WLWES 20

One cloudy morning, Gideon, Gale, Kenny, Atlas, and Rio went on an excursion with An. Gideon suggested the outing, saying there was a great place where An, who was always cooped up in a small room, could finally run around freely.

It had been a month since they started living together, and An had really taken a liking to Gideon. She used to only sleep next to Rio, but recently, she had curled up beside Gideon a few times. Perhaps that’s why Gideon had grown fond of her, too, and even felt a little sorry for her.

Though she was let loose in the castle courtyard once a day, Gideon often said, “I want to let her run around somewhere wider.” He truly was a kind person.

An had warmed up to Gideon, but she still hadn’t taken to Atlas, Roger, or Gale. However, she actually bared her teeth and growled at Kenny. Maybe she sensed that Rio didn’t like him and mirrored that attitude. But if that were true, Rio didn’t get along with Gale either, and yet An didn’t show hostility toward him. She didn’t warm up to him either, but at least she wasn’t openly hostile. Maybe she just genuinely disliked Kenny.

At the front of the group rode Atlas, followed by Gideon, Rio, Kenny, and Gale. The star of the day, An, was in Gideon’s arms.

Rio had learned how to ride after arriving at the castle, and now he could manage a gentle trot. However, carrying An while riding still made him nervous, so Gideon offered to hold her instead. This was possible only because An had grown attached to him.

Rio focused on Gideon’s back as he gripped the reins tightly. After about fifteen minutes of riding, they arrived at their destination, a clearing atop a gently sloping hill surrounded by trees. They dismounted and tied their horses to nearby trunks.

Rio took An from Gideon and gently set her down on the soft, grassy ground. She began to scratch at the earth with her front paws, sniffing the ground and looking up at Rio and Gideon in turn. Once both of them gave a nod, she let out a happy “Woof!” and took off running. She bounced across the clearing, chasing after butterflies.

Watching her, Rio couldn’t help but want to join in, but as he was about to run, Gideon grabbed his arm.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“This area is spacious and has a good view, but there’s a cliff just beyond the forest. You’re the reckless type, so be careful.”

“What?! I’m not reckless! I’ll be fine!”

“…Whatever. Just be careful.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Hearing the warning was somewhat insulting. I’m not an idiot. But it did make him happy that Gideon cared, so he’d be cautious. I’ll be fine anyway. I’ve only slipped and fallen off a cliff twice so far… wait, is that a lot? One time, during a sudden storm in the mountains, I lost my bearings and slipped. But I was okay. I used magic to save myself. And the other time… what was it again?

Rio paused, trying to recall. He was certain he had fallen twice but couldn’t remember the second time or the reasons for his falls.

“I wonder…” His mind felt foggy, making him feel uneasy.

As Rio tilted his head from side to side, trying to shake off the haziness, a bark rang out from below, “Woof!”

“An, you having fun? Alright, let’s race!”

Rio called out, and An bounced up, wagging her tail. The two of them took off running together.

While Rio and An were chasing each other around, Gideon, Gale, Kenny, and Atlas huddled over what looked like a map, deep in discussion. It seemed there was more to this trip than just letting An play. After a while, Kenny separated from the group.

As Rio watched the four out of the corner of his eye, still running after An, a single drop of rain finally fell from the heavy gray sky. He looked up, watching the clouds drift by, and thought they needed to find shelter.

Even though Rio could use magic, he couldn’t control the weather. That kind of power belonged to the gods, at least, that’s what someone from his village once said.

Remembering that, he turned his gaze back toward An. Rio called out, “An,” and turned his gaze but froze in fear. An was gone. He couldn’t see her. Just a moment ago, she had been right in front of him, playing with the swaying flowers.

“An! Where are you? It’s raining, come back!” Rio raised his voice and frantically searched behind bushes, rocks, and trees where she might be hiding.

Gideon and Atlas rushed over quickly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Did An run off somewhere?”

On the verge of tears, Rio turned to the two of them.

An was still young. Everything fascinated her. Maybe she had just wandered a little too far and would be back soon. That’s what I want to believe, but still… my chest feels like it’s about to collapse.

