Chapter Text
5
Shade knew who Mr. Alastor and his Shadow were. It was impossible not to! They checked in on everything here lots and Mr. Alastor was so bright with all that red among the browns and greens around them. But unlike the other kids, he didn't go over to greet them when they came. He just watched as the others laughed and bounced around them excitedly. It wasn't that he didn't want to or anything either. He just didn't want them to see he was a bad pup if one of the others pushed him or if Mr. Alastor pat his head like he did the others.
See, Shade knew he was different from the other kids. They could rough-house with each other and give adults hugs because they were good. He thought maybe he was a bad pup because there was all sorts of mean feelings under his fur and anytime someone touched him, it moved his fur and let some of it out. Sometimes he could pretend it wasn't there if the touch was small or short. And he pretended really good with his Mama because it made her happy to ruffle his fur and pick him up. Sometimes her hugs didn't make them come out at all even! Those times it wasn't so hard to pretend and let her hold onto him as long as she wanted.
But then there were the times he couldn't pretend and the mean feelings took over. Usually he could just show his teeth all angry like and the other kids would let go and leave him alone. But the grown-ups only laughed and ruffled his fur more. They thought he was just playing at being bigger than he was. He wasn't!
Their laughter wasn't as nice as Mr. Alastor's. His made the mean things go away a little and their's made them worse!
That was the reason he loved when his Mama would play his radio show. She never played the special ones for him though. The adults often went to one of the bigger buildings to listen to those but Mama said he couldn't listen to them until he was older. Apparently the grown-ups thought they were too scary for young pups and implings. Shade thought they were wrong. He'd figured out how to make the radio in their house work one day and had listened and it hadn't scared him at all! Mr. Alastor's laugh was big and as bright as his suit in those and it made him want to laugh too, which felt lots better than what he kept trapped under his fur.
Or maybe he wasn't scared like he was supposed to be because he was bad?
Still, he tried to be a good pup. He tried really, really hard!
Today... he'd messed up. Bad.
One of the implings, Midnight, had gotten all excited while playing with the others and tried to tussle with him too. She hadn't let go, even when he showed his teeth. And then...
Shade couldn't really remember it all clear but all the meanness and anger took over and he'd hurt her. Her arm was bent all funny and she had bleeding teeth marks in her leg when he was pulled off of her. He didn't know which grown-up had grabbed him but he had bit their hand too and made them let go before he started running. Shade had turned to his full hound form then and ran to the trees. He tried to remember everything Grandam Kass said about making it so people couldn't catch you so easy, like using flowing water to break your trail. He kept running and running until he couldn't anymore. Out of breath, he found an open space at the bottom of one of the trees and crawled inside to hide. He shifted back to his two leg form so he could curl up and hug his knees to his chest as he waited to see if he'd be found.
They were all probably mad at him. Everyone knew he was bad now. Mr. Alastor and the Shadow were supposed to visit today and the grown-ups would tell them about Midnight and they'd probably make Shade go away. The really bad thing was he had felt really good, even if he couldn't remember everything he did. Hurting someone wasn't supposed to make a person happy, right? He remembered wanting to laugh when the grown-up he bit yelped but he'd started feeling scared then. Sure, Mr. Alastor laughed during his special shows but that was Mr. Alastor and he was part of the Eternal Shadow. He was special! Shade was pretty sure the people he was hurting during those special shows were bad too.
Since he was a bad pup, would that mean he would be on Mr. Alastor's radio now? Shade thought maybe that idea should have scared him but it didn't. Not as much as being sent away. Being on the radio would mean he got to hear Mr. Alastor laugh like that a lot more clearly at least.
He wasn't sure how long he was curled up in the tree. It felt like it had been hours and when all the scared feelings calmed down, he got really tired. He was almost asleep when he suddenly heard something tap on the outside of the tree, "Well now! I thought I would find a pup out here but it seems there might be a rather large squirrel in this tree!"
Oh no, Mr. Alastor had found him! Shade found himself letting out a whine even though he was trying to be real quiet.
"Ah ha! That certainly wasn't a squirrel sound! Good! I must be at the right tree then!"
Shade waited for something to pull him out of his hiding place, like one of the shadow rope things or even the Shadow itself. Instead he heard a sound like someone sitting down outside the opening and then there was just quiet music. He waited and waited but nothing else happened. Eventually, curiosity got the better of him and he slowly stuck his head out. Mr. Alastor was sitting on the ground with his back against the tree and wasn't looking his way. He just seemed to be watching the branches above them, his microphone leaning against him and the tree too.
