A/N:
Can we just take a moment and acknowledge this comment right here-
Okay, back to the story 😂
******
Naib swiped his sharp, gold claws at Jack's face. His short hands were just out of reach. He snarled and barked at him furiously. "Nice to meet you too," Jack said.
Jack eyed the steel collar Naib was wearing. "That must be uncomfortable," he said. "Let me help you with that, little Naib."
He slowly moved his free hand towards the collar, not wanting Naib to be more alarmed than he already is. Suddenly, a sharp pain rushed through his arm as Naib's sharp teeth dug into his hand. "Ow!!" Jack's cry could be heard through the entire factory.
Blood dripped out his palm as Naib didn't let go. Naib glared at Jack with his red orbs that didn't seem to recognise the hunter at all. Frozen in pain, Jack couldn't move his hand out of the painful bite. He kneeled down and let Naib's feet touch the ground.
"T-There there... I'm n-not going to h-hurt you," Jack said, his body trembling as he controlled the pain. Naib observed him for a while. Seeing Jack was not acting hostile towards him or his friends, he let go of his hand.
"G-Good boy...," Jack said calmly, slowly reaching out to his collar again. This time, Naib let his hand come close. He was quiet when Jack unlocked the chain as the itchy collar fell to the ground. Naib twisted his head around, getting the itch off.
His red orbs met Jack's yellow ones through his mask. Naib came closer and sniffed him. "Do you even remember who I am?" Jack muttered, looking at the mercenary who was whiffing his entire face. "Do you even remember who you are?" he muttered again. "You're walking on all fours, it's like you've forgotten you're human."
Naib licked Jack's mask several times, showing his acknowledgement. He whined when he saw the injury on Jack's hand, a look of regret on his face. Jack pat his head with his other hand. "Don't worry, I'm okay," he said. "I can get this treated back in the manor."
Naib pushed his head against the palm that was stroking him, gesturing that he likes it. Jack chuckled. "You're kind of cute when you're not trying to eat me," he said.
Then, Jack stood up. "Right then," he mumbled. "I should at least catch one person," he said. When he walked off, he kept hearing a bark behind him. He looked back and saw Naib following him around like a dog.
"What's this? You want my attention?" Jack said as he smirk. Naib rubbed his head on Jack's feet. "Alright alright~" Jack said, kneeling down and petting his head again.
Then, the siren blared across the factory. Jack's head perked up. "Already?!" he said. 'You can decode surprisingly fast when each person focuses on one machine,' he thought.
He looked down at Naib. "No matter." He continued stroking his head. "At least I got to experience a moment where you love me."
"Naib!! This way!!" Jack heard the forward yell. Naib turned around suddenly and ran in that direction.
"Naib, wait!" Jack called. He was just enjoying his moment with his new pet.
Naib turned around and stuck his tongue out to taunt him. Then, he darted to William who was waiting for him at the exit. Naib growled softly as William pat his head, snickering. "Did you just distract the hunter the whole round?" William said, ruffling his furry hoodie. "Gooood boyyyy~"
Their hearts were beating fast when Jack approached them. "Come on," William said, running through the exit with Naib behind him.
It was at that moment, Jack realised Naib was intentionally acting cute to keep him busy. "You could've at least said 'bye'," Jack muttered. He could feel his glass heart breaking as he saw Naib running away.
Jack returned to the manor to be greeted by his hunter friends. "Well?" said Violetta. "Did you see him?" she asked. Jack showed her the bloody bite mark on his hand. "I told you so, he's a wild animal now," she said again.
Jack sighed and went to get the first-aid kit. "I wonder what made him like this," Jack said, wrapping the bandage around his hand.
"Beats me," said Violetta. "But I just want him to return to normal. He's scary.."
"You're scary," Jack corrected.
Violetta stayed silent, he's not wrong. "But he's scarier," she then said.
A long silence crossed the room before White spoke up. "So who's going to play hunter next?" he asked. The hunters shared hesitant glances.
"If nobody wants to, then I'll play," said Joker.
"Are you sure, Joker?" Violetta asked nervously.
Joker nodded in response and chuckled sinisterly. "I'll be fine, if he attacks me I can just dash away," he went on. "Or smack him with my rocket."
"That's impossible, you can't outrun him," Violetta said. "You can't even dash faster than a forward, let alone a wolf."
Joker's confidence died down. In the end, it appears that nobody dared to face the beast. White sighed. "Alright then, I'll go," he said. "Worse comes to worst, I'll siphon his soul out."
Jack's eyes widened with horror. "Y-You can't do that," he said.
"I'll do it if I have to," White replied. Although his face was cold, the slight fear in his voice was evident.
Meanwhile, the survivors were showering Naib with praise when he came back. They crowded around him to pet his head and rub his chin to Naib's enjoyment.
"He's such a strong ally to have," Emma said happily. "We should have him every round."
"Yeah!" The survivors cheered.
With a sweet victory in their minds, and a new stronger ally, they went to bed, looking forward to their next game. The mansion was dark as everyone was fast asleep. Naib was curled up on his bed, sleeping in a wolf-like position.
His ears twitched when he heard footsteps coming from the main hall. Sensing danger, his head perked up as he went out his room to investigate. He stealthily crawled through the corridors, nearing the main hall. Thanks to his enhanced eyesight, he could see in the dark.
As he got to the hall, there was no one in sight. He whiffed the air, there was definitely someone in here with him. He heard a footstep behind him and turned around. Before he could react to the intruder, he shot in the head with a tranquilliser dart.
His vision became blurry as he wobbled, struggling to catch his balance. The intruder walking up to him was the last thing he saw before falling unconscious.
******
A/N:
Hope you have a good day~
If not, don't worry, it'll get better. Stay strong! ^///^
Thank you for reading~!
Don't forget to follow the great members of the Identity V squad by @MarthaBehamfil~!
👇👇👇
Survivors
Gardener - luminescentie
Coordinator - MarthaBehamfil
Mercenary - Artist-Fantasy
Mechanic - TZYzOeY | nizons
Lucky Guy - starsglory
Doctor - DoctorDyer / __poppyseed__
Prophet/Fortune Teller - EchoJustice
Forward - _AwkwardLoser_
Dancer - 1ChainedToTheRythm1
Hunters
Geisha - Lollipop11213345
The Ripper - Achinubis
Smiley Face - Siniora-Chan
Violetta - PichetPlykum
Wu Chang (Black) - Chocofunduk | JaeAndLex (Lex)
Wu Chang (White) - JaeAndLex (Jae)