Chapter 5: You're a Strong Girl
The two of them slid off the carriage. The chaos within Elestria was channeled by strangling the thief on the cobblestone road. Her brown eyes blazed brightly while the thief was almost desperate for breath.
The thief was a male vampire. His pale skin burned in the sunlight so that he screamed between the pain and that of Elestria. His hands tried to get rid of the strangulation but kept failing.
The palace warrior wolf approached them. At speed, they drove Elestria away to stop the action. After the vampire was released, he lost consciousness. At the same time, overcast clouds surrounded the city.
Another soldier tugged at the vampire's cloak to drag him to the palace troops' chariot. On the other side, Elestria was still blocked by two wolves. As the carriage got further away, they left her.
Scarlett exclaimed with satisfaction, "That was fun!"
Elestria's back leaned against the tree. She was exhausted from doing that. A small smile was on her sweaty face. She had just caught a thief. Then, she realized that Lusi's carriage was missing.
She let out a long breath. "Lusi's carriage went missing when I caught the thief," she said wearily.
"Let's tell her about this," Scarlett suggested.
"Yes, and she'll be angry that her asset is gone."
Elestria looked right and left. She had gone until she almost reached the exit gate. With languid steps, she walked south.
***
The worrying clouds brought down a strong rain. Elestria ran while observing the surroundings. She then took shelter in a hut without walls with a group of merchants.
Elestria stood on the side furthest from them. It was a group of spice merchants. Parents relaxed on chairs while a couple of children ran here and there to play.
"They're a mate," Scarlett whispered.
"They're probably ten."
"And have met their mates."
Elestria's face pouted. She was surprised that the children had already found their mates while she had not. She chuckled softly and leaned against the pillar.
The little girl ran up to her. Her red hair was braided in two. She had freckles on her cheeks. "Miss Brown Wolf," she called out.
The boy pulled her away. "Rin, don't just call out to people," he warned.
She ignored him. Her face looked up in favor of Elestria. "Have you met your mate yet? I have. My mate's name is Raon."
"That's good."
Elestria's response did not satisfy the little girl's heart. She ignited it again by saying, "You are alone. You haven't met your mate yet. Why?"
Her parents noticed their daughter's behavior. They approached. The mother's gentle voice told her that every wolf's destiny is not the same.
She argued, "It should be the same. So, Miss Brown Wolf is not jealous of us."
"I'm sorry, Miss." The patriarch spoke up.
"I'm not jealous, Little Girl. I'm just strong that my mate prepares himself to meet me."
Elestria opened her voice while folding her arms across her chest. She felt proud of being cool. She smiled wryly. "You'd better respect others if you want the same thing."
The girl blinked rapidly. She was silent. Her mind was too young to understand those words. Finally, she pulled her mate to play at another location.
The merchant couple approached Elestria. The woman told her, "Miss, it is my fault that my daughter spoke to offend you. I apologize."
"That's fine," Elestria replied, "are you merchants from the south?"
"That's right. We came to attend the autumn feast." The husband replied. He was a brown wolf with a slightly fierce face. In contrast, his voice was soft.
Elestria watched them. The wife was an elf. In her every move, her beauty shone through. She wore wolf women's clothes, a set of simple blue dresses.
"You're an interesting couple. How did you meet?"
They laughed. Next, they smiled at each other. The husband explained, "I am a merchant who travels to many places. In one of the places I traveled to, we met."
"A couple in another region," Elestria murmured, "I'm collecting money to move to another region to find my mate."
"Miss, collecting money to move to many places may take a long time. How about you choose a traveling activity?"
The elf's suggestion sounded reasonable to Scarlett and Elestria. The problem was, that neither of them knew what that activity was. The confusion continued after the rain stopped.
***
The merchant carriage took Elestria to Alfafa Boutique. As she walked in, she didn't focus on her surroundings. She was having an inner discussion with Scarlett.
"Working hard to earn money, then spending it on traveling I don't think is wise."
"Working to raise money while going on a trip is wise," Scarlett said.
"So, what kind of work is suitable?"
Lusi saw Elestria's arrival from the second floor. She approached her uneasily. At that moment, their bodies collided.
Elestria was dazed and Lusi was confused.
"Where have you been?" Lusi shook her shoulders. "There was a vampire thief and the soldier said you caught him?!"
Elestria nodded.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm okay. Sorry, your carriage is missing."
Lusi nodded. "It can be replaced with your services. Change your clothes. You might catch a cold."
Elestria walked into the hallway behind the display cabinets. She stopped for a moment. She heard Lusi talking to a clerk.
She was telling him how the news was hot in town about a she-wolf catching a vampire thief. She was excited because she was going to introduce Elestria in the shop to attract more customers.
***
At midnight, it rained again heavily. Elestria's room temperature dropped. She curled up in the blanket and didn't sleep yet. Her whole body was wrapped up except for her face.
"I brought trouble for Lusi. I must work hard to compensate her," she whispered.
"Instead of that, have you thought of a suitable job?"
Elestria shook her head. "I don't wanna think about that right now. I have to compensate Lusi for her losses."
"Don't think of yourself as a problem, Elestria."
"Your tone is strange."
Scarlett laughed softly.
"I brought trouble, Scarlett."
"Your tone is strange."
Elestria pouted. Her body rolled to face the wall. After leaving the house, she felt empty. The emptiness was filled with magnified guilt.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone