Raja: Prince of Naught

The Ugly Duckling

The young pup screamed and kicked as a swan tried to herd him back into his tiny windowless room.
"Shut up, you little brat!" She yelled back, just as hysterical from sleepless nights.
The bird, frustrated with the nonsensical screaming coming from the pup, slapped him aside with her wing.
The cub wavered, quieting for just a moment.
He looked up at her, his eyes gleaming with tears.
The swan fluffed out her feathers, "Now...that's quite enough-"
She screamed as the tiny creature jumped at her throat.
She swatted him aside and he tumbled across the floor, blood spurting from his mouth as he clamped down on his own tongue.
The swan honked in alarm and fluttered out of the hut, crashing into the Lotta that had brought him there a few days ago.
"Puru!" She honked angrily. "I refuse to take care of that horrible child! I don't know what kind of feral village you got him from, but I suggest you take him back."
Puru flattened his ears, "The wolf pup? From Sarkar? Surely, he can't be that much trouble, Abigail. He just lost his entire village, give him time."
Abigail thrust her wing towards the hut, "I can't spend another moment near t- that thing. That child is a monster! He tried to kill me! Scared all the other children off! They don't come inside until dinner is ready and I have to lock him up to keep him from attacking the other children! He nearly blinded another orphan because he touched that filthy blanket of his!"

Puru narrowed his eyes and shook his head as he stepped into the hut, that sounded nothing like the scared little pup he'd brought in from Sarkar.
His fur stood up as he saw the trail of blood tracked around the house, he flicked back his ears and sniffed.
"Little pup? It's me? Do you remember me?"

"Hello?" He called into the hut, jumping slightly when he heard a thud coming from the room over. The door was shut tight, a series of locks and bolts running down the side.
He shook his head, why would an orphanage need to lock up  children like this?
He sighed as he pulled the door open.

He saw the pup, the same one from the village although in rougher shape then he'd left him in, standing on top of a tipped over bookshelf in front of an open window . He looked ready to jump out of it.
Blood oozed from his mouth and stained the pages of the open book he stood upon. He jerked his head over to look at who had entered.

Fear plastered his face, then recognition.
Puru took a step closer to the bookcase to pull him off, but before he could the pup jumped.

He crashed into Puru's face, knocking him backwards.
He was surprised, maybe the swan was right, the pup had gone feral.

Puru tried to pry the pup off him, fearfully that he might bite him, putting his paw against the pup's chest he winced his claws dug into his skin.
Puru was about to push with more force when he stopped himself.

The pup was shaking.
He wasn't attacking him.
His claws dug into his fur like a startled kitten.
Puru looked down at the pup as he clung to his chest, his face burrowed into his fur.
He scowled angrily, not at the pup but at the swan. Then he scolded himself for ever leaving him here.

Puru sighed and licked the pup across the head with his rough tongue.
"Its okay. You don't have to stay here anymore."