He cried

[Delius the Bear and his group of trustworthy friends slayed the evil Dragon]]

An old paper, crumpled and yellow in color depicted such events accompanied with a childish drawing made of charcoal.

A group of bearkins smiling, standing at the top of the evil Dragon that has caused destruction in its wake.

In that story, the truth was blurred as the story told the truth with real-life evidence and locations but also exaggerations that could be deemed as lies, so it was up to the reader's interpretation to deem it as real or fiction.

This storybook was one of the reasons why the Bearkins were a symbol of pride and courage centuries ago.

The Bearkin's nature doesn't betray the story, so as time fast, it remains as that symbol untainted by the hands of time.

Until now.

Caesus felt that Something was amiss as he saw the Bearkins flee.

It betrayed their character. That simple reason was enough to make him doubtful.

Creatures that would hunt celestial beings for food, with their presence enough to turn the tide of war.

He had witnessed it himself.

Yet the proud creatures flee in the face of a critter, not even in the middle of this mountain's food chain.

"I wasn't gone for that long" Caesus muttered looking at the bearkin that was struggling out of the pit meant for the dead.

With a calm expression he held the struggling bearkin by the leg and with a sharp breath pulled the creature out.

The bearkin tumble at the snow before looking to Caesus with a bewildered expression.

"Go" Caesus mouthed before the bearkin scurried off.

"What a disappointment." Caesus shook his head before looking at the approaching Bearkins, followed by the furball.

"I still have time before they get here, those bastards," Caesus muttered, heading to the pit; he reached his hand down.

Staying still until he felt a weight from inside holding onto his hand.

"Hang on, child" He said pulling up revealing a child robed by black suit hanging onto a corpse.

Reaching the ground, the child let go lying down breathing heavily still clinging to his mother.

"Still breathing are you?" Caesus asked, and the child eyed him suspiciously, even stopping breathing before nodding.

"Lets go inside, aren't you cold" Caesus said looking at the approaching bearkin their silhouette getting closer, focusing on them he could spot one holding onto its offspring tripping and getting swallowed whole by the large head of a fox that pop out of the giant fur ball.

On a side note, a large amount of the Bearkins fleeing have children.

Caesus could see the desperation with one going as far as throwing it's baby to another fleeing bearkin just before its body was snap in half by the flashing image of the fox's head.

Thud

Caesus shifted his gaze to the back, where the child had its face on the ground before sitting upright, rubbing his blushing nose.

Caesus reached his hand

"Come on"

Rena clinging onto the corpse looks at Caesus's hand about to take it but hesitating for a moment before finally putting his hand down and standing up

"....." Caesus kept his hand to himself, walking towards the hut while the child quietly follows from behind.

He lowers his head to not hit the door frame before entering the house.

The stench of death welcomed him as he stood inside, observing the place for a few seconds before glancing at the child about to enter.

"Wait" Caesus looked at the child before asking

"Why are you still holding onto that corpse?"

Rina looked at his mother in his arms before staring back at Caesus.

"How'd you even manage to carry that?" He genuinely asked as the child was half the size of the corpse it was dragging.

The weak glow in the child's chest made Caesus think of an idea about where the supernatural strength came from but ignored it as there was a more pressing matter.

"Drop the corpse before entering, let your mother rest" Caesus said and the child just continued staring at him before shaking his head vigorously.

A thought crossed Caesus's head as his face looked like he was contemplating kicking the child at this very moment.

"This place stinks as it already is," Caesus blurted out as the child barged into the house while Caesus made way.

" great," he muttered, glancing at the child's back.

Rina climbed onto the bed and placed his mother comfortably on the mattress before looking around as if looking for someone.

He jump down the hay mattress and begin looking around not bothered by Caesus's gaze.

He checked under and on the table, under the bed, and every nook and cranny with help from the filtered light coming from the closed straw window.

The hut was small so it didn't took long for Rina to uncover every possible hiding place.

The place that was already littered and disorganized got messier with Rina's search.

Yet he didn't find her, his sister.

He reluctantly went towards the bed with Caesus's gaze still glued to him, grabbed the fur blanket, and draped it over her mother.

He put a hand on its forehead before quickly wrapping it up in more blankets.

His eyes show care and worry while watching over the corpse.

A hint of genius hit Rina as he takes care of his mother.

He turned his head to the man who trespassed into their home, sure that he knew where his mother was.

The silent treatment didn't bother Caesus; his shared attention leaned more toward what was happening outside rather than the kid's weird attachment to corpses.

A sound of desperate wail shifted his attention towards Rina.

The child was talking, but to Caesus, all he could hear was words meshed together without meaning.

It's like he was talking to a child.

"I can't understand you"

Rina stopped and looked straight at him, then towards his mother, before slumping to the ground crying.

It was so sudden that Caesus froze for a few seconds before approaching the child.

He awkwardly patted the child's back, making it cry even harder, swiping his hand away.

Caesus thought for a minute, and with a sigh, he headed over to the entrance and grabbed the bag near the door.

He picked another clean suit before heading to the crying child and with a quick professional move, tied the child's entire body into a tight burrito.

Hands to both sides, legs tucked in, and mouth wrapped with double the fabric than the other parts.

Caesus then casually throws the child near its mother before sitting down on the bed himself.

The child's cry was faint enough to not be heard in the silent room.

Caesus let out a content sigh as he closed his eyes, resting his head on both hands; the corpse's toe was inches away from touching his rear, and beside the corpse was a wailing burrito.

A few minutes went by, silence.

The snow that is clutching onto Caesus's pants slowly melts with time. The sound of dripping water occasionally breaks the silence, but it isn't enough to wake anyone up.

After a long tantrum, even Rina was fast asleep in his cocoon while flies slowly made their way to his mother.

'Tick'

Caesus opened his eyes before looking at the hidden pocket watch in his sleeves, even with the large hole in the middle its broken hand still managed to move.

"How lucky"