Chereads / Lupine Noctem / Chapter 10 - Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Chapter 10

As they passed through the marketplace, a young girl in her early teens took notice of the wolf pups inside of the cage.

She sported blonde hair down to her shoulders, and deep brown eyes that glimmered with curiosity.

She quickly ran off after seeing the pups, seemingly looking for someone.

A few seconds later, she came running out from between two shops, a finely dressed middle age man trailing behind her.

Karl called the carriage to a halt, striking up a conversation with the young lass with a smile on his face.

*"Gday Alice, how goes it today? Your father drag you out 'ere again?"

Karl turned his head to the man standing behind her, his smile falling from his face.

*"Earl Graves, I'm sure you've been well."

(Earl is his name, not title).

The Graves family was a wealthy one in the trade business. They were one of the most influential families in Holen, but didn't have the greatest reputation amongst the mercenary groups.

They had previously refused to pay a mercenary group for their work in escorting a caravan.

The mercenary group had been extremely rowdy, and instead of protecting the caravan, they had instead caused damage to it.

Luckily the caravan wasn't attacked during the trip, but the Graves family refused to pay the mercenary group for their work, citing their bad behavior.

The majority of mercenary groups boycotted working with the Graves family company after this, not wanting requiring good behavior for pay to become the norm in the city.

After suffering from a lack of protection for a short while, the Graves family invested a large amount of resources into training their own private guard.

The negative relationship between the family and mercenary companies remained after the incident, with most of the hate focused on Earl.

Despite being the daughter of Earl, Alice's cheery attitude and kindness led the mercenaries, as well as anyone else in the city, to treat her kindly.

No one would spit in the smiling face of a cute little kid, even in this lawless town.

Alice, hopping up and down, responded to Karl with a big smile.

*"It's fun coming out here with dad, and the weather is so great!"

Ash turned his head observing the energetic young girl.

'Is that her father behind her? He looks pretty rich… This is our chance! If we look like harmless pets, maybe they will buy us. It can't be too hard to escape from a little girl, right?'

Ash started making puppy eyes at the girl, trying to appear as harmless and cute as possible.

Oak followed his lead, copying his actions.

Alice stared at the two wolf pups, her heart breaking from the cuteness.

*"Karl! Can I have one of those wolf pups! They are too cute!"

Karl shook his head and responded.

*"Sorry Alice, these are wild animals, not cuddly pets. Also, I am going to sell these at the auction… If you wanted to buy one now, I would sell one to you for one ron."

Alice turned towards her father, imitating the puppy eyes made by Ash.

Earl wanted to say no, but looking at his daughter, he just couldn't bring out the words.

*"Forty-five col."

Karl pondered for a second at this offer before accepting and holding out his hand. After receiving the money, he walked over to the cage, holding a muzzle (mouth guard).

He shoved it over Ash's mouth, then dragged him out of the cage, shutting it after Ash was out.

'Crap, they only bought one of us!'

Ash turned back to Oak in despair, but Oak just nodded back at him.

'Well, Oak is no idiot. I'm sure he will be able to escape whatever awaits him next.'

Karl attached a chain around Ash's neck before handing it over to the girl. He thought the wolf's compliance was strange, but didn't pay too much attention to it. This wolf was no longer his problem.

Ash continued with his act of a harmless pet. Having the trust of his new owners would make it much easier to escape from them.

Alice and Earl lead Ash away as the carriage was pulled away, Oak disappearing with it.

It seemed the Graves family was done shopping for the day, and began heading back to their home. As a wealthy merchant family, their house was huge, more of a manor than a family house.

The house was decorated rather minimalistically. A few paintings could be seen on the walls, portraits of past family members. No dust could be seen anywhere, as a number of servants resided in the manor, keeping the entire place spotless.

Earl had some business to attend to, but before leaving, he instructed Alice on how to deal with Ash.

*"This thing is a wild animal, not a pet. Keep its muzzle on at all times, and yell for help if it tries anything. I will have a cage bought so we have somewhere to keep it at night."

Alice nodded, but didn't take her father's words to heart.

How could such a cute puppy be dangerous?

Alice brough Ash up to her room. It was decorated rather mildly. A few toys lay in the corner, and a light pink bed sheet was draped over a puffy looking bed. In another corner of the room stood a wooden desk, a few books laying on the top of it.

As soon as they stepped into the room, Alice pulled the muzzle off of Ash.

*"We don't need this, right? We are best friends now, you would never hurt me!"

Ash stared at the girl stupidly.

'Does this kid have a death wish?'

Alice sat down in front of Ash, looking straight into his deep blue eyes.

*"Ash. Your new name is Ash, like the color of your fur!"

'I'm pretty sure this idiot kid just named me… Well, I guess I should just play along for now. This might actually be a great opportunity. This kid seems harmless, and she has access to books. If I stay here long enough, I might be able to learn the language of this world. Also, I won't have to worry about survival if i live here, I will be able to live an easy life for a while. I just hope Oak is ok, I don't want to lose the only family I have left.'

*"My name is Alice."

She pointed at herself, repeating her name a few times, and Ash was able to understand her.

*"Ok Ash, we are family now! Don't do anything bad, or dad will get mad at you. I'll take you out to walk later, but I have to get some studying done first. I'm going to go to school in the capitol in a few years, so I have to be ready!"

Ash smiled at her, not understanding a word she said.

'Yea, I think this is a pretty good outcome, even if Oak and I got split up.'