I've been fighting a mild cold for the last few days, but I still feel good enough to write, and I needed a pick-me-up. So I hereby publish the fourth chapter of Wolf Quest. It's the longest one so far, and I'm pretty proud of it.

I would like to thank everyone who has been supporting this story thus far, and enjoy the chapter.

In the midst of the euphoria at having finally found the city, it had been easy to forget about the switchbacks we still needed to negotiate. It was only once I looked down at the hill's winding path that I realized we weren't there yet.

It was another half hour or so before we reached the entrance to Angelcaida City. During this time, I felt pretty confident that we wouldn't run into any major problems; so much so, I was almost as cocky as that guy from Team Nightlock. What had his name been again?

"We're here!" Rose announced eventually in a singsong voice. Her good mood was contagious; I couldn't help but feel happier as a result of her evident high spirits.

The city had looked a lot more upscale from the air than it did here. Many of the buildings had vines growing on them, as though nobody had bothered to check on them for some time. In addition, there was a general dilapidated appearance on the stone walls; cracks appeared here and there.

That being said, I was pretty thrilled to finally be here. Even if the beds we ended up with had moldy sheets, that was still far better than a tent, at least as far as I was concerned.

"That's awesome" I mouthed, huffing and puffing. I hadn't realized just how tired I'd gotten.

"Yes" the Ninetales replied, moving her head back and forth. "I think the Explorer's Guild is down the road, in a castle not far from the harbor. It shouldn't be too hard to find."

I didn't ask Rose how she knew that, but we followed her through the streets of Angelcaida City for some time. During the walk, we passed other species of Pokémon in the streets; some carried badges, many did not. Some of them had scarves around their necks; most didn't.

Rose also wasted no time in telling us about the city that would hopefully be our new home.

"Angelcaida City was supposedly named after a word for 'fallen angel' in an old, obsolete language" she said. "It was so named because it's said that an angel fell from Heaven and became a mortal Pokémon here. Some say this former angel had to complete a series of trials before being welcomed back to the sides of Arceus and the other Creators."

"That's interesting" I replied, not taking my eyes off the road. It may have been rude to respond so absent-mindedly, but in my defense, Rose's words didn't seem too important.

"The city has a population of roughly fifteen thousand, making it a relatively small one by most continents' standards, but it's one of the largest on the Mist Continent. The city's gross domestic product is…".

"I think we get the point, Rose," Axel replied, somewhat tiredly. "This lecture can continue once we reach the guild, but we have to make sure we don't get pickpocketed before then."

I wasn't too worried about this; even if we were carrying backpacks, we didn't have much in them that we couldn't replace. I hadn't even been carrying any money; a foolish mistake to be sure, but one that made me less afraid of street urchins.

The guild wasn't hard to find. Right next to the marina, where a series of rowboats and a couple motorboats were docked, there stood a gigantic building with several stone spires reaching up towards the heavens. There was a word for this type of building: Castle.

The castle was located on a small island, which was connected to the city via a long stone bridge. It was by far the most impressive structure in the city, and my mouth hung open in awe; I'd never seen anything like it.

There were several other Pokémon, such as a Quilava and Weavile, entering or exiting the castle via the bridge. Axel, Rose, and I did the former, walking along the bridge over the cold, gray moat that partially encircled the castle's island.

Since it was still daytime, the castle was evidently open to the public; there were no guards stationed outside the door, which still hung ajar. Once we were inside, I got a better view of the building's interior, and what an interior it was!

The castle's floor was made up of black and white tile, much like what one might find in a master bathroom. There was a red carpet with golden trim on the sides, which stretched from the entrance all the way to a staircase, which led to the second floor.

As for the ceiling, it arched fifteen above us, and several chandeliers hung from it. Needless to say, I was in awe of the structure; I'd never been in such an impressive building.

But then Rose's voice reminded me why I was here.

"There it is! The front desk!"

I turned in the direction of her voice, and I saw that the front desk was manned by a middle-aged Torkoal, huffing out steam with every breath. The creature frowned as he saw us.

