"Finally," Carmilla sighed, wings beating one last time before she dropped from the sky. The cold air rushed past her as she landed atop a jagged stone outcropping. Her eyes, which had burned blood-red moments before, slowly faded back to their natural golden hue.

She crouched low, breathing hard. For the first time in ten days, the air didn't reek of orc musk.

A ripple of shadow stretched along the stone beside her. Then, from the darkness, a tall figure emerged—slender, quiet, her long hair flowing like silk in the wind.

Mia stepped forward, her catlike ears twitching faintly. Though her expression remained calm, her skin was pale, the faintest tremor beneath the stoicism.

Carmilla straightened and asked, "Are you all right?"

The question came out softer than she intended. They had been hunted for days—ten long, relentless nights since the orc pack from Ten Thousand Demons City had picked up their scent.

Mia gave a small shake of her head. "It's nothing," she said, voice flat as ever. "I've been worse."

Carmilla stretched her wings, grimacing. "Those orcs are clever bastards. They found us again last night, even after we masked our scent." Her voice dropped to a growl. "I swear they're half bloodhound."

The blonde's wings fluttered irritably. "Every time I think we've lost them, they show up again. If I couldn't fly us to those cliffs, we'd be bones by now."

Mia's expression didn't change, but her tail flicked once. "Your wings are still too small. They'll grow stronger once we reach Orleans City."

At the mention of her homeland, Carmilla's golden eyes darkened. "If we go back, those perverted nobles will just line up to offer me their necks again." She crossed her arms and pouted. "Their blood isn't even worthy of me."

"You haven't drunk human blood in… what, eighty years?" Mia's tone was dry, more an observation than accusation.

Carmilla's lips parted in a mischievous smile. Her small fangs glimmered in the moonlight. "Then maybe you should let me take a little sip. Just one."

She leaned in, voice lilting with mock sweetness. "You know, a single breath of blood is all I need."

Mia's red eyes narrowed. "No."

"Come on," Carmilla pressed, her tone turning sing-song, teasing. "It's comfortable, really. You might even like it. Half the nobles in Orleans beg me for it. And you, lucky cat, are the one I've chosen."

"If you're hungry," Mia said coldly, "I'll catch you a rabbit."

Carmilla's expression soured. "A rabbit? How generous." She kicked at a loose stone. "You'll regret it when I collapse from starvation, you heartless cat."

"I don't regret my decisions," Mia replied simply.

"Then just a little sip!" Carmilla puffed her cheeks and stomped one boot against the stone.

Mia met her gaze with visible disgust. "No."

The vampire's hair bristled, her eyes flashing red again. "You—! Smelly catwoman! You're thinking something filthy, aren't you?"

"I am not."

"You are!" Carmilla's wings flared as she jabbed a finger at her companion. "You've been staring at my teeth this whole time, haven't you?"

"I wasn't."

"Liar! You're the one who dragged me out of Orleans City!" Carmilla huffed, planting her fists on her hips. "You're responsible for me now."

Mia blinked once, slowly. "I told you the outside world was interesting. You believed me."

"You lied to me!" Carmilla cried, wings fluttering furiously. "You said there were beautiful cities and handsome knights—and all we've seen are orcs and mud and things that want to kill us!"

"It's been… educational," Mia offered mildly.

"Educational?" Carmilla's voice rose an octave. "We've been running for a year!"

Silence fell between them, broken only by the whispering wind.

The night was cold. The stars overhead burned sharp and silver.

Carmilla hugged herself and muttered, "I regret everything."

Mia's tail twitched. "If you truly regret it," she said after a moment, "I can take you back now."

The blonde froze, glancing at her. "You'd actually do it?"

Mia's gaze turned distant, her mind drifting to the message she'd received months ago. A whisper from Oasis: a sleeping princess in Orleans City—one with the rare power to transform plants. It had sounded promising, too promising. So Mia had gone undercover, infiltrating the vampire court. She'd searched ten days before finding the girl: Carmilla, the young princess, all golden hair and pride.

