60

Chapter Sixty

H U N T : CATTLE FOR THE SLAUGHTER

Axel stood with Luella as they chatted with some nobody nobles.

Osiris was running late.

Axel looked down at Beset.

She wasn't smiling, nor touching him. When he called her, she would look anywhere on his face but his eyes. She flinched any time he tried to touch her.

Axel clenched his fist.

It was only temporary. She'll be fine.

Luella's pup was a twitchy mess. He looked terrified. Axel looked around.

But so do they.

Their hunting competition is more for the nobility to swap their pets and show off the game they raised. They wanted to fix their images while also ruining Osiris. It was a win win.

If he actually shows up.

It was already dark, and the first day was nearly over. Axel will be furious if he did all this just to-

"Yo."

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

He was dressed in… something. It was simple, black, and gold. He could see the materials were not cheap. Axel looked at the trimming. He was sure that, that was real gold. If only it didn't look so.. odd.

Luella smiled behind her fan.

Perfect.

"Brother! We thought you weren't going to show up!"

Osiris raised a brow.

"I got lost.."

He did. He did in fact get lost. He got distracted by a few wandering S Classes. He got these clothes out them and sent their info to Goss. He was looking for a fight but received comfort clothes.

The little traveling dog gypsy lady has his thanks.

"Lost…"

It was a straight shot to the forest from Lux.

"W-well I'm glad you made it. Father will be happy as well."

".."

"So where's my tent."

"Oh, Axel can show you later." Luella motioned for them to follow. "Since you missed the first hunt, let me show you the nightly activities."

".."

It was like a mini red district sprung overnight. There were even individual tents made just to try out a beast for the night.

I guess I can see why Isabella wasn't a fan.

It was just an orgy. Some tents were sound proof, some weren't. Osiris glanced at his siblings' pets. They've been quietly shuffling behind them with faces worthy of going to the gallows.

Luella's pup was young.

He could still smell the fresh scent of pup on him. He looked like a chow, or shiba, he was never good at dog breeds. His fur was midnight blue black with tan markings. And a white snout.

Axel's hare was sick.

The bunny was white with purplish pink gradient on her paws. With her breed, her ears should be pointing up, but hers were down and shaking. No, now that he looks, both their ears and tails were as flat as they could get against their bodies.

Osiris sniffed the air quietly.

She had that dick eating virus.

Osiris wanted to roll his eyes.

He was raised around beast. He knows the smell of the sick, and he knows what kind of sick it was. He didn't smell anything on the pup.

".."

So one was after his body and the other his image.

"-ou can choose any beast you'd like to try, you can take them for the night if you want." Luella closed her fan. "Axel?"

She motioned for the man to continue.

"Yes." He took a step forward and smiled while bringing Beset before him. "We would like to offer you our own pets first."

Beset stood in front on him trembling as she looked up at him.

He's big.

Beset could feel her chest ache as she felt the man she's loved her whole life give her to another man. Another one.

Ishesick?Ishegoingtohurther?WhyisAxeldoingthistohershesbeenloyalandkindandsheevensleptwithhiswifeFORHIMFORHIMANDHEJUSTAFTEREVERYTHING-

"Your favorite?"

"Yes."

Osiris looked at her again.

She was half the size of his hands. He'd kill her if he fucked her.

".."

Axel could see the doubt.

"I-I've had her since I was a teen."

"A teen.."

"Yes, she's my prized possession."

Axel wasn't lying to him.

"And you."

"This is Morpheus." The scared pup with a familiar stupid smile on his face stepped before him. "He is also my favorite."

".."

He did come to ruin his image and get another look at that mana~

"I'm not too sure which one to try."

That got his siblings attention.

"Beset is good if this is your first time."

Luella nodded.

"If you want both, there is that too."

Their eyes were like vultures. Instead of answering, Osiris squatted in front of Axel's beast since it was the closest.

It flinched hard.

"Look at me."

Axel held his tongue.

He's never let anyone speak to her like that. No one. But his brother was showing interest. They needed him dealt with before he finds out about the contract.

The hare looked at him.

