Chapter 125 - Burial
Chapter 125 – Burial
"Come here."
I smiled weakly, extending my arm to the cub entrusted to me. It was still whimpering and sauntered towards me. I lifted him up and hugged him. It was small and fluffy, so I stroked it gently while gazing at his mother.
"Ivo, is it possible to bury her?" I looked back, setting my eyes to Ivo, who kept his distance from me. I already felt their presence previously, but they didn't approach me. This was what I admired about Ivo. He knew when and when not to give a person some space.
"With how huge it is, that will be hard." My eyes softened with bitterness, only to raise it at his next words. "Werewolves and Bears don't get along, but since she is your friend and you're not a werewolf. How can we not carry out a proper burial for our luna's dear friend?"
"Ivo…"
Ivo sported a kind smile while nodding. "I knew you will make such a request, so I asked Cyran to call for help."
"Thank you." I smiled, almost on the verge of tears, as I gazed down at the cub. "We will bury your mother properly, hmm? So we can visit her from time to time."
The cub nuzzled its nose against my sleeve before licking it gently. My eyes softened while stroking it. He just lost his mother, and I felt bad for him. I wanted to take care of him.
*****
Shortly after, Cyran and Kieran returned with Hugo, Winter, Tito, Edge, and Nathan. They brought some shovels with them, but the expression on their face when they saw the bear was… hard to point out exactly. It was a mix of aghast and daze, in disbelief at what they were seeing.
When they recovered, Hugo's eyes fell on me and then at the cub I was hugging. The cub squeezed himself to me, letting out a low snarl under Hugo's gaze.
"You're scaring him, Hugh," I said, catching his attention as he looked up into my eyes. "He's just a child. Don't scare him like that."
"Luna, what do you mean he's just a child? That child can injure a grown werewolf in a battle!" Mitch, who was still alive after his hellish training, gasped in disbelief. "That thing is dangerous! It's a child now, but once it's big enough, just like that carcass behind you, he will bite your head off!"
grrr…
"See! He's glaring daggers at me!" he pointed at the cub while sporting a dismal look.
"Luna, Mitch's words are put together rudely, but he has a point." This time, Nathan chimed in worriedly. "That cub is a child now, but bears cannot be tamed and are not pet to take home. Once it grows bigger, he can wreak havoc and endanger untrained wolves."
"I disagree. Since werewolves and Bears can't co-exist, we don't have enough study if we can tame one. We only encountered those adult bears, but not a child, for they were heavily protected." Winter rubbed his chin while studying the cub in my arms.
"It's so adorable…" Meanwhile, Tito was surely on a different page as he smiled at the cub, but he still looked scary.
"He will bite our luna's head off… I can't fight a bear all alone… I'm scared…" As usual, Edge was just mumbling on the corner and everyone ignored him. Mitch also ignored him and only scrunched his nose up, gazing at Edge in disdain. That was quite a surprising development.
I frowned while gazing at everyone. My eyes then settled on Hugo, who kept quiet and was just staring at me.
"I didn't want to take this child as a pet," I said, noticing that the cub looked up at me. I smiled at him reassuringly.
"He is someone else's son. How can I treat him and consider him like an animal? His mother's last wish was for me to take care of her child. She entrusts him to me, so… I want to keep my promise to her." I voiced out while keeping my eye contact with Hugo. "Please, Hugh. They are not bad people. I know the history of why you are hostile towards them, but they don't mean harm. They just want to reunite with their family."
Hugo furrowed his brows, just like the rest, who sported a confused look. I pressed my lips, gazing down at the cub, who told me that bears didn't mean harm. I was simply relaying his message.
"I will take full responsibility if he caused you trouble." This time, my resolve was solid and unbreakable. Even if Hugo refused, I was prepared to be stubborn until he agree. To my surprise, Hugo let out a deep exhale and run his hand through his hair.
"Dig a hole and make a burial mound for that bear. I'll figure what to do with that cub and Rinnie," he ordered, motioning the pack to go.
"Yes, Alpha Hugo."
With that being said, Hugo, Ivo, Edge, and I were left standing in the same spot. Hugo sauntered towards me, slowing down when I was at arm's length.
"That's my fiance," I said, patting the cub's head while smiling. "You don't need to be hostile to him. His name is Hugo, not Abner."
When I looked up, Hugo had this daze expression. "Rinrin, how did you know Abner?"
My brows rose, shifting my eyes to Ivo, who was just right behind Hugo. The latter raised his hand and immediately defended, "not me!"
"I don't know Abner." I shook my head before lifting my arms slightly. "The cub just asked if your name is Abner, and I corrected him."
"What?" Ivo and Hugo asked in unison. Not just them, but everyone who was around while digging a hole also set their dilated eyes on me.
"Did I say something wrong?" I asked, blinking cluelessly. Just then, I looked down at the cub before nodding in understanding.
"Abner is a bad person, huh?" I looked up at Hugo once again with the same clueless expression. "He said the bears want to settle a score with Abner. If you give his head to Bowie, they will negotiate with the werewolves."
"…."