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Humans were cruel. They were selfish and treated anyone who couldn’t grant them favors like dirt. All they cared about was gaining power and wealth. Family and friends… they didn’t seem to have a use for them. If there wasn’t a price tag attached to it, it was worthless.
At least that was what Roldan had learned all those years ago. Even though this was his land, the humans who ever came across him treated him like he was some sort of monsters. That he was out to hurt them, kill them, eat them… It was barbaric. He had no interest in human flesh, even if they really were the same as animals to him. They looked too much like him, only three times smaller with less fur and no claws… He couldn’t eat them; it would just be eating a small version of himself and that didn’t sit right with him.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t kill them if they tried to attack him during the night. All he would be doing is walking around or hunting. But these selfish humans who had encroached on his territory would spot him and try to attack him. He had to fight back and would easily kill the would-be heroes of the human village. He preferred to just scare them off, but killing them sometimes was the only option.
For the most part though, he simply tried to avoid them. He didn’t want to deal with such selfish beings…
At least that was what he had told himself.
He had been hunting along when he heard soft sobbing in the distance. His curiosity had gotten the better of him and he followed the noise deep into the forest. The sobbing got louder and louder, and he could make it out to a female’s voice. A very young female.
He was not expecting to see a human child sitting on the ground with her face buried into her hands. A little girl, probably no older than ten, sat there on the forest floor, sobbing and shaking like a leaf. Her dress was tattered and dirty, her skin was covered in scratches and bruises, her curly blonde hair a mess. She was so thin and pale, as if she had been starved. Roldan didn’t know why she was like this, but he could only guess other humans did this to her. Her, who was only a child.
Humans really were the worst creatures alive.
Roldan glanced around. Now what was he supposed to do? Having been around these humans for a long time, he knew the language. He could speak to her if need be. But she was a child, who had no doubt been plagued with tales about how a monster like him would snatch her up and eat her if given the chance. If she saw him, she would scream. Maybe even faint.
But he couldn’t just leave her there… If he didn’t do anything, something else would come along. An animal who would make her into a meal. Or a human, maybe even the ones who had given her all the bruises in the first place. He couldn’t let that happen.
Quietly so she wouldn’t see him, he hid himself behind some of the thicker trees and foliage, keeping himself covered. The bushes rustled a little, making the poor girl jump and gasp. Her little head darted around, dark blue eyes wide and terrified, as she tried to figure out just what made that noise.
“Don’t be afraid, little one,” he said softly, making sure his voice wasn’t as hoarse or deep as it normally was. “I won’t hurt you.”
She didn’t say anything, though she did look in his direction. Still frightened, the little girl hugged herself tightly. It made sense though. A strange man was speaking to her, but she couldn’t see him. If he were in her shoes, he would probably also be just as terrified.
And now that he had gotten her attention, what was he supposed to do? A part of him wanted to take her back to his den, just to protect her from those who had hurt her. It must have been his parental instincts or something… He was nearly a hundred years older than her. And he had never had any children of his own, since most creatures like him tended to live alone. But even if he did want to do that, there was no way this child would go with him willingly. He wouldn’t force her either…
“I’m not going to hurt you, child,” he said, watching her hug herself again. “What… What is your name?”
“… L-L-L-L-Lucy…”
All right, at least she had given him her name… So she wasn’t completely terrified. For now anyway. If she saw him, the story might change. Just to be cautious though, he stayed behind the trees.
“Where is your family?”
“… D-Da-D-Daddy’s at home with Mi-M-M-Mi-Michael and Wa-W-W-Will.”
“And your mother?”
“… She d-d-di-di-died.”
Roldan could put two and two together. Or at least take a guess. Her mother must have passed away while giving birth to her. It was as if human women were so fragile when it came to childbirth… Perhaps they were doing it wrong. Surely whatever the so-called human doctors were doing was leading to more deaths than births.
And since her death, this child… Lucy was clearly being abused at home. He prayed by only the father, but maybe by these Michael and Will boys too, whoever they were. If the father would beat her, he didn’t doubt that those two other names would bully her too. Maybe to a lesser degree than her father, but she was still being harassed nonetheless.
She didn’t even have a mother to run to for protection. And her father seemed like a useless man if he beat his own child. Roldan pondered if he was a drunkard, but decided not to ask. She probably wouldn’t tell him regardless.
“… Why are you out here?”
“M-M-M-M-Michael and Wa-W-W-Will are… were fighting again,” she stuttered out, despite looking more relaxed. “A-And D-D-D-Daddy… D-Daddy got m-m-mad.” She paused for a moment before starting up again. “W-W-W-We all g-got hit.”
She must have had some sort of speech issue. She was stuttering and pausing a lot… No wonder her brothers – he was assuming they were her brothers – would bully her. And her father just seemed like a bitter, angry man. It was no place for a little girl like her. She needed to be with someone who would love her and care for her… maybe even help her overcome her little speech impediment.
