When Tendo and Haruto left the woods, two people materialized at the place where the boys had been making their model.

Fireflies started to dance around them as if they had found their long-lost friends.

They gazed at the retreating figures of the two boys in the distance.

“Do you think he is regaining his memories?” one of the men asked.

“I am not sure, but he was definitely trying to recall something,” the other one said.

“Will it be good for him if he remembers everything?”

“We can’t say for sure. He will follow his destiny, so let nature take its course.”

“Then how long do we have to wait?”

“We have to wait until his powers emerge.”

“But why is he taking so long when her powers are already blooming? Do you think it’s linked to their memories?”

“Maybe. Should we try to stimulate him?”

“And how are we going to do that? We can’t get in contact with him.”

“With this,” he said, taking something out of his lapel with his gloved hands.

It was a white silk handkerchief.

“Are you sure?”

“I am not sure, but we have to try something. If this doesn’t work, we’ll think of another solution.”

After saying this, the man put the handkerchief on the ground and the two people vanished.

In the distance, Haruto immediately stopped in his tracks and started to look into the box of supplies.

“What happened?” Tendo asked.

“I think I forgot my pencil case. I’ll go and fetch it,” he said, turning to go back when Tendo stopped him.

“Hyung, you go ahead. I’ll fetch it. I’m faster than you.”

After saying this, he sprinted towards their usual spot.

He saw a blue pencil case from a distance and picked it up, but immediately his sight caught a white shiny thing.

He picked it up and saw that it was a white silk handkerchief.

Must be Hyung’s, he thought, and ran back towards Haruto, who was slowly walking towards their home.

“Here is your pencil case,” Tendo said, putting the pencil case back into the box Haruto was holding.

“Oh, and this,” he said, then took out the white handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to Haruto.

“I never saw you using this kind of handkerchief before.”

Haruto gave the handkerchief a single glance, and his gaze stopped at the emblem drawn on it. He felt like his head was hurting and something was trying to come out.

"Hyung?"

"Hyung," Tendo called again.

Haruto tried to calm his emotions and looked at Tendo, who was watching him with worry. He had never felt this agitated before. He returned the handkerchief to Tendo, saying,

“This is not mine.”

“Not yours?” Tendo creased his eyebrows in thought.

“Maybe someone else dropped it during patrolling,” Haruto said matter-of-factly.

Tendo nodded his head, placed it back in his pocket, and they started to walk back towards their home.

------- 

“Alpha, I’ve forwarded you an email about the list of guests who will come to the Lycanthrope festival. I just received it from the spokesperson of Full Moon,” Beta Ren said to Asahi after entering his office.

“Yes, I’ve seen it. Just make all the arrangements as we discussed before,” Asahi replied after giving a momentary glance at the guest list on laptop screen.

Beta Ren nodded.

“Then I will head back to my home first. Haruto will be returning as well, so I have to prepare dinner.”

“Okay, then you head back first.”

As Beta Ren turned to walk towards the door, Asahi called him again.

“Oh, wait a minute, Ren. There is one more thing I need to discuss with you.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“Please don’t be so formal. It’s just a family matter. Have a seat first,” Asahi said, pointing towards the chair opposite him.

After sitting down, Beta Ren asked, “What’s the matter, Alpha?”

“Nothing serious. It’s just, you know, there are still ten days before the Lycanthrope festival. So, I am thinking of visiting Ling Mei.”

“Ling Mei? The herbalist from the Blue Moon pack?” Beta Ren inquired.

“Yes. You know that I previously asked for her help when Tendo was unable to control his powers. So, I want to make sure that Tendo’s powers remain under control during this event. Although in the last few years he has harnessed the ability to control his powers, he is still a child, and I am afraid that he will lose control when surrounded by so many powerful werewolves. I had discussed this matter with Ling Mei a long time ago, and now I think she has come up with a solution. So, during my absence, the pack will be under your control.

I know there is already a lot on your plate, and I’m also adding my responsibilities to you. But I can’t help myself. I’m just worried about him. I want to make sure that everything remains under control from our side.”

“No Alpha, I can understand. You go and do your stuff. I will handle the matters of the pack,” Beta Ren said with assurance.