Shade waited again, ready to bolt back inside but also wanting to stay right there. This was the closest he'd ever been to the Radio Demon that he could remember. From the smells he could catch, there was no one else here but them. He didn't really want to miss this chance to look at him real close and get to know his scent better. Things were still for a long moment before a movement above Mr. Alastor caught his attention and he looked up to see the Shadow grinning down at him from one of the lower branches. When he met its gaze, it waved at him happily and the pup found himself waving back without even thinking about it.
A soft huff of a laugh drew his attention back to find Mr. Alastor was looking at him now and had one of his good smiles on. "Hello, Shade. Nice to finally speak with you."
He blinked, surprise making him forget to be scared, "You know my name?"
"Of course! I make sure to know the name of everyone under my protection or contract!"
Oh. When he said it like that, it made a lot of sense. It wasn't like he was special enough to notice or anything. Shade crawled fully out of the tree and waited for him to say more but Mr. Alastor just sat there smiling at him. Finally the pup found he couldn't handle waiting anymore and asked, "Are... are ya gonna make me leave now?"
The demon tilted his head, looking curious, "Why would I do that?"
What? But he had to know why! Why else would he have come looking for him? Maybe he wanted Shade to admit to what he'd done, like when Layla's mom made her fess up about stealing snacks when she wasn't supposed to? "Cuz I was bad and I hurt Midnight."
"Actually, I was rather hoping to get your side of the story on what happened, my feisty little friend!"
Shade was very confused, "Why? Lotsa people saw what happ'ned. Didn't they tell ya?"
Mr. Alastor just kept smiling and watching him, "Ah, but there are many different sides to any story, pup! I would like to hear yours!"
Oh. Well, alright then. He looked down at the leafy ground, he didn't want to face the disappointment he was probably gonna see, "Midnight and the others were playin' and she grabbed me. I tried ta make her go'way, but she didn't and then the mean things got out and I couldn't hide them this time and I hurt her."
What he didn't see was the flash of interest in the red eyes watching him closely, "And what did you do to try to make her go away?"
Shade bared his teeth and laid his ears back, making himself look all mean and angry with his fur all up. Unlike the other grown-ups, Mr. Alastor didn't laugh at him, he just nodded, "I see! And you spoke of mean things? Care to tell me what those are?"
"Oh. Um," The pup squirmed. He hadn't ever really told anybody about those since that would tell them how bad he was inside, "Lotsa times when people touch me, I get all this angry feeling stuff comin' out from under my fur. Makes me feel all mean 'n then I wanna hit stuff."
Mr. Alastor still didn't look angry or nothing when he risked glancing at him, "Like what you did to Midnight?"
Shade shrugged, mumbling, "Dunno. Dun really r'member. Jus' felt-" He cut himself off and looked down at his hands in shame. He was confused to find he had blood on his fur. It looked like maybe he had hurt his knuckles somehow but he didn't remember getting hurt. When did that happen?
"Come now, I know you can speak more clearly than that! Finish what you were saying, pup! How did it make you feel?"
Shade didn't want to tell the truth but Mr. Alastor or the Shadow would probably know if he lied. The words kept building up big in his head, all messy like. Then he remembered something he'd heard Grandam Kass tell one of her trainees.
'The truth can be as much a tool fer usin' as a sharp blade. How ya say somethin' and what ya say can change how someone hears it.'
Maybe if he told the truth the right way, Mr. Alastor and the Shadow wouldn't think he was too bad? He knew they liked when people said things they felt about stuff from the radio, so that might work. He took a deep breath and met those bright red eyes, speaking as clear as he knew how, "I kinda felt like laughin' like you do on your special shows."
Apparently he'd picked the right words because Mr. Alastor laughed then, all big and bright just like the ones Shade was talking about, "Well now! I didn't think they allowed pups your age to hear those ones yet!"
Shade's tail started to wag a bit even though he was admitting to another thing he hadn't wanted the grown-ups to find out about, "I f'gured out how ta make the radio work when Mama went with the other adults to listen."
There was something different about the smile he got that time but he didn't know what it was, "Sneaky and clever! Yes, I do believe you will be quite the interesting thing as you grow, pup! I look forward to seeing it!"
Shade almost couldn't believe it, "That means I get ta stay, right?"
"Of course! I would be an utter fool to let such potential go! It's quite amusing that you take after your other grandmother in spirit."
