Chapter 29 - HUMAN FRIEND
Chapter 29 - HUMAN FRIEND
"You are a liar!"
That was Kevin's first response after Kris confessed something that sounded ridiculous to him.
What Kris had just said was no more than bullshit for him. A werewolf was always on the human side from the start, he said? That confession didn't make sense at all.
For Kevin, the said confession was fabricated. He was shocked when he just heard it, but now he realized that surely Kris didn't mean it when he said it.
The two grown men were still standing facing each other after Kris confessed. No one moved even an inch after the werewolf made such a shocking declaration.
Kris sighed. He had expected Kevin to react that way. The werewolf no longer speaking and instead turned around, then walked to the sofa and sat on it. "Sit down again. I will explain everything to you," said the tan-skinned young man in a serious tone.
Kevin didn't obey right away. He didn't completely trust Kris in the first place, and the strange confession just now made him even more doubtful.
But, after trying to see the bigger picture, the scientist decided that perhaps he should give the other man a chance to explain everything. It was not fair for the werewolf if he just kept holding tight on his prejudice.
Kevin was about to walk over to Kris when his cellphone, which was stored in his pants pocket, suddenly vibrated. He looked at Kris for a moment before reaching into his pocket and fishing out the thin object. There was an incoming message, and after he read the message, he immediately slapped his forehead with his palm.
Kris who saw the incident could only frown. "What's wrong with you?" He asked confusedly.
Kevin sighed, then walked over to the sofa set where Kris was sitting. He seated himself on the sofa opposite Kris and answered, "I forgot to pick up Blue at her school. She just texted me saying that she would just go straight to the café for work, so I don't need to go to her school now."
Kris shook his head at the answer. "I didn't know that you are such an irresponsible person," he sneered as his eyes pierced at the young scientist.
That sneer seemed to offend Kevin, and the young scientist refuted angrily, "Aren't you the one who is not responsible? You are Blue's guardian, but she still has to keep working when she should be focused on school. Where is your responsibility to Blue?" The young scientist pouted furiously at the end.
The werewolf massaged his temples at the counterattack. "I told Blue to stop working, but she refused. I've also transferred a lot of money to her bank account, but she still chose to work. That's her choice, and I don't have the right to control her. Am I still not responsible?" He then asked back while gritting his teeth.
In the end, Kevin didn't retort anymore even though in his heart, he still cursed at Kris who called him irresponsible. Now, they looked like a married couple who bickered over who should take the responsibility when their child had a cavity because one of them kept giving the child candy that the child loved the most. Wasn't it ridiculous?
"Never mind. It's no use to keep bickering over small things." The human finally realized that what they did just now was pointless. "Now, explain to me about your lousy lie earlier. How could a werewolf not side with his people and instead side with humans? You want me to believe your bullshit?"
"I know you won't believe me," Kris replied earnestly. "Even after I saved you from a werewolf, and after I almost died saving a woman who was going to be eaten by a werewolf, you definitely won't believe it. Yes, I have expected this outcome." He then smiled bitterly.
Kevin's mouth was shut by Kris's words which were quite striking. In his heart, he acknowledged that Kris had indeed done a lot for mankind. In addition, for several months he had known Kris, the burly man had never done anything harmful to humans. But, was that enough to prove Kris's declaration?
"It looks like I still need to hear more explanation to be able to believe your words, Kris. Why does a werewolf side with humans even though the two creatures have been enemies for more than half a century. The nature of a werewolf is to prey on humans. How can a werewolf side with its prey?" Kevin asked after sighing deeply.
Kris listened carefully to Kevin's words as his eyes met Kevin's. He then looked away and replied, "When I was little, I was friends with a human."
The answer stunned Kevin. He knew that from a long time ago, many werewolves disguised themselves as humans. But, as far as he knew, they just mingled with humans to disguise themselves, not to be friends with humans.
What he heard from Kris was very different from what he had known so far. Was it true that werewolves could be friends with humans?
"I have lived as a werewolf for 27 years, but I only ate human flesh once. Just once, and that was because my father forced me to. After that, I would only pretend to hunt humans and also pretend to eat their flesh. Since I was young, I saw humans as creatures that weren't much different from me. So, how can I eat the flesh of a being who is physically not much different from me? That's why I never eat human flesh again and prefer to eat animal meat."
Kevin was still silent. He had not replied to Kris's explanation, his mind was still in turmoil until now. He thought that humans and werewolves would not be able to coexist with each other, that prey would not be able to live in harmony with predators. But, what Kris said more or less had evoked a logic that has been buried in a pile of hatred. Yes, humans and werewolves were not that different.
"But, unfortunately, I'm the only werewolf who thinks like that. Ah, my mother used to think the same, but now that she is no longer in the world, it means that I am the only werewolf who has such thoughts. I admit the other werewolves are eager to prey on humans. They haven't done it for the past seventeen years, but that doesn't mean they don't want to. They only hold back so that their existence is not threatened. Of course, you know that our numbers are not comparable to your numbers."
The use of the words 'our' and 'your' really put an invisible line between humans and werewolves. The line was invisible, but it was discernible.
Humans saw werewolves as predators, meanwhile, werewolves saw humans as prey. They resided under the same sky, on the same land, even spoke the same language, but the thick boundary had not faded in the slightest even though time had passed. And, if what Kris said was the truth, then surely Kris went through an uneasy life as a werewolf.
"Do your people know that you are on the side of humans?" Kevin finally asked again after a few minutes he only acted as a listener.
Kris turned his head to the human again. "They suspected me for that, but since seventeen years ago, I tried to trick them. Since my mother died because of humans, I pretended to be angry at humans and pretended to want revenge," he explained.
The explanation made Kevin chuckle. "In the end, I was right, wasn't I? You are a liar, you lied to your people. You are the one who looks like a con artist, not me like what you said when we first met," he said jokingly.
Kris was finally able to smile. It seemed like the ice that had been blanketing them was slowly melting into warmer air. "Now you trust me?" He asked in a hopeful tone.
Kevin smiled back, and then said, "You know what, Kris? From the beginning, I always believed in you. Yes, I did not fully trust you after knowing that you are a werewolf, but in the end, you won my trust again."
Now, Kris could breathe a sigh of relief. At least, his confession was not in vain. He finally managed to regain Kevin's trust. For him, that was more important than anything.
"But, Kris," Kevin suddenly spoke again, and Kris returned to focus on him. The scientist then continued, "Who was your human friend in your childhood? Is the kid the one you are looking for in this city?"
The question made Kris a little nervous. He looked away from Kevin and answered, "It doesn't matter anymore. It's been a long time."
Kevin furrowed his brows in dissatisfaction at the werewolf's answer. "Oh come on, Kris!" He continued to insist. "Is it so difficult to say a name? It's not like the human was your first love, right? I can keep a secret. I promise."
The coercion made Kris felt both uncomfortable and annoyed, and the burly young man finally snapped at the scientist, "So damn annoying! Stop forcing me when I don't want to talk!"