Chapter 25

“Prince Rook! Are you settling in for the night?” An Asken guard jovially called attention to the young man practicing swordsmanship in a clearing.

The air smelled of sweat, pollen, and cold wind.

“I will in an hour or so,” Rook puffed, wooden sword on his back. “I was simply practicing before dinner. How is Mother, if you’ve heard from her?” He stretched out his neck.

“Ah, I’ve only heard a little bit, right after lunch,” The guard apologized. “Queen Wazir should still be with the two Wolf-Lings. Get it? They aren’t quite Dullings, and they have wolf ears…Wolf-Ling!” A snap of the fingers, paired with a comical grin.

Rook sighed, and the guard cleared her throat, eyes on him.

“I believe the Wooden Hunters are with her, curious of those two, no doubt.” She exhaled heavily. “I hear the Beast was the prettiest of the three. I wish I got to see her.” The guard smiled brightly. “You see, Prince Rook, Asken loves mysteries, and like everyone else, we adore anything magic. The fact we have a Beast running around,” The guard nodded in approval. “Isn’t that exciting to look into?! I hope she’s not dead, jumping off the cliff like that…”

Rook gave a soft laugh. “You’re quite sincerely excited about this. We don’t even know what a Beast is. I have a friend who’s sighted these ‘Wolf-Lings’ in the past but she wasn’t nearly as pepped.” He turned away for a brief moment, checking his shoes, then his fancy dress shirt, before walking over to the thickest walled-off part of the clearing. A shower of plants, thick and standing around the clearing like a protective barrier for the plains.

Rook’s clothing is brightly colored, he’s the type of white rabbit to be seen by predators in a dark forest.

Hidden away in plain sight, fangs grit in the quiet.

“We’re a nation of scholars, Prince Rook,” The guard hummed. “The unknown is a piece of knowledge our ancestors weren’t able to cultivate. Of course we’re excited! Queen Wazir was quite generous for filling us in on what she witnessed! We’d love to have a few Gem Wolves to study for ourselves! Even a couple days with the Wolf-Lings is a massive achievement!” Her fist shook with a determined fire.

“I see,” Rook acknowledged, casual, smooth and picture perfect. “For the sake of entertainment and science, then.”

The guard paused, as if considering the statement, before giving the slowest nod of agreement.

…Once upon a time, I had played Freeze Tag with my brothers, in a house up on a hill.

“Call it a culture divide,” Rook earnestly commented. “But I’d rather not dig too deeply into these matters as if I have the right to do so.”

This hill has dense foliage provided by low hanging trees. Should you stay still enough, the leaves would shelter your existence. Additionally, I learned when hidden amongst the leaves, if you focus your eyes on anything but the audience or target, they are far less likely to notice the watching gaze. A method in letting your mind drift, but distantly holding onto a thread of opportunity, ready to cut the second it was time. To erase your presence meant to be the waiting crocodile in the deep. Buried in swamp water, like the brush of the thicket’s tallness, patient.

Rook took a casual step, turned his back to the growth in order to acknowledge the guard.

Awareness seeped into the mind, and my eyes refocused on reality. The glitter of bright colors beyond the green stroked my calculations to sharp accuracy.

Mint claws breezed forward, graceful and precise, curling around the side of the prince’s neck. My arm hooked around his upper-body to crush movement. Rook had become still, breathing so, so slowly, and his heart harping several beats too fast. It’s almost distracting, if it weren’t for the sheer wheeze of panic coming from the Asken authority several steps away.

The guard is wide-eyed frozen, eyes on my sharps pressed against Rook’s throat.

Rook swallowed thickly, choosing not to look anywhere else but at the guard staring back at him.

She opened her mouth, and I allowed a dark chuckle to escape past my fangs. The guard was silenced from the sound, spooked with a paling face.

“Is this not what you wished for? To see a…Beast as pretty as I?” Mirroring the earlier conversation, my voice dripped like poisoned honey. “And after I did my very best to appear to you in grandeur.” Then, I smiled, fangs on display.

“Oh dear,” Rook managed to rasp, his stench one of bittered-orange unease.

“You can talk,” The guard blurted instead of taking the bait, her eyes were murky with a sort of disturbed realization. “Oh, Nines, you’re highly intelligent…” Despite the astonishment, she had not let her gaze leave the claw tips on the prince’s Adam's apple. “Different from the fairytales. Clearly, you’re different from the mythical texts about blessed Dullings from, by those ears, Kazo’s guidance…!”

I am unaffected by her words, or the fact she knew of Kazo. As a Black person who lived in America, you go throughout life knowing there are people in your nation, or even the world, who will never see you as intelligent, emotionally stable, or kind.

Not even Mom had been spared from this, she had come home a few times rambling about coworkers who admitted they had been shocked Mom was so nice. And their whole lives, their families told them Black people were nothing but robbers and violent people. The adoption center had equally given her a rough time but she had managed to get her new sons through vigorous paperwork and a lawyer.

Beast, I am to the Dullings. A creation of ‘Kazo’ with little thought of my own. A creature who wrecked havoc while sharing their kind’s face and humanoid form. I do not care. This mindset is no different than the one found at home.

To many, I am nothing but Beastly and will remain that way forever in their minds.

Kazo surely knew my background, which is likely why they did not stick around. There was no need to warn anything to me when I could hit the ground running. Kazo had done their job in providing me a chance at life, it was up to my will to use what I’ve been given.

I am Shepard to precious siblings, my wards.

That is what I recognize to heart. What I strive to remain.

My siblings. My brothers called me Shepard.

That is me. My name, my title, my identity.

“Tell those involved, Wooden Hunters, this prince’s family,” I sneered, dipping the claws.

Rook gasped, as did the guard when red ran down his skin. The smell is of burnt pennies, strong, and all I could think about was the twins. Opal. Every time someone was hurt, I could do little but watch.

My tail gave a wag, attempting to fan off an incoming storm.

“Tell them,” I lowered my voice to a rolling growl. “I want both prizes. The two and the Asken power source. Ten miles out of this silly little city, don’t be late, or else Asken will have an international incident on their hands.” The tufts of my hair raised as I grew a bared grin. “And don’t bring more than the usual chivalry, I’ll take it as a threat and call off this entire trade.” I allowed my smile to soften at the guard’s slight shake of the head, the pressure high and suffocating. “I’d hate to behead him without Wazir seeing it. Make haste, Curious One.”

With a ruthless tug, I jumped back into the growth, dragging Rook with me. He’s taller, so the prince’s legs slide across the grass as he’s dragged. Rook sputtered, choked and desperate, yet unable to escape my grasp as the two of us vanished into the heavy vegetation.

I kept dragging Rook along, the distanced foot-sprint of the guard told me she ran for help.

Rook gave a loud whimper, and I eased my grip on his upper body by a lighter squeeze. Nevertheless, we did not stop, I could not. The guard would at least return with reinforcements on the off-chance the ‘Beast’ stuck around, and risking it all was not allowed unless both Ivory and Ebony were by my side.

“Don’t vomit now,” I firmly told Rook, stern and eyes narrowed. “Your Mother is going to come running…I’ll be roughing you up a bit.” I cackled as Rook groaned, giving eye-daggers at the ground. “You won’t bleed too badly, I know the best places to strike, and leave you with bruises!” My mood likely seemed chipper to him.

Rook shuddered. “Must you? My neck is already bleeding.”

Oh, the things we do for love!

“It’s only fair, Dear Prince,” I snickered lowly. “I hope your Mother trained you in pain tolerance!”

Eye for an Eye isn’t too horrible of a punishment for those who believe themselves above consequences.