Mary Had A Little Lamb

Chapter 1

"Mary...what is that in your arms?"

Tasha was looking at Mary- no, the thing is her arms with a questioning gaze. She wonders where her adopted daughter found this weird, yet cute looking lamb. 

It's a lovely red one, too.

"I saved it."

"You just saved it?"

"Yes, aunt Tasha."

Mary has been working in the farm for more than ten years. Ever since she was adopted by grandpa Obante, she was not allowed to leave that small village that they lived in. Nothing was special here, forever so boring. Until one day she saw a big black wolf chasing a red.....A RED LAMB?!

Who could let it be if they see a damsel in distr- I mean, ahem, a poor baby being hunted down by a hungry wolf. And so, Mary thought that it was a good idea to kick the wolf in the balls while frantically scoping up the lamb and running.

When the lamb witnessed the wolf being kicked, it shrieked, and Mary could feel the lamb trembling when she took it up. It struggled a little before calming down,  realising Mary would not devour him.

'Is it normal for animals to be so weak?' was what Mary thought back then.

Running back to the farmhouse was easy, but fending off the wolf was not. From Mary's perspective, the wolf was enraged because the human had attacked and stolen its prey. Just as Mary was debating whether or not to kick the wolf again, the wolf suddenly came to a halt.

The wolf neither growls nor advances. It stopped its track but its gaze remained fixed on the lamb. After a while, the wolf returned to the forest.

Mary was confused as to why the wolf had given up so quickly. Perhaps the wolf is now aware of her greatness? Anyways, it was a good thing, so she continue to run to the farmhouse with the new member in her arms. 

Returning to the current timeline...

'Hmm, she seemed to be in a good mood... I don't believe it'll be such a bad decision to take him in.'

Tasha is happy as long as it makes Mary happy. She did not mind adding such a cutie into the family. There is just one problem.

'Though, why does that lamb look familiar... I've never seen a red lamb in my entire life, I'm sure of it. Maybe I'm sleep deprived.'

'Why is it so small? Don't tell me.... he was mistreated by his owner?! I will be sure to fatten it up!'

Both of them did not know that they were not thinking of the same thing.

'This is upsetting. Why are they looking at me like that?'

But of course, the said lamb was dumbfounded by the entire process, from playing tag with Choi Han, the black wolf, to getting adopted by whoever this is.

Ah yes, he would describe his day as "speechless."

It had been a cloudy morning, or perhaps afternoon. Cale, Choi Han reasoned, should at the very least get some exercise after sleeping in for 13 hours.

Without listening to Cale's excuses, the wolf dragged him out of his luxurious sheep pen. Cale was wide awake when he was jolted out of his comfort zone. He glared at Choi Han but eventually gave up when the latter looked at him with innocent eyes as if he had done nothing wrong.

Let's ignore why Choi Han, a wolf is on a sheep farm. 

Cale was the only one who got special treatment from the rest of the herd, which was amusing. Who in their right mind would provide a lamb with its own luxury and spacious pen, complete with temperature devices, the freshest pasture plants to eat, and 100 per cent cotton pillows and blankets derived from shearing other sheep?

Ah, of course, Cale also has his own bathroom. Ever heard of privacy?

Henituse. It is the name of this small piece of land surrounded by a misty forest. The territory is owned by a count named Deruth Henituse, who lives with his family in the misty forest. Commoners like Tasha and Mary can never get a glimpse of the count but the people know that the count is a wonderful person.

The territory was known for its marble resources. However, around twenty years ago, the count proclaimed that he intended the region to prosper in different aspects too. And that made grandpa Obante take up the challenge.

Of course, the count did the same thing. He started raising sheep and hired people from the slums to assist him. Nobody questioned the count's decision as their territory's economy grew and the county's unemployment rate dropped by 60%.

"Aunty, I'm done harvesting the blueberries!"

Tasha and Mary's merry talk is interrupted when a young man with a tanned complexion and good build walks in.

The young man, Alberu, made eye contact with the crimson lamb.

"Oh, Mary! Is this for dinner?"

Alberu smiled widely and turned his attention to Mary, as if seeking confirmation.

Tasha wanted to clarify something, but for the sake of her sanity, she decided to remain silent. Mary's jaw dropped as she looked back and forth between her cousin and the little lamb.

'What did he just say? Dinner? Hello, me?'

Cale, unsurprisingly, had a panic attack at the mention of being a feast on their table, or worst, emergency food. It did not help to calm his heart when Alberu was closing up on him.

'Um, Mary or whatever, are you not going to say something??'

Mary felt a scratch on her wrist. She looked down and saw the trembling eyes of the lamb. It seemed as if the lamb understood what they were saying and was pleading with them not to do it. Mary considered making fun of it, but decided not to because it would be cruel to betray the lamb's trust.

Alberu reached out to touch the lamb, but Mary quickly tucked Cale behind her back. When Mary did that, though, Alberu noticed something shiny on the lamb.

"Mary I think I saw something-"

"No you did not."

"Huh? But that-"

Mary had already turned her back and walked away without listening to what Alberu had to say. Alberu could only glance at Tasha and shrug his shoulders.

"What?"

"Really dear nephew? You wanna eat such a cutie?"

Mary took the lamb up to her room and placed it on her bed. She then proceeded to examine the lamb for injuries, which she was relieved to discover there were none. Hmm? There was indeed something on it neck but was covered by its fluffy fur.

"What's this? c...a..?"

A collar with a name carved on it, one that appears like it would cost a commoner ten years of their pay. Lustrous heart-shaped rubies that are connected to each other by golden threads and adjustable leather.

 Mary was unable to look away from the collar. But it was the fact that the collar seemed to be made for the young sheep that drew her attention.

Cale Henituse. Screw it, the lamb had an owner, and a Henituse at that.