21 |Three Little Mice

Frightful silence engulfed the space between the four souls in the small hut as the three pairs of eyes remained widened in fear.

Leviathan snarled, "I hate kids..."

Their hearts dropped as their legs unconsciously carried them backwards with their hands stretching out to hold each others.

Leviathan frowned. "... Especially pokey ones". He clenched his jaw, exposing his sharp canines.

Their lips gapped.

"H- H- He is going to eat us all..." Bimo clutched Biwa's arms.

"I can't believe this is how we die. This is how we're going to leave Mama..." Biwa whimpered.

"She won't be able to handle it", tears filled Bimo eyes.

"And I still didn't get my six pieces of plantain".

The sisters snapped their eyes at Oni.

"Seriously!?" Biwa frowned. "Food! Now!?"

Oni's eyes watered, "Mama even said she was going to make my favourite food for dinner. But I'm going to be eaten before then..."

Oni turned back to the demon, falling to his knees, "Please don't eat me! Please!!" Tears slipped from his eyes. "Please! Mama is going to use stockfish and beef. A lot of stockfish for the soup!" He held his hands in a prayer pose, crying loudly.

Biwa and Bimo blinked twice at the boy on the floor. Was he really serious?!

Leviathan remained quiet, staring at the three tiny beings beneath him that wouldn't even survive his fright long enough before he'd eat them.

His eyes then locked on the loud crying boy whose voice was already screeching his eardrums. He hissed.

"Shut up, you rat".

Oni looked up, still sobbing with mucous slipping from his nose. "Don't... E- Eat me..."

Leviathan grimaced in disgust, "Hmph! I have better taste than you three".

Their brows quirked.

Biwa furrowed her brows. "Hey! That's an insult!"

"More of a fact".

Biwa stepped forward, "If there's anyone here who tastes horrible it must definitely be Oni! He eats everything so he must definitely be disgusting!"

"Hey!" Oni looked up at her.

Leviathan blinked boredly at them, "I don't have time for this", he shook his head subtly as he turned back to face his bed. "So many nitwits".

The three children silently continued to watch him lowered himself to lie on his back with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed.

Silence returned.

The children glanced at themselves and back. Biwa then stepped forward, "Um... Uncle?"

He glared at her from the corner of his eyes.

Biwa stepped back.

"Did you just call me Uncle?" Lucien asked.

Biwa gulped. "U- Um... Y- Yes..."

"Because?"

"Because it is respectful. Or would you prefer Baba?"

Lucien furrowed his brows. "Why are you adding unnecessary titles to my name?"

"Um..." Biwa gazed at her sister and Oni. Oni crooked his brows. "Because it is the respectful thing to do..."

Leviathan glared at the children for seconds longer, seeing the genuine confusion in their eyes. He slowly pushed himself to sit, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Explain?"

Biwa cleared her throat softly. "W- Well... In our culture, we either call our elders with the title Uncle, Aunty, Baba or Mama".

"Why?"

"Because it is disrespectful to call an adult just by their names".

"It is beyond disrespectful", Bimo added. "It is a shame to your household and mother's upbringing".

"That seems unnecessary, doesn't it? Being over respectful", Leviathan shook his head.

"We don't think so", Biwa shook her head as well. "All adults deserve respect. At all times".

"Petty", Leviathan rolled his eyes.

Oni then asked, "But Uncle—"

"Don't call me that!"

"Then what should we call you?" Bimo asked.

"Leviathan".

"We can't".

"Why not?"

"It's disrespectful and our conscience and home training won't let us", Biwa responded.

"Besides", Oni chipped in, "It just sounds wrong. You are older than us".

Leviathan sighed, pinching his forehead. "Fine. Then call me Prince Leviathan".

Biwa pouted. "Sounds too long—"

Leviathan shot her a glare.

They immediately bowed, "Prince Leviathan!"

"Better". Leviathan finally stood up, stretching his arms in the air before cracking his neck bones lightly.

He exhaled softly. "By the way", he started, "What were you three doing before now?"

The children glanced at themselves and back. Biwa — seeming to be the boldest — stepped forward to respond, "We were eating with the other children in a hut".

"And the warriors?"

"Kamyla is in the farmland with the other women, harvesting corps for the village. While Uncle Danji and Ajefe went hunting with the men".

"Hm", Leviathan thought for a while with furrowed brows. He then nodded, "Okay. Let's go".

"Go? Go where?" Oni asked.

Leviathan remained silent, stretching down to pick up his fur coat. "To the farm".

"Why?!" The three asked simultaneously.

"Because I am bored". He shrugged, throwing the heavy coat over his shoulder.

"Are you going out in that?" Bimo finally spoke.

"Yes, why?"

"Under this sun?!" Biwa crooked her head.

"With this heat?" Oni added.

"I'm from hell. What do you expect?" He clicked his coat then added, "Anyways, where are these farmland located?"

The children continued to watch the strange coloured adult for a few silent seconds before Biwa responded, "U- Um... Just at the east side of the village".

"Good". He snapped his fingers.

Their bodies instantly saturated into black mist — vanishing into thin air and out of the walls of the mud hut.

Their bodies then reappeared between tall shrubs and trees in the middle of a vase plantation.

The children immediately landed hard on their behind on the grassy soil.

They looked up with wide eyes. Their jaws dropped.

Leviathan stood in front of bewildered children with a bored look before looking away from them. He stilled, taking a moment to scan the noise and vibration in his entire surrounding.

He instantly picked up a sound. He padded forward through a few bushes and shrubs, heading in a particular direction with the children still on the ground.

Without thinking twice, they quickly pushed themselves to their feet and rushed behind him. He fastened his pace.

"W- Wait!" Oni called as he and the twins began jogging; wondering how he got as far as he did within the vegetation.

Leviathan suddenly halted by a line of shrubs, lowering himself into a squatting position. The children pulled to a stop as well.

Biwa's brows knitted. "Uncl... I- I mean, Prince Lev—"

"Shush!" He raised his index finger, causing all three to flinch.

He lowered his head, leaning closer to the shrubs in front as he narrowed his eyes to look between the spaces of the branches. He was watching something on the other side.

The children tilted their heads.

Having their curiosity get the best of them at the moment, the three flickered their eyes between themselves and back before crunching down to crawl up to squat next to Leviathan.

They pushed forward to look them the branches and see what was on the other side. Their brows quirked.