Shade tilted his head in confusion. The only grandmother he knew was Grandam Kass. Her wife had died before he was born and his Pa didn't know who his parents were.
Mr. Alastor chuckled, "Kass's wife, Trace, may not have been your biological grandmother but that wonderful little bundle of neuroses was a true menace with a blade! Hell and I thought she was quite the delightful little imp! Ah, but I do miss winding her up tighter than a spring and releasing her on a group of fools. She'd have up to half of them down before they even realized they needed to fight back! Completely worth the looks Kass would give me after she finally calmed her down! Ha Ha!"
He didn't understand all of that but it sounded like it was a good thing to the demon so Shade grinned, "And you think I'm like her?" Maybe he wasn't bad after all, if one of the first to serve the Eternal Shadow was like him!
"We'll have to wait and see! You might turn out a different flavor of fun, given you were born here, but I do believe her fire will definitely light you up one day, my little friend! I look forward to our future meetings!"
The return walk to the village felt weird after how scared he'd felt running away. None of the grown-ups said anything bad at all or looked at him angry-like when he got back with Mr. Alastor. Even his Mama just let him have a snack and go lay down. He heard them talking a little bit, saying something about speaking to all the adults but he wasn't awake long enough to find out why.
When Shade woke up later and went to the kitchen, his Mama still didn't look mad. In fact, she smiled really big when she saw him, "Shade! Can I give you a hug?"
He blinked. That was the first time anyone had asked him like that. He thought it might be okay this time and he nodded but made sure to say, "Just a little one."
Mama swept him up in a quick hug and set him back down just as fast before doing one of her silly little dances she did when she was really happy, "Guess what Boss said today after he brought you back!"
He tilted his head at her, "What?"
She made a funny giggly noise, "He's gonna train you himself! Right now its just once a month but still! He hasn't taken anyone on personally since Ma and Momma got this place all set up when I was a pup littler than even you are right now!"
Shade blinked several times, unsure he heard her right, "Mr. Alastor wants ta train me? Really?!" He had to be dreaming, right?
The pup found out he wasn't dreaming though. That night was just the beginning. After that, all the grown-ups stopped ruffling his fur when they walked past. They still smiled at him, asked him how he was doing, but now they didn't grab his shoulder to get his attention or nothing!
The other kids were a little bit nervous around him now. He couldn't blame them. He'd seen Midnight in passing and she had looked really badly hurt. Shade still wondered how he had managed to hurt her so bad so fast. It didn't feel like it had taken long for them to be pulled apart. Still, the others didn't seem to know how to act around him so he left them alone and went by himself to what he considered to be the best place in the forest now.
Shade could spend hours at the tree with the open space at the bottom while remembering that first conversation. It was probably just his mind playing tricks on him but he thought he could still catch some of Mr. Alastor's scent here, even so many days later. Next week would be when the Radio Demon and the Eternal Shadow would come back just to see him! A lot of him felt really excited, but there was a small part that wondered if he was going to be able to keep doing good enough for them. What if he messed up a lot or didn't remember to talk right?
The pup was drawn out of his nervous thoughts by the sound of leaves being crushed underfoot. He turned to find an older-looking chocolate lab hellhound smiling at him from a short distance away. Shade scrambled to his feet, tail wagging furiously, "Grandam!"
"Hiya, squirt! Long time, no see! I hear ya got somethin' real neat ta tell me 'bout," Kass said as she crouched down, her own tail lazily swaying behind her.
Shade had always thought his Grandam was almost as awesome as Mr. Alastor. She never ruffled his fur bad back when the other grown-ups did and told him about things she did, even though Mama worried he'd have bad dreams, which he never did. Now he had something big and good to tell her about too!
***
"Kass, my dear! Thank you ever so much for bringing that pup to my attention! I saw what you meant, he really does have loads of potential. Even untrained, he escaped and managed to keep two of the new initiates from following his trail! And did you hear about the amount of damage he did?!"
"No prob, Boss. Too bad it was one a' the kids that set'im off finally."
"Oh, don't fuss! Midnight will be just fine and perhaps a little bit more aware of her surroundings now. Ha! Goodness, he's going to be an utterly d̲̖̫͊͋ͣè̤̏̀̕̕lͤi̸ͫgh̎͐̃̕tͤf̭ͭ̔u̙͒͒ͨͦͣl̢̜ͬͭ force to be reckoned with!"
"Jus' take good care a' him, alright? Knew he was special from the minute I laid eyes on him. I been hopin' and doin' my best ta let him be a kid, but he jus' ain't fittin' in with the others. He needs somethin' more than them and I know I can't give him that. It won't be much longer fer me. Feelin' it right down to my bones."
"You will be dearly missed, my friend, I can assure you of that. And don't you worry one bit! The boy reminds me a bit of myself as a child, as a matter of fact! It will truly be no hardship at all to help guide him along."
7
Training had started off differently than Shade was thinking it would two years ago. Rather than anything physically strenuous, Alastor had focused on his emotions and the awareness of his body.
"You need to be able to control your anger and use it like a tool instead of letting it overwhelm you, pup. If you have strength but no control, there is far more risk of you harming yourself or your allies."
Shade wanted to keep Alastor smiling for real at him so he did everything the demon asked, no matter how useless or silly it seemed at the time. Sometimes that was sitting calm and trying to describe everything he smelled or heard around him, other times it was yelling about everything that had upset him over the past month.
Together they had managed to learn a lot about what made the anger and wanting to hurt someone grow, at what point it went from sitting under his skin to making him lash out blindly. Sometimes the goal was to make him go wild like that on purpose. Those days had once made Shade worried he would accidently hurt his teacher but Alastor had just laughed when he admitted that fear.
"If you actually manage to wound me this early on, Shade, I will be so very shocked that I might even stop smiling!"
Looking back now, he could see how silly that fear had been. Every day that they worked to set him off, he never came even close to touching the Radio Demon, let alone doing any sort of damage to him. The younger trees and undergrowth around them was a different matter entirely though.
They also figured out that the shadows didn't set off his issues with being touched. Something about them was different enough that it was easy to brush off, like the feeling of his clothing. The good thing was that meant that they could be used to help keep him from hurting himself without setting him off even more.
Then, one day, Shade did hurt himself, more than just a few scrapes or bruises he barely felt, and they learned another new thing.
The pup had been aware enough to know that the fight his body was putting up against the shadows tying him down was useless but he just couldn't make himself stop! It frustrated him because he knew deep down Alastor would be disappointed if he didn't get control of himself soon. No matter what the demon said about being patient, Shade was sure one day they would give up on him if he wasn't good enough. All Alastor had asked him to do today was get as mad as he could and aim it all at the target they had set up a short distance away, something he would have to actually purposely move toward. Why couldn't he stay focused enough to manage that instead of trying to hit anything nearby?!
He was so busy being angry at himself that he stopped paying attention to what little control he did have. His growing frustration made his movements erratic and then he suddenly yanked his arm funny and there was a gross sounding pop. He registered the sound and then everything in him stopped fighting against him. The pain made him able to fully feel his body underneath all the meanness. He was still feeling like he wanted to tear something apart but the rage wasn't blinding him anymore. The whole world seemed clearer than ever. The shadows let go when he stopped thrashing and even though his arm wouldn't move like he wanted, Shade knew he could finally do what he had been told to.
As soon as he was free, he ran straight for the blank doll they had summoned for his target and hit it with his other arm really hard. Hard enough even to make it fly back into the tree behind it, the firmer head piece of it cracking. Shade started to move closer to it. He wanted to hit it again, see if he could break it apart completely this time.
"Hold still."
Alastor's firm tone cut through the excitement he felt at the idea of finally ripping his target to shreds and he stopped right where he was, waiting to see what else they wanted him to do. The comforting buzz of static got closer but it was the Shadow that came into view first, staring at him curiously with a tilted head.
"Very good, Shade."
Even though he still felt that strange calmness under wanting real bad to sink his teeth into something, hearing those words made him grin wider than he ever had before. His tail wanted to wag a lot but he had been told to hold still so he tried to keep it down low and relaxed.
From the way the Shadow shook with silent laughter, he probably didn't fully succeed. That was okay though, Alastor looked amused and proud of him anyway, "So, I take it when you hurt yourself, it made it easier to take control?"
"Yes, sir."
"Pain is not the worst method. Goodness knows the likelihood of being injured on a hunt is high," Shade knew this training was intended to make him one of the Hunters but the way Alastor said it with such casual assurance, like there was no chance he'd not be good enough? Excitement made the desire to sink his teeth into something almost unbearable, "but we will need to make sure you limit how much you use it on purpose so you don't end up damaged beyond use. Still, at least this gives us a starting point! Do you think you can control it enough to bring the anger back inside now?"
