Maybe Trash was honest in many aspects. She had a certain level of intelligence.
In reality, Adis died here by the lakeside. He was murdered because he trusted a cunning individual more akin to a fox than a wolf, like Trash.
I had warned Adis several times about what was going to happen, starting a few years ago. I told him not to get close to Trash, questioned if he really understood her desires, and advised him to open his eyes wide and see the truth.
The young and energetic Adis didn’t heed my advice. Perhaps it was even more challenging because Trash and his partner, Everia, were close friends.
Our wolves tend to have a slightly dim view when it comes to matters involving companionship.
One day, Trash called Adis to the lakeside. She wanted to talk to the leader quietly, now that she herself was becoming aware of her companions’ consciousness.
I quietly followed Adis as he went to the lakeside. Looking back, I felt a sense of foreboding from that moment…
When ‘that incident’ finally happened, I was also present by the lakeside, though I suspect Adis would have guessed that.
But… I was old. The strength of the young wolves was intimidating. I could only hide and watch as Adis was torn apart by the pack he had trusted.
It was only after Trash and her gang left that I approached Adis. Surprisingly, Adis mustered his last strength and opened his eyes.
He asked me to take care of his partner and child. Everia, weakened by childbirth, and the newborn, barely opening its eyes, needed protection.
To fulfill his last request, I rushed to the village, but Everia and the child had already fled. I, along with the few wolves that had followed me until then, tried to find and protect them, but we were too late.
Trash had torn Everia and the child apart. The leader couple, strong enough that the whole tribe had to join forces to barely kill them, met such a miserable end…
So, can you imagine how surprised I was when you brought Adis and Everia’s child to me?
I couldn’t protect Everia, but I want to protect that child. It’s the duty left to this old wolf who could only watch Adis’s death, his longtime companion, and mentor.
Seeing the child, it seems, human, you’ve taken very good care of it. Depending on the bond formed, you should be able to judge which guardian would be safest for the child.
Choose wisely, human.
Adis and Everia’s only son… the successor to the leader will grow stronger than the sum of our entire tribe. It’s a crucial decision whether to kill or spare that child.
***
Leon turned away from the dry lakeside. Although Trash and Garbage’s testimonies conflicted, it was certain that there was someone within the wolf tribe trying to harm the wolf. So, he couldn’t leave the wolf alone for too long.
On the way back to the den, something caught Leon’s eye that he hadn’t seen when following Trash earlier. He carefully observed the broken or uprooted trees, then returned to the den.
“I’m back.”
A wolf that had been lying down rushed towards him, its silver fur fluttering as it stuck out its lips. Leon, who sat there in confusion for a moment, belatedly remembered the promise he had left on his way out: ‘I’ll come back and give you ten kisses.’
“Alright. I’ll do it; all you need is to accept it.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The wolf nodded his head reluctantly, even though he was feeling regretful. Leon smiled as he repeatedly kissed the soft fur on the bridge of his nose and the area around his eyes.
“Is it okay now?”
The wolf, its disappointed appetite evident, nodded reluctantly while wagging its tail. Witnessing this, Leon’s heart twinged with a heavy ache.
When Leon first found the injured wolf, he suspected it had been bitten by a wild animal. Coming here, he had hoped to reunite the wolf with its parents.
However, the wolf’s parents were undoubtedly dead, and perhaps the wolf remembered the death of its mother Everia.
“Don’t worry.”
Leon whispered as he stroked the wolf’s head.
“You have me and Grandma to take care of you.”
The quiet wolf, now sitting attentively, stared into Leon’s eyes and tilted its head.
“I’ll protect you.”
At that moment, Trash poked her head out from the den entrance.
“We’re going to have a welcome feast soon. Since Adis and Everia’s son has returned, everyone needs to see him. Human guests are welcome to attend as well.”
“Alright.”
“Just in case… don’t sit next to Garbage. I’ll keep a seat next to me empty for you.”
Instead of answering, Leon stared at her intently. Trash coughed and quietly disappeared.
In the now empty space, Leon’s voice lowered even more.
“Did you see who it was?”
Everia was murdered while fleeing with the child. The wolf must remember who the pursuer was. Distinguishing between Trash and Garbage should have been easy, given their distinct appearances.