Her eyes were dead.

"Do you want to come with me."

Beset stared into those eyes and she was so heartbroken. He looked at her with mild interest, not like the man in the hotel.

Was he going to hurt her?

"We can do whatever you want."

Beset did not hear a lie from his heart.

"I-I…"

She glanced at Axel in desperation. His eyes were cold. He was looking at her likes he looks at the others. She didn't, she, SHE DIDN'T WANT TO END UP LIKE THE OTHERS.

Osiris was a bit taken aback then the rabbit lunged at him and gripped his clothes like she was desperately running from something. Axel even looked shocked.

"Kill me." Beset glanced at the Prince fearfully before nearly climbing on him. "Please, you said anything!"

"W-what-"

"Your wish is my command."

Osiris put the little thing out of its misery. A simple flick did the trick. Her body fell back with a small thump.

"Poor thing." Osiris slowly got up and dusted himself off. "I only wanted to use it as a pillow."

No one was moving, let alone breathing.

"Good thing too." He made sure Axel met his eyes. His broken, little angry eyes. "She was sick. She probably didn't want to ask you."

"S-Sick?" Luella's fan snapped open. "She was sick?!"

Fuck.

Luella began to sweat.

"Yeah, I don't know what it was, but I could smell it. I really was going to use her as a pillow."

He shrugged.

Axel was still staring at her dead body. Luella signaled her men to bring their father. It was going to get ugly in a bit. She looked at Axel. Their plan was perfect until that hare opened its mouth.

"W-Why a pillow?"

She needed to keep him talking and get him away from Axel.

"Well, I hear hares make great sleep buddies." He shrugged. "I mean she was pretty, wasn't she."

Fuck, she was hoping he would be civil. What did she except.

"I-" Osiris stepped forward to talk more with Luella when he fucking slipped on the dead body and almost ate his ass.

".."

Below his feet a smeared red and black stain scorched the ground.

"..I didn't do that on purpose.."

Axel attacked him, or was preparing to. His casting speed was slow..

"I'll kill you."

"Good luck with that. Your mom's been trying for ages and I am still here."

He patted his stomach.

Luella could only thank Lux that he wasn't laughing or mocking the Crown Prince over her death.

Axel was in distress and anguished over Beset.

The way she looked at him before she begged to die-

His eyes watered as he added more heat to his spell.

Osiris looked at Luella.

"I really didn't mean to do that."

"I can see that."

Fucking hell.

"So.."

Finally Axel attacked only to watch Osiris slap it straight across the yard and into a tree.

Axel saw red.

He launched himself at Osiris.

Everyone cringed and waited for the battle to start when Osiris simply parried and locked the Prince's arms behind his back while he tried to headbutt him and kick him. To Osiris, it felt like little gently tossed rocks.

The King showed up a few seconds later out of breath. He came in with his green, swirling, creepy ass bug mana and a look ready to fight.

He saw them and pinched his nose.

"What happened this time?"

Mikael looked at his son.

He was lost to grief.

"His bunny asked to die and I killed it."

Mikael looked at Luella.

For a second she thought about lying, but too many eyes have seen what has occurred. She glanced at Osiris.

"He's telling the truth."

"Liars!"

Axel was still out of it. Luella was going to have to fix their relationship after this, but right now he's useless.

"I think it would be best if Axel stayed with you tonight, Father."

Axel finally stopped fighting and just let his head hang with grinding teeth.

"Here."

Osiris handed the Prince to the King. For a slight second he slipped in the King's hold, and he tried to attack Osiris again.

"I think that's a good idea Luella."

Everyone watched a kicking and screaming Prince be carried like a sack of potatoes by the King towards, where, he suspected their tents were.

Osiris turned to Luella.

"Sooo is that offer still on the table?"

He just made himself look like someone who will kill a pet if they ask. No one in their right mind was going to lend him a bird, let alone a cat. He still had an image to destroy.

Luella became uneasy.

"I'm not going to kill it if it doesn't ask, you know."

Luella wanted to say no. But this, she thought this event was ruined by that fucking rabbit, but now, now she still had a chance to fix this. She glanced at her nearly pissed scared beast.

