As the child clung to the scaled black tail of the enigmatic humanoid beast, quickened its pace, driven by an urgent need to find shelter from the imminent rain that he hisses at as water hits his face. Droplets had begun to fall, their gentle patter against leaves soon escalating into a torrential downpour.
The forest, once serene, transformed into a chaotic symphony of rain, wind, and howling wolves. The wolves, though cautious, were no longer content to maintain their distance. Hungry and agitated, they closed in on the intruders.
The child's grip on the humanoid's tail tightened as fear surged through him. In the midst of the overwhelmed, darkness concealing their surroundings as clouds covered the moonlight. Causing both of them to stumble upon an abandon nestled cave beneath the roots of a massive, ancient tree.
The beast patience worn thin and gasping for breath, he had refrained from tapping into his abilities, preserving his energy from imprisonment. With an exasperated sigh, he seized the child by the collar and spoke with an air of annoyance.
With a soft sigh, the beast spoke, its voice a melodic blend of curiosity and detachment.
"If you're going to skulk around me, you might as well serve some purpose," without a second thought, he flung the wounded child into the cave.
"Search for bears, slimes, or whatever else lurks."
The beast stood by, his eyes fixed on the dark abyss of the cave. Silence luminated from within.
"I’m going to assume you're dead… Good riddance."
A voice filled with wide-eyed astonishment reached his cat ears. The child tugging his sleeve towards the cave. Startled, the beast, who hastily flung the child into a nearby bush. To his amazement, the child crawled out, displaying a strength beyond his frail appearance, and raced back toward the beast, as if expecting a repeat performance.
"I'm utterly drained, kid. Stay out of my path and find something useful to do."
As the demon retreated into the inky sanctuary, they found temporary relief from the relentless rain. The child's ragged breaths matched the rhythm of the storm outside, while the eyes of the humanoid's beast, gleamed with an otherworldly wisdom, surveyed their surroundings that he doesn't recall from any of his maps back home.
His attention returned to the child, drenched and shivering, removed his backpack he had forgotten all about since being alone. The child paces restlessly outside in the rain, collecting twigs and rocks, arranging them near the beast.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Is this some sort of offering, child? Your gifts don't impress me." The child offered no reply, persisting in combing the bushes for more odds things
"Hey kid, you are not of this place. What brought you here, and why do you cling to me, as if I won't kill you at any moment?"
The child paused as he placed a stone near the strange beast, he looked at the enigmatic beast with wide, innocent eyes.
"I'm lost," The child’s eyes read and off he went to collect more things.
"You are far from home, little human," the beast scoffed, recalling the stained blood on his tail from the child’s earlier injury had now mingled from the rainwater.
The demon huffed in frustration, briefly acknowledging the child's activities before dismissing them. His exhaustion was too great to concern himself with the human child any further. Vanishing his ears and tail to nothingness leaving behind his human form.
"If circumstances permit tomorrow, I might show generosity by feeding the local wildlife slimes."
He rolled onto his side, baffled by his profound fatigue. He himself hasn’t have anything nutrient to eat in years causing him to lose energy just by dealing with a human child.
His consciousness lingered in the endless abyss, painstakingly counting the days and nights that rolled by and those he once trusted laughing as chains pulled the beast down to his everlasting prison of darkness.
Hours passed, the beast was roused from his slumber by a jarring, high-pitched noise—an alarming howl followed. It was one of the wolves that had pursued him since his freedom. Shaken from his slumber, he lowered his head back to the ground, trying to reclaim some precious rest.
A sensation of warmth crept over him, reminiscent of his favorite succubus back in the underworld village, who would embrace him as he slept. He yearned to be engulfed by her fiery embrace once more. He closed his eyes, surrendering to the prospect of a peaceful second slumber, reminiscing about forgone days before the war and his future father-in-law daughter.
"Away... Shoo!"
A guttural sound accompanied by a child's wailing pierced the night, shattering the beast’s tranquility. He covered his ears with his arm, striving to ignore the noise the child made, but a loud thud ensued with cries of terror followed, jarring him from his slumber.
Irritated by the relentless noise, the demon rose from the ground, glaring at the moonlit wet forest beyond. His menacing presence prompted the pack of wolves, who had waited in the shadows throughout the night, to recoil, their muddy, damp fur standing on end as they retreated.
The message was clear: any return to the cave would result in their deaths.
Glancing back at the cave's entrance, the beast observed the child reemerging, clutching a stick and sporting a fresh scratch from one of the wolves on his arm. Exhaustion overcame the child, causing him to collapse to the ground. The beast’s eyes fell upon a small fire, accompanied by the child's bag and blanket laying around his waist. The source of warmth that had graced the beasts became clear.
Rummaging next to the child's bag, the demon unearthed some food wrapped in plastic and foil.
"This is your sole sustenance, and you're offering to give it to a stranger. I could be a murderer, for all you know."
The child gasp with each breath as he laid there motionless across from the beast.
A glimmer of understanding flickered within the beast’s mind. He realized the child had stood guard over the cave throughout the night, providing warmth and offerings. Intrigued, the beast regarded the human child with newfound interest.
"Perhaps I've found a new companion," he pondered. Brushing himself off, he ventured outside, surveying the makeshift barricade of sticks that the child had erected around the ancient tree cave.