Benevolent Demon

Selvynee limped behind him, clutching her ribs. "So… where are you going, Ashfang?" Her voice trembled, more from the coldness in his silence than the pain in her foot. "You know, kicking my cage before setting me free wasn't exactly—"

Sirus stopped.

She collided into his back and fell hard, the wind knocked from her lungs.

He crouched slowly, his shadow folding over her like a cloak. Red eyes—glowing like embers in a dying world-locked onto her, unblinking.

"I never gave you my name," he said, his voice quiet, each word like ice sinking into skin. "Sirus. Sirus Rose. Of the Deamon tribe."

He stood with measured grace. His gaze, unblinking, turned to the distant mountain—dark, jagged, alive with a quiet threat. The wind seemed to hush around him.

"I'm hunting a red ogre."

Then he walked on. No rush. As if the mountain—and whatever waited within it—should fear him instead.

Selvynee shivered. "…A Deamon?"

She followed. Not because she trusted him.

But because something told her she'd be safer near the monster… than behind him.

"Sirus Rose, huh. I sense nobility." She muttered quietly-grining. 

"You know." She started to slow down, her foot dragging across the mud.

"I-I could use a break. Or, I'll bite you!" Unable to stay walking. She crashes down with a whimper-losing consciousness. 

Sirus stopped in his tracks, his clawed hands clenching the mountain in the distance. "If I keep on having to stop everytime you complain. Then I'll-." 

Sirus looks down with a deadpan-emotionless face. His thoughts, unknown. 

With a quiet sigh, he picks her up and carries her over his shoulders. "At this rate. It's going to take me another day to reach the mountain. Tch." He cursed under his breath. Locking his sights at the mountain, he seeks for shelter for the snow-leopard girl.

Hours passed. The night blankets the valley.

Selvynee squints her eyes in pain as she sits up. Noticing a trench coat over her body.

A fire casting shadows. A drop of water from above tickles her snout.

"W-where am I?" Selvynee looks around in confusion, not being able to recall her memories on how she ended up in this cave.

"T-the demon!" She snaps her head-looking around the cave. She looks down and counts all her fingers and limbs.

"I'm still in one piece?" She soothes her beating heart.

A spine chilling wind-roars throughout the cave. Threatening to put out the warm fire.

Selvynee shuffles closer to the fire and holds the trench coat closer to her body-shivering at the cruel wind.

"How long has it been since I last saw my tribe? How long must I suffer for?" She muttered.

 Tears-flowing down her face.

"How… HOW MUCH DO I MUST SUFFER!" Selvynee yowls echo throughout the cave. The fire shrinking at her misery. 

She huddles up into a ball.

Her big tail still-dead.

Her ears flattened against her skull.

Meanwhile

"Another deer-bull, this should do nicely." Sirus narrows his eyes at the carcass. "The girl can probably tell me what this." Sirus tilts his head. "This thing is-" 

His ears flick, a yowl in distress. Sirus drags his hunt, as he dashes towards the yowling. Luckily he wasn't that far from where he left the demihuman.

"But I'd prefer not to drag this huge deer." Sirus mutters as he glances back. "But I need it for the night."

Dropping the deer at the entrance, Sirus bolts towards inside.

"ARGHHH!" 

Sirus holds the cave wall as he tries to recover his breath. The cold wind making it difficult to breathe.

"I ran all the way back." His voice was cold, breath harsh "And I find you… weeping like a kitten." Sirus snarled, red eyes blazing, brighter than the fire he built for her.

Red glowing eyes scanned the fire, before landing on her curled form.

He walks back towards the entrance, dragging the deer over to the fire. Flinging the carcass towards the girl.

"I-I…" Selvynee mutters as she tries to speak-her ears flops down in fear. 

The flames dimmed as he approached, shadows wrapping around like obedient slaves.

The demon reaches out towards her, she shrinks back-eyes shut tight.

"You're just a child." He muttered, his clawed hand resting against her head-not as a threat, but a tether. "You've been dragged from your tribe.. To be sold like a thing."

Sirus spoke gently. 

Selvynee looks up-slow and confused at his actions.

"You're not going to hurt me?" She mutters as she feels the warmth from his clawed hand, stroking her head.

[Smack]

"What would a demon know about suffering?" Her voice trembling, fangs bared like a cornered beast.

"A demon can never understand!" She declared 

Shaking his head with a sigh, he walks to the deer. Cutting it up to propositions. 

Without looking at her. "You hungry?"

He pauses to look back

"Also, if you're not going to be grateful for me looking after your injuries." 

Focusing back to cutting the deer, he spoke. Then give me back my jacket."

