"Weapons! Weapons! A man shouted, waking Pepper out of her nightmare. He saw Master trying to get up, but the man was still unsteady from the drink and fell. Although Pepper's body was a little stiff because he was sleeping too stiffly, he still hurried over to help him stand up. He grabbed Master's arm and held it up, and to his surprise, it worked. He was used to trying to pick his dad up, but it never did any good.

"My letter, son." My letter," the master muttered, and now stood up, but still half-asleep.

Pepper nodded and opened the wooden box that her master had placed next to the bed. He gritted his teeth, then bent down to pick it up. Four days ago, the owner ordered him to oil it, and Pepper dropped it when she took it out of the box because it was much heavier than it looked. For this, Pepper was given a hard beating. Master said that next time he must be allowed to bleed.

This time, however, he carefully lifted it up and rolled it up so that no part slipped off. He took it to the master, and every step he took felt loud. Master grabbed it with one hand and threw it over his head, letting it land on him as easily as a normal linen shirt. "Rudder! He commanded.

Pepper jumped up in obedience, reached over to the shelf and pulled it down, and then carefully placed it on Master's lowered head, careful not to pull Master's hair. The master stood up, walked around Pepper, picked up the great sword he had kept by his side, and walked halfway through the crack in the door. He looked around for a moment, then looked back at Pepper and said, "Bring a big jug of water and wake up these useless fellows." Make sure my wife stays here. Bite her if necessary. It was a raid. Demon. ”

Pepper felt her face turn pale, and when she tried to answer, she couldn't breathe, so she could only nod. The master retreated without giving him a second look, naked from the thighs down, barefoot, and trampled in the snow. For a moment, Pepper wondered if Daddy would like him if they had met over dinner.

But then he remembered what Master had told him to do. He walked over to the jug where Master had put the water, and when he found it empty, he sobbed softly. The nearest water is in a well in the middle of the village. Where demons attack.

Pepper stared at the closed door for a moment, knowing he had to go out alone and face the demon. He shivered from head to toe, and it had nothing to do with the cold. He slept in his clothes, because it was cold to sleep alone, but his shoes were left to dry by the coals. He put them on and looked at the bed where his master's wife was lying. She tried to curl up under a blanket in the corner and hide. But it is clear that there is a man there. He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to hide it for her, because it was his specialty, but he had to hurry. Master's guests were too drunk to wake up, and they needed to wake up.

He took a step towards the crack in the door, another step, and then stopped. He stood there motionless for a few moments, wishing he had the courage of Flower, but he didn't. But what else can he do? No, he wanted to know if he could get away from the demons, the only thing Dad was afraid of in this world. Pepper swallowed hard, then stepped outside, sucking his presence into his skin as God had taught him, imagining himself as part of the shadow.

The shimmer of dawn stained all the snow purple. The sun is still hiding behind the horizon and may take an hour or more; There are still a few stars hanging in the sky, but most of them have disappeared. It was a bit difficult to sneak out, as there was no real shadow to rest him in yet, so he had to go quietly and hurriedly.

Not far away, perhaps just outside the village, someone was shouting. There was a clanging sound from time to time in the shouting, which he recognized as the sound of a weapon striking a shield. A flock of crows also gathered nearby, chirping excitedly. Other than that, the morning was empty and the village seemed empty.

With God's hidden technique, no one will see him unless they stop and stare at him carefully, but he still has to be quiet. If he squeaks and squeaks through the snow, they will find him there. If someone runs around in the round house and steps on him, he will be discovered. He had to be careful.

Pepper clumsily jumps over the footprints left by the adults as she runs towards the well, trying not to let the jar fall to the ground. He noticed that he was running with his mouth open, and his exhalation made it impossible for him to dodge. He snapped his mouth shut and breathed through his nose. But it made it difficult for him to breathe without making any sound, so he had to slow down.

He passed by Arrow's house and saw the well. When he heard someone running behind him, he leaned against a wall and curled up. The man ran over without even looking. It's a stone man, not a demon. Pepper looked around and was sure she was safe, so she walked to the well and lowered the jar with a hooked rope.