Shade tried to make the biting urge stop, to get the itch in his fingers to rip something apart to go away. When he couldn't, the frustration started making it harder to stay still like he was supposed to be doing. Alastor didn't seem upset or disappointed though, he just shrugged, "I suppose we will have to work on that once you can get to this state on command. For now," he snapped his fingers and summoned up a bunch of blank dolls, "let's tire it out of you, shall we? Have fun!"
Shade heard himself making a weird sort of giggling sound and did what he was told.
***
Alastor chuckled as he watched the pup shred his way through the unfinished little puppets they had set aside for him to practice on. His movements were still sloppy, uncontrolled, but there was force behind them as well as such obvious delight in the destruction.
Shade didn't know it yet, but Alastor and Hell thought he had the best of both his grandmothers' spirits. Trace's gleeful madness and drive to impress with Kass's steadfast loyalty and intelligence. Already he responded well to orders, better than even some of the imps that had gone through the First Embrace.
(Such a silly fancy name for what was essentially ritualistic suicide, but it made these little things happy to have their special ways of doing things. So long as they didn't try to give him some ridiculous moniker like they had in the beginning, they were welcome to call things whatever they wished. He was perfectly fine with being called boss and sir if they felt it was disrespectful to say his name but he was not being put fully on a diety's pedestal. They already did that enough with the Shadow as it was. Thank goodness it didn't have the traditional sort of ego.)
It was terribly easy to see the boy was fixated on them. It was different from the looks they got from the others his age. That was more a general desire to please while Shade's was more akin to utter devotion. They'd have to be careful to ensure he didn't go too zealous, his future strength would probably be too much for any partnered hound to take him down and safely keep him there until he calmed. It was why Alastor was so heavily focused on Shade being in control of himself first and foremost. Trace had been small, easy to hold onto. She trusted and knew well enough to let Kass catch her, even in the deepest of her bloodlusts.
Shade would need to be both sides of the equation. To let himself loose on the hunt but be able to stop as soon as his given task was accomplished. So far giving him specialized attention and tasks was doing well enough but Alastor was sure the little dolls wouldn't be enough to really have fun with and wear him out by the time he hit his pre-teen years.
His companion made a couple of motions and it took all he had not to cackle. It had heard that mother cats often brought heavily injured prey to their young to let them practice. It was an entertaining idea at least! Maybe when Shade was old enough, they would try that out. There certainly was no end to weak sinners that had the most vile of ways of treating others and the city would not miss a few dozen going missing over the years.
12
"Come, Shade."
Without hesitation, the gangly young hound dropped the vegetables he had been carrying and followed Alastor out into the woods. Their monthly sessions had turned weekly as he got older, but he had just seen the demon and the Shadow a few days ago so this was early. Alastor kept to a pretty standard routine, so the change made Shade both nervous and excited.
Though he really wanted to ask what was going on, he held his tongue. Alastor liked when he waited and tried to figure things out on his own first rather than impatiently demanding explanations right away. Something about keeping his eyes and ears well connected to his brain. Shade was pretty sure that wasn't how that worked, but he tried to keep his questions to himself until Alastor told him that he was permitted to ask. That meant he had to learn and guess as much as possible so the demon would be happy with how smart he was.
They weren't going to their usual spot in the forest with what Shade considered their tree. He could no longer fit into the space at the bottom, but it still felt calming, comforting to lean against that one sometimes. This time they were heading to the east where the trees thinned out the fastest. From what he could feel of the breeze, he thought they might be moving downwind of the village.
So this might be something Alastor thought would get the attention of the others in the families, either by the ones that liked to take to the trees to play or keep watch, or by the scent of it. Maybe both. He couldn't be certain of more until they got to their location so he turned his attention to the Radio Demon himself.
Shade tried his best to not reveal his study of the tall man. He was sure Alastor knew but so long as he didn't give himself away too badly, the deer wouldn't call him out on it. As he got better at this, he was sure it would get more difficult. The demon was walking as calm and casually as usual but his smile was a touch wider, his ears fully forward with interest or excitement, likely both. That told the young hound they were probably doing something pretty big and important.
The Shadow wasn't out, which meant that while Alastor wanted him to try to figure this out, he didn't want it giving any easy clues. Shade glanced at the way he was holding his microphone next. It was behind his back, both hands near the middle with gloved fingers curling and loosening to roll it restlessly. Another indication of excitement and interest. Alastor was really looking forward to this and Shade knew of only two things the demon got truly excited for.
