Chapter 53: work together
Today, I finished hunting for more food with Rei.
Rei is an amazing hunter. Despite her big size, she is faster and stronger than me. It's cute to see her wag her tail while dragging the animal she caught toward me excitedly.
I pat her head and she leans toward my hand every time I scratch her ears.
"Huh, this is cute." I smiled. It's calming to have an obedient and cute partner like this. It's less stressful and I'll be glad to protect her with all my strength.
We walked home together while dragging the hunted animal. Like before, I caught two hares while Rei is dragging a deer. It's enough food for three people. Rei eats a lot, so a deer for her alone is enough. While I and Akari can just eat this hare.
I snort when thinking of Akari. I might be cruel with how I treated her, but at least, I'm still showing her some kindness by giving her necessities like food, medical help, and clothes. 'This is tough love.'
Anyway, we don't hunt that far from the hunter's shack so, it doesn't take long for us to return to the shack.
We leave our prey outside the shack so as not to dirty the shack with the smell of raw meat and blood stains before walking inside.
What both I and Rei see when we enter the shack is Akari trying to unchain her leg. She looks shocked when she saw both me and Rei staring at her. Slowly, Akari let go of the chain on her leg and sit properly, not daring to look at me.
"How are you feeling?" I ignore her discomfort and walk toward her with the medication for her injuries.
"..." She looks downward, not showing her expression, but I can see her clenched palm.
Rei is also walking toward Akari much to her fear. She slowly scoots back toward the wall so she can stay a little farther than Rei.
"Seriously!!" I let out a heavy sigh while pushing my bang to the back of my head. I pull a wooden chair closer to the bed. I put the back of the chair to face her before I sit on it. Rei on the other hand also sits on all four in her wolf form while looking at me and Akari.
I rest my arms on the top rail of the chair before putting my face lazily on them. Then I look at Akari, "Look, my name is Ruby and my code name is Red. Does that ring a bell for you?" I stare at her face to see any changes in her expression when I introduced myself.
Akari still doesn't show any response.
"Oh for fuck sake..." I wail. "Why are you so hard to please..." I pinch her cheek and tug on it gently much to her shock.
Akari looked at me with her eyes wide, before glancing at my fingers.
"I saw you are injured that's why I help you..." I poke her cheek in dissatisfaction before taking back my hand. 'Her cheek is not chubby like Rei's wolf form.' So it's not fun to poke at it.
"I know that wound, you were bitten by another werewolf, right? And the werewolf is a royalty." I look at her to search for confirmation. 'I already knew the answer, I'm asking to start a conversation.'
Akari doesn't respond much to my annoyance. But it's normal to feel wary around unknown people. 'But please... I don't know how to deal with a person like her.'
I sigh inwardly. 'If in the past, with my ability, I can share or show memories. That's how I gain the trust of the people around me. 'To think that it somehow results in me not being able to convince one scared person to trust me without the help of my power...'
"Look, I don't care if you will listen to me, but let me tell you... It can be today, it can be tomorrow, you will turn into a werewolf." After I spoke, I see that Akari looks scared for a few seconds before she return to being expressionless.
"I can give you the cure to not let you be controlled like a puppet on a string, but I can't cure you being a werewolf," I state. After a few seconds, I see that Akari seems to hesitate before she opens her mouth.
"In exchange... for?" She asked weakly.
"Well, I will need your help for me to enter the Snow Moon Kingdom" I see that Akari start to frown.
"That's all...?" She looks at me with suspicion in her eyes.
"You see this wolf beside me..." I point toward Rei who in turn looks at my hand. Rei moves her head closer to my hand. 'She must think that I want to stroke her head.' I stroke her head gently before focusing on Akari.
"She was poisoned by traitors," I look at Akari with no expression before continuing. " You might have realised this, this wolf right here is Rei Lancer, the future ruler of the Snow Cold Kingdom."
My statement makes me receive another, confused look.