When he pulled the pot up, it was too heavy for him to hide. He couldn't concentrate, and now anyone looking at him would think he was no different from a normal person. He alternated his hands and pulled it up as fast as he could, panicking every time it hit the wall and splashed.

He cheered up, carried the jar on his shoulder, and began to crawl back to Master's house. He carefully landed his feet on the ground to avoid tripping, for there were two fears that gripped him—one for the master to break the jar, and the other for the demon to find him. He couldn't dodge, he couldn't dodge now, he couldn't hide with something so heavy, so he just walked as smoothly and quietly as he could.

It would be foolish for Master to make such a request to him. What was he thinking? Why do Master's friends need fresh water to wake up? Don't they want to defend their homeland? Isn't that enough? If in trouble, Dad never needed to drink water to wake up. Although, usually the first thing Dad does when he wakes up is to soak in water, although Pepper smiled, he quickly held back.

Then he realized that he didn't drink water this morning either. He was so distracted that he didn't even notice how much he needed to do it, but now that he remembered, the heavy pressure behind his stick completely overwhelmed his mind. It must have been the wine they gave him before bedtime. He's not used to so much, and it's not wine.

He took another step, and another step, but with each step, the pressure of the water made him ache, and he knew he was going to wet his pants.

The panic set in when Pepper tried to think about what to do, but he didn't have time to make any decisions. He quickly put down the pot, almost fell to the ground, ran past the nearest house, ran to what could be a bush, and unbuttoned his pants as he ran. He's smart, and before he lets it go, he's out of sight, but that second is almost too long. As soon as he put everything away, water squirted out of him, beyond his control.

When the water gushed out, he was so relieved that he almost sighed out loud. The heat coming out of the water also made his hands feel warmer. It is steaming in the cold air. Fetching water in cold weather is always pleasant. He looked back at the path he had walked and saw a demon standing next to the kettle, right where he had left it.

The impact of fear stiffened his muscles, and the water stopped in the middle, aching. He almost hissed in pain before he came back to his senses. When the shock subsided, he held back tears; He didn't dare to release any more water for fear of being seen by ghosts. He withdrew his presence into his body and allowed himself to hide again, trying to calm his heavy breathing so that the demon wouldn't hear it.

But the devil wasn't looking for him, not at all. Pepper watched silently as the second and third demons joined the first, both holding spears. Now he could see them, and the demons weren't what his father had told him to be. They have sharp horns, long tails, and their skin is the color of shadows, but Dad says they don't use weapons and go into battle naked. Dressed in thick animal skin clothes and holding spears in both hands, these demons stood there talking like ordinary people. Is it possible that there are different kinds of demons, like there are different kinds of stone men or Skytha.

de

?

A group of five stone men came running from behind to attack the demon. Daddy's stone men fight side by side with big shields, but these guys fight like each of them wants to be heroes, ignoring what his friends are doing. They jumped around frantically, shouting, dodging left and right, trying to get their greatsword past the demon's spear.

One of the stone men knocked off the tip of the spear and then jumped at the nearest demon. When the demon turned around, the man's leg suddenly twitched, and blood flowed from his thigh. The man fell to the ground, and before he could hit the target, he was immediately stabbed by the devil's friend. Pepper's eyes widened to figure out what was going on, but he quickly understood. Devil's tail. The demon whirled with his tail. Sef's tail was thin and soft, but Dad had said that adults could cut the bronze directly, and now Pepper believed it.

Two more stone men came, and the battle became more intense. But none of them are masters. Master is still fighting somewhere else. For the first time, Pepper wonders if the master is good for him alive or if it's good for him to die. Dad used to say that some barbarians were buried when they were buried, along with all their possessions, including slaves.

The pressure in his bladder was mounting and he felt his muscles slippery like lard. He did his best to keep it down and push it away, but it made it difficult for him to concentrate and stay hidden.

Out of nowhere, a demon ran out from behind the house, less than five steps away from Pepper. His hair is long, tied in a ponytail like his father's, and has metal tips on his horns. His leather coat looked warm, and was actually a bit like what Pepper's old tribal werewolves used to wear. It has a hole in the right place for the tail and other things. He also looked much older than the demons who were fighting, as he was thin and short, with gray hair. He had a bundle of things under each arm, and when Pepper realized what it was, he almost frightened: the demon had a knee-high stoneman child under each arm. The children were sobbing, tears staining their cheeks, but they had no fighting spirit.