“And one more thing. If you give permission, then I would also like to bring Haruto with us. You know how busy we are with all the pack stuff. So, I feel like we have never taken our children on any outing or adventure during their summer vacations. So, Tendo and Haruto will have a mini adventure during this time. If you don’t mind. It would have been best if you could come with us as well, but someone has to remain in the pack, and I can’t trust anyone other than you with all these responsibilities,” Alpha said.

“No Alpha, I don’t mind. You can take him. I also feel like I have neglected my child and couldn’t spare time to take him on any outing. Although I feel like I’m missing out on this adventure, don’t worry, my turn will come as well, and it won’t be a mini adventure. Hahaha,” Beta Ren laughed cheekily.

Asahi also laughed and replied, “Don’t worry, after this Lycanthrope festival, you will have your vacations.”

“Great, then I should start searching for a good picnic spot.”

“Okay, come out of your fantasies. Don’t you have to go back and make dinner?”

“Oh yeah, right. I am going back then,” Beta Ren said as he left the office.

-------

At the dinner table that night, Asahi said to Tendo, “Tendo, do you remember that I once told you about my friend who is a herbalist and I discussed your situation with her when you were unable to control your powers?”

“Yes, I remember. You said that she would be using silver and wolfsbane to control my powers. But I think I can control my powers pretty well now, and I don’t need such a thing,” Tendo replied.

“Yes, I know, but since she has already made it, then we should not waste her efforts. It would not hurt to see what she has made and how you can use it. So, I thought that since there is still one week until the Lycanthrope festival, why not go and have some adventure? We can bring Haruto as well, and in the meanwhile, we can visit her too. She lives in the Blue Moon pack, which is situated in the midst of Pine Crown Forest. It’s a very beautiful place filled with all kinds of plants. You will definitely like it.”

Tendo's eyes started to twinkle when he heard about the adventure and how they would be visiting another pack.

“It will also be a good opportunity for you to meet werewolves from another pack. We have very friendly terms with them, and I think you will like them as well.”

Asahi tried to create a very good incentive to convince Tendo. He knew very well that Tendo loves adventure, and if it was with Haruto, then it was double the fun. Meeting other werewolves was like the cherry on top.

Tendo became so excited after hearing this and immediately asked, “So when are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning,” Asahi replied with a smile after seeing Tendo's excitement.

“That’s so great. Then I will go and pack my stuff,” Tendo said as he stood up and swiftly moved towards the stairs. But then he stopped in his tracks and asked Asahi, “Did you tell Beta Ren about our plan?”

“Yes, I have told Ren about our plan and already taken his permission to take Haruto with us. He will get him ready in the morning. You go do your stuff,” Asahi replied.

After hearing this, Tendo happily ran towards his room to pack his stuff.

-------------

After packing his stuff and taking a bath, Tendo went to his bed, ready to sleep. But the excitement of the upcoming adventure and meeting people from another pack made it impossible for him to drift off. He imagined all the fun activities they would engage in, like the ones he had seen on Wild Rush or Survival shows, but with the added intensity of being werewolves. The thought made him feel giddy with anticipation. Then he began to worry that he might have forgotten to pack something. Grabbing a notebook from his side table, he checked the list again he had made of all the things they would need for the next day's journey.

"Navigation tools: Compass, flashlight, map, binoculars—check."

"Survival tools: Knife, lighter, sleeping bag, multipurpose rope, water bottle—check."

As he continued to check off items on his list, he heard the snicker of Nevalis in his head.

"I won’t argue with you today because I am in a good mood," Tendo retorted, continuing with his list.

"Clothing and shoes—check.

Sanitary items (toothbrush, sanitizer, sunscreen, insect repellent)—check.

First aid kit......"

At that moment, Asahi knocked on the door and entered the room, questioning why the light was still on and what Tendo was doing up so late.

"Oh, nothing much," Tendo replied casually, hiding his excitement about the adventure. "Just making sure that I have placed everything in my bag."

Asahi approached Tendo's bed and picked up the notebook from his hand. He took a look at the list and then started to laugh.

