Little Fox - Part 4
It was true that the Bluewolf clan wouldn’t allow its people to interact with the Yellowfox clan. As for the reason, Ohno was clueless. But, after listening to what Nino’s companion had told him, he had started to understand the reason. Did his parents know about this? Or were they as clueless as he was about this matter and simply followed the generation before them? If what Sho had said was true and his parents knew about this, would they let Nino and his companions into the Bluewolf clan?
He did not know how to answer Sho’s question. Would his parents accept Nino, that’s the only thing in his mind. He gazed at Nino. His Little Fox… he looked weak and fragile. Fear and worry were evident in his eyes as he waited for an answer from Ohno. Ohno stared into the eyes and he realized how much he wanted to protect Nino from harm. If he didn’t help Nino, who would? And as they were soulmates, he may be the only person who could help Nino with his magic. Thinking of all of these, he reached a decision.
“I don’t know if my clan will accept you. But, regardless of what they want to do, I will help you,” Ohno answered with determination, squeezing Nino’s hand tightly to assure him. He won’t be alone to protect Nino. Certainly, Aiba would also help him. His guard would help anyone who was in trouble.
“So, what will you tell your parents if they don’t let us stay?” Sho asked. He still sounded worried. It’s understandable. Nino was his young master and it’s his responsibility to ensure Nino’s safety.
“I will tell them that I will go with you,” Ohno answered. But, he hoped it won’t come to that. “Believe me. I will do everything to protect Little Fox. Nothing will harm him,”
Sho nodded his head and was about to say something when Aiba and Jun suddenly approached them, looking around the woods with wary eyes. Ohno opened his mouth to ask Aiba if something was wrong. However, he stopped midway when he caught the scent of something rotten and rancid.
“They are here!” Nino started to panic.
Ohno quickly tried to calm him. He ordered Aiba to bring Nino, Sho and Jun into hiding as he handled the people who were after them. Aiba did as he was told, having an objection from Nino who wanted Ohno to follow them. But, Ohno refused to do so as he wanted to know what he was up against. He won’t do anything to the enemy, only spying on them to get information. So, reluctantly, Nino did as he was told, leaving him alone in the area. He cast his magic, something that he had done since they began their journey, concealing the lingering scent from Nino and the others before he hid behind one of the trees.
The rotten scent was getting stronger as two figures appeared. Ohno squinted his eyes to look at them properly, having a hard time believing what he had just seen. The people that appeared from the other sides… weren’t they from the Blacksnake? But, how could it be possible? The clan had vanished aeons ago.
However, there’s no mistake in what he saw. The scaly skin and a pair of slits, replacing the nose were enough to prove their true nature.
“Stupid boy!” One of them hissed. “Why do we have to find him? If he wants to run, just let him be!”
“You know the reason. Ebisawa likes him,” said another voice. He was calmer than the first one.
“I don’t understand why he likes him,” The first one continued his complaint. “He doesn’t have magic. What good would it be to mate with him? Nothing,”
The boy they mentioned must be Nino. Ohno didn’t know what kind of relationship Nino had with Ebisawa. None of them had explained it to him yet. But, based on the conversation he heard, it was clear that Ebisawa wanted to harm Nino. Thank goodness, his Little Fox had a chance to run away before the guy did anything to him.
Ohno put aside his thought and continued observing the two guys. The second one stayed silent, ignoring the complaints from the first guy. He sniffed around the woods before he let out a sigh and stopped the first guy.
“Do you think we’re going in the right direction?” He asked his partner. “If we continue, we will be in Bluewolf’s territory. And, I don’t want to go there,”
His concern was only regarded by a laugh by the first guy. “Why? Are you afraid of them, Hiroki?”
“They are powerful, Akira,” Hiroki justified his fear. “Don’t you remember how they wiped out our clan?”
Once again, Akira laughed. “They’re just lucky. Come on, let’s go,”
Akira moved forward. But, Hiroki didn’t follow him so Akira turned around, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
“I don’t think it’s wise of us to go there,”
Akira rolled his eyes. “Are you crazy? We’ve been walking for hours. It will be in vain if we go back without that stupid boy!”
“But, do you think he is there?” Hiroki tried to reason. And even though Akira seemed to be thick, he actually considered what Hiroki had said as he sniffed around the woods. “To go there, he had to pass this area. But, his scent wasn’t here,”
“Then…” Akira growled. “Where did he go?”
“I don’t know,” Hiroki answered calmly. “He might go to a different direction,”
“Let’s just enter the Bluewolf’s territory,” Akira urged. “We will tell them we’re looking for the member of our clans who might be in their territory,”
“They will kill us if they see us,”
“We will use our disguise. They won’t know we’re actually Blacksnake. They will believe we’re Yellowfox,”
Hiroki shook his head. “Believe me, they would see through our lies. Unlike Yellowfox, they’re not gullible. Besides, they were also at odds with Yellowfox. Who said they won’t kill us even if we disguise as Yellowfox?”
“So, we just go back in vain?”
Hiroki smiled at Akira. There was something sinister about the smile and it made Ohno uneasy.
“I have a plan but we will have to go back first. Let’s use the boy’s disappearance to our advantage and get revenge on the Bluewolf,”
Despite his eagerness to continue the journey into Bluewolf's territory, Akira quickly agreed with Hiroki's plan. The two of them exchanged smiles before they turned around and moved in the opposite direction.
