The people around him whispered in awe, marveling at the skill of the unseen master who had repaired and reinvigorated the stone. So exchanged tentative glances, wondering if they were witnessing sothing beyond their understanding.
Then Soren’s eyes snapped open, golden irises gleaming with sharp awareness. He scanned the interior of the aircraft, and his brow furrowed as he realized sothing crucial was missing.
The little beast.
"Sir!" soone called out, snapping to attention, as the rest of the team hastily saluted.
The doctor stepped forward, holding the repaired black dragon energy stone. "Sir, your situation is much better this ti. Thanks to the skill of the master who worked on this stone—"
Soren’s hand closed around the stone, his pupils narrowing. He turned it over carefully, examining the contours. This wasn’t the energy stone he had originally received from the master. The size, the shape, even the subtle imperfections—it was different. And yet... he could see his previous stone within it.
His jaw tightened as he asked, "What about the other person?"
The n exchanged confused glances. The question was vague. Was he talking about a soldier, a companion, or soone else? None of them could understand what their leader was saying.
Soren’s golden eyes scanned them again. "...Where is the little leopard?"
Silence.
No one moved. No one spoke. Their minds scrambled to make sense of the title.
’Little leopard?’
The commander didn’t call anyone that.
None of the guards or attendants were leopards.
None of them even resembled a small feline.
Soren took a deep, steadying breath, his chest rising and falling like a coiled spring. ’They left the little leopard there? On that deserted island?’ His golden eyes glinted with a mixture of irritation and sothing softer—concern, or maybe sothing he hadn’t realized he felt until now.
Without a word, he rose from his seat. Several guards and the doctor imdiately fell in step behind him, instincts kicking in to match the pace of a leader who never wasted a second. They watched as he strode past the seats, bypassed the pilot, and took control of the aircraft himself.
With a few deliberate movents, Soren adjusted the controls, turning the massive craft back toward the island. The engines roared, and the cabin vibrated, but no one dared to comnt.
None needed to.
They all knew that when Soren’s focus snapped onto sothing, it beca priority number one.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
anwhile, on the ground, I—completely oblivious to the incoming rescue—was busy in my own chaotic world. My white fur was streaked with ash, and smudges of soot covered my tiny muzzle and paws as I dug fervently into the pit where I had buried the second bird egg, intent on saving it for the man who had unknowingly beca my source of warmth and safety.
The sudden rush of air from the approaching aircraft hit with full force. I teetered on the edge of the pit, claws scrabbling against the loose soil and charred branches, tail lashing in surprise. I nearly toppled in, but managed to cling to the edge, face pressed against the dirt and ash, my red eyes wide and sparkling with indignation.
And then... I saw him.
’Why did this man co back?’ I thought, narrowing my eyes as he crouched closer, the ground trembling slightly under the weight of his presence. Every step he took made tense, my claws digging into the dirt, tail flicking nervously. Just in case, I took a cautious step back. Who knew what his intentions were?
It was only now, with the morning light illuminating him clearly, that I could actually see him. His face—no longer sared with blood, no longer twisted with pain—was... impossibly handso. Sharp features, golden eyes that seed to pierce right through , a jawline that could probably cut glass, and that faint expression of patience and curiosity... I had to admit it. I couldn’t look away. He’s the type of man I like.
Soren noticed my reaction, and for a fleeting second, a subtle smile appeared in his golden eyes. He reached out a hand toward , palm open and steady.
"My na is Soren Markelov. What is your na?"
I froze. A hand? For ? He was seriously asking , a tiny white leopard cub that couldn’t even speak or shift into human form yet, to tell him my na?
I glanced at the hand, then back up at him, confused and wary. What kind of question was that? My mind scrambled for an answer, but... I had none.
My na is Blanca Frostine but I had never been given a proper na in this world. My "father"—the one called a duke—handed off to a housekeeper as if I were a package. The housekeeper never called anything but "Miss," like I was so precious, silent doll, always apart from the world.
And my situation wasn’t like other beastn’s either. Most could communicate, could grow into their human form, could claim a na as their own. I... couldn’t. I had no human voice yet, no words to speak, nothing but a tiny, helpless body and a curious, pounding heart.
So I just stared at him. My ears twitched nervously. My tail wrapped around for comfort. And I realized... I had no answer for him.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Soren vaguely pieced it together in his mind.
A beast this small, alone on a desolate island that even maps labeled as "nothing lives here, don’t bother"—there were only a few explanations, and none of them were pleasant. Either she was underage, trapped in a prolonged juvenile state, or she had fallen into so kind of abnormal condition like Hysteria. And in all those cases... soone should have been with her.
His gaze dropped to her again.
No collar.
No armband.
No glow of even the faintest energy stone.
