#natquick

𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚢 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕?

"Orson," a lady called out to her son. The boy, Orson, was preparing to head down the mountain to sell coal to the village.

"Your face is all black. Come over here. Because it's risky when it snows, it's alright if you don't go," the lady said while wiping her son's face. It was near New Year, and Orson wanted to sell some coal so they could have a feast

"I'll only go sell a little bit,"

"... Thank you," The door opened from the inside, and a girl, similar to the boy in both age and appearance, spoke up.

"Brother! Are you going to the village today? Let me come too!" Before she could step out, her mother(the lady) scolded her.

" No. You are ill and are in no condition to go out with your brother."

"But I feel better now, I can -" Before she could finish, her mother cut her off.

"No, Ursa, you were vomiting 2 days ago, and just yesterday you were coughing and sneezing left and right. You are staying home with me and your siblings."

"I'll buy you candy while I'm out Ursa, so just stay home and rest okay," Orson said while trying to convince his twin sister to stay home. After some bargaining, he left saying goodbye to his sister and mother.

Life wasn't easy, but it was a blessing. But, concerning life, it is like looking at the sky. It changes and moves because there aren't times when it stays clear for a long time. There also aren't times when it snows for a long time. Thus times when happiness is broken, there is always the scent of blood.

" Well, if it isn't Orson," a woman commented. Orson was prominent in his town, along with his family. They were known for helping people, and for working hard, there is not one person who hasn't at least heard of them.

"You came down from the mountain on a day like this, good work, but you'll catch a cold like this."

"I want to buy some charcoal!"

"Thank you for fixing up my door for me!"

"I also want to buy some charcoal!"

"AHHHHHHH ORSON I'M GLAD YOU'RE HERE. CAN YOU TELL WHO BROKE THESE DISHES? PLEASE SMELL THESE!" Being a hard worker isn't the only thing Orson is known for. Orson is also known for having a strong, sensitive nose; They say he can smell anything from 20 miles away, maybe more if he pushes. Orson leans forward and takes a sniff of the broken plate.

"It smells like a cat,"

"Eh, a cat?"

"SEE I TOLD YOU IT WASN'T ME!!!!!!!!!!!"

The sun was setting, and the vibrant hues of red, orange, pink, and purple were a stage that Orson would never forget. It was getting late, and Orson needed to get home before the sun was fully set.

"HEY ORSON, ARE YOU RETURNING TO THE MOUNTAIN?" A voice shouted out

"You can't continue. It's too dangerous!"

"O-oh, it's ok, My nose can smell anything. I'll be fine -"

"I'll let you stay the night, just come,"

"But..."

"ENOUGH! The demons will appear..." And with that, Orson went inside.

"Since long ago, human-eating demons come out to hunt at night, and because of that, it's a problem to walk around at night. You'll get eaten, it's beat if you sleep here, wake up early tomorrow and return home," Orson was tucked in his futon while listening to the old man. If you were to ask Orson if he believed in demons, he would say no. Orson has ventured out during the dark and it safe to say, he has never seen a demon."

"Can the demons not enter houses?" he asked

"No, they can enter..." Orson wanted to scoff. He would have been home at this point. What difference did it make if the demon could just barge in the house?

"In that case... everyone.... would be eaten by demons..." the white-haired boy yawned before closing his eyes.

"...The Demons hunters kill the demons for us.... since long ago..."

He must be lonely, living alone since his family died. Next time, I'll invite my mother and sister along. Even though it's scary, it's okay since demons don't exist. Even though I'm certain that such man-eating monsters don't exist, our grandmother said the same thing before she passed.

The morning arrived, and Orson had just left the old man's house. The morning air was cold, but he would make sure to arrive home on time.

T̶i̶m̶e̶s̶ w̶h̶e̶n̶ h̶a̶p̶p̶i̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ i̶s̶ b̶r̶o̶k̶e̶n̶, t̶h̶e̶ s̶c̶e̶n̶t̶ o̶f̶ b̶l̶o̶o̶d̶ i̶s̶ a̶l̶w̶a̶y̶s̶ t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶.

Orson knew what to expect when he arrived home. He would see his mother awake, fixing up Breakfast, and his sister would most likely either be asleep or doing some other chores. His other siblings would also be helping around the house (except for the youngest, he could sleep all day if they let him). But what he didn't expect was for his mother and sister to be covered in blood just outside the door. His dear sister inside the arms of their mother, an image forever engraved in his head.

