Nobody is stupid enough to venture into unknown territories, except for Ilya. Don't get him wrong! He never meant to enter that mysterious village.
Fate led him there to save, or be saved.
"Peekaboo!"
Beast is a cruel creature that used to be human...
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Beast tossed Ilya onto a soft flat surface, a king-sized mattress filled with holes, isolated in a messy room. Empty cans and human bones covered the cold decaying floor.
This was Beast's bedroom. The wolf's lair. The monster's cave.
Ilya whined when the bones of his broken wrist shifted. Then he backed away from the giant shadow near him.
Beast threw his hands up and snapped at the terrified young human.
"Would you stop crying already?"
Ilya was a sobbing mess. Meeting Charlie had given him hope, only to be taken away from him instantly, which had its toll on him. He couldn't hold it back anymore, the crying, the panic, all of the dreadful feelings invading his weak human body.
Ilya curled up against the wall at the edge of Beast's bed, helpless and scared. His breaths hitched, rattling his chest as heavy tears flowed freely over his snow-paled cheeks.
"Ugh. Shut up."
Beast held his head and grunted as he paced around the room. His yellow eyes glanced at the injured boy, hoping to see him stop that noisy sound that he didn't know bothered him until Ned's name came up.
Ned. Why now? After all these years.
"Goddamn it!" Beast started yelling at the boy, like the monster he'd always been. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
Ilya crowded himself in a corner and covered his ears. His heartbreaking sobs didn't stop. They came out of him uncontrollably and he couldn't stop them. All he could do was brace himself for Beast's rage.
But Beast demonstrated something far more terrifying than rage—Insanity.
He started arguing with himself, with two versions of him.
"Just a peek. Let's take just one little peek."
Beast came closer to the boy, then abruptly halted.
"No!"
He yelled and turned on his heels, grunting and running his fingers through his thick fuzzy mane.
"Gah! No fucking way! We will not!"
One voice was loud and angry, while the other was gentle and calm.
"He's not Ned!"
Beast kicked a pile of cans, startling the boy in his room.
"I know." Beast's shoulders slumped, and he sighed. "But don't you want to see him one last time?"
A moment of silence has passed.
Then that soft version of Beast's voice said, "I want to see."
Beast came back to Ilya. This time he got closer and was almost face to face with him.
