Hunting the Creator

Chapter 45 Toy

“How… How long… Do Panthers live.” Déwei asked with a heavy heart, not wanting to accept what was said next.

“In panther years we live for almost five hundred, in humans, a hundred.” He calculated.
Déwei felt such a heavy weight lift off his shoulders, he was sure that he was going to fight against the very God that placed them in such unfair situations. But hearing the similar age life to regular humans, then he didn’t have to go beyond the compounds of humans to reach a being and slaughter them for such blasphemy. They can live and grow old together, watching their children grow and have children of their own.

Karim gave a small grin to the man before him, he saw the clear anxiety that came with the question and the fear of hearing the wrong answer. It gave him such happiness that it startled him, he felt pleasure in seeing such a soul monopolize his own so passionately.

“Mommy?” Their conversation was cut short when a sound of confusion came from the cute little Déwei version. He stumbled here and there as he got used to his two legs and basically crawled the entire way.

“Your Imperial Majesty.” A shadow knight appeared out of nowhere and disrupted the family reunion. “It’s urgent.”

“I’ll be right back.” Déwei gave a quick kiss to Karim and a head ruffle to the rest of the kids as he left. The Cubs not noticing the small nod he gave to the maids to keep his family safe, and the increase of hidden maids everywhere else.

But Karim did, he saw everything, and if he didn’t he held the system in the palm of his hands.

“Where is daddy going?” Satar asked with a sad look.

“He’s gone to fight some vermin, do not worry, he’ll be back.” Karim reassured. “Go and play with your brothers and sister.”

[Master, the retired King had infiltrated your section of the castle.]

Good, let him come.

Karim held a dark and cold aura as he turned towards the entrance of his room. The door was closed but was soon to open.

“Your Highness, shall we go somewhere else to play?” One of the maids spoke, although it didn’t sound like a suggestion.

“No.” Karim said with a smile as he gave a cold gaze towards the maid which had turned pale and stepped back lowering her head in submission.

“Sorry for speaking out of turn your Imperial Highness.”

“Mommy, why does that human, call you your Highness, what’s a Highness?” Kokab asked as her head tilted to the side.

“I am Empress to an Empire, your father is an Emperor. Highness means a higher position in rank, your father and I are royalty.” Karim said with a smile as the children looked amazed. “We govern an entire kingdom with many more humans. We keep peace.”

“That’s amazing mommy, I wannabe Emperor!” Pyruz spoke up as he gave a grin.

“You aren’t the oldest.” Karim shut down the little Cubs dream, to see what kind of reaction there will be.

“Then I will be Emperor?” Satar said with a troubled look.

“You don’t want to be a Ruler to this Empire?” Karim asked with a raised brow.

“I want to be a warrior, a knight!” Satar said with a new found light. “Like the humans standing around us. I remember yesterday when that one had easily caught and killed a snake!”

“You can be whatever you want Satar, no one can tell you otherwise.” Karim kissed the top of his head.

“What can I be mommy?” Behrouz asked with big wide eyes.

“What is it that you want to be?” Karim asked.

“What is there, out in the world?”

“Many things, but you do not have to make a decision now, grow up and be a strong panther and see what you desire.” Karim said with a grin.

“Mommy, can I be Emperor?” Kokab tilted her head to the side.

[Master, target is three minutes away.] The system informed.

“You are a girl, which means you can be Empress.” Karim gave a smile.

“I want to sleep.” Kayan yawned as he laid down, the setting sun cascading a blanket of orange over the green flourishing garden.

“Me too.” Satar yawned along with the rest of the Cubs.

“Then let’s go, time for sleep.” Karim gave a smile.

[Target has arrived.]

Just as the system said so, a huge bang erupted from the doors opening. The maids all stood on guard as they retrieved their hidden daggers, ready for a fight.

“Kill them all, grab the panther.” A man that seemed to be in charge ordered as the retired King Sying stood behind with an evil grin.

The maids standing all around and the hidden ones jumped in front of the elite and the Imperial Princes and princess to make sure they didn’t get hurt.

“You Highness, please come with me!” The head maid asked with a serious and professional tone.

“No.” Karim denied, making the maid internally cry.

The enemy went forth towards the maids, but seeing as they trained under their Emperor, they didn’t look like they were in trouble. Even though the knights held strong swords, the maids had the upper hand.

“What kind of maids are these?!” An enemy exclaimed in both irritation and horror, as he was finally cut down by a dagger sticking out of his throat.

“Useless, I have to do everything.” The leader, and seeing the crown on his head, the King went forward with his own swords, his steps quick and his sword quicker, he dropped a maid in minutes and broke through the barrier.

“Your Highness!” A maid exclaimed in horror as she tried to head over to their weak Empress.

If Karim had heard that he would have spit blood.

Déwei had informed the maids that he was helpless and needed guarding at all times during the day when he was not present. So in their minds the Empress was useless.

All the maids were shocked when their Empress’ arm turned into fur, and stopped the King’s sword without hesitation. A wicked and unkind looking grin on his face.

“The maggots seem to have revealed their fly.” Karim said as his eyes shined brighter, before the King could do anything, Karim had disappeared before them and gave a haunting laugh. “Look closely children, this is what a weak man looks like, he lets others fight his battles and hides in the back, but when others fail him he decides they are useless and jumps into the fight at the last minute to claim victory.”

