YOU ARE WHAT I NEED

"Hi, my name is Buck!"

I blinked in mild awe at the child squatting in front of me. It was new to me to find a child at my age not struggling to escape the fate of being the next meal of Ta.

Seeing him being so carefree and friendly, staring at me with so much hope in his eyes was.... refreshing and somehow reassuring. If he wasn't torn to strips of flesh yet then it only meant that Ta was still dead.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Go away."

"That's a weird name. Do you have a better one?" He persisted.

Can I bite his head?

"Piss off."

I remained hidden behind the plants, staring vacuously at the child.

The children I knew were long dead and digested. Until now I see his kind as the consumable one and he will pass just like the others.

"That doesn't seem any better...can I just call you Boo? Because to others, you might seem scary but to me, you're the cute kind of scary!"

I could never understand why Ta preferred children. They were annoying and obnoxious and they blabber nonsense.

There was a tattoo on the left part of Buck's chest that had a creature with a crescent moon as its crown. It was similar to a wolf. I was able to learn new animals and monsters while traveling with Lucius and Aramastus. Most animals were harmless but monsters would pursue you even without being provoked.

The world wasn't just about Ta and his ravenous appetite. It was about a bigger world than our cave with more predators and a bigger appetite.

"Leave me alone."

Unlike the other children I've seen, Buck wasn't skinny or feeble looking. He was the type that Ta would keep alive for a longer duration of time. He would fight back and maybe, just maybe, he'd be one of those that I wouldn't watch to be killed in such an undignified way.

When he realized that he wasn't going to get anything from me, he withdrew from the bushes and transformed into a little four-legged wolf with silky purple fur. He dove inside the bush I was staying in, causing me to fall back to my butt.

Before I could smack him for invading my personal space, the tiny monster scampered out. He scared a flock of birds that pecked on the ground where blueberries were scattered on. He was able to snap one bird inside his jaw before it could escape with the rest of its flock. The injured bird twitched its remaining life away and Buck ended its life by gnawing it.

He turned around, cautiously approaching me with tamed eyes. He placed his fresh hunt on the ground where I could reach. He waited patiently for me to accept his gift. His tail wagged behind him. I couldn't help but have a growing sense of paranoia, despite the tingling sensation of getting closer to him. I still didn't know why he came out of the village and knew where I was. Did the adults I was traveling with told him about me?

Buck nudged the dead bird with his nose, urging me to take it. He stepped backwards and waited eagerly. I wasn't planning to take his offer until I heard a saddened whine from him that seemed to affect me more than I should. I snatched the corpse from the ground; Buck's mood lightened. His tail wagged even more when he saw me eating the entire thing and only spitting out the feathers. He transfigured back into his other form, watching me eat.

"Do you like me back now?" He asked.

Was it a requirement?

"Your tenderloins will suffice me one day."

His expression brightened up. I rolled my eyes at his overly appreciated self. Did he even understand what I said?

"Buck? Where are you, hijo?"

Sadness befell Buck's expression when he heard his name get called by a towering adult with the same purple hair. He had an excessive amount of jewelry. He appeared to be a man of importance when other adults came out with him as his bodyguards.

"Oma (Grandpa) I'm here!" Buck responded.

If he mentions me to his grandfather, no doubt I'd be hunted down because of my Ta's abhorred reputation. I'll have his brisket for that.

The boy ran to the older man's welcoming embrace. I briefly wondered what it would be like to be hugged like that. What was the necessity of being that close?

"Where have you been? Even if that Soma is dead, you shouldn't be wandering about."

Buck proudly lifted his head. "It's not like he targets werewolves like us. We're the Silver Howler Pack. There's no other greater pack than us!"

The other men who were with his grandfather laughed at his excessive pride.

"If there was any child that would be kidnapped and eaten by that Soma that would be you, Buck!"

"Hey, I'm strong! I'll be the next Alpha, just you wait!"

"Right right, kids sure are optimistic."

"Alright, that's enough. Let's head inside," Buck's oma urged.

His grandchild excitedly jumped up and down. I froze when he pointed at the bush.

I should have eaten him while I had the chance.

"Wait, oma! I found him, I found him!" He declared.

His oma gently knelt at the height of his grandchild, cupping his cheek.

"Who did you find?"

"My very own Luna!"

"You're too young to find him, Buck. Perhaps that's just mere infatuation."

Buck placed his hands on his oma's shoulders, shaking him as he whined.

"I'm sure about this, oma! Can I keep him? Can I?"

His oma stood with a sigh, glancing where I was hiding. This was not going well.

"You're such a handful, Buccaneer. Did you eat something before dinner? What is that scent of flesh?"

"I hunted a bird for him. Isn't that what you taught me?" Buck reminded him.

His oma laughed and rubbed his forehead.

"Yes, I did say to swoon your Luna when you find them."

My body jolted when a hand clamped over my mouth. My tail moved to hit the oppressor but it was grabbed with much ease.

"Those wolves won't hesitate to tear you apart once they discover your relationship with him," Aramastus whispered.

Fear latched onto my muscles; I stayed still in his grasp. I was more afraid of him than them.

"Go hide somewhere else. My master will cover your scent. Come back here by morning," Aramastus advised, pushing me to the side after pressing a certain area under my jaw.

My tail retracted inside my body and the skin completely covered the exposed bones on my legs and arms. The armor on my torso dispersed along with the helmet-like protection of my face. I was reduced to looking like a harmless child.