"What are you three doing here, eh?" the Torkoal asked, sounding somewhat accusatory. "I'm just trying to relax this afternoon, and then you guys come in. What do you want?"

"Please calm down, dude" I blurted out, to which Rose gave me a glare. I realized then just how ironic it was for me to demand the Torkoal calm down, when I hadn't exactly been calm the last few days.

Then again, he probably hasn't been through quite what I have.

Axel, rather than Rose, was the next of us to speak. He stood on his hind legs, placing his front paws on the counter. I didn't think this would help his case, but he seemed determined to be heard.

"Very well," the Torkoal replied, sighing. "I'm sorry if I'm not the most engaged I could be right now; there are lots of jobs to be done around the city, as well as the Mist Continent at large. I'm not exactly in a good mood."

"We understand that" Rose told him in her characteristic soothing voice. "We could do one or more of those jobs for you guys."

The Torkoal frowned. "As far as I know, you three are not registered with a team yet. Until that happens, I'm afraid I can't allow you guys to take on a job. I don't make the rules; I simply enforce them."

"Fair enough" the Ninetales responded. "In that case, the three of us would like to register as a team."

The Torkoal looked skeptical of the three of us. He narrowed his eyes as he asked, "You three? You guys seem to have nothing in common!"

He was right; we didn't have anything in common. That is, except for the fact that we'd all happened to be traveling in the same dungeon at the same time. Perhaps that would be good enough for him.

"That doesn't matter, though, from the standpoint of forming a team, does it?" Axel asked. His paws remained planted on the counter, and the Torkoal looked at the Umbreon disapprovingly. I was tempted to tell Axel to knock it off, but if we were seen bickering with one another so soon, that wouldn't exactly help us become a believable team.

"Technically it does not,'' the Torkoal replied. "By the way, my name's Agarth. I'm the head of the Expedition Society, Angelcaida City branch. So please, introduce yourselves."

After we each gave Agarth our names, the time came for our first big decision as a team. The Torkoal's eyes brightened as he spelled it out for us.

"Rose Ninetales, Axel Umbreon, and Eliot Lycanroc, it is time for you three to designate a team leader. Who's going to make the decisions in this trio?"

I shivered, my heart speeding up. "What difference does it make who the leader is?"

"To some extent, it is merely an honorary designation" Agarth replied, taking a sip from a mug on his desk. "Every team has a leader. Leaders are in charge of deciding which jobs to take, among other things. They're also in charge of managing the team's financial resources. Who is going to be your leader?"

My immediate answer would be Rose; I expected Axel to vote for Rose as well. She seemed to be the most experienced.

What I did not expect was for both the Umbreon and the Ninetales to point directly at me. "Him" they both uttered.

A wave of heat ran across my face. "You want…me to be the leader?"

It was almost incomprehensible that they'd select me. Me, the least experienced out of the three of us. I rubbed a claw against its opposing leg; the pain was real, but it confirmed that I wasn't dreaming.

"Yes, we do," Axel said. "What else would such a gesture mean?"

"But…you two are making a mistake. Why would I be the most qualified to be leader, when I've only been on the run for a few days? Why would you trust me over someone else?"

"Being a leader isn't just about ability, Eliot," Rose replied, stroking her head with one of her tails. "It's also about heart. Do you have the determination to coach this team? I think the answer's a resounding yes."

"You guys don't understand!" I protested. "How could I…how could I be the coach? How can you two think I'm better at this than either of you?"

"Eliot, we are not going to argue this any further" Axel snapped. "You're going to be the leader, because I truly believe you're good for the job. End of story."

I didn't understand; I couldn't understand. Even if I had the "heart" for being a leader, whatever that meant, why was that more important than actual ability? If I accidentally got us into trouble on a mission, Axel and Rose would be kicking themselves for selecting me.

Agarth hissed some smoke out of his nostrils. "Well, I'm not going to beat around the bush, you two. Giving the least experienced explorer out of the three of you a leadership position is a risky move. Some would even call it suicidal. I might not go that far, but please consider for at least a few moments what happens if you get in over your head."

