*Freedom Land*
"Are you not joining us to watch the Turning event tonight?"
"Ha! He won't of course. Since he can turn into his wolf a long time ago. Us who have to wait for our seventeenth birthday must be laughable for him."
"Did I ask you? I don't remember asking you, why are you the one answering me? Besides, you should leave us kids with our own business and just worry about the fact that you might not turn tonight!"
Jake glared at Kei but did not say anything because the attention of the younger kids was already on them.
Jake clicked his tongue and could only give him a warning look which Kei just answered with a gleeful smirk.
"Hey," Kei nudged him with his muddy hand, "are you going to be quiet every time those older boys try to bully you?"
"That's the word, try. They can't, so why give them the time of the day? They are just jealous and I don't really care much about their opinion of me."
"Gray, you can't just let them get away all the time. You should fight back once in a while."
"Yeah, Gray. Those older boys are really annoying with how they abuse us just because we are younger than them."
Kei nodded with appreciation to one of the boys who were watching them with how he voiced out his opinion which most of the kids agreed with.
"You did fight for me," he said, chuckling.
"You know that's not what I mean," he clicked his tongue in annoyance with Gray being stubborn.
Gray just chuckled at his best friend and forgot the gauging statement Jake had thrown at him. He knew that Jake was just trying to pick a fight.
He could take him even though he was older and taller than him. But he controlled himself because he did not want the Old Man to be angry at him. His punishment was too painful and he didn't want to anger him. He made a mistake once and what he suffered after was enough to promise himself that he would not do anything to make the Old Man angry.
Hence, no amount of teasing and snide side comments could make him engage in a fight with those boys who hated him just because he was different from the rest of them.
"Forget about it, Kei. Thank you for always defending me but really, I'm fine."
Kei blushed and scratched the back of his neck. "We are friends. Don't act like a stranger around me."
Gray chuckled and gave him a side glance before he started walking away from the training ground.
"Hey, Gray!"
He did not slow down his stride even want he heard Kei's running after him.
"Hey, why did you leave? Are you really not going to the Turning event?"
"You know I'm not welcome there," he said in a tone of voice void of any bitterness, only fact.
Gray grew up with not many likes from others. Especially their kind. He was quiet and chose to be alone.
"Come on, the others wanted you there. They were talking about going for a night run later."
Gray slowed down his steps and looked over his shoulder. When he saw the anticipation in Kei's face, he stopped walking.
"You know that you should not go to that place. You're not allowed to be there tonight."
"Come on! A lot of us are curious. Are you not?" He asked in a voice laced with excitement. His eyes were glistening with the promise of future adventure.
Gray heaved a deep sigh. He was not excited to go there. He had been there. The Old Man always visits that place and he always drags him with him even when he tells him that the place depresses the shit out of him. He just got a big smack at the back of his head, the Old Man told him that he should be respectful of the place where the blood of their ancestors drenched the holy ground for forty days and nights.
He could not tell Kei that he had been in that place. He could not tell a lot of things even though he considered him a good friend—his only friend. Not because he did not trust him, it was more that he had to keep a lot of secrets from him, in order to protect him in the future.
Gray watched the excitement in Kei's face diminish when he heaved another deep breath. He felt sorry for ruining his excitement.
"Sorry Kei, but I can't go with you with the others tonight. Maybe next time."
Kei pursed his lips and lowered his head. He saw a small stone on the ground and kicked it.
"You know, the other kids ask me to invite you. Don't you want to be friends with them?"
A melancholy smile curved in Gray's mouth, listening to Kei's words. He wanted to reach his friend's shoulder to tap it—to comfort him, but he stopped himself. It would not make a difference.
Even the word sorry was stuck at the back of his throat because he was not going to help.
Whatever he says or does, he will not like it.
He slowly exhaled a deep breath and continued walking. He was expecting Kei to stop following him but he was wrong. He followed him in silence.
He hurried his steps and before long, he was running. But Kei ran after him.
The two of them ran for a long time until the house, perching on the edge of a cliff, came to view.
Gray stopped and inhaled a huge air because of awe. He came home to this house every night, the view was something that he saw every day but he was still in awe.
Tonight is a full moon and the magnificent moon was rising to the night sky from the ocean like a bloody ball of fire. It illuminated the house and the glass windows were cast with its embers and the house on the cliff was never so mysterious and magical.
"Thanks for walking me home."
"Nah, it's fine. If I didn't I would have not seen this," he said, gazing at the moon. "But I have to go, I don't want the Lone Wolf to know I'm here.*
Gray chuckled but before he could answer Kei had run away in fear.