Orie, in all honesty, wasn't sure if the beginning of a new school year was supposed to be this chaotic. In their defense they've never been to one before and thus don't have any other year to compare it to. However, Orie has the feeling that even if they did have those years of experience they still wouldn't be able to compete with their first days that were sprinkled with forbidden spells, german suplexes, and never before seen familiar ritual summonings.
Orie rubbed their temple with their hands, a headache rattling in their skull already. The roars of their peers sprung up in the air and bounced against the walls, filling Orie's chest with air and nausea. Their vision swims for a second before the teenage hellhound had enough, retreating out of the building to cool down and to process the trouble they had been experiencing.
----
The trouble had actually started a few weeks ago. For years, Orie had followed the same day-to-day routine. Orie would get up at specifically 6:16 am to get ready for the day. They'd make their bed and spray twenty six spritz of their favorite pumpkin scented air freshener in the room before going to the bathroom to begin brushing their hair. Detangling it isn't much of an issue for the hellhound, but Orie likes the feeling of the brush in their hair so they take about thirty minutes to brush their hair to satisfactory. The time rounds out to about 6:40 am and Orie spends about twenty minutes brushing their teeth, washing their face, and getting dressed for the day.
So then, at 7:00 am, Orie leaves their bedroom and tends to the few minor indoor chores they have. They always make the same small breakfast for them and their father- toast with a poached egg with three sliced deviberries and some bits of hellham- and then at about 7:30 am Orie tidies up the living room. Their father usually stays up till late in the night lazing about in there, so there's almost always a mess to clean. No matter the size of the mess, however, Orie is determined to spend only thirty minutes cleaning it up. The punctuality allows for the time to round to 8:00 am and that's when Orie leaves the house to tend to their favorite chore, tending to Lady Harpnus' beloved sacred cattle.
While Orie didn't know the exact reason the cattle were important, their father often told them a myth that they were manifestations of desires from the followers of Harpnus that were carried in the wind. Each whisper of longing and each wishful dream turned into fluffy cattle that grazed on the winds of ambitions and goals that hovered over Harpnus' abode. To spare the pride of her followers, she entrusted the sacred cattle to our ancestor, the brother of one of the first Naberius guard dogs.
Orie knew the stories they chose to believe varied though. During their youth, Orie would spend hours on their tip-toes grabbing books from the higher shelves about Lady Harpnus and their ancestors. They'd rub the pads of their fingers on the crinkly pages as they read, their ears twitching and their tail wagging at the noise and the information they consumed. Some stories painted the cattle as members of Lady Harpnus' followers that had fallen, others proclaimed the cattle were created to support the blessings the deity had bestowed in ancient times, some even said the herd were Harpnus' offspring and would one day grow into big cow deities.
No matter how absurd a myth sounded, Orie consumed the literature and stories with great joy, feeling closer to the herd with every book they read. There had been a long period of time where Orie would only read books about the herd and Lady Harpnus and they'd refuse to participate in studies since it took away from that time.
Their father had been upset at that, trying to force the books out of Orie's little claws despite their protests, but their mother had a gentler approach. Orie would be curled up in her lap as they played with her warm, calloused hands.
"Orie, dear," She had begun, brushing Orie's overgrown bangs out of their face. "Your father and I are well aware of your love for the herd-"
"They're so cool, Mommy! And they're super soft! I can't wait to be their protector- I already made one of them my lieutenant. I named her Ophiotaurus. I saw the name from one of great-great-great-great grandpa's books with all the big scary monsters! And- and-"
Orie's stream of incessant babble was almost unstoppable once it started. With each thing they rambled about they brought up one of their mother's fingers to keep track.
She let Orie continue for a bit, simply smiling down warmly at her child and she let them wear themselves out. They plowed through different topics like their anti-flea and fly ointment experiments to find one they liked more than the lavender-smelling one their father told them to use to one of the cows devouring Orie's least favorite vegetable (carrots) to that one fence post Orie beat up because, when their hand grazed it, the feeling had been so repulsive it hurt Orie.
When their rant came to its end (or, rather, Orie's throat began to sting and their little lungs couldn't muster the air needed to make more words) Orie's mother gracefully picked up from where she left off.
"Yes, dearie. You love them a lot and I'm sure the herd- and your lieutenant- love you to bits as well. But, one day you're going to be their protector. Their lives will be in your little claws," She'd give the pads of Orie's hands a little squeeze, flexing their claws for emphasis.
"There may be a day where someone incredibly witty and strong comes along. That day may be when me and your father aren't here or that demon is stronger than even us. That is why you must be educated. Educated beyond the information the books you've been reading can give you."