Pepper almost lost focus and was no longer hiding, but fear kept him motionless until he regained his senses. The pressure in his bladder increased, and he gritted his teeth, hoping they would leave before he could no longer control it.

The demon didn't even look at him. Another demon came running from the other direction and almost ran over Pepper before he stopped. The second demon looked younger than the two who were fighting, and he also had a child in his arms, a girl, about the same age as Pepper. She cried out loud and tried to break free from the demon's arm, but he held on to her firmly.

The two demons saw each other and stood less than two steps away from Pepper. He hid all his energy, hoping that they wouldn't run into him or do anything that might expose him. He held his breath until his chest was hot, hoping they would leave soon. What if they decide to make water in the bushes where he is hiding?

"How many of us are there this time?" Any thoughts? Said the young, beardless demon. His voice sounded normal. Not as harsh as Seif, and not scary. Just normal. The girl he was holding struggled and writhed, but he held her so tight that he couldn't escape.

"At least ten, two for me and one for you." Said the older demon. His unkempt beard had patches of gray on it, a bit like his father's.

Kema counted 30. Hopefully we can get more. ”

"Can you get another one?" The bigger one asked.

"Huh? Yes, if not too big. ”

"Good. Check the bushes. I smell urine and wet kittens. ”

"Kitten?"

"It smells like a thunderbolt in the damp sky."

"You can't smell the thunderbolts." The younger one said, looking at his brother with suspicion.

"They smell a bit like wet dogs, but lighter and sweeter."

"And how do you know it's a child?"

The older one smirked and raised an eyebrow. "You've heard of an adult Skytha

de

Don't you take a shower?"

The smaller one thought for a moment. "I haven't heard of their bathing habits. I don't know any thunderbolts, and neither do you. ”

"Oh, okay, okay, you got me. Take a step to the left. Hurry up. ”

Due to the lack of air, Pepper's chest burned worse than ever. His throat spasmed, trying to get him to breathe. But he couldn't, they were so close to him. They'll hear it, and they'll already know he's nearby. When the young demon obeyed the order and took a big step towards Pepper, almost standing directly above him, the little boy almost ran away. As the burning sensation in his chest grew worse, he could feel his grip on his existence begin to loosen.

The old demon said, "Are you ready for a fight?"

The smaller one nodded.

"Grab the tail and he'll bite you. Grab him by the collar. Reach out and grab him. Now!"

"But nothing ......"

At this point, Pepper could no longer hold her breath. He gasped harshly, struggling to get enough air to fill the house with air, and then jumped on his way to escape. But his footing in the snow was poor, and he couldn't put his feet under him right away. He crawled and clawed, trying to escape, but an iron hand grabbed him by the neck and pushed his face into the snow. He tried to inhale again, but his face was buried in the snow and he couldn't breathe. He waved his wings, but couldn't break free. Spots appeared in his vision. He lost control of the water and felt the warmth of the water melting the snow beneath his feet.

"Let him get up, but hold him tightly. His pants are open and you're grabbed. ”

Pepper writhed and swung with all his might, but he couldn't escape the demon's clutches, and he clung to the collar of his leather shirt. He tried to reach for the demon's hand, but his nails hadn't hardened enough to do anything. The little devil knelt on Pepper's arm and pressed it to the ground in pain, all the way through the snow. Pepper screamed in pain. The demon picked him up, put a hand around his stomach, and stood up. Pepper writhed again with all her strength, but the devil still squeezed him tightly until Pepper screamed and stopped fighting.

"If you resist, I will hurt you." The young demon said, his voice full of menace.

Pepper didn't answer, his mind racing; He can wait until the demon is distracted and then manage to slip away. Pepper was sure he could run faster than he could because he was holding the girl. Or he could try to beat the devil in the egg. With one or two solid blows, the demon may break down and begin to cry. But if it fails, then Pepper is finished - he will be impaled by the demon's horns and then eaten, or something like that. Painful stuff.

