The four youngsters — King, Pandora, Douglas, and Axel — stood before Leon.
"What happened?" Leon stared at them with a humorless gaze.
Axel answered first. Pandora filled in the rest, which he didn't know. King, however, couldn't register whatever they had been asserting. His brain was stuck in a loop, continuously ringing out the words said to him by someone an hour ago.
I like you.
King's turbulent gaze followed Axel's direction from the corners of his eyes. He watched the taller boy, seemingly placid for someone who had just confessed his feelings. King mentally screamed.
Why am I the one flustered instead?!
Axel and King met when they were six and seven and started on the wrong foot when King kept teasing the younger boy's hair as poop stain. Unable to take any more of King's taunts that were more annoying than a mosquito, Axel punched him. King hit back. They then began their periodical quarrels. Though not too soon after, those battles turned into verbal squabbles, and those disputes turned into conversations. Young King then began to look like a mother duck for the younger Axel.
But like how things never stayed true to their course, their relationship started to take a rough turn in the early stages of their teenage years. At fourteen, a random gossip began to circulate around them. It traveled to a lot of their pride. And in one moment, members of their faction and allies began to rule out that the future leaders of Terra Madre were but a bunch of queers. King had fully believed that Axel strayed away because he was appalled by it. But he didn't realize the other reason—
"King."
King blinked. The people in the room were staring at him. His crossed arms loosened. "W-what?"
"... Were you listening?" Pandora muttered. Axel studied King's reddened expression from the corners of his eyes.
"... Uh." King scratched the back of his head. He straightened up and cleared his throat. "I, um... was just thinking about what happened earlier. I apologize." True. Although, it was actually the chap beside him.
"You seem to have lost your focusing abilities. Pandora, kindly refresh what we've spoken about to him," Leon said and then sipped from his cup of coffee. King glared at him.
Here they go again, the others thought as they watched the two exchange glares.
A few moments after that, Leon raised a gesturing hand. "Anyways, you may go."
"Yes, King Leon."
When the four were about to leave, Leon called again. They stopped in their tracks and looked at him. King formed another scowl.
"By the way, the Leones pride had invited us to a masquerade ball that is to happen two weeks from now. King Marius is turning sixty, and I think they're going to use this as a chance to announce his son's ascension. If you wish to join, pray do tell early. We will have your sizes measured and your apparel tailored for the three of you by then."
There was a momentary pause.
"I hope you do come with us," Leon added.
"We shall think about it, King Leon," Pandora answered.
Leon nodded. "Very well. Then you may leave now."
"A masquerade ball. Not bad. Should we?" Douglas stared at the two. Pandora eyed King.
King scowled. "Why are you both staring at me?"
"Well—" Douglas dragged out. "Should we go?" King frowned when Douglas executed the puppy eyes. To be honest, the invitation didn't sound too bad to him. He initially just took it poorly due to his father, who had referred it to them in the first place. And anyway, he had already been rattling about how he was insanely bored staying in the pridehouse.
"... All right, fine." King blurted out. Douglas rejoiced.
"And a momentary change in activities before Axel's own ascension would be quite pleasant," Pandora said.
King was startled when he remembered the person again. He blushed.
Pandora noticed. "Something had happened between you and Axel, hadn't it?"
King abruptly halted and whipped his head back. His face had turned to a tomato. "Wha— No!"
"So there is," Douglas snickered.
"Shut up! There isn't!"
"What happened?"
"Nothing!" King tried to escape, but Pandora caught his arm.
"King—"
"Nothing! I told you! Nothing happened."
Pandora and Douglas stared intently at him. King gulped. When King refused to speak, she sighed and backed off. But without asking, Pandora had already gauged out a theory. Since, way long before, the way Axel had stared at King was already apparent to her.
"All right," Pandora said, continuing walking.
King felt a tad of guilt. He knew Pandora was just worried, but he couldn't bring himself to open up for now. He was also confused. King followed behind her.
"Anyways, keep in mind what King Leon had said," Pandora said.
King blinked. "What is it?" he asked.
Pandora stopped and looked back at him. "... They told us to avoid the Lykaios pack."
King didn't respond.
Who in the bloody hell is that?
"You weren't listening, were you?" Pandora looked indifferent, despite the urge she had to strangle someone.
King chuckled and scratched the back of his head. Pandora sighed.
"For someone who denied any sort of occurrence earlier, you were quite absentminded throughout our discourse with Uncle Leon, King," Pandora blurted and continued walking away. Douglas passed by King and shot him a teasing 'you are dead' gesture. King stared at him deadpan. He then followed them.
"The man we encountered earlier, he's an alpha of the Lykaios pack, the ones who were chasing us."
That man? Recollection waved inside King. There was only one man he had noticed to be more superior than the werewolves earlier. "Do you speak of that Yusef guy?"
"Ding!" Douglas emitted.
Lykaios pack... This is the first King has heard of them. He now regretted not paying attention earlier. Screw that Axel.
"Looks like you really didn't listen," Douglas accused.
"I was. But I got tired listening, shush."
"Hmph."
"They have three alphas in the same pack," Pandora said, figuring he didn't know that too.
King's look of confusion gradually worsened. He hasn't heard of a clan, pride, or pack with numerous leaders of the same status since the territorial nature of the felid and canid families are both present in werewolves and werecats. Having several figureheads might not end up too nicely.
"Brothers, they are," Pandora said. She looked from afar. "They're the ones who annihilated the Du Marais."
King's eyes nearly jumped out of their sockets. What?! The legendary pack who annihilated those godforsaken pieces of shi—
"I'm sure that that gray werewolf we met when we first came here is another one."
King was rendered speechless. How come he froze out from this scoop—
"King," Pandora called. King lifted his head at her call. She looked at him. Though heavily piqued from the information he had been receiving about this so-called Lykaios's werewolves, King became even more curious by what she said next.
"Did you perhaps... felt anything when you saw him? That man Yusef?"
King wondered for a bit. He scowled. "No," he said reluctantly. "Why?"
Pandora stared intently at him.
"What's with that look?" King raised a brow at her.
"... Nothing," she said before turning her head back in front of her and walking away.
"Hey!" King trailed behind her. "What was that?"
"Yeah, what is that?" Douglas joined.
"I said, nothing."
"Don't copy me!"
Pandora huffed.
"That's not fair!"
"I don't care."
"Pandora!"
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