When the pink-hued teleportation had enveloped them, they vanished from the forest and reappeared in a different location.

Appearing in thin air, all of five of them were in the air for only a milli-second before dropping to the floor.

Artemis executes a flawless superhero landing, bending her knees and bracing herself for impact as she touches down with grace and precision. She immediately springs into action, scanning their surroundings with sharp eyes.

Jackal, being his first time in teleporting through a small crystal, lands awkwardly atop Homura, who emits a high-pitched yelp of surprise. The fox's eyes widen in alarm as he tries to wriggle out from under the unexpected weight.

"Get off of me you fat human cub!" He growls angrily, snaring his little sharp teeth, his fur bristling with irritation as he tried to wriggle free from Jackal's weight.

Ciel isn't as fortunate in his landing, tumbling backward and landing with a heavy thud. He grunts in discomfort, feeling the impact reverberate through his body.

Sereia, the water fairy, lands softly on Ciel's chest, her tiny form cushioned by his body. She blinks up at him, unfazed by the chaotic landing.

Artemis surveys the scene, her expression a mixture of annoyance and amusement. "Well, that was graceful," she remarks dryly, casting a glance at the tangled pile of bodies. Her expression clearly out of emotion as she watches them. "No one has any misplaced limbs" she asks, her tone tinged with sarcasm.

Jackal's expression shifted from confusion to horror as the realisation of his predicament dawned on him. His eyes widened, his face paling as he whispered in a horrified tone, "I can feel my lungs... in my butt."

The absurdity of his statement hung in the air, causing a moment of stunned silence from Artemis. Homura, recoiling in disgust, let out a dramatic shriek, his fur standing on end as he exclaimed,

"That's my breathing you imbecile!" Homura yells. "Now get off me before I bite your ass!"

Artemis looked at the two brainless morons with a judgemental expression, her lips twitching with annoyance. "Well, that's one way to breathe," she remarked dryly to herself.

Only realisation shook Jackal into sense and he looked down at the wriggling and squirming fox. "Oh sorry, I didn't realise I landed on you" the little thief said innocently as he got up.

Bewildered by Jackal's idiocy, Homura mouth dropped and his eye twitched before snapping back into sense. "Now you realise!" he yelled again.

With Jackal finally off him and another apology given to Homura, the little thief brushed himself down, completely unaware of the fox's side comments.

Homura had composed himself as he levelled himself up with all his four paws. "No, it's fine land on the fox. It's not like he cares if he looks like a squished up pile of shit" he muttered to himself while he smoothed down his fur with exaggerated care. "Tch dirty pig got grime and filth on my beautiful fur and I just cleaned and groomed it this morning". He turns his head to look at his own back.

The sight that greeted him was enough to bring tears to his eyes. His once luscious fur was now matted and tangled, streaked with grime and dirt from their fall. Several bald patches marred his otherwise fluffy coat, remnants of the acidic spit of the giant centipede they had encountered earlier.

"My beautiful fur" his eyes coats with gloss. The orange fox begin to sniffle back a cry. "All tangled up and ruined."

A wave of despair washed over him as he collapsed to the forest floor, his head buried in his paws as he whimpered softly to himself. "Why is it always me and my beautiful coat of orange fur that has to suffer the actions of everyone's stupidity." He muttered; his voice muffled by his tears.

Jackal, sensing Homura's distress, approached tentatively, his brow furrowed in concern. "Homura?" Though he couldn't understand Homura's cries, he offered a comforting gesture, his eyes reflecting a mix of sympathy and confusion.

Ciel, observing the scene with a heavy heart, felt a pang of sadness at the sight of the usually confident fox reduced to tears. The dragon keeper too did not understand why the fox was suddenly in tears but he knelt down beside the orange fox who had the same colour of his hair and placed a gentle hand on his trembling back in a gesture of support.

For the first time Homura did not snap at anyone who dared to touch his fur.

Sereia, fluttering over to Homura with delicate grace, chirped softly in an attempt to comfort him. Though her twinkles were lost on the distraught fox. 

However, on the other side stood the assassin. Her expression impassive as ever, regarded Homura with a mixture of exasperation and begrudging sympathy. Though she couldn't deny the sorry state of the fox, she had little patience for his dramatics, having dealt with his antics one too many times before.