Orie had sat up during their mother's little lecture, their eyes gleaming as they listened attentively. They nodded to her words and as she finished she pinched the tufts of hair on top of Orie's head endearingly. That was the day Orie promised to study as best as they could to make the lives of the cattle better and more safe.
Orie followed that promise religiously. They remained dedicated to their studies on both the herd and magic while their family stayed small and, well, stationary. Orie can't really recall many times they'd left other than to run an errand and grab a rare treat. Their purpose was to protect the cattle, not going galavanting to parties or parks or anything of that sort (that's what their father used to say. Orie has agreed since they were first told that), but their mom had different ideas.
There was the everpresent memory of warm, calloused hands and a gentle smile that sometimes turned stiff. There was also the memory of faraway eyes that always looked in the distance. There were times Orie even saw that expression on their quiet companion Orthrus had when they sat perched on the fence the herd often settled around.
Another thing Orie remembered was her bedtime stories were of adventures in places unimaginable, or of deities who craved knowledge, or of places so old even their oldest kings and oldest politicians didn't know the origin of. Little Orie would press their cheek against their mother's muscular arm as she flipped through a picture book, though the memory of the photos had long since faded and only the memory of warmth filling their bones had remained. Their mother was a trailblazer, a voyager, a pioneer. She was not a stone guardian made to stand still. In Orie's opinion, it's a miracle she stayed in one place long enough to even fall in love with their dad, much less stay to give birth and raise Orie for a few years.
Their little branch of family never strayed far from this house. It had stood for centuries, alone in hundreds of miles of protected grazing land. They lived to protect the cattle ( When they mention this currently, their father scoffs and bites his index finger, leaving teeth indents in his skin) and Orie was the current main caretaker of the sacred herd.
When Orie was about 10 years old, they were officially entrusted by their father to be the one who took care of the cattle. It was the night of their demonic rites and the young hellhound had felt like the most special kid in the world. Their faraway-feeling mother had focused on Orie for the night, picking them up under the arms and swinging and swirling in a messy display of dance and affection. Their little claws had dug into her thick skin in panic, but she didn't drop them and Orie had laughed a whole bunch that night.
When the guests had left (there were very few. None of which Orie recognized- one was a scary guy who was supposed to be their father's age but looked 200 due to stress lines, while the other had a bone chilling stare who had spared Orie a pat on their head before he left), Orie's father told Orie of their new responsibility; the responsibility of caring for Harpnus' cattle. They had sat criss-crossed in their living room on the rug as they listened intently. The loud thrum of their tail wagging and hitting the floor grounding Orie as father spoke of their purpose. Their mother wasn't looking at either of them- something Orie unfortunately recalls vividly. She was looking off to the side and to the wall of their pictures. Most consisted of the places she had been to. The wall is barren now, save for the single picture of Orie and their dad. Orie sometimes stared at the wall and traced the faint shapes of lighter paint on the wall with their finger, memorizing where paintings and pictures used to be before turning tail and leaving.
The first few months of officially caring for the cattle had been to learn all the intricate details they hadn't learned before. They learned which ones tended to wander astray, how they all liked to be brushed, which ones were sneaky and which ones they didn't need to watch as closely. For hours and hours while the cattle grazed Orie would watch them, the ears of both them and Orthrus perked as they took note of every sound, right down to the bristles of grass against grass and the whipping of wind gusts against the ear.
Speaking of Orthrus... Orie looked down to their feet and they kicked the ground quietly. Orthrus was a complicated beast. During their days of watching the herd there had been no problems, but that had immediately changed the day their father informed them of their 'little' schedule change. Orthrus became much too violent and if Orie summoned him it'd quickly turn into an excruciating experience for them both. The teenager bit their index finger as their chest bubbled uncomfortably.
Orthrus was not like Cerberus- that's what Orie had been told. Orthrus was much more intertwined with its wielder than Cerberus was. But, like the myths of the herd, Orthrus had different myths to explain his connection with Orie.
Their father described Orthrus as a companion who thrived off of his desires. Some of Orie's ancestors proclaimed Orthrus was more of a familiar, others deemed Orthrus as just another body they had that they could dedicate to their purpose.
Orie wasn't sure which to believe.
Orie also wasn't sure what was wrong with him right now.
Their otherwise quiet, cooperative partner had turned both violent and the feeling of a white hot giddiness had involuntarily flooded Orie's veins despite the terror they felt at both the violence and the news of their new occupancy. His claws had left deep grooves and red-pink agitated cuts in their skin that day when they tried to summon him. It was embarrassing since it happened in front of the cattle- and Orie had spent that day silently licking their wounds before guiding the herd to their little house for the night.
