[74.2] The Pup and his Pack

[Author's note: This part of the chapter isn't from anyone's perspective.]

Grubby hands dug into the prickly bush, bones jutting out of the skin as it was unceremoniously cut by the sharp bramble. A small child who seemed barely old enough to walk, dug through the thorns without wincing until he finally found a berry. 

He picked up the berry and threw it into his mouth, chewing on it without caring about the prickly stem that went with it. His stomach was almost to his backbone, revealing just how malnourished he was. His skin was sickly, but his eyes were a vibrant orange. On his forehead were two black horns, greatly contrasting the pale skin.

Hungry… So Hungry…

He thought to himself as he started digging into the dirt to look for bugs.

He pushed away the fringe of brown, limp hair from his eyes, smearing the blood and dirt over his face. However, he didn't even realize he had done so as he continued to search the ground for any sustenance. 

Feeling his stomach tie into knots, he started placing leaves and rocks into his mouth to soothe the painful agony emitting from hunger.

"Hmm? What do we have here?"

The boy raised his eyes, and for a moment, he thought he had met a deity.

A young man with reddish-blonde hair and dark eyes smiled at him as he kneeled not too far away.

The boy stared at the beautiful man in awe before suddenly coming to his senses when he noticed two women in cloaks behind him. Each one had a sword in hand emitting a terrifying light that sent shudders up his side.

In a panic, he tried to stand up to run, but the lack of energy from starvation was too strong. He collapsed to the ground before he could even try to take one step. He looked back at the three with trepidation but dared not move.

Seeing the pair of frightened eyes, the man suddenly laughed joyfully. He tilted his head, "Little wolf pup… Where is your family?"

The pup looked over at the two behind him, then back at the angelic man. For some reason, he much preferred to stare at the beautiful man. He spoke slowly, "My… My family isn't far…"

"Oh? But why haven't they already come for you? Do they allow their children who are still pups to roam aimlessly?"

The pup averted his gaze, "They… They don't really like me…"

His eyebrows raised slightly, "Oh?"

The pup bit down on his lip, "They… They said I shouldn't be in the pack because I'm a thief…"

"Are you a thief?"

He fidgeted a while before answering, "I don't mean to be…"

"Hmmm." He hummed as he looked the pup up and down, "You seem to be starving. Don't they feed you?"

The pup batted his eyes innocently, "They let me eat the scraps… If there's any left."

The man glanced over at the women behind him and one spoke, "There is talk about limited food sources in this region."

The other woman added, "I heard that demonic wolves will discard those at the lowest hierarchy to protect the higher ones."

The man hummed with a smirk, "Ah… So he is just trash?"

The pup winced at his words, but couldn't argue. Although rude, the wolves honestly believed him to just be a waste of space, sucking up their precious resources.

The man suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled something fragrant out. He held it out to the pup whose mouth was already watering, "You want it?"

The pup licked his lips, crawling forward with his eyes on the pastry. His hunger won over his instinct and he snatched it to devour. The man laughed as he watched, "How cute."

The woman behind him turned up his nose, "Disgusting. He's dirty."

The man glanced at her with a frown, "Alora. Did I allow you to speak?"

She lowered her head and said nothing else.

Once the pup finished the treat, he looked up at the man in excitement, "That tasted yummy! Better than fruit!"

He laughed, "It should. It's a very expensive dessert."

"Dessert?" The boy asked with a tilt of his head, "What's that?"

The man smiled, a crook in his lips curving up, "It's a very tasty snack… Although, it's not very healthy. Would you like to eat some jerky?"

The boy crawled even closer to the man, his drooling expression revealing just how much he wanted it.

The man laughed happily and stretched out his arms, "Come."

The pup listened and went to his arms obediently. He was scooped up and fed the jerky as the man held him just as a mother should be doing at his age. 

The man spoke softly, "Can you point us to your home? I'd like to ask your parents something."

The boy blinked innocently, "My parents… My parents are dead."

"Hm? Didn't you say your family was nearby?"

"That's my pack-" The boy paused and glanced at the man suspiciously, "And they said never to show outsiders."

The man produced another strange treat, "Candy?"

The boy's eyes lit up and he took it, placing it into his mouth. He hummed happily as he enjoyed the sweet, melting sensation.

"Now won't you tell me? I will give you more yummy things to eat."