There's no way that runt will beg to die.

Luella closed her fan and smiled at him.

Look at her.

Osiris wanted to roll his eyes.

"Would you like to use the tents here, or-"

"Here."

Damn.

She has a recording system set up in his tent, and she was promised the mana was so thin he wouldn't be able to see it.

Oh well.

There was always next time.

"That's fine. I'll be staying there." Luella pointed to a small pink flag at the center. "When you're done you can drop him off there, or leave him in here. Whatever you choose."

".."

What a weird family.

The pup jumped when she snapped.

"You will stay with him for the night. Listen to everything he tells you to do, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Princess Luella."

He didn't stutter today.

Her smile widened as she motioned with her fan for him to move. He walked to Osiris's side with his head bowed, ears back, and tail wrapped around his leg so tightly it looked like it was cutting off circulation. He was small. Five, two, barely past his shoulders.

He must have stared at the tail too long.

"He has a long tail, doesn't he?"

"Sure."

Luella was on cloud nine.

Even if their first plan failed she has this.

"I'm guessing you would like a silenced tent, yes?" Luella clapped her hands. Each time the dog flinched like he was getting hit. "Give him mine."

".."

Well, he can only imagine what this chapter was filled with if Bella of all people hated it. She never mentioned Osiris sleeping with a beast but.. she was very angry after it was released. Osiris watched his sister happily get things ready for him. This was the happiest he's ever seen her. He wanted to ruin it.

Shhh, patience is a virtue I never asked for.

Soon he was ushered into a room with the pup right on his ass. He stopped at the closing tent door and began to shake uncontrollably.

Leaving the beast be he looked around the portable hotel room and looked for any bugs. There was nothing. So she had plans to use this room herself. Osiris was just glad he didn't have to do anything else.

Osiris then turned to the dog.

"Are you sleeping in that."

The pup was in what looked to be the stuffiest set of clothes he has ever seen. He looked cute, but damn, he was sweating just looking at him. He started to take off his top without being asked.

"If you want to sleep with it, you can."

Instead the dog went buck nude and stood at the side of the bed like he was waiting on him. Osiris planned to just hug the beast to sleep, but before he could even touch him he screamed.

Osiris flinched.

"I didn't even touch you."

"Please don't hurt me."

He was suddenly looking at him, face carved with fear.

"If you tell me what you like I can do it. I-If you want me to yell l-like I've been punched I can, o-or if, if you like the sound of me being stabbed I-I can do that too, watch!"

Osiris was impressed. He's heard a lot of beasts scream like that after getting stabbed in the leg.

Osiris walked to the small desk and pulled the seat in front of the bed before flipping it to sit backwards.

He pointed to the bed.

"Sit."

Osiris watched the pup sit with his face up but eyes down.

"-ut we have to pick him!"

"Why? Look, he's even growling at me."

The pit bull mix had its ears flat against his head, with eyes so wide, it was like looking straight at a headlight.

"But he'll make a great guard dog, and he's not attacking you, anyways, I like him and I want him."

"Then why did you ask me?"

"Look, he's cute right?"

Adam saw a mutt. A mean, growly, scared mutt. He was an older dog, bridle, with gray staining his jowls.

"It's name?"

"His name is Morpheus."

Osiris's lips pursed.

"Why do you think I want to hear that."

His eyes flashed to him over a dozen times before he answered, little tail end waving spastically back and forth.

"He doesn't look very happy."

"But his tails wagging!"

Adam saw the dog's lip curl.

"Look at its face."

"He does look really scared…"

"Do you think we can goo-"

"Because that's what Princess Luella likes. B-But she told me not to do it until you asked."

His black eyes started to water.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm-"

"So that's what she's into, huh?"

Osiris leaned on his crossed arms.

"I-I'm not sure what you mean, sir-um-master Osiris."

"Just Osiris."

The pup had it bad. The last time he's seen something this bad was with-

"Can you show me each sound you can make, one by one?"

The pup looked relieved.

"Yes! I can do that!"

"YELP!"