That night their claws dug into the silk fabric of the pillow they stole from their mother's side of the bed when they were 10. They felt like a little baby since they were gripping it like a stuffed devibear- but come morning and Orie's chest feels vacant of the bubbles and wet burns it had yesterday, so Orie feels better.
Orie hasn't attempted to resummon Orthrus since that day a week ago and the other hellhound hasn't attempted to appear himself. Maybe they're both depressed, seeing as Orie's father had also made the decision to revoke the responsibility of caring for the herd after Orthrus' tantrum. Orie had just been about to start the cattle-caring part of their routine when he dropped that bombshell.
----
Orie's clawed hand grabbed an ointment cream from the shelf near the door. It's a monday, so today is an anti-flea and fly cream reapplication day. The cattle love the smell and, after applying a generous amount of the pintment behind the ears and on the backs of a portion of the cows and let them rub and headbutt each other to spread the ointment. The smell of herbs and medicine would linger under Orie's nose for the rest of the day but it was okay, Mondays are medicine smelling days.
Orie had been about to leave- ointment in hand- when their father grasped their shoulder. The young hellhound looked up at their father, nose scrunched in displeasure, and they were met with their father looking down at them with his usual unmoving eyes.
"There's no need for that today. I'll be looking after the herd today."
Orie's heart stuttered and they bit back a choked sound.
"What? Why? I- Yesterday was just a bad day for Orthrus. I don't- I um- I don't need a break or anything."
Their father scoffed, his brow furrowing. He took the ointment from Orie's hands before they could react and put binders and notebooks and pens in it's place.
"With school approaching, you'll need to dedicate all your focus to your studies and school life. I'll be taking over the herd until I state otherwise."
Orie's face immediately fell as an uncomfortable, thin feeling of heat spread across their face. Their palms became nauseatingly clammy and they tried their best not to drop the stuff in their arms.
"But- but that's... my job. I'm their guard dog. Will I still be- am I still their protector? At all? What- I..." Orie can hardly muster up words. They're bubbling in their throat like foam and each mumbled out word causes their stomach to twist and clench in painful ways.
Their father sighed and Orie swears he rolled his eyes. "Your new job is to be a student, Orie. I made a mistake making you the guard dog at such a young age, and this is your chance to mend it. You should be overjoyed to have this opportunity."
Their heart absolutely shatters at that.
Orie stared up at their father, mouth slightly agape as tears pushed against their eyelids and threatened to pop them. There's a few moments of silence before Orie breaks eye contact to look down at the floor as pressure builds behind their eyes.
"Yes. I'm- ah, I'll work hard to fix this." Orie managed.
Seemingly satisfied, their father exhaled and pushed past Orie and out the door, leaving the young hellhound alone at the doorway. At that moment, Orie felt like they might never move again. Them being the guard dog of Lady Harpnus' herd was a mistake? But that's what they were raised to do. Tears start to burn their eyelids as they begin to swell and Orie digs their fangs into their finger as they run off to their room, slamming the door shut behind them.
Orie's room feels unwelcoming as they drop their materials on the floor and drop into a crouch on the floor, gripping their hair and shutting their eyes tight. Their ears feel clogged and stuffy right with their nose which had begun to run as Orie cried. Hair strands snap under the strain or the hellhound's grip and each prickle of pain does little to ground Orie. One of their hands leaves their hair so they can rub their face with their arm, their face a mess of snot and runny tears as they struggle to regain their composure. Blood is roaring in their clogged ears and each breath causes their stomach to jump and their throat to squeeze. They bite their hands again to stifle their sobs, falling from their crouch to a bow position, their face pressed painfully against the carpeted floor. They're a little more comfortable like this, surprisingly.
The carpet fibers dig into Orie's cheeks and make them all the more aware of the mess on their face. They release their hand again and wipe their face furiously, though tears are still running thick trails down Orie's face.
They maintain that position on the floor for a bit. Wiping their face of snot and tears as the room slowly stops spinning and their heart stops racing. Their ears pop after a while as well and Orie relaxes into the floor, limp like a cotton doll. They sigh heavily (silently relishing in the feeling of clean, cold air in their overheating body) and shut their eyes, letting the blood that had rushed to their face settle and their stomach to relax. They're a total mess, so when Orie eventually gets up they resign to their bathroom to clean their face off before messing with any of the school materials splayed hazardously on the floor.