In my mind, that demonstrated even more firmly why I couldn't be the head of this team. It seemed like a knock-down argument against a leadership position for me.

As such, you can probably imagine my shock when my companions doubled down. Both of them seemed to be falling over themselves to explain why I should be the team leader, and I couldn't figure out why.

Is there some sort of collusion going on? No, there can't be; why would I suspect my colleagues of such a thing? It makes no sense!

Agarth looked at me with an expression that said, Sorry. Them's the rules.

"If the other two are this adamant about it, then I'm sorry to tell you, Eliot, but you're outvoted. For better or worse, they expect you two to command your team through thick and thin. That gives you great power, but with great power comes great responsibility."

Responsibility. A loaded word, to be sure, and one I rather feared. It meant that if something went wrong during one of our jobs, I would be the one to blame. I'd be the one who faced the most consequences if I screwed things up.

"I'm telling you guys, I don't think this is a good idea" I said, not looking at anyone in particular. The castle's ceiling was still very impressive, but this time it felt like it was closing in on me. It would eventually collapse, burying me under countless tons of rubble.

"And we're both telling you it'll be fine," Rose responded. "I have the utmost confidence in you, Eliot."

Something about the Ninetales' voice made me feel as though I were sinking into a warm bath. Even in the midst of this overwhelming revelation that I'd be forced to command an expedition team, it felt rather comforting.

I didn't consent to the leadership position, but I also didn't object quite as forcefully as I could have. Perhaps that's what made the difference in the Torkoal's eyes.

"Very well, then. Eliot Lycanroc is the team leader. Now, the next step is to decide on a team name. It must be unique to your team only, and our database has a list of names that have already been taken. What is the name?"

After some deliberation, Rose and I seemed to think of Team Nightlock at the same time. Obviously, that name was already used up, and besides, by the sound of it, they were our enemies.

In the end, we came up with Team Morningstar. It was the first thing that came to mind as a "counter" to Team Nightlock, if you will. As cheesy as it sounded, it also sounded optimistic, hopeful. And Arceus knew I needed hope right about now.

"So you three are Team Morningstar. All I need you three to do now is sign the contract, and then you'll be able to rent an apartment in the city."

"What about the other rooms in the castle? Don't some teams sleep in the dorms?" I asked Agarth.

"Well, yes" the Torkoal replied, breathing heavily and sounding like an old locomotive. "However, in order to sleep in the Explorer's Guild HQ, your team needs to have a certain level of prestige attached to it, a good few jobs under your belts. Until then, you'll need to find an apartment elsewhere in Angelcaida City."

"We don't have money to rent an apartment," Axel said. "So unless we can stay here, or you can foot the bill for the apartment, I'm afraid we can't help you guys."

Dread rose within me; was that it? Was that how our ambitions of being an official team ended?

To my surprise, however, Agarth simply smiled.

"That's no problem. We can provide a monthly stipend if you guys really need it. Of course, you'll still need to perform some jobs around the Mist Continent in order to break even, but that's better than being homeless, is it not?"

Is he dangling that as a threat over our heads? He'd better not be!

"We'll take it," Rose said with determination. Looking at me somewhat concernedly, she continued with, "That's okay with you, right, Eliot?"

"I guess so," I replied. "I mean, lying around the apartment all day is going to be boring. At least having jobs to take on will give us something to do."

"Exactly!" Agarth exclaimed, smiling widely from ear to ear. "Well, congratulations, Team Morningstar. You are now officially registered with the Explorer's Guild. If you wish to take on a job, simply head back here and sign up for one. Right now, though, you three should focus on finding a place to live."

Something else occurred to me. I'd had enough exposure to exploration teams back in Ilion City to know that members usually carried something around with them. It was a certain small object, one that was often brightly colored.

"What about our badges, Agarth?" I asked him.

"Oh" the Torkoal responded blankly. Then, as light returned to his eyes: "The badges will be ready tomorrow. Just come right back here and we'll have them for you. In addition, your monthly stipend will be in the bank under our account - just search for Team Morningstar and you should get it. The passcode is 5710."

