Jonah Staples wants to become a bounty-hunter to make the money he needs to advance in alchemy. Being a good researcher, Jonah tracks down Tamalaria's best bounty hunter and applies to become an apprentice. Simpa (were-lion). Portenda isn't looking for any apprentice, especially not a human with slow reflexes and poor powers of observation. Still, when Jonah somehow disarms the bounty-hunter, Portenda decides he's worth watching--even if that does mean letting the human into his home.