----
Apparently, Orie's father wasn't a believer in the weaning process. He had stuck to his word of not allowing Orie to continue their job like it was an order sent by Harpnus herself. Now Orie sat alone in their empty house as he sat outside, alert to any disaster or problem that might befall the cattle. The days pass by like this quickly and come next monday Orie is hit with the horror that is high school.
Orie has a similar morning schedule to before. Orie still woke up at 6:16 and they sprayed their twenty six sprays of warm pumpkin air freshener before going into their bathroom to brush their hair. Their hair has more tangles than it usually does, probably due to the tossing and turning Orie was subjected to when trying to sleep. They don't mind too much- but they're sure to pay extra attention to each of the evenly distributed strokes of their brush that they give to sectioned parts of their hair. They switch brushes, too, which is normal. From a bigger brush to a smaller comb to undo the smaller knots tied in their hair. The routine always leaves Orie light-headed but also light-hearted as they bask in the familiar clean feeling of it all.
Orie finishes up the rest of their routine at their usual pace. Their toothbrush swipes over each fang evenly and Orie spends equal amounts of time running the floss between them. Their teeth are special (to rip apart dangers to the cattle) and if Orie were to neglect some they would feel lonely. (Orie obviously knows they're not living things. They wouldn't feel neglect if they didn't get brushed exactly the same amount of times as other fangs- but Orie won't stand for the uneven feeling it gives them. The teeth get to maintain equality).
When Orie finished up the last of their bathroom routine they found themselves hesitating to put on the uniform. The material is different from the one all their other clothes use. Orie brushes their hand against the fabric and they grimace a little. It's not... bad material. Just different. Orie wipes their hand on their soft blanket before scampering off to put on some gloves. Their hand tingles as they put it on, comforting needles poking their body at the familiar fabric before they quickly threw the uniform on. It's not unbearable, so Orie recons they'll be okay.
The hellhound grabs their bag and leaves the room, quickly flicking the light on and off a few times before clicking the door shut.
----
Despite the quiet of the morning, Orie finds their ears buzzing as they head further from their room, realization overcoming them like static to a family's century old TV. They creep up to the window in the dining room that has a direct view into the herd's favorite grazing spot.
A grand tree stood at the top of the small little hill in the field and there's the beginnings of a fence coming from right out the side. It's the same shade of brown as the grand tree's bark in some places but many of the fence posts have been lightened and run down from the herd headbutting, licking, and chewing them. Orie doesn't really get the appeal- the wood doesn't taste that great. There are better things to chew. At least it was a nice bonding activity.
The herd isn't outside yet. That's a good thing, because the cattle tend to be more headbutty when they get up super early.
'I should remind Dad what the best time to let them out is. He's got knee pains, so I'm sure he'd like to avoid cow headbutts to the leg...'
Orie turns away from the window and to the dining room.
The dining table isn't the most elegant and, like most things in the house, is actually a bit worn. The wood has slight paths and engravings in its wood from plates sliding across the surface and heavy table decorations resting in the wood for too long. There are so many small scratch marks and chips and bumps in the wood that Orie recons each have their own story from ancestors. The table should be lively and warm, but it hasn't felt that way in a long time. It's just Orie and their father.
Just then, Orie's father enters the dining room with two plates and a bag in hand. Orie bows their head and follows him to a seat, politely sitting across from him as he sets a plate down.
It's their usual breakfast- something that makes Orie's tail thump on the floor a few times before sheepishly wrapping around one of the chair legs. Orie's father keeps the bag on his side of the table, but Orie is undeniably curious about it.
Their father's face hasn't changed from it's stoic one even as they begin to eat. It's not the most fulfilling meal, but they're both the type to snack during the day in-between meals. They've both got generous sizes of sweet and salty and spicy snacks hidden somewhere (Orie's is hidden in the thicket of leaves atop the grand tree. It used to be hidden in an abandoned burrow, but after one of the cows got into the unhealthy spicy snacks and had an upset stomach for a few hours Orie had to improvise their snack stash spot).
Eventually, he clears his throat when they're both just about done with their meals. Orie looks up at him after swallowing the last of their toast, their ears twitching.
"I know... this was a rather abrupt decision. I have no doubt you'll be able to adapt to this new situation, Orie, but I have asked the school for some accommodations in case you have one of your... little tantrums."
Orie's tail tightens around the chair leg it's wrapped around.
"...Thank you, father," Orie responded, breaking their eye contact after only a few seconds. "I'll try and, um, be good."
Orie's father is quiet for a moment, his apathetic eyes seemingly analyzing and breaking down Orie's body language right down to the atom, before he sighs and slides the small baggie across the table and to Orie. The young hellhound twitched and hesitantly grabbed the bag. It's soft, probably silk from the same brand they always get silk fabric from.
