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The Barrowisle city hall was unusually quiet.

The quietness was soon disturbed by the footsteps of an angry black-and-white husky brisking in the corridors, files in his hand. The husky had a scowl on his face, not caring about his rather flushed appearance. Despite being the mayor of the city, he was right now wearing a messy t-shirt and a pair of trousers, barefoot.

He took a turn, then went into an office with a panther inside, who was sitting on one of the seats in front of the desk. Glaring at him, the husky smacked the files onto the desk and growled, putting his hands forward. "Explain." He said, gritting his teeth.

The panther on the seat didn't appear disturbed by his intense emotion. He simply sighed and facepalmed, showing his age and his own tiredness. "It's going to be a long story."

"Fucking explain thyself, Giuseppe!" The husky barked, not at all afraid of the panther's bigger and taller figure.

"Mr. Kalnietis, sit down first. I'll tell you abo--"

"Don't bloody 'Mr Kalnietis' me!"

The panther took another deep breath and looked at him. "Fine. Elias, sit down first."

Sitting down on his seat, Elias angrily pushed the files to Giuseppe. The panther only glanced at it briefly before pinching the base of his snout. "This is all just one big misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?! Told thou to thyself what thy petty little operation has done?! Thou made an all-lands headline in my city! Not only that, thou wounded unsinful folks! We agreed that thou will keep thy operation out of sight and stay under!"

"I know, I know, listen to me first."

"Thou have five minutes to make this clear to me!" He barked.

They stared into each other's eyes. Elias didn't care that he lost his composure. Mishandling of this incident could cost him his career, his reputation, and even his life. All that was on his mind right now was how to handle this with the least risk possible. Everything must be carefully considered.

"I am really sorry about what happened." Giuseppe started. His formal, diplomatic tone annoyed Elias even more. "It wasn't my intention. I didn't even approve this operation. To put it simply, the branch in this city was... had a misunderstanding and decided to act on its own. That I approved, to act on their own I mean, but I never thought they'd go as far as to do this kind of thing."

"Now answer to it!" The husky retorted, tail thrashing around. "We have ten people in the hospital! The city's reputation could be damaged! Hell, I'm very sure the inland military is on their way here right now!"

"This isn't terroris--"

"The folks may think so! Think about it, it's a shooting... a few days before Christmas..." He gripped his face, his ears going down in frustration. "What in _hælergard_did you even do?!"

The panther ran his fingers over his head fur in exasperation. "That is classified information."

"I'm sure those ten wounded people would love to hear that." Elias said sarcastically, sneering.

Giuseppe growled softly at him.

The husky didn't flinch at that even though he was smaller compared to the panther. "Very well. Keep thy runes. I want that thou take care of this."

"Would you mind watching your tone?"

"Would you mind fucking telling me what is going on?!"

"That's what I--"

The door then opened and another husky went inside. "Dada, í--"

"I'm sorry, Vilkas." Elias cut him with an exasperated tone, not looking at his son. "We're having a weighty meeting right now. Would thou mind leaving us for a few more minutes?"

The blue-and-white husky didn't answer right away, but his tail went from still to waving gently to thrashing madly. He then answered in an offended tone, "Dad, I'm fucking 24 years old. I have a job. Treat me not like I'm gonna do shite."

The older husky's ear twitched and he turned his head at him. "Höd þín spre--"

"Thou'rt one to talk." Vilkas retorted. "I'm just here to tell thee that mum's been looking for thee. Oh, and I've sent back the money thou gave me." His tone turned condescending. "I have no need of thy money." Then he closed the door back with a loud thud, leaving them in silence.

Elias sighed in frustration. The noise lessened the stress on his mind and the silence afterwards allowed him a moment to recollect himself.

Surprisingly, Giuseppe chuckled a bit. "Your son?"

"Yes."

"He's a troublesome one, I take it?"

"More than you know." The husky took a deep breath. He really should calm down a bit. This whole incident had been keeping him occupied. Sometimes, Giuseppe tended to give him more headaches than he could handle.

As he took Giuseppe as a good friend, he already knew so well about the panther's firm demeanour. They had known each other since long before he decided to run for mayor, even before he even had any political aspirations. Most of the time he really appreciated it since the panther could be as reliable as a rock, and he would always stay true to his word.

Despite the panther's out-of-the-law drug trafficking operation, of course.

He reached for a bottle of water in the corner of the table and gulped its contents down, wiping his mouth. "How is your son anyway, Giuseppe?" He asked the panther, returning to speak in standard English as he took his composure back.

"He's... unwell." The panther sighed. "He's one of the victims."

Elias looked up. While that was unfortunate, that ought to teach him something. "Play stupid games, earn stupid prizes."

