The days passed into weeks and weeks changed to months within what seemed like the blink of an eye. 
It was soon time for a long vacation and all the students, excitedly packed their backs, to go back home and visit their families. 
“ Aren't you done packing? ”
Merindale asked when she finally decided to check the boys’ dormitory because Akata wasn't coming down. 
Akata had managed to keep a safe distance between them over the course of the term. It wasn't easy but he got it done. However, he wasn't very sure about going back to her castle. He wasn't sure about his self control around her. 
“ I am not coming, ” he declared, without looking at her. 
“ What do you mean by not coming? Where else do you have to go? ” Merindale barged in and pulled him by his sleeve. 
“ Let go of me! ” he tried to shoo her away but his pull sent her reeling back. She was about to hit her head on the wall. In the blink of an eye, he teleported behind her and cushioned her body with his chest. Their bodies collided, though unintentionally and sent that same surge of sensation across their limbs. Akata pushed her away. 
Merindale chuckled. 
“ Were you afraid because of this? Well, I have a plan. I can ask my father to make you my betrothed. There shouldn't be any problem after that's done. So… are you coming with me or not? ” she asked, extending her hand towards him. 
“ What's a betrothed? Is it like a medicine that cures illness? ” Merindale broke into laughter. 
“ You can say that. It's the only medicine for our disease at the moment. ”
Their carriage ran across the rugged terrain, leaving a trail of dust behind. 
*****
At the wolf kingdom. 
Merindale had been meaning to talk to her father about how she felt about Akata. Since Ruby wasn't in the castle( she had gone to the mer-world to replenish herself), she couldn't muster up the courage yet. 
So when her father asked them to accompany him on a hunting trip, she happily obliged, thinking that such an informal setting would be ideal for her confession. 
The caravans had been moving for a long time. Merindale was getting restless inside. There were no windows in those caravans, unlike the carriages that they normally used. 
Merindale had no way of knowing where they were headed. 
When she could take it no more, she opened the hood and popped her head out. 
“ Holy cows! We are on fox lands. “ She was so happy, she jumped off the moving caravan and began to run. The fox kingdom was always more scenic than the rugged wolf terrains. 
Xie and Akata, were on horseback, along with some others. 
“ That girl. When will she grow up? Aku… ” Xie immediately bit his tongue when Akata turned at him in surprise when he addressed him as such. “ I mean Leo. Please run after her. We will be setting the camp up in front. She might never come back after the sunset. She loves these lands too much. You have my permission. Drag her here by the neck if you have to. ”
Xie smiled and Akata bowed at him. 
“ Heyyyyaaaa! ” Akata rode at lightning speed after her. It wasn't difficult to catch up but Akata had to dismount and run after her since they were at a point where mountains crisscrossed. The only way forward was on foot. 
“ Merindale, wait for me! ” she had already started climbing when he was still at the foothills. 
 "Merindale, slow down! You can't escape my speed forever!" Akata stopped all of a sudden, pretending to pant. 
Merindale started laughing. 
 "You can't fool me, you sly fox. You'll have to catch me first.I am not going to give in to your drama sweetheart!"
Akata was stunned at her comeback. He continued after her without another word. 
As they kept going up, they reached the entrance of a mysterious cave, Merindale paused, grinning mischievously.
"Well, well, look where our little chase has brought us!”Merindale exclaimed, marveling at nature's craftsmanship
 "You think you've outsmarted me, Merindale? This is just a detour."
Akata said, raising his eyebrows. 
“ The sun is about to set. Your father asked me to drag you back by your neck, if needed. ”
Merindale grabbed Akata's hand, pulling them both into the cave with a playful smirk.
“That's a good thing. He trusts you with me. I think he likes you. And I am very much sure that he will give us his blessings. ” she exclaimed. 
“ Blessings? For what? ” Merindale giggled at Akata being clueless. 
"Come on, let's explore! Will you just keep standing here and talking?Who knows what secrets this cave holds?"
Akata did not resist. 
The cane hardly had any light inside. The echoes of their laughter bounced off the walls as they continued their playful banter.
 "Careful there, Merindale. You might not know what's lurking in these shadows."
Akata had already taken the lead, shielding Merindale as they went further and further in. 
 "Oh, I'm not afraid. Besides, with you by my side, what could possibly go wrong?"
Akata felt himself going weak at his knees as she said that, locking her eyes with his. 
He immediately let go, gulping deep. 
But Merindale tugged at his sleeve. 
“ Did you not like what I said? ”
Her touch sent electric jolts around his muscles. 
He pushed her till the end of the cave, till jer back touched the stone walls. 
“ Don't push me. Maybe I liked it too much. You asked about what could go wrong, didn't you? I don't think you would want to know the answer. There are a number of ways in which things could go wrong. ”
There was a feral aggression in his demeanor. 
“ Show me how? I want to know, Leo! ” she begged with her eyes. 
Akata had his hand across her shoulders and neck. He leaned in, his fangs out,head tilted to fit between her earlobe and shoulder blade. Merindale closed her eyes but before anything else, they were suddenly distracted with a strange glow, coming that way, accompanied with the sound of water dripping from somewhere. 
Akata let Merindale go, immediately coming back to his senses. 
“ What's that? ” Merindale asked, pointing at that strange fountain. 
“ Looks like a fountain but I don't know about the glow. ” Akata shrugged. 
“ This doesn't look ordinary,”Merindale tiptoed forward. "Alright, but if we find any ancient curses or treasure, I'm claiming my share. ”
She teased. 
Akata smiled. “ You can keep the treasure, the curse can me mine. ”
Merindale's eyes fluttered and so did her heart. 
But she didn't let him see that. 
She kept moving forward. 
When suddenly, Akata shoved her out of the way. 
“ You know what. I'm thirsty. Let me drink while you do your investigating. ”
And just like that, a new chapter began in their lives. 
******
Xie was getting very worried when none of them came back long after sunset. 
He decided to take a look himself instead of sending his men. 
It did not take him long to track their scent that led him all the way to the cave. 
However, nothing could prepare him for what he was about to witness. 
Merindale's clothed were all shredded and she was bleeding here and there. 
Akata had his claws out and he was on top of her and she was pushing him with all that she had. 
From where he looked it definitely seemed like he was trying to force himself on Xie's daughter. 
“ Get off her! ” 
Xie lunged at him, throwing him to the farthest end in the process. 
“ Merindale… Merindale are you alright? ”
Xie held his daughter in his arms. She seemed absolutely exhausted. She was fighting to keep her consciousness. “ What did he do to you? ”
Xie asked, very concerned. 
“ I love him, father. He did nothing. It's not his fault… Please save him. He is about to… ”
Xie was absolutely horrified at what he was hearing. 
“ Are you in your right senses little girl? Do you even hear yourself? You cannot love him. It's forbidden. What are you even talking about? ”
Merindale tried to push her way up as she saw Akata going to drink from the Forbidden Fountain once more. She knew that it was cursed by this time and she was struggling to make him stop. 
Xie, however, seemed struck by another kind of calamity. He could not comprehend the scene unfolding in front of her eyes. 
“ Father… Father please stop him. He will explode if he keeps drinking like this, ” Merindale tugged and pulled at Xie's sleeve. But it seemed like he was frozen, unable to react to her pleas. 
Right at that moment there appeared before them a huge wolf, with manes touching the ground, and tail as bushy as a forest standing between Akata and the fountain. 
Merindale and Xie, both watched with eyes wide open how it pulled Akata gently away , pinning him gently under his majestic paws, to keep him from drinking from the fountain anymore, in a very effective way.