“How good it would be if you could speak. Everything would become clear.”
Leon wasn’t entirely clueless. Examining the conflicting testimonies and the broken trees he saw on the way back could reveal quite a bit.
“We don’t know what might happen at the welcome feast. So, we should prepare, too.”
The wolf howled in agreement.
***
Turning to the left.
“Do they match well?”
Turning to the right.
“Isn’t it too cute? You totally look like a protagonist, right?”
Growl.
The wolf couldn’t endure any longer and bared its fangs. Leon burst into laughter while still holding a straight face.
“Oh, so pretty. Why are you like this?”
They had finished the “preparation.” Leon walked around, weaving together broken flowers to make a necklace. The brightly colored flower necklace adorned the wolf, making it look like the star of a children’s birthday party.
“Hey, don’t take it off.”
The wolf tried to somehow take off the necklace by poking its nose into it. Leon quickly grabbed the wolf and gave it a gentle kiss on the nose.
“There. Good, right? Don’t take it off. I worked hard to make it, what if you take it off?”
Whine.
The wolf shot Leon a displeased look but gave up trying to take off the necklace. Instead, it retreated from Leon and extended its nose again.
Peck.
“Is it okay now?”
Not at all. With a grumbling posture, the wolf moved away quickly.
“Come on, let’s go. Anyway, you’re temperamental.”
The feast of the Silver Wolf tribe was held in the village square.
As the sun began to set, a large bonfire crackled in the center. The Silver Wolf tribe gathered in a circle around the bonfire.
Several children were seen playing in their parents’ arms. The parent wolves, a bit apart from the others, huddled together.
Was it because of parenting empathy, or did they not belong to any faction between Garbage and Trash?
“Did you come?”
As prearranged, Trash had prepared a seat next to her. Her blue eyes narrowed slightly as she saw the approaching wolf and Leon.
“A flower necklace?”
“Yes.”
Leon took a seat between her and the wolf. Trash leaned back and petted the wolf again.
“He’s… a male.”
“I know. Can he eat this?”
Leon pointed to a flat stone laid out in front of them. It was piled with still-steaming roasted meat and various fruits.
“I grilled it for the human guest.”
“Very thoughtful. Thank you.”
Leon put a piece of meat into his mouth and licked his fingers. Meanwhile, the wolf, looking at the raw meat laid out in front of it, raised its neck fur and stared with a disgusted look.
“He doesn’t eat meat. He prefers things like cabbage or lettuce, or maybe eggplant.”
“Haha.”
Trash burst into laughter and shook her head.
“That’s just like Everia. Everia was a vegetarian, too. Adis had a hard time accommodating her.”
“Is that so?”
“Looking at it like this brings back a lot of memories.”
Tears briefly flashed in Trash’s eyes as she stared intently at the wolf. Not far away, Garbage, sitting, illuminated his yellow eyes and glared at her. Could he hear the conversation from that distance?
“Anyway, I’ll bring some other food.”
Trash stood up and disappeared. Without a chance to catch his breath, Garbage approached. Anyway, whether they were taking turns or something. As Leon subtly rolled his eyes at the wolf, the wolf snorted with an annoyed tone.
“Are you really going to sit here? Right next to Trash?”
“There happened to be an empty seat.”
“I have a seat next to me; didn’t you see it?”
“I saw, but I sat here because it’s closer. It doesn’t really matter where I sit.”
While Garbage maintained silence, Leon ate another piece of meat. It had a slight gamey smell since it wasn’t seasoned, but considering what might happen later, it was wise to eat well now.
“Is Trash more trustworthy than me?”
Can’t trust either of them. Leon scratched his head with hands not tainted with meat grease. It was better to change the subject at times like this.
“Come to think of it, it’s just you and Trash alone.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Everyone else is sitting with their mates, except you two.”
Garbage snorted. It seemed to express a tone of not understanding why he cared about such unnecessary things. Nevertheless, he left Leon’s side but seemed reluctant to leave Trash’s spot, so he settled down next to her.
“Everyone is sitting with their companions.”
Thank you for the chapters. I really wonder why their names are what they are, and what the conspiracy here is.
Thanks for the chapter