"WHAT THE- WHAT- HOW DID THIS HAPPEN-WHAT HAPPENED!" The scene inside was more gruesome, his 2 younger brothers, one cut in half and the other-he couldn't even recognize him; if only by his clothes, for his face was nothing but a mess of flesh and blood. Orson went and knelt in front of his mother, his shaking hands moving his mother's hair away from her face. That was until he felt something, -warmth-, not from his mother but from his twin sister. His sister was still alive, and with that, he picked her up on his back and ran back down the mountain.

Only Ursa had warmth in her body. If she sees a doctor, they might be able to save her. How did such a thing happen? A bear? Did a bear that wasn't hibernating appear? It was painful to breathe... the frozen air burned his lungs... but he knew he had to move forward... he had to move his legs faster.

They were still far from the village, he needed to go faster. He wouldn't let her die, he was going to save her no matter what.

"Your big brother will save you..." He felt Ursa shift behind him; her movement becoming more agitated before griping her brother's shoulder violently and growling loudly.

"GAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" The sudden movement caused Orson to slip off the cliff.

' SHIT ' Orson closed his eyes preparing for the worse, but the soft snow softened his fall. He lays there for a while before opening his eyes.

" ...I'm saved...the snow, I slipped and fell on snow- URSAA!" Ursa was standing there swaying side to side in her bloodied clothes.

"Ursa! Are you OK, you don't have to walk. Let me carry you down the mountain! Ursa!!!" It was Ursa, but she didn't look like her. It was her eyes, they no longer held compassion, they looked angry.

They looked hungry

She was fast. She jumped on her twin with murderous intent, the only thing stopping her from biting her brother was the axe he had on him.

"A demon!" The old man's words came to his mind at that moment. Ursa, a demon? No, that's not right, Ursa has been a human ever since she was born. But her scent was different. Orson knew, though, that Ursa didn't do anything as she had no scent of their brother's blood and was being protected by their mother.

"Oof!" Her body was getting bigger, and her strength was increasing.

"While I was sleeping comfortably, you were all suffering. You were all hurting. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you."

"URSA! Try your best, Ursa! Try your best to hold it off! Somehow, you turned into a demon, Pull yourself together! I believe in you, Ursa!" A drop fell on the little polar bear boy. Ursa was now crying, muffled by the axe in her mouth. Too distracted by the situation at hand, neither of the two felt the presence of the intruder.

The two of them move out of the way just in time to avoid the sword. A man in a light blue lapis haori and black uniform attacked them with a sword. He had snow-white hair and blue eyes.

"Who was that...is that a Katana? "

"... Why did you protect them?" Orson snapped out of his trance and responded in a panic.

"YOUNGER, SHE'S MY YOUNGER SISTER!" She continued to growl, arms reaching toward the armed man.

".... I'm afraid she's no longer your sister..." He raced towards them. Abnormally quickly. Orson ducked his head trying to protect his sister, but he quickly realized that she was no longer in his arms.

"GYAAAHHHHHHH!!!" His sister was held with her arms behind her by the man in blue.

"URSA!" he yelled standing up abruptly.

"Don't worry, My job is to protect you against demons. I apologize... but I will have to decapitate your sister,"

"PLEASE WAIT, URSA HASN'T KILLED ANYONE! At the location of our home, there was another scent that I never smelled before! Whatever killed everyone was probably that! Ursa is different, I don't know why she's behaving like that but-"

"It's quite simple, If an open wound is exposed to demon blood, then you become a demon. This is how man-eating people multiply"

"URSA HASN'T EATEN ANYONE!" The swordsman was shocked by how persistent the boy was. He believed him when he said that she has yet to eat anyone, but he says it like it's always going to be that way.

"She was just about to eat you,"

"THAT WRONG! YOU CAN'T KNOW FOR SURE IN MY CASE! I WON'T LET HER HURT ANYONE! I'LL TURN URSA BACK INTO HUMAN, I'LL FIND A CURE!"

"I'm sorry, but there is no cure, there is no way to turn a demon back into a human."

"THEN I'LL FIND A WAY, I'LL FIND A WAY TO CURE HER SO PLEASE DON'T KILL HER! I'LL FIND THE ONES WHO KILLED MY FAMILY, I'LL TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING SO PLEASE.... PLEASE" His begging was useless. The man raised his sword toward Ursa's neck, ready to cut her head off. Everything else was taken from him, so in a last attempt, he went on his knees and truly begged.

