22. pets
It was an uneventful day in the Adamantine house. At least, that's what Almaz thought, anyway, while he was cleaning around the house, picking up scattered books and papers on the floor. The Princess had a habit of leaving things in such a disarray, though Almaz didn't mind; it was his job to pick up the house, after all. It was also his job to cook, clean, do the laundry, and other household chores while Sapphire was off catching large game for their supper, gathering the resources they needed, and fending off any enemies that dared to venture near their home. If Sapphire Rhodonite caught any suspicious intruder in their territory, she would fight them off with formidable strength that made any strong man or creature quiver in fear.
While Almaz looked out the window while dusting off a wooden table, he saw Sapphire approach. He went out to greet her, before he stopped dead in his tracks. Sapphire was sitting astride a giant Mythic Beast that looked like it had been whipped into submission. It whimpered and whined, before it eventually settled down onto the ground with its head between its paws, looking up at Almaz with mournful eyes.
"S-Sapphire, w-what is this?" Almaz stuttered, pointing at the large canine creature. Normally, these wild creatures were ferocious, known to hunt in packs and never lose the scent of their prey. Did Sapphire actually run out and wrestle with a Mythic Beast? Almaz paled at the thought of Sapphire handling such a dangerous animal.
"It's our new pet~" Sapphire said, leaping gracefully off the Mythic Beast's back. "Don't worry, he's perfectly tame. I used my intimidation stare and the creature backed down."
Almaz tried to make sense of everything that was happening, and his brain suddenly short-stopped when he heard the word 'pet'. "W-Wait, you can't possibly be serious! I m-mean, this is a wild, feral animal, do y-you really think it's a good idea…"
"Come on, Almaz, I'll take full responsibility for him," Sapphire said, before she gestured for the Mythic Beast to come inside. The Mythic Beast followed Sapphire, tail between its legs.
Almaz let out a sigh. There was no arguing with Sapphire; once Sapphire had her mind set on something, she was going to do it. He made his way inside, and the first thing he saw was the Mythic Beast lifting its leg. Before Almaz could say anything, the sound of gunshots rang throughout the house. An outline of bullets surrounded the wall behind the Mythic Beast, perfectly matching the creature's profile. The creature stood completely frozen, and not so much as a dribble escaped.
"See? I even have it house-trained already~" Sapphire said, twirling her gun deftly in her fingers before putting it back into its holster on her hip.
"T-That sure is, er, an extreme way to discipline a pet," Almaz said. "Maybe we can pick up a book on pets or something."
"Hm," Sapphire said. "All you have to do with Mythic Beasts is show them that you're the Alpha, right?"
"I'm not sure how Mythic Beast packs work, but I'm still a little unsettled."
"There's nothing to worry about at all, especially when I'm the one caring for it," Sapphire said reassuringly to Almaz, as she landed a quick kiss on Almaz's cheek. She then looked at Almaz with pleading eyes, and Almaz knew that he couldn't refuses Sapphire's wishes.
"You can keep him," Almaz said after a while, though he still had lingering doubts.
"I knew that you would grow to love him, Almaz! I was thinking that we call him Nighteyes. Don't you think that's a good name?"
"You were the one that found him, so I think you should be on the one to name him," Almaz said with a nod.
"You're such a sweetheart," Sapphrie said and gave Almaz a kiss on the lips.
While Sapphire was feeding the Mythic Beast a slab of meat, Almaz chuckled to himself and smiled. Maybe having a pet would be a good warm up before Almaz and Sapphire considered having children. Perhaps the Mythic Beast could be tamed and would be a wonderful family companion. All he knew was that he was in it together with Princess Sapphire, no matter what.