Soul Lovers

The Babysitter.

Sniffia unfolded her hands then walked to Peirce without the fear of the three Beasts in front of her.

“Nice punch…!”

She smiled with her eyes to the direction of Peirce then looked at the three Beasts with her venomous little eyes.

Azra gently massaged his left forearm while Node mouth was widely opened trying to guess within himself. If he made the right choice or not.

“I’m shamefaced.” Azra suddenly kneeled with one knee as his long loosened dreadlocks touched the ground. Pierce and Sniffia uncomfortably watches him then Aquila and Aguda followed. “We will never forget this day. But still... ” he stared at Sniffia. “The girl need to come with us.”

Peirce and Node enlarged their eyes with what came out from Azra mouth.

“Eh, what?” Node said.

“The girl with you is the only chance Alpha Obae will take us in. I’m sorry.” Azra told just as he stared into Peirce's eyes.

“What do you mean… you’re sorry, we saved your asses’ lives, don’t we?” Node clenched his teeth.

“Node… “ Peirce softly said.

“What Mudlark, are you saying you’re really going to give her up, huh?! But would it not be simpler if everyone forget about everything that truly happened so far and go to their various sweet home. Gosh, we lost someone here!”

“Chai... Look.” Peirce pointed out as he stared at Sniffia. Node blinked then looked at her also.

Sniffia drooping her muscled shoulders and her spine bowed just as she gripped onto her furry vest filled with three holes at the area of her abdomen then spoke with a downward glance in a flat, monotone voice.

“That’s the more reason I need to go with them, Node. This is what you get, remember you were the one who came back for them... "

"But--"

"Listen... ! I caused everything that happened, not Peirce! not Lord Jared! I alone caused it all...!”

“Before you take her—” Peirce said right before he was punched by surprised Node!

“What do you mean, ‘Before you take her?’ After going a long way from the village to here?! Now going back… We can’t just leave a friend behind just like that! we are now close friends!” Node raged while balling his fist.

Peirce cleaned his mouth, then continued, “Before you take her—” Another punch from Node interrupted Peirce’s.

“Node!” Sniffia shouted as the whole chamber echoed with few debris falling from above. “Stop hitting him. I’m going with them at least you guys and the village will be safe without me. And me going back to my kind is the best thing to do, can't you think it through?!”

“Before you take—”

Node reaching for another punch. All of a sudden, Peirce caught Node’s fist effortlessly then he glared at him just as his eyes glowed green.

Peirce's stare alone made Node flinched a little.

“I’m sorry, Node, tolerate my words for now, thereafter you can beat the hell out of me. I don’t mind.” He then looked at Azra who was slightly dejected by the behaviors of the teenagers in front of him, Aquila awkwardly took out her daggers as she stared at it while Aguda stiffly looked up, “Sorry. For all this. So, before taking her, why are you so addicted in fixing your mistakes just for a girl?”

Node forcefully removed his fist from Peirce's palm after the question thrown at Azra.

Azra paused a little while still kneeling in front of Peirce with the two Beasts beside him.

“I was… let me simply say, each and every Expats with me have two or more folks waiting for them within the Beast kingdom however our greatest fear is how are they living? and where? Is it the interior part of the kingdom under the watch of the Alphas or already chased down to the suburbs of the kingdom… due to the situations the state of the kingdom is right now. The girl should be the only chance we get. I believe Alpha Obae would allow us back into the kingdom as well pave a way for a better life not just for we the Expats but for our families also. Aguda here really missed his six daughters and Aquila here was banished before meeting a mate. We all know we did something bad for our punishment and we regretted, while I was framed for something between Alpha Obae and I.” He continued, “see kid, life in the Beast kingdom is totally different from every other Kingdoms you know and lived in. We accepted the Dragons cursed us into having so many offspring as you called it, in a roll but we loved and lived in our differences but reality caught up to us as the effects of overpopulation affected us. This course alone brought many of the vulnerable Beasts mostly at the suburbs; famines, hardship, low health standard and many more; Leading to many packs leaving one after the other far away from the kingdom drawing sudden draughts upon them that’s include what happened to your pack, Sniffia.”

“My... pack?” Sniffia asked almost reluctantly, lifting up her eyes to Azra just as the aglow crystals reflected on her dark orange eyes.

“… you don’t know?” Azra surprisingly asked.

“Yeah, I think, I actually don’t remembered anything much but sometimes had this strange dreams… it looks as though everything was all real.” She said lowering back her face with a thought. During the past years, was my existing dreams all real before meeting Lord Jared?

“Well. I, not telling you personally, will be a good thing to do for now.” Azra paused then spoke. “And for me I have a family waiting, a wife and seven kids. I don’t even have a memory of them together with me, sorry to say. So Sniffia here is the key to our freedom. With you it’s easier to start a new breeding of the new generation of the Silver Maned wolf...”

Node grunted then turned his back went to the wall while he buttoned up his torn jacket, packed up his hair then punched the wall, hard just between the hanged huge weapon he could never carried and the aglow crystal illuminating more on his body.

Azra sighed saying those words to the teenagers seem to blow off some steam against the Alpha Obae. With quick attempt and a lightened heart. Azra, Aquila and Aguda exit the room just as Aguda faced Node, the surprised teenaged boy mouth was wide opened as he turned to looked at the Beasts exiting the room without Sniffia.

“One is wiser when trying to solve other people’s problems.” Aguda quoted as he nodded with a little smile on his huge face. “Hmm… Addicted.” Imitating Peirce’s word.

Node shook his head and nodded back to him. Aquila turned then hurled one of her daggers to Sniffia as the teenaged girl caught it at it's handle without even looking back jolting the only two teenaged boys in the chamber.

“It’s now yours. Use it well.” Aquila spoke before turning invisible.

Sniffia didn’t say a word as they finally made their exit.

“Is this all a dream. Gone just like that. I don’t know who to believe anymore.” Node said trying to figure out exactly what Aguda’s words meant and also why Azra left without taking Sniffia as expected. But I'm glad. Node smiled with the thought of that while staring at Sniffia as his knuckle slightly bled from the hit earlier.

Pierce looked elsewhere, exhaling. It’s good they left without Sniffia. He said to himself.

“Come on, now. We need to get off this underground!” Node warned, Sniffia still with her face lowered just as her purplish blond hair with slightly dark red-stain on each strand of her hair covering her face under the aglow crystals. Tightly gripping the dagger on her hand. She was about saying something until--

“You three must be the kids scar face told me about.”

Pierce, Node and Sniffia looked at the direction of the voice startled as they saw Lazarus leaning on the shaded underground wall then walked towards light at the door way scratching his untrimmed hair and his other hand holding a big sack on his shoulder probably filled with big diamonds.

“Cough. Babysitting is really not my thing.”