Hyeon's Welcome Gift

A low, warning growl resonated from Fenrir's chest.

"Fá út." (Get out).

Sani gave another deep bow before leaving. Hyeon wasn't sure what to do, so he did the same thing reluctantly. This wolfman just attacked him and now he has to give respect?

When they were in the hallway and the large doors closed behind them, Sani brought up, "He's a little touchy if his family members' names are mentioned. I wouldn't recommend it."

Hyeon was still peeved about earlier. "I need the contract I signed."

"Of course." He lifted his hand forward. His palm gave off a little smoke and the contract appeared from thin air. Hyeon grabbed the papers and skimmed through it.

"This is the same thing I saw in the car. You mentioned before that the contract looks different for humans and..." He forgot the term for animal-people-things.

"Dýr," Sani reminded.

"Right, that. This seems like a standard contract and doesn't say anything about performing those kinds of services."

Sani's ears twisted backward from embarrassment. "I admit what just occurred was very forward, wasn't it? I've never seen the Master use that particular 'area' for soul energy extraction, but you'll understand why he needs it generally from a dýr after you examine the conditions. There are many different parts of the soul that you need to memorize since it's common knowledge for your kind. As a reminder, the soul pieces are written in the contract."

Hyeon scoffed a little and waved the contract. "There's nothing here about souls, sál, or whatever it's called! How am I supposed to understand if I can't see it?"

Sani tapped his foot in impatience. He might be tired of explaining everything in so little time. "It's possible that your animal side hasn't emerged yet, although rare for your age. Most likely what happened is that your genes have been suppressed because you were separated from your family at an infant age. Dýr families don't give up on their own under any circumstances and are extremely close-knit to keep the bloodlines alive. Your parents and other members would've helped activate your animal characteristics to develop. But for you, you didn't have that support which could be postponing your body. It's not something any of us can help you with outright, but just being here could help influence you."

"I recommend you spend time in your room for the remainder of the day and try to look at the contract. Think about what you've seen and experienced here so far. I might pull tricks on others, but even I don't mess around with binding contracts. Where you came from isn't clear, but your soul is very strong. It's all-new now, but you can read it with determination and..." Sani paused. He held up his hands and gestured to make a pretend rainbow.

"Imagination," holding in a smile.

*We're making cartoon references now?*

"Just take me to my room, PLEASE."

Sani was trying his best to not laugh while escorting Hyeon from the dismal area of the mansion to the servant's quarters. The Coyote finally got ahold of himself and coughed.

"You'll have a probation period starting tomorrow morning with a trainer. For the remaining time today, just rest and try to read your terms and conditions."

When they went around the corner, there was a series of doors that looked similar to a hotel hallway. They stopped at a door towards the end. "Well, this is your room. Your suitcase should already be inside. I'll be around to look at your work performance later."

Sani started to leave when he abruptly stopped and mentioned, "Oh, and watch out for snakes around here."

"Are they venomous?"

"Not exactly, but they do have an insane bite." With that, he left Hyeon alone.

Right...

When Hyeon opened the door, Nammi immediately greeted him and wanted to be on his shoulder.

"Who brought you here, girl?" Of course, she's a cat, so her only response was her loud purrs. Hyeon stretched out his back and shoulder muscles since they've been feeling tight after arriving. "Let's unpack, shall we?" Nammi gave a small meow as if she can understand his question.

The room itself was surprisingly spacious. It was the size of a studio but separated into three rooms and a bathroom. There was a bedroom, kitchen, and a living room which were all fully furnished. For being in a weird beastly afterlife, the apartment was actually updated to fit the times. He unpacked his few items and was able to make a sandwich with the food provided, as well as making instant oatmeal for Nammi. It was a good chance to review that contract.

He relaxed on the small couch and started thinking. Hyeon doesn't 100% believe he couldn't be human. There weren't any weird circumstances in his life that would make him think otherwise, right? If it's true that there's no chance to enter this realm without animal blood, then perhaps...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Hyeon jumped at the loud sound. Sani left not too long ago but maybe he forgot something? He opened the door but it wasn't his manager. Two people were waiting for him, one of which he recognized as Eli from earlier.

The second new face seemed to be a servant like Eli since they both had formal uniforms. Being incredibly stunning must be a common theme around here. He was smaller compared to Hyeon and had navy blue hair, but his brown eyes were looking for trouble. His face was youthful and the short height made him look adorable. Interestingly, he didn't have any sort of significant animal traits to indicate what he was.

"So this is who they hired?" questioned the blue-haired guy to Eli. *This* was emphasized which made it insulting.

"And this is the dýr that will bring diversity?" When he said diversity, he bent his pointer and middle fingers to make the quotation gesture.

"Ehh. What was his name, Eli?"

Eli responded, "I don't remember, Imoogi." Oh, so Imoogi was his name?

"My name is H-Hyeon Falken. Should I call you Imoogi?"