I closed my eyes, focusing intently on those four digits. I pictured them as giant red numbers, staring right at me, so that I'd remember them later.

"If there's nothing else", Agarth continued, "then we're done here for now. But feel free to come back to the castle if you need anything."

After we thanked the Torkoal for his kindness, we left the castle and returned to Angelcaida City. The rain had started to pick up again, which I hoped wasn't a bad omen. Something told me, however, that I may have just made a major blunder.

If the rain did portend bad luck, that bad luck clearly wasn't kicking in yet. Things seemed to go smoothly for the next few hours.

Once we found the bank, getting the money out was easier than I'd expected. My twin brother had always been the one to manage our money; I hadn't trusted myself with such an important task. The effect was that I had little confidence in my ability to do transactions using the ATM.

As it turned out, this wasn't a problem. Although it was somewhat difficult to type using my front legs (leaning up against the counter was rather annoying), that was the most challenging part of it. Once I'd punched in the passcode, the sum of money we were to withdraw stared us right in the face.

"Only 500 P this month" Axel muttered. "That's not that much. How much do the cheapest apartments go for here?"

"Probably at least twice that," Rose replied. "Plus there's usually a charge up front to rent a place. We'll really have to look hard to find a place we can afford."

"So, in short, we're in deep shit" I said.

Axel glared at me. "Eliot, it's probably best to be a bit more optimistic. I'm sure we can figure out some living situation, even if it's not an ideal one."

I knew he was right, but deep inside, I couldn't shake the feeling that after less than an hour, I was already running this team into the ground. And trust me, that's not a good feeling at all.

How long until we were in a situation that was actually life or death, and I had to make a decision that could save or doom my team? If I couldn't handle something like this, how could I possibly make the right choice then?

Rose pushed me out of the way and clicked the "Withdraw" button. With a rather satisfying sound, notes came flying out of the ATM; twenty-five bills, worth 20 P each.

Five hundred P already sounded like a meager amount of money, but seeing it crystalized right there into bills made it look downright pitiful. After all the trouble we'd gone through to get here, this is all we had to show for it.

Rose carried the notes in her backpack, and we set off to look for a place to live. Angelcaida City wasn't enormous as cities go, but it was still rather hard to navigate, and it took us some time to find the first apartment building we checked.

The first few buildings we arrived at, the conversation went pretty much the same way. In each case, it was something like this:

Rose: "We're a new exploration team, and we're looking for a place to stay. Do you have any vacant apartments?"

Secretary: "What is your team name, and where is your badge to prove it?"

Rose: "We're just starting out, but our name is Team Morningstar."

Secretary: "Morningstar, huh? Sounds cheesy, but kind of badass at the same time."

Axel: "That's not important. How much does an apartment cost here?"

The exchange would invariably end with the secretary telling us that the cheapest apartment in the building was still well outside our price range. One of us would beg for mercy, and another one of us would hold out the 500 P to prove that this was all we had, but the secretary wouldn't be willing to help us.

I suppose it's not fair to give a discount simply to one team, but it still hurts to be rejected over and over again. With every apartment complex we couldn't get into, my mood got worse. By the time evening rolled around, I must have been a downright miserable companion.

As a last resort, we decided to head into a grittier part of town. By this time it was getting dark, and we'd been searching for a couple of hours. My legs were aching, and my paws hurt from being repeatedly pressed into the cobblestone.

"Here's one we might be able to afford," Axel said, seemingly resisting the urge to laugh. "Let's check it out."

The building in question looked rather gloomy. There were bars over the windows, and the facade was cracked in several places. I half expected the place to crumble at any moment.

As mediocre as it appeared, neither Rose nor I protested. Any place to live would be better than no place to live, so we might as well give this a go.

Behind the front desk was a rather unkempt-looking Sableye. Unlike the last few apartment complex secretaries, the Sableye smiled at us as we entered.

"How may I help you three?" he asked us. "I'm assuming you guys are together."

"In one sense, we are" Axel replied curtly. "We're together as in, we're a team. In terms of being together together…we're not."