Giuseppe glared at him. He was used to that, so it didn't give the desired effect. The panther then huffed and wiped his face. "I know, which is why following his recommendation, I'm dissolving the operation in this city."

"Good to know." He sighed in relief, but then he noticed something. "Wait, his recommendation? Is he involved or something?"

"...yes, I've been involving him in this city."

Hearing that, Elias facepalmed. "Giuseppe, what the fuck? How old is he?"

"He's... about your son's age."

"Dieve mano."

"It is my intention to familiarize him with the business he will one day inherit." The panther said in defence.

"You have a restaurant!_Why don't you teach him that! Why do you teach him to be a fucking _drug trafficker boss?"

Giuseppe crossed his arms and growled. "I know what's best for my family."

"And I know what's best for my city." Elias growled back, then noticed what the panther said. "Wait, you said you dissolved the operation in this city?"

"Yes." He grunted. "Octaviano recommended it."

"I'm very sure him being one of the victims was a strong drive."

That made the panther bare his fangs.

Elias continued. "But, that's a good step. Now, I want all perpetrators jailed."

Giuseppe denied that quickly. "I cannot do that. I granted them legal assistance in case they got caught."

"And who allowed you to do that?" The husky narrowed his eyes.

The panther didn't answer.

Gripping his head, Elias groaned. "Fuck you and your lust for money."

"And you don't?"

"I like to keep my efforts to the right side of the line of law."

"You shan't obey what you don't follow."

"And you shan't bloody slack off when we're explaining the guide." He growled.

"Strong words for someone who does whatever it takes for his own ambitions, _whatever_it takes."

They often disagreed on many things, but they always kept each other's word to each other. Sometimes, Elias questioned himself whether this arrangement was beneficial. "You know what, fine. Keep fucking with them all you want as long as_neither me nor the police nor the military _nor the government knew who they were."

"I assure you, we are still a secret."

"And watch them! Having them 'cooperate' with the police is already bad enough. Make sure they don't do anything funny or I will deal with them myself. You don't want me to do that, yes?"

Elias knew Giuseppe didn't want that. By doing that, his entire operation would be known, and, in turn, his family could be known. As much as the panther kept it a secret from pretty much everyone, there was always a possibility that their connections would be known.

The husky snorted; such was the nature of playing outside the fences of law.

Giuseppe nodded at him, expression flat. Having worked with him for so long, Elias could tell that he was wary.

"Okay, thank God you're done." Elias finally let out a sigh of relief. This incident wasn't done, he knew that, but at least he got one problem, which had so many more implications, done. "Now, is there anything the city council could do with your unlicenced drug trafficker rehabilitation and reintegration programme?"

Giuseppe glared at him again.

"Or you want to do it yourself?"

"Dio mio, Elias." The panther wiped his face and sighed exasperatedly. "You really don't need to smack it right back at my face all the time. Yes, I might need some help. I believe they're all capable of reintegration. I had personally instructed them to recruit young men who never had any experience in drug trafficking."

"You are so fucking twisted. Teaching children to traffic drugs?!"

"No, not children! And I did that with a reason. That way, I could teach them that this is just a job. That's it, just a job."

"You left the part out when you said they have to pledge allegiance to your family."

"I'm getting there!" He snarled. "I always make sure they know what they're getting into. I told them that this is an illegal operation. I told them that they're selling illegal substances and doing illegal business. I told them that they had to keep a low profile at all costs. As for loyalty, it ensures that everyone has the same vision."

Elias watched him intently.

"What they do depends on what I decide. If I decide to stop, they must stop or risk betraying their loyalty. Such an act of disobedience will be taken care of discreetly."

He was disgusted by that, but it made sense. Loyalty was such a dangerous thing.

"Now, my son is planning to open a restaurant here in Barrowisle. Some of the ex-members joined him. I fully trust Octaviano to do it and to lead them because I know they would follow his words. As for those who didn't join, I grant them pardon and I give them a residence for five years to integrate back into society."

"Excuse me, what the fuck?! No rehabilitation?! Are you out of your mind?!"

"That's where the loyalty comes back again. I told them that they're watched all the time, so I have hand-picked several of them to be the guards. One wrong move and I will take care of them." Giuseppe said sternly. "They must obey. Once they sign the contract, there is no turning back."

Elias put his face on his hands again. "In other words, you're making them your slaves."

"Aren't all workers slaves to their labour?"

"At least they had the freedom to put their loyalty on another." He sighed and drank the water empty. "You know what, fine. Do that. As long as they're not a nuisance to society. You take care of them. Our business isn't done. If I heard even one word about your men causing unrest, I will deal with them myself."

