"Weapons! Weapons!" A man yelled, waking up Pepper from his nightmare. He saw the master trying to stand up, but the man was still unsteady because of the wine and fell down. Although Pepper was too stiff from sleeping, her body was a little Stiff, but hurried over to help him stand. He grabbed Master's arm and lifted it up, and to his surprise, it worked. He was used to trying to pick Dad up, but it never did any good.
"My letter, boy. "My letter," muttered the master, now on his feet, but still half asleep.
Little Pepper nodded and opened the wooden box that the owner placed next to the bed. He gritted his teeth, then bent down to pick it up. Four days ago, the owner ordered him to oil it, and Pepper dropped it when he took it out of the box because it was much heavier than it looked. For this, Pepper was severely whipped. The master said that he must bleed next time.
This time, however, he carefully lifted it up and rolled it up without letting any part slip off. He took it to the master and felt the sound with every step he took. The master caught it with one hand and threw it over his head, letting it fall on him as easily as an ordinary linen shirt. "Helm!" he ordered.
Little Pepper jumped up and obeyed, reaching to the shelf to pull it off, and then carefully placed it on Master's lowered head, being careful not to pull Master's hair. The master stood up, walked around Little Pepper, picked up the big sword he had kept beside him, and walked halfway through the door. He looked around for a moment, then looked back at Pepper and said: "Get a big jug of water and wake up these useless guys. Make sure my wife stays here. Bite her if necessary. This is one time Raid. Demon."
Pepper felt herself turning pale and breathless when she tried to answer, so she could only nod. The master withdrew without a second glance. He was naked from the thighs down and his feet were bare in the snow. For a moment, Pepper wondered if her father would like him if they met over dinner.
But then he remembered what his master told him to do. He walked to the pitcher where his master had put water and found it empty, so he sobbed softly. The nearest water is in the well in the center of the village. Where demons attack.
Pepper stared at the closed door for a moment, knowing that he had to go out and face the demon alone. He shivered from head to toe, and it had nothing to do with the cold. He slept with his clothes on, for it was cold to sleep alone, but his shoes were left to dry by the coals. He put them on and looked at the bed where his master's wife lay. She tried to hide under a blanket in the corner. But it was clear that there was a person there. He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should help her hide because this was his specialty, but he had to hurry up. The Master's guests were too drunk to wake up, and they needed to wake up.
He took a step toward the crack in the door, then another, then stopped. He stood there motionless for a moment, wishing he had Flower's courage, but he didn't. But what else could he do? No, he wanted to know if he could hide from the devil, the only thing Dad feared in the world. Pepper swallowed hard and stepped outside, breathing his presence into his skin like God had taught him to do, imagining that he was part of the shadow.
The dim light of dawn dyed all the snow purple. The sun was still hiding behind the horizon, perhaps for an hour or more; there were still a few stars hanging in the sky, but most had disappeared. Sneaking out was a bit difficult since there were no real shadows for him to rest on yet, so he had to go quietly and quickly.
Not far away, maybe just outside the village, someone was shouting. The shouts were punctuated by clanking sounds, which he recognized as the sound of weapons striking shields. A group of crows also gathered nearby, cawing excitedly. Otherwise the morning was empty and the village seemed deserted.
With God's hiding skills, no one would see him unless they stopped and stared at him carefully, but he still had to stay quiet. If he crunched the snow, they would find him there. If someone running around the round house stepped on him, he would be discovered. He must be careful.
Little Pepper clumsily jumped over the footprints left by the adults and ran towards the well, trying not to let the jar fall to the ground. He noticed that he was running with his mouth open, and that the breath he was exhaling made him unable to move away. He closed his mouth with an inadvertent click and breathed through his nose. But it made it hard for him to breathe without making any noise, so he had to slow down.
He passed Aro's house and saw the well. He huddled against a wall when he heard someone running behind him. The man ran past without even looking. He's a stone man, not a demon. Pepper looked around and made sure she was safe, then walked to the well and lowered the jar with the hooked rope.
