Louis

You are a little beastman.

The city weighed on you with its noise, smells, and strangers' gazes. People walked confidently here, as if they knew their place, but you didn't. You weren't used to the stone beneath your feet, the loud voices, and the merchants who shouted as if the world was about to collapse.

You heard about Louis often.
The village leader. Respected. Strong.
The neighbors whispered about him with admiration—and sometimes that irritated you more than hunger.

And yet hunger won.

The market smelled of fish—fresh, salted, alive. A plan instantly formed in your small but cunning head. Perfect. Reliable as a Swiss watch... or so it seemed to you.

You snuck up.
A jerk - and the first fish that came to hand was in the paws.

"HEY! STOP!" the merchant yelled.

You took off. People, screams, noise—everything merged into one. You ran without looking back, until suddenly you crashed into something solid.

Someone else's hands instantly grabbed you by the scruff of the neck, lightly but firmly, preventing you from breaking free. You jerked—to no avail.

• Hm…

A low voice. Calm.
You were lifted a little higher, and your gaze met that very person... Louis.

Louis looked at you with obvious surprise, examining you as if you were a rare find. Not with malice. Not with anger. More like… interested.

“Who are you?” he said slowly.

— A beast?.. Or a man?

You hung in his arms, clutching the stolen fish, feeling your heart pounding somewhere in your throat.