Wight is a wolf.

She is an amazing wolf. Even though she is still young, she is already the leader of her own pack. Only someone amazing can do that.

But it wasn’t always like that.

Even for someone as amazing as her, Wight also experienced hardships of her own.

In the past, she lived in a cave with her father. Her father was a strong wolf. Although he didn’t have a name like Wight, he was still respected by all the other wolves. In fact, he was also a pack leader, except his pack numbered in the hundreds.

They were able to live quite well within such a dangerous forest purely because her father was there. The Wight from before knew only of peace.

Unfortunately, peace does not last forever.

One day, they were attacked.

The assailant was a big guy with round ears and a scary-looking face. Black fur covered its entire body. It towered well above the other wolves. To Wight, it was as if she was looking up at a giant.

Now she knows that the creature was something called a bear, but back then, she only thought of it as a slightly-larger wolf.

Even if it was larger, even if it looked scarier, Wight was not overly worried. After all, her father was here. Her father was a great wolf with over one hundred subordinates. Compared to that, the black bear only brought five subordinates with him. Those guys were considerably smaller than the big bear, but they were still twice as large as the average wolf.

A big battle ensued. The end result was something that greatly shocked Wight. All the small bears died, but so did most of the wolves. The last scene she remembered was of her father’s corpse underneath a massive black paw.

Like a coward, Wight escaped.

Even though it was her father who told her to run, she still felt guilty. A true wolf, a true leader fights to the bitter end. Wight could not do that. She ran and ran, deeper into the endless forest filled with all sorts of danger and monsters.

She took her brother with her too. Ah, right now, he was named Umbra. From the original hundred plus wolves that once lived under her father’s rule, only two survived.

The two of them wandered the forest for a few days before they came across another group of wolves. These wolves were like them. They were also survivors of another destroyed pack. They survived when everyone else didn’t.

In their case, their group was attacked by a troop of monkeys. Rather than being slaughtered by a singular force, their pack was overwhelmed by superior numbers.

The two groups combined into one. Since Wight was the strongest, she naturally became the leader.

They lived like that for a while. The forest was dangerous, but Wight was not only strong, but she was also smart. They attacked only animals weaker than them or those that had been previously injured in combat. In a sense, they were like scavengers.

It was not the right way for a prideful wolf to live, but nevertheless, it was the only way to survive.

Things were going well until that happened. On a seemingly regular day, they suddenly ran into a demon. It was a demon with too many tails. Since the demon was smaller than her, Wight originally thought that it was weak. Unfortunately, she was wrong. The demon was strong. It was too strong.

Like that, Wight and her pack were subjugated.

This event became another unforgettable stain within Wight’s short life. It was also the impetus for her growing resentment, of which was targeted solely on the demon. Still, even if she hates the demon, her current life isn’t all that bad. In fact, it might even be better than the past, where she spent her days aimlessly wandering the forest.

She still hates the demon though. That won’t ever change.

This is the story of her daily life.

****

The start of Wight’s day begins in the morning.

It is a time when the skies are still dyed in pink and orange light tainted the leaves. A lingering wetness circulated through the air, courtesy of the morning dew.

Wight wakes up to a comfortable scent. It is a smell unlike any other within this forest. A musky, yet somewhat mild smell. It is a smell that originates from her one and only master.

Master is a creature shaped differently than her. He isn’t as dashing as her father, but still, Wight loves her master a lot.

Wight was currently lying on the ground, her body curled up by her Master’s side. She looked up at his face. Master is still asleep, but that is normal. After all, Wight wakes up a lot earlier than everyone else. Her master, the demon, and everyone else, they are all still asleep.

She doesn’t really like waking up early, nor did she have a habit of doing so in the past. In fact, she only just recently started waking up early. It was not a choice, but rather, a necessity. Otherwise, if she doesn’t…

Wight slowly raised her head and silently observed her surroundings. Her eyes immediately narrowed.

Sleeping peacefully on the other side of her Master’s body was a familiar individual. Red fur and nine tails. Her head rested on Master’s arm. It was a demon. It was the demon.

The glare in Wight’s eyes intensified. That woman, no, that demon, she is clinging to her master with such a slovenly face. Wight really wanted to just run up and kick her, but she can’t. Otherwise, Wight will get beat up again.

Wight knew better than to repeat her mistakes.

With lingering resentment still within her heart, Wight eventually stood up. In the end, she still has to leave her Master’s side and return to the other wolves. Her pack was currently sleeping a few meters away from her.

In the past, when they traveled alone, the wolves always slept like that, huddled up together in a tight-knit circle. Usually, one of them would stay awake and act as night watch. With Master by their side, they did not have to worry about all that anymore.

The present was different from the past. Now, the current situation had slightly changed. While the other wolves still slept with one another, Wight developed a habit of sleeping by her Master’s side. It was somewhat funny actually. At the start, it was her pack who originally pushed her into doing it. Something along the lines of ‘endearing themselves to the leader.’

Wight didn’t really understand, but since she liked master, she readily agreed.

Unfortunately, even with her pack’s encouragement and even with Master’s approval, the sole act of ‘sleeping together’ was not at all a very easy task to accomplish. It was a mission with a deceptively high difficulty. For the most part, Wight was not allowed to sleep with her master. At least, not in the open.

Of course, there was only one reason for this: the demon. The demon did not like it when Master played with Wight, the demon did not like it when Master rubbed Wight’s fur, and most importantly, the demon did not like it when Wight slept together with Master. In the end, the demon was simply jealous.

What a petty demon.

Still, because of that jealousy, Wight was forbidden from sleeping together with Master.

Fortunately, her Master was indeed a kind master. During the dead of the night, well after the demon falls asleep, Wight would sneak into Master’s unoccupied side and curl up right next to him. She was less than a foot away from the Demon, but Wight didn’t care. As long as the demon never finds out, its as if nothing ever happened.

This was a very dangerous act. The Demon was rather unstable when it came to matters concerning her Master. If Wight were to ever get caught… the Demon might actually kill her. Such a possibility sent shivers down her spine.

Still, Wight persisted, despite all the risks. A part of it was out of spite towards the demon, while another part of it was purely out of her love for her Master. Then, there was the thrill. Doing such a dangerous act in the dead of the night, when anyone could wake up at a moment’s notice… it was exciting.

The only downside to this particular arrangement were the mornings. When morning comes, Wight has to leave her Master’s side. This is all in order to not arouse any suspicion. It is troublesome, but because Wight is still weak, Wight has to do it.

After making sure that the demon is still asleep, Wight makes her way back to the wolf pack. After looking at the pile of sleeping pups, she eventually curled up next to Cocoa, the only other female within the pack. The feeling of familiarity from being around her pack gave her some measure of comfort, but still… she can’t help but feel that there is something missing.

Compared to snuggling up next to her Master and smelling his scent, it was indeed missing something.

Like always, Wight then proceeded to feign sleep and wait for everyone else to wake up. After a while, she inadvertently glanced over towards her Master.

“….”

As much as it pained her to admit it, Wight felt jealous. She was jealous of the demon. That demon, she has the privilege to sleep next to her master without reservation. Wight wanted to do that too, but she can’t. She was still too weak.

In order to stand up against the demon’s tyranny and enjoy a happy life with her Master, Wight needed to get stronger.

As her slightly droopy eyes begin to close, Wight solemnly vowed to herself.

To beat the demon and to steal her master’s heart… today too, she will try her hardest.