The pup hesitated but ultimately decided this man who had given him such delicious things couldn't be bad. Even if the woman behind him was so scary, they seemed to follow this good natured man.

A good person wouldn't allow bad people to follow him.

He pointed obediently, "They are that way in a cave."

The man grinned ear to ear, "Let's go meet them, shall we?"

As they traveled, the man kept giving the pup new things to eat. However, he ultimately had to stop before the boy grew sick since his stomach couldn't handle too much. Once they arrived at the cave, the family of wolf demons sensed they were approaching and took protective stances.

The boy who was hanging on the man's neck waved at them with a bright smile, "Auntie! Uncle! I bring friends!"

The Aunt shouted back, "You IDIOT!!! Why did you bring STRANGERS?!"

The boy was startled by her aggressive tone, "But… He's nice. He gave me lots of food-"

The Uncle shouted, "-Worthless creatin! We took you in and you betrayed us like this?!"

"Now, now. There's no need to yell at the boy."

The boy looked up in confusion at the man holding him. The soft, smiling angelic was replaced by something malicious. His dark eyes were brimming with evil and the excitement of pure killing intent. He tried to contain his murderous aura, "You are his guardians?"

The wolves gulped in fear, "Y-Yes…"

"Ah… Well, I want to ask something of you." He tilted his head with a crazed smirk, "I would like to take this pup with me, I've taken a liking to him."

Their eyes widened in fear, "E-Excuse us?!"

"I don't have money to offer- no. Not that. Rather, I don't want to give you any money or food." He chuckled, "Instead, I just won't kill you. How about that?"

Their claws all extended, "YOU WOULDN'T DARE!"

"Alora. Canta."

The two women behind him produced long swords, vibrating with a pure magic. The boy felt his breath stick in his throat as he clawed the clothes of the man tighter. He wanted to run, but even if he dared to move, the man was firmly holding him so he couldn't.

The wolves sensed the danger and fear appeared in their eyes. They knew they couldn't escape two Holy Priestesses of the highest level when their entire pack was struggling to find meals.

The man spoke calmly, "So? Will you give me the boy? I promise I won't kill-"

"-He's yours!!!" The Aunt interrupted quickly, "Take him!"

The boy's eyes widened in shock as he turned to look at his pack who was staring at him with a twinge of disgust.

Even as young as he was, he could tell they seemed all to eager to get rid of him.

The man smirked, "So fast? Aren't you afraid of what I will do to him?"

The Uncle nodded, "Do anything you want! We don't care as long as you keep your promise!"

Another added, "We'd rather him leave anyway! He's nothing but a leech!"

The man glanced at the boy who was staring into space in a shocked daze, "You hear that? No one cares about you here. To them, you are disgusting trash that can only take up space."

The pup felt his heart aching as the once vibrant orange eyes started to dim, "Ah…"

The crooked grin of the man became clearer seeing the lifeless look in the pup's eyes, "Now I will give you a choice… Will you come with me? Or would you like to stay here? Either way, I will spare them."

The boy raised his eyes slowly, "You will? It won't matter? You will let them live?"

He nodded his head, feigning a truthful gaze, "I will. I can't let the family of my pup die, even though they are so cruel to such a cute little thing like you. However, I want your answer."

The boy lowered his head and muttered, "Do you… Do you really want me?"

A flicker of desire flashed behind his eyes, "Yes. I want to own you more than anything."

"Then… Okay. I will go with you."

He laughed joyfully, "Great. Just say 'I belong to you and only you' and I will give you a reward."

The pup heard 'reward' and recalled the delicious sweets. He happily agreed, "I belong to you and only you."

The man's smile turned sinister, "Excellent… Now watch… I will give you the best reward."

As soon as he nodded his head, the two women shot out, slashing and massacering the demonic wolves. Screams and blood filled the air, causing chaos to descend in the peaceful woods. 

The boy wanted to scream in fear, but he was so scared his throat seized up.

He tried to look away, but the man forcefully turned his head and held open his eyelids, making him watch as his fellow family members were torn into pieces. They all died slowly and tortuously, begging to be spared. 

The man whispered into his ear, "Little pup… Remember, this is your reward. You wanted this."

It was on that day that the pup decided never to eat sweets again.

…That night, Asmonious woke up in a cold sweat, trembling from the nightmares he couldn't control. He held his arms, gasping for air as voices screamed at him from beyond the void.

Murderer!

Murderer!

Murderer!