Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 33: The Talk (Wolf Edition)
Two days later.
Lord Rurik Jaeger sat in his massive leather chair, looking down at his son.
Vali sat on a stool, his feet dangling, looking defiant. He was clutching a squeaky toy that looked suspiciously like a carrot.
"Vali," Rurik rumbled, his voice deep and serious. "We need to discuss... yesterday."
Vali hugged the carrot toy tighter. "I was helping! Prim said we needed to organize the boxes!"
"Balthazar reported that you were supposed to be helping Lady Primrose with the Festival decorations," Rurik sighed, rubbing his temples. "Instead, he found you trying to stuff Clover into a crate of streamers. Why?"
"To keep her," Vali stated simply. "The Festival is big. Too many people. I needed to put her in a safe box. Like a bone."
Rurik closed his eyes. It was pure, unfiltered wolf instinct. Find precious thing. Hide precious thing. Growl at anyone who comes near.
"Vali," Rurik said, leaning forward. "You cannot... hoard the bunny. Clover is a person. She is not a decoration. And she is a Prey species. Do you know what happens when a Wolf tries to pack a Bunny into a dark crate?"
"We play?" Vali guessed.
"She faints," Rurik corrected. "She thinks you are going to eat her for a festival snack."
"I wouldn’t!" Vali looked offended. "I promised Prim! No eating friends!"
"Then you must stop... looming," Rurik said. "And you must stop trying to Mark her."
Vali’s ears flattened. "But she smells like flowers. If I don’t lick her, how will the other wolves know she’s mine?"
Rurik froze. There it was. The "M" word.
"She is not yours, Vali," Rurik said firmly. "You are five years old. You do not have a mate. You have a... playdate."
"What’s the difference?"
"About twenty years and a dowry," Rurik grunted. "Listen to me. Wolves are... intense. We scare people. If you want Clover to like you, you cannot just grab her. You have to be..."
Rurik struggled with the word.
"...Gentle."
Vali tilted his head. "Gentle? Like... how you are with Prim?"
Rurik choked. "I—I am very gentle with Primrose!"
"You tried to lick her neck and she ran away," Vali pointed out mercilessly. "And then you brought her a dead pig. Prim screamed."
"It was a Boar!" Rurik roared, defending his honor. "It was a high-value offering!"
"Jasper says you have zero game," Vali said, parroting the snake cub. "He says you rely on ’brute force intimidation tactics’."
Rurik stood up, outraged. "That Snake-brat said that? I’ll turn him into a belt!"
"See?" Vali pointed a claw at his dad. "Not gentle."
Rurik stopped. He looked at his tiny, white-haired son, who was basically a mirror image of his own aggressive, clumsy heart.
He sighed, deflating.
"We are wolves, Vali," Rurik said quietly. "We are not good at ’gentle.’ But... for them... we have to try. Or they will run away."
Vali looked down at his carrot toy. He squeezed it. Squeak.
"So..." Vali whispered. "No biting?"
"No biting," Rurik agreed.
"No putting her in boxes?"
"No boxes."
"Can I still growl at people who are mean to her?"
Rurik smirked, a flash of pride crossing his face. "Yes. That is permitted. That is protection."
Vali nodded, hopping off the stool. "Okay. I will go practice ’Gentle’."
He marched toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Rurik asked.
"To find Clover," Vali yelled, breaking into a run. "I’m gonna give her a rock! Gently!"
Rurik watched him go. He rubbed his jaw, thinking of a certain silver-haired fox.
Gentle, he thought. Maybe I should try flowers next time. Instead of organ meat.
He stood up. He had a florist to intimidate.
The Jaeger carriage rumbled through the streets of the Merchant District. It was a massive, black, armored vehicle that looked like it was designed to drive through a wall rather than visit a playdate.
Inside, Balthazar sat stiffly, brushing lint off his pristine black uniform. Beside him, Vali was vibrating so hard he was blurring.
"Young Master," Balthazar sighed, his grey ears twitching. "Please cease the oscillation. You are wrinkling your tunic."
"I need a rock!" Vali barked, pressing his face against the glass. "Dad said ’Gentle.’ Dad said ’Gifts.’ But flowers die. Rocks are forever!"
"We have diamonds in the vault, Master Vali," Balthazar pointed out. "Shiny rocks."
"No!" Vali scoffed. "Those are cold. I need a sun-rock. One that stays warm."
Suddenly, Vali gasped. "STOP THE CARRIAGE!"
The driver, terrified of the Demon Cub, slammed on the brakes.
Vali scrambled out before the wheels stopped turning. He ran to a patch of dirt near a fountain, dug furiously for three seconds, and emerged holding a smooth, grey river stone.
"Found it!" Vali cheered, holding it up like a trophy. "It’s round! It fits in a pocket! It’s tactical!"
Balthazar stepped out, adjusted his monocle, and looked at the dirty rock. "It is... very aerodynamic, sir."
"To the Bunny House!" Vali commanded, jumping back into the carriage.
---
Luna’s family home was very different from the Jaeger fortress. It was painted in soft pastels, had flower boxes in every window, and smelled like baking bread.
Balthazar knocked on the door. He looked like a storm cloud visiting a candy shop.
The door creaked open. Luna peeked out, her ears trembling. When she saw the massive Wolf Butler and the grinning Demon Cub, she looked ready to bolt.
"Good afternoon," Balthazar intoned, bowing perfectly. "Master Vali wishes to pay his respects to Miss Clover. We come in peace. And we have eaten lunch recently, so we are not hungry."
Luna blinked. "Oh. Um. Come in?"
Vali didn’t wait. He marched inside. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
Clover was sitting on a rug in the parlor, sorting colorful buttons. When she saw Vali, she froze. Her instincts said RUN, but her brain said Friend.
She clutched a large blue button like a shield. "Hi, Vali."
Vali stopped. He remembered his dad’s lecture.
No lunging. No biting. No boxes.
He took a deep breath. He walked forward slowly. Left. Right. Left. Right. He tried to keep his tail from wagging (it failed; his tail was going 100mph).
He stopped in front of her.
"Clover," Vali said, his voice unusually serious.
"Vali?" she squeaked.
Vali reached into his pocket. He pulled out the grey river stone. It was still warm from his hand.
"Here," he said.
He didn’t throw it. He didn’t drop it. He held it out on his open palm, waiting.
Clover looked at the rock. She looked at Vali’s hopeful, pink eyes.
She slowly reached out and took the rock. "It’s... heavy."
"It’s a tactical rock," Vali explained proudly. "If a bad guy tries to take your carrots... bonk." He mimed a hitting motion. "It fits in your backpack."
Clover’s eyes widened. She hugged the rock to her chest. "A safety rock? For me?"
"Yeah," Vali nodded. "Because you’re small. And you don’t have teeth."
"I have teeth!" Clover insisted, showing her tiny bunny teeth.
"Not real teeth," Vali dismissed. "You need backup."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"The Festival is coming," Vali whispered. "It’s gonna be loud. Lots of people. Prim said there will be fireworks."
Clover shivered. "I don’t like loud noises."
"I know," Vali said. He puffed out his chest. "So... I will walk next to you. I won’t put you in a box. I will just... growl at the loud things until they go away."
Balthazar, watching from the doorway, felt a strange sensation in his chest. Is this... pride? The Demon Cub is actually... negotiating?
Clover looked at the Wolf Cub. He was scary. He was loud. He smelled like dirt and dog.
But he gave her a rock.
"Okay," Clover smiled, tucking the rock into her pocket. "You can walk with me. But you have to hold hands so you don’t get lost."
Vali scoffed. "I don’t get lost! I’m a hunter!"
Clover held out her hand.
Vali looked at it. He looked at Balthazar (who gave a subtle nod).
Vali sighed, the long-suffering sigh of a warrior making a sacrifice. He grabbed Clover’s hand.
"Fine," Vali grumbled. "But if anyone asks, I’m capturing you."
"Okay," Clover giggled.
As they sat down to play with the buttons, Balthazar stepped outside to give the Marquis a status report.
It was successful my lord, though... We may need to buy a tuxedo for the Festival.