She just stood there, staring at them waiting for them to finish so they can get back to their mission.

"Is he alright?" Ciel asks Artemis who responds with cold heartedly.

"Yeah, his fine. His just having a dramatic melt down about his fur." She crosses her hands and rolls her eyes.

The orange haired keeper expression turned even more sorrowful, his brows furrowed and saddened, "Is that why?" he mumbles softly. His blue eyes becomes gentle when he looks back at the crying fox and with a smile, he comforts the orange fox. "Well, I think your coat of fur is beautiful, even if it isn't perfect, it still holds a sparking flaming colour to it whenever I see it." Ciel remarked softly, his voice carrying a genuine warmth.

Homura, his sobs subsiding at Ciel's soothing words, slowly raised his head to gaze into the depths of Ciel's oceanic blue eyes. In that moment, the fox felt a sense of calm wash over him, the weight of his despair lifting from his shoulders.

For the first time since his breakdown, Homura felt a flicker of hope stirring within him. Ciel's kind words had a way of easing his troubled mind, filling him with a newfound sense of confidence and reassurance.

"Huh? did you...did you say I'm still beautiful?" Homura amber eyes widened with a glimmer. That look in his eyes was of admiration. Artemis recognised it from before, the same look he gave to the little prince of Ventus when he called him beautiful.

Ciel didn't understand what the orange fox had just said but assumed he had felt better seeing how he stopped crying and gazed up at him. The keeper's calloused hand reached out and shuffled the fox's head once again. "There you go little fella; everything will be ok."

Jackal, eager to contribute to the moment of admiration, chimed in with his own words of praise. "Carrot top is right. I always thought you were the most beautiful fox I ever laid eyes on." He hoped his words could also make Homura feel better and raise his spirits.

Ciel taken back about his new nickname given to him by the brown-haired kid, stared at him with a raised brow.

Artemis eye twitched. 'It was the only fox you ever laid eyes on you idiot.' Artemis stood a short distance away, her arms folded across her chest as she observed the scene unfolding before her. A flicker of annoyance danced across her features as she watched Homura's dramatic meltdown and Ciel's earnest attempts to comfort the distressed fox.

Her brows furrowed in confusion, unsure of what to make of the interaction between Ciel, Homura, and the others. "Please stop complimenting the fox. Your just going to encourage him even more." Artemis said but her words did not reach their ears.

Homura, startled by the unexpected compliment from someone he usually found irritating, glanced up at Jackal with a mixture of surprise and disdain. "I don't even like you," he retorted, "but I'll graciously accept your compliments. Thank you."

Jackal, misunderstanding Homura's response, interpreted it as gratitude and leaned in closer, intending to pat the fox on the head. But as his hand approached, Homura's reaction was swift and sharp. With a menacing growl, he snapped his teeth in a warning, causing Jackal to recoil in alarm, withdrawing his hand just in time to avoid a potentially painful encounter.

"Don't touch me" he said with quickness.

The boy looked over to Ciel and his face went deadpanned as he began to question his own likeability compared to Ciel who seemed to both have the fox's affection and the pretty little fairy.

"Why do you get to pat him?" Jackal sneered.

Ciel just smiled awkwardly not knowing how to answer the boy who looked very annoyed by this.

"Are we done here or are we going to keep rubbing the dog's back and telling him what a good boy he is" Artemis had finally snapped, her irritation etching on her face and her hands crossed against her chest. The white-haired assassin wasn't pleased by everyone ignoring the time and wasting it on this orange fox.

"Sorry Artemis-Sensei" Jackal got up with Ciel following after him.

"Right, apologies" said Ciel, giving Homura another shuffle on the head before rising to his feet.

Homura's ears twitched at the sound of Artemis's words, and before anyone could anticipate his reaction, he erupted into a flurry of angry yaps. His words spilled out in a rapid torrent, a vehement protest against being likened to a common dog.

"Dog!" he barked furiously, his voice rising in pitch with each word. "Do you see me frolicking in mud puddles or slobbering all over everything? I think not! How dare you compare me to such repulsive beings!"

