Fer.al Series #1 - The Rat Wall

Chapter 1: Here be Dragons

He remembered the cascade of minty green long bodies as they decended onto the land of City Fera.

He remembered how they entered the store he worked in, how their tails were twined.

He remembered how he loved them, how he feared them, how magical they are, how fascinated he is by them.

Dragons. Robin was ready - and not ready for them.

But he didn't think of the consequences they brought.

Some dragons were nice, like the one he first saw. Just like any other dragon, but smaller, and more pale. She had made his curiosity lead him out of his comfort zone, and he had spoken to her for the first time. But others weren't.

"I'm Minty, who are you?" The dragon had spoken to him, while he was...frozen in time. "Robin," he finally chocked out. "Oh, my dear little foxee, don't be so shy! Not all dragons are like those Wingwatchers that prowl every corner looking for kitsunes and senris disobeying the curfew." "Curfew?" "Yes," Minty's eyes darkened. "Now, every night, Senris are only allowed to go out from 5pm to 7pm, kitsunes from 7pm to 9pm, and the rest is for dragons."

"That's so unfair!"

An angry voice rang from behind Minty as the dragon spun around to see its owner. A pale pink Senri was there, her limbs outstretched as if she might pounce at any moment. Her back legs were full of white stripes, as if she had natrual stockings on. Yellow swirls danced on her back. She snarled. "Well, well, well, Robin, who do we have here?" Minty swirled back. But before Robin could respond, the Senri bared her teeth at Minty and said,

"I'm Lillie Nicket, best friend of Robin over there, and nothing can stop me from going out with him!" The Senri swished her powerful tail around and Robin feared that she could knock out Samira, another worker at Fera Fashions, who is not a mythical creature like himself or Lillie.

Lillie is the only one residing at Fera Fashions who doesn't work there. Of course, sometimes she did, like helping Robin sort out a huge pile of materials. Mostly she doesn't work. Lillie is Robin's friend, whose house was taken over by a squadron of Wingwatchers and have to stay with Robin at Fera Fashions. Andrulian Fawnlynn, the shopkeeper, doesn't mind her, unless she's burning down the shop, something that well-behaved Lillie never will do.

Lillie's element is fire, unlike Robin's, which is nature. They did go into fights with each other when they were young, and Lillie would always win. But now, they learned to get along with each other. It would be strange for her fiery personality to not blast flames at Minty, but she did.

"Lillie, come in here!" Robin whispered as the Senri joined him under his hiding spot, which is under a table full of onyx spiked crowns. She settled down beside him, the embers inside her kept them both warm. "Don't forget to visit me when you can," Minty smiled shyly to them both before paying for her barred fae collar and slinking out the shop.

"I'm glad she left," Robin turned to Lillie and sighed as he edged closer to her. "She always gets on my nerves." "I know, right? But the curfew is real." She started to wag her tail.