Anita turned to Andrea.
"And what about you, Andrea? Did the bear steal your tongue?"
"I… I was very scared," Andrea admitted, almost whispering.
Andras looked at her seriously.
"There's nothing wrong with that. You're still only twelve. No matter how talented you are with the sword, this kind of fear can only be overcome with time. Talent has nothing to do with it."
"I was scared too at first," Anita confessed. "But then I saw that the Young Wolf had the situation under control. Still, I never thought you'd feed it gingerbread."
"By the way, Noelle," Andras turned to the half‑elf, "is there any gingerbread left at home?"
"We only brought half. The other half is still in the kitchen," Noelle replied.
"Unless the maidservants have gobbled it up," Anita remarked mockingly.
"They wouldn't dare eat all of it," Noelle protested. "That belongs to the Young Wolf. But maybe they snatched a few pieces."
"Who could resist gingerbread?" Andras smiled.
"You're not angry?" Andrea asked softly.
"Let them eat some," Andras answered. "Noelle will bake more."
"Not about that…" Andrea whispered. "About me, being a coward."
"Why, should I be?" Andras shrugged.
"I don't know…" Andrea replied uncertainly.
"You're right," Andras said playfully. "Maybe I should punish you. A hundred strikes…"
"Me—me—me! Punish me instead!!!" Anita interrupted passionately. "I was responsible for you all, so I must be punished! This is not up for debate! Andrea is not at fault, I'll take the punishment! Tonight after bathing I'll come up to your room, and we'll carry it out! Noelle will be the witness. So Noelle, you're coming to the Young Wolf's room too!"
Noelle answered calmly:
"I don't need to go, because I'm already there by default."
Anita stared at her wide‑eyed.
"What?!"
"Well, haven't I mentioned it yet?" Noelle said with a mischievous smile. "That's my room too. I'm there no matter when you come."
Anita nearly shouted.
"Wait, hold on! You two sleep in the same room?!"
"And in the same bed," Noelle replied calmly.
"Huh?" Andrea blurted out, completely stunned.
"What the heeell??!" Anita cried. "Since when?!"
"From the very beginning," Noelle shrugged.
"For two years already?! And I'm only hearing about this now?" Anita fumed.
"You never asked, so I never said," Andras replied simply.
"How many people can fit in that bed?" Anita pressed.
"Four adults, I think," Andras answered.
"Fine, I've decided! From now on I'll sleep there too!" Anita declared firmly.
"Aren't you too old to be sleeping with children?" Andras asked mockingly.
"But I was so scared of the bear!" Anita fibbed. "I won't be able to sleep all night! Let me sleep with you too!"
"Well, look at our glorious and brave Wolf Knight," Andras remarked ironically.
"U‑um… can I sleep there too?" Andrea asked timidly.
"Great, let's have a pajama party!" Anita exclaimed enthusiastically. "There are four of us. We'll all fit in the bed."
"I'll sleep next to the Young Wolf," Noelle declared.
"Then I'll take his other side," Anita shot back.
"And what if I end up on the edge?" Andras asked.
"You'll sleep in the middle!" Anita answered firmly.
"Talking back to your lord?" Andras teased. "Maybe I should double your punishment…"
"Yes, please!" Anita replied passionately.
Noelle burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!"
Thus it happened that our small team survived the encounter with the Stonebear. They returned to the castle earlier than the hunting party. At Andras's request, they decided to keep the meeting with the monster a secret, lest they be forbidden from venturing into nature again.
That evening's pajama party was enjoyed most by Anita, who—as usual—received her punishment. Andrea pitied her for having to endure it, but that night she made a vow: she would never again be a coward, but as brave as a true Wolf Knight.
Later that evening, after everyone had rested from the fatigue of the hunt, a real festivity arose in the castle. Noelle baked another batch of gingerbread in the kitchen, this time with special shapes: wolf heads, swords, and tiny bears decorated the dough. Anita immediately announced that she would be the "quality inspector," insisting she had to taste one of each. Andrea at first protested, but eventually joined in laughing when Andras declared that whoever could catch the most gingerbread in the air would be crowned "Champion of the Castle" for the night.
The game quickly turned into a contest: Andras snatched the tossed sweets with lightning‑fast reflexes, Noelle used water‑drop magic to slow the falling pieces, Anita flicked them back into the air with her sword blade to give herself more chances, and Andrea surprised everyone by catching three gingerbreads at once with a single move—though two landed on her head, she triumphantly raised the third high.
Laughter echoed through the castle halls, and even the servants paused to watch the young ones' play with smiling faces. By the end of the evening, everyone was full, and in the room where the "pajama party" took place, cheerful chatter and soft giggles continued long into the night.
Thus ended the day of the Wolf Hunt: not only with encounters with monsters, but with friendship, laughter, and the scent of gingerbread filling Wolfwood Castle.
Another year passed.