Kota opened his eyes and blinked several times, trying to shake the pain from his head. He resigned from his efforts when the pain failed to cease. Body aching from the beating, Kota hauled himself onto his hands and knees and shuffled over to his pack. Most of the ink bottles were intact and the pens were undamaged. Heaving a sigh of relief, Kota tidied up his materials and slung the pack over his shoulder.

Shuffling through the building, Kota couldn’t help but notice the fresh stains of blood splattered along the wooden floorboards of the home. The bandits had not had any mercy.

Stepping out from the ragged hole that had once been the house’s door, Kota froze. The bodies of the four men were strewn across the ground. Long gashes covered their bodies and dismembered limbs lay scattered nearby. In their midst lay a small figure, covered head to toe in blood.

“May the stars take you to a better place,” whispered Kota, hand straying to the pendant hanging from his neck.

The little girl’s leg twitched.

The stump of Kota’s right arm flared with pain, muscles twisting to control digits that no longer existed. Grimacing, Kota’s left hand tightened around the strap of his pack and he knelt in front of the little girl. He reached out his arm, tentative and unsure.

The little girl burst to her hands and feet, splattering fresh blood everywhere. A pair of pointed wolf ears, matted with blood, protruded from the light gray hair of her head. A bushy tail curled menacingly around her feet, and feral yellow eyes followed Kota’s every movement.

It wasn’t a little girl. It was a demon.

Kota’s stump exploded with pain and he stumbled backwards, tripping over his feet. He collapsed several feet away from the demon, chest heaving.

A low growl emanated from the demon’s throat as it stared him down. One of its arms hung limp at its side and it favored its right leg. Its face was swollen and bruised from the beating the bandits and administered.

Kota’s hand curled around the pendant around his neck.

“Leave,” he said, voice wavering. “I swore never to hurt your kind again.”

The creature’s growling intensified.

Kota eyed the creature’s wounds. While the demon had slain its attackers, it had sustained significant damage. With his legs, he could probably outrun it.

Keeping his eyes locked on the demon, Kota reached down and made sure his feet were snug in his sandals. A moment later, he glanced around quickly. To the left of the village was a small forest. If he made his way there, he could hide and wait for the demon to bleed out.

Plan settled, Kota place his left hand on the dirt path. A moment later, he pushed off with his arm and leapt to his feet, exploding towards the small forest. Without bothering to glance over his shoulder, he lowered his head and sprinted, letting his legs carry him to the outskirts of the village. Only when he reached the edge of the forest did he dare spare a glance behind him.

There was nothing.

Sliding to a stop, Kota bent over, chest heaving and sweat trickling down his brow. Gasping for breath, he fumbled open his water flask and took several gulps. After taking several deep breaths, Kota’s heart slowed and he stood up straight, making sure he had his pack.

His pack was gone.

“Curse the stars!” Kota muttered, kicking the nearest tree. He couldn’t leave without his supplies. Glancing around, his eyes fell on a thick branch that was about two feet long. He walked over and lifted it, feeling its weight. The branch seemed to be quite dry, making it easy to swing. Not satisfied but not having another other choice, Kota headed back towards the village.

It was a short trek, not because of the distance that Kota had traveled but rather because the demon had followed Kota. Kota halted about fifteen feet away from the demon, staring it in the eyes. Its yellow eyes had already dulled, probably due to the blood loss. A trail of blood was left from its open wounds.

It held Kota’s pack in its thin arms.

The human and the demon stared at each other for several moments. When the silence grew unbearable, Kota gestured at the pack with his stick.

“Give me my pack.”

The demon bared its teeth and growled. In response, Kota raised his stick in defense. As he did so, the demon’s eyes darted to the stick and its growl turned into a nasty snarl. It bent over, as if preparing to pounce.

Kota frowned and lowered the stick. When he did so, the snarls of the demon faded into a low growl. It straightened up and scratched its ear.

“Give me my pack,” Kota repeated. This time, he set the thick stick on the ground next to him.

Watching the stick closely, the demon’s growls ceased.

Not quite sure what he was thinking, Kota slowly made his way over to the demon. The demon watched him warily but did not make a move. When the two of them were an arm’s length away, Kota knelt, making his eyes level with the demon’s.

Up close, the demon really did look like a little girl. Its body looked to be human, besides the wolf ears, wolf eyes, and wolf tail.