The orange haired keeper was startled by Homura's sudden outburst and grown a sudden concern for the angry fox while Homura turned his head to Artemis. The little thief being with Artemis and Homura for a period of time had come to understand the situation and remained silent.

Artemis, meanwhile, remained stoically indifferent to Homura's protests, her gaze fixed firmly ahead as if she could simply tune out the fox's ranting. She knew better than to engage in any argument with the fox, simply because it was a waste of breath and she didn't care.

It was just fun pressing the fox's buttons and letting hell break lose but dealing with it after was not something she was bothered to do.

The fox continued to banter angrily and Artemis continued to ignore him, rolling her eyes to the side, and titling her head in a manner of I don't give a fuck.

Her attention moved from the Fox to the dragon keeper who stood not far from her, watching the Fox have a barking rampage that he could not understand.

"Ciel," she began, her tone devoid of warmth as she turned her attention to the orange haired keeper standing there uselessly, "go check if we're in Argentum."

Ciel met her gaze, his own eyes reflecting a mixture of concern and reluctance. He hesitated before responding, his voice tinged with apprehension. "Yeah, about that" he began with an awkward rub on his neck as he slowly lowered his gaze to the ground.

"What?" Artemis arched a questionable brow.

"My head is wanted on a spike for committing treason against the ministry of Dragons and going against royal commands" he explained with a tone that displayed his guilt.

Artemis arched a sceptical brow, her patience wearing thin. "Your fuckin with me"

"No" he said. "Not to mention I'm supposed to be dead in their books. Walking in there would mean knocking at deaths door again. I don't plan on doing that" Ciel explained, mentally crossing the idea of being captured again and then getting killed but permanently this time.

He doubts Elisaria can attach heads back to life.

Artemis couldn't help but roll her eyes at the turn of events. "My luck," she muttered under her breath, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Things never go her way.

Although she shouldn't be the one to comment on Ciel's situation, she too had committed a huge offence and high treason against the royals of both Empires by striking the crown prince of Aureum and wounding the young prince of Terra. So mostly she too can't step into Argentum without the royals wanting her head.

What deep shit she had gotten herself into.

Artemis sighs a long-exaggerated sigh and calms herself from getting annoyed for something that is not his fault. She decides to use her other source of gathering information.

"Hey kid" Artemis called out. Her voice cut through the tension like a sharp blade, breaking the spell of Homura's furious yapping. As she called out to Jackal, he was startled, his attention abruptly shifting from the indignant fox to Artemis. His eyes widened in surprise, and he pointed to himself with a bewildered expression, as if seeking confirmation.

"Me?" he said.

The assassin's emotionless face turned flat and her annoyance was palpable as she responded to Jackal's question with her trademark sarcasm. "No, my dead grandma," she retorted sharply, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Yes, you, you idiot," she hissed.

"Get your ass over there and see if we are in Argentum" She ordered.

Jackal flinched with a startle from Artemis sudden order. "Why me?" he quipped with confusion.

Artemis shot him a withering glare. "Because" she replied, her voice laced with irritation, "you're the least likely to draw attention..." there was a pause. The assassin stared at the kid for a moment, the kid shifting in his spot uncomfortably from the blunt stare before Artemis continued "Well mostly because no one is gonna give a fuck about a dumb looking kid walking all alone."

"Harsh" Jackal mumbled.

"Now move." She demanded once more.

"Fine" the kid's shoulders slumped down in defeat because he did not dare to argue or disagree with Artemis-sensei, she was terrifying when she got mad.

"And don't mention anything about Diana Glacies or Ciel. Not a word. Remember your just a dumb kid roaming around." Artemis explained to the kid in case he doesn't go around telling people he is with them.

"Yeah whatever." Jackal walked off in defeat, making his way towards the source of the bustling sounds coming from the direction of the town. He mumbled to himself why me as he stepped in between the trees, his little figure beginning to get smaller with each step.

Artemis cocked her head to the side, her icy blue eyes observing the now calm fox as he angrily muttered to himself, patting down his matted fur with his little black paw.

"Homura, you go with the kid" Artemis intrusted, her tone demanding as ever.

