Hence such punishments were the norm for him. He would be blamed for everything and anything that went wrong in the pack. They would string him up on this very pole and drop molten silver on his body as punishment. The drops would increase depending on the severity of the so-called crime.
It would be enough to hurt him and knock him out but not enough to kill him. Despite having a weak constitution he endured it every single time without begging for mercy or shedding tears. That's because he learnt from a very young age that they feed on his weak cries and soft pleas for mercy. He would never give them the satisfaction.
Today was such one day when one of his brothers had accused him of something and the Luna of the pack had commanded he be dragged out of his debilitated house and strung up on the pole.
After a perfunctory interrogation, she skipped right into the punishment and he endured five drops of molten silver burning holes into his skin. If it weren't for his chest rising and falling one would assume he was dead already.
Just as he thought he would be left alone tied up on this pole for a day or two his foot was suddenly kicked and the irritating voice of his older half-brother, Olcan, reverberated in his ears.
He wanted to ignore it and continue acting like he had passed out but Olcan was incredibly persistent. Being the last child of the luna he was incredibly spoilt and would use that power to make his life more miserable.
Seeing Aperius punished today had given him a great sense of satisfaction so he came over to revel in the moment and assert his superiority. Seeing that the person remained unmoving, Olcan was dissatisfied. He crouched down before the sickly figure and called out again with his voice laced with slight irritation.
How was he meant to gloat if the person had passed out? Unwilling to be ignored he tightly clasped either side of Aperius's cheeks with one hand and forcibly turned his head to look at him.
"You better stop pretending otherwise I will have you punished again," He spoke through gritted teeth but Aperius's head was limp like he was knocked out cold.
A cold light flashed in Olcan's eye as he gazed at the sickly pale face partially covered by thick strands of hair. His lips twitched as he tightened his grip on Aperius's fragile face. Any tighter and he would most definitely break Aperius's jaw but the person didn't wake.
Just as he was about to give up he was struck by sudden inspiration. In his possession, he had something Aperius valued so much that he almost died for it.
In the past Aperius had offended their older brother and under his mother's orders, he was dragged in the snow to the punishment pole. At that time Olcan had followed along to watch the exciting show.
As he walked on the trail left behind within two feet of snow by the person being dragged he found a pendant with a teardrop-shaped gemstone hanging around it.
Aperius only realized something was missing after they had untied him that his pendant was missing and for days Olcan watched from atop the hill as that figure searched for it in the snow with no luck. Aperius searched night and day until his fingers froze but the pendant was nowhere to be found.
Tired of watching Olcan left but Aperius didn't. Two days later Aperius was pulled out of the forest half dead with severe frostbite. No one thought he would come out of his room alive but this ailing man survived.
With a smile plastered on his face, Olcan took out the pendant and whispered, "You might want to open your eyes and take a look... I promise you won't regret it," as the gemstone slipped down attached to a black thread.
Aperius who hadn't bothered with this annoying half-brother of his didn't make any move nor was he interested in opening his eyes. He needed to conserve energy if he was to stay tied up for a few more days.
Infuriated Olcan pushed his head up against the pole with his fingers pressing Aperius's jaw tightly. His eyes flashed scarlet as he bore his sharp canines at Aperius. "LOOK. AT. IT!!" he yelled with his voice breaking out into a distinct growl.
Aperius couldn't ignore him anymore. He abruptly opened his soul-piercing eyes and glared at this half-brother of his who wouldn't leave him in peace. At the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something gently swaying on a piece of thread.
His heart ceased beating for a second as he stiffly turned his face in that direction. He already knew what it was but he couldn't believe it.
This was the only thing his mother had left for him but he thought he had lost it. When he lost it it tore him apart that he gave up on himself.
He wanted to die in that cold snow just like his mother but the heavens weren't done with him. Now he had found that thing he had lost but it was in his annoying half-brother's hands.
A strong surge of killing intent surrounded his body causing Olcan to loosen his grip slightly. For years this half-brother of his always wore an air of indifference like nothing in this world could affect him. Even when he was dragged out of his run-down cottage he didn't bother asking what crime he had been accused of.
He was weak and pathetic with no vitality in his eyes. As the saying goes 'bully the weak and fear the strong', Aperius was everyone's punching bag. But right now..... at this moment it was very hard to believe. It was like a dying fish suddenly became spirited putting up its last stand.
His eyes ablaze, Aperius clenched his fists with the veins on his wrist bulging out. The rope binding his wrists rubbed against his skin leaving bright red marks as it stretched tautly. His chest fluctuated violently with infinite anger surging within.
"Give it back," he said in a low voice but the threat laced within was obvious. Olcan felt an icy chill on his back as he subconsciously let go of Aperius's jaw. He would never admit it but at that moment he was frightened of this sickly brother of his.
His mother warned him before that even a cornered rabbit would bite but he didn't believe it. But faced with Aperius's malicious gaze he suddenly understood what she meant. It seemed he had finally touched his brother's bottom line.