Chapter 11

Alice walked over to the wooden desk in the corner of the room, before sitting and flipping open one of the books that lay on the desktop.

The pages seemed to be made of some kind of yellowish paper, and the pages were filled with strange handwritten symbols, completely unfamiliar to Ash.

Ash joined Alice in examining the book, resting his paws on the edge of the desk to stay steady.

*"Silly Ash, are you trying to read this?"

The girl looked at the wolf pup, who when standing on his back legs was just as tall as her sitting figure.

Suddenly having a good idea, she smiled.

*"I know! I will teach you how to read, and about all of this stuff! Dad told me that teaching someone else helps the teacher learn too. Pay attention and don't slack off in learning, Ash!"

She patted his head, then began reading off of the page to Ash.

'Well, it looks like she is trying to teach me, but there is a slight problem: if I don't know what she is saying, and I don't know what is written, it doesn't really help!'

Nevertheless, Ash tried to pay as much attention as possible to the girl as she read off the book.

Around an hour later, and Ash's legs were beginning to ache. Staying in a standing position, with his front paws resting on the desk, was too straining for long periods of time.

A knock resounded on the wooden door, and Ash was finally able to return his front paws to the ground.

A feminine voice called through the door, claiming that lunch was ready.

Alice hopped up from her seat, closing the book.

*"C'mon Ash, let's go eat! Afterwards, let's walk around the grounds for a bit. Dad made a super cool garden, so we always have fresh food… but I suppose you like to eat meat, right? Still, let's go see the garden afterwards, it is super cool! You'll love it!"

Ash followed Alice downstairs to a large dining room. A large oval-shaped table was surrounded with chairs, and a single grand looking seat sat at the head of the table. All of the furniture was made of similar wood as the desk in Alice's room, a smooth surface finished using some kind of lacquer.

A servant greeted Alice as she entered the room, and began explaining what was on the menu for today's lunch.

The man had the appearance of a butler, wearing a cleanly prepared black and white suit.

Ash walked into the room behind Alice, and the man jumped in fright.

*"M'lady! There is a dangerous animal stalking you!"

The man quickly stepped between Alice and Ash, pulling a short sword from who knows where.

*"Alex, relax. Ash is our new family member, please treat him as such. He is friendly, don't worry!"

Alex slowly walked towards Ash, his right hand still gripping the sword tightly. He reached out his other hand and nervously gave Ash a little pat on the head before backing off again, seemingly relieved to retain his limbs in front of this beast.

*"As you say, M'lady."

Alex turned to Ash to greet him.

*"Welcome to the family, Ash. Please don't eat me or the young miss! I suppose you want to eat meat, I will go prepare some for you!"

Alex scuttled off towards the kitchen, leaving the pair alone again.

Ash found it strange how quickly Alex had accepted his existence. He had gone from hostile to completely accepting in a matter of seconds.

'It seems like the household workers here are completely loyal. Hopefully Alice's dad doesn't take issue with me roaming the house freely.'

Alice took a seat at the table, and Ash sat next to her.

'Hey Roth, what kind of wood is this table made out of?'

Roth quickly answered, his voice as cheery as ever.

^This looks to be black walnut wood… this stuff is super hard to make! This table must be worth a fortune!^

Alex came scurrying back into the room as Ash examined the wood, carrying two plates with him. The first plate housed steaming meat, a few leaves of finely cut lettuce, and a potato. The ingredients were arranged in such a way that was pleasant to the eyes. It was evident that the chef had a considerable amount of skill.

The second plate contained only one item: meat.

A steaming pile of mutton was heaped onto the plate, just the sight of it made Ash's mouth water.

*"I'm sorry, M'lady. I do not know if our new friend likes his meat raw or cooked. If this is not satisfactory, I can quickly prepare a plate of raw meat."

Alex set the plate down in front of Ash, then quickly backed away nervously. It seemed he had taken Alice's word on his tameness at a surface level, and wasn't willing to risk his limbs if Ash was too crazed at the sight of the food.

Eyeing the food in front of him, Ash bowed his head. The wolves of his pack always honored their prey before digging into a meal, and he wished to continue this custom. The rule of the wild was survival of the fittest, and the wolves held no remorse for their food, but still honored the lives they took.

Alice and Alex watched in amazement as the pup bowed to his food before digging in.

*"Did he just bow to his food?"

Alice asked, and Alex gave an unsure nod.

*"I think that some religions honor their food for giving its life to feed them. Maybe this wolf is the same?"

After a moment, Alice also bowed to her plate before beginning her meal. Somehow, after seeing her new pet bowing to his food, it made her feel a bit guilty for never thinking of her own food before.

The two soon finished their meal, and Alice stood back up.

Alex was standing near the exit of the room with a cleaning cloth, ready to wipe down the table as soon as the pair was done eating.

"Please thank Gary for me, that meal was great! Also, please remind him to have a meal ready for Ash for dinner."

Alice spoke happily. Her soft voice and endless positivity seemed to have an effect on the workers in the mansion. As the pair walked out towards the garden behind the manor, they passed a number of workers. All of them wore happy smiles, and greeted Alice with enthusiasm.

They soon reached the back exit of the house, and were greeted by a wondrous wall of vividly colored plants.