How to Raise a Dumb Wolf - Chapter 4

Terrifying.

That was Aisha’s first impression of the wolf.

There could be no doubt that the creature before her was a colossal direwolf. Even sitting down, it must have been two meters tall… no, two and a half! Its overwhelming size and powerful muscles proclaimed that this was not a creature she could ever hope to challenge. The difference between their bodies left Aisha certain that a single sweep of its paw would smash her to pieces.

Worse still… the wolf had fixed its gaze on her.

Her father was a hunter, after all. Aisha could not be wholly ignorant of wild animals. She knew very well that when a ferocious carnivore stared at her without blinking, she had most likely found her way onto its dinner menu.

It was a dreadful thought. Though Aisha tried desperately to tell herself to remain calm, she wanted nothing more than to scream. Her body began trembling of its own accord. Instinct urged her to back away, but fear that any retreat would provoke the beast held her in place. She could neither advance nor flee.

The wolf was covered in blood. Dried clots glued its fur into matted slabs, nearly obscuring its true appearance. A long black arrow protruded from its right shoulder, the arrowhead buried deep in flesh. Mottled blood stained the shaft, leaving only the long tail feathers jutting out in a bedraggled fan. It made for a grim, almost heroic sight.

Aisha’s mind raced.

Had it just escaped from hunters? How severe were its injuries? Would they restrict its movement? If so… could she run? What were her chances? Two chances in ten? Or… only one?

Every muscle in Aisha’s body drew tight. Her heart pounded as if it might burst. To keep the creature from sensing weakness, she forced herself to stare directly into its eyes even though her legs had long since gone soft.

She had already noticed that they were a clear and beautiful blue-gray. Like the eyes of any animal, they were pure, innocent, and utterly guileless. Had she seen them somewhere safe, she might have marveled at the wonder and taste of the Creator.

At present, she had no leisure to admire them.

What should she do?

The question filled Aisha’s mind.

Les, however, had no idea what she was thinking. His Majesty had not told him what to do after making eye contact, so he could only continue staring at Aisha while she stared back.

Holding the same posture was no hardship for Les. In the army, he often had to remain at attention in human form for hours at a time. He had been the finest soldier of his cohort; even after standing all night, he would not so much as tremble. Now, despite his grievous shoulder wound and utter exhaustion, he had received no new order. So Les remained as immovable as a boulder, calmly meeting Aisha’s gaze.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes…

At last, the feline emperor on the other end realized that Les had been silent for far too long.

“Les? What is it? Are you still conscious?”

The Beast Emperor’s voice held unmistakable concern. Les dared not speak in front of a human. After a pause, he answered with two soft, breathy huffs—the sort of sound an animal might make.

The response took the emperor aback.

“What is wrong, Les? Are you badly injured? Why aren’t you speaking?”

A pause.

“Are you unable to speak? Huff once for yes and twice for no.”

Les breathed out once.

The other end went quiet for a moment. Then Carter III’s voice returned.

“Have you encountered a human?”

Les huffed once.

“A hunter?”

Twice.

“Male or female? Once for male, twice for female.”

Twice.

“A young girl?”

He huffed once.

Carter III relaxed. Lucky cub, he thought. After a moment’s thought, he continued, “Then proceed as I instructed. Look at her, and wag your tail.”

Needless to say, another wave of anguished wailing rose in the background. Les ignored it. Wagging his tail was far simpler than anything His Majesty had asked of him so far. It would not pull at his wounds, and unlike the business with his eyes, it involved nothing complicated.

Les quickly obeyed Carter III and wagged his tail.

Aisha’s chest tightened.

She had noticed that the wolf had been making frequent, uncomfortable-sounding huffs deep in its throat. Its eyes remained locked on her, yet something else seemed to be drawing its attention. The instant the giant wolf’s tail began to move, Aisha’s heart leaped into her throat.

It was growing impatient.

Her vigilance reached its peak.

The Beast Emperor’s instructions continued. Amid a chorus of “Your Majestyyyy!” and “His Majesty’s noble tail!” and “We have failed you, Your Majesty!” he said with perfect seriousness, “Next, raise your paw.”

Les raised his paw.

“Lick it a few times.”

Les… silently put his paw back down.

He did not know what circumstances His Majesty had faced all those years ago, but at present Les’s forepaw was caked with mud and blood. He could not possibly put it in his mouth.

Besides, Les still had no idea what the feline emperor expected him to do with the girl before him. Could these actions truly ingratiate him with a human?

Ever since he had won her over with his gaze, the human girl had stood almost entirely rigid. When he lifted his forepaw, she gave a violent shudder. But when he set the paw down again, she seemed confused instead.

Les did not know how greatly those two simple movements had affected Aisha. When he raised his paw, she thought she was about to die.

But she did not.

That inexplicable turn gave Aisha a sudden, disorienting thought.

Could it be… that the wolf did not want to kill her?

Her own idea startled her.

Her feet had gone numb with tension, yet in a sense, passing beyond the limits of fear had made her calm. She tried to steady herself and look into the wolf’s eyes again, this time as objectively as she could.

Once an idea had taken root, a person could not help interpreting everything through it. Aisha abruptly felt that she was not the only one here who was anxious; the wolf was uneasy too. The blue-gray eyes did not seem to convey threat alone. The wolf wanted to tell her something but lacked the words to express it. Complex feelings lay within that gaze…

Did it want her to treat its wounds?

Aisha hesitated, preparing to test the idea aloud—

At that moment, Carter III assumed Les had already licked his paw. With great confidence, he said, “Good. Only the final step remains. This one uses your voice. It is very simple. Just make it a little cuter—sound the way you normally do. Come, copy me—”

The feline emperor demonstrated.

“Mraow.”

Les paused. Then, sounding exactly as he normally did, he threw back his head and opened his jaws.

“AWOOOOOOOO—!”

The earth shook. A flock of birds burst from the thickets.

By now, every courtier in the imperial palace had begun to weep. Never in their lives had they heard Major General Les make such a feeble, docile cry. Even when he was a wolf cub crawling around the floor and whining for His Majesty’s affection, his voice had been louder and more powerful than this. A dignified major general had fallen so low… all because they had not been strong enough to protect the orphaned direwolf from such humiliation!

Of course, His Majesty’s past suffering had been even worse. Who could have imagined that their awe-inspiring emperor had once endured such shame for the sake of his nation? It was enough to break the heart of anyone who heard it and bring tears to anyone who listened!

Their reverence for His Majesty’s ability to bend when necessary grew deeper still. At the same time, they beat their chests in anguish over their failure to protect him. For a time, beasts of every kind lay writhing throughout the hall. They rolled across the floor, howled, and scraped their claws over the tiles in grief. Those near the walls scraped the walls instead. The palace filled with scratch after rasping scratch.

Carter III had anticipated that his words might produce such a reaction, but he cared more about Les. He lifted a paw and smoothed his whiskers.

“Well? Has the girl come over to stroke your fur?”

“…”

“Hm? What happened?”

“…Ran away…”

“What?”

“…She ran away.”