World Against Us

1.12 Fur and Scales

Cale went to one of the bread vendors, just as he approach the baker they all start to bow their heads while keeping a distance. Cale just brush it off as he thinks it was a normal reaction, with a 'Clink' sound Cale toss a gold coin to the vendor. 

"wrap me all of your bread"

Cale said while pointing all of the bread from the left to the right, while the vendor was just dumbfounded. 

"huh?"

"what are you doing standing there? wrap it up now"

Cale was truly getting annoyed, he really isn't in a mood to be dealing with slow people, sure they can be afraid, but didn't he just gave him money? a lot of money at that, he thinks that at least can't they do their job well? Cale really wasn't having it, getting hurt because of some god, almost collapsing because how painful his head then his eyes turned scary. so he just wanted to get over it fast.

3 minutes Cale when the vendor gave Cale the Bread in a big sack, Cale toss another gold coin and left. when he was looking another bakery a female vendor came to him 

"do you need more bread? we already have them ready young master-nim"

Cale smiled, he liked this kind of vendor. so Cale toss her 3 gold coins. sure it's nice to be rich. and Cale took another of the bread with a bigger sack than before. 

When he left he stopped at the entrance of the slums, he didn't think that it will be so much hardwork! his arms and shoulder is starting to hurt from how heavy the bread is, and now he had to climb to reach the man eating tree? 

Cale put on his hood and pick up his pace to climb.

"just get this over with, fast"

Cale step into the fence that was separating the man eating tree and the slums when he heard a voice from behind

"D-don't approach that tree!"

"you will die!"

thump

A loud thump coming from him- no, from his chest. it was so loud that he thought he would vomit out his heart and see it with his own eyes how his heart beat. his head started to hurt again, and same pain rushed to his body, he cor some reason knew his eyes just turned deep again. 

he closed his eyes and saw a fur covered his eyes, red orange fur , silver fur and black scale? it didn't last long before he snap out of it and he turned his head. there was no one until he look down. it was a boy and a girl in a shabby clothes, their eyes was full of wariness but a hint of worries. 

so he open one of the sack and pulled out 2 bread handed it to them. 

"take it"

the girl with silver hair hesitate, look to what it seems to be his younger brother and warily took the bread from the red haired youth.

"t-thank you"

Cale turned back and just when he was about to leave a hand grab the hem of his cloak, Cale turned and look at the silver haired girl that grab him

"d-don't, you will die"

Cale took the hand that was grabbing him slowly and let it go.

"don't worry, i won't die"

Cale then continue to walk leaving the siblings behind.

the ground was black, the tree was black , and the leaves is dried black, there is not a single spot that is not black. 'what is this? it doesn't seem to be burnt by fire'

Cale took a step closer to the hole where he saw in his mind. he took the bread and put it into the hole, one by one until he gets tired and just shove all of the bread from it's sack. he saw how the hole was turning gray before it turned white

- it's so delicious 

'hmm? another god? i don't think so. i have a feelings it's not'

- the bread is so fluffy and the texture just sits right in your mouth! it's better than eating dirt until i die! 

"hmm?"

- Thank you for the meal, this is a gift for you

Cale saw a silver light coming out of the white hole and rushing to his heart. a light envelope him and a burning hot sensation could be felt in his chest where his heart lies. he take a look and saw that there was a silver shield tattoo with wings on his chest. 

' is giving people tattoos without their consent a thing?'

he had the red crest on his collarbone before and now he had a silver shield as a tattoo too.

- i will protect you from any harm, and i will not back down until it's broken, my strength come from your heart, as long as your heart is beating my priority will be protecting you.

then a silver shield with wings shot out in front of him.

"ho? not bad"

Cale grin, he thinks that this is not bad at all, now he have something that can be used as a protection and defence, he then tried to use the shield in a different was like making it smaller and bigger, he is very satisfied with the shield. 

Cale then walked out of the man eating tree fence and saw the siblings are gone, being replaced with 2 kitten. 

'hmm?'

Cale kneel down and look at the kitten in front of him

"do you have a place to stay?"

"...."

"do you want to come with me?"

"...."

"i know you can talk, come with me, and i'll give you food and a place to stay"

The kitten look at each other and the red kitten move forward 

"C-can i r-really come?"

Cale smiled, and reach his hand out

"yes"

both of the kitten then hesitantly walk onto Cale and stay at Cale's arm while Cale carried them. 

Cale really don't know what happened to him at that spur moment, he knew instantly that the Cats in front of him was the siblings that tried to stop him from entering the man eating tree, he knew not because the bread crumbs that was in the kitten's fur but before that he already seem to know that it was them.

he took him in maybe because he hated seeing kids getting starved as it was painful, even though Cale is rich and can buy food anytime but because of his neglecting was so bad that sometimes he would starve for 2 days with no one to check on him. 

'yes.. let's just say that's the reason'

a/n : Hmm... i'm keeping how the glutton priestess one sided conversation with Cale short as the reader-nim probably already get the idea what's going on from the original story. 

but anyway i hope you get what i mean, as i keep some of the context vague on purpose. 

and thank you for reading. look forward to it!