"This... is your mom's," He says slowly. "She always intended to give it to you but, seeing as she's not here, I'll have to do."
Orie's eyes flicker from the bag to their father and then back again. Realizing they should probably open it, they carefully tuck their claw beneath the ribbon that keeps the baggie closed and pull it free. Orie's ears flutter at the sound it makes.
There's a small little handbook inside and Orie picks it up very delicately. There's the faint smell of their mom's perfume that weighs down their shoulders and their finger grazes the cover. Her name is engraved in gold- a nice contrast to the black leather the backing was- and Orie's heart stutters just a bit. Ferazora Naberius- mother to Orie and spouse to Abanez Naberius. Orie's eyes quickly flick away from the name. The journal is jampacked with different things; it looks like some pages are made of fur while others had plants and other fauna glued to the pages. Some of the pages are of greatly different colors, like dark maroons and bright pinks and they contrast with the yellowing, crinkly pages that just have writing on them.
"It has some protection charms on it. Fire protection, water, some against being torn or thrown. Still... make sure to take care of it. It'd be a waste if you were to ruin it."
Orie nods absentmindedly as they run their thumb against the side of the notebook, feeling the vast textures of each worn page as they do so. They rub their mouth with their arm as they're sure they have a dumb smile on their face and look up from the notebook.
"Yeah... Thank you, Dad. I'll treasure it. I promise."
Abanez's face softens just a bit and he also nods, another (more lighthearted) sigh escaping his chapped lips before he gets up from the table. He grabs Orie's empty plate along with his and nods down to his child.
"I expect no less from you, Orie," He began. "You should head off to school now. Before it gets too crowded."
At the mention of school, the warmth and euphoria the notebook gave Orie quickly dissipates from their stomach and they hang their head. "I- uh- yes, Father. You're right. I'll- um- I'll see you after school."
Thankfully, Abanez doesn't seem too bothered by Orie's babbling. Instead, he just nods and turns around to return to the kitchen.
Orie sighs and places their bag on the table. Last night they had spent quite a while organizing their little bag system. Now they have to include their Mom's journal. It's not that bothersome in theory, but Orie's routines have never been the simplest.
They pull out their lighter school books and pencil case out first and they set them out all organized on the dining room table. Then there's the little binder of spare paper and an agenda- one that Orie will never use as Orie's exceptionally good at remembering schedules- and they also set that aside. The notebooks are next and Orie picks out one and places the leather handbook in its place before placing the bigger one on top. It's secure that way, with no loose tidbits or pieces of metal from binders or pencils able to easily reach it in its safe little hidey spot. Orie smiles and places everything back in their designated places.
With their bag situated, Orie is all ready to go. Their heart stutters and Orie brings their finger to their mouth to bite. They're still incredibly unsure about the whole thing- they've never been to school before.
Orie had looked into Babyls a little bit during the past week. It was a little difficult to do so, though, as just typing the name made their hands clammy and they had to wash them, but they were pretty sure one of their relatives worked there.
Orie didn't know any of their relatives very well. Their home had really only ever housed three people during the last century. There was their demonic rites, sure, but Orie was ten. Orie doesn't remember that. Orie doesn't really even want to remember thanks to the recent events because it'd just make them clammy and teary-eyed.
The hellhound took a deep, stuttering breath, and then they spread their wings and took off, beginning the lengthy journey that was the way to Babyls.
----
Wearing some detection-warding glasses, Orie took their first steps onto campus. The school is bustling with activity and the teenager can't help but admire the school.
The school stretches far into the sky with gigantic black roots growing out from the ground and curling around the outer walls. Orange and purple windows can be seen at even the highest of towers which is the main indicator of life and activity up in the higher parts of Babyls.
There's also the cool gray walls that contrast nicely with the dark purple stone they used to create the shingles on the roofs and the contrasting wall decorations. The dark purple matches the color of the roots that grow out of the school well and the pattern on the front gate reminds Orie of the stripes on every student's uniform.
Speaking of uniforms, Orie's wearing a bit of a non-traditional one. Abanez had been the one to submit their uniform adjustment request. Apparently, their uniform was similar to the uniform of Orie's relative; the one that worked there. Orie hoped that demon wouldn't be like... offended or anything. They didn't intentionally copy them, it was their father!
Orie smooths the wrinkles of their long skirt out with their thumb before entering the school. It was just orientation, thankfully. This was an opportunity for students to see where the classes were, who the teachers were, and to hopefully scope out potential allies or to try and figure out who would be in your homeroom.
