Raul sighed as he wandered the crowded streets of the mortal realm, his brow furrowing at the unpleasant sight. Tall, unattractive skyscrapers blotted out the sky, and the bustling cars left no room for the nature he cherished. It was no surprise the gray wolf population was dwindling.

As he passed a local coffee shop, Raul halted. The dog walking beside him stopped too, tilting its head as Raul studied a poster plastered on the cafe’s brick wall. “SAVE THE GRAY WOLVES,” the flyer read, bringing a small smile to Raul’s lips.

As the god of wolves, Raul had come to check on the nearby wolf packs. Humans, greedy as ever, had been destroying their habitats, leaving the wolves with nowhere to live and no food to hunt. Raul was not particularly fond of humans at the moment, but perhaps one could be an exception.

His gaze drifted down the street and landed on a mortal putting up the same flyer. Raul glanced down at his faithful wolf spirit companion, Nox, and winked. Understanding the signal, Nox bounded toward the mortal, wagging his tail. In his smaller form, Nox appeared more like a large dog than a wolf.

Raul followed close behind, resting a hand on Nox’s head. “Sorry about that,” he said, his tone polite. “My friend here gets excited around new people.” His hand touched the flyer the mortal had just put up, absentmindedly scratching behind Nox's ears. “Interesting cause. Are you a fan of wolves?” he asked, a playful glint in his eyes.