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Chapter 3

The journey back home was burdensome for Lilac. While some of the meats had been given to Ifrit to hold, her head was full of thoughts of everything she had led to believe. Now, with the wolf's actions and what he had gained back in the small village she doubted it more. She sometimes changed her vision to see the horned wolf, sometimes watching his red eyes and his horns, worrying on what she felt was true about Ifrit. The wolf seemed too nice to her to doubt. He also gained the attention of the villagers while most of them didn't feel pleasant near Lilac. She was thought as a monster, slowly losing her control over the inner beast, and one night would feast on the humans....

"No, those are horrible thoughts, Lilac," she thought while waving her head. "Don't be scared with the transformation. Fear is the one opening the locks to the door of the beast. That's what the old man said."

"Lilac, is there something wrong?"

Ifrit's question jerked her out of her thoughts. She was out of her usual composure for a moment, but she cleared her throat and said, "Yes, uh, no. I'm just thinking too much."

"(Weirdo)," murmured Ifrit.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing! I...uh, think about what to eat tonight."

"That broken English is what I need to get out from the mess I made," thought Lilac with a sigh. "He has never seen me in my wolf form, though. I don't know what his reaction with my form is. I do believe he will not be happy to see a young lady becoming a vicious wolf since he's not that vicious to me."

As they reached the small wooden home the day had become night. It had been some days since she saw the full moon, but she knew very well a full moon phase wasn't that close. She had experienced Lycan form many times before so she knew the moon wasn't full that night. She was relieved to that, but then, she was curious on why Ifrit chose to be in his wolf form and the reason on why he lost his memories. These thoughts burdened her to the point that she forgot she was in front of the door of her house. It was night already and the place was very dark. She wondered how long had she been in the market.

As Lilac opened her doors, she wanted to light the candles as they had burnt out. She still had some of the supplies at the back of her house. As she walked, she said, "Ifrit, help me relight some of the kitchen candles. They're still new."

As Ifrit nodded, she left the wolf to his works.

Ifrit then stood there, watching the candles.

"(I really want to breathe to the candles, but I don't want to mess up with her house)," thought Ifrit. "(Apparently she hasn't known my real race yet. Let's just make a small breeze)."

The hellhound wasn't sure if the house wouldn't burn because of his fire power, but he made a sigh when the candles lit up and he made a grin to himself on the success. He proceeded to use the technique to some candles in the home, all without Lilac knowing on how he did it. Ifrit had just finished lighting the fireplace when Lilac returning from the storage with new candles.

"Oh, wow, I thought I needed newer candles for the dining room, but you did a fine job telling me about how they are still lit. So, can you do me another favor?"

"Yes?"

"It seems that the firewood for this fireplace is not enough through the night. Can you take some? Maybe three to four logs are enough for the night. Oh, and help me close some windows. I don't want any weird animals getting into the house while we're sleeping."

"I will try."

Ifrit walked to the first window closest to him, closing the wooden panel and effectively reducing the amount of light. Yet, before he was able to completely close it, he saw flickers in the distance. He didn't start any fire back there, so it gave him a reason to be curious. As he walked outside he remembered the logs and found a pile of it, but his nose caught something.

"(This doesn't smell good)," he thought. He tried to ignore it, but he couldn't, knowing that the smell was of a hellish smell. He thought that was him pissing on the back near the forest but of course, being a hellhound enhanced his olfactory senses and after putting the log pile, he went to investigate. As he had bad eyesight at night, seeing things in the dark was like seeing a dark void, especially in a place without lights. He relied on his hearing and smelling to find the way, getting deeper into the forest as the result.

Meanwhile, Lilac had just finished cutting the meat with a strong cleave (based on a Lycan's doubled power under clear moonlight) and wanted to check on Ifrit when she didn't find any trace on the humanoid wolf. She was confused as why Ifrit wanted to leave the log pile at the terrace facing the forest. Based on her own heightened scent, Ifrit was walking into the forest.

"I wonder what that wolf is doing in the forest in the middle of the night," thought Lilac. "I don't know he has that good eyesight at night. I should wait for him...."

Suddenly Lilac was surprised and she almost tripped on her long skirt when a blast of fire erupted in the middle of the darkened forest. At first she thought Ifrit was caught in it and she gasped when she saw he went out from the forest unscathed, yet a little scorched by the flame.

"Ifrit, what is going on?!"

"Go! Run!"

Lilac didn't have time to even think more about the explosion when she instinctively took a bag and started to put dried food and small supplies with it. Because of her heightened senses she could sense building heat near Ifrit which she wasn't sure if it rivaled the forest fire or not. She momentarily stopped from her escape attempt to check on Ifrit when both her concern and curiousity took the best of her safety.

When Lilac turned her head she was almost hit by a flying blazing rock that started to burn her wooden house. In panic the Lycan tried to douse the flame but she knew Ifrit was inside as the fire engulfed them. From there she realized her suspicions were correct.

"Invulnerability to fire, having demonic appearance, and a canine," thought Lilac with a gasp. "I can't believe it. For all this time, I've been living with a hellhound. Why am I such a fool of not knowing this sooner? Is he deceiving me?"

Ifrit saw Lilac was staring blankly, but he saw that she was staring at him. He realized his real race was known, but it was too late to try to conceal the fact as he was standing in the middle of a blazing house being cornered by two hellhounds trying to kill him.

"(Heh, what a dick)," said one of them. "(What a prince! He must've been running scared by now!)

"(I won't just run away after you fucked up my house, assholes!)" shouted Ifrit back. "(who are you two? What do you mean by prince? There's no royal house member here.)"

"(He doesn't know anything)," whispered one of them to his friends. "(Maybe it's better if we...)" Ifrit, in a quick speed, ran towards them and grabbed one of them with his clawed hand, pinning him down while the other was being kicked by Ifrit's back leg. His movements startled both of the hellhounds, but Ifrit took this chance by grabbing a metal poker and forcibly shove it through the brown hellhound's left eye, piercing through the socket and the skull, effectively killing the hellhound. He pulled the poker again and threw it to another hellhound when an explosion caused by the over-pressured heater covered Ifrit's escape, where he took Lilac with him.

Lilac saw in horror as the house she and her brother had been living for 9 years crumbled down under the night fire, where she didn't have time to even be sad about it. She managed to save a small painting of Hans with her, and she grabbed it tight in her back as she and the black hellhound ran away from the small village to the road.