✔ The Hunters | Garou

TENTH HUNT

MOONLIT WOLVES

"He had the awkward tenderness of someone who has never been loved and is forced to improvise." 

- Isabel Allende

"Hey, grandpa!" I called as soon as I stepped into the dojo up on the hill.

"Oh, Tenrou!" he exclaimed, slowly standing up straight from being bent over wiping the floors.

"Why are you cleaning? Where is Charanko?" I asked, looking around as I walked towards him.

Grandpa had many students learning Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist under him until one of his students, his former number one disciple, went rogue and beat everyone up. Ever since then, grandpa has had no students but one named Charanko, who was not really that good.

"I kicked him out." said grandpa, sighing as he put his hand on his back and stretched backwards a little.

I blinked in surprise. "Kicked him out?! Why? He was your only disciple." I replied as I took the cloth from grandpa and dipped it in the bucket.

Grandpa snatched the cloth from my hands, threw it in the bucket, which he took as he started walking away.

"Grandpa, let me clean." I said, now jogging up to him, trying to get my hands on the bucket. But he masterfully and repeatedly swung it away from my hands.

"I've already finished cleaning, child." he said, sighing, "Be quiet and come with me. I'll give you some tea and snacks."

I smiled with childish glee and cheered, making my grandpa smile a little.

He dumped the water to the plants in the garden and then both of us sat there with our tea and snacks. We were sitting in unusual silence, which I thought was strange, since grandpa was always quite talkative with me.

"Grandpa, what happened? You look so serious." I asked.

He sighed again, "You asked me why I expelled Charanko."

"Yes."

"I did it because I have very important work to do." Grandpa took a solemn sip of the green tea. He looked at me and saw that my face had such a curious look that he could not resist.

"Do you remember one of my disciples who went on a rampage last year?" he asked, looking up at the puffy white clouds with a distant look in his aged eyes.

My eyes narrowed. "That monster, you mean?"

Grandpa sighed again, voice trembling slightly, "I wish he would not call himself that." But recollecting himself, he said, "He was sent to prison for hunting dojos, and has lately been let loose and is roaming the streets, hero hunting, as we speak, and I need to catch him. There's something I must do, as his teacher."

Hero hunting, huh? I gulped.

"You never told me who this person is." I said, taking a long, drawn sip of the tea.

"Because it doesn't have anything to do with you, little one."

My brows furrowed. "You always say that!" I said, anger now apparent in my voice, "When that monster went on a rampage, I knew how much it hurt you. And ever since then, I have made it my mission to avenge you and defeat this monster who hurt you! I want to help you but you won't tell me who this monster is and what he looks like."