The people around him whispered in awe, marveling at the skill of the unseen master who had repaired and reinvigorated the stone. Some exchanged tentative glances, wondering if they were witnessing something beyond their understanding.
Then Soren's eyes snapped open, golden irises gleaming with sharp awareness. He scanned the interior of the aircraft, and his brow furrowed as he realized something crucial was missing.
The little beast.
"Sir!" someone called out, snapping to attention, as the rest of the team hastily saluted.
The doctor stepped forward, holding the repaired black dragon energy stone. "Sir, your situation is much better this time. Thanks to the skill of the master who worked on this stone—"
Soren's hand closed around the stone, his pupils narrowing. He turned it over carefully, examining the contours. This wasn't the energy stone he had originally received from the master. The size, the shape, even the subtle imperfections—it was different. And yet… he could see his previous stone within it.
His jaw tightened as he asked, "What about the other person?"
The men exchanged confused glances. The question was vague. Was he talking about a soldier, a companion, or someone else? None of them could understand what their leader was saying.
Soren's golden eyes scanned them again. "…Where is the little leopard?"
Silence.
No one moved. No one spoke. Their minds scrambled to make sense of the title. 'Little leopard?' The commander didn't call anyone that. None of the guards or attendants were leopards. None of them even resembled a small feline.
Soren took a deep, steadying breath, his chest rising and falling like a coiled spring. 'They left the little leopard there? On that deserted island?' His golden eyes glinted with a mixture of irritation and something softer—concern, or maybe something he hadn't realized he felt until now.
Without a word, he rose from his seat. Several guards and the doctor immediately fell in step behind him, instincts kicking in to match the pace of a leader who never wasted a second. They watched as he strode past the seats, bypassed the pilot, and took control of the aircraft himself.
With a few deliberate movements, Soren adjusted the controls, turning the massive craft back toward the island. The engines roared, and the cabin vibrated, but no one dared to comment. None needed to. They all knew that when Soren's focus snapped onto something, it became priority number one.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Meanwhile, on the ground, I—completely oblivious to the incoming rescue—was busy in my own chaotic world. My white fur was streaked with ash, and smudges of soot covered my tiny muzzle and paws as I dug fervently into the pit where I had buried the second bird egg, intent on saving it for the man who had unknowingly became my source of warmth and safety.
The sudden rush of air from the approaching aircraft hit me with full force. I teetered on the edge of the pit, claws scrabbling against the loose soil and charred branches, tail lashing in surprise. I nearly toppled in, but managed to cling to the edge, face pressed against the dirt and ash, my red eyes wide and sparkling with indignation.
And then… I saw him.
'Why did this man come back?' I thought, narrowing my eyes as he crouched closer, the ground trembling slightly under the weight of his presence. Every step he took made me tense, my claws digging into the dirt, tail flicking nervously. Just in case, I took a cautious step back. Who knew what his intentions were?
It was only now, with the morning light illuminating him clearly, that I could actually see him. His face—no longer smeared with blood, no longer twisted with pain—was… impossibly handsome. Sharp features, golden eyes that seemed to pierce right through me, a jawline that could probably cut glass, and that faint expression of patience and curiosity… I had to admit it. I couldn't look away. He's the type of man I like.
Soren noticed my reaction, and for a fleeting second, a subtle smile appeared in his golden eyes. He reached out a hand toward me, palm open and steady.
"My name is Soren Markelov. What is your name?"
I froze. A hand? For me? He was seriously asking me, a tiny white leopard cub that couldn't even speak or shift into human form yet, to tell him my name?
I glanced at the hand, then back up at him, confused and wary. What kind of question was that? My mind scrambled for an answer, but… I had none.
My name is Blanca Frostine but I had never been given a proper name in this world. My "father"—the one called a duke—handed me off to a housekeeper as if I were a package. The housekeeper never called me anything but "Miss," like I was some precious, silent doll, always apart from the world.
And my situation wasn't like other beastmen's either. Most could communicate, could grow into their human form, could claim a name as their own. I… couldn't. I had no human voice yet, no words to speak, nothing but a tiny, helpless body and a curious, pounding heart.
So I just stared at him. My ears twitched nervously. My tail wrapped around me for comfort. And I realized… I had no answer for him.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Soren vaguely pieced it together in his mind.
A beast this small, alone on a desolate island that even maps labeled as "nothing lives here, don't bother"—there were only a few explanations, and none of them were pleasant. Either she was underage, trapped in a prolonged juvenile state, or she had fallen into some kind of abnormal condition like Hysteria. And in all those cases… someone should have been with her.
His gaze dropped to her again.
No collar.
No armband.
