Chapter 9
#9 of Wolves' Legacy Saga
Chapter 9
The way down was as rough as the way up, but now they weren't rushed by any storms for the past two days since their stay in Snohand. They only took around half the day to reach the other end of the mountain path to a relatively warm region. Some hours before they were attacked by some big mountain wolves that Ifrit managed to dispatch easily, yet they didn't take their hunts as Lilac was uncomfortable on eating her own kind.
After they reached a dirt road down the mountain, Albreich and Lilac observed the map while they were at the front driver's seat while Ifrit read some of the English books Lilac instructed him to. The trader was chewing malt in his mouth while reading the maps.
"That mountain we passed is called Lorandi Mountain or White Cap in English. Right now we're going to the borders of the Tragoria region, but from our position here," he said while pointing on the position on the map. "We have around a month or so until the borderline and warm coastlines, but for the meantime, let's endure it, shall we?"
Lilac didn't immediately reply it. She kept thinking about one month. If in that one month the full moon came back again, she would have to endure another painful transformation. The moon was unpredictable because of the use of any lunar magic sometimes in the past, requiring any Lycans with no intention to stay wolf all the time to see the lunar indicator. This revelation made her nervously opening the scroll, but she was relieved that despite of having a new moon phase, the moon had been in its half state.
"The moon is weird these days, huh?" asked Albreich when he saw her reaction. "It's hard for you to stay in human form."
"I am well aware on the fact," she said while rolling the scrolls. "But, when does the moon started to be unpredictable?"
"Since Lycans started to roam this land."
"Oh...I guess I owe the humans an apology."
"No, it's not your fault, Lily. Some of the Lycan mages disturb the amount of the moon's appearances so they could not be forced to change. The truth is, they are blocking the moon, but not periodically. The full moon you see is actually an intensified lunar magic, forcing any Lycans to turn into a wolf."
"But, I have recently read about how we draw upon lunar power to awaken our inner beast, and for that reason, not only we need a sufficient magic, we need a kind of bestial urge, which was awakened unconsciously."
"Some of the books I read said that wolves respected the moon as their goddess. It's a pagan belief long forgotten, but still believed to survive with the werewolves."
"Is that how you suggest?"
"I won't understand werewolves if I'm not as them, okay? It's natural."
"Hmmm...want to be one?"
"Lilac, I know I'm fond of company of wolves, but that doesn't mean I have to become one with the wolf to feel it. Also, aren't you supposed to be helping Ifrit in understanding our human language?"
When she was remembered about it, Lilac walked back into the carriage living space, where Ifrit was trying hard to read a book, despite of it being a short story collection. He actually knew the meanings of the words, but he couldn't understand the meaning when he didn't have any feelings given to the characters in the stories.
"Ifrit, what's wrong?"
"I can't seem to understand these jumbled pieces of words," he said. "I understand the sentences but I can't catch what the writer wants us to know."
Lilac kept remembering about how Ifrit was with his instinct when he was trying to do things instead of the human feeling. In spite of the kindness the hellhound had given her, she knew that they were all instinct, and thus she felt that the kindness was like a trained instinct instead of a proper feeling. Without any proper feelings, he couldn't grasp how sad the story she asked him to read, or even how intense some scenes in the stories. She just sighed and said, "You won't understand the combined sentences, anyway. I just ask you to read the words."
"I can't stop remembering the words in my thought," said Ifrit. "The words...I don't really understand what they want to tell me but I have this weird thing that plagued me like the fire inside me. Something woke up inside me."
Lilac couldn't grasp what he meant, so she said, "What do you mean?"
"I...I don't know. I've got something like this after we got out of Snohand. I just don't know what to say about it..., but...I don't know...."
"Ifrit, just talk to me normally. You are like a nervous hound trying to proclaim a love..."
Lilac suddenly gasped on what she just said. It was something she thought to have never got out from a hellhound based on book, but Ifrit seemed to get it and with it conflicting with his instinct, he became nervous with it. This awed Lilac many times, who thought that the hellhound was more or less a dog.
"Ifrit, are you trying to tell me that you developed a feeling?" asked Lilac nervously.
"That's it! I am trying to tell you, but I don't know the meaning. It's a human word unknown to my language, and...and..."
Lilac saw that Ifrit looked puzzled to see her own reaction to him. The excitement was overwhelming and that was something she never thought to happen, yet it happened in front of her. Just some moments ago she thought they were driven by instinct, but seeing that Ifrit wasn't trying to lie to her Lilac made a smile to him.
"Good for you, Ifrit. It's a good start to live in the surface," she said while patting him.
"B...but I..."
"It's alright, Ifrit. That kind of feeling is unnatural for you, but that's how human lives without using any instincts. But since you know what feeling is, I must apologize."
"For what, Lilac?"
"I must admit...I never thought...you of all races would gain a humane feeling. It's alright now, Ifrit. I guess, the next task is how you fit into mortal society."
When Lilac said that, she left the hellhound to his own things, making Ifrit wondered about her sentence, yet also, he realized he was still reading the book and he quickly returned to his previous activity, yet somehow, his confession lightened something inside him, and he quickly grasped the meaning of the sentences.
Lilac returned to Albreich, where he saw that the trader was now smoking pipe. The turned his head to Lilac and gave her a mantle, while saying, "It's bound to get cold when we reached the carriage station. There are snows around us."
"But, I thought we were riding on warm plains."