When he pulled the pot up, it was too heavy for him to hide. He couldn't focus, and anyone looking at him now would think he was just like a normal person. Alternating his hands, he pulled it up as fast as he could, panicking every time it hit the wall and splashed.
He steeled himself, slung the jar over his shoulder, and began to crawl back to his master's house. He was careful to let his feet land evenly on the ground so as not to trip, for two fears gripped him—the fear that the master would break the jar, and the fear that the devil would find him. He couldn't hide, not now, not with something so heavy, so he just walked as smoothly and quietly as he could.
It was also foolish for Master to make such a request of him. What was he thinking? Why did Master's friends need fresh water to wake up? Don't they want to defend their home? Isn't that enough? Dad never needed water to wake up if there was trouble. Although, usually the first thing dad does after waking up is soak in water. Although Pepper smiled, he quickly held back.
Then he realized he hadn't had any water this morning either. He was so distracted that he didn't even notice how much he needed to do this, but now that he remembered, the heavy pressure behind his stick completely overwhelmed his thoughts. It must have been the wine they gave him before bed. He wasn't used to so much, and it wasn't alcohol.
He took another step, and another, but with each step the pressure of the water hurt him, and he knew he was about to wet his pants.
Panic set in as Pepper tried to think of what to do, but he didn't have time to make any decisions. He quickly put the pot down, almost dropping it, and ran past the nearest house toward what might have been some bushes, unbuttoning his pants as he ran. He was smart enough to get out of sight before he let it go, but that was almost a second too long. As soon as he had put everything away, water spurted out of him, beyond his ability to control it.
He almost sighed loudly with relief as the water came gushing out. The heat from the water also made his hands feel warmer. It steamed in the cold air. It's always a pleasure to fetch water in cold weather. He looked back down the road he had walked and saw a demon standing next to the kettle, just where he had left it.
The shock of fear stiffened his muscles, and the water stopped painfully in the middle. He almost hissed in pain before he came to his senses. When the shock subsided, he held back tears; he didn't dare to let go anymore for fear of being seen by ghosts. He withdrew his presence into his body and allowed himself to hide again, trying to calm his heavy breathing so the demon wouldn't hear it.
But the devil wasn't looking for him, not at all. Pepper watched silently as the second and third demons joined the first, both carrying spears. Now that he could see them, these demons were nothing like what his father had told him. They have sharp horns, long tails, and their skin is the color of shadows, but Dad said they don't use weapons and go to battle naked. These demons wore thick animal skin clothes, held spears in their hands, and stood there talking like ordinary people. Is it possible that there are different kinds of demons, just like there are different kinds of Stonemen or Skytha
de
?
A group of five stone men came running from behind to attack the demon. Dad's stone men fight alongside each other with big shields, but these guys fight like they each want to be a hero and ignore what his friends are doing. They jumped around wildly, shouting, dodging left and right, trying to get their greatswords past the demon's spears.
One of the stone men knocked off the tip of his spear, then jumped towards the nearest demon. When the ghost turned around, the man's leg suddenly twitched and blood flowed from his thigh. The man fell to the ground, and before he could hit his target, he was immediately stabbed by the devil's friend. Pepper's eyes widened, trying to figure out what was going on, but he soon figured it out. Devil's Tail. The demon twirled on his tail. Seph's tail is thin and soft, but Dad said that adults can just cut through bronze, and now Pepper believes it.
Two more stone men arrived, and the battle became more intense. But none of them are masters. The master is still fighting elsewhere. For the first time, Pepper wondered whether it would be better for his master to be alive or dead. Dad once said that some savages were buried with all their possessions, including slaves.
The pressure in his bladder was building and he felt his muscles were as slick as lard. He tried his best to push it down and push it away, but it made it difficult to focus on staying hidden.
Out of nowhere, a demon ran out from behind the house, less than five steps away from Pepper. His hair is longer, tied into a ponytail like his father, and has metal tips on his horns. His leather jacket looked warm and actually looked a bit like what Pepper's old tribe of werewolves used to wear. It has a hole in the right place for the tail and other stuff. He also looks much older than the demons he is fighting, as he is thin, short, and has gray hair. He had a bundle under each arm, and Pepper almost jumped out of her skin when she realized what it was: the demon had a knee-high stone child under each arm. The children sobbed, their cheeks stained with tears, but they had no will to fight.
