book club

Gilgamesh nods along, a quiet hum in his throat as he listens. The boy reminds him of Rexx, one of his boys from the their first litter. Quiet, studious, never really quite as bold as the others. Truthfully, aside from Tarnish, none of their boys were rather bold, but Gilgamesh supposed he was okay with that. He would rather build up his daughters if he were being honest. The thought of having to toss one of his sons out for being a mouthy dumbass or pummeling one into the ground that tried to step up to the plate too early made his stomach churn. No, he quite liked that his sons were quiet, intelligent, and perceptive. The best of both himself and Modesty.

"A story?" Gilgamesh asks, pulled from his thoughts as he looks down at Cutlass. "I suppose I have a story for you," he smirks as he thinks back to what one would be best. An ordinary wolf doing extraordinary things...

"When I was a youth, I say not more than two or so, I came across a polar bear," Gilgamesh pauses, looking to see Cutlass had heard of one before. "A polar bear is a massive beast. All white in color, quite like your older sister, Calliope, but... larger and scarier. Not that one can be scarier than her," he chuckles, giving a gentle shake of his head before continuing. "I came across a woman, only slightly older than myself. She and her canines were tracking a bear. This bear had killed her pups," Gilgamesh winces, a pause at realizing how harsh that may have sounded, but moves forward. "I couldn't allow the woman to avenge her pups on her own. What if she too were slain by the bear?"

"So with as much courage as I could muster, I helped the woman attack the bear. Her canines distracted it by attacking its back legs. She attempted to attack at its side. While I? I went straight for its throat. We had tracked it far north, farther north than even the Armada live and it was so hard to see. A snowstorm had rolled in. The wind felt like being smacked a thousand times with each crystal of ice pelting my skin. That alone made it hard to even be up there and then face to face with a polar bear? A monster three time my size? I was in for it," the far away look in Gilgamesh's eyes was clear as day. He was enjoying regaling his story to Cutlass.

"Just as the wind picked up and attempted to blind me, I made my move. I didn't know if I was going to make it, but through perseverance and courage, I got ahold of the bear's neck. I held on for dear life as the bear grew angrier. It stood up on its hind paws, taking me with it. The bear shook back and forth, I flew about like a doll being played with. I was nearly knocked out, but I never gave up. At the last moment, as the bear came crashing back down, trying to squish me, I ripped open its throat. Blood coated the area around us as I fell to the snow. Exhausted and in pain, I lay there victorious as the woman ensured the bear would not rise again," he finishes with a swish of his paw, his chin tilting upward as he finds it hard to contain his smile.

"How was that?" Gilgamesh asks, turning his head back down to assess Cutlass' reaction.

The Raid King, Gilgamesh