If Tiber'ian could obtain a Memoria Animus, he could prove to people that Haust'us had stolen him from his rightful parents. He could be free to go home to his real family. It was his deepest desire. So instead of going inside the astrologer's home, he sat on the front step and studied the information in the book.

The Memoria Animus required many ingrediens to make several different parts that were then combined together. A golden chamber segmented into three circular parts, a golden chain of perfect circles interlinked, a glass switch welded to the chamber, and inside, a crystal to project the memory, surrounded by a circle of diamonds. It also required the highest level magicae, that of the Astrologia Orbis. It was well out of his reach to make his own, so he'd have to somehow find the parts to make one and then find an astrologer to make it for him.

Was it possible?

"Whatcha looking at?"

Tiber'ian looked up with a start to see Liviann'ah watching him from the top step. Her black bunny ears drooped on top of her blonde head, making her look sleepy and mopey. She had somehow opened the front door without making a sound and had snuck up on him.

"Liv! You startled me!"

"Sorry Ti. I didn't mean to." Liviann'ah made a silly face, her brown eyes glinting. "Is that book for Haust'us? You better not read it. If he sees you reading his book, he'll be furious." She had such a lovely voice, so smooth and high and clear as a bell. Liviann'ah liked to sing, but one day Haust'us overheard her singing and scolded her for wasting time singing when she could be studying magicae for the Prime Astrologer Trial. Now she only sang when she was alone or with Tiber'ian and Vuk'as.

"I know he would be," Tiber'ian said, referring to Liviann'ah's warning about Haust'us. Their foster father hated everything that wasted time and took them away from their studies. "But I need to write something down from the book. Do you have a pen and paper?"

"No, but I can go get some. What's so important you don't want to forget?" she asked, suspicious. She made a curious face, raising her eyebrows and making wide eyes at him.

"I'll explain later. Just get me some paper and a pen quick!"

"Okay. Hide around the side of the house," she said, pointing, and then she went back into the house and shut the door.

Tiber'ian ducked around the side of the house. In the secluded area, he read the paragraph about the Memoria Animus three times while he waited for Liviann'ah to come back. Once she handed him the pen and paper, he jotted down the necessary ingrediens and the process for making the magical item, and then he stuffed the paper into his pocket and shut the book.

"I'll go deliver this book now. Don't ask me about this, alright? I'll tell you when it's a good time." Tiber'ian raised his eyebrows at her, showing he was serious.

"Okay," Liviann'ah said, though she seemed disappointed.

They entered the house, and after searching for just a moment, they found Haust'us in his study. The man had white hair and the ears of a wolf. He had a white wolf tail, and though it might be Tiber'ian's imagination, he swore that Haust'us had the canine teeth of a ferocious wolf.

"Here's the book you sent me to the library for," Tiber'ian said as he handed it over.

"Good. Now leave me to my reading. You are not to run around and make a ruckus now! Sit in your rooms and work on your independent magicae lessons. Do you understand me?" Haust'us glared at them. Tiber'ian once told his friends that Haust'us's brown eyes looked red when he got angry.

"Yes Haust'us," Tiber'ian and Liviann'ah said at the same time. They hurried out of the room. It was only until after he'd already left when he remembered that Miss Ves'da had asked him to warn Haust'us to return his overdue books. And that Miss Florie'nah had said she'd come by demanding to be paid for the bread he'd taken from her this morning.

Should he keep quiet or give him the messages?

He decided instead to take care of these two problems himself. So he first went to the library to see if he could find the three overdue books. He found one near Haust'us's armchair near the fireplace. Maybe the others were in his private quarters. Tiber'ian swallowed and snuck up the stairs, which were made of tree branches growing from the outer trunk of the house.

When he reached Haust'us's room, he checked to make sure no one was watching, and then he opened the door and closed it quickly behind him. He searched the bedside table drawers and found the other two books. "Yes!" he breathed.

He found Haust'us's chest of money on the floor under the window and opened it. He took out what he guessed the bread has costed and then shut the lid quietly.