The empire provided free low‑grade energy stones to all beastn. Even the poorest families could go to a city center and have an apprentice carve one. It was the bare minimum of responsibility.
Yet this little leopard had nothing.
That narrowed the possibilities down to one uncomfortable truth.
She’s a defective and was abandoned.
Soren’s jaw tightened slightly. The empire had very clear laws against abandoning beastn, especially cubs. Of course, laws were wonderful things—on paper. In reality, people had a thousand quiet ways to make a life disappear without leaving fingerprints.
His eyes softened despite himself.
Whether she couldn’t talk, couldn’t transform, or couldn’t et soone’s expectations... none of that mattered to him.
He crouched a little lower so he wouldn’t loom over her, then extended his hand again, palm open.
"Will you co with ?" he asked.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
I stared at his hand.
Then at his face.
Then at his hand again.
My brain short‑circuited.
’Co with him?’
Like... go go with him?
When he saw my hesitation, Soren calmly added, "This land is marked as a desolate island on the map. The climate may seem stable now, but the volcano here will erupt soon. If you stay, it won’t be safe."
I glared at him. ’Excuse ?’
If we were assigning bla here, then he was the problem. He was the one who ca crashing down from the sky like a self-destructing apocalypse, breathing fire, tearing off his own scales, and setting half the mountain on fire. And now he had the audacity to warn about environntal hazards?
My tail lashed sharply.
’You’re the volcano.’
I huffed angrily, ears flattening as I stared at his outstretched hand. As much as my pride scread in protest, my survival instincts were louder. Staying here ant either getting roasted, starving, or being crushed by sothing that fell from the sky—again.
With a very dignified expression that absolutely did not match my internal screaming, I placed my paw into his palm.
Fine. I’d go.
But only because I valued my life.
Soren’s fingers curled slightly, just enough to hold my paw without gripping it, and a trace of satisfaction flickered across his expression.
I imdiately tilted my head and squinted at him.
Wait a second.
"Are you treating like a dog right now?" I thought indignantly. ’Do I look like I fetch? I’m a feline. A noble one. This is an insult.’
I flicked my tail pointedly to emphasize my displeasure, even giving his hand a small, disapproving tap with my paw.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Nearby, the guards exchanged subtle glances.
The little albino leopard was clearly growling—softly but fiercely—while staring straight at their commander like she was scolding him.
One guard leaned slightly toward another and whispered under his breath, "Sir... is it really okay for you to kidnap a pitiful little beast like this?"
Another guard frowned. "She looks like she’s arguing with him."
Spade was also visibly conflicted. Technically, their commander wasn’t wrong—leaving a juvenile beast alone on a desolate island was unacceptable. But the volcano excuse?
That was... creative.
After all, this island had no active volcanoes on record.
Soren, however, remained completely unbothered.
He simply lifted the little leopard with practiced ease, supporting her properly this ti rather than dangling her like cargo. The mont he adjusted his grip so her paws rested comfortably against his arm, the growling lessened—though the indignant glare remained.
Soren was carefully cleaning her fur when he noticed sothing odd.
The little beast wasn’t squirming. She wasn’t growling. She wasn’t even glaring at him like earlier.
She was just... staring.
Her red eyes were fixed unblinkingly on a particular spot on the ground.
Soren followed her gaze and paused.
There, half-buried in ash and dirt, was a pit.
And inside that pit—
"...An egg?" he muttered.
mory surfaced instantly. Yesterday, in the middle of battling his Hysteria, he had briefly seen her clumsily biting at sothing in a nest, looking like she was personally offended by the laws of physics. At the ti, he hadn’t had the ntal capacity to question it.
Now, looking at the pit, everything clicked.
He shifted her to one arm and reached down with the other, easily lifting the large bird egg from the soil. It was warm, faintly scorched, and very carefully buried—as if soone had gone through an unreasonable amount of effort to cook it.
The little leopard’s ears perked straight up. Her tail flicked once. Then she let out a soft, deeply satisfied purr as she relaxed against his arm, eyes half-lidded like she had just witnessed the fulfillnt of a lifelong dream.
Soren blinked.
"...So that’s it," he murmured, glancing down at her. "You were about to eat this?"
She didn’t answer, obviously. Instead, she tucked her paws closer to her chest and pressed her head lightly against his arm, purring louder—as if afraid the egg might disappear again if she looked away.
Soren felt sothing in his chest soften.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
He sighed, tucked the egg securely away, and carried the little leopard onto the aircraft. The mont they entered, she settled even more comfortably, completely at ease now that her precious food source was accounted for.
"Spade," Soren said calmly as he walked. "Call the doctor."
Spade glanced at the leopard. Then at the egg. Then back at Soren.
"...Yes, sir."
User Comments
0 comments from readers