Now he really didn’t want to let her go home. A young little girl like her? Defenseless and with a stutter? He feared the man who was supposed to love her and raise her would beat her to death one day. Why were humans so disgusting? Surely other people in her village knew about the abuse. The girl was covered in bruises and she was so pale and thin… You had to be blind to not see what she had to suffer through.
They probably saw her as just a problem. A problem that wasn’t theirs. And if she were to die at the hands of a bastard, they wouldn’t care. Why he was called a monster was beyond him. Especially when humans allowed things like this to happen.
“So you… ran away.”
“I-I always… g-g-go here w-w-whe-wh-when D-D-Da-D-Daddy gets mu-mu-m-mu-mad.”
“Does he get mad often?”
Even though she couldn’t see him, she still nodded. And the confirmation of her father’s frequent violence was enough for him to realize he couldn’t let her return to that house. Not in good conscience. And if she couldn’t live with him, he could find her another place. Somewhere where no one would hurt her.
“M-M-M-Mister?”
“Huh?”
“W-W-Wh-What’s y-your… your name?”
“Roldan.”
“M-M-Mister Ro-Rol-R-R-Roldan?” she said.
“Yes?”
“Wh-Wh-Why ar-ar-are you… are you here?”
“I heard you crying,” he answered gently. “I was worried and that was how I found you. I didn’t expect you to be so young, chi… Lucy.”
And he was still worried. Still worried about what would happen when she went back. What would he do? He didn’t want to meddle in human affairs, no, but this… He couldn’t stand knowing she was just a child and being abused like this. That wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Parents were supposed to love their children, nurture their children, care for their children until it was time for them to leave their home and find their own turf.
At least that was how it was for his kind. Why couldn’t it be the same for humans?
“I-I’m… I’m okay.”
“Then why are you so sad?”
She didn’t reply, not that he expected her to. How could she? No child wanted to be like this. Sad, beaten, and unloved. No child should have been like that.
“… Do you want to go back?”
Lucy bit her lip and looked behind her, probably to where her house was. Of course she didn’t want to. But it was all she knew. Where else could she go? Even if her family abused her, it was still her home. The only place she knew where she could go back.
“I can take you somewhere else,” he promised. “Away from here… If that’s what you want, little one.”
Her eyes widened, looking behind her again. He watched as she looked back and forth between the way she came and where he stood. Was she going home now? Had she heard something he hadn’t? That wasn’t possible. His sense were much stronger than hers-
Then she turned back to him and slowly rose to her feet before she walked towards where he stood.
Roldan tensed up when she came closer. To think he was afraid. Him, the supposed monster of the forest, terrified of a little girl seeing him. Terrified that his appearance would scare her away, that she would run back home, tell everyone she saw him, and then he would never see again. Because she would be too scared to come back out into the forest, knowing he was there.
And then she would stay at that house in her village and let her brothers bully her while her father beat her until the day she died or left the house on her own. Roldan knew that the former was more like to come long before the latter, too.
“Lucy, wait.”
She stopped in her tracks, just before she reached the bushes by the tree he was hiding behind. His heart beat wildly in his chest and he could feel his hands shake. He couldn’t scare her, he couldn’t scare her…
“You can’t…”
“C-C-Can’t?”
He couldn’t think of what to say next. His mind drew a blank and he could only watch in horror as Lucy continued forward, stepping into the bushes and standing right in front of him. She seemed confused for a moment, only able to see his leg. Then her eyes drifted up to his face, her dark blue eyes locking with his big bright yellow ones.
They only stared at each for a few moments. Roldan couldn’t bring himself to do anything. He just stared back, his heart ready to burst out of his chest at any moment. He was tense and tight, standing erect and towering above her. He thought it would be better if he spoke, but what was there to say?
Lucy slowly looked down at the ground. He thought maybe she was trying to think of what to say next and, hesitantly, he stretched out a hand to maybe comfort her.
But then she started to cry and his hand fell back to his side.
His heart sank. He felt his body grow heavy, as if he had been aged in a second. Of course this would happen… What had he been thinking? He couldn’t protect her. She would never accept a monster like him. Being with her family, no matter how disgusting they were, would always be better living with someone as grotesque looking as him.
It was a fool’s dream to think he could save her, to think that she could live with him. And it was stupid of him to think a child like her wouldn’t be scared.
Still, even when she turned away and ran back home, his hand had come back up. But he never tried to grab her, he only kept his hand stretched out with his voice hesitating to call out her name. To tell her to wait. To let him show her he wasn’t a monster.
But then she disappeared from sight and there was nothing he could do.
Even if it was in vein, Roldan came by that exact same spot every night for the past two weeks. And every night, he continued to tell himself that it was a waste of time. That she was just a human child and that he didn’t need to concern himself with her anymore. Besides, he never wanted to bother with human affairs in the first place. There was no need for him to get worked up over a human child who would rather be abused than live with someone who would never hurt her.
