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In a dimly lit bedroom, a tired man lied in his cozy, warm bed. He was wrapped in thick blankets and his eyes were heavy with sleepiness. The clock on the wall told that midnight had passed a long time ago. It was quiet, most of the mansion had already settled in for the night.
Next to him lied his nighttime companion for the night, who had finally calmed down. Garu had felt more energetic than usual that night. Eiden had tried settling for bed several times, but the wolf-boy had still been eager to play. Garu tended to get very into their games and only stopped after running out of power, often falling asleep in the middle.
No matter how tired he was, Eiden didn’t manage to say no to the wolf.
With a resigned yet affectionate sigh, he surrendered. He leaned over to give Garu some well-received head pats. feeling the powerful, steady heartbeat beneath his hand. "Alright”, he whispered, "let’s play but just for a while. It’s already really late. Everyone is already asleep so let’s try to stay quiet.”
Garu always left his toys all over the mansion, even in Eiden’s bedroom. Eiden dug out a worn leather ball, one he knew the other really liked. He tossed it gently across the room, hoping to divert the wolf's attention and wear him out with a game of fetch. However, the small game of fetch dragged on.
As time passed, Eiden’s eyelids grew heavier, and his tired body ached all over. Finally, when it became evident that Garu was nearing the point of exhaustion, Eiden gently led him back to the bed. He patted the bed, inviting the wolf-boy to settle down. Garu, his energy spent, curled up beside him and quickly drifted off to sleep.
And finally, Eiden was free to get some sleep himself. He turned off the light and nestled himself between the soft blankets. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. His head sank into the huge, comfy pillows. He felt the weight of the day lifting off from his shoulders.
His breathing calmed down into steady, slow breaths while his mind began to drift away to the sweet realm of dreams.
The gentle creaks of the old wooden walls, the distant sounds of the night and Garu’s steady breathing became a soothing lullaby, leading him toward sleep.
As he let go of his thoughts, he began to fall more and more asleep.
..zZz…
…Zzzz….
”Slave!”
Eiden jolted awake, startled and disoriented but soon he got a grasp of the situation.
He rubbed his eyes, heavy with sleepiness, turned to his side, and peered into the darkness next to him.
Just a moment ago, Eiden had been greeted with a twinkling pair of blue eyes, with the color of the petals of forget-me-nots.
But now he was facing a pair of gleaming golden eyes, which stared at him with a furious glint. Karu sat up forcefully, making the bed shake and Eiden backed away to give him room.
“It’s so late…What is it now Karu?” he sighed with a blank stare in his eyes. Karu’s stare, on the other hand, was furious, his brows burrowing lower and lower. He didn’t seem to appreciate Eiden’s lack of enthusiasm.
“You!” the wolf exclaimed. “You’ve been drastically neglecting your slave duties!”
Eiden yawned.
“Yawn… Uh-huh- Ouch!”
"THWACK!"
The pillow hurled at his face with enough force to hurt, catching Eiden off guard and leaving a stinging sensation on his cheek.
“You aren’t listening! Wake up!”
“Okay, I am now”, Eiden sat up, propping himself up on his elbows, “how have I wronged you this time?”
“Today at the market”, Karu said sternly, “you bought Garu a new ball!”
“Yes…?” Eiden answered after some recalling.
Eiden, Garu and Yakumo had gone to the market earlier in the day to buy groceries. The layout of the market made it impossible to avoid toy stalls, so Garu got captivated by yet another toy ball. This time he had fallen madly in love with a fuzzy white ball with orange feathers on top.
Since the ball had a small bell inside it, Eiden had a feeling it was actually a cat toy. He had felt like it was better left unsaid. Besides Garu’s puppy eyes made it impossible to say no.
“He is always getting new toys”, the wolf continued with an accusing tone.
“Well, yawn, he keeps chewing them to shreds so…”, Eiden yawned. The white fuzzy ball wouldn’t last even for a week.