But Carmilla had no gift for plants. The rumor had been nothing more than a fantasy spun by decadent nobles, obsessed with the idea of being "purified" by her bite.

And Mia, fooled by false intelligence, had stolen the wrong girl.

Carmilla tilted her head, golden curls swaying. "Didn't you just say you never regret your decisions?" she asked slyly.

"I didn't say that," Mia replied flatly—and stepped back a pace, as if distance might save her from the conversation.

Carmilla grinned, fangs peeking again. "You cat-eared girls really don't handle your mistakes well, do you?"

Mia didn't answer.

For a while, neither spoke. The wind hissed through the stones. Somewhere far below, a stream gurgled softly.

Finally, Carmilla sighed. "Where are we going now? And please, don't tell me we're just going to sit here until dawn again."

Mia's eyes gleamed faintly red in the starlight. "Holy Sun City," she said simply. "The markets there deal in information. If someone knows where the man on the beast is, that's where we'll find them."

Carmilla's expression brightened, her childish curiosity returning. "I've heard of Amestris City, but never Holy Sun. Is it pretty?"

"Big," Mia said. "Loud. Dangerous."

"So, pretty and dangerous," Carmilla said, smirking. "My favorite combination."

Her smirk faded as Mia stiffened suddenly, ears flicking.

"What is it?"

"Someone's coming," Mia murmured. She peered into the darkness, her crimson eyes narrowing toward a flicker of light in the distance. "A campfire… no, torches. A small group."

Carmilla's irises shifted instantly back to red. "Not orcs." She sniffed. "Human. Maybe merchants or travelers."

The pair watched as a caravan slowly approached along the lower path—a few wagons, a dozen figures, all carrying packs and bundles. The firelight glinted off armor and metal fixtures.

"I'll ask if they've seen the man in the painting," Mia said, withdrawing a folded parchment from her cloak.

Carmilla leaned over curiously. "Still chasing that one, huh? Why not just find the man with the tortoise?"

"It's not a tortoise," Mia said evenly. "It's an Octagonal Fang Beast."

"You're impossible." Carmilla threw up her hands. "Fine. Go be mysterious."

But Mia was already gone. Her body melted into shadow, reforming an instant later in the middle of the road before the caravan.

The guards stumbled back, hands going to their weapons. The leader—a green-haired woman in traveling clothes—stepped forward cautiously.

"Who are you?" the woman demanded, voice wary but steady. Her eyes darted toward the dark forest behind Mia, as though expecting an ambush.

"I'm looking for someone," Mia said, holding up the painting. "A man who rides a beast with eight fanged jaws. He travels with a girl who has long rabbit ears. Have you seen them?"

The woman blinked. Her heart gave a small jolt—she had heard rumors. But the creature she'd seen wasn't eight meters long. It was a mountain.

She shook her head slowly. "No. I'm sorry."

Mia studied her for a heartbeat longer, then nodded and tucked the painting away.

A sudden rush of wind stirred her cloak. Carmilla descended gracefully from the night sky, landing beside her. Her golden eyes glowed faintly in the torchlight.

"What about the giant tortoise, then?" she asked, voice cool and detached.

Liyi Yi, the caravan leader, looked up at the winged girl in open amazement. "You… can fly."

Carmilla gave a small, almost smug smile. "Obviously."

When Liyi Yi didn't answer, Mia turned and said simply, "We're done here." She started walking down the road again, heading toward the distant glow of Amestris City.

Carmilla sighed dramatically. "So close," she muttered under her breath, giving Liyi Yi one last glance. Her gaze lingered briefly on the woman's slender neck before she shook her head. "Another missed opportunity."

Then, wings fluttering, she darted after Mia. "Smelly catwoman! Wait for me!"

Liyi Yi let out the breath she'd been holding. The tension bled from her shoulders.

"False alarm," she murmured to her companions. "They're just travelers… looking for someone."

Her people nodded, though unease still lingered. The pair who had appeared from shadow and sky seemed far too calm for wanderers. Liyi Yi glanced once more down the dark road, where the vampire and the cat-eared girl vanished into the night.

Something told her their paths would cross again.

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