The King narrowed his eyes and went forth towards a little cub, but was stopped by a millimeter from a clawed hand on his throat.

“You dare attack children coward?” Karim hissed with rage and disgust. “Shit cunts like you deserve much worse than death.”

Karim disarmed the King and knocked him out. “And you.” Karim turned his golden raging orbs towards the trembling retired King who was surrounded by the still pristine and blood drenched maids. “His Majesty will love to deal with you, right?” Karim turned towards his husband who was seething with uncontrollable rage. His face was neutral, but the cold waves of his emotions was clear to everyone.

He was pissed.

-

A year later

“Don’t cause too much trouble for the maids boys, try acting like you little sister.” Karim sighed as he turned to face his also sighing and disappointed only daughter.

“Mother, men are so brash and wild.” Little Kokab shook her cute dark grey hair, it stopped just bellow her hips.

She grew into a wonderful woman with a body all men drooled over. A gentle personality and a quick mind, unlike her big brothers.

“I know what you mean, I’m also a man, but I don’t act like them.”

“…” Kokab didn’t speak, she would get bonked in the head if she did, in truth her mother was just as bad, maybe even worse than her brothers.

She had remembered the time when a snake dared to bite Kayan while he was taking a nap outside as he sunbathed. Karim had become psychotic and had banned all snakes going anywhere near the garden when her children were out. She had killed the poor little snake so gruesomely that to this day they could still find dried pieces of it’s body if they looked hard enough.

“Mother!” Satar came from his training with a huge grin, spouting a new scar at the side of his neck. “Uncle has shown me a new move to counter your death grip!”

Satar had really grown just as fine as Kokab, if the little sister was beautiful then the big brother was just as handsome, almost on par with his father. His hair was kept short and out of the way, his skin tanned as he spent his time training outside. He had the image of his father but the spirit of his mother.

“Is that so, let’s see then.” Karim grinned as he went to hug his son, the so called “death grip” was just a simple hug, since her little Cubs would say that they were too old for such affection.

Karim went for a hug, but his son had side stepped him, before he could get out of the way, a tail came and blocked his foot, tripping him and landing him in his mother’s embrace. “It seems you still need training.” Karim chuckled as he tightened his grip around his son and squeezed.

“Can’t… Breath-“ Satar turned purple, only to be finally let go before he had the regret of going to the next world.

“So loud Satar, why don’t you go take that somewhere else.” A yawn came from the stairs, the three looked up to see the usual sleepy Kayan, rubbing his eyes as his black hair resembled his mother’s. His droopy but beautiful golden eyes gave an irritated glare at his brother.

His features weren't as manly as Satar, but they weren’t feminine like his sister or mother. He was just there to be a tease to the faithful men and women every time he went out, if he went out. Kayan had taken an interest in napping almost everywhere, he was now an apprentice to the librarian of the imperial Library and kept a vigilant eye to the ones not allowed inside. Even if he was always sleeping, his senses never were, as sharp as a panther but as lazy as a cat.

“Always sleeping Kayan, why not train with Pyruz and I?” Behrouz suggested as the youngest boy bounced in with a mischievous looking second brother.

Behrouz was the brute out of the lot, being the youngest boy he wasn’t about to let the others surpass him. So he trained, and beside him was the prankster of the four brothers, lean and beautiful like their mother, a beautiful head of black hair, changing and fading to enchanting silver tips.

“You can be a tester to one of my experiments.” Pyruz said with a wide grin.

“You mean a guinea pig? No thank you.” Kayan shivered as he quickly left for an assignment the head librarian had sent him to complete.

During the attack, a war was supposed to break out, yet Déwei himself had taken the liberty in chopping off any limbs Bondulia Kingdom had,  and in the end only battled for a single day before he had found out that the King wasn’t there and rushed to his children and Karim. He was very glad he was left his father. No one knew what happened to him, but they were sure he was barely hanging alive.

Years had passed, Karim’s brother was still alive. As well as their mother, Roanna, and now they are free to do as they pleased and live happily. Karim grew old and happy with Déwei, his children had grown up and conceived children of their own. Kokab had become Empress and had taken a prince from a far away country as her husband. He was a young sweet lad, nonthreatening and without greed in his eyes. So they agreed and had let them marry.

Satar became a general, known to all as a handsome devil. Pyruz became a weapons and trap developer, creating amazing and very lethal weapons to use in the battle field to the continent that decided their own continent was easy to take over. Kayan had become guardian of the Imperial library vault as well as a genius strategist, being in the library for so long he had read so many war and strategic books that he couldn’t not be a true master. He spent his time reading and gaining knowledge. He was known as the first walking encyclopedia, being able to pin point any poison and how to treat it. His knowledge surpassed all masters when it came to anything and everything.

Behrouz became second in command to Satar and also an advocate of the voice of Panthers. They created a law. That if a panther wanted a human then they shall choose their own, not the other way around and not by a slave contract.

Karim and Déwei had seen their children’s grandchildren and their great-grandchildren. They fell asleep and together passed on, leaving behind weeping children but a peace filled continent.