When the demon still did not react, Kota reached his arm up for his pack.

The demon bared its teeth and hissed at him, wiry arms tightening around the pack.

Kota had a thought. He lowered his arm and rummaged in his pockets. Several moments later, he pulled out a small loaf of bread that he had been saving for supper. Unwrapping the loaf, he tore off a chunk and held it out to the demon.

The demon’s nose twitched and its eyes flickered towards the chunk of bread in Kota’s hand.

“You can have it,” said Kota.

The impasse lasted for the better part of ten seconds. At last, the demon could not resist any longer and released the pack, snatching the small piece of break with both hands. As it did so, Kota released the piece of bread and snatched his pack up off the ground, immediately taking several steps back.

The demon paid him no heed, instead choosing to shove the break into its mouth, spraying crumbs everywhere. The chunk of bread was finished in seconds. The demon licked at its grimy hands before turning its gaze to Kota.

“Even trade, okay?” said Kota.

When the demon did not respond, Kota began to take small steps away from the demon. Its yellow eyes followed him, but the demon did not move.

Did it understand me?

Kota shook his head in response to his own questions, cursing himself for his foolishness. That’s something that my sister would’ve said.

Convinced that the demon would soon succumb to its wounds, Kota turned his back on the demon and began trudging down the path towards the next town, as directed by the wagon driver. After taking several steps, Kota heard a shuffling sound from behind him. He spun around and fell into a fighting stance.

The demon stood still, watching him with wide eyes. Kota’s glanced down at the ground near its feet. There were several bloody footprints smudged on the dirt path behind the demon. It was following him.

“I don’t have any more food!” Kota said.

The demon simply stared back at him, slightly wavering on its thin legs.

There’s no way it can attack me, thought Kota. It looks like it’s about to die. Convincing himself that he would be rid of this trouble soon, Kota turned his back on the demon and began walking down the path.

He walked for several minutes, forcing himself not to look back. Only after he had traveled a good distance away from the ruined village did he allow himself a glance over his shoulder. In the distance, he watched the little demon shuffle after him, no longer caring that it was seen. The demon’s slight shoulders shook as it gasped for breath, forcing itself to take hobbling step after hobbling step.

Looking back, Kota felt nothing but sadness. It was truly cruel, having to watch a living creature suffer on its way to death. Even if that creature was a demon.

I would put you out of your misery, if I still carried a blade.

Kota stood still as the demon slowly but surely approached him. With every step it took, it teetered and tottered, on the verge of falling. But from inside, the creature seemed to find some inner reserve of strength, allowing it to push forward.

The demon came to a halt when it faced Kota at about the same distance as in the village. It stood still for just a moment and then collapsed in a heap.

“I’m sorry,” said Kota. “No human would help a demon.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the stump of Kota’s right arm flared with pain. In his head, he saw his little sister, beaming at him with that wide, toothy smile of hers. The happy image shattered nad was replaced with her body, bloody and crumpled on the floor. Kota grabbed the pendant that hung from his neck, shoulders heaving.

Aona would’ve helped.

That was enough for Kota. He rushed over to the fallen demon and rolled it onto its back. Its eyes were shut and its chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. He quickly scanned its body for injuries. There was a deep gash along its left calf and one of its arms looked to be dislocated. There were several other cuts along its torso and back, but they didn’t seem to be too bad. Most of the blood that covered the demon’s body did not seem to be its own.

With some treatment, it should recover. Kota glanced around and his eyes landed on the small grove of trees he had fled to before. That small cluster of trees could not have grown in such a barren area without a water source.

Kota leaned down and awkwardly lifted the demon with his arm. With only one arm, the best he could do was hook his arm around the demon’s waist and sling it over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Luckily, the demon was very light, as suggested by its emaciated appearance.

Kota made his way into the small forest. Before he entered, he glanced upwards at the sunlight beaming through the branches of the tall trees. There seemed to be enough light to keep most demons away. Tightening his grip around the demon’s frail body, he trotted into the woods.

It was a short trek to the small river cutting through the forest. Setting the demon on the grassy clearing near the bank of the river, Kota knelt at the river’s edge and stuck his fingers in the water. The water was cold and clear, seemingly free of grime. Satisfied, Kota pulled off his cloak and got to work.