The bear shifter's dominant neko 『B』•『B』

Slower

Seven years later:

     "Faster!!"

     "Faster!"

       "FASTER!!" Sirius' voice echoed through the steamy atmosphere, making the other parties fasten their movements as sweat covered their sore, glistening bodies.

      It was a hot day of summer and the future leader of Cambodda was conducting the daily training of the warriors. Between them there was a fifteen years old Teddy and fifteen respectively nineteen years old Nash and Brownie. They were the future right hands of Sirius and supposed protectors of the clan.

     "Faster!" Sirius roared once again, making Brownie and Nash fasten their steps. Teddy was trying to keep up with them, failing miserably as his body almost collapsed a few times because of fatigue.

     "Didn't you hear me, skunk? I told you to move faster! You're only at your fifty-fifth lap! forty-fifth to go." Sirius hissed, flicking burning coal onto Teddy's ankles, making him trip over his legs and hiss in pain.

      "I can't any faster!" Teddy whimpered in defeat, tears running down his cheeks as his peace never slowed down.

     "Bullshit! You're a bear, aren't ya? How comes you're as scrawny, weak and slow as the first time you entered the training field one year ago, huh? DO YOU THINK I WASTE MY TIME ON YOU FOR NOTHING?! If you don't show improvements in your training, then you are as good as dead into the clan!"

     "Fucking bitches, thinking to make freaking Teddy Bear, the cuddly boy toy, my bodyguard!" Sirius mumbled the last part for himself, making yet another coal chip burn onto the smaller boy's skin.

      Teddy sniffed, closing his eyes as he tried to move his legs faster onto the dusty pavement. He hated being such a disappointment. He hated Sirius calling him weak and scrawny, and mostly he hated him being right. There were no improvements in Teddy's training, nor physical condition. He was fifteen years old now and yet he had the same small, bony conformation like when he was eight years old. His bear was big and sturdy, whilst he was small and frail. Useless like the day his mother give birth to him.

      "I can't, I can't!" Teddy gasped, feeling his lungs burn and muscles contract in pain. From time to time a piece of undying fire was landing on his numb ankles and the land seemed to move by itself as the boy became unconscious of his surroundings.

     Even if he couldn't run anymore, Teddy still had to keep on going. It didn't matter he wasn't feeling his feet anymore. It didn't matter every muscle in his body ached and every beat of his heart screamed. It didn't matter the pavement slowly became blurry.

     Teddy had to run.

      Step...

     "Faster!"

     Step...

     "Faster!"

     Step...

     "Faster!"

      Step...

     "FAS-"

     Until he fell into oblivion.

ᕤ¡ᕦ

A disgrace,

Useless,

A mistake,

Should have never been born....

        Teddy gasped, clutching his hands around his chest as his gaze switched from left to right into the pitch darkness. The words of his parents echoed into his head, making sharp tears pierce past his lashes.

     Why? Why did he have to be so weak? Why could he never do the right thing and be the strong, independent and useful person everyone needed? No matter how much he tried, he will never be powerful enough. Only a weakling ruled by cowardice.

      Teddy cried silently into his palms, feeling his whole body shake like in a fit of spams. And when he was done his tears were dried like temporary tattoos on his cheeks, and his heart went numb as if soaked in nicotine.

      Then he opened his eyes...and there was no darkness anymore... but wonderful trees and fretting fireflies all over the place.

     Teddy stood up in astonishment, whipping his trousers clean as he made his aimless way around the woods. He walked near rivers and rock falling waterfalls, beyond meadows of hay and lands of oat and back into the woods where the landscape began to repeat itself... like a snake swallowing its own tail. And surprisingly there was no animal and no trace of life at all. Only vegetation.

     Am I alone? Teddy thought, spinning around his own axis as his eyes searched his surroundings. "Someone here?" He even voiced. But there was no response except the whistle of the wind and the rustle of the bushes along with it.

      Sitting back on the ground, Teddy started to wonder where he was and what happened with the training, Sirius and the others. And the only response he could come up with was that they were all into the real world while he was caught into a loop of life and death, waiting for his afterlife.

     Only Teddy could die in the middle of training because of exhaustion.

      "You're not dead." A deep voice suddenly said, making Teddy jump on his feet and turn around to look at a huge bear hovering above him.

      The animal had black fur with brown snout and mahogany ears. He was reaching over 5'9 in his front and back paws and seemed to weight over three thousand pounds and a half.

     Teddy could recognize his inner animal. He has seen him before, but never had the chance to talk to him. It was the first time he could connect with his bear like this.

      "Hello, human!" The bear said huskily, coming closer to his small human and pocking his cheek with his wet nose. Teddy giggled gingerly, rubbing his face with the end of his sleeve.

      "Hi!" He said shyly, daring to stretch his arm and walk his fingers through the bear's fur.

       "I don't like seeing you upset!" the animal said sadly, making Teddy look away in guilt. "I don't like the dark thoughts clustering your mind." He continued.

      "Sorry..." Teddy sniffled, bringing his hands into his lap and fidgeting mindlessly his thumbs.

       "There is no need for you to be sorry, human!...But before you continue to degrade yourself like this, I want you to know some things..."

Short chapter, I know!