No, his best hope is for himself to be taken away and try to escape when he has the chance, while the old demon is not around to find him. Shortly after Pepper stopped struggling, the little devil let go of his hand, and Pepper could breathe easily.

The little ghost said to the big ghost, "How do you know he's there?"

"How could you miss him?" He replied, with humor in his voice. Pepper thought it was strange. Demons also have humor?

He hid with a strange magic. I looked straight at him and saw nothing until I felt his shirt under my fingers. Tell me how you saw him!"

The old demon said angrily, "You are such a great hunter. Don't your eyes know how to see?"

"I've been practicing, but I've never thought about ......it," the younger son said, quieting down.

The old man turned around and said, "It's time to go." Farat's men began to be outnumbered, and they would soon be crushed. We need to leave. ”

The two demons walked together towards the forest, in the same direction. Thankfully, they didn't run, because with every step, the demon's arm burrowed into the soft area between the ribs and hips. It hurts, and Pepper has to grit her teeth and hold her breath because there's no chance of escaping.

After walking some distance in the woods, they encountered other demons, at least twenty of them. The young man who was holding him helped him to his feet, but grabbed him by the collar and said, "Fix your pants." Pepper adjusted and tied up her pants. As soon as he did so, one of them grabbed his wrist and tied it with a rope in front of him.

Once Pepper was firmly tied, the young demon pulled the rope and began to lead him further into the wilderness. They walked as fast as they could, leading nearly twenty children of all ages as fast as they could; The youngest children were carried, and the rest had to walk.

Pepper's heart beat his ribs relentlessly. His mind swirled, and his legs could barely support him. He wanted to ask where they were going, but he was sure he would be hit instead of answering.

As soon as they let go of the rope, he ran away and hid out of their sight. When they give up, he can go back. He needs to be ready. No, wait, that's not going to work. The old fellow somehow recognized him. He had to be far enough away from the old one to hide from the others.

They didn't even slow down, he didn't know where they were going. It has to be quick, before they go too far. His mind was spinning so fast that he couldn't slow it down. Will he be able to follow the path back, or is it too obvious? If he didn't follow the trail, would he still be able to find Master before he froze to death?

The demons talked freely with each other, laughed and talked with each other, sometimes joking, sometimes complaining about the snow. It wasn't long before the bizarre sight was enough to distract Pepper. They didn't look at all like what Dad described, not at all. Or like Mom and Deanna had a fight. Mom says he's crazy and scary, but if Pepper closes her eyes, these demons might be Thunderbolt or Stone Man. They talk and walk normally.

After a while, Pepper calmed down a bit and dared to look up at them. The first thing Pepper notices is that the demons all flick their tails over one of their shoulders to let them rest so they don't drag into the snow. Their length looks strange; Seif's nails are normal length, but he is small, so they may have grown.

Maybe they weren't going to eat him at all. They don't look that scary, or not scary at all, really. Maybe they're just stealing slaves, because everyone seems to do. This will be the third time in his life that he has become a slave, so all he has to do is wait for Dad to escape from the barbarians, and then he will ......

He realized he was thinking about his family, and that familiar fear hit Pepper again, waking up in his stomach again, causing him to trip for a moment. The little devil turned around and pulled the rope, but when he saw that Pepper wouldn't fall, he looked forward again.

Pepper stared at his back worriedly, wondering if the demons were using the captured children as food or money. He felt a wet sweat in his clothes, and he plucked up his courage and stared defiantly at the demon's back. His captors didn't notice this, just creaked through the snow in their leather boots. No one noticed him, and even if he looked around, no one noticed him.

They broke free from the woods and climbed a bare rocky hill. Now that they were out of the shade, the rising sun was beginning to warm his ears, and he felt a little more energetic. Here's one benefit of black fur: it warms up faster in the sun. Finally, despite being surrounded, in broad daylight, he dared to return his thoughts to his family.

Sometimes, he seemed to feel a part of his heart pulling towards the place where the flower was. As much as he loved all people, he loved Flower the most. He remembered his mother's warm and gentle hugs; Gabby's sweet little kiss, Daddy's laughter. Once, Dad inadvertently tickled Gabby, and she wet her body, Wolf Sca

Very angry at this, screaming and throwing a small handful of dirt. Gabby had to hold the little fairy to his chest and pet him like a kitten to calm him down, and he asked his dad to promise that he wouldn't do it again until he forgave him.