The Sableye frowned. "Well, then. That's not the most important thing, and it's not what I meant, either. How can I help you guys?"

"We were hoping to rent an apartment," Rose told him. "All the others are too expensive for our budget, so we were hoping this one would be cheaper."

Something about that statement from the Ninetales seemed to set the Sableye off. He banged his fist on the desk, causing all three of us to flinch.

"That's not a very polite thing to say, Ninetales! How dare you imply that my building isn't nice!"

Truth be told, nobody needed to imply that the Sableye's apartment building wasn't ideal. The tiled floor cracked in several places, and there were cobwebs on the windows. Anything was better than nothing, but this seemed like the kind of housing one would turn to only as a last resort.

"That's not what I meant," Rose told him apologetically. "I'm just saying that we've exhausted all other options, and this is the only place we haven't looked. Are you going to accept us or not?"

The Sableye scratched his chin for a few moments. "I suppose I can. A two-bedroom apartment here, the standard, is 500 P up front, followed by 1,000 P every month for as long as the apartment is being rented."

I gasped; the up-front charge was our entire monthly stipend. What was more, an additional thousand Poke a month would be twice our stipend, brutal on the wallet. I remembered hearing that one shouldn't be spending more than a third of their income on housing - we would be ripping that rule of thumb to shreds.

"Making enough money to cover that is a tall order" I began, but I was cut off by Rose.

"That sounds like a deal. We have 500 P right here; just show us to our apartment after we fork it over."

"But Rose, that's a bit quick-" I protested, but the Ninetales cut me off again.

"What other choice do we have, Eliot? Besides, we'll be taking plenty of jobs with the Guild, so it's not like we have no other options for income. I'm sure we can at least break even, and if not, we can find something else to supplement exploring."

"Fine," I replied. Turning to our new landlord, I said, "Okay, Sableye, show us to our apartment."

The Sableye grunted. "I have a name, you know. It's Teren. But you didn't know that, so it's fine. I'll lead you guys there."

The apartment itself was on the fourth floor, behind a rather rickety wooden door. The hallway's wall-to-wall carpeting was ripped in numerous spots, as though a Mightyena had taken its fangs to it, but compared to sleeping in a leaky tent, it looked like a little piece of paradise to me.

"Moment of truth" I muttered under my breath as the Sableye creaked open the door. I didn't think Teren heard me, thankfully.

Once inside the apartment, I sighed with slight relief. The place wasn't fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but it was just comfortable enough to serve its purpose. The atmosphere was rather like a motel one stays at on a long road trip - it's not winning any awards, but it's functional, and that's the most important thing.

The Sableye was the next to speak. "Each bedroom has two twin beds, and you guys only have one bathroom. It's not extravagant."

"We'll take it," Axel told Teren. "We already paid you, and besides, there's nothing wrong with it, is there?"

"Nope," Teren replied. "Anyway, make yourself comfortable; this place is yours now, at least for the time being."

Those words at least for the time being were rather ominous, as though he were threatening us. I took some offense to that, but ultimately, we needed what he was giving us, so we couldn't complain.

I sighed, smiling sadly at the same time. For better or worse, this was our life now.

After Teren left, the three of us set ourselves to work on making the apartment feel as much like home as possible. As it turns out, there's a lot to consider when you're moving into a new place.

We found the bedrooms without any difficulty, but the beds still needed to be made. My parents had instilled in me a decent work ethic, so I didn't complain about having to do this. It was just a task that needed to be performed, so it would be best to get it over with as quickly as possible.

Since there were two bedrooms for the three of us, we agreed that Axel and I would take one of them, and Rose would take the other. This way, we didn't have any awkward situations, nor did anyone have to sleep on the floor.

After cleaning the bathroom, a much more taxing job than making the beds, the three of us sat around in the common area in front of our TV. All of us were too lazy to grab the remote and turn it on. At least, that's what I told myself; perhaps the real reason was that we wanted to stay blissfully ignorant if something bad was happening.

Eventually, my eyes filled with tears. I hadn't even been thinking about my parents, but their memory forced its way back into my brain at what felt like the worst time.