Selvynee looks down and examines her injuries. To her surprise. There was no pain-only faint soreness where agony once burned

"What did you put on me?" She asked, her voice quiet, laced with bewilderment. She looked up. Not knowing how to process the moment she was in.

Sirus didn't answer back, finishing up with the deer, he threw the head, legs and gut towards the far end of the cave with calm efficiency.

"You don't answer a question with a question." He said simply, standing up. Without another word, he steps outside to gather firewood and a few sticks to skewer the meat.

She stared after his retreating figure, her thoughts tangled.

"Why is a demon-of all things-so…" Her fingers brushes lightly against her head, recalling the warmth of his touch.

"So kind…?" She whispered. Her hand drifted lower, hesitating over the spot he had treated-not out of pain, but something else. A strange comfort.

"This isn't what I was told…?" Her voice trembled in confusion, her breath shaken. Demons are supposed to be monsters-killers who revel in torment, who play with their victims…"

She sat in silence, the fire glow flickering across her conflicted expression, unsure whether to fear him… or trust him.

At the cave's entrance. Sirus stood quietly, a bundle of firewood in one arm, the cold wind brushing against him. He had heard every word.

'Is this what other races, including hers think of…' Sirus looks down at his clawed hands, examining them with a thought

'If this is what the other races truly think of demons.' He makes a fist. 'Of me, then I will need to tread more carefully. I can't blame them, not completely… but I won't let it define me.' 

With that he tightened his grip on the sticks and stepped back inside. The fire flicked-crackling at his return.

Selvynee looks up at the demon from her curled form.

"Why…" She stares into his glowing red eyes. "Why are you-"

Sirus kneels down in between the fire and the girl. Placing the sticks down, skewer sticks next to the meat and firewood next to the fire. 

He takes a deep breath as he slowly-locks eyes with the girl. His voice calm and even, interrupted her gently.

"Before you say anything…" He paused, reading the confusion and tears swollen eyes on her face.

"I'm not what you may think. At least, not in the way you've heard." He briefly looked towards the cave entrance-noticing the trees swaying side to side, the moon shining bright behind the trees, like an omen, ghastly watchers. 

Looking back towards her. "At least where I grew up… It wasn't anything like that. I can't speak about the other tribes. But where I grew up, there was no senseless slaughter. No demons playing with their victims or needless killing. I grew up in a humble village, we all respected and loved one another, we were humble, happy people.."

"You heard me…" She didn't know what to say. But she remembers her injury, the fire he built for her, and even the trench coat he gave to warm her up.

She looks down with a smile, she couldn't remember the last time she genuinely smiled without fear. Looking up-still smiling.

"I'm sorry. You saved me.. Didn't complain about me following you, even looked after my injuries and gave me warmth…" 

Sirus silently watched her. Observing the sudden change of words. Then, shaking his head, he stood up.

"I'll make dinner." He spoke softly-his tone simple.

He skewers the meat and hands her three sticks.

"The meat won't cook itself, you know."

Selvynee blinked down at the food, then at him.

"Y-yeah… sorry."

As the fire crackled and the meat sizzled, Selvynee watched the demon across the flame-still unsure what he truly was. But for the first time… She didn't feel afraid.

As Sirus enjoyed the warm fire and the sound of sizzling meat in silence. He notices her stare, questioning what he is.

Sirus glanced at her in silence in return.

She was unique to say the least… He never saw a demihuman until now. She was slightly shorter than him, her head reaching his chest.

Her snow-white hair—long and flowing, much like his own—caught the firelight, shimmering with a soft, ghostly glow. It cascaded down her back in wild, tangled strands, clearly unkempt from days of captivity. Perched atop her head were feline ears, twitching slightly at the sounds of the night—distinctly snow leopard in shape and pattern, marked by speckles of black and gray.

Her eyes were the most striking—one a piercing blue like frozen lakes, the other a pale white that gleamed eerily in the firelight. Unsettling at first glance, yet strangely innocent.

Her hands, furred up to the elbows and tipped with dull claws, rested tightly around the trench coat he'd given her. Her legs bore similar fur, up to her knees, and a large, fluffy tail lay limp beside her, twitching now and then with some nervous thought.

She had a short feline snout, more a suggestion of a muzzle than a protrusion, with soft whiskers twitching whenever she sniffed the air.

Young. Fragile-looking. Probably no older than thirteen—but still too young for the horrors she'd seen.

Sirus's eyes narrowed slightly.

She was still watching him.

He turned back to the fire and shifted the meat with one clawed finger. "Eat. You'll need your strength."