"Please stop......whatever you do, please don't kill my sister...I beg of you..." He couldn't hold his tears anymore.

"I beg of you...."The man snapped, finally losing his patience.

"YOU CAN'T GRASP AUTHORITY OVER SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE AND DEATH." Orson raised his head abruptly with a shocked look, still covered in tears.

"DON'T GROVEL LIKE THAT AND GIVE YOUR ENEMIES A CHANCE TO KILL YOU. TAKEN AWAY? IN THAT TIME THEY WERE TAKEN AWAY, WHERE WERE YOU? CURE YOUR SISTER? TAKE REVENGE? IT'S HIGHLY RIDICULOUS! FOR THE WEAK THERE IS NO RIGHT OR OTHER CHOICES."

"ENTIRELY WITH FORCE, THE STRONG CAN MAKE OTHERS SURENDER, MAYBE THE DEMON KNOWS HOW TO CURE YOUR SISTER, BUT I DOUBT THE DEMON WILL HAVE ANY RESPECT FOR YOU. WHY DIDN'T YOU SWING YOUR AXE? WHY DID YOU SHOW ME YOUR BACK? IS IT OKAY IF I BEHEAD YOUR SISTER IN FRONT OF YOU?"

'Don't cry. Don't despair. Don't do these things now. I know that you were knocked down. Your only family left became a demon. It's painful, isn't it? You want to shout, don't you? I understand.'

'Half a day. If I had arrived half a day earlier, your family wouldn't be dead. However, time can not be reversed. Be angry. Say that it's unforgivable. A strong, pure anger. Let it become an unshakable driving force such that your limbs can't be moved.'

'Frail resolution will not save and cure your sister, it will not kill your family's enemy.'

"STOP!" It was too late. The swordsman stabbed his sister in the shoulder, earning him a painful screech from the demon girl.

"STOP!" Orson picked up a rock and flung it toward the Swordsman. Not like it would do much, as the man easily blocked the little pebble. Orson ran behind a tree, picking up another rock and throwing it at the man as he once again dodged it.

"YAAAAAAAHHH!!!" He ran up to the man with the blue haori. An attack based on emotions. But the boy can't win against an experienced swordsman. As he used the handle of the sword to knock the boy out, he fell on the snow before being fully unconscious.

"........ Where is the a-" Out of nowhere the axe came flying toward the man's face just bearly missing. Just before he hid behind the tree he threw the stone, then he threw the axe up. He hid the fact that he was unarmed with his charging posture because he knew he couldn't defeat him. He tried to bring him down after he got knocked out.

"GAAAAAHHHHH" Ursa kicked the man out of the way, making her way toward her now unconscious brother.

'Crap! He'll get eaten!' Ursa got to Orson.

'Ursa is different!'

'She doesn't eat people!' Ursa got in front of Orson in a protective stance growling at him

'A long time ago... There was a guy who said the same thing and was eaten. Demon in a "starving condition" would eat their parents or siblings. Fixing that wound would consume a lot of energy. Also, because turning into a demon requires a lot of stamina, without a doubt right now she is very hungry. She's going to want to eat anytime now but those defensive movements, it's as if she's warning me...' She lunged at him, ready to attack.

"Maybe something is different about these two"

And with just a single hit to the neck, Ursa passed out.

A mother and two brothers surrounded Orson in a pitch-black void, looking at him with sorrow.

"I'm sorry for leaving you, Orson. Take care of Ursa for us" Orson woke up gripping some cloth. The cloth ended up being Ursa's haori. She was sleeping with a bamboo muzzle in her mouth.

"Are you awake?" Orson tugged Ursa close to him in panic

" ... Go visit a man named Natquick Belov, who lives at the foot of the misty mountain. Tell him that Barnacles Belov sent you. Because it's cloudy it should be OK. Make sure the sunlight never touches your sister... And I'm sorry for my outburst, I wish you luck." He vanished too quickly for the eye to see as if he wasn't there in the first place. Leaving Orson and Ursa there all alone.

Orson went back to the house to bury his family. Orson prayed while Ursa stared off into the distance.

"Let's go" Orson grabbed his sister's hand and with one final look, they took off.