"What's wrong, Eliot?" Rose asked me gently. "You look like you're about to cry."

I sniffed. "Yeah…I think I might be." My nose began to run as I looked from Rose to Axel, Axel to Rose. "I might need some time to myself."

"But what do you think's causing it?" the Umbreon replied. "Eliot, if you're willing to tell us what you're sad about, we can help you get through it. That's what a team is for, is it not?"

How could I possibly explain that I did care about my new team, but that was precisely the reason why I couldn't tell them? That no matter how hard they tried, they wouldn't make me feel better, but would instead be burdened by my past?

"I don't think I should bother you two with this," I told my new teammates. "This is personal; it's something I have to work through on my own."

Axel and Rose seemed to respect that, but this didn't make me feel any better about withholding the truth from them. My desire for privacy was clashing with my obligation to my new team, and I'd decided that privacy (read: selfishness) needed to win out.

After that, I retreated to my bedroom, climbing onto my twin bed. It was a lot like the one I'd slept in during my childhood in Ilion City; the only difference was that it was a little dustier. In addition to crying, I felt like I would descend into a sneezing fit before long.

Neither of my teammates knew what was truly bothering me. Neither of them could be allowed to know, because ultimately, it wasn't just my privacy I was protecting. It was also that of my family; even if they weren't with me anymore, I had an obligation to them.

Trying not to dig my claws into the mattress, I got beneath the sheets and curled up into a ball. Axel would still find me in this position later that night, but right now, I wasn't worried about him. Stuck in my own mind, only thinking about myself, the only people I could find within me to care about were my parents and brother.

Thinking about my departed family only caused my eyes to water more. It wouldn't be long before I broke out into a bawl, and then my companions would know immediately what was happening. They'd rush into the room and beg me to tell them what was bothering me.

But I wouldn't oblige. At least for now, I would keep my troubles a secret. We'd only been a team for a couple of days - they didn't need to know just yet.

Eventually I ended up falling asleep, curled into a ball underneath the covers. Given that I was still breathing quite deeply and quickly, it's a wonder I didn't suffocate beneath the blanket.

My dreams were rather tortured, to say the least.

I'm sitting at the dinner table, talking with Elijah about school. Despite being twins in the same grade, we're not in any of the same classes, so we don't have any mutual assignments to help each other with.

"Mrs. Flipper isn't a very effective instructor, is she?" Elijah asked me. "I know you had her for Creative Writing last year, and let me tell you, I had to stop her several times while she was lecturing!"

"I agree," I replied, leaning back and stroking my fur with one of my claws. "She talks way too fast! If she wants us to retain the information, to learn, she could teach it more slowly rather than all at once."

"Why didn't you tell me that she was a bad teacher?" my brother said, snorting. It was an angry question, but he didn't speak in an angry tone. "It would've been nice to know that before I signed up for Creative Writing!"

I didn't respond; I didn't know what to say. Just a few seconds later, however, I was saved by the bell, as it were.

My father came lumbering into the room. He was a Lycanroc of the Day form just like Elijah and I, but his fur was a good deal bushier. Despite being relatively burly, he was usually a lot lighter on his feet than he was now, which got me thinking…

"Dad? Are you okay?" I blurted out. "Why are you limping like that?"

"It's nothing" my dad replied with a grimace, but it didn't sound like nothing to me. As he stepped closer to the dinner table (which was lower to the ground than a table two-legged Pokémon would use), he clutched part of his face, right between his eyes.

My father then sat down on one of the cushions on the rug. Whereas he'd normally do so gingerly so as not to "hurt" the cushion, this time he practically collapsed.

"Seriously, Dad, you're not like this most of the time" Elijah told him. "Are you sure that you're not hurt?"

Our dad sighed deeply, and there was pain evident within that sigh. Once he'd exhaled, he frowned at both of us.

"Honestly, boys? I don't feel so well. It started at work today, but I was able to push through, albeit barely. I just wish it would go away."

Elijah took a deep breath, evidently doing his best to stay composed. "Well, Dad, what are your symptoms? Do you have a fever or anything like that?"