Pepper almost lost focus and stopped hiding, but fear kept him motionless until he regained his senses. The pressure in his bladder increased and he gritted his teeth, hoping they would leave before he could no longer control it.
The demon didn't even look at him. Another demon came running from the other direction, nearly running over Pepper before he stopped. The second demon looked younger than the two fighting, and he was also holding a child in his arms, a girl, about the same age as Pepper. She cried loudly and tried to free herself from the demon's arms, but he had a firm hold on her.
The two demons saw each other, standing less than two steps away from Pepper. He bottled up all his energy, hoping they wouldn't touch him or do anything that might expose him. He held his breath until his chest felt hot, hoping they would leave quickly. What if they decided to create water in the bush where he was hiding?
"How many of us are there this time?" Any idea? said the young, beardless devil. His voice sounded normal. Not as harsh as Sev, nor scary. Just normal. The girl he was holding struggled and squirmed, but he held her too tight to escape.
"At least ten, two for me and one for you," the older demon said. There were patches of gray in his shaggy beard, a bit like his father's.
Kema counted 30. Hope we get more. "
"Can you get another one?" the older one asked.
"Hmm? Yes, if it's not too big."
"Good. Check the bushes. I smell piss and wet kittens."
"kitten?"
"Smells like a thunderbolt from the damp sky."
"You can't smell the thunderbolt," said the younger one, looking at his brother suspiciously.
"They smell a bit like wet dog, but lighter and sweeter."
"Then how do you know it's a child?"
The older one smirked and raised his eyebrows. "Have you ever heard of an adult Skytha?
de
Don’t you want to take a shower?”
The younger one thought for a while. "I haven't heard of their bathing habits. I don't know any thunderbolts, and neither do you."
"Oh, okay, okay, you got me. One step to the left. Come on."
Pepper's chest burned worse than ever from the lack of air. His throat spasmed, trying to get him to breathe. But he couldn't, with them so close to him. They would hear it, and they already knew he was nearby. The little boy almost ran away when the young demon obeyed the command and took a giant step towards Pepper, almost standing directly above him. As the burning in his chest grew worse, he could feel his grip on his existence beginning to loosen.
The old devil said: "Are you ready to fight?"
The younger one nodded.
"Hold him by the tail, he'll bite you. Grab him by the collar. Reach down and grab him. Now!"
"But there's nothing..."
At this time, Pepper couldn't hold his breath anymore. He gasped harshly, trying to suck in enough air to fill the house before leaping forward and running away. But his footing in the snow was poor and he couldn't put his feet under him right away. He crawled and clawed, trying to escape, but an iron hand grabbed him around the neck and pushed his face into the snow. He tried to breathe again, but his face was buried in the snow and he couldn't breathe. He flapped his wings but couldn't break free. Spots appeared in his visions. He lost control of the water and felt its warmth melting the snow beneath his feet.
"Let him get up, but hold on to him. His pants were open and you caught him."
Pepper twisted and swung around with all his strength, but still couldn't escape the devil's clutches, which held him tightly by the collar of his leather shirt. He tried to reach out and grab the demon's hand, but his nails hadn't hardened yet and it had no effect. The little devil knelt on Pepper's arm, pressing it to the ground painfully, and walked across the snow. Pepper screamed in pain. The ghost picked him up, put one hand around his belly, and stood up. Pepper squirmed as hard as she could, but the devil squeezed him until Pepper screamed and stopped fighting.
"If you resist, I will hurt you." The young devil said, his voice full of threats.
Pepper didn't answer, his mind racing; he could wait until the demon was distracted and then try to slip away. Pepper was sure he could outrun him because he was holding the girl. Or he could try beating the devil inside the egg. One or two solid blows and the demon may collapse and start crying. But if that fails, Pepper is doomed - he gets impaled on the devil's horns and eaten, or something like that. Painful stuff.