Following the flow of the crowd led Orie to the main auditorium. The auditorium was, well, loud. The hellhound grimaced as they sat down next to a silver demon. For some reason, their skin prickles with familiarity.
The demon has a thick, silky coat of silver fur and he smells like the grazing grounds of Orie's home- not in a bad smelly way! More like the smell that Orie drowns in when they bury their face in the fluffy coats of the cattle. That's a good smell, though... isn't that smell one signature to her lady? Orie feels like the answer is on the tip of their tongue.
"Hey- um- are you-"
Orie hadn't been able to stop the words from coming out of their mouth and they're thankful everyone is ordered to stand and sing the silly anthem about humans. Orie's face is flushed in an uncomfortable heat, embarrassed they had been about to speak to a stranger.
"Fleshy humans art our food! We shalt feast on their blood, souls, and meat till nought id left!"
'What a silly concept to base your school anthem about,' Orie thought as they sat down. Humans were real, probably. Their father had gone on a tangent about them once, but Orie had been giggling and too absorbed in a story about the herd messing with some river demons to care. Sometimes the cattle acted like devigoats.
"Iruuummaaa-kun! It's meee! Granddpaaaa!" Squealed the egg on stage.
Orie blinks twice before realizing it's the principal. He had a whole eggy form? That... was actually so cool. Orie wants to turn into an egg and roll away from stuff.
"You see, my beloved grandson has enrolled in our school. He's just sooooo cute!" Eggy Principal continued, doing a giddy dance before slamming open a scroll poster thing on stage, revealing a boy with blue hair who looked to be about Orie's height. "Here's a picture I took with my grandson! Isn't it super great!? I'll be distributing it later!"
Unconsciously, Orie gave an unsure side-glance to the familiar-smelling demon next to them. To their surprise, he shared the same sentiment and shared the same 'what the devi is going on here???' look. No verbal words were needed for that understanding.
Both of their gazes had flickered back upstage after the principal had left and they continued their formalities.
"Okay, let's proceed with a greeting from the freshman representative... ah, no, actually let's call on our honor student! Iruma-kun, please come to the stage."
An awkward silence blanketed the audience like someone had just dropped an insensitive joke no one had the authority to speak out against. The honor student's eyes flickered across the crowd before picking up a single paper that was on the lectern in front of him.
"Albelhouke," He began.
Orie stiffened in their seat and their claws dug into their skirt.
"Tartoodari iusabebe..."
The hellhound's head darted around to gauge the reactions of the other students in the auditorium. As expected, they were also tense. At least Orie wasn't overreacting over the literal forbidden spell being chanted by the crazy blue haired kid.
"Ristooru aberuzu sutoumane,"
The atmosphere buzzed with anticipated energy the farther Iruma got. It sent shocks through Orie's skin as well and they couldn't help but tense up just like the crowd was.
"Aberuge uru mahoraba tsurezaza!"
Silence.
All Orie could hear was their own heart pounding in their ears.
And then, like someone had cut an invisible cord, the crowd erupted into roars and screams meant to cheer Iruma on. Orie would have clapped but instead settled on covering their ears and wearing a crooked smile.
Soon, the auditorium had settled into a (while still loud) bit calmer state of conversation and students were permitted to leave and explore. Orie sighs with relief at the slightly quieter environment and they begin to move to leave when a furry hand touches their shoulder.
Their head whips around to see the silvery demon from earlier. His eyes are sparkling and his body is trembling with pure energy and Orie can only muster an unsure crooked smile at the sudden interaction.
"Are you- are you also one of Harpnus' followers?!"
----
So, Orie did recognize the demon. It just hadn't clicked right away.
This was Gaap Goemon, a demon from another family that had been favored by Harpnus once centuries ago. He smelt so similar to Harpnus' sacred cattle because, well, they had similar magic. The herd are basically wind cows (though the lazy animals had never used their wind magic as far as Orie knows) and Goemon's family had been blessed by the Lady herself to control the wind.
Currently the two demons were sitting outside as Goemon rambled on. He was very open about his ambitions, though Orie doesn't really know why. Did their connection with Lady Harpnus matter to him that much? Orie was caught up in their own head at the moment, the noise at the auditorium having brought a fog over their head.
Goemon's voice had only reached their ears for a split second when a loud boom echoed through the courtyard. The two demons immediately sprang to their feet and, after sparing a glance at each other, both ran in the direction of the noise.
They peek around one of the decorative pillars and they both make a choked noise at the scene in front of them.
It looked like they had missed most of the fight- save for the honor student's finishing move. His arms were wrapped tightly around the representative's middle and his body was bent with both his feet and top of his head touching the ground. The representative's superior height seemed to work against him here, because his neck was definitely not supposed to be bent like that. Neither was his back. Orie rubbed their own back the best they could at the image. Owie...
