HHLP Chapter 11

Chapter 11. Carnivore

 

The next morning, Ar woke up with a pounding headache.

At first, her head spun, then her throat felt parched and cracked, followed by a wave of nausea.

It was an unfamiliar pain, something she had never experienced before, and for a while, she couldn’t even gather her thoughts.

Still dazed, she tried to escape the sunlight streaming into the bed, crawling across the mattress—only to tumble off the edge.

“Ar?”

Thanks to that, only Leon, who had been sleeping soundly, ended up rudely awakened.¹Remember Leon is sleeping on the floor, and she definitely didn’t wake up from the fall🤣

Still groggy, Ar fumbled around with her hands to sense her position. The moment she felt warmth beside her, she instinctively clung to it.

Satisfied by the comforting heat, she let a small smile curl her lips and lazily sprawled across Leon, crawling up to greet him with a morning kiss.

Leon, still with his eyes closed, blocked her lips with his hand.

“You reek of alcohol.”

“!?”

At those words, Ar’s eyes snapped open.

Still too weak to argue, she lay sprawled on her bed as Leon got up and left the room.

While she was still flailing from the shock of rejection, Leon headed to the barn, milked Bianca, and fetched a jar of honey from the cupboard.

He stirred the honey thoroughly into the still-warm goat’s milk so it would blend well.

Then, holding the cup carefully, he returned to the room.

“Ar.”

“?”

Ar, who had been lying limp on her pillow with vacant eyes, lifted her head slightly.

Leon set the cup on the bedside table, then gently picked her up and placed her properly on the bed.

As she blinked at him, he carefully brought the cup to her lips, ensuring the liquid wouldn’t spill. Then, in a soft voice, he murmured,

“Drink slowly.”

Ar obediently swallowed as Leon tilted the cup for her.

The soothing warmth eased the burning sensation in her stomach.

After finishing the drink, she licked away the milk mustache from her lips, which made Leon chuckle as he wiped away any remaining traces with his hand.

“Hmm.”

Still feeling a dull throb in her head, Ar whimpered and burrowed into Leon’s arms.

He set the empty cup aside and gently patted her back.

Assured by his presence, she showered him with lazy, scattered kisses—on his cheek, his lips, anywhere within reach.

Chuckling, Leon adjusted his hold on her.

“Your head is still hurting, isn’t it? Shouldn’t you sleep a little longer?”

“Mmh.”

Leon gently laid her back down, carefully tucking the blankets around her.

“Rest a little more.”

As he continued to stroke her hair, Ar felt her mind drift into a pleasant haze again.

She had never experienced a hangover before. When she drank alone, she had never gone far enough to get drunk.

The forest was an unknown, mysterious place for the townspeople, and few dared to step into it. But there were always a few reckless ones.

It wasn’t uncommon for young men to wander into the woods, unaware of its dangers.

Because of that, Ar had always maintained some level of caution, even in her own home.

Letting someone else enter her space and trusting them was an entirely new experience for her.

Though the hangover headache was annoying, Ar found herself thinking that the light, floating sensation she had felt while drinking had been worth experiencing.

Of course, Leon disagreed.

For now, Ar enjoyed the cozy relaxation, rubbing her face into the blankets with contentment.

 

***

 

While Ar was sleeping, Leon busied himself in the kitchen.

He boiled some cabbage until it was soft, then went out to the chicken coop to collect a few eggs.

He also picked some tomatoes, knowing Ar liked them.

After whisking the eggs well and chopping the tomatoes into small pieces, he glanced toward the bedroom.

The sunlight streaming in seemed to bother Ar as she tossed and turned, groaning.

Seeing that she might wake soon, Leon poured the egg mixture with tomatoes into a pan, stirring it evenly as it cooked.

Once the scrambled eggs were fluffy and yellow, he transferred them to a plate. Then, he retrieved the boiled cabbage, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and dressed it with a bit of vinegar, honey, and a light sprinkle of salt.

When the meal was fully prepared and plated, Leon returned to the room.

The sound of his movements in the kitchen and the faint aroma of food had already woken Ar, but she only let out a weak groan when he entered, making sure he noticed she was suffering.

Leon, playing along, approached with a concerned expression and gently stroked her hair.

“Are you alright?”

Ar, pleased with the attention, fully leaned into his palm.

Leon carefully helped her sit up, coaxing her with a soft, “Just eat something, then you can sleep again.”