And yet, every night, he came back to that spot. Waiting for an hour, sometimes two, hoping that little Lucy would come out of the bushes and look for him. Ready and willing to go live with him and get away from her awful family.
He had to stop this. Coming out here every night was useless. He was never going to see her again unless he actively sought her out. And that would probably only terrify the girl even more. Roldan couldn’t do that to her. Not to a poor child who had already been through enough hell.
But just as he turned to leave, having been waiting around for an hour and a half, he heard a scream. Nothing blood curdling, but definitely one of fear. Pure terror.
It sounded just like Lucy.
Roldan didn’t even think about it. He just took off towards the voice, getting down on all fours and sprinting towards the screams. They were getting louder now, but shorter. And he could smell her… and two other scents. Much more foul, like a swamp. Nothing like how she had smell, sweet like daisies. Who was she with? Who was hurting her now?!
He skidded to a halt, still hidden behind the bushes, when he saw her in an open field. He could see her village in the distance, if those lights were anything to go by. She was on the ground, dirty and covering herself with her hands, crying and shrieking and trying to get away. His eyes locked on the two boys on top of her, hitting her and pulling at her hair.
The two looked to be around the same age. Young teenagers, fifteen at the oldest. And they looked just like Lucy with their blonde hair and blue eyes. Her brothers, Michael and Will, she had called them. And they were beating up some small and defenseless child, laughing at her. Telling her to cry more. To try speaking again. Their own sister. And then they continued to torment her whenever she started scream out in terror.
“Grab her hair!”
Roldan watched in horror as the other boy grabbed Lucy’s hair, pulling her up hard. She cried out in pain, her little hands coming up to try and push them off. But then his eyes fell to the right hand of one of the boys. A small rusty blade, probably stolen from someone while they weren’t looking. No way a human would sell these teenagers a knife–
“Let’s see how pretty you’ll be without all that hair!”
Lucy screamed again, tears pouring down her face as she tried to get away. Helplessly. Fruitlessly. With more bruises and scars on her pale, thin form.
Roldan couldn’t even comprehend what he had done at first. But a roar ripped through his throat as he charged out from the bushes. The boys let go of Lucy and the knife, screaming in terror as he came towards them. Lucy just froze up and stared at him, lying on the ground as he came over her protectively, like a mother protecting her cubs.
The boys fell back on their butts, screaming and scrambling to get away. They were just lucky that Roldan had come to his senses and remembered Lucy was right beneath him. Otherwise, he would have murdered them right then and there.
It only took another snarl for them to finally scramble to their feet and take off running, still screaming for their lives. They didn’t even seem to care that they had just left their little sister here with a monster. A monster who supposedly kill humans if it had the chance.
They were soon out of sight. Roldan forced himself to calm down, panting hard as his gaze fell down to the little girl beneath him. Lucy stared back up at him, tears still in her eyes with her bottom lip quivering. She was still so frightened, so terrified… Just like the time she had run away from him.
Why did he involve himself? She was just a little girl and he had just attacked two teenaged boys who were running back to their village and screaming bloody murder. No doubt they would have the entire village out hunting him now. And now he would never be able to see Lucy again. He wouldn’t be able to protect her the next time this happened…
He never should have gotten involved.
Roldan slowly crawled off of her, allowing the little girl to stand up on shaking legs. Tears were still pouring down her cheeks and she looked ready to collapse against at any moment. Now she was afraid of him for sure. He had really messed things up this time…
But before he could do away, the little girl suddenly ran to him. His eyes widened, stiffening up when she wrapped her little frail arms tightly around his huge arm. Her arms didn’t even come fully around, so her hands gripped his fur like a vice.
“I-I-I-!”
“Lucy?”
“I-I-I w-w-w-wanna g-go-! G-Go w-w-w-with you!” Her grip on him tightened, body still shaking with tears still trailing down her face. But she held onto him like a lifeline, not wanting or willing to let go any time soon.
It was all Roldan needed to hear. Probably more gently than he had ever in his life, he moved his hand and wrapped his fingers around her. She still shook, but she didn’t resist as he gently brought her up to his face and look her better in the eye.
“Are you sure?”
He just wanted to be certain. That it was what she really wanted. That after this, if she stayed with him, she probably wouldn’t ever be able to go back.
So when she touched his face and kissed his nose, he knew the child’s mind was made up.
It was better if they left this place. It was one thing to kill a man who had tried to hunt him down. But if the village believed he had killed a child? They would hunt him down without rest. He didn’t want Lucy to live of fear of being brought back to her village to have her brothers and father abuse her. And he didn’t want to be violent and kill in front of her. He wanted to protect her, not scar her for life.
Finding new land wouldn’t be hard. It would take time to mark new territory, but if it was for Lucy, it was worth it. He didn’t need his old land; those village bastards could have it. He never wanted to be near people like them again.
So with Lucy securely cupped against his chest, Roldan made his way back through the dark forest to begin the search for his new home. Their new home.
And neither of them ever looked back.