She rolled to her back in extreme comfort, yawned cutely, smiled and slowly opened her eyes. The world greeted her with the sight of a smiling brown haired woman of impossible beauty, kindness, and warmth. Haruhime closed her eyes again, and rolled to her side, curling up into a ball, pressing her face into the woman's abdomen.
Astraea let out a light giggle, and gently brushed her fingers through the girl's hair. Her gentle touch caused the girl's fox ears to twitch cutely, it reminded her of Neze when she was younger. However the calm moment didn't last, as the girl's confusion finally took over, causing her to quickly sit up and push away from the goddess as her heart pounded, and a look of fear appeared on her face.
"What's wrong dear, you're safe here." Astraea spoke softly. "You're scared, but there's no need to be anymore, it was Origin Wolf who laid you down on my lap."
"Huh?" Her ears flickered, and tail brushed. The terror slowly faded from her eyes, opening her sight to the rest of the world.
"Yep, my papa said you're safe now."
"Yeah, what's with being scared? Do you believe papa or not?"
"Huh, your papa?"
"Yeah, my papa!"
"Our papa's the strongest!"
Haruhime sniffed the air, quickly beginning to identify the scents of everyone present, and sure enough her ears flickered once the four scents were identified to be close matches to the one who'd ensured her freedom.
"You're really his kin!" She was excited, and opened up a little more. But then her tail and ears drooped. "Can I see him? My hero?"
Astraea let out a giggled, covering her lips with a free hand. "Your hero is currently dealing with the aftermath. He did have an entire familia toppled and broken just to save you." She saw Haruhime grow worried, and then smiled. "Come here and rest, we're about to start the story of the heroic wolf."
"Oh? Is this the one about what happened a few years ago?" Her eyes opened wide crawling over with a tail brushing the air, and a childishly enthusiastic smile on her face.
Astraea reached over to pick up one of the several different volumes of the same story. "Yes, there's a whole lot of different versions of the story, but this one… This one was written by a dear friend of mine, you may have heard of her, Athena, a goddess of wisdom, and she wrote this first edition out of respect for the terribly difficult labor Origin Wolf had overcome."
"Oh? I've read some volumes written by others. Is it the same?"
"No, others write in their own embellishments, making the battle seem great. However, Athena knows of something no one else who's written the story knows."
"Oh? What's that?" This time Astraea had the interest of all the children currently in her care. Several of the older children, and newer adventurers were more than a little intrigued.
She smiled warmly, preparing to open the book. "I'm sure you'll pick it out right away. And now." She turned to the first page where an artist's recreation of Orario, only in flames. "They came from the deepest depths of the dark, representatives of the most insidious of evils…"
The story was told once more, the tale told without any embellishment, nor degradation. Each side was clearly established, the words rolled off Astraea's tongue and the scene clear. She didn't shy away from any of the horrible scenes, instead the children were free to have their own reactions.
There were parts where the children jumped, and hugged each other, feeling the terror of the days of old through the accurate account of the days. Others were showing a bit more interest in the story than before, despite the impossibility of such a task. Shurry's pups were eagerly listening to the story waiting for their papa to show up. Haruhime couldn't help but be enthralled by the several heroic actions made by even common people without a falna.
"... And then when Evilus unleashed the hordes of monsters upon the city, and her people, a howl, traveled through the dungeon, carrying a soul, a voice, an order. Evil's hold had darkened the city, and replaced hope with terror, and joy with despair… Werewolves, young and old, suddenly felt an overwhelming strength, and howled out." Astraea told the tale…
The werewolves in the room let out a howl as if enthralled by the story, a howl that Haruhime also joined in, trying to feel the story. No one renounced her efforts, instead gave her an approving smile.
"... Then they joined the fray, those with, and without the falna, and temporarily through their efforts, bought enough time. Time for a ray of light to shine through. Powerful wolves, an army of them charged and pranced out of the dungeon, turning the tide. For their Alpha, for their pack."
She continued until the moment when Shurry's return, it was told from the perspective of someone who saw the whole thing, without the blinders of Gekai. Haruhime's ears popped up, and eyes widened.
Astraea giggled. "That's right, his return was truly the first of his many godly feats throughout this battle."
"Well don't stop there, what happened next!?"
…
Shurry had gone to the guild, and explained the situation, Legi accompanied him with a bit of excitement, finally getting the chance to be alone with him again, sitting in a private room at the guild.
"You're excited."
"Of course I am, it has been a long time since we last were this close."
"Do you regret it?"
"There's nothing to regret…"
"Don't lie."
"If I had one regret, it's that I couldn't have been the one to be with you, and be one with you."
"A cruel fate, created by the limitations of the minds of the gods. A mistake of nature." Shurry said, revealing just how much he actually felt. "There's no point in worrying over things we had no hope of changing. And after… I lost my aunt…"
"Stop, I already know. There's no need to hurt yourself all over again because of me." She warned, just as a knock on the door came. "I am satisfied with being your big sister. Keep giving me those bundles of joy I call my nieces and nephews." She added quickly, then turned towards the door. "Come in!"
In came Royman…