Chapter 74 - The Unusual Feeling Of Someone Caring

>>Adam

Days? I was asleep for days!

I had no idea!

This was bad.

“I have to go back.” I told Esra while we stood outside her tree palace.

“Why?” I couldn’t understand, “You almost died there.” She was trying to stop me from going back.

Why?

“Yeah but that’s where I live. I know living in a weak pack is nothing to be proud of but my family is there and I’m supposed to be the next leader. I can’t just disappear.” I don’t really care much about my family but important people live there.

“You would have been dead anyway if you didn’t reach the forest so just stay.” I get her point but still, the chance to live was already granted to me and that means I haven’t been released from my responsibilities.

“I can’t.” I shook my head, “You don’t understand. If I disappear the whole pack is in danger.”

“Why?” I couldn’t understand why she would stop me. Was she worried about me? That’s not possible. We just met.

“Because I’m the only heir. My presence ensures that at the very least we have hope.” I fought the rogues off like crazy but if they find out I’m no longer there I’ll be assumed dead. Without a proper leader the pack will be done for.

“But look at yourself! Look how many scars you have.” She seemed a little angry for some reason. Although that didn’t make me upset at all. It actually felt nice, it really felt like she cared. This was new.

“Look.” I sighed, “I don’t need you to pity me. I’m very thankful to you for saving my life but I need to go back and show my pack I’m alive.” Right. They need me. I have to go back.

“Well go ahead.” She folded her arms and I was about to turn when I realized something.

“...” I have no idea where I am or where to go.

“Why aren’t you going?” She asked with a teasing tone.

“How am I supposed to?”

“Like how you came here.” A grin spread across her face. She was clearly teasing me!

“I don’t even know that! I was barely conscious.”

“Well figure it out yourself.” She turned to leave leaving me there in awe, “You’re the one who wants to leave so badly.”

Is she really just going to leave like that? I ran up to her and held her hand,“Esra please. I have to go. My pack is weak, they need me. Please.”

These words were scribbled in my mind and somehow would never leave.

She sighed,“What are you defending against?”

“Rogues.”

“Rogues?”

“Werewolves that don’t have any place to call their own, they usually sabotage packs that are weak and can easily give up their resources.”

“And you’ve been fighting them?” There was some genuine concern in her eyes.

“If I don’t, we’ll end up just like them. We only have a few resources to begin with.” One can never know when they’ll be back, my father is no good so I have to be there, “I’m perfectly healthy now. I need some kind of a plan to help out my people,” I clasped her hand between both of mine, “Esra, put yourself in my position. I know you’d do the same thing.”

There was a short pause where she thought about my words.

“Fine.” She finally spoke, “I’m sure you know about the Dryad spirit right?”

“Yea.”

“They live in the biggest oak tree of the forest. I’ll take you to the one from which you came.” She pulled her hand away.

“Really? Thank you so much Esra!”

I happily followed her to the tree. I guess this one was the one I came from because there were many other oak trees, “You have to ask it to let you go back and it’ll open a portal for you.” She told me.

“Really? That’s all?”

“Hmm.”

I see, that’s not hard. I took a deep breath and let out the words, “Let me go back to the human world. Please.”

“Call it.” She said.

“Dryad of this oak tree, please.” There was silence for a few seconds, then the wind blew and the mist began to rise from the ground. A portal opened up to the human world . I could see the familiar forest on the other side. “It worked!” I can go back now. I looked at Esra happily and she told me to go, “I’ll see you again?”

“Like hell. You can’t just come in and out of the forest. Go. You need to be somewhere.”

“I’m going.Thank you Esra.” I gave her a smile but for some reason I suddenly felt like staying. I wondered why? I barely know her but… I gulped, she was really concerned about me.

I guess that made me happy.

I smiled and walked through the portal.

As I crossed over it closed up immediately. A strange sense of pressure filled me again now that I was back.

I looked back at the tree and then ran back to the pack. My house was the nearest one to the forest, so I went home first.

Dad was home, sitting in the lounge with many empty bottles of alcohol lying around the single seater couch he was on.

As soon as he sensed me he shot his head towards me. For a moment there was surprise on his face, then it was completely overwhelmed by anger.

