The Hunter and the Doll

Kovit watched the hunter, whose head seemed on the verge of smoking, and stopped teasing him.

“Heh heh, alright. Every visitor is a guest here. Please have some tea; it will be ready shortly.”

The puppet, with hands clasped, apologized again for her departure.

After a graceful bow, she stepped into the house.

“Ah… what a truly beautiful person.”

Adi propped his elbows on the stone table, his chin resting in his hands.

He gazed dreamily at the spot where the puppet had vanished.

“Awoo~”

The disgruntled howl snapped the hunter out of his reverie.

He looked down to find the shameless black wolf had deposited an arrow-shot rabbit right by his feet.

Adi’s anger flared at the black wolf, which still refused to look him in the eye.

Yet, a second thought instantly extinguished his fury.

‘If it weren’t for this wolf, I might never have met this beautiful lady…’

“Heh heh~ Thank you.”

The black wolf watched the hunter, whose face had suddenly broken into a wide grin, with wary eyes.

It took two steps back.

“The tea is brewed~ Please, drink.”

Just as the black wolf, almost bristling under the hunter’s unsettling smile, was about to explode, a slender hand presented an exquisitely decorated tea set.

“Now, please, drink.”

A cup of black tea, gleaming with a ruby-like luster, was offered to Adi.

“Thank you…”

The warm tea flowed directly into his stomach, yet left a lingering, ethereal fragrance on his lips and tongue.

Adi felt as though he saw morning dew, the evening breeze, and vast grasslands.

The clear, bright essence of the tea instantly swept away the heat and complexities from his heart.

“Excellent tea. It’s truly delicious.”

With his composure restored, the hunter set down his teacup and once again observed the silver-haired ‘maiden’ across from him.

At that moment, the puppet was gently stroking the head of the black wolf, which lay curled on her lap, her eyes filled with a soft, warm smile.

‘What a truly gentle person…’

Adi’s mind arrived at the same conclusion once more.

“Thank you for your hospitality. My name is Derek Adi, a hunter from a village near the Yoiz Forest. May I ask your name?”

“…You can just call me Sally.”

For some reason, the hunter seemed to catch a faint trace of wistfulness in her silver eyes.

“Ah… Miss Sally, why do you live so deep within the jungle? Are you facing any difficulties?”

A brief silence settled over the stone table.

Just as Adi was mentally chastising himself for being an idiot, the silent puppet finally spoke.

“Do you know? Someone once said, ‘The longer I interact with people, the more I come to like animals’…”

The puppet’s gaze grew distant, as if she were lost in the deep currents of memory.

“Later, I came to understand the meaning of those words myself.”

“Humans are truly peculiar creatures. They rush to grow up, yet lament their lost youth. They worry endlessly about the future, yet ignore the happiness around them. They betray for money, yet use money to buy loyalty. They live as if they will never die, but when they die, it’s as if they never truly lived…”

“And I, too, was once such a person, chasing after fame and fortune, oblivious to the truly precious things right beside me…”

“After personally burying what I cherished most, I descended into darkness.”

“In those days, I constantly yearned for that illusory light, fantasizing about even a moment of salvation.”

“Yet, gazing up at the sky from the abyss, I found myself utterly rejected by the light. Heh heh, isn’t it laughable?”

“But when I truly plunged into the endless darkness, I found genuine tranquility…”

“So, I have no troubles now… Thank you for your concern.”

The puppet offered another sincere and warm smile, and that pure, gentle kindness sent a shiver through Adi’s heart.

‘This is a person with a story to tell.’

Although Sally hadn’t revealed her true experiences, Adi could still sense the tumultuous past from her fragmented words.

“So, Miss Sally lives here, then?”

“Yes, I do. But with these children around, I’m never lonely…”

“Awoo~”

The black wolf let out a cooperative howl.

“Heh heh… Such a good boy. I’ll get you a steak later.”

“Awoo~”

“Just like your grey-furred dad, a real glutton.”

“Awoo~”

“Hahaha.”

Watching the puppet softly cover her mouth and laugh with delight, Adi couldn’t help but be infected, a buoyant joy rippling through his heart.

“Awooooo~”

A melodious wolf howl drifted over, yet it differed from the usual, carrying a hint of majestic authority.

The black wolf, which had been playing with the puppet, shivered, tucked its tail between its legs, and bolted.

“Oh my, oh my, little rascal is back. My, my… what a surprise have you brought today? You seem so happy.”

The puppet didn’t stop the black wolf’s escape.

She lifted her head, looking towards the direction of the howl.

“…Little rascal?”

The hunter was a little bewildered.

“Ah, she’s the king of the kids around here. I call her Holo; I’ve raised her since she was a pup…”

The howl grew closer, and the bushes at the edge of the clearing began to tremble.

A brown wolf’s head, with a white-tipped nose, appeared.

