Arian kicked a stray rock across the dirt path, watching it skitter away into the shadows. The Black Panther clan really didn't take kindly to outsiders, which probably explained why they were so isolated from the rest of the shifter clans.
He had been waiting for the merchants from the Lion Kingdom to finally show up. He really, really didn't want to go to the place Caius had mentioned. Caius was a dangerous man, and dealing with him was strictly a last-resort kind of situation.
To make sure nobody recognised him, Sara had insisted on helping him with a disguise. She'd tied a cloth around the lower half of his face and shoved him into a dark blue hooded cloak. He looked like a... well, the important thing was that his wolf ears were hidden, and nobody could see his face.
It was getting late into the evening, and the Lion merchants had finished their trading for the day. Naturally, they were already happily drinking themselves into a stupor.
