Of Silver And Gold (ONC 2023 Honorable Mentions)

Chapter 8

Zhea

0830 hours

Rao Yueru

Yueru stretched, arms reaching out to the headboard behind him. He let a satisfying sigh escape his lips the second his bone cracked. Next to him, Herbert was fast asleep, tugging onto the blanket close to his nose as if it was the only thing that could shield him Running his fingers into those soft blonde locks, Yueru exited the bed silently. He added another layer of the blanket and headed over to draw the curtains. When he turned around, Yueru spotted Actticus laying on the ground. The wolf perked up, sniffing at Herbert's scent and proceeded to lay down with a soft whine. He tugged his paws underneath his chin, staring protectively at his sleeping owner. Yueru leaned down, running his fingers gently on his back. It was a rare sight to see Herbert asleep since the elder was always awake most of the time. He planted a kiss above the wolf's head.

"Well, let's see what we will be having for breakfast. I bet you are hungry already," Yueru uttered on behalf of the wolf whose stomach was growling as he proceeded in dragging the menu from the bedside table. "Before I feed you, I have a couple of questions. You must answer me."

Actticus let out a soft growl. He proceeded in whining when Yueru threatened him by putting the menu back on the table. The prince could only smile, holding back his giggles so that he did not wake the elder vampire. Flipping through the pages of the menu, Yueru studied the menu specifically. He was glad that the ingredients were listed in detail. He could have guessed it would not be the full ingredients list yet since it would mean exposing their secrets. Dancing worms on a tray with a cup of black tea sounded like an adventurous way to start his day, hence the prince picked it as his choice, not forgetting to include The Triple Red Cubes for the wolf next to him. He punched in the choices on the silver translucent card that popped cinematic confetti with the words 'order complete'. Once settled, Yueru allowed Actticus to set his head on his lap.

"Okay, back to my questions, Ac, has Herbert always been like that?" Yueru asked, turning his head around to check on the elder whose figure rose and fall very ever slowly as if he had been set free in another dimension. "I mean lost in a different universe where he is trapped or couldn't be himself. He does seem like he is about to give in to whatever he had been holding back."

The wolf blinked, sniffing Yueru's palms. If he wanted to assume, Yueru would guess that Ac was trying to say yes to his question. Herbert had taught him to communicate with the wolf during their journey here once the elder realized that he and Actticus got along better than expected. Herbert even expressed his level of jealousy when Ac proceeded in inviting him for a run in the woods instead of his owner. Yueru admitted that his ego rose slightly higher when Herbert revealed that Ac only got closer to him quicker than the first time they met. Scratching the wolf's neck, Yueru watched the sun rise behind the curtains just at the same time when a screen popped out of his menu.

"Dear visitor, your menu has arrived, kindly collect it from the TriCart. Once you finished your meal, please set it at AutoCup at the end of the level," the menu announced in its partially distorted voice which Yueru detected might be due to lack of magic access from where they had been.

Rushing to the door, Yueru picked up the dishes and hurried in to prevent the voice from speaking further when he heard the bed creaking. It reminded him of the lore about vampires not needing any sleep, but Herbert proved that the lore might be fake. He caught the vampire dozing off at times as if trying to catch any rest he could afford. Yueru set the large place of red meat stacked like a three-storey building on the ground for Actticus who gobbled them up immediately. Holding onto his plate, Yueru headed out to the balcony. He arranged his tray on the tiny table and proceeded in feasting on the sight of the morning sun. The sound of the water from the river slapping across the rocks served as music to his ears as he watched a few children diving into the water with a splash.