A week had passed since the attack that had destroyed the Kitsune Village.
And during that time there had been no further attacks, and no information about them either.
It was like they had simply vanished. And this uncertainty was deeply troubling for Storm.
He knew it was only a matter of time before the Order resurfaced. During that time, Storm was utterly caught unaware by the resilience of the Kitsune survivors.
They quickly built a new Kitsune Quarter in the outer village that was every bit as grand and graceful as their old village.
The biggest surprise out of all of this was the Matriarch herself. Storm had only met her during official visits, and during such meetings she always came off as wise, cold, aloof and regal.
Now Storm had seen what she was like outside of such visits. She laughed and worked alongside her fellow Kitsune as an equal.
And she was always around to offer advice, or to consol someone when they needed it.
The fact that she no longer had a settlement of her own to manage seemed to have taken a massive weight off her shoulders, and allowed her to live freely again.
But Storm knew that this was just one of her many masks that she wore in public.
Storm watched her from a distance and he had seen that during times that she believed no one was watching, she would allow her smile to fade and she would take on a mournful aspect.
Storm's guilt at what had happened to her village made him avoid her, even when she actively sought him out.
But he couldn't keep running forever and eventually she did manage to corner him. He was talking to Razor and Augustus about additional fortifications in the event that the Order attacked them.
Just as their miniature meeting came to an end, his heart sank when a voice spoke up behind him.
"We are practically neighbors, and yet it's harder than ever to get a moment to talk with you!" Said the Matriarch.
Storm slowly turned around and saw her standing behind him.
"Forgive me Milady! I have been busy dealing with matters relating to the Order." Replied Storm.
He was lying, because even though he had been busy, it didn't take up so much time that he didn't have time to relax and chat. His lie didn't seem to convince her.
She studied him closely.
"May I have a moment to talk with you, Storm?"
Storm briefly considered making up some kind of excuse, but quickly discarded it.
"I've been hiding for long enough! It's time I faced her!" Thought Storm .
He nodded his head and they walked over to one of the many gardens that the Kitsune had helped grow inside the city.
"You don't have to feel guilty, Dragon! Neither me, nor any of my people blame you for what happened!" Said the Matriarch.
"You don't have to! I blame myself! I should have kept an closer eye on the human movements! Or I..." started Storm.
"Stop!!" Ordered the Matriarch, Cutting Storm off.
" I am the leader of my village, and I was the one that chose to aid you! The fault is mine, and mine alone! And despite everything that had happened, I would make the exacy same decision again!
I'll not have you second guessing yourself because of guilt that isn't yours to carry!" Stated the Matriarch.
Storm bowed his head.
"Forgive me, Milady! It won't happen again!" Stated Storm.
Her gaze softened again.
"We're practically neighbors now, so you can call me Celestial from now on." Stated the Matriarch.
"As you wish, Lady Celestial. " Stated Storm.
"Anyway, I didn't just seek you out to chastise you and reminisce. I have some concerns about a mutual friend of ours."
"Who?" Asked Storm.
"Leyocan." Stated Celestial.
Storm hadn't heard anything from his old friend ever since the siege on the hunter base.
A few weeks after Storm's forces had occupied the underground city. A group of Nogitsune arrived at the city.
They claimed to be an unaffiliated group that wished to start their own clan and that they had been advised by a 'mutual friend' that Storm strongly suspected was Leyocan to come and speak to him.
Believing that Storm might be interested in what they had to offer.
He accepted their offer and they formed a new clan in Storm's city, pledging to serve as his loyal retainers.
The new group turned out to be exceptional smugglers that greatly aided the city by procuring rare and hard to find materials from the human cities.
They also brought in a substantial amount of income by trading the locally made items in human cities.
"I admit that I haven't heard much from him since the siege, why are you concerned about him?" Asked Storm.
"I admit that our information network in Northburg isn't what it used to be, but I still received the occasional report, and what I have been hearing is troubling.
His people have turned the city into a battle ground and I heard that several different high profile people have been brutally murdered in their own homes." Explained Celestial.
"Uhh... no offense meant... but isn't that supposed to be what he's doing? Sounds like business as usual to me?" Stated Storm.
She shook her head in response.
"The Nogitsune are expected to kill from the shadows, yes. But he's been sloppy and excessive. He's taking more lives than necessary, and he's been far more careless than usual. " she explained.
The Matriarch sighed in exhaustion.
"He was always like that, whenever a Kitsune got harmed, he tended to temporarily lose his sense of reason and become reckless.
And even though he and I split a long time ago, he continued to be fond of me. The fact that they attacked me directly is what set him off like this." Explained Celestial.
"If you feel this way, why not talk to him then?" Asked Storm.
Celestial laughed.
"He rarely listens to me! But he respects you, perhaps you could get through to him."
"I'm not the best person to be lecturing him about 'anger'." Joked Storm.
"Anger may have served you well in your previous battles, but amongst Kitsune and Nogitsune, allowing your emotions to dictate your actions could get you killed.
It's one of the first lessons he and I learned, and the reason we ended up parting ways. I fear that his actions will attract The Order's attention on him and his people.
Storm nodded his head.
"Very well, I'll go see him in Northburg. I need to check up on him anyway and see if he's got more information about The Order." Said Storm.
"Thank you, Storm. That should put my worries at ease.Things are dangerous in the kingdoms right now, so I'd recommend you travel by carriage.You're less likely to be discovered that way." Explained Celestial.