Leyon

II

I stopped screaming, and then I heard giggles. I don't know if it was me. I just heard voices giggling all over the place. I looked back and saw my friends pointing their fingers at me; they are the ones who are laughing; some of them are smirking, grinning, and covering their mouths as they laugh. They look hilarious, or am I the one who looks?

What the heck?

I looked down and froze. I wiped my eyes and face with my reddish hand and I'm forcing my tears not to fall, again and again, it becomes itchy. Both of my eyes hurt as well as my entire body. I clutched my cloak and covered my body with it, tightly. I felt like I'm going to explode, soon, soon enough, I know it, for sure.

They are coming closer and closer. They are still giggling. It's so irritating! It will break my wit!

What did I do? Why is this happening to me? I know I am strong, yes, I know.

I know, they surrounded me, I felt it. I can't see them anymore, they are just like shadows. The sky is already dark red-orange. Soon the moonlight will conquer the land and the sky.

Someone grabs my hood at my back and puts it on my head. And then he stood in front of me and said, "You surely look like a real lion like this, Leyon."

Ever since I received this lion cloak and the people of the village saw me wearing it, they gave me a nickname, Leyon. I'm fine with it, after all, I do love lions and I want to become one of them.

"Gwaaaahh~!" shouted the boy in front of me. And then the giggles become louder than before.

"Stop that, Tigri. You should not scare a lion like that or else he will bite you," said a voice coming from Jagar on my left side.

Tigri said, "Well, the lion is surely a scary one! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

The wave of laughter hurt my ears even though my hood is covering my head. It's very irritating. I hate being in a situation like this, so much. They are making fun of me.

"You are just the same as before," said someone from behind, he is Engoy.

"Hell yeah! Nothing changes!" said Beher.

"Do you think you can be strong like us? No way for you!" boasted Tigri.

"No!" I shouted. "I always win every time we play! You guys are the losers!"

"Huh! We? Losers? Then what are you? You cry like a baby!" said Tigri. "I think you are calling for your mama!"

A burst of laughter broke out.

"You are still a chicken!" shouted Beher.

"Guys, stop," said Jagar.

"You want to be a hunter? It's impossible!" shouted Tigri.

"You are born weak! You will grow weak! You will die weak!"

No, no, no. They are lying. I am strong and brave, now. I don't know who is speaking anymore.

"You like lions because you are totally different from them!"

"You are a loser! You are useless!"

"Creature hiding beneath the lion's skin is a very weak and useless one!"

"Your father is the best hunter in the village, yet you are nothing but trash! Maybe you are an adopted child!"

"Sure! He is!" said all of them.

"Stop guys! Stop already! I will tell you the truth! He's not an adopted child--" said the boy in front of me.

Everyone stopped laughing, and the place became dead-quiet like nothing happened as if everything vanished. I look at him, straight face.

"He is just like his mother! A very weak creature cannot leave their house!"

The burst of laughter breaks the moment of silence.

I am not an adopted child and my mother is not a weak creature. Yes, I was born clumsy, I always fall to the ground unexpectedly, I always left behind but that's just when I was a kid. Right now, I am not a kid anymore. My mother is not a weak creature! I won't let them go away like this! They are monsters!

I shouted, "Apologize!"

All of them are still laughing.

"All of you take back your words!" I shouted. My cheeks are burning.

They are coming closer, slowly and still laughing.

"Someone that can't leave their house is a weak creature, weak. Just like your mom! And you are her child that is why you are weak too!" said Tigri.

I took a deep breath, and then looked at Tigri's eyes. My mind went blank, I felt really hot all over my body, I cannot see his face, it is like a shadow standing in front of me. A monster.

"You guys," I said. "You guys are!"

Altogether they shouted, "WHAAaaawwtt!?"

I bit my lower lip, felt the blood flowing out, and clutched my cloak tighter than I could.

MONSTERS! a sound that pops out from nowhere.

I don't know if it was my voice but it's very loud and it echoed in my ears, perhaps in my head.

From my cloak's inside-pocket, with my right hand, I pulled garlic, and salts with my left hand. "YOU GUYS ARE MONSTERS!" I said. "BEGONE!" And then I throw the garlic into Tigri's forehead as hard as I can, that he flinched after he got hit. I turned around while throwing the salts to the boys that surrounded me. They covered their faces.

I shouted, "Serves you right, monsters!"

"You guys are shit!" I said while running away from that place. "Bastards! Monsters! Weaklings! No one can defeat me! Remember that!"