"From your introduction... You should be a spy..." She paused before continuing. "Why do you want to help her, a werewolf?" Then, Akari looks away. "-A monster... An enemy of humans."
I raise a brow when I hear her statement. 'Didn't she hear what I said about Rei being a royalty, why is her focus different?'
"... I have my reason which is none of your concern." I let out a soft sigh before standing up to change the position of the chair to face her before sitting again with my legs over the other one. " If you are still angry with the wolf who bit you, just so you know, I was bitten too by this wolf beside me."
Akari quickly turns to look at me with wide eyes.
Under her stare, I turn halfway into my wolf form, which is to bring out my wolf ear, showing my longer and sharper teeth, and claws that can appear and be retracted at will.
"How's this for proof?" I smirk at her. "Anyway, I drink a little bit of her blood, and now I don't need to be forced to do something I don't want to."
"H...how?" She is stunned.
"...?" Don't you know the blood of werewolf royalty can dispel the curse of not having free will," I explain. "I can give you some blood from Rei."
"I..." She paused before looking down again. " I don't know how I can be of help..."
"Sigh... Didn't I tell you, I only need you to bring me into the Snow Moon Kingdom? Any more than that will be my job. You're free after that."
"Free... Me?" She scoff. "How can I be free... I'm just some thrown away trash from the human side... And the werewolf is my enemy..." She sobs. "I'm useless."
I watch as tears fall from her eyes. 'Now, how do I coax her...' I frown a little. 'Welp gotta do my best.'
"You are not tied to anyone. Isn't that make you a free person?" Akari didn't respond. '...not working huh' I think of another coaxing word.
"You don't need to work hard for anyone, just be yourself!" I try to cheer her up again.
"Shut up *sob*... You're bad at coaxing..." Akari retorts between sobs.
At this moment, I feel like I can hear the ball laughing at me. My face twitches as I feel like hitting her face again. But I hold back that desire when I see Rei suddenly turn into a human form.
Her human form shocked Akari as she suddenly looks alarmed.
But, Rei doesn't realise it. She looks at me before saying, "Valley... Eat!" She grinned while pulling me.
Then, Rei looks at Akari and smiles at her too. "Eat!! Meat!!!"
Akari looks at Rei with a frown before looking at me.
I know what she's thinking. "I'll tell you while we prepare some food" I moved closer to unchain the chain around her leg. She looks at me weirdly for a few seconds.
"What, you never thought I will let go of you this easily?" I chuckle. "Let's go, eat some bread first." I pass her some food I bought before without her, and Rei knowing. "It will take some time to prepare the food, you should take this first."
After that, I walk outside followed by Rei who keeps sticking to me. After I sit around the dead animals and bring my dagger out, only then do I see Akari coming out of the shack.
She is wearing a shirt that I prepared for her. Akari looks at me awkwardly probably not knowing what to do.
I passed her a sheathed knife. After she takes it from me, "you know how to clean the skin, right?" I asked.
"Yeah... I know that much!" She replied.
"Well let's start. The faster we clean this, the earlier we can eat."
After that, both of us skillfully cut off the skin from the meat and clean up the meat, before chopping it into different parts so it will be easier for us to eat.
At the same time, I also ask Rei to bring us some wood. That's the least I can do so she won't try to disturb us from chopping the meat. I don't know if she understands, but better try than nothing.
while I'm cleaning the meat, I look at Akari's expression. She is cleaning the meat with a serious look and cutting the meat without flaws.
"Anyway..." My voice brings her attention to me.
At this moment, I tell her about the original owner's identity and her mission added with my new mission. Of course, I don't tell her about the existence of the system and the world plot. I only need to tell her enough information, so she understands what my plan is.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Carciphones_02
Carciphones_02 See you guys after my exam!!!
anyway, take this new chapter.
Also, Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.
Next chapter, the Villainess will show herself. stay tuned
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone