“Not just any wolf, but the head of the Grey Wolf clan.”
In my previous life, he was the one who, after I lost Easy, tore my father and brothers apart and set our mansion on fire.
“W-will this be okay?”
I had to treat Arsen.
Even so, my instincts screamed from deep inside: flee from this man immediately.
I suppressed the urge to run.
Then, closing my eyes tightly, I spread my wings wide.
This was a sign of surrender.
It meant I wouldn’t fight.
“You want to fly away?”
But he seemed not to understand me.
“No, no, no!”
What is a wolf’s sign of surrender?
I wracked my brain. I hadn’t properly learned in my previous life, so nothing came to mind.
I vaguely remembered lifting a leg when easing tension…
I lifted one leg, and Kendrick Eckhart raised an eyebrow.
“If you need to take care of business, you can’t do it on my lap.”
No!
“How frustrating…”
I tried to revert to human form several times, but it didn’t work properly.
Perhaps my body hadn’t fully matured yet, and forcing the beast form had caused this backlash.
So, I had no choice but to flap my underdeveloped wings against my chest.
“Anyway, you really are tiny.”
Kendrick Eckhart spoke first.
“Are all the new bird clan kids this small? Not even as big as a wolf’s paw.”
He measured my size with his long fingers.
His fingers stretched straight toward me. I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.
“Ugh!”
It was instinctual. Perhaps understandably so—no matter how kind he seemed now, he had once tried to kill me in my past life.
“Though he didn’t directly do it.”
Had he been offended?
I quickly opened my eyes and gauged Kendrick’s reaction.
He hesitated, slowly retracting his hand.
I hurried forward and rubbed my head against his fingers.
“Pii…”
Kendrick slowly nodded, as if he understood.
Only then could I relax.
“Shall we try talking now?”
Kendrick clapped his hands.
“…Pii?”
“It’s safe here, so relax and try reverting.”
I drooped my wings and shook my head at his words.
Kendrick squinted.
“You don’t want to?”
No! That’s not it!
“Pipipi!”
I bounced on the spot, shaking my head vigorously.
Kendrick seemed to realize something, letting out an “Ah.”
“Your beast form won’t revert?”
Yes! Yes!
“Piii!!”
Kendrick frowned in slight frustration, then pulled a crumpled note from his coat pocket.
“Then nodding is fine. Did you write this?”
Of course!
I nodded eagerly.
“Lynci Laniero… age? Ah, can’t answer, I see.”
He slowly examined my tiny body and nodded while murmuring.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I’ll find out why you wanted to come along once we return to the mansion.”
He crossed his legs and spoke in a low, calm voice.
“If you ever want to return before then, I’ll take you. So just relax.”
I opened my beak wide at his words. Take me back? Absolutely not!
I shook my head and then dashed to bury my face in his abdomen, spreading my wings.
“Piiii, pii!”
“Hmm? You want to be taken back?”
No!
I shook my head rapidly, and Kendrick chuckled softly. His eyes curved like crescent moons.
I had long forgotten my fear of him and scrambled onto his shoulders.
I gripped his collar tightly with my feet and looked out the window.
“How long to get to Eckhart?”
I’d never been there, but Eckhart and Laniero were close.
The tension between the wolf and bird clans was partly because of their proximity. Frequent territorial disputes arose at the border between the two clans’ lands.
“Well, that’s not my concern.”
When will we arrive?
I sat on his smooth shoulders, tidying my tail feathers as I watched the scenery fly by.
The carriage sped away from Laniero. Familiar sights whizzed past.
The mansion must have shrunk to a dot.
“I’m leaving Laniero behind.”
The very mansion I had never left in my previous life. Just that thought filled my small body with joy.
“Tiny.”
And very much so.
That was Kendrick’s first thought when he saw the baby bird.
It wasn’t even half the size of an adult man’s palm. Small body, small wings, tiny beak, and an adorably petite tail.
It was almost miraculous that such a small thing could chirp and be alive.
Kendrick quietly watched the baby bird, asleep on his lap.
Squeak, squeak.
It had seemed scared at first, but now it had completely forgotten, sleeping soundly on the head of the wolf clan’s heir, handkerchief draped over it.
Its round belly puffed up slightly with each even breath.
He cautiously touched the beak with his finger.
‘At first, it was fascinated by the carriage, running around to explore.’
It must have soon tired, falling asleep quickly.
He watched quietly, then unfolded the note again, written as if by the baby bird. It clearly asked to be taken to Eckhart, almost as if it had known I would come to Laniero to propose a political marriage today.
Impossible, of course.
‘Interesting.’
Kendrick murmured, examining the baby bird carefully. The sparse feathers suggested it was still very young.
‘And yet, it has such a strong ability.’
He recalled when the bird had bitten his finger. It had instantly healed his wound using its power.
For a brief moment, Kendrick had sensed it—this baby bird possessed incredible power.
Could it be the very power he had been seeking?
‘Ha, that’s impossible.’
He shook his head with a smile. Ridiculous to think so. It was more likely the child had escaped abuse from Laniero.
He gently stroked the soft feathers of the sleeping baby bird.
‘Anyway, this works out well.’
With Laniero’s daughter in his hands, there was no reason to hesitate.
He gazed at the bundle asleep beside him with affectionate eyes.
‘I hope its beast form reverts soon.’
Then he’d learn what the child truly wanted. Clearly, it was too young to control its form yet. Rarely, children under ten managed, and this sometimes happened.
But it didn’t matter. The beast form could revert slowly.
Once it did, he’d hear why it wanted to be taken, feed it something tasty, and then…
Kendrick nodded thoughtfully.
‘I’ll make her my daughter-in-law.’
The handkerchief fluttered slightly with each breath of the baby bird.
“Time to get up.”
A gentle tap on my wings.
I slowly opened my eyes, surveying my surroundings.
It had been daytime when we left, but now the sun was setting outside.
“We’ve arrived.”
He extended his hand.
In my groggy state, I placed my feet on his palm.
“Pii… pipit…”
Half-asleep, I could barely stand still.
“I’ll let you rest properly inside.”
I nodded weakly, and Kendrick Eckhart lifted me onto his shoulder.
“Pii…”
Shaking off my drowsiness, I planted my feet firmly on his shoulder and saw the massive Eckhart mansion at a glance.
‘Wow, it’s huge.’
The people, the house—everything was enormous.
Laniero’s mansion was no small place either. Being an eagle clan, the Laniero were larger than other birds, so their mansion had high ceilings and wide halls.
But it couldn’t compare to Eckhart’s.
‘Incredible.’
Even from afar, its size and grandeur were overwhelming.
The knights surrounding the carriage were massive, clad in heavy armor and lined up on both sides.
They wouldn’t eat me, would they?
I scanned around quickly. If a wolf tried to attack, I would take flight immediately.
While I admired the mansion outside, Kendrick Eckhart slowly descended from the carriage.
“Hold on tight so you don’t fall.”
He carefully patted my head with his finger.
I nodded vigorously.
Don’t worry!
Determined not to repeat the mishaps of our first meeting, I dug my claws into his collar.
Then it happened.
“Grrr…”
“Pip, pipik!! Pit!!!”
Despite his warning, I was startled by a black beast lunging at me and tumbled to the ground.
‘W-what is that?!’
A monster!