"T-That's a slap."

"ARRRF."

"T-That's a, um, that's…" His eyebrows pinched. "That's when she rips herself off of me."

The pup went down the line of sounds he could make, and it was a lot.

"How did you learn to do this."

"W-When I first arrived, Luella liked my puppy voice, so she decided to train me herself, and, and I can do the sounds only after feeling it once, I promise!"

He looked like he was praying that Osiris would not hurt him.

".."

Osiris frowned.

His plan was to nap with a beast and then go fuck around and see where he left his traps. But now his chest felt tight and he felt like-

Is it because of his name?

This had to be the first name he's recognized from his other life. That dog was his everything. He and Isabella worked so hard to fix whatever happened to him from before they got him at the pound. From him carrying mouthfuls of food from his bowl to whatever room they were in, just to spit it out and make sure he could see them while he ate, to when he would piss himself any time they tried to touch him.

When Bella started college that dog became his lifeline. He kept his head above water just enough to get him to when the old man found him. When he ran away after he left for a scouting trip, he looked everywhere for him. But neither head nor hair could be found. He was gone.

".."

He kept flashing his eyes at him, and since he was frowning they became quicker. He let it drop.

"If you had a choice to do anything you wanted, what would you do?"

"A-Anything?"

"Anything."

Morpheus looked at the Prince three more times before he closed his eyes in thought. A memory. His mom had him under her neck after he had a bad fall. She held him tight that night. If he..if he could do anything he would want-

"-a hug."

".."

Osiris stood and took off his shirt.

"Stand."

He did.

"Look at me."

He did.

"If I touch you, are you going to scream again?"

"I-I don't know I can try not to but-"

"It's fine, be as loud as you want."

He was screaming before he was even an inch close. He was starting to hyperventilate, but almost on command his red rocket was starting to poke out. Osiris thought to try another way.

"Come he-"

Splat.

"A-A-aaI didn't, I thought you were going to say-"

His little red rocket had a mini blast off. The pups face looked like he was being raped.

"It's okay."

He handed him his shirt.

"You can clean yourself."

He did it while looking over at him ashamed.

"I told you it was fine, right?"

"Yes."

His voice sounded horse.

"Let's try again, okay?"

His eyes only shook.

Osiris gently touched his shoulder, making sure he could see his movements, but it didn't matter. Everywhere he touched the cries changed. One moment he sounded like he pinched him, and another like he kicked him. It took awhile, but Osiris managed to get him in a simple hold. He waited for him to settle down before moving them onto the bed.

His paws were stiff and straight at his sides.

"You can hold me if-"

He became an octopus.

"Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me-"

Osiris laid with his head under the mutt, his muggy breath making his neck sticky from above. The mutt had his face flat against his shoulder like a smooshed throw pillow. He was shivering so much Osiris felt static start to form. Osiris waited until the worst of his shivering was done before he decided to try something.

Before, when his mother still loved him, she would run her fingers up and down his back in slow, smooth circles to soothe him when he was sick. She even did it once after he got into his first fight.

The mutt nearly busted his eardrum when he started. Osiris could feel a migraine coming. But he kept it up until the pup only shook when he moved. Osiris felt himself get drowsy.

Still soothing the pup Osiris fell asleep.

Morpheus didn't know what was going on.

He was scared, he was-

A soft snore against his ear caught his attention.

The Prince was asleep.

For a moment his paws spasmed around his back, unsure if he was supposed to wake him, or do something, but..

He was a bit tired too.

Morpheus tried to move up further into his neck when his hands started to move again. He bit his tongue to stop the scream. He was-

He was just rubbing his back again.

"Shh, it's okay."

Morpheus looked at the Prince and he- He was still asleep.

".."

Was this all he wanted to do? So what he said before with the rabbit, he really just wanted to..sleep?

His chest aches.

He didn't know humans could be so nice.

Morpheus fell asleep with warm and soothing strokes against his back.

Luella was grinning mad.

He with him stayed the whole night.

She waited outside his tent before the alarm went off to wake the rest. Axel was still a hot mess and their father was busy with that. She was left in charge. She was as happy as a bee full of pollen.

A fucking military horn went off, forcing him awake in an instant.

He was going to kill whoever created them.

He sneezed.

"Hn?"

Right, he was sleeping with a dog. The pup startled awake and slammed his head against the wall. It sounded like it hurt.

"I'm sorry I'm-"

"Did you want to get dressed?"

His legs shook and wobbled so much the bed started to shake. Osiris got up first and looked at his shirt. It was ruined. He threw it in the back corner. He can always get another one.

He turned and the pup was fully dressed and smiling again at the door. The smile dropped when he realized he threw the shirt.

"I-I can go get-"

"This works out great for me, actually."

It did. His sister will think she's won, but jokes on her, he's still considered a kid himself. Her little rumor will fizzle out after a few weeks, once his cult starts to fight back. He just needed to buy himself time away from those kids. They've become flies.

He can't stand it.

Morpheus shook as he watched an array of emotions go through the Prince's face. From happy, jolly, to annoyed, to angry. Then he dropped it and went back to a nonchalant, bored look.

".."

He was scared but..

The tent flap opened and he rushed to follow the Prince.

He yawned and scratched his stomach as he met with the happiest woman he has ever seen.

"Osiris, good morning."

Morpheus wanted to go back in the tent now. He really did. He thought he was scared before, but Luella's smile was just like the bedroom he didntwanttogobackhedidntwantto-

"Let me buy your dog."

He pointed at him, still yawning.

Luella startled before she smiled cunningly.

"Unfortunately, he is not for sale."

"Oh well."

He left the dog standing there as he began to…go somewhere that wasn't his tent.

"W-Wait!"

Osiris didn't pause his steps.

Morpheus didn't know what to do, so he looked back and forth between the two so much it caused some of the guards to become dizzy.

Luella came to walk beside him. He kept the pace slow on purpose, but she was too into her head to see that.

"I thought he wasn't for sale."

"H-He wouldn't be, but for family I'll make an exception."

She's fucked up.

She likes the mutt, but not that much. Unlike her brother, she can always make another one. Now, she might have lost the best blackmail she could ever ask for because of her fucking pride.

"Why."

"Y-You kept my last dog, right?"

He stopped.

He did. Well Kou did, but same thing. He looked at her.

"I did."

Okay, she got his attention.

"Then I'm sure you'll love him. You did spend the night with him."

Osiris hummed.

"I did sleep really good last night."

He did. It's been a long time since he's slept that well.

".."

Maybe he was lonely.. no, he knows why.

"How much."

She got him. Her mother is going to be so proud. Unlike that useless brother of hers.

She almost sneered at the thought.

Her fan came out.

"He's a purebred shiba with a strong perigee behind him. His pups would sell for a hundred thousand gold a pop. He's worth triple that."

Luella wasn't sure what her little brother's actual worth was. She wasn't sure if he could even afford him. She smiled. If he can't, that's something she can work with too.

He threw a black guild card at her.

She caught it.

"Charge it."

Like an apparition her men appeared with her own card and they tapped the cards together.

"Done."

Luella was impressed.

So her little brother wasn't poor, like her mother assumed, despite how he…dresses. This was something she could also work with. She worked better with money than dealing with others. She'll have to come up with things to do now.

Osiris could see her little brain firing off serotonin every time she's up to something. He wonders if things were different, would they have gotten along. He looked at his new dog.

".."

Maybe not.

Morpheus was standing where they left him, shaking as people started to get closer.

"Do I get a paper or something with it."

"Yes, I'll have them mailed to your dorm."

"Great."

He started to walk off.

Luella turned and glared at the mutt.

"Follow him."

That got him running after the Prince. Before he could pass she grabbed his shoulder and squeezed.

"He's your owner now. Behave."

She let him go and he disappeared into the brush.

"Where was he going?"

"Hes headed toward the game, my Princess."

"Hmm." She tapped her jaw. "Leave him. If he gets himself killed all for the better."

"W-Where are we going?"

"To go look at some monsters."

"W-What, but, isn't that dangerous??"

"Very."