Once they were out of his sight, Ohno quickly turned around, surprised to be face-to-face with Jun, whose face was pale.
"They…" Jun was trembling. "Akira and Hiroki… They're Blacksnake?"
“We shouldn’t leave them,” Nino said as he paced outside the woods. He kept looking back at the direction they had come from, hoping for Ohno and Jun to appear. Ohno asked them to leave first because he wanted to spy on Hiroki and Akira. However, in the middle of their journey, Jun had left them to help Ohno. Of course, Aiba had insisted for him to stay with the group but Jun was stubborn. So, he ignored Aiba and went back to their previous location.
“Don’t worry,” Aiba said, trying to sound calm. But, his tone and action betrayed him. He kept glancing at the woods. “I’m sure young master will be okay,”
“It’s hard to be calm,” Nino whined. “Stupid Samii. He should escape with us. If…Samii!”
Nino’s eyes brightened when Ohno and Jun appeared from the woods. He ran towards them, feeling relieved that they appeared unharmed.
“Ah, thank goodness!” Nino said as he hugged Ohno. He knew what he was doing wasn’t appropriate but right now, he didn’t care. “I’m really worried,”
"I'm sorry for making you worried," Ohno said as he returned the hug. He lifted Nino’s chin, allowing Nino to look at his eyes. Without warning, Ohno kissed his forehead and even though he couldn’t see his face right now, he knew it must be red. "As you can see, I am fine. But… I have something important to tell you,"
Nino reluctantly let go of Ohno so that he could have a good look at both Ohno and Jun. The two of them bore different expressions. Ohno looked calm. Jun, on the other hand, seemed to be in shock. It made him curious to know what had happened in the woods.
"What happened?" It was Sho who asked. The guy had been quiet since they were out of the woods.
"Those guys in the woods… They are Hiroki and Akira from your clan. They are searching for you. And I was surprised to know that they are…" Ohno took a deep breath before he continued. He didn't look eager to reveal it. "... Blacksnake,"
Nino's mouth formed an 'o', surprised by what he heard. But, he wasn't surprised to know that they're Blacksnake. It was something that he had known for a long time. He was surprised that finally, someone else had seen them without their disguise. Judging from Jun's reaction, it seemed like Jun had also seen the same thing. But, how? Jun had always seen them in their Yellowfox disguise. How did he finally see them as Blacksnake?
The answer came to him almost immediately. It was simple. Right now, they were lurking in the woods without concealing their true self. That’s why Ohno and Jun could see their true appearance.
"You must be surprised, right, Little Fox?” Ohno gave him a look of concern. “Jun told me that all of you think of them as Yellowfox. Apparently, they’re using magic to conceal their true appearance,”
“I know about it,” Nino mumbled, earning a frown from Ohno. So, he said it once again, louder this time. “I know they are Blacksnake. Ebisawa is also one of them. I know it from the moment they stepped into our settlement. Despite the magic that they use to conceal their Blacksnake attributes, I can see right through it,"
All of them gasped in surprise.
“What do you mean, young master?” Jun snapped, causing Nino to flinch. It was the first time Jun had talked to him that way. “You know they are Blacksnake? Why didn’t you tell us about it? If we know, they wouldn’t be allowed in our clan,”
Nino bit his lips, feeling guilty for withholding such information. If he told his father about it from the beginning, maybe they would be in a different situation right now. But, if he did so, would anyone trust him?
"Don't put the blame on the young master, Jun," Sho quickly came to his defence. "When Ebisawa first came to our village, our young master was still small. No one would believe him. Perhaps they would say it was just his imagination,"
"I don't blame the young master," Jun countered. "I just wish that he will at least tell us about it," He looked at Nino with a sad smile. "I'm sorry, young master. I don't mean to raise my voice. I am just shocked to know that we have three members of Blacksnake among us,"
Nino approached him, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "I'm sorry for keeping it a secret. I don't know how to tell anyone else about it. Furthermore, I don't want to make everyone else panic. They seemed harmless. That's why I keep my mouth shut about it,"
"Are they harmless?" Ohno asked. "If they are harmless, why are you running from them?"
Nino let out a sigh. He didn't want to answer the question. "They didn't do anything bad to our clan,"
"Not yet," Quipped Sho. "I believe that if we were still in the settlement, something will happen to you,"
Nino gave him a questioning look. "What do you mean?"
"It's still dark but they have begun to look for you. How did they know you are gone from the settlement? The news of your disappearance should be known in the morning, not in the middle of the night. So, I think, they went to your house right after we left…”
Nino couldn’t think straight when he heard what Sho had said, feeling worried for his parents. If what Sho speculated was true… If Ebisawa and the others went to his house… Ah, once again, he doubted that he had made the right choice to leave his parents behind.
“Your parents will be okay,” Jun said, patting his back to calm him. “They have anticipated this will happen. And, they have a plan,”
“Please tell me about the plan,” He urged. It seemed unfair that Jun and Sho knew more than him.
“Well, your father is going to blame Ebisawa for your disappearance. And, as he wasn’t with Hiroki and Akira just now, maybe the plan works,” Jun explained with a grim smile before he continued. “But, Hiroki… I think he's going to use your disappearance for something else. Perhaps, a plot to destroy Bluewolf,"
A/N: I hope this isn't as crappy as I think. I'm now back at work so update might be slower. And I'm so tempted to post the fic for Nino's birthday now. Should I do it? I can't wait to know what you think of it.
As always, thank you for reading :)