Calhoun couldn’t quite believe the ss he’d gotten into.
Of all things, he was now burdened with a literal child.
He blad his sudden reckless decision to set that building ablaze. It was impulsive and even sloppy of him. But it had stood far from town, isolated that he was certain no one should have been anywhere near it.
And yet... she had seen him, a complication he neither asked for nor knew what to do with.
Words could get out that he was last seen lingering about in the mortal realm, and he could not risk getting caught again.
He exhaled sharply through his nose and kept moving. Since arriving at the mortal realm, he’d endured more than his share of strange encounters. But... at least the young fawn had gone quiet for once.
It was not too late into the night, and luckily he was able to find a stall that was still open. After a brief exchange with the vendor who flushed at his presence, he was handed a wooden tray, warm from the freshly prepared al.
The little girl lingered at his side, her curious eyes darting from one unfamiliar sight to another. Without ceremony, Calhoun turned and placed the tray into her small hands.
"Here. Eat."
The girl lowered her gaze.
On the tray sat a warm bowl of rice, steam rising softly into the midnight air. Beside it were two slices of grilled at, slightly charred at the edges and glistening with sauce. A small skewer of roasted vegetables rested on the side, and along with it were round golden buns that looked soft and pillowy.
Her eyes widened, shimring in disbelief. Everything looked so yummy that it made her suspicious.
"...All of that?" she asked softly, tilting her head up as she looked at him.
Calhoun arched a single brow, faint impatience threading through his expression.
"Do you see anyone else here?"
She shook her head imdiately.
He exhaled through his nose, restraining himself so he could sound calr. She had already proven herself far too easy to startle.
"...Then it’s yours."
The girl hesitated even more now, her fingers tightening slightly around the wooden tray. For a mont, it seed like she might refuse outright— afterall, he was still a demon in her eyes. But hunger was a far more persuasive force.
Slowly, carefully, she lowered herself onto the stall’s wooden step, her legs folding beneath her in an awkward little tangle. She simply stared at the al for a while before taking a cautious bite, and her brown eyes lit up at once.
"It’s good...!" She said, a little louder now, surprise slipping back into her voice.
And that was all it took. The careful bites disappeared.
She started eating faster, stuffing small mouthfuls in with both hands, completely forgetting everything, her fears, including the demon Prince sitting beside her.
A bit of rice stuck to her cheek.
The buns disappeared almost imdiately.
The vegetables? Gone.
Only when she reached the at did she finally slow down, chewing more carefully now. Calhoun watched her in silence, arms crossed as she devoured everything on her plate. It reminded him of his human, who had also devoured her al back at the settlent.
Poor hungry folks.
"What’s your na?" he asked.
"Elin," the girl replied.
"And why," Calhoun continued, voice quieter now but no less probing, "is Elin wandering the streets instead of staying where she belongs? You were quite intent on finding a shelter. Care to explain?"
At that, Elin’s gaze dropped.
Her grip tightened around the wooden tray, drawing it closer to herself.
"...Soone told ," she said at last.
"Who?"
"Back ho..." Her voice grew smaller. "They said... if you want a place where you’re accepted, then you should go find a shelter. I told them all that I was going to do it, but they only laughed at ."
The word sat strangely in Calhoun’s ears. That was one crude way to cast a child aside. Who even says such things to a child anyway?
"And you believe that?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied with quiet certainty.
"You don’t even know what that ans, do you?"
"I do."
Her words made him pause.
"A shelter is... a place where people are kind," she said, lifting one tiny finger. "If I find one, then I can stay there. The people there will let stay. And... they won’t call weak, or say an things to ."
The words were so simple they almost didn’t register at first. He leaned his head against one hand, watching her intently.
"...So these people told you that if you manage to find this ’shelter’, they will just accept you?"
"Yes."
She looked glad that he was following.
"Because then, I’ll deserve it."
"What about your parents?" he asked.