Dad shook his head. "I don't think I have a fever; then again, I haven't checked my temperature yet. All I know is that I've got a blinder of a headache; like, I've never hurt this much in that part of my body."

I grimaced, imagining a migraine. I'd never experienced one before, but I'd heard from others who had, and it sounded absolutely awful.

"So what are you going to do? Take some medicine?" Elijah asked.

"Nah" our father replied, though judging by his groaning tone of voice, he sure sounded like he could use that. "I'm just going to have some dinner and…ugh…lie down."

We waited for my mother for a minute. When she didn't come, my father clutched a hand to his stomach; I heard something gurgling in there.

"Guys…wait one second…I have to….".

My dad limped over to the trash bin, opened his mouth, and performed the technicolor yawn. I'll spare you all the gory details, but suffice it to say that after that spectacle, neither Elijah nor myself had any desire to eat dinner.

When our father was finished heaving, he turned to face us, the smell of vomit still on his breath. His legs were shaking almost violently, and there was an expression of guilt in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, guys…I shouldn't have…I should have run to the bathroom. You two didn't need to see that right before dinner, did you?"

I shook my head. "No, we did not. But it's fine; you can't exactly stop that from happening. You should go lie down."

My father nodded weakly. "Yes, I think that's what I ought to do. Part of me does not want to, since I didn't get as much work done as I could have, but I will anyway. I think I owe it to you two."

After our dad went to his room to get some rest, our mother came walking in. She also looked a bit green around the gills, but not to the same extent as her husband.

"Where's your father?" Mom asked us. "Isn't he supposed to be here for dinner?"

I sighed, not knowing how to respond. Elijah, too, didn't seem to want to answer her question, simply because we were both scared to admit the truth: Our father might be seriously ill.

When you're young enough to still be living with your parents, it's easy to think that they're invincible, that their flame will never burn out. That, much like a morning star, it will rise again each day after it sets in the evening.

But that's not true. Even if my father hardly ever got sick before this, perhaps especially because he'd rarely been ill, the fact that he was clearly sick now frightened me more than I liked to admit.

My mother eventually looked in the trash bin and saw what must have been a grisly scene. "Your father…did he…?"

Elijah nodded sheepishly. "Yes, he did" he replied, his face making an expression that suggested he was trying hard not to spew some chunks himself.

I remembered hearing that my brother had been seriously ill once as a baby; while I hadn't witnessed what happened, I could picture what my mother's face must have looked like then, and it was very similar to how her face appeared now.

"We'll just let him rest, then. I'll check in on him; why don't you two enjoy your dinner?"

Elijah and I ate our meatball soup in silence after that. It still tasted as savory as always, but it was never quite the same without our parents. The acrid stench of puke in the trash bin didn't exactly help matters.

"Hey, Eliot, you okay?"

I looked up, expecting to see my brother. But there's no reason I should have expected to see Elijah, so in hindsight, I wasn't that surprised when an Umbreon was the one looking over me.

"Yeah" I breathed. "I'm fine. Just had a bit of a bad dream, that's all."

"If you say so" Axel replied, frowning. "I saw you tossing and turning a lot beneath the covers, so I decided to check in. I'm about to head to bed, though - tomorrow's a big day, so we need all the sleep we can get."

"What happens tomorrow?"

Axel narrowed his eyes. "You know exactly what happens, Eliot. This apartment won't pay for itself, so we'll have to find a job pretty soon. Our first quest might begin in the morning."

I shivered, knowing he was right. This time tomorrow, I might be sleeping in a dungeon again; so soon after finding a "decent" place to live, I was going to leave it for the risky business of exploring.

"Oh, yeah" I replied, looking up at the ceiling. "I guess we'll know soon enough what we'll need to do. I just hope our first job is an easy one."

Axel nodded, but his eyes told a different story. They told me that I was naive to expect anything to come easily here.

And there you have it! We're at 10 reviews now, and I expect that the number will only go up. It warms my heart to see that people are enjoying this tale I'm telling, because I'm having fun writing it.

I'll see you guys next time.