“Miss Sally, is this the ‘little’ rascal you spoke of?!”

Adi was utterly speechless, staring at the gigantic wolf that was even larger than a cow.

“Ah, yes. Holo~ Welcome back! And what’s this? You’re dragging a box?”

“I found a box by the sea. It seems to have good things inside.”

“Waaahhh!!! The wolf talked!!!”

Holo, having been baptized by Kovit’s primordial aura before birth, was already a magical beast upon her arrival into the world.

After a series of beneficial mutations, unknown even to Kovit, Holo could now do more than just speak.

The overly startled hunter tumbled backward, his head making intimate contact with the ground.

“Holo, this is our guest for today. Don’t scare him so much.”

“Hmph, how could such a timid person be worthy of standing eye-to-eye with me? I wouldn’t bother scaring him.”

The colossal wolf cast a disdainful glance at the fallen hunter, letting out an unimpressed ‘Tch.’

“Go inside. There’s apple pie ready in the kitchen. Go eat it, but remember to put on your clothes, and wash your hands before you eat…”

“I know, you nagging old hag.”

“Oh my… Little Holo has changed so much. I remember you used to often sneak into my bed at night.”

“Nonsense!”

The brown colossal wolf quickened its pace, darting inside the doorway in a few strides.

Yet, from every angle, it seemed to carry an air of indignant embarrassment.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow… Ah, this is truly astonishing… Miss Sally, this…”

“I apologize for surprising you.”

“May I be so bold as to ask, Miss Sally… are you human?”

“I am human…”

“Phew, that’s good then.”

The hunter took a gulp of tea to calm his nerves.

“…A thousand years ago.”

“Pfft!!”

Cough, cough, cough… Adi awkwardly wiped the tea from the corners of his mouth.

“Oh my, what a brave person. Despite your surprise, there’s no fear.”

“Haha… you must be joking. How could someone as gentle as you inspire fear?”

“By the way, John is your father, isn’t he?”

The puppet’s expression suddenly shifted, becoming incredibly gloomy.

“Uh… that’s right.”

“Back then, your father actually tried to chop me up for firewood.”

“…………”

“Haha, don’t worry. Although what I said is true, it’s all in the past. I don’t mind it at all anymore.”

Sally, who had just been wearing a gloomy expression, now burst into laughter like someone who had successfully pulled a prank, watching the young hunter whose forehead was beaded with sweat as he held his teacup.

“You certainly love to joke…”

“Nagging old hag, I’m here!”

“Oh, my little Holo is here! Let me give you a hug~”

“Who wants your hug?!”

Despite her words, Holo leaped lightly and pounced into the puppet’s open arms.

“Haha, my little Holo is still so adorable! Up you go!”

“Stop it! I want an apple!” Holo flailed her paws and claws, lifted high by the puppet.

“Here! Freshly picked.”

The puppet smiled, pulling a glistening, crimson apple from the fruit basket beneath the table.

Adi, the young hunter, watched the figure across from him, who held a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl with wolf ears and a wolf tail.

He felt his teetering worldview finally crack, shattering into a million pieces.

“I mean… this, that…”

“Tch, crude normal humans truly haven’t even properly developed the brains to accept such a simple fact. How pathetic.”

The wolf-girl, dressed in a pale pink dress, glared at Adi with extreme disdain.

‘No, no, no,’ Adi thought. ‘I believe anyone would have their worldview shattered in this situation.’

“Little Holo, you smell of the sea. Did you go to the beach just now?”

“The box I just dragged back was from the beach. And I smelled a fragrant scent outside the box, so it must be something good!”

“Oh, oh, oh, anything Holo finds is definitely good. Shall we open it later?”

“Of course!”

“Ooh, ooh, let me touch your ears.”

“Stop it! Ah~ That tickles!”

Watching the ‘mother and daughter’ begin to playfully bicker, Adi felt utterly superfluous.

“Well, it’s getting late, so I’ll be taking my leave.”

The hunter offered an awkward smile, feeling very much like a third wheel.

“To be received as a guest by Mother, it seems you do possess some discernment. Of course, compared only to crude commoners, your inferior brain must already be as stiff as a stone.”

“Haha (a dry laugh), then I won’t disturb you any further. I’ll be going now.”

“I apologize for keeping you talking for so long. Please take this fruit basket with you!”

“…Oh, alright.”

Watching the hunter walk out of the clearing, Holo quietly asked:

“Is that alright? Just letting him leave like that?”

“Let it be. He is, after all, a truly good person. Besides, I’ve already cast a suggestion spell on him; barring any accidents, it will be difficult for him to find his way back next time.”

“Heh heh, you truly are cunning, Mother…”

“Actually, I still wish you’d call me ‘Father’.”

“What did you say? I didn’t quite catch that. Mo-ther, darling?”

“…Alright, have it your way.”