Truthfully, Ar had regained some strength, but she pretended otherwise, leaning against him as he carried her to the table.

Today’s meal was boiled cabbage salad and scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

Seeing a meal with no meat, Ar tilted her head in confusion.

She had no idea that everything Leon had prepared was meant to help with hangovers.

Leon, on the other hand, was quite familiar with hangover remedies.

After all, when the older geezers decided to hold a feast, the younger ones had no choice but to endure endless rounds of drinks.

His older sister, a seasoned drinker, could handle it with ease. But for Leon, just maintaining his composure at a feast was a challenge.

The morning after a drinking session was always a struggle, leaving him barely able to get out of bed.

Over time, he became well-versed in foods that could ease the symptoms.

Unaware of this, Ar stared at the table, finding it rather dull.

She wondered if Leon was being frugal because he wasn’t familiar with their household yet, so she spoke up.

“We have plenty of meat.”

Thinking he might be hesitating to use ingredients because it wasn’t his home, she added,

“Don’t hold back.”

Leon had simply chosen the menu for its effectiveness, but to this carnivorous landowner, his reasoning didn’t seem to matter.

In the end, he compromised by adding a boiled egg to the meal.

 

***

 

Now that her headache was gone, Ar lounged beside Leon as he read, lazily rolling around.

As she lay there, she suddenly recalled a past memory.

²Start of Flashback.

It had been shortly after her grandfather passed away.

Even after she was left alone, Ar continued following his teachings, maintaining her usual daily routine.

That night, she fell asleep as usual—only to be awakened by an unpleasant sound.

From deep in the forest came the eerie howls of wolves.

Ar silently got up, checked the dagger she always kept on her, and gathered a few tools before heading outside.

She climbed a tree where she could observe the cabin.

It wasn’t long before unwelcome visitors appeared.

‘This is where that butcher lived?’

‘Yeah. Someone who came by before said they paid for an expensive funeral without hesitation.’

‘Shut up, idiots! Do you want everyone to know we’re breaking in?’

The group of men hesitated briefly before, upon a signal, they all rushed forward and kicked open the door.

‘Huh?’

‘There’s no one here.’

As they fumbled around inside, Ar tossed a small stone toward the entrance.

‘Wait.’

‘What?’

‘Shut up. Do you hear that?’

Once they fell silent, Ar threw another stone.

This time, everyone clearly heard it.

‘G-God! Did you hear that?’

‘Footsteps… in the middle of the night?’

‘T-They say demons live in the forest… and that we should never enter…’

Some of them were already sniffling in fear.

The self-proclaimed leader of the group took a deep breath and stepped forward.

‘Don’t be ridiculous! That’s just something adults say to scare kids. We’re not kids anymore!’

With that, he strode confidently toward the door, determined to see for himself.

The frightened young men clung to each other as they followed closely behind him. And the moment he threw the door open—

‘Ahhh!’

‘E-eyes! Floating in midair…!’

‘A demon! There really was a demon!’

The young men bolted straight back to the village in terror.

One of them, in his panicked escape, tripped over a thick tree root and fell hard. It was said that in his desperate attempt to flee, he injured his leg so badly that he was left with a permanent limp.

Ar watched them retreat until they had completely disappeared from sight, then finally climbed down from the tree.

“…”

She turned her gaze toward the cause of their fright.

Glowing eyes shone in the darkness of the forest, a sight she was already well familiar with.

The leader of the wolves. Blanca.

Blanca was the wisest wolf Ar knew. She led the wolf pack of the western forest and seemed, at times, as if she could understand human speech.

Her grandfather had always taught her never to harm a wolf pup.

Ar had never forgotten that lesson. Her grandfather had never even set traps near wolf dens.

‘There’s no point,’ he would say. ‘Rabbits and deer won’t go near a place that reeks of wolves anyway.’

.

.

That day was Ar’s first time checking the traps alone.

She carefully inspected each one, ensuring they were still in place, checking for damage, and looking for any signs that animals had noticed them.

As she made her way through the forest, a faint whimper reached her ears.

It was coming from a trap set some distance from the wolf den.

A wolf pup had gotten caught in a snare meant for rabbits, struggling desperately to free its paw.

It was still small, barely bigger than a puppy, with soft, pale fur.

Ar briefly considered whether it was worth keeping—perhaps there was enough meat on it for a meal.

But then, the pitiful cries of the pup made her recall her grandfather’s words.