He had no idea why Karu suddenly brought it up in the middle of the night. It wasn’t like the grumpy wolf didn’t have any toys himself…
Wait, did he?
Was Karu one to care for toys? The wolf acted all tough and proud in front of him, so Eiden hadn’t thought about it before. Eiden had figured that the wolves would just share their toys like they shared pretty much everything else.
Had he even bought Karu a toy? No idea. They had played with that peculiar ball but even that was Garu’s in the first place.
Had Karu ever asked him for one? Definitely not.
Eiden had no idea anymore. No wonder the boy was upset. It must have been tough to watch Garu having fun with new toys and be too stubborn to beg for one himself.
Though how was Eiden supposed to read thoughts, all Karu had to do was to ask. Oh right, he figured, it would be too straightforward for Karu.
“Well, tomorrow, let’s go to the market to buy you one”, Eiden offered and rested his head back to the pillow. Right when he started feeling relieved that tonight’s problem was so easy to solve, Karu seemed to disagree. His angry slap jerked Eiden back up.
“One isn’t enough!” he barked.
“Okay, okay”, Eiden let his head drop to the pillow, “I’ll buy you two or even three, anything you want. Let me just get some sleep already…”
It seemed to satisfy the wolf boy who smirked satisfied to himself, since he knew the human couldn’t see him.
Though Eiden fell asleep quickly after that, he was pretty sure he felt a quiet thumping when Karu’s tail wagged against the mattress before he drifted off.
In the morning, Eiden woke up alone in his bed. The tiredness stuck to him like glue and with a long yawn he pushed himself off the bed. The crumpled blankets, and disheveled covers on the floor implied that the wolves had already rushed for breakfast.
He walked through the long hallway with sluggish movements, feeling heavy from having just waked up. But when he began to descend the long staircase, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifting the air made him feel slightly more energized. The scent grew stronger with every step and pulled him towards the kitchen.
The gently morning sun wrapped the room in a warm glow. The sun casted lights and shadows on the kitchen walls. Around the kitchen, there were small vases of freshly picked flowers, basking in the morning sunlight. Various jars of spices and herbs were arranged neatly on the counter near the stove.
A tall brown-haired man was standing by the stove, focusing on the frying pan in front of him. Once he heard that he had company, he turned to Eiden. His eyes lighted up and he smiled shyly.
“Good morning”, Yakumo greeted gently, “did you sleep well?”
“Good morning, Yakumo. Ah, well, it could have been better… Oh! That smells delicious!” Eiden beamed.
“I-I’m happy to hear that. I’ve been working on a new recipe for this sauce but I’m not too sure about it… Would you like a taste…?”
“I’d love to!” Eiden grinned and leaned closer with his mouth open when Yakumo held out a spoon full of sauce for him.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing, slave!”
The yell startled Yakumo, who flinched and therefore dropped the sauce on the floor. From his expression, one might have thought that something more serious had happened.
When Eiden turned to look behind him, he saw the grumpy wolf staring at him as if he had done something severely insulting. Karu was standing in the doorway, arms crossed and an angry look in his eyes.
‘Oh right.’ The events of the last night came rushing to Eiden’s head while Yakumo hurried to wipe the stain away.
“Oh, are we really in such a hurry? I can’t even have breakfast first?” Eiden sighed, feeling disappointed. However, he wasn’t the most disappointed one in the room.
“You don’t have any time for breakfast?” Yakumo sounded alarmed and hurriedly got up from the floor. Wide eyes and a dropped jaw revealed his shock as he tried to process the words.
Eiden couldn’t look him in the eyes, unable to face the disappointment he knew he had caused and turned at the table Yakumo had already set for them.
It was full of food. The air was filled with a mixture of delicious, savory smells.
Fluffy scrambled eggs with crispy bacon strips. Freshly toasted bread with a side of butter and fruit jams.
A high stack of golden-brown pancakes covered in sweet syrup. Next to them a huge bowl of all kinds of fresh berries.
