Ah, I see," Syreen said, facing me more fully. "The choice is between 'he' or 'she.' What were you guessing I was?"

"Um. I didn't want to assume--"

Syreen chuckled and leaned a little closer. "Does the answer change how you see me?"

I shook my head.

"Then the guess doesn't matter, and I won't be offended if you choose wrong." Their head tilted and that smile grew. "Then again. Perhaps we make it a wager?"

"A bet? What, on if I guess right?"

Syreen nodded. "If you win... how about a vial of pure bubblefoam? I was planning to gift one to you after this, actually, so I'll make an extra one the prize if you want to wager."

"Okay," I said, frowning, "but if I lose?"

Now the grin was showing teeth. "Oh, you'll still get the one vial. The rest will be all over you, and I get to play with you until it wears off. At least a few minutes worth of fun."

I blinked. Blinked again. I'm pretty sure if Roy was here he'd be crowing_"I told you so, meownster hunter!"Except, I could turn this down, couldn't I? I'd probably still get one vial. Was a 50/50 shot at potential humiliation worth... you know what, it was. Because it wasn't a 50/50 shot. I was a hunter. I could make an_educated guess.

Still, more information never hurt. "Do I get a hint?"

Syreen tilted his, or her, head. "I'm tempted to say no... but, why not? How do you think male and female Mizutsune differ?"

I'd seen the one, not that it had stayed still long enough to tell, and the bits I'd read floated back into my mind. "Um. Shorter and less colorful fins for females, that's usually how they tell the difference."

"Generally true," Syreen said, slowly shaking their head as if showing off those fins. They did seem shorter, the yellow-gold a little more muted. Maybe that was just a trick of the light?

"I mean, your fins do look beautiful, no matter what."

"Flattery won't get you extra hints, clever hunter." Syreen smiled. "And the size?"

"I haven't gotten the first hint yet. And, I don't know." I held up my hands. "I've learned not to question the size of either a man's nor a lady's assets."

"Ha! And you said you weren't diplomatic," they said. "So, you just appreciate the assets?" With no less grace than they'd shown on the practice field, they reclined on their side and sprawled out. The ruff of purple fur on their chest stopped at the midriff, giving way to pearly scutes from belly to the start of the tail. Each one went from side to side, framed by purple fur, and were as wide from top to bottom as my hand. Syreen's eyes were on me as I studied, though I wasn't sure why their smile bordered on sly until their hind leg lifted and moved back.

I shouldn't have looked. The motion drew my eye, that was my excuse. Were the scutes between the legs naturally clefted, or was that a slit? I could probably tell if I leaned in closer.

Syreen's smug expression greeted me when I tore my eyes back up to them. "So, between complimenting the assets of females or males, which do you prefer?"

"I couldn't choose a favorite," I said. "I like both."

"At the same time?"

I snorted. "If I were so lucky. What about you?"

"Hm, I do enjoy one more than the other."

I raised a brow. "And do you prefer the same sex, or the other?"

Syreen flashed a quick grin. "Clever hunter. I'll say I enjoy males," they said, "and that size isn't everything. I like that you compliment my fins."

If that was the hint, I'd have to work with it. Would a female Mizutsune enjoy being looked at? Admired? I wouldn't be surprised.Size isn't everything was something of a giveaway, too. And, though I was NOT going to look at the slit between those scutes, that was perhaps something of a hint as well.

_Is Syreen coming on to me? Would that even work between us?_If Syreen was female, that would explain the flirting.

I tried to focus. Syreen was clever. Clever enough to know_female_ was the obvious answer, and to play with my expectations. Just because the fins looked shorter than illustrations and the one I'd encountered didn't make the decision a given: the Gift did make their entire body smaller, after all. Nor did the slit mean female. Plenty of monsters kept their organs internal, especially one that slid around as much as a Mizutsune would.

I was overthinking. I needed to decide. My gut answer said_female,_ but Syreen had a rather impish streak. _He_would love to trip me up.

"Male," I said.

Syreen chuckled. "Is that your guess?"

My heart sank. I'd guessed wrong... Unless. Clever, sly. Of course he'd try to change my answer. "It is." I was going to commit. "Was I right? Or will I find out later?"

He tilted his head. "I could tell you now. But, I do like your idea." A smile graced the foxy muzzle. "After we beat Astalos, I'll tell you. Then we can celebrate... or_I_ can celebrate."

I had to grin at that. "You're a wily one, Syreen. It's a bet."

His fins flicked outward as the smile grew. "So, back to training?"

"Back to training," I said, reaching for my armor, "though let's ease into it. I have a couple ideas for letting us attack together, and I want to walk through them before we go full speed."