Without any second thoughts, I scampered out of the bushes and entered deep inside the forestry. To oppose the man who killed my Ta would be like opposing Ta if he was still alive.

Drops of water began to fall from the skies, slowing me down and making me look at the puffs of dark clouds above. The sound of it was familiar as the water hit the ground. I never knew the origin of this sound when I was locked in my cage. I merely knew that it made me sleep from the colder draft that accompanied it. It made my Ta happy. It somehow calmed him.

'When you don't know how to cry you'd appreciate the rain. The sky weeps for those who can't. The clouds grow dark as people's minds and hearts. They release the tears they've kept in store. In this way, you won't need to learn how to cry. The world does it for you. It knows your suffering. It knows your pain. What it only needs from you is to watch it and hear it weep until the darkness clears up,' Ta murmured. He was lying on his filthy mattress, wallowing in his thoughts. It was the only time where he would talk to me like I was something...like I was someone to him.

The light rain enhanced the smell of the forest. A deep croak resounded as a black striped frog with a height of about six feet leaped past me.

I lifted my head even further, the cold droplets touching my face. The rain felt good. I could breathe better, see better, and hear better out here. I fell on the mushy soil, letting my shoulders relax. The rain got harder and the drops became faster. I was soon sitting in a puddle of water.

"That's it...cry for me. Cry even harder. Ta won't get mad anymore."

I waited for the rain to stop inside a big hole under a tree. I nearly fell asleep.

"Boo, where are you?!"

I jolted. I leaped out from the hole and readied to escape, but the kid was faster than I thought. The equally soaked Buck tackled me to the ground.

"Are you okay? Why did you leave? I was still going to show you to oma!"

I found his oma standing from afar with a smile on his face.

The raindrops became gentler, the clouds began to clear up.

"Let's head back shall we?" The only adult urged.

"I don't belong there. Leave me alone," I resisted.

Buck pulled me up with him. "What do you mean? You belong to me. Isn't that enough for you to come with us?"

His oma finally decided to intervene.

"I'm sorry for my grandson's childish and selfish request—"

Buck's eyes widened, he was about to protest, but he was silenced with one stern look.

"But what he's saying is: why not stay with us? You don't seem to be around from here."

"That would be too bothersome for you—"

"Okay? Let's go!" Buck answered for me, hauling me back with his oma.

Right before we entered the village, I became rigid when Lucius and Aramastus exited the gates. They didn't say anything or even meet my gaze. They treated me as a stranger until our bodies aligned and the blond adult tapped my arm with the back of his knuckles. He briefly glanced at me and grinned.

That was the last time I saw them.

I didn't know what was coursing through their minds for them to leave a child of the monster they killed, but maybe they somehow knew that I would be in good hands despite the riskiness.

I stayed with the tribe's alpha and his only grandson. I was fed, sheltered, and cared for. I experienced the comfort that I never knew that existed. The adults never hurt me here. I didn't live in a cage.

I became the grandson's best friend but there was this fear screaming in the depths of my consciousness. There was guilt. The guilt took the form of Ta in my dreams. It whispered in my ears every night. He haunted me.

'They'll know. It would be impossible for them not to know. You are my flesh and blood. They will smell me in you. They will tear you piece by piece and your little Buck will have your heart as his portion.'

I curled the blanket with me. The blanket was snatched from my form and my body jolted in surprise once I was dragged by my ankles. My nails acuminated, I clawed on the wooden floors.

Ta yanked my hair back and pressed the same area that Aramastus fondled with. My original form burst through. He laid on top of me and held my head up to look at a mirror that wasn't there before.

"My poor son thought he'd pass by as a harmless boy? You're no fairy, you're no sprite. You're a monster just like me."

A slender sword belonging to Aramastus skewered us together. Blood dripped out of our lips.

"No more games, Rui. It's time to go back to our cave."

My dream was cut short once Buck's arm hit my face. He groaned before he rolled to the other side of the room.

I sat up, my entire body was drenched in sweat. I breathed heavily. My hand rubbed my cold nape. It was still nighttime but I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep from that kind of nightmare. Buck was far across the room with no worries in the world.

Ever since I got here, the adults that were attempting to kill him lessened. They would usually attack at night and I would be awakened by it. My tail would sprout and pierce through their hearts before they could land a hand on Buck.

It was amazing how that boy could still manage to smile despite the threats to his life. I heard that many people from the tribe were still angry with him because of an incident that happened before.

His oma didn't fully disclose the secret and just told me that "Buck is a nice boy, possessing a cruel power that he sometimes cannot control."

Most of the attackers were his fellow tribesmen that were kicked out from the pack. How they got inside despite the strict security was one of the questions that I would like an answer to.

I went to the roof to get some fresh air. The sound of crickets calmed me.

"Rui," Adoff, Amoux's beta, called from below. I peered from the roof and waved at him.

"Can't sleep again?" He asked.

"I took a nap after lunch," I responded.

Adoff cackled. "You should have gotten some rest. Being with a hyper lad like Buck all the time must be tiring."

I jumped down. Adoff ruffled my hair.

How about we head out and hunt for something to eat for breakfast? Sounds good?"

I never hunted and never even joined their brawls. I knew how to hunt but they wouldn't know that.

"I...don't know how to hunt."

"Of course you do. I know you're a natural."

"I'll just watch," I told him.

His eyes gleamed with mischief that made me uncomfortable.

Adoff shrugged. "Suit yourself. Let's go?"