The Wolf Mage

The Town of Ethium

My eyes finally opened as sunlight poured through the window. I yawned, and realized Erza was laying beside me. I lay against the back of the couch with her on the edge beside me. She was curled up like she was last night beside me. Her frown was gone as if she were more at ease. A snort of amusement caught my attention. In realized I couldn't hear Brad's snoring any more. I looked in his direction to see he and Cody were awake.

"Dude I heard her get up last night and lay next to you" Cody whispered. He and Brad were trying to laugh.

"What I tell you man?" Brad whispered, failing at trying not to laugh. I held back an irritated snarl back to keep Erza from waking up. Gradually I noticed Erza waking up, and I faked being asleep. She patted my head softly.

"Sleep well Erza?" Brad chuckled. I felt her pull her hand back.

"Shut up" she replied sheepishly. Erza stood up, and shook her head disapprovingly.

"You're a terrible liar and faker" she said. I cracked an eye open. She knew I was awake. Brad and Cody laughed. Gray groaned irritably,

"Cody shut up" he complained, and sleepily threw a pillow at his twin brother. Cody who was sitting up was hit, and fell over out of bed.

"Ow" he whimpered as he picked himself up. Hunter and Tyler who were awakening were now laughing.

"Damn you" Cody growled at Gray. Erza sat down on the other couch silently. Something was bothering her. I'd have to remember to ask her about it later. Cody and Gray stood near the door,

"Shhh" Cody demanded silence suddenly. My ears twitched, and my nose scented a slight alcoholic scent somewhere in the inn.

"There was a boat found on the shore, so just keep a lookout for anyone suspicious" I could hear a voice outside telling the guy at the front desk.

"Jeremy hurry up and shift back, we better get going" Hunter said. Once back in human form, and dressed I grabbed the copy of the Ethivo handbook. I had to finish reading it, so we could blend in better.

"Hunter what are you doing?" I asked curiously. He didn't reply. He gripped his metal gauntlet with the hidden dagger in it tightly.  He frowned as he gripped it tighter. The metal scrunched inwards with a crunching sound. The weapon disintegrated into fine metal sand. It reformed around his wrist into a metal bracelet.

"Is that your metal magic, metallokenises?" I asked. He nodded his head,

"This way at lead one of us is armed" He said. We left the room, and handed out key in. A lady from at the counter with the front desk guy eyes us carefully,

"You guys be careful, and you too missy. They think there's an Anovian spy running about" she warned.

"Honey, don't pester them with such worries. The police will take care of it" he told her.

"I don't give a damn about those police.  As far as I know they're enemy spies too" she protested quietly.

"What do you mean? You don't trust them?" I asked curiously. Before she could speak her husband stepped defensively in front of her.

"That's enough Rose" he snapped.

"Ryder" she protested, but he wasn't budging. He glared at us seven with fierce blue eyes. His wife, Rose, had a look of wonder in her own blue eyes.

"Listen, we're just simple inn owners. We don't want any more trouble with the police" the man said to us.

"Right, we'll be on our way" I said.

"Sorry to cause you trouble or concern" Cody apologized. Ryder's eyes fell on him, and they seemed to soften. He looked like he was about I say something, but he didn't.  We headed out, and as we did so Gray looked back at the inn.