Sotus Short Stories

An Alpha's Revenge (Part 9)

Kongpob

He smelled like poop. His arms ached from doing hard labor and he'd been running for the past hour and a half with a knife trying to cut that damn sheep's wool. It was so big and dirty that Kongpob doubted it would be used to make anything decent.  His mother had told him that he would need to wash it every time it got dirty and had to wait for its wool to dry so he could cut it. But that dam thing kept itself dirty.

He's washed it just a day before and it had rolled around in the dirt. This was the second week that he was tending to it. It was stubborn and whenever it saw him it would immediately screech and bang its head against him as though it had horns. Kongpob was half tempted to slaughter it and tell his parents that it died. Arthit had since gotten better but he had avoided him as much as he could. 

What bothered Kongpob and Moon the most was that Xia Yu Ping was always at his side chatting with him. Making him smile. Arthit always smiled when the man was around him. He smiled even brighter when he came to pet that stupid pet of his. Every day, Kongpob was forced to chase that thing around and replace its bow. It seemed to know when Arthit was coming to visit him. 

Every day before lunchtime the stupid Sheep would wait around for Arthit and screech when he saw him. It would tackle him to the ground and wiggle its tail as if it were a dog but it looked like an over puffed white rat to Kongpob. It was ugly, its breath smelled and it did not like him at all.

Every day, Arthit would come by himself to feed it during lunch while Xia Yu Ping waited outside. Sometimes, Arthit would eat with it, other times he would come to feed it. Sneaking it carrots, pears, apples, lettuce. Kongpob would hide in the barn with the horses. He would sit in the stall beside the lambs as Arthit talked to it.

His voice was soft and kind. Arthit would tell it about his day. Kongpob learned that Arthit liked to paint, knit, and cook. Byul had become his friend now and the two often had tea together. She had been made his guard as Arthit wanted and the joy in Arhit's voice as he told the lamb how happy he was that Byul had been free of a person like him made Kongpob feel uncomfortable in his chest.

He would be lying if he said that his words had not hurt. Arthit saw him as a monster. Not that he blamed him. Arthit often called him a tyrant. He called him coldhearted. Selfish. All words that he had heard throughout the years by people but it never once hurt. Moon had been screaming at him to apologize to approach his Sunshine. Arthit only spoke about him when they saw each other. Kongpob was doing his best to avoid him now. 

His father had yelled at him called him unworthy of their Clan. He had called him a bastard and a coward for acting so brashly and then blaming Arthit for his actions. 

"You see Arthit as your punishment when you are the one who brought him here punishing him and putting him in danger. Even if you want Frame you have forced Arthit on to yourself, on to this Kingdom. On to your mother and I. But we welcome him because he is an innocent child. And if we have to pick between the two of you. Your mother and I we won't hesitate to throw you out instead."

"You knew... Didn't you. About his parents. Mistreating him?" Kongpob questioned.

"We suspected it yes. But we confirmed it the moment Arthit stepped foot in our home. It's easy to see that he is not worldly but frightened. His hands are those of someone who has worked and been overworked his entire life. Had you taken a moment of your time to know him you would have known that you were making a martyr out of a victim already." 

The screeching of the sheep as it went inside the barn again, this time bumping into him as it went inside it seemed to be scurrying. Kongpob pulled out a purple lace that he'd been carrying with him. He quickly tied it around the stupid thing and then it pushed him.