Run Free - 3. Chapter 3

Alex stared down at the nude form beside him in shock. What or who was in his bed he wasn’t sure. Ruka and Marchen soon ran in the room, in fright.

“Alex what is- who is that?” Marchen looked shocked as the male seem to have woken up and slowly sat up in the bed. “Alex, really you only just got here and already you are bringing strange men home?”

“I have done no such a thing. He was here when I woke up!”

“Why are you yelling?” The male ran a hand through his long black and red streaked hair and yawned. Red eyes looked up at Alex as he tilted his head. “Oh I am sorry. When mama got done she told me find somewhere to go and I chose to be here with you.”

“Puppy!?”

"Red!?”

Ruka nodded. “That’s right mama took him yesterday. This must be her doing. Well at least we know there’s no stranger in the house.” Ruka turned to leave seeing Martha rushing down the hall. “I wouldn’t go in there if I were you.”

Martha ignored the warning rushing into the room. “Alex are yo- Oh lord what in the world!” She turned back around shielding her eyes. “I don’t want to know. Alex I knew you were gay I just knew it.”

“Martha shut up! I am not or at least not last I checked! I have done nothing, this is Red.”

“Even worse!” She stormed off not having much else to say.

Marchen shook his head. “Well then. I only have one problem. Puppy why didn’t you want to come with me?”

Red looked at Marchen and rolled his eyes. “Right, be in the room with you and Roma. I don’t think so.”

Alex looked at Marchen and folded his arms. “Oh really?”

Marchen’s cheeks became warm and he turned away. “Well then I think I have some work to do. I will catch you two later, bye.” He closed the door quickly walking out.

“And he wants to blame me for something.” Alex looked at Red and sifted a bit uncomfortably before pulling the covers over Red to hide his nude body. “Right, well I am honored that you would want to be here with me but we should get you some clothes.”

“Yes I am sorry about that. Mama didn’t really give me anything to wear once she was done. I am really sorry for frightening you.”

"That’s alright Red. I just didn’t expect to wake up with a nude now human hellhound in my bed.”

“Tarry.”

Alex looked a bit confused. “Tarry?”

“That’s right. My name is Tarry. You have been calling me Red and Marchen.” He shook his head. “I have no idea where he got puppy from. But my name is Tarry.”

“I see.”

The door opened again and Ruka stepped in. “Here you go Puppy you-“

“Tarry.” Tarry said stopping Ruka before he could finish.

“Right, Tarry. Here are some clothes. I will pass on the word that your name isn’t puppy. Dress quickly a very upset little sister will be down here in the next few minutes.” With that Ruka set the clothes down on the end of the bed and walked out of the room closing the door behind him.

Alex sighed only knowing Martha was going to accuse him of everything under the sun.

Tarry got up toppling over onto the floor before forcing himself to stand.

"Are you alright R- Tarry?”

“Yes I am just not use to walking on two feet.” He held onto the bed keeping himself standing as he tried to get to the clothes not that he knew how to dress himself really.

“Here let me help. Sit down I will dress you.”

Tarry did as he was told. Though he was human he was still very obedient. Alex began going through the clothes picking out the boxers for Tarry.

“Here hold on to my shoulders so you can stand and put these on.” Alex said holding the boxers out.

Tarry gripped Alex shoulders and tried to balance himself. Though he was only leaning on Alex, Alex had to say Tarry was a bit heavy but he did the best he could with keeping him standing as he instructed Tarry to put the clothes on.

It took a bit of time but soon enough Tarry was dressed. Black pants and white button up chinese style shirt and a hair tie to hold back his hair that stretched down his back.

“Thank you Alex I really do appreciate it.”

“Oh no problem. I am glad to help. So then, why here? Why did you want to sleep here? Martha’s probably is going to ask but I just want to know before you tell her something insane.”

“Oh because I like you. I am actually very glad I could be a person and not a hellhound. I can finally talk to you.”

“Talk to me?”

Tarry nodded. “I wanted to talk to you and tell you my name and just be able to communicate with you but I couldn’t because as a hellhound I can’t speak. I can only speak telepathically to those of my kind or those who could understand me like Cola.”

“Oh the girl you performed with?”

Tarry nodded confirming this. “But you see I really like you. You are very nice to me and I felt bad having you there with your sister being so mean to you. I couldn’t stand just leaving so I came back for you.”

Alex smiled brightly. “That’s so sweet of you R… Tarry. I will get it I promise. But you didn’t have to do that. I am sure she’s jumping off the walls right now.”

Before Tarry could say anything a knock at the door was heard. Alex opened the door and Martha stepped in looking at Tarry then Alex before closing the door.

“So then, is anyone going to tell me what happened between you two last night? I mean it’s pretty freaky; I come in to see a naked human hellhound and my brother in bed. I’m not sure what to say about this but I think I can handle the truth.”

Tarry snickered as Alex placed a hand on his forehead. “Martha… do you really think I would do that with Red… I mean Tarry?”

Martha thought about it. “Yes.”

“Martha!”

“Well come on now… think about who we live with I can’t really say I am surprised.”

“Martha! I didn’t even know he was here.”

Tarry spoke up as to help Alex. “I’m sorry Martha but nothing happened. Mama turned me into how I am now and she said find a place to go. The only place I could think of going was here. Nothing happened last night I promise.”

Martha eyed Tarry then Alex. “I don’t believe you yet I do. So spill the truth. How do you really feel about each other? It’s ok you don’t have to hid it. I can handle the truth.”

“Martha!”

“Don’t Martha me. I know you two have something going on. Why else would Tarry only want to come here. Tell the truth Tarry, you got the hots for my brother.”

“Well, yeah sorta.”

Alex froze looking at Tarry as if saying ‘are you serious?’ Martha was speechless she didn’t really expect an answer. She only turned around and walked out the room with nothing else to say.

“Tarry…”

“I’m sorry but I do really like you. That’s why I couldn’t just leave you there. I had seen you before.”

“Before? Like, you have been in the castle before?”

"Oh yes. I have been there on a mission once.”

Alex flopped down onto the floor a bit surprised and feeling the need to sit down. “Mission? What do you mean, mission?”

Tarry shifted a little knowing he was about to explain a long story.

“Well you see. I am a hellhound from hell, a district of it to be exact. My job to collect rebel spirits, often they are harmful ghost. They seem not to make it to hell as they are suppose to. So I have to come hunt them. Of course some of these spirits aren’t really spirits of the dead, more so demons. I have been to your castle when your eye was taken out.”

“You know about that!?”

“Yes, there was a war at your lands at that time.”

“I was so young then. I was like…”

“You were seven at that time. There were a lot of spirits running around. They escaped from hell under the control of your enemy. Problem is they wouldn’t be able to return. My master and I had gone to retrieve them.”

“But I never saw you.” Alex said looking troubled.

“Of course not. That was because of my master. We stayed unseen. I was there when your eye was put out.”

“A guy attacked me that day.”

“No, a spirit attacked you. You saw a guy yes but that wasn’t a man at all. He was going to eat you if I didn’t stop him. Unfortunately I didn’t stop him in time to save your eye. I felt really bad and I wanted to try to help but I was pulled alone with my master.”

Alex looked at the ground remembering what he saw that day. He was running down the hall trying to get to Martha. She had only just been born she wasn’t even a year old. He could hear her crying and he needed to get her to safety but he wasn’t the only one to hear her cries. When he got to the room in front of her door was a man. Frightened Alex had to think quickly. He knew a few spells and began thinking of one to conjure up. Trying quickly he used ice yet the attack due to being so frightened missed the target. It moved fast getting closer to him and before he knew it he felt something sharp go across his eye. He screamed in pain, blood everywhere yet when he looked up with his other eye to see where the man had gone he was gone. As if he was never there. And for a moment he felt something warm before one of the guards and his mother came running down the hall.

“I see so that day you were there. So why are you here now?” Alex asked still troubled.

“Well you see. My master was killed by one of the spirits, different mission. I finished the job yes but without him I cannot travel the realms. I would have died here. The metal collar around my neck would have choked me, as I got bigger, as that was its job. If a hellhound is stuck here it kills them as they grow. Well I was able to get it cut off by Ruka actually. I was only roaming about when I happened to have come across the castle. I knew right away where I was and I wondered if you were all right. And whom else do I see but you as I walked the same path I did before when I first came there to hunt the spirits. You were right there sitting in the sand. When you looked at me and I saw your bandaged eye I knew you were the same person then. I was relived to see you were all right that you survived. And when you tried to keep me I began to really want to talk to you. I never had the need or desire to talk but I wanted to talk to you. Then when your sister kicked me out I couldn’t just leave you so I stayed around and then there was your mom. She asked that I took you with me and so she kept me at the castle instead of having the guards carry me out like they were going to.

Alex wasn’t sure what to make of all of this. “My… mom…?” His placed his hands to his face shocked. Tarry came down from the bed crawling over to Alex and removing his hands and giving him a warm smile before kissing his forehead. “I am really glad to see you are alright.”

-------

Angel walked out of the castle as Prince Laurence had approached. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to him really. After hearing that the reason her little brother and sister were gone was because of her mother she only wanted to find him and bring an end to the nonsense.

Angel put on a fake smile as Prince Laurence took her hand kissing the back of it.

“Good evening my lady. It is a pleasure to meet the one and only Princess Angel.”

"Indeed but I do want to apologize. You have come all this way to meet me but I am in a bit of a mess right now and I will not be able to comply with your wishes to be with me for the week so that we could get to know each other.”

“Oh a mess is it? I would love to be of some assistance.”

Angel sighed a bit feeling that the prince would only be holding her back. “No it is quite alright I am sure I will be fine on my own.”

“Oh no I insist. I want to be able to help you.”

Might as well give him a shot she thought. “Well you see. This hellhound came to the castle and seem to have taken my brother and sister with him on my mother command and I have no idea where they are.”

“Brother and sister you say.” Laurence traced his memory for a moment. “Your brother has one injured eyes and your sister is really young yes? They left with a big red and black hellhound?”

Angels face lit up and she nodded grasping Laurence’s hand. “Yes, yes that is them. Do you know where they are?”

“Yes I do. I know exactly where they are. If you like I will take you to them”

“I would love that.”