After the rather dramatic sight, Goemon and Orie had spent a little more time together getting used to the school before he said his farewell and took off. They had exchanged contacts, too, which made Orie's chest bubble in a good way. They've only ever had a single contact in their phone (being their dad) and they've never used it to text or call anyone before since their father was only one yell away.
The silver demon was a bit overwhelming, sure, but... Orie had never really talked to anyone besides their dad before, much less a demon their age. Their grip tightened around their phone for a second before Orie put it away, preferring to bite their finger a bit too tightly than breaking their phone.
Orie's heart was light as they spread their wings and took off. School had been annoying, extremely so, but Orie had actually talked to someone that wasn't their father! That meant it was a good day! They flew away with the expectation tomorrow would be great also.
----
It's tomorrow now, and it lowkey sucked.
Orie was still outside with their feet dangling off the edge of the bench they were on. Today was supposed to be familiar summoning, but Orie couldn't summon one. Why? Because Orthrus is a big jealous baby who throws big baby tantrums and has big baby emotions.
Okay, well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but the reason they couldn't participate today was Orthrus' fault.
Little to no one in the Naberius bloodline had been successful in summoning a familiar because Cerberus had scared them away. Othrus was similar- though there had actually been a few successes that Orie could remember. Their dad's dad- or their grandfather- was one demon in the family who had succeeded in the endeavor. His familiar was a pretty little water serpent who could turn water into a nasty venom by swishing it in its mouth.
That being said, while there have been successes in familiar summoning in the family, there's the chance Orie is not one of them.
If that's the case, that means Orthrus would go nuts and throw one of his newly discovered tantrums, leaving a huge, bloody scene that left Orie humiliated in public and beaten up.
So, the hound had been allowed to sit out the activity. Though Orie would have preferred to just stay home considering the events that had transpired during the summonings.
For one, they saw the relative who was working there for the first time. Orie kind of recognized him but that had been the last thing on their mind- they were more focused on his temper and his destruction of the cutesy display. His name was Kalego Naberius and, like most of the people in the family, was a guard dog who was incredibly dedicated to his job.
Orie isn't sure if he had seen them and honestly? They hope not. He looks like he'd squish Orie on the spot with Cerberus, and Orie doesn't like being squashed. Orie's actually pretty proud of how much they've grown, thanks. Even if they're only like 5'4.
The honor student, Iruma, had been the last kid to do a summoning. He had a cocky smile painted on his lips as he activated his seal. The air had been so thick with anticipation that Orie could feel it from the outskirts where they had already been halfway out the door.
Orie hadn't even given people the chance to break the silence when they saw Kalego's upper half appear out of the floor. They left the roaring room behind and went to find somewhere quiet.
Orie sighed and got up from the bench to stretch their legs. Their headache had subsided enough to where Orie didn't think they'd be prone to having a 'tantrum' and they wanted to try and find Goemon in the school. So, off the grumpy hellhound went, scampering around the school to try and find the... acquaintance..? Yeah, the acquaintance they made yesterday.
----
They had been blindly stumbling around the halls when, for some reason, Orie felt drawn to a door. The door is tall and there's only a window at the top so Orie has to tippy toe to see through. Immediately, they understood why they were drawn to the door and their scaly tail began wagging excitedly.
The room was a mess of an assortment of picture books, vials, beakers, tubes and cages. There's a big wooden desk and right in the middle of it is a big book that's opened and is conveniently flipped on a page about Haronus' sacred cattle.
Orie's claws dig into the wood of the door as they flex in excitement. That doesn't look like a book from their house's library! They wanna see it! They quickly look around to see if the coast is clear before opening the door. Surprisingly, it's not locked, so Orie scurries in.
The whole room fills Orie with curiosity and excitement. While their focus is on the book, they can't help but examine some of the other things in the room.
The room is positively brimming with life. There are multiple bots containing vines and small, sweet smelling flowers and there's all sorts of neat looking writing utensils scattered hazardously around. There are also multiple books that are open and they're treated a little bit better than the papers and pencils- they're all to the sides of the room rather than being in the middle of the floor. Orie's wagging tail kicks up some of the papers and sends some of the utensils rolling away as they reach the book, their claws carefully grazing it.
The book has so many pictures- but also has some pages dedicated just to info about Harpnus' herd! Orie feels like they might explode-
A shadow suddenly covers Orie and the book and their tail immediately stops wagging.