"Then why-"

"I will be doing a lot of things you will question."

"You will?"

"You'll get used to it."

Morpheus followed him in silence after that. An arm found an elbow and he started to massage the joint. He's heard stories of others being sold off, or dying, from the Palace, but he's never seen it happen. Luella kept him away from the other servents most of the time, so he could only catch pieces, but.. he didn't imagine he would get sold.

He thought he was going to die there.

He glanced at the Prince's back again.

He didn't talk much, and he was a bit weird. He had on ten rings, a crazy white line around him, and his feet scorched the earth as he walked.

It was terrifying.

Last night was scary too.

He thought for sure it was going to hurt. When he saw him for the first time Luella said nothing about any of this. She just said he was the youngest Prince. That he might like his type. He didn't really know what that meant.. did she mean his breed? His color? His teeth?

He suddenly imagined the Prince trying to pull out his teeth. He could almost feel it-

He ran into a tree and yelped.

He scared himself.

When he looked up the prince was looking at him over his shoulder.

"You good?"

"Y-Yeah, j-just a bit nervous."

He turned back and kept walking.

"I'm going to warn you now, we might need to run away later."

"R-Run away?" His eyes looked around. "Run away now?!"

"No, later."

"L-later?"

"Yup." He stretched and popped his back. "So I may need to grab you and go."

His ears spread out a bit.

"I don't have to run?"

"You can, but I don't think you'll be fast enough."

Morpheus didn't like the sound of that at all.

"C-Can't we go back?"

"We could."

"Then-"

"But I don't want to."

".."

He really was a weird human.

Morpheus switched arms and began massaging the other. He ground his joint a bit too much after that scare.

"I won't let you die. That's the only comfort I can give you."

"W-Why am I- no, no I mean, um, I could have waited in the tent for you.."

Osiris looked back briefly before looking at the neat, little trail of mana vines as green as the grass, light up a small path for them. It was probably for night viewing.

"I couldn't."

Morpheus ears shot up in surprise.

"W-why not?"

Osiris scratched his nose.

"I have a lot of enemies, and Axel would probably gut you in front of me after last night. They're all crazy like that."

Morpheus was scared.

He, he wanted-

"Do you want to go back with Luella?" He kept his face forward. "I can give you back. I can take the L for it too, so you don't have to-"

"No!"

He stomped his little foot, tail up and curled proudly in defiance. Osiris smiled. So he still has some wild in him.

"I-I mean, no thank you."

Aaand he was back to a cowering pup.

Hemesseduphemesseduphemesseduphemesseduphemesseduphemessedup-

He messed up.

Osiris kept walking but he started biting his nails.

He's mad now, right? He has to be, he-

"So you want to stay?"

"I do! I-I do.."

Does he?

Morpheus looked at the ground.

Did he?

He wasn't sure. The Prince was still strutting slowly along the path no matter how many times he looked. He.. he knows he doesn't want to go back there, but he also doesn't know this master that well either. He wasn't sure what he wanted, or what the Prince was going to do with him.

But he can't tell him that.

"We're here."

Morpheus startled.

The Prince's face flushed as they stepped into the clearing with gated beasts and creatures.

"Beautiful."

Morpheus felt like he wasn't supposed to hear that..

Morpheus looked around but all he saw was terror. Everything looked and felt deadly. He could tell he would die against any one of them.

Again, it was woven so deeply into their skin he could not see it right away. It seems this time it's targeting the nobles. The nobility in this country were strong. They would have had a faster war, if any of the bastards actually fought in it.

Osiris stood before the beast.

It looked like a D Class.

He shivered and ran a hand along the bars.

The skin they wore hid their stark coloring that marks their passage into an S Rank. He could see that its horns have been cut too. Osiris looked around.

"One, two, three, four…ten, eleven, twelve.. forty-three."

Osiris's smile stretched.

So many people are going to die today.

He only came to look.

He thought about stopping it, but really, he would be more than enough during the war. He might not be close to a 9th circle but.

He believed his violence would get him through the worst of it.

".."

He felt a wet snout against his back.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Osiris looked back.