“It’s my fault… I wasn’t watching her properly… What if something happened to her?!”

“Rio, it’s alright. An loves you. She’ll come back,” Gideon said, placing a hand on his back.

“Yeah! I’ll go search that way!” Atlas exclaimed.

Gideon’s reassuring touch helped calm him a little. Without realizing it, his hands had started trembling.

I’m scared. I didn’t know I could be this scared… at the thought of losing An.

As Atlas ran off, Rio looked up at Gideon.

“You guys were in the middle of something, right? I’m sorry for interrupting. I’ll go check a bit farther out. You can get back to work.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m worried about An, too.”

“…Thanks. Okay, I’ll search on the right side. Can I leave the left side to you?”

“Got it.”

Rio nodded and took off running. From behind, he heard Gideon call out, “Be careful,” and nodded once more before disappearing into the forest.

“An! Where are you?! It’s raining, we need to go back! Come on out!”

He shouted, carefully checking every place she might be hiding, but there was no answer. No sign of her.

“An… where are you? There aren’t any monsters here, right? She didn’t get attacked or anything…?”

The terrifying thought tightened his chest.

If I were with her, I could protect her. I’d protect her from anything… So why did I look away? Stupid…

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. His heart ached with regret. Droplets slid down his cheeks; he didn’t know if they were from the rain or his tears. He wiped them away with his sleeve and took off again.

Just then, someone stepped in front of him. It was Kenny.

“Whoa!”

“Ah, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you,” Kenny said as he helped him up.

“You’re looking for An, right? I saw her running that way. I tried to chase her, but she was too fast.”

“What? Where?!”

“Come on, follow me.”

Kenny grabbed Rio’s arm and started walking briskly. Rio wanted to pull away but was too anxious about An to resist.

Thunder rumbled above, and heavy raindrops began to pour down. Within moments, they were drenched, but none of that mattered.

I need to find An quickly. She might be shivering in fear from the thunder… or cold and alone…

“Hey, where is she?”

“There, over there.”

Kenny came to a stop and pointed ahead.

Rio squinted through the rain, but everything was hazy. He couldn’t see anything.

“Where?”

“Look! You can make out her tail. She’s shivering.”

“An!”

Kenny let go of his arm.

Rio ran past him, heading toward where An was supposed to be. But she wasn’t there.

What? Did she move? Where did she go? Maybe she’s hiding? But if she saw me, she’d definitely come running. Which means… Kenny lied?

He spun around and glared at him.

“She’s not here. You lied to me.”

“I didn’t lie,” Kenny said with a smirk, lifting the bag he’d been holding.

Rio had been so focused on finding An that he hadn’t even noticed it.

Kenny opened the bag, and inside, curled up and soaking wet, was An.

“An! What the hell did you do?!”

“Relax. I’m not giving her back yet. Don’t worry, she’s just asleep.”

“Damn it, let her go!”

Rio lunged at Kenny, trying to grab the bag from him, but Kenny kicked him hard in the stomach. Rio crumpled to the ground, gasping for air. The blow knocked the wind out of him, and it felt like his insides were about to come up. His legs wouldn’t move. He couldn’t stand. He shook, but not from pain or even the cold. It was from rage.

What the hell is he doing? If he’s trying to mess with me, don’t drag An into it! I’ll never forgive anyone who hurts my family!

As Rio glared up, Kenny grinned in amusement.

“Wow… when you’re angry, your eyes darken. Pretty.”

“…Why are you doing this?”

“I just wanted to check something.”

“Check what?!”

“You’ll see. I’m about to test it now. Say, Rio, you know you’re standing near a cliff, right?”

“What…?”

“We climbed pretty high to get to this place. It’s a deadly drop, you know. No one would survive a fall.”

“…What…”

“Now, let’s see you try to save this mutt.”

“No, stop!”

A terrible feeling gripped him. No way… And in that instant, Kenny hurled the bag containing An.

It flew over Rio’s head and tumbled down the cliff.

Rio moved before he could even think. His body leaped forward on its own, chasing after the falling bag.