It has a salty taste, but when you feel it on your tongue, it either makes you a killer or a hunter. You decide what you will be. My brother had woken up before me and prepared breakfast. I got up, washed my face, and while brushing my teeth, I looked at myself in the mirror, asking myself, who am I, and more importantly, what am I? Sometimes, these questions distracted my mind a lot. I moved to the table and sat down. At that moment, my brother was preparing waffles. He placed the warm, freshly cooked waffle on my plate and handed me the chocolate.

Harley: What a talent, you seem cheerful.

Alpha: Yes, aren’t you?

Harley: I really don’t think I could be in this situation.

Alpha: Hey, snap out of it! You’re my sibling. You can be a horse, a giraffe, or even a worm if you want, but that will never change the fact that we are siblings and that I love you very much.

Harley: Is that so? If I were really a worm, would you still love me? *smirks with a sly look*

Alpha: Of course, you silly. Wait, wait, wait.

Harley: *transforms into a worm* Do you still love me, big brother? *laughs*

Alpha: I’ve changed my mind; the chickens love you more.

Harley: What? No, no, no, wait, okay! *transforms back*

Alpha: Hahaha, you were quite adorable.

Harley: Let’s see if I can be this adorable in court.

Alpha: There’s no problem; besides, if things go wrong, we have a Plan B. *grins*

Harley: Yes *thinks*, what was Plan B again?

Alpha: Forget about Plan B; we won’t need to implement it, but if we do, I’ll create a distraction for you to slip out the back door.

Harley: Oh, that Plan B, got it.

Alpha: Come on, eat up; you’ll be meeting your teacher soon.

Harley: My teacher? I just turned into a worm, bro! A WORM! Do you think I need a teacher?

Alpha: You might not think so, of course, but I don’t think turning into a worm will be very helpful when there’s a dragon in front of you. Plus, what your soul has taught you only goes so far.

Harley: Alright, alright, I get it. Let’s meet this teacher then.

Alpha: Good, let’s just make it out of court first.

Harley: You made a great point; I’m going to get ready.

Alpha: I’ll be waiting for you here, beautiful.

Run away!? Since my brother’s Plan B was a disaster, I had already made my own Plan B while getting dressed. I just hoped no one would understand it; if it was flawless, it would work perfectly. Next, I had to defend myself. I got dressed and went outside to join my brother. People around us were looking at us, and when they made eye contact with me, they wore angry expressions. My brother had his arm around my shoulder, hugging me for support, and he gently warned me not to glare at anyone. Finally, we had arrived at the hall where the court would take place.

This place was blessed with magic; even if they wanted to, they could not commit injustice, and with every wrongful judgment they made, they were losing a bit of their raw energies, which was the twist of this situation. As we entered, those waiting in the hall and the jurors turned to look at us. As I walked forward with slow and anxious steps, I could hear each of their thoughts in my mind: "Look at this one, a complete fraud," "What else would you expect from Floria's daughter?" "You are the disgrace of the Heiliants," "You think you can fool us all, ungrateful," and so on. I looked ahead, held my head high, and sat down in my place. The judge placed his hand on Amarok's book and began to speak

Judge: I swear by the wisdom of the Moon, the judgment of Fire, and the justice of Amarok that this trial will conclude with justice. Do you pledge the Wolf's Oath for your brother Harley Lupine, Alpha Lupine

Alpha: I, Alpha Lupine, pledge for the justice of Amarok.

And the trial had begun; I was very tense, and all I wanted was to get out of this situation as soon as possible. The judge gave the first juror the floor, and he began to speak.

Juror 1: We have been gathering and living in this forest for so long. I was born a Lupo among the Heiliants, but my son Leo was born a Sparrow. We cannot choose the souls that select them, but Harley hid this from us, so I find him guilty.

Judge: You may sit down. Yes, Harley, what is your defense against this situation?

Harley: I was born a Raposa, and we live in a Lupo society. My family was slaughtered by the Ryu people, and I had to hide my identity. I learned to live like a wolf because you do not include those who are not one of you in the pack.

Judge: This is not a valid reason; you are a member of this people, and here you will have a new family according to how you were born.

Alpha: Your Honor, forgive me, but Amarok's justice says, "We are a pack; the pack is strong together. Those who carry our blood are part of the pack."

Judge: Here, you can only learn to be a wolf, and over time, you will turn into a demon; he needs to live with his own pack.

Harley: But what if there is a way?

Judge: What is that way?

I took a deep breath and told my brother in my mind to just relax and that I would find a way to get out of this.

Harley: If I have a trainer who teaches me to live like a fox, will I have a chance to stay with my pack here?

Judge: I am directing this proposal to the jury for consideration. Jury, I am giving you some time on this matter.

Whispers...

Juror : We are evenly split; some of us are afraid because Diego showed his soul and don’t want the same thing to happen again, but some of us, including me, hope that after learning to be a fox, he can be tamed.

Judge : In this case, we should get the final vote from a neutral party. I’m calling Mariam to the hall.

Whispers: "Mariam? That old hag?"

Mariam: Pose your question.

Judge : Dear Mariam, as one of the oldest in this community, what do you think about this young Fox living among us?

Mariam: I have seen a lot over the centuries; if even a Ryu could be tamed among us, having a fox should not cause any problems.

Judge : Justice has been served. *Everyone stands up.* This Fox will live among us and will be tamed; we promise him a period of 1 year. The session is adjourned.

I hugged my brother with joy. We had won this case without any trickery, and there was no need for him to leave; I just had to remain calm and not get angry for 1 year. We left there, and my brother took me and started heading towards the forest.

Alpha: Yes, we are having a celebration, right? *transforms into a wolf*

Harley: Do you want to race to the Lobo statue?

Alpha: You’re itching for a challenge, little brother. *laughs and starts running*

Harley: But that’s unfair; I hadn’t finished my sentence!

And we raced through the forest to the Lobo statue. Spending time like this with my brother always made me happy. Finally, we reached the statue, and leaning against it was a tall figure with long hair that shifted from brown to blonde, a muscular body, and blue eyes.

Merlin: Alpha, what do I owe this honor to?

Alpha: Hello to you too, wizard. I brought you a student. *Pointing at Harley* Let me introduce you to my sister, Harley.

Harley: Hello.

Merlin: How quickly can you learn?

Harley: You seem like you want to get rid of me.

Alpha: No, Harley. Merlin is the most skilled fox you could meet, and I'm sure he can teach you a lot.

Harley: *Looks at Merlin* Is that so?

Merlin: If you want to test your luck, go ahead.

I transformed back into my human form and approached her.

Alpha: Hey, hey, hey, take it easy, young lady.

Harley: Hahaha, I wasn't going to kiss him!

Merlin: He's right, my friend. She was just going to come close and make me fall into a pit. *Dismissively*

Harley: W-what? But how?

Merlin: You're a novice. *Laughs*

Alpha: I'm glad you two are getting along. You can start tomorrow.

Merlin: Of course, this will be a lot of fun.