Uh, this will be bad…

Yong-sun had been pushed back and fell to the ground. Haru seemed to be rubbing himself against him.

"Haru! What are you doing?" Liam playfully asked, not even bothering to stop her.

The two boys had finally understood how dangerous the creature was when the creature got close to them. They were shocked when they saw the other boy being attacked, but the man they traveled with did nothing to stop it.

Liam frowned and asked her, "Can you smell it on him?"

Haru looked at him at that moment with those intelligent eyes, making him understand that she smelled it too.

"Sir?" The brothers asked.

"Ahh! I'm sorry." He remembered the existence of those brothers. "Haru is not hurting him. She likes him, and I think she familiarizes herself with his scent," he explained.

"Sir, what is that creature?" the older one dared to ask.

"She is a Black Menace," he carelessly answered.

"B-b-b-black M-m-menace?" The older one stutters, now remembering the stories about it.

"So, you have heard stories about them?"

"Yes, sir," he dared not object, or who knows what might happen.

"Don't be afraid," he said as Haru had climbed off Yong-Sun and started to come over to them.

The two boys now held hands. Seeking comfort in one another.

Haru circled them, watching them closely. Then, she sniffed the air around them, closed in on them, and sat down. After a few minutes, she laid down on the ground and made herself comfortable.

The boys didn't even notice when Liam had left to gather firewood. He returned with a pile of wood and started building a fire.

Sometime later, they were eating calmly. Well, calmly, if one could relax in the presence of a forest creature. But unfortunately, all the kids were rather tense. None more than the eldest brother.

But even he relaxed quite a bit when he saw no movements from it. The smell coming from the fire made all the boys drool. Yong-Sun had now eaten proper food a few times, but the two kids had always had to scrape by somehow. Having actual meat in their stomachs was rare for them.

They all received a cup of hot tea, after which they fell asleep faster than they could say anything. It was nearing sunrise anyway; Liam packed them near Haru. She didn't seem to mind and let them sleep on her. Liam also made herself comfortable with them.

The kids woke the next day on something very soft and comfortable. Yong-Sun was the first to open his eyes and see that the velvety thing was the fur of the creature named Haru. He wanted to get up but soon found that he had been tied down to the creature. He wondered why he didn't feel scared of the creature any longer.

He looked around and saw Liam running beside the creature. He had a backpack on him, which was larger than him. He blinked in confusion and looked at the forest.

'So fast,' he thought and stared at the man who had bought his freedom. This was the first time he had wondered about this, but why had he freed him. He vaguely remembers Liam saying something about it to the creature, but he was too terrified to care.

"I thought you'd be the first to wake. We're almost there anyway," Liam had noticed that Yong-Sun had woken up and slowed down until they stopped under a large tree.

'That tree is way bigger than the ones I saw last night,' Yong-Sun observed but didn't much understand. He knew that the farther away from the city, the bigger the trees. That made him understand how much they had just traveled.

Liam started to untie the kids from Haru.

She had whined the whole time when Liam had started to tie them to her. So, finally, he had to give Haru some of the gathered liver so she would complain a little less.

It had had the effect of making her stop entirely. Liam had wondered if she liked liver as well. He would make sure to purchase all the liver from the next city.

The sleeping brothers woke when Liam untied them.

He offered them something to eat and made them walk like yesterday. Only now did they look around and figure out that they had traveled a lot while they were sleeping.

"Master Liam, where are we going?" The elder brother asked.

"To Pando City, why do you ask?"

"I don't understand. Why are you taking us there?"

"Hmm, didn't the twins tell you anything?"

"They didn't speak to us the whole time we were with them," he said.

"Uh, this will be bad…" he said aloud without thinking.

"What do you mean, sir?"

Liam had to think for a moment. There wasn't an easy answer to anything, and this was the first time Liam encountered this situation.

"Do you understand that they freed you?"

"Yes, that was why our tattoos were removed. It was uncomfortable. But I don't understand why are we not with dad or granny? Why are we taken to another city?"

Liam didn't think that withholding information about this was a good idea. They should know everything before walking into the lion's den.

"Your father died; when the twins told this to your granny. She was too shocked by the news that her heart stopped beating."

"They… died?" Both boys' eyes were wide, glistening with unfallen tears. Then, after a moment, they were falling like a dam had burst open.

Still, they walked on, keeping the pace. They were raised to be strong and do what was necessary. Their parents had taught them to protect each other and keep themselves safe. Even when they were in a bad situation. They should always find a way out first, then deal with the aftermath.

That was why they could be moving at that moment.

"Do you know how our dad died?" The elder asked when he got over the biggest shock.

"Do you know that he was in a gang that would sometimes rob people?" Liam asked back, needing to confirm what the children knew first.

"Yes, that was why we could eat quite well compared with some other families."

"Well, they attacked someone they shouldn't have."

"Who?" He asked stupidly or childishly; Liam didn't care. Knowing all the facts was better than keeping them in the darkness.

"They attacked me," he watched as the two brother's eyes widened in surprise and continued, "I didn't plan to kill anyone. I was just going to leave, but they all pulled out their weapons and attacked. I knew it wasn't going to be fair. They all lacked the skill to start with. Your father was the first to reach me. I reacted according to the situation but underestimated my own physical strength. He died along with another guy. Everybody else probably suffered a few broken bones."

The younger brother suddenly rushed forward and started to hit Liam. Liam didn't evade or do anything. The older brother watched as his younger brother let his frustration fuel his emotions.

The older brother understood what had happened but didn't blame the man. Father had prepared him for this situation, but he could never imagine that his father's killer would be the one to be so nice to them and even help them.

"But … why are you taking us to Pando?"