No glow of even the faintest energy stone.
The empire provided free low‑grade energy stones to all beastmen. Even the poorest families could go to a city center and have an apprentice carve one. It was the bare minimum of responsibility.
Yet this little leopard had nothing.
That narrowed the possibilities down to one uncomfortable truth.
She's a defective and was abandoned.
Soren's jaw tightened slightly. The empire had very clear laws against abandoning beastmen, especially cubs. Of course, laws were wonderful things—on paper. In reality, people had a thousand quiet ways to make a life disappear without leaving fingerprints.
His eyes softened despite himself.
Whether she couldn't talk, couldn't transform, or couldn't meet someone's expectations… none of that mattered to him.
He crouched a little lower so he wouldn't loom over her, then extended his hand again, palm open.
"Will you come with me?" he asked.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
I stared at his hand.
Then at his face.
Then at his hand again.
My brain short‑circuited.
'Come with him?'
Like… go go with him?
When he saw my hesitation, Soren calmly added, "This land is marked as a desolate island on the map. The climate may seem stable now, but the volcano here will erupt soon. If you stay, it won't be safe."
I glared at him. 'Excuse me?'
If we were assigning blame here, then he was the problem. He was the one who came crashing down from the sky like a self-destructing apocalypse, breathing fire, tearing off his own scales, and setting half the mountain on fire. And now he had the audacity to warn me about environmental hazards?
My tail lashed sharply.
'You're the volcano.'
I huffed angrily, ears flattening as I stared at his outstretched hand. As much as my pride screamed in protest, my survival instincts were louder. Staying here meant either getting roasted, starving, or being crushed by something that fell from the sky—again.
With a very dignified expression that absolutely did not match my internal screaming, I placed my paw into his palm.
Fine. I'd go.
But only because I valued my life.
Soren's fingers curled slightly, just enough to hold my paw without gripping it, and a trace of satisfaction flickered across his expression.
I immediately tilted my head and squinted at him.
Wait a second.
"Are you treating me like a dog right now?" I thought indignantly. 'Do I look like I fetch? I'm a feline. A noble one. This is an insult.'
I flicked my tail pointedly to emphasize my displeasure, even giving his hand a small, disapproving tap with my paw.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Nearby, the guards exchanged subtle glances.
The little albino leopard was clearly growling—softly but fiercely—while staring straight at their commander like she was scolding him.
One guard leaned slightly toward another and whispered under his breath, "Sir… is it really okay for you to kidnap a pitiful little beast like this?"
Another guard frowned. "She looks like she's arguing with him."
Spade was also visibly conflicted. Technically, their commander wasn't wrong—leaving a juvenile beast alone on a desolate island was unacceptable. But the volcano excuse?
That was… creative.
After all, this island had no active volcanoes on record.
Soren, however, remained completely unbothered.
He simply lifted the little leopard with practiced ease, supporting her properly this time rather than dangling her like cargo. The moment he adjusted his grip so her paws rested comfortably against his arm, the growling lessened—though the indignant glare remained.
Soren was carefully cleaning her fur when he noticed something odd.
The little beast wasn't squirming. She wasn't growling. She wasn't even glaring at him like earlier.
She was just… staring.
Her red eyes were fixed unblinkingly on a particular spot on the ground.
Soren followed her gaze and paused.
There, half-buried in ash and dirt, was a pit.
And inside that pit—
"…An egg?" he muttered.
Memory surfaced instantly. Yesterday, in the middle of battling his Hysteria, he had briefly seen her clumsily biting at something in a nest, looking like she was personally offended by the laws of physics. At the time, he hadn't had the mental capacity to question it.
Now, looking at the pit, everything clicked.
He shifted her to one arm and reached down with the other, easily lifting the large bird egg from the soil. It was warm, faintly scorched, and very carefully buried—as if someone had gone through an unreasonable amount of effort to cook it.
The little leopard's ears perked straight up. Her tail flicked once. Then she let out a soft, deeply satisfied purr as she relaxed against his arm, eyes half-lidded like she had just witnessed the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
Soren blinked.
"…So that's it," he murmured, glancing down at her. "You were about to eat this?"
She didn't answer, obviously. Instead, she tucked her paws closer to her chest and pressed her head lightly against his arm, purring louder—as if afraid the egg might disappear again if she looked away.
Soren felt something in his chest soften.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
He sighed, tucked the egg securely away, and carried the little leopard onto the aircraft. The moment they entered, she settled even more comfortably, completely at ease now that her precious food source was accounted for.
"Spade," Soren said calmly as he walked. "Call the doctor."
Spade glanced at the leopard. Then at the egg. Then back at Soren.
"…Yes, sir."