Lucy!

Since when did mana beasts have the ability to speak? And her voice, she is a female from the looks of it. Her voice is so comforting and soft!

"I.. I-" I couldn't speak. My throat was so dry from crying all that time.

The wolf noticed me gasping for air, her eyes continuously looking at me with a smart gaze.

"Don't speak, I'll take you to a close river." She said.

I didn't even have the strength to speak, so I just sat on her back hardly.

She jogged to a close river. I was startled by the sunlight so I closed my eyes painfully for a moment, just to find myself in a forest.

Checking my surroundings, there was pretty much nothing but trees, flowers, and this river in my sight, with a cave up the hill that we got out of just now.

The nature here sure looks amazing!

"We are here!" The wolf sat for me to get down.

I dug my hands into the water. The coldness of it sent chills down my spine. It was refreshing. I drank roughly, and I nearly got shocked!

"Easy there you poor thing, this river is all yours!" The wolf chuckled.

"*cough* *cough* Tha-- Thank you!" I said.

"It's nothing dear, we will talk when you are finished. Let me help you cure your feet." The wolf approached me warily.

Ugh shit! I completely forgot that my feet were screwed up. She made me sink them in the river carefully, it hurt! A few tears flowed through my eyes.

The wolf smiled softly and then licked my swollen feet. I felt fire through my nerves and then coldness. It was painful at the start, but it got better with time. I felt my feet getting better and better. The pain slowly faded away, and I felt relief.

"Thank you for helping and taking care of me, Ms. Wolf!" I thanked her sincerely.

The wolf chuckled and said: "It's okay my dear, you are safe now, tell me! What were you doing in the east forest alone at that time? Looking at your legs you had to run for hours!"

I frowned. I wasn't sure what to tell her. Where do I even start? I glanced at her for a moment, and when I tried to speak she cut me off.

"Not quite the talkative kid, are you? It's fine I will hear you out when you eat something first. You haven't eaten for nearly two days, so let me find you a rabbit real quick!" She ran into the forest, then disappeared!

I was left alone looking at the water. I just noticed my face!

My sclera is blood-red colored. I sure cried a lot didn't I? Sigh... What should I do now? I'm starving, I'll just wait for that wolf to come back, now, how should I tell her what happened? And why is she helping me? Does she have an ulterior motive as well? Should I run again?

I couldn't make up my mind. I was starving, and in a place I had no idea about! I guess I'll just wait for her to feed me then I will see what I can do.

Around five minutes passed away, and I saw the white silhouette approach. She was holding a rabbit in her jaw!

"Hold it for a second." She threw the rabbit into my hands.

Looking at her, she lit a fire. I took a stick I found and shoved it into the rabbit's mouth all the way to its intestines. I couldn't hold my saliva from dripping while I was cooking the rabbit!

I took some bites and I felt the savory flavor of the meat. It was so delightful!

"Look at you now, happily eating like a kid should be!" The wolf smirked.

My mouth was full so I didn't even try to talk. After some more bites, I felt full. It was a good feeling!

I looked at the wolf and she was happily smiling! The softness in her eyes seemed like a mother looking at her children. It wasn't like my mother's eyes. The wolf's eyes felt more sincere!

I frowned again, and the wolf took a step closer to me.

"Now, are you feeling better my dear?" The wolf looked at me with a smart gaze again.

"Yes, it is all thanks to you Ms. Wolf!" I said, not looking at her face.

"Now! No need for formalities, my name is Lucy!" The wolf said happily!

"So, do you mind telling this lady what happened? Where is your family? Your parents? Where do you live?" the wolf asked.

"I- I don't have anyone anymore..." I said sadly.

"My... What exactly happened?" The wolf asked, showing sympathy.

I told her everything that happened. I was gasping from time to time while narrating the story, and she was looking at me with sympathy and sorrow all the time!

Telling her all of that lifted a bit of my burden, and I felt a little bit of relief. I didn't know why, but talking to this wolf was so satisfying!