No, his best hope was to allow himself to be taken away, to escape when the opportunity arose, without the old devil being around to discover him. Shortly after Pepper stopped struggling, the little devil let go of his hand and Pepper could breathe easily.
The little ghost said to the big ghost: "How do you know where he is?"
"Why do you miss him?" he replied, humor in his voice. Little Pepper felt very strange. Demons also have humor?
"He hid with a strange magic. I looked straight at him and saw nothing, until I felt his shirt under my fingers. Tell me how you saw him!"
The old devil said angrily: "You are such an amazing hunter. Don't you know how to see with your eyes?"
"I've been practicing, but I never thought..." the younger son said and fell silent.
The old man turned and said, "It's time to go. Farat's men are starting to be outnumbered and they will soon be defeated. We need to get out."
The two demons walked towards the forest together, heading in the same direction. Thank god they didn't run, because with every step the demon's arms dug into the soft area between ribs and hips. It hurt so much that Pepper had to grit her teeth and hold her breath because there was no chance of escape.
After walking some distance in the woods, they encountered other demons, at least twenty of them. The young man holding him helped him stand up, but held his collar tightly and said, "Fix the pants." Little Pepper adjusted and fastened his pants. As soon as he did so, one of them grabbed his wrists and tied them with a rope in front of him.
Once Pepper was securely tied, the young demon pulled away from the rope and began leading him further into the wilderness. They walked very fast, leading nearly twenty children of various ages as fast as they could; the youngest was carried and the rest had to walk.
Pepper's heart beat mercilessly against his ribs. His mind was spinning and his legs could barely support him. He wanted to ask where they were going, but he was sure he would be hit instead of answering.
As soon as they let go of the rope, he ran away, out of their sight. Once they gave up, he could go back. He needs to be ready. No, wait, that won't work. The old guy somehow recognized him. He had to be far enough away from his old self to hide from others.
They weren't even slowing down and he had no idea where they were going. Gotta hurry, before they go too far. His mind was racing and he couldn't let it slow down. Can he follow the path back, or is it too obvious? If he doesn't follow the trail, can he still find his master before he freezes to death?
The demons talked freely to each other, chatting and laughing, sometimes joking, sometimes complaining about the snow. Soon the strange sight was enough to distract Pepper. They looked nothing like what Dad had described, not at all. Or like when Mom and Deanna fought. Mom said he was crazy and scary, but if Pepper closed her eyes, these demons might be thunderbolts or stone men. They talk and walk normally.
After a while, Pepper calmed down a bit and dared to look up at them. The first thing Pepper noticed was that the demons had their tails swung over one shoulder to rest them from being dragged into the snow. They look oddly long; Seve's nails are normal length, but he's small, so they might be longer.
Maybe they weren't going to eat him after all. They don't look that scary, or scary at all, really. Maybe they were just stealing slaves since everyone seemed to do that. This would be the third time in his life that he would be a slave, so all he had to do was wait for Dad to escape from the savages and then he would...
He realized he was thinking about his family, and that familiar fear struck Pepper again, reawakening in his stomach and making him stumble for a moment. The little devil turned back and pulled the rope, but when he saw that the little pepper would not fall, he looked forward again.
Little Pepper stared at his back worriedly, wondering whether the demons regarded the captured children as food or money. He felt a dampness of sweat in his clothes, and he mustered up the courage to stare defiantly at the demon's back. His captors didn't notice this, just crunching in the snow in their leather boots. No one noticed him, even if he looked around, no one noticed him.
They broke out of the woods and climbed up a bare rocky hill. Now that they were out of the shade and the rising sun was beginning to warm his ears, he felt like he had a little more energy. This is one benefit of black fur: it warms faster in the sun. Finally, despite being surrounded, in broad daylight, he dared to turn his thoughts back to his family.
Sometimes, he seemed to feel a part of his heart pulling towards where the flowers were. Although he loved them all, Flower was his favorite. He thought of his mother's warmth and tender hugs; Gabby's sweet little kisses, his father's laughter. One time, dad accidentally tickled Gabby and she wet herself, wolf scagging
Very angry at this, screamed and threw a handful of dirt. Gabby had to hold the fairy to her chest and pet him like a kitten to calm him down, and he made his daddy promise not to do it again until he forgave him.