"It's getting dark, and Lilac, this is winter, so the warmth will be temporary. Oh, and I heard about how you became all freaky and said Ifrit got a feeling."
Lilac suddenly blushed. She thought that her astonishment was only heard inside. She never thought the trader had such a good hearing.
"Ifrit sometimes let loose his feelings, especially when he talks with me," said Albreich while puffing out a ring of smoke. "He doesn't feel it that way, since from my observation, he doesn't seem to talk much. His instinct works in fights, but since we reach Snohand, he started to get something weird building up inside him."
"And that's a feeling he got."
"Lilac, no instinct drove him to relight the bonfire. It was all his own feelings, yet he didn't realize it. For now, though, he only gained the feeling of sympathy, not anything about love."
"Love? So, he still thinks us as humans, not as friends, then?"
"It's you to decide. I have my own opinion on how the hellhound becomes more human."
Indecisiveness caught Lilac as soon as Albreich finished his sentence. While at first she felt thrilled to see a hound with humane feelings, but then, while it was still a long way to go, Lilac felt that he was only a companion, not a real friend. He was really just like a talking dog, with no feelings to any relationships except sympathy and an ability to talk. These in turn didn't make Lilac felt ashamed of herself. Somehow, she was worried on Ifrit's well-beings. True, if he didn't feel them as friends, then he wouldn't miss his brother or his friends, but...she felt he wanted to fill his hellish heart with something for suiting for a Lycan.
As soon as they reached a carriage station, just like what Albreich said, the temperature dropped to near freezing cold, and the mantle he gave to Lilac was enough to give her necessary warmth, yet she turned to her fur coat once she went down from the carriage. As from one of the traders currently in the carriage station, they were forced to stay at the station.
"This air temperature will drop more," said the trader while putting his horses into the stables. "By that, this strong wind will blow all snow. I don't really want to wander around or going to Ashford town with this kind of weather. I don't want to be trapped in the blizzard mid-journey."
"But, there are nothing left for us to claim," said Albreich, referencing the empty boxes Lilac knew to contain delivery items. "Surely they leave in this weather." "There is nothing else here since I reached this place before you. The caretaker said there are no other goods except foods and stuff, and most of them terminated here. This station usually closes in winter, but with the trend of private delivery businesses he kept this place like it was in summer."
"The winter this year is harsh, huh?"
"Maybe. It doesn't seem that way for those around here."
The blizzard came down that night and they rented a nice warm room for three (Albreich was pretty rich). With Albreich took down the books from the carriage, Lilac and Ifrit had time together to learn English language. For Lilac's agenda, however, she wanted to help the hellhound in understanding love and friendship. The hellhound, though, after awakening a sense of feeling, sometimes grinned when he understood what the stories meant, and sometimes made a small laughter, based on reflex when he understood the humor of the stories, all because of Lilac's help.
By time, Lilac felt more and more comfortable with Ifrit, and somehow she didn't feel as if the hellhound was a hellhound, but more of a nice Lycan companion. Now, with Ifrit understanding a feeling, Lilac managed to know that the hellhound was more of a loner type, and he didn't like other companions except those he had known, like his brother, and his mortal companions. Moreover, this made his lonely, as he felt he couldn't make better companions than Lilac and Albreich.
"I feel this new uncomfortable feeling makes me sad," said Ifrit while watching the snow, with a genuine solemn look on his face. "Those things flowed to me and...I don't know. It's so weird and hurt."
"You don't have to feel uncomfortable," said Lilac while putting her hand on Ifrit's furry back. "We'll sort things out on our journey."
When Lilac wanted to leave Ifrit, the hellhound muttered something, and Lilac became surprised when he said, "Sorry, Lilac. I understand what it means now."
"For what?"
"I'm sorry. My (race) destroys the home you dear most. I know it's a little too late to talk about it, but I feel it's my fault as a hellhound."
Lilac stopped at her path to turn to the hellhound. Now, for the first time, Lilac saw how Ifrit's gaze was more of a genuine dog-like face begging for mercy, unlike his usual stern expression. The Lycan didn't talk about it either, but she managed a smile of the tragedy. Now, she knew Ifrit wasn't the one to blame for.
"It's alright, Ifrit. I just don't want to tell Hans about the house. But...now that the problem is settled, tell us. What do you know about those hellhounds? Why are they targeting you? Are you in some kind of a debt?"
"They both told about how I was a (royal prince). I don't understand. There must be a mistake. The (kingdom of hellhound) I knew was destroyed."
"What is that? Talk in English."
"What is the thing that's in a high rank or...king?"
"A winner? A monarch?"
"A king's son?"
"Prince?"
"A place with the king?"
"Kingdom? Wait, are you saying that you're being attacked at my home because you're suspected to be a prince? Are there even kingdoms down there?"
"The kingdom is destroyed and the entire monarch is killed."
"The whole royal family? B...but, what the hell are you doing here if you're a monarch? You're supposed to be..."
"Lilac," interrupted Albreich. "Any hellhounds sending him here made the best choice. If Ifrit stayed down there, he would have died. I've known what happened to a royal family with too many enemies, and there will be no member left to succeed them. Some ten years ago, this monarch system collapsed in my country, and it went on to other regions with rebellions everywhere, changing the whole system into the democratic system you know. If what Ifrit said in his language is true, then he's a goddamn precious cargo for us, and I mean too precious to be left alone.