They're about to explode alright. Explode at the hands of whoever's book this was. Orie sends a mental message to their mother and father- one that details how they loved them and forgave them for all the times they made Orie sad. Orie even says goodbye to their beloved herd. 'I'm so sorry, Lady Harpnus... you're going to have to count on my dad's non-existent love life again...'
And then everything goes dark...
----
Ok, so, Orie was a little dramatic, they're not ashamed to admit that.
They were currently wearing a chain and wooden board around their neck as they kneeled on the floor. The wooden board read 'I will not wander into a teacher's office without permission. I will not touch people's stuff without permission either.' On it.
Orie's eyes flicker up to the teacher's face. His name was Balam Shichiro- or Professor Balam. He was the imaginary creatures professor here at Babyls, which is a class Orie is required to take this year if they recall correctly.
Professor Balam hadn't been necessarily mad at Orie for getting into his office, per say, he was more just surprised to see the hellhound and disappointed in himself for forgetting to lock up his office. That still hadn't saved Orie from a lengthy lecture by him, though.
"You were interested in these creatures, correct?" Balam asked, holding up the book to one of the pages that featured slightly inaccurate drawings of the herd.
Orie's tail wagged. "Yeah! I wanted to look at it 'cause it didn't look like any of the books in my family's library." They chirped.
A strange look suddenly dawned on Balam's face before he jumped up from his seat and lifted Orie up, spinning around with them. Orie yelped in shock and dug their claws into the professor's arms.
"That's why you looked so familiar- you're- oh my devi, I need to sit."
Balam sat down on the floor, a huff escaping his mask as he maintained his grip on Orie. The clueless hellhound just looking up at him with a mass of emotions mixing in their stomach like a toddler mixing a potion in the bath with shampoo and soap.
"He mentioned you in passing. I should have realized right away- you two look so similar!" Balam huffed, his hands ruffling Orie's hair and wrinkling their uniform.
"Who? What? What's happenin'?" Orie yipped, their much smaller hands grabbing at the gargoyle's hands to squeeze also. Despite the professor's scary appearance, Orie took a private joy in the texture of his gloves; rough in a familiar way.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I'm not making any sense, am I? I just have so many questions to ask- what are Harpnus' cattle like? Are they troublesome to take care of? Do they have all the teeth they're rumored to have? Oh! What about their origin, is it true that-"
"You know who I am?" Orie interrupted, though it was muffled from the hands that were squeezing their face lightly. Balam loosened his grip.
"Of course," Balam began, setting Orie down on the floor again, "You're from the Orthrus' branch of the Naberius family and the first one to go to school in generations! I never thought I'd get the chance to meet someone who's interacted with such legendary creatures on the daily- I could only ever dream of getting close to them-"
Balam's rambling continued for a long while and Orie had, once again, zoned out. The idea of being... known by people Orie didn't know yet was, well, weird. That implies they have opinions on them already and the thought makes them sick. They probably expect so much from Orie- they shouldn't! Orie had been told to their face that them being a guard dog of Harpnus' herd had been a mistake on their Father's part. Did they think Orie was a super powerful protector of a deity's beloved sacred animals? Orie was not strong. This morning, Orie had slammed their foot on the corner of the dining table and almost cried. Orie isn't gonna be able to live up to people's expectations! They need to sit.
Orie wavers and their hand just misses one of the surfaces nearby and, this time, things go black for real.
----
A/N:
Hello, everyone! I just wantes to say thank you all so much for reading.
This is my first time making something like this and I really hope you guys like it! I personally have really enjoyed writing Orie but I'm not sure on how I executed the dialogue and descriptions of the other charactwrs featured in this chapter
Another note! This chapter gave me so much shit lol
It went through several different drafts and, as I was writing this one, I was like 'Should I spread it across two chapters??' but then I was like nawww if I do that then I have to draw another picture and I don't wanna /hj
Seriously though I'm sorry this chapter is so long !! I thought it would reach 10 pages max haha
Another thing is that you may have noticed Orie isn't really sticking by Iruma's side like how fanfics of this sort are usually formatted/written (this probably sounds like shade but I promise it's not, if you choose to do that with your fic there's nothing wrong with that) but I wanted to try my hand at making a story that focuses on a character's pov that isn't Iruma's if that makes sense. Orie will still be in some of the really important events that are expected from being of their status but they won't be taking the spotlight from Iruma either.
ONE LAST THING before I let y'all go!!
Caim isn't in this fic bc I don't like him. Orie replaced him. #myficmyrules #itsmyworldandyourelivinginit
Anyways, thanks again for reading and I hope you guys enjoy the future chapters I post!! Byeee ^^