Then, after that, Flower snuck up on Wolfsca
, tickling him for the first time. No one thought to do this because the fairy was too young, but it turned out that Scar the wolf was very ticklish and was completely at the mercy of whoever could catch him. For the next week, he was making bargains with people, such as: "If you don't tease me today, I'll let you sit next to Gabby instead of me." or "If you don't tease me today, I'll try to smell Honey, give you some." Wolf Sca
I went from being angry to being constantly nervous, constantly upset, jumping at every sound, and being overly emotional about everything. It's a pity too, because wolves sca
The laughter is sweet joy poured straight from the jar. In the end, Father Bear had to insist that everyone stay away from him, otherwise he would be beaten, and the wolf would be scolded.
So grateful that he sat on Papa Bear's shoulder for a week and slept in his beard instead of with Ga
stay together.
Thinking of this, Pepper smiled, almost giggling. Even though he knew he might still be a slave, the fear that had long gripped his stomach was dissipating and receding. Part of him knew how foolish it was to want to feel good right now; anything could happen. Maybe they really wanted to eat him. But the demon didn't look that scary, and they didn't care what he thought.
He swung his tail behind him, deliberately shaking small pieces of snow around. The rope hurt his wrist, and his fingertips ached with every step, but a throb of hope began to fill him, hope that things would get better, hope that he would live to see his father...
Suddenly realization dawned on him and he almost stopped before he caught himself. Dad doesn't know where to find him now. Dad would never come to pick him up. no longer....... He never knew where to look.
Pepper looked around with wide eyes, seeing everything from a new perspective - it was a wilderness with no trace of where his owner or dad could find him. Once it snows again, that's it. He will be gone forever.
Fear gripped him from head to toe, and he suddenly felt that he was walking not on air but on water. His throat was tight and he had trouble breathing. Dad never comes to save him after he escapes from the king because he doesn't know where to go. Pepper is lost. He would never see anyone again, not Hua, not his mother, not Gabi...
He had to leave, immediately, the sooner the better; it didn't matter even if he returned to the Master, because then Dad would know where to find him. He had to leave now, before the road was too long to reach his master's village. Now. Now.
But instead of giving in to panic, he focused on what his dad had taught him about cunning. Cunning is better than strength. Compared to an adult demon... He breathed deeply and slowly, trying his best to control his emotions. It started to work, and the pounding blood in his ears subsided. The turmoil inside him made it hard to think or focus on anything he wanted to see, so he held his breath until everything calmed down. Take a deep breath, again and again.
Do the important things first. He needs to free his hands. Pepper looked around to see if anyone was watching him, but except for the wild girl's sideways glances from time to time, no one seemed to care unless he stopped. He walked a little faster, letting the rope slack a little, then tried twisting his hands to see if the knot would come loose. It didn't, although the twisting and pulling drove the rope deeper into his skin.
He glanced around again to make sure no one was watching him, and tried to raise his wrist to bite the rope off. For a moment, it worked; he could feel the rope snapping between his sharp teeth. But the little devil must have felt that the rope was moving unusually in his hands, because he turned to see what Pepper was doing. Even though Pepper put her hands down as fast as she could, it wasn't fast enough.
"Want to bite it out?" the devil said gloomily.
"No," Pepper said quickly.
"Good. Because I don't want to knock out all your teeth," the demon said. Then he smiled and turned angrily. The demon gave the rope another yank, just to make a point. Pepper stumbled and almost fell.
Panic began to grip him again, fear making him feel sick. With every step he took, he had less and less time. Pepper tried to stay calm, but it was getting harder and harder to do so; there was only one thing to try, and that was the most dangerous. He needed to get the devil to let go of the rope. Then grab it and wrap it around so he doesn't trip over it. Then run. Then get far enough away. Then hide. Then wait and go back.
He took courage. That's it. Either he escapes or he never sees anyone again.