"How did it get out?"

"I don't know I accidentally touched the bars and-"

The dog screamed as Osiris grabbed him to run. The thing started busting up the other cages in its escape. All their eyes fell on the screaming dog in his hands.

He heard they starve them before a hunt. It's supposed to make them better or something.

That's right, this is like a giant fucking dog show with some 'most dangerous game' thrown into the mix.

Osiris grinned as they all braced to pounce.

He could just lead them home~

While Morpheus screamed his voice hoarse, Osiris cackled and ran towards the camp.

Luella was trying to talk to Axel when they and their father both stood.

There were a lot of bodies headed their way.

"Fuck."

This can't be happening. Not now.

"Didn't you say Osiris was headed that way?"

His eyes filled with hate.

"…"

"…"

"…."

"Fuck."

"Keep it up, you're doing an amazing job!"

Morpheus was sobbing.

He felt a little bad, but he wasn't the one to open the gates. He pushed the dog further into his neck as they reached the camp grounds. He was met with three very pissed faces.

He stopped in front of them and shrugged.

"It actually wasn't me this time."

"Then who could it possibly be if not you?!"

Luella was big mad.

Osiris looked down and everyone looked at the pup.

"I'm sorry."

His voice was nearly gone.

"How?!"

That dog was a coward.

"He backed into it while trying to move away from another cage."

"…"

Luella wanted to kill herself.

That was definitely something he would do.

"Fuck."

"Well, times up." He gave them a two finger salute as five beasts lunged.

They could hear him cackling as he ran into the camp. The guards appeared and braced for impact.

They were trampled.

"I thought those were D Classes?!!"

"That's why the bastard ran!"

Axel started to cast a barrier and blinked.

The beast's jaws were around his head.

"Axel! Are you okay?!"

It was his father.

The King stood.

"Evacuate! Those are not D Class beasts!"

But it was too late.

"There, there."

Osiris rubbed the pups back as he kept screaming, even after losing his voice. Osiris was mousing on the tops of the tents, burning them along the way. Osiris spotted Horus.

"What the fuck is he doing here?!"

Shit.

If he dies now he won't get to meet that bastard until the final battle.

He sighed like he had to clean the house for the second time that day. He should have checked the guest list before doing this.

".."

He hoped down beside the cornered kid, not that he needed help.

"Sup."

He glanced at him before fixing the barrier he popped.

"Osiris."

"Why are you here."

"I was invited, like you."

"No, not that." He waved him off. "Why come when I know you hate hunting?"

"I don't hate hunting, I hate what you people call hunting."

"Fair. I thought this was going to be a, like, suit up and go into the forest in camo and hunt game."

"….."

"What? I've never been hunting before."

"Like I'd believe that."

"Believe whatever you want with it." He shrugged. "Still won't change my answer."

"….."

Horus didn't know what to make of the Prince.

"Why are you here?"

"I came to see the beats then bounce, but this one." He jiggled him a bit. "Accidentally set one lose."

"Why aren't you helping your family?"

"Why would I do that?" Horus looked over his shoulder at the Prince. "When this is much more fun."

He had a smile befitting of a jackal.

"They won't die anyways, that King looks useless, and is, but I think he can survive until tomorrow at least." He loooked around. "But the others?"

He laughed as someone tried to block, only to be split in half.

"….."

Like he said, he only watched and laughed. Inspired by his work, the King started putting barriers around nobles, but half of them were dead.

"Beautiful, do you see that?"

The Prince was whispering to himself.

"And they can't even tell."

"Tell what?"

Fuck, why did he open his mouth?!

Osiris looked at him with knowing eyes, like he knew. Horus shook the thought. He couldn't know. Even if he's seen his dad's mana, he hasn't met him yet.

"It's a secret."

Horus calmed himself.

He could just be talking about his own family. He's seen and heard enough to fill a lifetime about their….. rivalry. He's glad he and his sister at least like each other. Horus saw the Crown Prince aim a shot at Osiris but his barrier stopped it.

Osiris looked at his brother and laughed.

"….."

At least his dad's plan worked this time.