There was no way this involved the King or Queen though, the whole village would have been abuzz about it already. That was something the Eternal Shadow and its avatar would never hide from them, not with all they did to keep them apprised of potential threats to any member of the royal family. Plus, the families helped build up and maintained their collection of materials either with information about the Morningstars or formerly owned by them.
Knowing that, the hound listened to the sounds Alastor's frequencies were on. The volume was a little louder than normal and the static wasn't as prominent. Instead there was a familiar tune playing that Alastor occasionally hummed along with.
Only Forever by Bing Crosby.
That confirmed it for him. That was one of the songs you could often hear under other sounds during the Radio Demon's special broadcasts. Someone was going to die today, and Alastor was looking forward to it. Since he was bringing Shade along, there was either a lesson or a test involved. He had a feeling it was going to be a test to see if he was ready to start putting his growing strength and skills to use.
With that in mind, Shade considered the idea. Sure, he had hunted down animals before to help add to their food storage. The chase was fun, and he wasn't at all squeamish about the blood and gore. But he'd never killed a person before, or purposely used one of his rages against someone. Would it feel different? Better? Worse?
Shade didn't let himself get too lost in his contemplations and it was a good thing. He caught the slight shift in Alastor's walk and the way the grip on the staff changed in time to duck down under a quick swing. The demon chuckled when he successfully dodged the move, "Good. Seems it might be time to start using other tactics to trip you up."
"Lookin' forward to it," Shade replied honestly but with a sarcastic tone that never failed to make the other laugh. This time was no exception. "Can I give a guess on what we're doin' today, sir?"
"Oh?" The amusement turned again to excited anticipation as Alastor stopped walking and faced him directly, "Do you truly believe you have figured it out? By all means, guess away!"
"You want to see if I'm ready to kill someone for you."
The closed-lip smile turned into a wicked grin, "And? If I am indeed doing that, how does that make you feel?"
Shade rolled it around in his head one more time, "Curious? But mostly neutral, so I guess we'll see?"
Alastor licked his teeth, "Indeed we shall! Come, pup, let's see how good of a show you can give!"
***
"Hold."
Shade obeyed, freezing in place. The scent of blood in the air and the look of fear on his prey made it really hard to but he did.
"Good."
That simple praise made his body warm with happiness, made fighting his urges easier. The drugged sinner he had on the ground by the throat struggled weakly in his grasp but the young hound didn't let him move.
"Look at me, Shade."
He did, meeting red eyes that studied him. Shade did not feel uncomfortable at all with the intensity, waiting for a question or a command.
"I want you to think about the fact that you are about to kill someone. Sure, a sinner will regenerate but it is a slow and painful process. You have been given no reason to do so beyond the fact that I've told you to. How does that make you feel?"
He wanted the talking to stop, to go back to what he'd been doing. "Happy to obey yer order, sir," he answered quickly.
The Shadow came out then, sliding close and circling around him and the pinned sinner. It was looking at Shade with the same intensity. Alastor chuckled, "Nice try. Honest flattery is good, but I want to know more than that, pup. Tell me èvͧe̜̼̚r̪ͨͅy̝t̙̬͈h̖ͤi̱͜ng͢ you feel right now."
With such a direct order, he could do nothing but answer fully, "Impatient with talking and weirdly hungry but not for food?" He paused to see if Alastor would give him a better word for the feeling.
That earned him an approving look, "Anticipation is good! What else?"
"Curious to see if I can make him scream as loud as the ones on the radio," he had to tighten his grip then, the sinner started to struggle more when he said that. "Also curious if I'll get to see ya eat him when I'm done. That's all I can figure out right now, sir."
Red eyes darkened as Alastor tilted his head, "You truly wish to watch that?"
"Yessir."
That earned him a mad cackle, "Well now! Who am I to deny you that when you have done so well? Let him go. I want to see him try to fight back again before you kill him."
***
Alastor felt a dark pleasure in watching the hound do as he asked. Shade was turning out very nicely and he was nowhere near done growing yet. The demon summoned a comfortable seat and settled in to see how much the boy could drag this out. It wouldn't be terribly long, he only had so much stamina and knowledge of such matters at this age. Still, the eagerness was delightful!
The Shadow settled itself beside the chair, laying its head on his leg in a silent request for touch. He happily obliged, combing his fingers over the wispy tendrils between its copy of his ears. They both felt rather proud of this little creature of theirs.
It would be interesting to see how far Shade went into the First Embrace in a few years time. Hopefully he wouldn't be one of the ones unable to return.