Bab 1118: ANOTHER KIND OF FALLING
"Huh." Wolfgang said, and then he sighed and checked his watch, "Still, let's get you checked out before dinner."
"I refuse to take responsibility for you if you're going to be doing dangerous things like breaking nameless horses." Edel decided before sashaying huffily away, "I'll wait in the car."
Ori was gone too. Dan could only assume the black cat had returned to his shadow.
"Are you alright?" Wilhelm asked, "I think there's a first aid kit in the car. Maybe we should clean the scraps."
Dan looked at his arm, his shirt sleeve was ruined and his elbow was scraped, but the wound had already dried up and scabbed - mud and a bit of grass still in it. He laughed it off, "I've been worse."
"Again, not something to boast of." Edel reappeared again to tell him crossly. The giant white cat was resting on top of their car. For all their super powers, it seemed like cats were unable to open car doors.
"I meant I've survived worse." Dan corrected himself, and then he remembered meeting and riding an actual talking horse, "It was totally worth it."
Wilhelm laughed good naturedly and got into the driver's seat. The moment he opened the car door, Edel shrank itself into its housecat size and took the front passenger seat. Wolfgang wordlessly opened the back passenger door and sat next to Dan in the back.
"Better step on it Wil." Wolfgang checked his watch again, "Dan has a dinner date later."
Dan had not expected Lord Wolfgang to stoop so low as to tease him like that, but given that he did also bawl like a baby and then got thrown into a ditch by a horse all in a single day, Wolfgang was definitely only treading lightly to test the waters.
Dan leaned back in his seat and laughed, "Surely you jest, Lord Wolfgang. Dinner with the Alpha and a date are very different things."
"For most men, yes. But for you Dan, I don't know." Wilhelm was grinning so hard, Dan could see it from the back seat.
Dan laughed and feigned exaggerated propriety, "I'm sure I don't know what you're implying Sir Wilhelm."
The other men laughed. So far so good. If the banter could carry on, Dan felt sure it would push their friendship up a level.
"But you've been charming everyone you meet today… the cats, Alpha Sam, and then the only nameless horse in the Green Packlands." Wilhelm answered suddenly serious.
Dan wanted to protest, but Wolfgang beat him to it, "That's how Dan is."
"Or rather it's because they know I'm your friend, Lord Wolfgang." Dan quickly credited his social success to his host. One must never outshine your host (or his King's grace).
But Lord Wolfgang was not his King, in fact, no one in Moon Bell had been like the world he had known before.
"Balderdash." Wolfgang waved it off, "Even my name will only get you so far among these wolves."
"And since you regard me as a friend, you may drop the formalities when addressing me privately." Wolfgang graciously allowed.
"My friends call me Wolf." Wolfgang said very haughtily.
"Or Hotstuff or Wolfie." Wilhelm teased from the driver's seat.
"No." Wolfgang crossed his arms, "Do NOT call me that, Dan Lion."
Dan felt his mouth tug upwards, "I thought Hotstuff was rather charming."
Wolfgang glared warningly back. It was exactly when Wolfgang made that expressions that Dan felt he was very much like Peri.
"Everyone calls me Dan. My name only has that many syllables." Dan shrugged, "But I prefer it that way."
It was definitely better than whatever Jax had been coming up with.
"Wil." Wilhelm offered.
Dan felt his smile widen, and the three men made plans to meet over cards and drinks in a quiet corner of the party later.
Dan couldn't remember the last time he was so excited to attend any social function. All he had to do was clear dinner with the Alpha.
But Dan wasn't worried. He was a professional negotiator after all. He knew all the ropes - from wining and dining his client to playing his cards right - Never Sell; Build Trust; Come from a Position of Strength; and Know When to Walk Away. All Dan had to do for this dinner to be successful was to have a pleasant evening together, find some common ground they could both relate with, and get a feel of the kind of cards the Alpha plans to bring to the negotiation table. Given the Alpha's generous hospitality and the fact that she was the one who initiated the dinner, she would probably be planning to do the same. In fact, there was a high chance the Alpha already had something she wanted in mind.
And if he could coax the Alpha to tell him what she wanted, he'd be in a much better position to plan future meetings.