"A good practice technique," Syreen replied. "Lead on when you're ready, clever hunter."

It took some repositioning and creative thinking to put my thoughts into action, helped by Syreen having familiarity with how the Astalos moved and attacked. We hardly had its patterns memorized or anything. It was enough to know that if it lunged, Syreen could dodge and I could brace my gunlance; or, if it tried to take to the air, Syreen could knock it down with a water beam while I charged in for a full Wyvern Fire blast.

Morning crept into afternoon, and we stopped for breaks rather often to keep watch on the sky, and occasionally longer for bodily needs and food. We decided to keep it slow, as if we were practicing steps for a dance instead of rehearsing the whole motion. And with him, it certainly felt like dancing. If it weren't my job to turn from fulcrum to his lever, or hammer to his anvil, I'd have felt clumsy and awkward.

The afternoon shadows grew long as we rehearsed a combination attack: if we staggered the Astalos, Syreen would pivot and hit the target with a punishing tail slam while I went in to jab while he was stunned. If we had weeks to train we could have turned into quite a formidable team, anticipating each other's movements and keeping an opponent permanently off-guard. As it stood, we had enough time to learn the basics and a few cooperative maneuvers.

It would have to be enough.

"Unless he wants to attack at sunset, I don't think he's coming," I said, studying the sky. It had been clear all day save for scattered clouds. "I'm going to go check if the temporary camp is set, if you don't mind?"

"I don't," Syreen replied, nosing my shoulder. "I'll be fishing, and I'll yell if I run into trouble."

"Same." It was a quick jog past the 'home' clearing and down the path. Sure enough, a blue tent stood securely staked down between two large rocks, with a firepit set up at a reasonable distance. A few noisemakers and scent-sticks made up a rough perimeter; it wouldn't deter everything, but at least it'd give me warning if something stampeded through in the middle of the night.

"Thanks, Roy," I said aloud, ears swiveling for any_nya_s. He'd probably scampered off as soon as the little post was completed. I checked for supplies and found a few I hadn't brought with me or gotten from the crate; nothing major, just little quality of life things. I grabbed the brush and a camp towel before heading back up the path.

Syreen was indeed at the water's edge where he'd been fishing before, though this time there were a couple silvery shapes on the rock beside him. I called out a greeting before stripping down to my smallclothes to let my armor air out.

The water, of course, was cold. I splashed some on the parts of my fur where the sweating was the worst and then tackled the matted spots with the brush. I tossed the damp piles of shed fluff into the nearby underbrush; let some bird or rodent make a nice little nest from it.

Syreen's footsteps, while not loud, were easy to hear as he approached. I turned my head enough to see him drop a small pile of fish by my gear. "Not taking a bath?"

I shrugged. "Just grooming, I might bathe later. Plus I didn't want to jump in the water while you were sticking your mouth in right downstream."

"Ah, very courteous," Syreen replied, settling on a patch of moss near the bank. "I caught some dinner to share, if you like fish?"

My mouth watered. "Oh, I do. Especially fresh fish. I have a meat spit in my gear to help cook it."

"Mine is, well, me-sized. I can cook all of them at once." Syreen licked his lips and purred, "It's probably why the Astalos wants my territory. He smelled the roasting fish."

"That'd do it," I said, chuckling. "But, you caught the fish, it's only fair that I cook them. Unless you'd rather?"

He curled his tail around his side. "You're very generous. And your camp?"

I smiled. "Set up down the slope from your home. It should only take me a couple minutes to put my armor on if he attacks first thing in the morning."

"Good. I can stall him for that long, at least." Syreen glanced at the sky. "Though I hope we're better prepared."

"We're as prepared as we will be, though more practice never hurts." I finished the last of my perfunctory grooming, stowed the brush, and glanced at both my armor and the fish. "Hm. I should probably put my armor back on."

"You don't have to," Syreen said--was he looking me over? Before I could be sure, his gaze turned back upwards. "Then again. Maybe it would be better to be safe."

I nodded and set it out like I would in the tent, took a breath, and then worked through the process as quick as I dared. Greaves, boots, chest, arm guards, reinforced gauntlets for taking hits through a shield or the gunlance, and then helm as I stood and moved around to check if I'd missed any straps.

Syreen was openly staring. "That was impressive. I've never seen hands move so fast."

I could put on the helm on the move, so I held it under my arm instead. "Practicing. I usually have the luxury of time." My ears flattened as a grimace crossed my muzzle. "I should be faster."

"I don't see how," he said, shaking his head.

"Those extra moments will seem like eternities when you're fighting. I'd hate to leave you in harm's way while I'm fiddling with buckles."

The slender muzzle touched my shoulder, then the snout brushed my cheek. I wasn't sure whether to shiver or lean into the touch. "I will hold him off," he murmured. That voice was melodic, even at nearly a whisper, and the warmth of his breath sank into my fur. "At the worst? I will soften him up so you can charge in and rescue me."

I chuckled and tried to keep my ear from twitching at his touch. "You make it sound like I'd be a valiant knight rushing in to save you."

"Wouldn't you be?" His muzzle was right against my pointed ear, the near-whisper turned husky. "Rescue me, oh noble wolf, and I will give you any reward you desire."

"You tease," I said, laughing off my heart thudding in my chest. I patted his muzzle like I was batting it away, and Syreen snickered as he pulled back. What I would_not_dwell on was why that murmur had me stirring in my sheath. Give me_any _reward...

It was just a coincidence. It had to be. Maybe I was remembering a game I'd played with a past lover.

Sure, and there's no other reason.

"Back to camp?" Syreen said, as if we'd just been discussing the weather. "I'll carry the fish."

I swallowed and tried not to look like a broken marionette when I nodded. "That, uh, sounds good. Lead the way?"

Syreen picked up the fish in his mouth, carefully carrying them by their tails, and padded forward. The long, fluffy tail brushed me as he passed me. Accidental?_Keep thinking that._The sway of that tail was as graceful as the rest of him--I was just following. Under no circumstances was I waiting for that tail to rise or move aside enough to...

To what, Genbi? Are you seriously going to rationalize away the hints he's been dropping? If these were tracks, even a novice hunter could follow them.

Another part of me tried to do just that. He's just a tease. There's no way a wolf and a Gifted Mizutsune could do anything intimate. Two legs, four legs. Not compatible.

Then why are you starting to imagine it?

Unfortunately, the part of me that remembered we have a job to do won out for the time being. It wouldn't hurt to be friendly with Syreen. Maybe... more? Whatever_that_ would look like. Eventually. But not when we were under threat; even as the sun was setting, there was an element of risk.

Chores proved an excellent distraction. Syreen's fire spit was, indeed, Syreen-sized. The handle to turn it seemed oddly shaped until I realized it would fit his clawed forepaw. Some blacksmith had put pride in their work, not that I'd known many who didn't. I made a quick dash to the camp while he set it up and got a fire going. After sniffing a couple of the spices, I was restraining a giggle fit from how wide his pupils were getting.

It seemed that, whether from species or Gift, we shared an affinity for flavor.

The fish sizzled nicely on the spit once we got good cooking coals ready. Three of them went to him while I took the smallest of the catch--which was still nearly the length of my forearm. A good, hearty meal once I scaled and deboned it.

Syreen looked up from blowing on the steaming fish, and his fins folded back. "I can go somewhere else to eat. It's probably not the best sight."

I shrugged. "Eating doesn't bother me, unless you send little bits flying everywhere." From his snort, I guessed that was a no. "Nobody looks good while eating. If you don't mind me, I won't mind you."

"Thank you." Syreen resumed blowing, and I settled in to clean my meal. From my peripheral vision I could see him bite into one of the fish. At worst, I expected a crack or two from bones breaking between those admittedly somewhat fearsome jaws. I would have to strain to hear the quiet crunches from him chewing. He seemed a daintier eater than I was. Maybe I was just used to eating with my own kind, where our long muzzles and shorter lips than a human or Wyverian meant rather more open chewing. Used to being careful among others, to take small nibbles of bites rather than tearing off mouthfuls of meat.

It was nice to relax and just eat.

Darkness fell, held at bay only by the light of the embers in the fire. "Thanks again for the food, Syreen," I said, scooping the scraps of my meal together to dump in the forest. "And for the company. I'll see you at first light tomorrow?"

Syreen smiled and touched his muzzle to my shoulder again. "Hopefully not sooner. Sleep soundly."

"You too," I said, and held the eye contact a moment longer before turning back towards my tent.

One detour to drop scraps and relieve myself later, I stripped out of my armor and smallclothes. Good grooming and regular trims kept my fur short and moderately presentable even after a whole day of wearing various bits of gear atop it. Of course, there were bands in the fur where the straps had lain over the taut fabric. No avoiding that. But, aside from the edge of fatigue after a day of mild to moderate exercise, I wasn't cramped or... well, I did have a little bruising from repeated falls and dropping to brace stances. An Immunizer to speed healing went down bitter; but, better a moment of discomfort than a morrow of soreness, or so one of my mentors was fond of saying.

For the second night in a row, all that was left was sleep.