Then, after that, Flauer quietly approached Wolf SCA

, tickle him for the first time. No one thought of doing this, because the fairy was too small, but later found that the wolf scar was very itchy, and whoever could catch him was completely at his mercy. For the next week, he went around bargaining with people, like, "If you don't tease me today, I'll let you sit next to Gabi instead of me." Or "If you don't tease me today, I'll try to smell the honey and give you some." "Wolf sca

From being angry to constantly nervous, constantly upset, jumping up when you hear anything, being overly emotional about anything. It's also a pity, because of the wolf sca

The laughter is the sweet joy poured straight out of the jar. In the end, Papa Bear had to insist that everyone stay away from him, otherwise he would be beaten, wolf sca

Very grateful, he sat on Papa Bear's shoulders for a week, sleeping in his beard instead of with Ga

bi together.

Thinking of this, Pepper smiled, almost giggling. Even though he knew he might still be a slave, the fear that had long been around his stomach was dissipating and fading. He knew in part how stupid it was to feel good right now; Anything can happen. Maybe they really wanted to eat him. But the demon didn't look that scary, and they didn't care what he thought.

He flicked his tail behind him and deliberately flicked small pieces of snow around. The rope made his wrists ache, and his fingertips ached with every step, but a throbbing of hope began to fill him, hoping that things would get better, that he would live until his father came......

Suddenly, it dawned on him that he had almost stopped before he could control himself. Dad doesn't know where to look for him now. Daddy would never come to pick him up. No longer....... He never knew where to look.

Pepper looks around with wide eyes and sees everything from a new perspective - it's a wilderness, there is no trace, and the owner or dad can't find him. Once it snows again, it's over. He will be gone forever.

Fear grabbed him from head to toe, and he suddenly felt that he was walking not in air, but in water. His throat was tight and he had trouble breathing. Dad will never come to save him after escaping from the king because he doesn't know where to go. Pepper is lost. He never saw anyone again, Flower, Mom, Gabi......

He must leave, immediately, as soon as possible; It doesn't matter even if he goes back to Master, because then Dad will know where to look for him. He had to go now, before the path was too long to go back to Master's village. Right now. Right now.

But instead of succumbing to panic, he focused on what his dad taught him about cunning. Cunning is better than being strong. Compared to adult demons...... He breathed deeply, slowly, doing his best to control his emotions. It started to work, and the thumping blood in his ears subsided. The frenzy inside of him made it hard for him to think and focus on whatever he wanted to see, so he held his breath until everything calmed down. Take a deep breath, again and again.

The important things do first. He needs to keep his hands free. Pepper looked around to see if anyone was watching him, but no one seemed to care about him except for the savage girl's sideways glance at him every now and then, unless he stopped. He walked a little faster, letting the rope loosen a little, and then tried to twist his hands to see if the knot would come loose. It didn't, though the twisting and pulling made the rope dig deeper into his skin.

He glanced around again, convinced that no one was watching him, and he tried to raise his wrist to bite the rope off. For a moment, it worked; He could feel the rope break between his sharp teeth. But the little devil must have felt that the rope was moving unusually in his hand, as he turned to see what Pepper was doing. Even though Pepper put her hands down as quickly as she could, it wasn't fast enough.

"Want to bite out?" The demon said gloomily.

"No," Pepper said quickly.

"Good. Because I don't want to knock out all your teeth. The devil said. Then, he smiled and turned around angrily. The demon jerked the rope again, just to illustrate. Pepper tripped and almost fell.

Panic began to grapple at his heart again, and fear made him sick. With each step, he had less and less time. Pepper tries to stay calm, but it becomes increasingly difficult to compose; There is only one thing to try, and this is the most dangerous. He needs to get the demon to lower the rope. Then grab it and wrap it around so he doesn't trip. Then run. And then far enough away. Then hide. Then wait, and go back.

He plucked up courage. That's it. Either he runs away, or he never sees anyone again.

