A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Erik moved to knock on the door, but Naeku put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. One last thing had been bothering her from the conversation they just had.

"By the way," she began, frowning sternly, but with a hint of uncertainty. "In your little analogy, am I prey or predator?"

It was obvious what she thought of herself, but she wanted to hear if he agreed. She feared what he thought of her after the way she'd submitted to him.

With his fist hovering in front of the door, Erik glanced over his shoulder at her, a small grin on his lips. "A predator isn't necessarily dominant or submissive, Naenae. But they do confidently pursue whatever it is that they want. They stand on their own, and the only way they'll be subdued is if they allow themselves to be, because they'll happily fight to the death otherwise."

He winked playfully. "You, my little princess, are a predator. I simply tamed you, and you willingly submitted."

Naeku's frown melted; her spine straightened. Grinning proudly, she nodded and released his shoulder. Their bond told her the truth of his words. She didn't mind being a tamed predator, so long as he didn't consider her prey.

Chuckling, Erik turned back to the door and finally knocked on it. Nobuntu and Kudzai should still be ignorant of their arrival. After all, the palace rooms were soundproof, and he was essentially always covering himself and any companions in omnisense to protect them from being spied on.

After a few brief moments, the door flew open, and an obviously troubled Kudzai stood in the opening. He was a relatively handsome young man with dark skin, curly hair, and the signature yellow eyes of a werepanther. He was dressed in loose, comfortable clothes.

"Yeah—? Oh!" he cried out when he recognised the visitors.

He felt forced to take a step back. To be honest, his visitors were intimidating. Erik, in nothing more than a pair of harem pants, had his barrel chest on full display and his hands cupped behind his back as he smiled confidently. He was a little taller than Kudzai as well, which didn't help the poor man.

Meanwhile, Naeku stood next to him. She'd shrugged off her joy from Erik recognising her as a predator and now glared at Kudzai. In werepanther form, arms crossed in front of her chest, and covered by the impressive black and gold armour she'd received from Erik, her presence did not suffer next to him at all.

In fact, they looked perfect together. Erik was purposefully suppressing his third-rank aura, just to make sure he wasn't stealing the show—this was Naeku's moment, after all.

Naeku nodded gruffly in greeting. "Kudzai…"

"N— Naeku! I—" Kudzai stammered with wide eyes. In his surprise, he'd instantly lost many of the apologies he'd practised.

"Can we come in?" Erik interrupted him, still smiling. His tone wasn't rude, it was even a little warm. He made it sound like a genuine question, but there was a kind of force behind his words that most could not refuse.

And neither could Kudzai.

Gulping a little, he nodded and turned to let them in. He was no coward, but his confidence and willpower weren't particularly high. Plus, he'd seen Erik defeat his mother, who he viewed as a nearly unbeatable combatant. Basically, this man intimidated him.

"Thank you," Erik nodded calmly and stepped inside. Naeku followed. She was still glaring angrily at Kudzai, but a hint of sadness and anxiety slipped in. Kudzai didn't see it, but Erik could feel the emotions her anger was hiding.

Once inside, a frowning Nobuntu stepped out from another room. These guest rooms were more akin to apartments, or suits, as they comprised multiple rooms.

As soon as she noticed them, her eyebrows shot up. "Oh, Silver Emperor," she greeted with a nod of respect. Although not even Naeku yet knew of Nobuntu's enslavement by Erik and Elora, they had established a publicly respectful relationship by now.

She naturally noticed Naeku as well. At first, she parted her lips to greet her as well, but seeing the anger in her god-daughter's eyes, she closed them again. A sad light flashed through her eyes, but she quickly focused back on Erik again.

"What can we do for you?" she asked, her voice a little strained now. Her clothes were a little more regal than her son's—featuring a flowing white dress, adorned and cinched by golden jewellery and belts. Her hair was curled like her son's, but reached her shoulders. She also possessed the same Nubian skin and yellow eyes.

Erik's eyes lit up. She truly was a mature beauty, and perfectly capable of stoking his desires.

Pursing his lips, he quickly suppressed those desires before they made their way towards Naeku through their bond. He didn't think she'd appreciate it. At least, not right now.

He focused back on the matter at hand. "For me? Not much," he smiled, glancing back and forth between Nobuntu and Kudzai. "But, I believe the two of you still have something to talk about with Naeku, do you not? She's entering a time of training soon, so this might be your last chance for a while… or ever."

Mother and son widened their eyes. Kudzai became nervous, and even the usually domineering Nobuntu started fidgeting a little. They understood Naeku wasn't in any danger, but that this might be the last time she'd agree to meet them like this.

Instantly, a small green light pulsed on her wrist. Erik instantly realised she'd used the sigil they gave her last night to put the recording armband in an illusion. Naeku and Kudzai were far too preoccupied to notice.

Nervously, Kudzai stammered something, seeing his chance. "N— Naeku, I—"

"Shall we sit? Please?" Nobuntu interrupted her son with a gentle tone directed at Naeku. At the same time, she send her son a stern glance. 'Gather your thoughts first', she seemed to tell him in that moment.

Fortunately, Kudzai seemed to get the message and nodded quickly. His eyes never left Naeku, filled as they were with regret and the despair of knowing you might have lost your best friend forever.

"Hmpf," Naeku snorted. "Fine."

She was clearly trying to express a 'let's get this over with' mood, but Erik could feel the rising sadness and unexpressed anger behind the façade. He sighed inwardly… and hoped this would work out.