Legainia

Chapter 9 - The Wolf Boy

The next morning, I woke up hearing an awful scream, and it awoke Taku as well. I glanced toward Shinobu, and saw her staring at a sleeping boy with what appeared to be dog ears and a tail, a distance away from us. Her face was pale, and she was motionless. She suddenly collapsed on the ground. "Sh-Shinobu!!! Pull yourself together!!! I shook her a couple times, and she regained consciousness. Her face was still pale, and she trembled. "Are you scared of dogs!?" I said. "D-Don't tell anyone....." she faintly whispered. Taku started laughing hard. "Quiet Taku, THIS IS SERIOUS!!!!!" I pushed him. "S-sorry!" he said, still giggling.

"When I was little," Shinobu started. "I befriended a stray dog. After a few months, it started acting differently, and more vicious. One day, it started chasing me, and I ran. I got tired, and started slowing down, and it attacked me.... It was a big dog, so...." Shinobu started crying. She showed me her scars that I had always wondered about. "So, that's what happened....." I was shocked. "I'm sorry, Shinobu!" I embraced her. That must be why she overreacted with the wolf.....

I went to check on the sleeping boy, and brought Shinobu and Taku with me. "He is a werewolf," Taku whispered. "Is he friendly?" I asked. "Possibly," Taku answered. I saw the boy's canine ears twitch. His eyes slowly opened. "He, he's awake!!!!!" Shinobu shrieked. The boy, still laying, looked straight at Shinobu. "Who are you?" he said. "I- my name's Shinobu..." Shinobu blushed. The boy sat up. "And you two?" he said, referring to Taku and me. Taku took over, "I am Prince Matsuo, Taku, and this is my maid Kimura, Natsu."

The wolf boy stood up, and began walking away. "Wait, you haven't told us your name!" Shinobu grabbed the boy's hand. The boy looked back with a confused look on his face. Shinobu blushed, and the wolf boy's face was red too. "...It's Hiro- Yokoyama, Hiro..." "Ahh, sorry....." Shinobu let go of his hand. "It's okay," Hiro said before he continued walking. "Wait, Hiro-san," Taku said. Hiro stopped. "Would you like to join us?" Taku asked as he walked up to Hiro and gave him a scroll containing the king's message. Hiro read it. "The king, huh?" Hiro said. Taku nodded. "I guess I have no choice... I suppose I would be happy to fight for Legainia. It is my home, after all." Hiro gave the scroll back to Taku, and Taku placed it in his bag.

The wolf boy explained it was a full moon tonight, so the reason he has wolf ears and a tail, is because he is in the middle of transformation. He said that tonight, he would be a werewolf, but tomorrow, he would transform back to a boy. He said it happened every month, on a full moon. He also explained he was a halfling, and his father was a pureblood werewolf. As he said this Shinobu appeared to be enjoying listening to him. I think she wasn't scared of him at all anymore.

When night came, Hiro transformed into a werewolf, just like he said. Basically, he looked like a humanoid wolf, standing on his hind legs. His body was covered in fur, but the shape of his body did not dramatically change. His hands became paws, completed with claws. When Shinobu first saw his werewolf form, she was a bit startled, but she eventually got used to it. Shinobu talked to Hiro the most, and they seemed to get along very well together. I was so surprised she wasn't afraid if him, because she feared dogs most of her life..... She must really like him...