A pot of coffee sending out a rich scent. Glasses of cold orange juice that sparkled under the morning sun.
Eiden’s stomach let out loud growl and he felt the tinge of quilt getting heavier in his chest.
“Karuuu…”, Eiden tried to tempt him, “we can’t let Yakumo’s hard work go to waste, can we?”
“Grr…” Karu was conflicted. He was in a hurry and didn’t want to be late. What if they sold all the good toys before he got there to claim the best one?
But the pancakes… The eggs… And the bacon…!
“Fine!” The wolf huffed, quickly wiping away the drool that had formed on the corner of his mouth and hurried to the table. “But we better make it fast or else…!”
A wave of relief swept over Yakumo and a radiant smile broke across his face when he joined them on the breakfast table. Soon the room was full of leisure chatter and loud chewing noises.
That morning the sky was cloudy, but the air was warm. The city was full of life and the joyful sounds of chatter and laughter echoed through the streets. Small gusts of wind refreshed the air from time to time, but the deeper they got into the city, the more stagnant the air became. All the scents smelled stronger in that stagnant air. As they passed a bakery, Eiden barely held back a laugh, when he saw Karu sniffing the air frantically.
The marketplace was crowded. It was difficult to move through the crowd. Eiden had a moment of stress when he thought that they might’ve gotten there too late.
Merchants tried their best to yell their advertisements over the noisy crowd. There were more stalls and people than yesterday, even though it was still so early. They weaved through the crowd.
All the people everywhere were making Karu stressed and the way he growled made Eiden feel even more stressed. The status of Grand Sorcerer made it possible to breeze through most problems, but Eiden had a feeling that even that status wouldn’t help if stressed and anxious Karu started attacking people.
It would get easier once they reached the toy stalls, Eiden figured. But he was wrong.
Nothing was good enough for Karu.
He spent a long time examining and sniffing the toys in the stalls, but always frowned at them in the end.
They had been wandering around for a small eternity. Eiden felt like each stop took hours. The poorly slept last night, the crowds and the stuffy air made Eiden very exhausted.
In a way, he was impressed Karu took the whole thing so diligently. Karu wasn’t known as the most patient clan member. But it was difficult to appreciate that when he was busy being exhausted and worried about Karu going berserk on the crowd.
‘This is it. The last booth.’ Eiden thought to himself and followed the wolf to another toy stall. He had no idea what would happen if they wouldn’t find anything from there either. Would Karu rage? Or perhaps he would sulk. Eiden looked at Karu and sighed. He would definitely blame Eiden, that’s for sure.
The toys in this stall were very well designed. The artist in Eiden really appreciated all the interesting details in the designs. The stitching in that one was especially well-made. However, the quirky toys on the left display were a bit peculiar, some might even describe them as off-putting.
Suddenly, Karu's ears perked up, and his eyes lit up intensely. He left out an audible growl, low and rumbling, and rushed closer to the display.
Eiden followed his gaze and soon found the source of his excitement.
It was a blue wolf plushie, a fusion of cuteness and creepiness. The plush toy was designed to have wide, innocent eyes with an endearing face, but different details made it look unsettling. The corners of its mouth were smeared with fake blood that created an eerie contrast against the bright blue fur.
“This is it!” The wolf-boy picked the toy up from the display with force. The whole stall shook but luckily nothing fell.
“Ehh…That’s what you want?” Eiden said slowly, looking in the unsettling eyes of the toy. The question was asked a little too carefully, so Karu took offense.
“You said I could get anything I wanted!” Karu insisted, holding the toy closer to his chest.
“I did say that…” Eiden mused, scratching his head. Still, this was a rather surprising choice.
The market shoppers couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Karu proudly holding up his newfound treasure—a bloody blue wolf plush toy, creepy enough to repel most customers.
The vendor gave Eiden a bright smile.
"Ah, a unique choice, sir! That one's been quite popular today."
