The next day followed on without consequence. Jinx headed up the mountain path like before and went to the designated meeting point she and Chirin had specified. Luckily and thankfully the skunk stench had long dissipated. Jinx was happy about that, considering she didn't want to be an outcast more so than she already was. Being shunned she could handle, but being avoided due to having a bad smell? That was a bit much for her.

"Hey, big guy! Hope I'm not late!" Jinx called as she saw Chirin's familiar gray stag-like shape.

Chirin smiled back at her, "Nope, on time as usual," Sniffing the air, Chirin further remarked, "And I see you're smell is back to normal."

"Oh yeah! Trust me, bad smells and me don't last long," Jinx then leaned in as if she were about to whisper, "Though I can make bad smells on my own hehe."

The ram looked at Jinx oddly, before he realized the subject of the joke she just made, "That's...so very classy."

Jinx cocked her head back in shock, "Did I just hear sarcasm from you? Mr. Dark and Gloomy? Or were you just being polite?"

Chirin considered his words for a moment, "Bit of both actually."

"Little from column A, and a little from column B?" Jinx asked.

"I've never heard that saying before," Chirin admitted.

"It's a fancy term I picked up," Jinx revealed.

A soft chuckle escaped the ram, "You are such a funny little thing aren't you?"

"Yep! A funny girl who enjoys high living and the finer things life can offer!" Jinx boasted.

A soft jingle of his bell sounded out as Chirin looked aside, "Come along, I have something to show you."

Jinx followed dutifully, trotting behind the towering creature as if she were his shadow. Their walk didn't last long until they reached a tree, or at least what remained of a tree. Jinx imagined once this tree stood mightily, but now it was just a splintered stump.

"This tree was during the earlier stages of my training," Said Chirin.

"Really now? Not much left of it," Jinx commented.

"That's because I broke it in half," Chirin bluntly stated.

Jinx looked up at Chirin confusedly, "That doesn't sound like news to me, considering how big you are."

"I said this was in the "earlier" stages of my training, so I was a little lamb then," Chirin clarified.

Jinx hopped backward slightly, but the impact was evident, "Wait? Really? You? You were little?"

"Everything starts small. You didn't think I was born like this?" Chirin asked.

"Well, I mean I figured but, I just...wow. Must have been some kind of training!" Jinx exclaimed.

Chirin stared at the broken wood, recalling the day Wor's teachings gave him the strength to shatter even something as mighty as a tree.

"It was."

"But what kind of training could make you strong enough to do that?" Jinx inquired, her curiosity peaked.

"The hard kind. Imagine working your body so much that your bones felt ready to break. So much that you felt like you were going to do. Then imaging pushing through that. It gives you such a power high. You feel like you can do anything, take on anyone. Then it isn't enough, you want more, and the more you want the stronger you feel," Chirin's eyes grew reminiscent of days long past, "And through it all, all the pain you suffer makes you grow fangs of your own."

"Fangs of your own?" Jinx repeated.

"Fangs of the heart," Chirin clarified.

Jinx blinked at the odd term, "If we had fangs growing out of our hearts, I'm sure we'd die from internal bleeding."

"It's metaphorical," Chirin stated.

"Oh," Jinx realized that made much more sense.

Chirin had once again mentioned his mysterious mentor, and it made Jinx curious all the more. "So, your mentor?"

The bell around Chirin's neck jingled once more, "Yes? What about him?"

"What was he like?"

No matter how hard he tried, Chirin couldn't forget Wor, "Wor was strong, wise, and fearless, the paragon of what it meant to be a wolf."

"Right, you did say he was a wolf," Jinx remembered.

"He was more than a teacher, he was like a father to me. I never knew my real one, and after my mother died I had no one left," Chirin recalled.

"It sounds like he was really kind-hearted to take you in. A child of another species no less," Jinx remarked.

And there came the rub, "It wasn't like that, he didn't take me in out of the kindness of his heart."

"What? I mean what else could it have been?" Jinx asked.

Chirin let out a sigh, "It's more complicated than that...I'd rather not talk about it now."

"Oh...I see," Jinx said dejectedly.

Picking up on that, Chirin quickly added in, "Please don't take it the wrong way, I really do enjoy sharing things with you. It's just-"

"Just a sore point right?" Jinx finished.

"Yes."

Smiling up at the ram, Jinx added in, "I can respect that. You just tell me when you're ready."

Chirin warmly smiled at the small ewe, "Thank you."

"But...since we are on a similar subject, mind telling me about your mother?" Jinx inquired.

Letting out a small laugh, Chirin replied, "My mother is easy. She was the sweetest, kindest, most caring creature to ever exist. She was my best friend, and she loved me with all of her heart."

"Sounds like a great mother," Jinx remarked.

"She was...she gave everything to keep me safe, even her own life," Chirin ended with a somber tone to his voice.

Jinx's eyes widened as a small gasp escaped her, "Oh my...I'm...I'm sorry."

"It's alright. It happened years ago."

"But it still hurts doesn't it?"

Chirin stared firmly off into the distance, "Yes, it does...sometimes I miss herself so much it aches. For a time I tried to put her out of my mind, but after Wor died, she just came flooding back.

As Chirin finished speaking, he flinched slightly as he felt a cold touch upon his leg. Looking down, he saw Jinx beaming up at him sympathetically.

"Hey, it's alright. You're not alone," Jinx reassured, "As I said, you and I are friends and friends comfort each other."

Though Chirin had been hesitant before, now he felt even more comfortable with the idea. It felt so much comfortable that he couldn't help but grin and say, "Yes, we are."

"And does it feel good?" Jinx asked.

This was another thing Chirin couldn't deny, "Yes, it does."

For the first time since that fateful night, Chirin didn't feel alone. No matter what, Jinx was there with him every step of the way, and having a friend, a true one, filled him with a warmth he couldn't quite describe.

Nevertheless, it felt good.