He could definitely do this, all he had to do was take it one step at a time, and just as Alpha Sam had said, Dan was going to be able to get everything he wanted all on his own. He'll finish his last mission for the Three Kingdoms, that would be his goodbye gift to his King. Dan was not ungrateful, and Dan would not be a traitor. But once this mission was done, so was Dan. He was going to find his own life - get a job, his own apartment… for some reason, when he pictured his future apartment this time, there were four large cats in it… and a horse outside.
Dan's apartment would probably need to be a small house, somewhere near Cat's tribe - which was quite a different plan from the studio apartment in Gate City.
What a difference a day made. Dan was quite surprised at the way this mad wonderland had made him feel quite at home. His head was sure staying in Moon Bell was impossible. This was wolf territory. But his heart already had 4 cats and a horse? And he was actually making friends he liked (Although Wolf and Wil were really from Snow Moon.)
Dan remembered that Alice desperately wanted to get out of Wonderland, but Dan was quite different. If he had a choice, he would never leave this place. Even though every one here was mad, and Dan was convinced he was losing his mind too, but he was also falling in love with everyone.
Especially the alpha. O.o.
This… this would require some explanation. So remember the dinner Dan had to attend with the Alpha? Dan reached home in due time, he took a shower, wincing under the hot water. He winced again at the sight of the scratches and bruises down the left side of his body.
A young healer with a green robe named Hanari came by. He said his horse told him to come help heal Cat's human rider, and as proof that Dan was just as mad as everyone else in this land, he nodded like that was the most sensible explanation, he let the mysterious robed stranger in, took off his bathrobe, and allowed the stranger to use a scalpel to scrape off his scab to "reset the heal" so that he would not scar.
Hanari was seriously powerful. Dan was good as new, plus Hanari also helped tone his muscles - since they were sore from the riding, he might as well apply a bit of healing magic to "help" his body shape up a little. And since he was at it, he "adjusted" Dan's blood pressure, and also removed some blockage he found in Dan's liver - which wasn't life threatening yet, but Hanari felt prevention was better than cure.
Dan should take care of his body better since he was just a human.
"Thank you. I'll try to do better." Dan promised a little reluctantly. He supposed being more regular at the gym and cutting down on the alcohol could be part of his new life too. Since he was about to get the life he always wanted, shouldn't he take care of himself so he could live it long and well?
Hanari smiled gently, "Don't worry, I've been assigned as your healer during your stay here so please make good use of me. Beta Damian was going to introduce us tomorrow, but it seems fate has brought us together sooner."
And again Dan nodded and did not think Hanari was crazy.
Hanari gave Dan his name card, "I'm known as Prince Ri to most wolves here."
"Thank you." Dan quickly found his card holder and exchanged his own card with the healer prince.
When Hanari left, Dan checked the navy blue name card, "HRH Prince Hanari, Delta, Night Leaf Moon Bell"
WTH. He was really some kind of prince? Why was a prince serving as a delta in Moon Bell?
After that strange encounter, Dan went on to get dressed. His trousers was a little looser around the waist, and it might be his imagination, but his shirt felt a little bit tighter across his chest and shoulders. Dan put on another betaman suit, he emptied and refilled his name card holder - noting how all the Moon Bell wolves had the same embossed navy blue cards. Wilhelm's card was cream. Wolfgang's card was a Moon Bell blue card, "Lord Wolfgang A. Chimay, Elder, Night Leaf Moon Bell"
Dan checked the other cards, "Beta Gerald Daniel Langston, Beta, Morning Light Moon Bell", "Beta Damien Kane, Beta, Night Leaf Moon Bell", "Alpha Zane Reid, Captain, Walking Fortress Moon Bell"
Dan would have to collect more cards to figure out how the hierarchy was drawn here. It was confusing because most packs only had one Alpha. Most packs also didn't have foreign princes and lords involved. But Moon Bell was not most packs. Dan had already experienced that first hand.
Two smart knocks on the door and Beta Dante's voice called out, "Dan, are you ready?"
Dan quickly put everything into his pockets and opened the door to follow Beta Dante, but when he stepped out, he found himself face to face with Alpha Henri herself.
And she was BEAUTIFUL.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone