Hounds Rising
Late Mornings

The sunlight cascaded from a far window, and Lyla turned on her side to keep it away from her eyes. She felt exhausted as she pushed the furs away from her body to cool down from the heat of the bedroom.

Fur?

She felt around her, her eyes still unable to open, as she tried to take in the memories from the night before.

I’m in Kiki’s room!

She turned around slowly, trying not to wake Rhokhishi, but as she pushed her face back into the sunlight, she realized that Rhokhishi wasn’t in bed with her anymore. Lyla sat up, pulling the fur cover around her undressed body.

Across the bed, she could see the calendar on the wall, large stone protrusions of numbers, with the word Fogblum above it. As each day had passed, the stone must have receded, revealing the first number to be the actual day of the month. Lyla looked toward the window and saw it must be late into the morning. She stood, wrapping the fur around her body, and tiredly stumbled to the door.

The main chamber was filled with light from the windows and the orbs that floated along the ceiling, giving the room an ethereal feel. Sitting at the table, Mr. Muffins and Rhokhishi sat, staring at the new pet that Rhokhishi had taken care of over the past few days. Darion was sitting across the room, near the fireplace, watching lazily as Rhokhishi made the creature perform various tricks. The beast moved from one hand to the other, but Lyla paid little attention to it.

She moved silently from one door to another, opening it and making it into hers and Myla’s bedroom. She closed the door behind her, then dropped the fur on the ground next to her.

Have a good night? Myla asked.

“It was… relaxing,” Lyla smiled as she went to the bathroom to clean up.

Due to the tower’s intimate knowledge of each inhabitant, it reacted before she entered the doorway. The water was already steaming in the claw-foot bathtub. Carefully, she lowered herself into it, grabbed a towel, and placed it on her face, then exhaled slowly, letting the rest of the tension ease out of her body.

Myla made her way in, and Lyla could hear her almost silent footsteps as she grabbed various items and brought them to her bed.

We’ll be leaving in a couple of hours.

So soon? Lyla asked.

We still have to get some gear. Ana mentioned that she would go and get some thicker clothes for us if we wanted to give her the money.

No way! I spent too long in “uniforms.” I’m gonna pick something out for myself.

Well, you’ll want to get dressed soon. I think she was gonna go in a bit. Myla stated. I do want to talk to Mr. Muffins about poisons before we leave, so I’ll be out there when you’re ready.

Okay, sis. Just a little longer. Gotta get the kinks out.

Isn’t that what you did last night? Myla teased.

Lyla took the towel off her face and threw it toward her sister. Myla closed the door, laughing, and the wet towel smacked against the wood. Thinking of the prior night, Lyla smiled, then sank her head into the water.