CHAPTER 225: LITTLE BABE

( ... continued)

Freya’s little legs carried her faster than everyone around her. She didn’t give it a thought.She was just too engrossed , too lost in her chase.

Her breath came out sharp, her eyes watering from the speed as twigs whipped at her cheeks.But she didn’t care or notice. She was just running blind, following Cerb’s scent.

Her heartbeat raced in her ears.But she was one to take any challenge head on ( guess where she got that from). There was definitely no stopping till she caught Cerbs and taught him a good lesson... kissing him, hugging him and then forcing him to give her a ride back.

"Cerbs!" she howled, her small voice breathless, breaking into the trees. "Wait for me!"

She darted around a thick trunk, then another, then another...until suddenly, the sound of heavy paws she was chasing... was gone... the scent vanished abruptly.

Freya froze.

Her bare paws slid against damp leaves as she came to a halt, chest rising and falling in quick pants. She blinked hard, her wide wolf eyes scanning the shadows ahead.

"Cerbs?" she whispered, her voice trembling only a little.

Nothing. Only silence.

She looked all around...carefully now.

The forest didn’t look the same anymore. The air felt thicker, colder. The bark of the trees seemed darker, the branches heavier as though they leaned in towards her. This was not the trail she knew. This was not the path she had been running on.

Freya shifted back instantly...She quickly let her wolf fade, shrinking back into her human form...then turned sharply, spinning on her heel, expecting to see her father’s tall frame bursting through the trees behind her.

But no one was there.

Her lips parted in a soft, shaky gasp. "Dada?" she called again, louder this time. "Dada, where are you?!"

Her small hands clenched into fists at her sides as fear pricked the back of her neck.

She turned in a circle, faster, her breathing uneven now. "Cerbs? Dada?!"

The woods gave no answer. The silence pressed against her ears so heavy she thought she might scream just to break it.

Freya bit her lip, trembling.

Her tiny feet pressed into the cold earth. She lifted her chin, her voice cracking with desperation.

"Dada! Dada, where are you?!"

And then...

As if answering her... the air shifted.

The ground beneath her bare toes grew colder. From the edges of the trees, curling tendrils of dark mist began to stir, rolling low...dangerously silent across the forest floor, reaching for her like creeping fingers.

Freya’s little feet shuffled backwards.

The soft leaves crunched under her soles. The air felt heavier than before, like the whole forest was holding its breath. The mist thickened, curling around her ankles, swirling as if it were alive. Her tiny chest rose and fell quickly, but her chin tilted up stubbornly.

She wasn’t like any other child.

Her small hand darted down, fingers wrapping around a fallen stick. She clutched it tightly over her chest, her other hand stretching out as her claws clicked free...glowing faintly in the strange dark.

Freya’s sharp little wolf eyes darted left, right, and then back again. Her ears twitched, straining to hear beyond the silence.

"Who’s there?" she called out, her voice shaking, but fierce enough to cut through the fog. "I am...I am Freya....My Dada is coming for me...I am not scared of you!"

The forest didn’t answer. Not at first.

Then, slowly, the mist ahead of her began to coil back, drawing in on itself as though something inside wanted to be seen. The vapor stretched, darkened... and then shaped itself into the outline of a man.

The man took one step...then another.

Then another.

Until he stood before her.

And then he let out a bright grin.

"Dada!" Freya gasped, her brave stance collapsing as she threw the stick aside and rushed forward.

She buried her little arms around his knees, pressing her face into him. "I was so scared! Why did you leave me? You are late!"

She looked up, her wide golden eyes shining with relief.

But something was wrong.

The man bent down slowly, lowering himself to her height, letting his face slip into the dim light that managed to pierce through the thick mist.

Freya’s eyes widened.

His eyes. They weren’t golden. They weren’t warm.

They were gray. Cold...like death!

Her heart stuttered.

She stumbled back, shoving him with all the strength her tiny body could muster.

"You are not my Dada!" she cried, her little voice breaking as claws extended again. "Who are you?Imposter!" She spat out the last word! Who knows where she learnt that vocab!!!

The man simply smirked.

Calm. Very much amused.

His hand slid through his dark hair in a casual sweep, as though this was all a game.And he was apparently the only one thoroughly enjoying it.

Then, with both palms raised in mock surrender, he chuckled. "Ahhh! You got me, girl! Thought I could prank you!"

"No!" Freya growled, rushing forward, her claws flashing as she tried to rake them across his arms...

But her hands met only smoke.

They went right through him, through the illusion of flesh, and she stumbled back again...violently this time...almost falling.

Fear flooded her eyes now. She was little but she was not stupid. Besides, she could sense... the guy was practically reeking ’sinister’! Freya knew she was in trouble.

The man only laughed.

His laughter was like a sound that sent shivers through the mist itself. He leaned forward, lowering his head so their eyes met once more.

And when he opened his gray gaze fully, he let tenderness mask the darkness hiding there.

"Oh, come on, little baby," he said smoothly. "Don’t tell me you don’t know me. I am uncle Karl. I am your Dada’s twin brother."

Her frown faltered. She squirmed her gaze trying to scan his face properly.She was actually listening... and pondering over the possibility too.

His smile sharpened at that. " Oh, come on! Did Dada never tell you about me?"