She had never tasted wolf meat before, and she was curious. But her grandfather had never been wrong about the forest.

Not wanting to invite unnecessary trouble, she freed the pup from the snare.

The little one wriggled wildly, scratching at her arms in an attempt to escape.

Her clothes were torn in the process, but the pup didn’t seem to be seriously injured.

‘Go.’

She set the freed pup on the ground and pointed toward the wolf den.

Even without her saying anything, the moment she let go, the pup bolted straight toward the den.

It only stopped once it was a tiny speck in the distance.

For a brief moment, it seemed to glance back at her—but she wasn’t sure. Then, it disappeared entirely.

After that, Ar forgot all about the incident. She wouldn’t meet the wolves again until much later.

.

.

That night, Ar sat by her window, watching a meteor shower cascade across the sky.

‘Wow.’

She had never seen so many stars falling at once. It wasn’t just a few streaks of light—countless trails streamed down like a flowing river of fire.

Young Ar felt an urge to act quickly.

Her grandfather had told her that even if she followed the falling stars, there would be nothing left by the time she arrived.

But surely, that only applied to a few falling stars.

With so many coming down, some of them must still remain by the time she got there.

Without a second thought, she jumped to her feet and ran into the forest, toward the place where the stars had fallen.

To her, the forest at night was not frightening. She had grown up in these woods, and their darkened landscape was as familiar to her as the daylight.

What she didn’t yet understand was the danger of wandering the forest alone as a child.

She had always been accompanied by her grandfather, a skilled hunter who knew the woods well.

The animals of the forest recognized the scent of a hunter and stayed away. Because of this, Ar had never encountered a wild beast face-to-face.

So when a bear appeared before her, she froze.

It was still young—not yet fully grown.

But even in its youth, its thick paws looked powerful enough to tear through her small body with ease.

Ar held her breath, keeping her eyes locked on the approaching bear. Slowly, she reached toward her waist—

‘!’

She had made a grave mistake.

In her haste, she had forgotten to bring her dagger.

Now, she stood weaponless, facing down a bear.

Her mind was a whirlwind of panicked thoughts, trying to figure out how to escape—

Then, suddenly, something burst out of the darkness.

Bark! Bark! Grrrrowl!

It was a pack of wolves.

The largest wolf at the front barked fiercely at the bear, and the others joined in, growling menacingly.

The young bear, having never fought wolves before, hesitated. Then, overwhelmed by their aggressive display, it turned and fled.

The wolves made no effort to chase it.

Ar felt a sharp gaze on her and turned.

The largest wolf, the one who had stepped forward first, was watching her.

Its glowing eyes shone in the darkness, locked onto hers.

That night, in her search for stars, Ar discovered a different kind of light—one that shone on the earth.

That light stayed with her all the way back to the cabin.

Her grandfather, having heard the commotion, stepped outside.

As a gesture of gratitude, he offered the wolves a portion of the meat he had hunted the day before.

That was the night Ar first learned the name of the great wolf. And, of course, she was thoroughly scolded.

Over time, the hunter and the wolves continued to cross paths. Their prey often overlapped, but they respected one another.

When they met, they didn’t fight. Instead, they simply passed each other by.

³End of Flashback

Ar felt the need to introduce her hunting companion to the wolves. She didn’t want them mistaking him for an intruder and attacking.

So, carrying a gift of venison, she set out with Leon toward the wolves’ territory.

On the way, she explained about the wolves.

“Blanca? That’s similar to Bianca. Is she white, too?”

“No. She’s a gray wolf.”

Leon looked puzzled. Ar explained what her grandfather had told her.

“Her mate is white. She loves him a lot. Since she likes white things, he called her Blanca.”

Ar had met Blanca’s mate once before.

She recalled how Blanca would always offer him the best parts of a meal and nuzzle him affectionately.

The white-furred wolf had wise eyes and a cautious demeanor.

Ar had named him ‘Rovo’—a fitting name for a wolf.

There were many more stories about her encounters with the wolf pack, but Ar didn’t bother explaining them all to Leon.

She simply introduced Blanca and her pack as old companions of the forest.

Leon took it as meaning they were friends.

‘They suit each other well.’

Watching Ar kneeling near the den, waiting for Blanca, Leon smiled at the thought.

He imagined the impressive wolf standing beside her.

When Blanca finally appeared, she was even larger than he had expected.

And that day, in the depths of the forest, the hunter’s companion and the wolves exchanged their first greetings.