He snuck out of the room and slunk down the stairs. He looked over his shoulder to see if Haust'us was watching from his office on the other side of the main floor. The coast was clear, so .he opened the front door, softly shut it behind him, and ran back to the library.

He made it there without incident, which he thanked his lucky leaves for, and he found Ves'da at the front desk. He walked up and placed the books on the desk. "Haust'us wants to renew these books," he lied.

"Of course," she said, stamping the books with her library stamp. She made a note in her ledger about the new due date. "Due back in a fortnight."

"Right, I'll be sure to tell him!" Tiber'ian took the books back. "Thanks Miss Ves'da!"

"You're welcome, Tiber'ian. Now stay out of trouble!" She wagged her finger at him.

"Will do!" He turned and left the library, forcing himself to walk until he was out the door. Then he ran to Miss Florie'nah's bread stall to pay her back for the bread.

"Well, I wasn't expecting to see you back so soon," she said. Her deer ears perked up at the sight of him.

"Yup, Haust'us sent me to pay you back myself." He held out the money.

"Well, that is enough plus some. Here is your change due back." She handed him a 50 momenta piece, which was enough to get some candy from the sweets shop.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome, but you simply must bring money in the first place next time!" She gave him a warm smile.

"I will!" he said, though he knew it would be hard to break his habit of swindling people who trusted him too much.

He turned to start running back home, and ran straight into Vuk'as, the third tiro who studied Astrology alongside Tiber'ian and Liviann'ah. Vuk'as had deer ears and the tail of a white-tailed deer. He also had blond hair, freckles, and the snootiest look on his face all the time. "I saw what you did," he said, a snide look on his face.

"So?" Tiber'ian started jogging home.

"So, I'm going to tell Haust'us."

"You wouldn't!" Tiber'ian came to a sudden halt and glared at Vuk'as.

"What will you give me to keep quiet?" Vuk'as asked.

"You can have this," Tiber'ian offered, giving the deer boy the 50 momenta piece.

"I'll take it, but you also need to give me your dessert every day this phase."

"What?! For an entire phase? That's a rip off!"

"Well, you shouldn't have stolen from Haust'us."

"How about a half phase?" Tiber'ian bartered. Certainly, fifteen days would be enough.

Vuk'as squinted at him. "Fine."

They ran back to the house and tried to sneak in quietly, but Haust'us came out of his office and found them trying to sneak up the stairs. "You two! Come here!"

The boys slunk up to their foster father. Tiber'ian's fox tail drooped low and his ears went back. Vuk'as had a similar look, his deer ears limp.

"You were to be studying," Haust'us said, his arms crossed and his wolf tail stiff. He put his wolf ears back, looking rather menacing. "What were you doing?"

"Nothing," they both answered at once.

"Why do you have these?" The wolf man ripped the books out of Tiber'ian's hands.

"Miss Ves'da said they were overdue, so I went to renew them for you. I was trying to be helpful!" Tiber'ian felt it was pointless to try and explain himself.

"Well, it seems you would rather steal from my room than tell me I have overdue books." Haust'us quipped. "I am revoking your outdoor privileges. Tiber'ian, you can no longer go out. From now on, Vuk'as will run my errands for me."

Tiber'ian hung his head. He looked over to see Vuk'as giving him a snooty face.

"And Vuk'as, instead of sneaking off to tail Tiber'ian, you should have told me he snuck out with my books."

"Yes sir," Vuk'as said.

"Now, to fully punish you for this, you will both skip dinner and stay up late to study in your rooms. Off with you now, and no complaining or you won't get breakfast tomorrow morning either." Haust'us snapped his fingers as he pointed up the stairs.

"Yes sir," they both said and hurried up the stairs.

Trouble always seems to find me, Tiber'ianthought as he went up the stairs with his tail between his legs. Off he went tohis room to study, silently wishing he could find his true family, for he knewthey'd never treat him like this. All he needed was to find theingrediens needed to make the Memoria Animus, and to find someone skilled enoughto make it.

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