Elin blinked at him, as though the question were strange. "I don’t have one."
She took another small bite from her at, chewing more slowly now.
Calhoun said nothing.
He let her speak, listening as she prattled on between bites, her voice light in a way that did not match the weight of her words. It did not take much to understand. Neglect had a way of shaping resolve in the strangest forms. But staying here wasn’t safe either.
Had he not crossed her path, she would have stumbled into sothing worse. But... he wished she didn’t have to see any of that.
Now that she was here, what, exactly, was he ant to do with her?
This was... inconvenient.
He still needed to return to the beast realm. His human was currently partaking in the trial, and while he had left a fragnt of his aura with her, enough to deter lesser creatures, it was no guarantee against everything.
He needed to go back.
His eyes flicked back to the little girl, and he clicked his tongue under his breath, looking away again.
Troubleso.
Utterly troubleso.
"You... don’t seem like a bad person," Elin suddenly said, gaining his attention once more. There was a crease between her brows, as though she couldn’t quite make sense of the thought. "But demons aren’t supposed to be nice, are they?"
"They’re not," he replied flatly. "So if you see one– another one– run for your life."
"But... Mr Fox Demon," she continued, "Everybody is afraid of you. Did you really try to take the big seat from your father? That... isn’t a nice thing to do."
A beat of silence passed.
"You talk too much," he uttered, the edge in his voice dulling just slightly. "As always."
Instead, he turned away from her, his gaze drifting sowhere distant, unreadable.
"Finish eating."
"Mr Fox demon," she called softly again, but he didn’t look at her. She fidgeted with her fingers, then tried again, her voice growing quieter now.
"...You can just say you’re sorry, you know." Then as if rembering sothing important, she added clumsily. "Um... I heard them say a big fox is coming. Like... a really important one. And he gets to pick, uhm... people. The new... dis-ci...ples? Yes, of the Sacred Order. To stay with him."
That made Calhoun pause in his thoughts.
His gaze shifted to her at last.
Elin shrank slightly under it but continued anyway, piecing her thoughts together. "So... maybe you can go see him? You’re a prince after all. Maybe he can help you reach your people faster."
Calhoun studied her in silence, like he was stunned that she managed to utter sothing useful for once.
The Grand Arbiter.
Of course.
How did he forget?
The Grand Arbiter always sent a fox master of high standing to oversee new disciples. His clan always stood at the peak of the beast realm– unchallenged and absolute. To be chosen by one fox master was not rely an opportunity.
It was an honor only few could dream of.
"...How do you know that?" he asked, his voice quieter now.
Elin looked down at her feet and nudged the step with her bare feet.
"I... um..." she mumbled. "I heard people talking. Before the shiny door."
She paused briefly.
"Near the portal that ca to get the candidates back ho."Her fingers twisted together. "They were talking a lot, about the big fox master and how everyone wanted him to pick them. They all sounded scared and happy. I just... listened. I used the portal, and that’s how I ended up in that forest."
A faint curve touched Calhoun’s lips as the pieces settled into place.
An idea.
He had an inkling as though he knew who the new master might be, but he couldn’t be sure yet unless soone confird it for him.
"Elin," he uttered her na a bit more fondly. "Is there any chance you can figure out who the fox master is?"
The little girl blinked.
"The big one?"
"Yes."
Elin tilted her head, thinking hard.
"...Like... his na?"
Calhoun replied with a nod, his expression unchanged.
He noticed sothing flicker in her eyes as she looked at him more carefully.
"...If I find it... then will you let stay with you?"
"Aren’t you supposed to be afraid of ?"
She shook her head slowly.
"Not anymore."
There was no hesitation in her voice.
For a brief mont, Calhoun simply looked at her. Then he clicked his tongue and turned his head away, his gaze lifting toward the night sky, dark and indifferent above them.
"Well that sucks," he muttered.
Elin smiled.
He didn’t say no.
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