Page 19 of A Soul to Embrace

“Come to apologise, have you?” he sneered mockingly. He shooed her by waving a single hand dismissively. “I have no interest in pointlessness. I’m no longer willing to be your little pet.”

With a gentle growl, she reached out quicker than he could dodge her. Gripping one of his horns, she yanked him across the ground on his back as she walked away from the clearing.

Rolling his eyes as he was dragged away, Jabez sighed.Guess I don’t have a say in the matter.

A malicious grin lifted into his features seconds later.

A pet I’ll be, then.

With a glow of teal flaming at the edges of her clear vision, NoName blocked the entrance to her home with her back.

The area was small, but she didn’t mind. She only ever came in here to hide and sleep. Although her antlers occasionally became tangled with the roots in the ceiling, she’d carved herself out enough room to be comfortable some time ago.

It was her home, and a place where she felt safest.

She often travelled among the forest of her territory, unsure and not ready to further explore. Beyond her territory werehumans, as she’d learned what the furless creatures were called, and she preferred to avoid them.

Despite already learning that some humans were unkind, most had smelt of fear and ran from her presence. Even though her intelligence had been low, she’d already summarised she was a frightening and horrible being who madeallcreatures wary, even those with sharp fangs.

She was unwelcome.

NoName lacked the words to articulate what she wanted. Her mind was empty except for flashes of images, the echoes of scents, and the emotional changes she experienced – like her chest aching, or her stomach twisting.

And, up until the night before, her mind had felt spacious and grainy. Now, it swirled with an overload of information she couldn’t fathom, and yet was strengthened by it. It felt right, like she’d merely been sleeping all this time and had fully awoken from a distant haze.

NoName chittered grumbles to herself, upset that the sleeping male before her showed her this. The edges of her sight flickered with orange due to this gross, yucky emotion in her chest, one that radiated with a burning sensation. She didn’t like the way her actions had caused so much death, and she wished she could take it back. She also hated how she was thankful for these changes, as she felt more in tune with herself physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually.

NoName didn’t want to be a malicious being. From the moment she found an injured animal and healed it because she had this desire tosaveit, her anger and hunger gave way to compassion. She’d heard its cries, understood its pain, and wanted to take that away – not knowing she would be forced to bear the creature’s wounds.

Since she had this power, she thought this might have been her purpose: to heal.

She had no idea who she was, what she was, where she was, or what she was meant to be doing. She grasped onto the first thing that gave her meaning other than being a destroyer and clung to it fervently.

She wanted to protect. She also didn’t want to be... alone.

Confused, she constantly sought guidance. Yet, she’d been rejected by the humans, other furry creatures, by prey and predator alike. No one wanted her.

Having met someone she thought may be of her own kind over a moon cycle ago, it deepened her desire to learn and understand. How did that male come to be in her territory or how did he even come toexist?Why was hishumancompanion willing to go to him, but refused to remain with NoName? Why was she not better and safer when she had healing hands?

So many questions, and no answers to be found in the dirt she often scratched at.

She wondered if this strange male creature may be of help.

Despite her anger towards him, and how she wished to bash his head in with a single slam for inciting violence within her, he had been calm.

He hadn’t run away from her at the first chance he’d gotten, nor had he smelt of fear. Already he guided her into understanding a few needs, such as producing a foul-scented liquid from some kind of strange, dangling thing between his legs. He also showed her that he needed to consume liquid,whereas she did not, and that he required sustenance, which meant at times he hunted and killed creatures, even if she didn’t like that.

She’d try to change that about him.

If she did not need to eat, and could, mostly, withstand her hunger, then he could do so as well.

As much as NoName wanted to chase him off her territory for making her harm others, his cruel actions in that large human dwelling place had showed her one thing: he knew her kind.

He knew eating humans increased her weight and intelligence when she hadn’t. At least once she’d calmed down, she assumed he did. Why else would he have led her there to cause destruction? From what she could tell, he hadn’t partaken in bloodshed.

Then again, it was hard to truly remember what had happened.

Her gaze swept over him as he lay before her. Even though he faced her, the large brown cloth he was wrapped in covered him from head to ankle. The hood of it rested over his face to hide it, and she could barely peek at the corner of his mouth and his chin.

---