The fox head perked up instantly with a shocked huh. She could see the confusion etched across his features as she ordered him to accompany Jackal. His ears perked up in a shocked and bewildered look, his eyes wide with disbelief at the unexpected command.

But as Artemis expected, Homura refused outright, his expression twisting into one of disdain. "What no!" he growled at Artemis, his little white teeth baring at the white-haired assassin. "I'm not going with that dumb human cub" he snapped, his voice sharp with irritation. "That human cub is nothing but a hopeless sack of meat with an empty head! He will definitely get us both killed by the metal humans!"

Artemis's response was wordless but potent. She fixed Homura with a deathly stare, her gaze piercing and unwavering. It was a look that said more than words ever could—a silent warning that carried the weight of impending consequences. Her expression was cold and uncompromising, a contrast to those empty and emotionless piercing blue eyes.

Homura met her gaze with equal intensity, refusing to back down in the face of Artemis's silent threat. His own eyes narrowed in defiance, his posture tense as he braced himself for whatever punishment Artemis had in store. Despite his small size, there was a fierce pride in his stance, a stubborn refusal to yield to her authority.

For a brief moment, the forest seemed to hold its breath, the tension between the two adversaries palpable in the air.

"Tch fine. I'll go but if any problems were to occur because of that dumb cub I'm running away." with a flicker of resignation, Homura relented, his shoulders slumping slightly as he acquiesced to Artemis's silent command. He turned and stalked off into the underbrush, disappearing from sight with a rustle of leaves and a flick of his bushy tail with a loud mumble of "I'm no human cub sitter."

Artemis watched him go; her expression unreadable as she turned her attention to the only two people left.

The orange haired dragon keeper who had a very concerning handsome face and the little pesky water fairy sitting upon the keepers shoulder and seemingly having some kind of beef with her.

Despite her diminutive size, the fairy radiated an aura of animosity that was almost palpable, her delicate features twisted into a scowl that spoke volumes of her displeasure.

Artemis couldn't help but feel the weight of the fairy's glare, even from a distance. It was as if the tiny creature's hostility pierced through the air, honing in on Artemis with laser-like precision. She could almost hear the silent accusations, the unspoken judgment that seemed to hang in the air between them.

Though the fairy was small, barely the size of Artemis's hand, her glare held a power that belied her size. It was a look that Artemis had seen before, one that spoke of superiority and disdain, as if the fairy considered herself above Artemis in some way.

Artemis's own expression shifted in response, a mixture of confusion, disgust, and annoyance flickering across her features. She couldn't understand why the fairy seemed to harbor such animosity towards her, nor could she fathom what she might have done to incur such ire.

Her blue eyes judged the fairy from afar. 'What is this little bugged human looking at?'

As her eyes continued to observe the two in a judgmental manner, looking them up and down and making Ciel look very confused, the realisation shot her like a bullet.

Her eyes widened and her face jerked back in utter disgust.

What in the seven deadly sins is this? She had nearly blurted out.

Ciel's sharp gaze caught her sudden change of expression and he raised a questionable brow. He sensed something amiss in the way she looked at them both, a subtle tension that lingered beneath the surface. With a furrowed brow, he couldn't help but voice his concern.

"Is there something wrong?" Ciel questioned. His voice was soft, tinged with genuine curiosity as he studied Artemis's expression.

Artemis side glanced from left to right and then back to him.

"No" she had responded in her usual manner, her tone blunt and devoid of emotion. There was a flatness to her voice, a hint of irritation that lingered in the air.

But despite her dismissive words, Ciel couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Artemis's demeanour than she was letting on.

"Then what's with look?" he questioned again as he raised a single eyebrow in a gesture of scepticism. Ciel crossed his arms against his chest, the motion causing the muscles in his arms to flex beneath the fabric of his shirt. A result of years of pulling and carrying giant heavy dragon chains across the Barracks.

Judging by the way Artemis's gaze lingered on him, Ciel could tell that she was holding something back. Her up-and-down glances and the judgmental look in her eyes betrayed a deeper unease that she was unwilling to vocalize. Despite her attempts to mask her emotions, Ciel couldn't help but sense the underlying tension that simmered beneath the