They went silent for a bit after that agreement. Elias wasn't fond of that, but he would do everything to keep the city safe. Barrowisle was one of the most welcoming cities in the country and he wanted to keep it that way, even by... unorthodox means.

Unorthodox did not mean unlawful, though.

"Speaking of, do you need help with the public at large?" Giuseppe asked him, this time in a much calmer tone.

Elias huffed. "Not as of now. I told the police to scout the city for the next two weeks and the district in which it happened for the next month. That should ease people's worries."

"How about the winter festival?"

"Right now, for the winter festival, all possibilities are still being considered." The husky crossed his arms. "Do know that if I find even one of your men, they would be processed by the police and I can't do anything about it."

"I know."

They went silent. Elias was rubbing his temple while Giuseppe was reading the files. This was so fucking stressful. Not only must he handle the public's opinion, but he also had to take care of the possible perpetrators. Yet, as the panther said, his operation in Barrowisle is dissolved. That alone meant so many of his worries were now gone. While his operation never really caused any problems, the increase in drug use, arrests, and loansharking made the husky's table even more full.

Wait,

"Speaking of, Giuseppe, you remember that massacre that happened about six or seven seasons ago?"

The panther looked up at him, not answering his question. The husky stared at him, more and more convinced that his silence meant he knew. Giuseppe then furrowed his brows.

That made the husky growl and say in repressed anger. "Elaborate quickly, if you still value our partnership."

---

For once, winter in Ausalt-on-Haye seemed nice.

Octo stared at the softly falling snow, at the small crystals falling so gracefully from the heavens. It was still very cold, but somehow it didn't feel as cold as usual. He rubbed his gloved hands with a smile, then turned back at the entrance of the supermarket as he waited for Nicholas.

A few minutes later, the tiger came with some bags of groceries. "I wasn't too long, was I?"

Octo just smiled as he led him into the parking space. "No, not at all."

Buying groceries with Nicholas was one of the best excuses to spend time with the tiger outside the house. They spent time in the house, sure, but most of the time, Nicholas had things to do. Being the butler of the household meant he had responsibility.

When he was outside, his responsibility was guarding Octo and keeping him company.

"It sure is hectic today." The tiger said as they got into the car. "I never really liked the holiday rush, especially today since tomorrow is Christmas."

"Me neither, and worst of it, some of the discounts aren't really discounts since some raised their prices and put a discount after that."

"Yeah."

They drove outside the parking space. The roads were lively as usual, people enjoying the cold air around them. Octo stared at the buildings passing by with a longing gaze. As usual, he spent Christmas at home. His stomach was a lot better and the scar had been fully closed, but the wound was still wet and the bandage needed to be changed every day. He also still wasn't allowed to let any liquid come into contact with it. The doctor said the fur might take two or three months to regrow.

Tom was a lot better now. He was still very concerned about the wolf, so thankfully Max was taking very good care of him. His wounds were in great recovery, too. They said Max's family was coming for Christmas and New Year, so he hoped Hans could help Tom at home, being a nurse and all. As for his relationship with the wolf, while it wasn't really improving, it didn't become even worse, either. For now, following the wolf's recommendation, it'd be best for them to not meet each other for a while as they process what happened.

Aside from all that, Ausalt-on-Haye seemed a bit nicer for now. For the four days he had been here, he had been enjoying his time. Joseph and his family invited him to lunch yesterday which he gladly attended. He thought it was going to be a formal lunch, but the white wolf assured him that it was just a regular lunch.

"I take it Mr Madison's lunch invitation was pleasing to you?" Nicholas asked him right when he was thinking of it.

He chuckled. "Do I smell jealousy from you?"

"Certainly not, sir. I just had lunch by myself yesterday." The tiger didn't look at him, but he could sense his amusement.

"Nico, you're 28 already. Go get a girlfriend." He looked at the tiger.

The tiger let out a sigh. "I wouldn't want to pursue anything that might intervene with my service to you."

"To me or to my family?"

"Er, to your family."

Octo laughed.

"That sounds gay. I don't like it." Nicholas gripped his forehead. "I'm sorry."

The panther shrugged it off. "It's fine, it's fine. Oh yeah, if you want, I could play matchmaker for you. Did you know that Joseph's younger brother is very beautiful?" He smiled, but then looked away. "Ah, right, she's a canine."

Nicholas' ears went down in embarrassment. "Thanks, but it's not necessary."

"It is necessary! I couldn't wait to hold Nicholas Junior in my arms. I'm sure they would be as cute as you."

He blushed. "I-I... uh... you're already of age, too. Shouldn't I be the one expecting little Octaviano?"

Octo just chuckled. "Marriage for us is complicated, so I'm still taking my time. Sometimes pragmatic reasons are more important than love."

"I'm... terribly sorry to hear that."

"It is what it is." The panther just shrugged. "Eh, stop by that 8-12. I wanna buy something warm. Do you also want some?"

"I might as well buy some things that weren't available in the supermarket earlier."

"Sure."

Nicholas parked the car in the available space and turned the engine off. Getting out of the car, they went inside and Octo went straight away to the hot beverages section. He knew he could just make one at home, but a hot drink in the car would be nice.

He was taking a paper cup when he noticed someone coming up right beside him. Right beside him was a wolf, a big wolf with red fur. Octo gasped a little when he noticed who the wolf was. The wolf himself was surprised, too.

«Octo?»

«Kevin?»

The emotions he had been holding back suddenly flooded his mind. He missed this wolf. They had spent so much time together, laughing, joking, enjoying each other's presence. He remembered the wolf sleeping in his arms. He remembered waking up to the wolf cooking some instant pasta for him. He remembered snuggling with the wolf in the morning as they basked in each other's warmth. He missed this wolf.

Yet,

He looked away as the more painful memories came back. They did not trust each other, even when they should. Kevin's hurtful words hit his heart like knives, as if taking all that he did for him for nothing. He always kept his jealousy to himself, thinking that the wolf would change if he only gave him a bit more time, that he knew that the feeling was mutual. And yet, Kevin did not take that seriously.

A bag of snacks dropped to the floor, making them flinch, and a customer excused themself and picked it up, putting it back on the shelf.

«Oh, um... _scusa--_I mean, sorry.»

«Yeah, er...» Kevin looked away, too. «So, um, well, 'sup?»

«I've been fine. You?»

«Y-yeah. Wuh... what are you doing here? I-I mean, in Ausalt-on-Haye?»

«I... I live here originally.»

«Well, um... h-how are you? I mean, y'know?»

«I'm fine now. Still in recovery but nothing hurts anymore.»

«Ah, that's very good.»

They went silent.

Well, dishonest no more. He wanted to tell Kevin what he felt. He wanted to be honest. «Kevin,» he said, and he felt the wolf turn to look at him. «I... I... I miss you, but you hurt me.»

For a while, the red wolf did not answer. The hum of the coffee machine between them sounded too loud, even Kevin's low whine surprised him. He looked up at the wolf; Kevin was staring at the cup as it filled. Then, he took a deep breath. «I miss you too, and, uh... I'm sorry...»

The machine finally stopped, beeping and alerting them.

Kevin closed his eyes, then rather reluctantly took the paper cup of hot coffee and its lid and said, «Uh, I'm taking one, so, um, well, see you around.» He said as he put the lid on. «Uh... my number is still the same if... if you... uh, y'know, wanna talk.»

«Yeah.» Octo just nodded. «Merry Christmas and... see you around.»

Kevin gave a small, rather awkward smile, then walked away.

With the wolf gone, Octo took a deep sigh, holding back the emotions within him. He took an empty paper cup, then put it under the coffee machine and pressed the button. Waiting for the machine to fill, he gave a deep sigh.

So many days he spent with that wolf. It started innocently, as usual. They were drunk that day, they were chatting easily in their own little world as the others faded into the background. Kevin was great to talk with. And as they talked more and more, trust grew, and with it, intimacy. He still felt honoured when Kevin trusted him to be his first. And, yet...

Octo closed his eyes. That smile was when it began. He... missed the warmth.

Nicholas' figure came into his view, making him look up. He saw the tiger moving his muzzle to say something, but he couldn't hear him because of the loudness of his mind. "Sorry, what?"

"That wolf, a friend, sir?"

The quiet moment was cut short by those words. Instantly, his mind went into overdrive again. He knew Nicholas meant no harm, but...

Yeah, they were friends now, and his feelings for the wolf painted such a beautiful picture of their relationship. He knew the painting was not as beautiful, and when he focused on one wrong thing, then a thousand more came into focus.

"Sir?" The tiger put his hand on his shoulder, making Octo jerk up and look at him. "Is everything alright?" Nicholas asked him, worry on his face.

Octo took another deep sigh, clearing his mind. He did not want to think. "Yeah, just..." The machine beeped. "He's my ex."

"Your... wait, what?"

He took the paper cup. "Yeah, my ex."

Nicholas looked at the red wolf outside who was leaving the minimarket, then turned to the panther. "Ouch, sorry."

Octo just huffed. "It's okay." He put the lid on, not interested in elaborating. He did not want to think. "Let's just pay." He said, leaving the painting unfinished.

Maybe he would visit and repair his relationship with the wolf when he finally had the chance... or more fittingly, when he finally had the courage.