He counted, three, two, one...... And then nothing. He didn't dare. He could barely breathe. He's going to throw up...... Three, two, one...... Three, two, one......

He couldn't. He was weak and helpless, and he was a coward. Flower would have done it. Pepper closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to let fear make him vomit. He struggled forward, carefully following the rope. His eyes burned under his eyelids, and he didn't know if he was going to cry.

But then, a picture appeared in his mind, a picture that appeared often. This is the scene when they met their father: in the middle of the night, Pepper was lying under the bushes, almost starving. A giant, a stout man, covered in muscles, covered in sand, and hair from head to toe, walked along the road. A warrior. A man who kills. Flor bravely jumped out and attacked him. The image of the flower jumps out and lands on the incredible stone man monster, hoping to steal his money.

Flower bit the man's leg, but was caught. He didn't stand a chance at all. But this man became kind and kind, saved them, and became their father. But the image of his only new brother, Flower, facing the impossible task of saving Pepper's life, never fades. flowers, who have real courage.

He couldn't let Flower down. Not flowers, not dad, not anyone. In his head, he screamed to himself, I'm A from Dikaia

d

Son of OKLES! I can do it! He could almost feel his father's endless power pouring into his arms. The nausea of fear even disappeared slightly.

Pepper jerked the rope with all her might, then turned and ran in the opposite direction, pulling harder. The rope was loosened, and he staggered forward, struggling to put his feet under him and run. He took nearly four steps, the rope tightened again, and he grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. The little devil caught the rope with his claws and dug a deep hole in the snow.

He jerked again, and the rope slipped a few more inches, but the devil reached out and grabbed it before it could break free. He jerked so hard that he tripped Pepper. Pepper screamed in pain, the bones in his wrist slipping everywhere, but he hadn't lost yet. He ran forward and tried to kick the little devil's hand to get him to let go of the rope, but the demon just turned around and knocked him down with his shoulder again.

Pepper jumped up and roared, trying to kick between the devil's legs, or grab the rope with his teeth, or do anything, but the demon jumped away with every step, pulling the rope in pain.

He turned his growing despair into anger, and he shouted, "Let go of me!" Let me go! He said as he tried his best to pull the rope apart. The young demon jerked Pepper forward and raised a hand to hit him, but Pepper saw it just in time.

He staggered forward and bit the demon's arm near his elbow hard. The warm, metallic smell of blood quickly filled his mouth, and he choked. However, his anger grew, and he whipped even harder. This is his last chance. Flee now, or you will never see them again, never. He screamed at the demon's arm, blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth as he struggled to break free of the rope.

A terrible, sharp earache shattered his rage. Another demon grabbed the tips of both of his ears, pinched and twisted, and jerked so hard that it nearly ripped his head off. His strength was gone, almost as if his breath had left his lungs; He went limp and let go of the devil's arm. The young demon roared and slapped him so hard that it pulled his ears out. He slammed to the ground, and because of the snow, it fell harder than before.

Then the little devil jerked at his ears again, trying to pull him up. Pepper whimpered and stood up, but was slapped again, this time even harder, so hard that he saw a white flash and fell again. The demon then puts his foot on Pepper's head and pushes it against the hard dirt under the snow, exerting enough pressure that Pepper is sure that his head is going to crack.

It was all finally too much for him to bear, and he began to sob, his body going limp.

"Do you want to die?" The little devil shouted.

Another devil said, "You've gone too far, Teswan. He's just a cub. But before letting go of him, the little devil twisted his feet, just to make a point, and Pepper screamed in pain again.

This failure opened up the sadness he had been trying to stay away from, but now it crawled out. The bursts of crying made him tremble so violently that he couldn't even breathe, which only made his injuries worse.

So he just lay on the ground, limping and crying, heartbroken. He lost. It's over. He lost two families in less than a year, and he will be alone forever. The merciless desolation conquered him, and his whole body was scorched from ear to toe. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy," he shouted over and over again. His grief scorched his heart and grew stronger over time, not weaker. He could hear the other children start crying, and he could hear their own grief overwhelm their fear of demons. Eventually, a demon picked him up and moved on.