"Dad, stop laughing. I know you will say that we are werewolves and we don’t need these navigation and survival tools, but still, we are going into the wilderness and these things might come in handy. Besides, it will be fun to do all the activities like how humans do in the wilderness," Tendo explained.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I am not saying anything," Asahi replied, placing the notepad back on the side table and giving a hands-up gesture. "But make sure to sleep early. We have to leave early in the morning."

After saying this, Asahi left the room. 

After Asahi left the room, Tendo turned off the light and laid down on his bed. He was tired from training in the morning and working on their summer task in the evening. Now, all the excitement had drained his energy, and he started to feel sleepy. As he was about to enter into his dreamland, he was suddenly reminded of the handkerchief.

He had placed it under his pillow when he went to take a bath. Now, he took it out from under the pillow, switched on the bedside lamp, and started to observe it.

The handkerchief was originally white, but due to being old, it looked off-white in color. Tendo carefully opened the folds of the handkerchief and saw a strange kind of silver-colored emblem printed at the corner of the handkerchief.

The whole emblem was circular in shape with a small circle in the middle. Inside the circle looked like a tree with three main branches and further subbranches. Above and below that middle circle were two triangles that looked like some kind of pointed ears. On the left and right side of the middle circle were three interconnected triangles. A vertical and horizontal line was joining all these triangles from the middle.

Tendo was seeing this emblem for the first time.

"What a strange and beautiful emblem. Nevalis, do you recognize it?" he asked, but he didn’t hear any response from Nevalis. He thought that Nevalis was probably still upset about their morning argument. He tried calling him again and then he heard, "I don’t recognize it. Don’t call me again. Let me rest."

"Boring," Tendo muttered, ignoring him, and started to analyze the emblem again. He was momentarily entranced by the beauty of this emblem.

He then began to sniff the handkerchief, trying to identify its owner by scent so he could return it. Whether it belonged to a patrolling werewolf or another member of the pack, he knew their scents very well. The first and most prominent scent was Haruto's, as he was the only one besides Tendo who had recently touched the handkerchief in the woods. Tendo took a deeper sniff of the other scent that was very faint and hard to recognize. 

Suddenly, his body tensed, his pupils dilated, and his heart raced wildly.

What kind of scent is this?, he thought, his mind racing with agitation. 

The scent was unmistakable - a refreshing blend of rain and pine cones. Tendo's sniffing grew more frantic, his senses overwhelmed by that intoxicating scent. He couldn't help himself, inhaling deeply again and again like a man possessed. His mind raced with a primal urge, as if some ancient instinct had been awakened by the scent. 

What's happening to me?, he thought, his thoughts consumed by the scent. 

I can't control myself.

"Nevalis, what's happening to me?" Tendo asked, his voice laced with desperation as he inhaled the handkerchief again. "Why is this scent driving me crazy? Is it some kind of drug or spell?" He couldn't understand why he was so enthralled by the smell of rain and pine cones, when normally he didn’t like the wet, rainy smell but preferred the warmth and brightness of sunny days. But now, his body seemed to crave this scent, drawing him in with an otherworldly pull. "Why can't I resist it? Why do I need to smell it again and again?"

Tendo attempted to compose himself, carefully folding the handkerchief and storing it in his side drawer. He rose from his bed, made his way to the washroom, and splashed cool water on his face, trying to shake off the intense reaction. As he stood there, taking a few deep breaths, he heard Nevalis's voice, steady and calm. "I don't recognize this scent, Tendo. And I'm certain it doesn't belong to anyone in our pack." Nevalis's words were laced with a hint of curiosity. 

Nevalis's words snapped Tendo back to reality, and he realized his oversight. "You're right, this scent isn't familiar. I was so caught up in my own reaction, I didn't even think to consider that it might be from an outsider." A surge of concern welled up within him. "This is serious. If it's not from our pack, then someone has trespassed into our territory. I need to inform Dad about this." Tendo's mind raced with the implications. 

Tendo returned to his bed, realizing it was too late to disturb his Dad now. "I'll have to wait until tomorrow," he thought, knowing that Asahi would be tired and already asleep and he also have to wake up early in the morning. 

He decided on discussing this matter tomorrow, trying to push the thoughts aside and get some rest. But his mind lingered on the mysterious scent, his senses still reeling from its impact, and he could barely sleep throughout the night.