Imoogi PFFTED. "You're kinda pitiful, aren't you, H-Hyeon?" he mocked in response. Hyeon absolutely didn't like dealing with jerks who made fun of him. Imoogi didn't seem so cute anymore.

"You already met Master, right? Where's your insignia?" It was then Hyeon noticed that Eli and Imoogi had a symbol on their inner wrists. Before he could get a good look at their marks, Imoogi gripped his left forearm and examined it.

Hyeon tried to pull away but Imoogi just held on tighter. "Wha—"

"Oi, his insignia hasn't appeared. Hey, H-Hyeon, does that mean you're full human? You're the first freak they let in here. Are you even like us?" he spitefully smiled.

At the mention of the word freak, Hyeon was suddenly transported back to when he was in elementary school. Many of the other students then teased him about his nervous stutter and the fact that his biological parents were gone.

__________

The group that terrorized him often surrounded him during recess. They shoved him to the muddy ground in the middle of their circle. Sometimes, it was fun for them to play a 'game' where they'd hurl insults and names until he cried. Hyeon gathered his knees to his face, not caring that grimy wet dirt smeared across his cheeks. He felt one of them throw a small rock at his back. One by one, they took turns going around the circle, each kid saying something mean.

"He's weird."

"His parents were murdered."

"He should've died with them."

"He's a freak."

"A freak."

"FREAK!"

__________

Hyeon yanked his arm back from Imoogi which was painful. He looked down at the ground since he couldn't look at his tormentor in the eyes. He clenched his teeth together and made a CH sound.

"Fucking asshole and his goat," he whispered. Did he really just say that?!

A hand sprung out and grabbed a fistful of his shirt from his chest area. It dragged him roughly out of the apartment and slammed Hyeon's back into the hallway wall with a thud. Eli was the one who did this and pointed his horns at his throat. Both of their auras were hostile and their eyes seemed to have a small glow. The goat's strength wasn't allowing Hyeon to budge an inch.

He was afraid.

Imoogi stood closely next to Hyeon. "You need to understand where you rank amongst us. You're the bottom-feeder looking for a handout just like all of the little half-humans that come through here."

As he talked, Imoogi started to roll up his long sleeves. Hyeon saw that he had a snake tattoo. The tail started to coil around his right forearm and disappeared under his shirt.

*Is this the snake that Coyote mentioned to avoid earlier?*

Annoyed that Hyeon was in this situation, he replied, "We're all freaking adults here, snake."

Imoogi cocked his head to the side with wide, emotionless eyes. "Oh? This one has some balls. You should know that Eli is a Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, not a goat. As for me, I'm much scarier than a snake."

He unbuttoned the top of his shirt and pulled the collar down. The other end of the tattoo stopped at his right peck which was the head of a wingless dragon. Hyeon gulped.

Imoogi fixed the buttons. "Like I said, you need to remember your place."

Eli still had him against the wall. Imoogi held Hyeon's wrist and carefully pushed back the sleeve cuff. The gentleness was odd compared to how harsh they've been acting.

"Would you like to see if you're human or a half-breed, Mr. H-Hyeon? If you're human, nothing will happen. But if this works, perhaps you could consider it as a welcome gift from me."

Hyeon started to struggle under Eli's grip. "Just let g—"

Imoogi yanked Hyeon's arm up to his face. Pressing his mouth against Hyeon's inner wrist, the supposed dragon began sucking. His small fangs barely touched the skin, but noticeable scratches were made. The scratches were erased when Imoogi wiped his forked tongue over them. Instead of stopping, he kept licking the same area. Hyeon wanted to punch this guy, but his body felt frozen in place like a spell as Imoogi kept watching him. Saliva started to trickle down his arm and dripped to the floor.

"Mew."

At the sound, Imoogi broke eye contact that was keeping him hostage. Quickly, Eli let go of Hyeon's shirt and both of them jumped back.

Hyeon cradled his wrist to his stomach to prevent a further mess.

*Bunch of jackasses. I'll have to tell Sani what just happened and avoid them while I'm here.*

"What is that?" Imoogi hid behind Eli.

"I don't like it," Eli said.

Nammi sat under the doorframe. She looked at the two unwelcomed guests. Since she just ate her oatmeal treat, bits and pieces dribbled down her chin. She started tottering on her small legs towards them. When the soot sprite moved, they took numerous steps back with a mixture of disgust and uncertainty written on their faces.

Nammi hissed at Imoogi and Eli. It surprised Hyeon as she rarely did that at people. At the little warning, they cursed and hurried back out of the hallway, leaving Hyeon alone with his black spitfire. She wobbled back inside the room triumphantly.

After he shut and locked the door, he began to clean his arm in the sink. He stopped at what he saw. Water washed over a tattoo-like mark on his wrist.

*"If you're human, nothing will happen. But if this works..."*

Whatever Imoogi did, it proved one thing to Hyeon that he couldn't deny. He wasn't human.

What is this symbol?