Eiden raised an eyebrow, his skepticism growing. "Really?”
“Yes yes! A lot of passerbys have stopped in wonder just to take a look at it. It is really an eyecatcher!”
“Hear that slave? We must hurry!” Karu insisted. “It is the only one left!”
“Alright, fine. Let’s buy it”, Eiden answered, already resigned to the fact that this bizarre toy was now a permanent addition to their household. Seeing how much Karu liked the toy, made it easier to accept it. Though the salesman looked suspiciously happy. He must have had the toy on stock for ages and was happy to finally get rid of it.
The ambient sounds of the market were now accompanied by the occasional grumble and chewing noises from Karu when he gave his new toy some well-deserved chomps on their way home.
Several days later…
Eiden only needed one look and he knew something was wrong. It was easy to tell when Garu wasn’t in a good mood. They were laying in the bed late in the evening, casually enjoying each other’s company like they often did. The day had been filled with laughter, adventures, and the simple joys of companionship. But now Garu looked miserable. His ears drooped on the sides, a big change to their usual perky position. The wolf-boy left out a huge sigh of sadness, full of emotion.
“So Garu, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?” Eiden asked, voice full of concern, as he gave Garu’s back a small rub.
“Mmm…”, he whined softly, his tail wagging only slightly.
Eiden gently reached out and scratched behind Garu's ears, a gesture that usually brought comfort. "You can tell me, Garu. What's bothering you? Have you been fighting with Karu again?”
“He has been a huge bore lately. His new toy is SO cool, but he doesn’t let me even touch it!” Garu whined and fidgeted around in the bed, making the whole bed shake.
“Oh?” Eiden was surprised. “He doesn’t like it?”
“He thinks it’s the best thing in the world, but he won’t let me play with it”, Garu pouted, looking like the end of the world was coming. Eiden chuckled and propped himself up on his elbow.
“He likes it that much, huh?” he asked, amused.
“He doesn’t even play with it himself”, Garu snuggled against Eiden’s chest, looking up with big expressive eyes, “he just stares at it. And sometimes grooms it.”
“Yeah, well, sometimes people have things they treasure and don’t want to share them with others. Like a special toy or a hiding spot or something”, Eiden tried to explain, amused of the thought of Karu grooming a plush wolf, “I’m sure you two will make up soon. You always find a way to do so.”
The wolf stayed quiet, not quite convinced yet.
“Maybe he is just afraid you’ll break the toy since you’re so… uh, energetic when you play”, Eiden suggested. The wolf stayed silent, carefully listening to his master’s words.
“That must be it! Master, you are so smart…”, Garu nuzzled closer since cuddling was one of his favorite ways of showing affection. He fell asleep quickly, almost mid-sentence. Eiden also closed his eyes, eager to fall asleep as well.
Garu’s steady breath by him calmed him down. As Eiden drifted back to sleep, he couldn't help but smile at the wolf-boys, each with their own quirks and preferences.
“…”
*SMACK*
“…zzz…. Ouch!”
Eiden jerked back up, wide-eyed and taken aback, felt the sting on his cheek where Karu had slapped him.
“Slave!”
Eiden looked at the wolf, who sat next to him with an angry expression.
A sudden deja-vu.
“Wha- what is it this time?”
“You better know I do NOT care for that toy or think it’s the best in the world, so don’t have any wrong, stupid ideas!” Karu barked and angrily made his way to the foot of the bed. He turned his back at Eiden in a protest and slumped on the mattress.
The room gradually quieted down, with an unspoken agreement that certain boundaries needed to be respected. Eiden, despite the unexpected slap, couldn’t find it in him to be angry at Karu. Instead, he held back a chuckle since he didn’t want to awake the whole mansion.
He threw the wolf a blanket and a pillow so he wouldn’t freeze during the night and settled under the blankets himself.
Once Karu was content that Eiden was asleep, he snuggled into the covers himself.