Was it because she was a beast? Her eyes? Or her comforting voice? I couldn't tell.

The wolf approached me again! I was curled up on myself, putting my face on my knees. She got close to me, licked my hands, and hugged me!

I was quite surprised by the sudden act of the wolf, I couldn't see her face, all I saw was white in my entire vision, and tears flowed again, I wrapped my arms around her fluffy neck and cried for some time, she was so warm and cozy, I felt needed and loved, it was like I was holding the most precious gem of the world in my hands, I could feel her breathing, it was so soothing.

I felt like I could hold her for hours. As if my whole body had been shaken and all the tiredness had been taken off. Her fluffy fur was like a heavenly pillow. I couldn't take my face out of her fur, hehe. It felt so nice!

"Now, are you going to let go of me, or are you planning on holding me for another hour?" She let out a warm chuckle.

Oops. Did I hug her for an hour? Time sure flies fast. I couldn't even tell.

"Thank you, Ms. Wo- Lucy..." I said full of embarrassment.

"You sure are quite a cutie when you are blushing!" Lucy mocked me.

"Miss Lucy, can I ask you something?" I asked, still embarrassed.

"What is it, my dear?"

"Do you know what that feeling is? I was suffocating."

"I still feel like someone is squeezing my heart!" I asked.

She frowned a little and said, "That's betrayal, my dear!"

"You felt betrayed! It is one of the cruelest feelings you can feel!" The wolf's smile faded away.

Betrayal huh? Is this how a lover feels when his beloved one dumps him? I only heard of that feeling from the maiden, when she narrated night stories to me before I slept.

The wolf continued, "This is something common, and you will have to understand the fact that this is going to get worse with every passing year. Humans' nature is so!

There will be moments when you feel good about being friends with someone, and suddenly due to something they did, everything just gets dissolved, and your relationship is ruined. You would get hurt and feel sad about it but for how long? Ask yourself."

The wolf smiled slightly. "Life is too short to keep whining about stuff that has already happened. Eventually, you will have to learn the art of moving on. That's the best thing to do and what will keep you going throughout your life! Cheer up!"

The wolf looked at me firmly. "It is very painful to be betrayed. Betrayal is a hard thing to get over and even harder to forgive! Learn not to do it, do not betray those who are close to you, no matter how many times you get betrayed by people, but you also shouldn't forgive them, do not stick to them my dear, and do not try to find a way to repair your relationship with them. All you need to think about are the mistakes you made. Do not blame anyone but yourself! Blame yourself for being naive and not noticing their true innate nature! Blame yourself for getting carried away by their bluffing and not seeing their true intent. You can either take revenge on them or leave them, but never forgive me and try to be friends with them again!"

I was startled, my eyes wide open at what Lucy had just said. I wanted to refute everything she said. How could I abandon the ones whom I loved once just like that? Just leave them and move on? This all sounded like crap to me, but I couldn't say a thing back to her.

Her words were harsh, unlike what I expected her to say! I thought that she was going to try to comfort me, tell me to give people another chance, work on the mistakes we have made, and repair them. After all, isn't that what the majority of people would do? But the train of my thoughts got cut again.

Will things get back to what they used to be if I try to repair my relationship with my family? Can I even call them my family right now? It was going to be so awkward for both of us to try to work things out together in the first place! What Lucy said is true. It is my fault for not noticing that it was all fake. I should have known!

That this world is much crueler than what I had believed. I was only looking at the sky from a well. Just like the frog I read about in the stories!

Things like repairing relationships, and recovering loyalty after it is lost, can never happen! That is only possible in fiction stories!

Why would I stick to someone who doesn't want me, someone who doesn't truly love me, someone who exchanges me for his interest? Thinking about it now, I didn't mean anything to them from the very beginning, even if I did, it doesn't matter anymore.

As Lucy said, I should learn the art of moving on!