“You!! He stood up with a half filled bottle in his hand and came towards me, “Where were you!!!” He screamed at me while I stood in my place, “Did you forget you have a responsibility!!”

The responsibility isn’t yet supposed to be mine, it’s yours but you don’t do anything so I have to. Over the years you just kept getting more and more neglective.

I said all that in my mind.

“I remember.” I didn’t fight with him. That would only make things worse.

“So where were you!!” He slammed the bottle on the chair’s wooden back, breaking the lower half, “Huh!?” The liquid spilled out of it, making a mess on the floor that dad completely ignored. He then threw the bottle at me but it hit my ear, wounding it along with scratching the skin around it, then it’s trajectory lowered and it fell to the ground shattering into pieces.

“I was unconscious for days.” I told him. I was never going to tell him I was in the magic realm.

“Do you think you have the luxury to be gone for days?!!” His voice was harsh like always.

“No…”

“If anything happens to anyone here it will be your fault. Just like how it was your fault that your mother died. Get it?” There was so much hate in his voice I felt guilty.

Mother died because of me, because ever since she gave birth to me she got weak and when she suddenly got sick I had no money to buy medicine for her.

“Yes…”

It’s my responsibility, so if I fail, of course it’s my fault.

***

Nathan stood in the back yard clutching his shorts, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. His gaze was glued to me as I walked in the empty plain.

As soon as I was a little far from the house he came running towards me while I sat down on the grass under the tree.

“Adam…” He hugged me from the side, wrapping his arms around my neck since he couldn't complete the loop around my shoulders, “Adam you’re hurt.” He touched my bleeding ear, “Did the Alpha do this?”

I sighed.

How I’m treated by my own father is common knowledge even to kids.

How upsetting.

I placed my hand on his head, “I’m fine.”

“B-but, you’re bleeding.” He took out his baby pink colored handkerchief and placed it on my ear, “It must hurt.” Tears fell down his cheeks and I smiled. Nathan is such an adorable kid.

“Were you waiting here for me?” He nodded, “You should go home, your mom will worry.”

“Dad came back today.” He sniffled, “So it’s okay.”

“I see.” I held the handkerchief over my ear and removed his hand, then brought him to sit on my lap.

“Adam.” He hugged my stomach, “You were gone for days.”

“Yea…” I wiped his tears away.

“I was so scared.”

I looked down at him, “Sorry.” I gently caressed his hair.

“Mom says if you disappear, we’ll be left with nothing.” He looked back up at me with his big round eyes streaming with tears again, “I don’t know what that means but I don’t want you gone Adam.”

I took a deep breath

So much burden, so much pressure.

I know why the people here see me as hope. Dad’s the worst Alpha one could have and he keeps getting worse.

“Did your mom tell you what we lost during the attack?” I asked as I wiped his tears again with my thumbs.

“We lost some chickens in the shed during the attack and a cow.” He told me.

Dammit… We have like three cows for the whole pack.

“Well, that was bound to happen.” I sighed, “But at least we managed to keep some safe.” I thought about it. We might be short on food this winter. Maybe we should hunt some rabbits and try raising them. They reproduce fast. It might be a good idea to not eat them immediately and raise them.

I buried my face in my hands in frustration, letting the handkerchief stay on my ear on its own. It was pretty much stuck there because of the blood since now the bleeding had stopped but the whole area felt odd. I wanted to wash it off but I was going to wait till dad went to sleep.

I let out a long sigh.

It feels like we’re living in the 17th century.

It was then I suddenly remembered something.

“Nathan?” I looked at him, “Many of us got injured when we were fighting. How are they?”

“Well~, no one died.” Oh Thank God… I thought we might have lost someone too since we killed a few of theirs , “But they all thought you died.”

“Well,” I slipped my hands under his arms and picked him up as I stood up myself, then I put him on the ground, “Tell them all I’m alive and healthy.” I looked down on the grass as I felt a weird pressure on my chest, “Tell them I’m not leaving them. It’s my job after all.”

My responsibility.

As I watched Nathan run towards the houses I turned my gaze towards the forest.

I wonder if I can visit Esra again.