Coldsnap: The Billionaire Alpha's Fated Pregnant Princess (GL)
Chapter 108 - Traveling By Moontrail In Another World

Chapter 108: Chapter 108 - Traveling By Moontrail In Another World

After the casino, I retreated to a small diner several blocks away to recover from meeting that werewolf. A place styled a little like the first one I visited when I got to the city, but busier and with more staff.

It was still early and I had until 6pm tonight if I wanted to hurry and leave the cash at a dead drop in a certain park. When that was done, the container delivery would be scheduled for [well after midnight] according to BoundaryKeeper’s instructions.

That left me with hours to fill and... maybe make some preparations if I’m really going to try and rush out of the city as soon as I can. According to the hunter’s journal, several of his caches were buried or hidden in locations that would require proper tools to access.

His own shovel had met its end when I used it to bury him - poetic, perhaps, but very impractical for my current needs. I’ll have to get a new one of those to bring with me.

So while doing some quick research on my phone - and after eating both a Turkey Cobb Salad and a hefty Tuna Salad with two Cranberry Ciders to wash it down - I had a new destination. And of course it was more shopping...

> The waiter... gave me looks for more than just my dress. Has he never seen a lady eat two large salads before? I cannot be the only one. <

My wolf didn’t really care, merely satisfied by the taste of meat. Personally I thought the egg was good, too. But the wolf spirit didn’t seem to care about it as much, for some reason.

The system map’s marker guided me to Moontrail Outfitters, a giant store nestled between a busy coffee shop and a not that busy bicycle repair store. Unlike the sleek boutiques downtown or the department stores I’d visited, this establishment had a very... rustic aesthetic.

Wood paneling that made me think of where Helene grew up, mounted animal heads that made Vrika growl in my mindscape, and the scent of lots of plastic, leather and canvas. Walking through the entrance and grabbing a provided basket, I was surprised by the variety of customers.

A middle-aged couple argued about which sleeping bag to get... because one of them wanted separate ones. He seemed to be making good, logical points - but the look on the woman’s face made it clear that was not the way to win this.

> Yet he keeps yipping about the double. What a fool. <

A group of humans my body’s age, or perhaps a bit younger, were clustered around a display of water filtration systems trying to decide which would be best for the numbers of participants they intended to go camping with.

It must be inconvenient to get sick from natural water sources so easily. Human stomachs are quite fragile, even in this world. Yet they make food with so many components at once - it’s a real mystery.

There was also a solitary man with the unmistakable bearing of a seasoned outdoorsman. Reminding me of the rangers that patrolled our royal hunting grounds as well as any number of the Duskpaw - except for being human and not a shifter.

> Examining various knives probably is best done in person, but I have to wonder about what his life is like. To be able to come here this time of day and shop. Does he not have a job? <

Not one of them glanced my way - my black dress stood out compared to them, but in a city like Vossden, semi-formal attire during daytime hours wasn’t unusual enough to warrant stares. It hadn’t stopped some people on the street, but for now none here bothered.

I eventually located the tools section and started comparing the available options with a critical eye. The collapsible shovel was my primary target today. One with a ’serrated edge’ on one side that will help me get through roots and other tough material.

Hard metal paired with a telescoping handle that could fold up to make it quite compact. It was also relatively lightweight... nothing like the wooden-handled implements the Duskpaw Omegas used for their garden plots, but undeniably more practical for my purpose.

"Planning a camping trip? Or... burying a hidden treasure?"

A bearded clerk in a flannel shirt walked up beside me with his joke that was a bit too close to the truth - except I am digging some up instead of burying it. His name tag read [Mike] and he wore an expression that was friendly but not too intrusive, with the amount of distance kept.

The sort of mercantile approach of a person who knew when customers wanted help... and when they preferred space. I did essentially decide the types of things I was looking for already, but as I learned with Ellie... a guide is preferred, until they start talking about themselves.

"Something like that. I need reliable excavating tools that don’t take up too much space."

"That’s one of our bestsellers. Military-inspired design. The handle can be adjusted to three different lengths."

I placed it in the basket and moved to examine a nearby folding pick and shovel ’combo’. There probably isn’t a lot of rock I need to crack, not on this expedition. But it makes me think about the future enough to move over to a ’fixed’ version that is also on the small end.

While I was thinking only about what I can bring with me in my backpack, the truth is I could place things like this inside the storage container once I have it. Even before going out to the hideout’s location...

> Perhaps for now, this little pick and hammer? What do you think, Vrika? <

The wolf spirit looks at me and snorts, sending the impression that it can’t really believe I’m asking it for real. A beast surely knows nothing of human hand tools, if it were a normal one, but this one lived aside its companion for so long and clearly has its own complex thoughts.

"This would complement it well, I think."

"For prying smaller rocks from the terrain, absolutely. And having a hammer head on hand to smash something is always advised. Geode hunters use this one mostly, but I know some of them use it to set tent stakes."

A tent is something I hadn’t thought much about, because I had a belief that maybe it would be good for me to actually get the chance to sleep in this body’s beast form again. It’s only been so many days and I’m already feeling constrained by being a ’human’ constantly.

> Is it a werewolf thing to *want* to shift? I know Helene did frequently, at least every couple days, but I just figured that was just because <

If so, it’s impressive that these packs, like the Rimecoat and... Stonewater, are able to just be inside the city so much. Perhaps they have their own secret places to go to and deal with it.

"Is there anything else I can help you find today?"

Private rooms or hunting grounds that would have no one watching them. At least no humans. I miss my world where everyone knows of shifters.

"Yes, actually, I was thinking... of getting a few more things while I am here."

I can pay her back soon. It’s no big deal as long as I am getting things that I need to make doing so easier... or at least less suspicious. It’s really not. Really.

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