He counted, three, two, one...and then nothing. He didn't dare. He could hardly breathe. He's going to vomit... Three, two, one... Three, two, one...
He can't do it. He is weak, helpless, and a coward. Flower will do it. Pepper closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to let fear make him vomit. He walked forward with difficulty, carefully following the rope. His eyes burned under his lids and he didn't know if he was going to cry.
But then, an image appeared in his mind, an image that appeared often. This is what happened when they met their father: Late at night, Pepper was lying under a bush, almost starving to death. A giant, a stocky man, all muscle, all gravel, and hairy from head to toe, walked along the road. A warrior. A murderer. Flower bravely jumped out and attacked him. An image of a flower pops up and lands on the incredible stone man monster, hoping to steal his money.
Flower bit the man's leg but was caught. He had no chance. But this man became kind and kind, saved them, and became their father. But the image of Flower, his only new brother, facing the impossible task of saving Pepper's life never faded. Flower, who has real courage.
He couldn't let Flower down. Not flowers, not dad, not anyone. In his mind, he screamed to himself, I am Dikaia's A
d
okles' son! I can do it! He could almost feel his father's endless strength pouring into his arms. The nausea of fear even faded slightly.
Pepper yanked the rope as hard as she could, then turned and ran in the opposite direction, pulling harder. The rope came loose and he stumbled forward, struggling to keep his feet under him and run. He took nearly four steps before the rope tightened again, pulling on his wrist and pulling him back. The little devil grabbed the rope with his claws and dug a deep hole in the snow.
He yanked again and the rope slipped a few more inches, but the devil reached out and caught it before it broke free. He yanked hard enough to trip Pepper. Pepper screamed in agony, the bones in his wrist slipping around, but he wasn't defeated yet. He ran forward and tried to kick the imp in the hand to get him to let go of the rope, but the demon just turned around and knocked him down again with his shoulder.
Pepper jumped up, growling, and tried to kick the devil between his legs, or grab the rope with his teeth, or anything, but the devil jumped away with every step, pulling painfully on the rope.
Turning his growing despair into rage, he shouted: "Let me go! Let me go!" he said, trying with all his strength to pull the rope free. The young demon yanked Pepper forward, A hand was raised to hit him, but Pepper saw it in time.
He lurched forward and bit the demon's arm hard near the elbow. The warm, metallic taste of blood quickly filled his mouth and he choked. However, his anger grew and he lashed harder. This is his last chance. Run now or never see them again, ever. He screamed at the demon's arms, blood bubbling at the corners of his mouth as he struggled to free himself from the ropes.
His rage was broken by a terrible, sharp earache. Another demon grabbed the tips of both of his ears, pinched and twisted them, and yanked hard, almost tearing off his head. His strength left him, almost as if the breath had left his lungs; he went limp and let go of the devil's arms. The young demon roared, slapping him hard enough to pull his ears out. He hit the ground with a thud, harder than before due to the snow.
Then the imp yanked on his ears again, trying to pull him up. Pepper whimpered and stood up, only to be slapped again, this time harder, so hard that he saw a white flash and fell down again. The demon then put his feet on Pepper's head and pushed it onto the hard dirt beneath the snow, applying enough pressure that Pepper was sure his head was going to burst.
All this was finally unbearable and he began to sob and his body went limp.
"Do you want to die?" shouted the little devil.
The other devil said, "You're going too far, Tesvan. He's just a cub." But before letting him go, the little devil twisted his feet, just to make a point, and Pepper squirmed again in pain. screamed.
This failure opened up a sadness he had been trying to keep away, but now it was creeping out. The bursts of crying left him shaking violently and unable to breathe, which only made his injuries worse.
So he just lay on the ground, limping and crying, heartbroken. He lost. it's all over. He lost two families in less than a year, and he will always be alone. The merciless desolation overcame him, and his whole body was scorched from his ears to his toes. "Daddy, daddy, daddy," he shouted over and over again. His grief scorched his insides, growing stronger, not weaker, with each passing day. He could hear the other children starting to cry, and hear their own sadness overpowering their fear of the demon. Finally, a demon picked him up and moved on.
