Side chapter 7: Perierat, Et Inventus Est
Constantine the German Shepherd was a rather intimidating person. Tall and muscular with stern facial features, he definitely cut an imposing figure. Coupled with the numerous tattoos written in latin and a handful of scars, his appearance sent a very clear message. This was not a dog to be taken lightly. His first job as a garbage collector was fine, but Constantine did not enjoy his second job. The hours were bad, it was soul crushing, but it paid extremely well. He would find himself wondering if there was a better alternative to this, but he desperately needed the money. Constantine frequently asked himself if other hitmen felt the same way.
Of course Constantine, or "Cross" as was his codename, liked to think of himself as a different breed of hitman. He did not do this dirty job because he wanted to, he did it for his mother. Back when Constantine had been in high school, his mother had gotten hit by a car and left in a vegetative state. He had no idea where his deadbeat father was, and so it fell to him to scrounge up enough money to keep his beloved mother in the assisted living facility that she was in. He had tried to get money honestly, but that had plunged him into debt. He had needed to drop out of school and take work as a garbage collector to make ends meet, and even then it wasn't enough. His first hit had been completely accidental.
Constantine had been sitting in one of the grungy back alleys where he lived when he had heard the fighting. Curious, but wary due to experience, he had crept closer to the noise. He saw a male lion beating a prostitute viciously, and had been overcome with rage. Constantine's mother had been deeply religious, and had instilled her beliefs in her son. As such, unwilling to watch such wicked behavior, Constantine had sprung to the defense of the helpless female, catching the lion by surprise. He hadn't meant to kill the felid, but accidents happen. The lion had tripped backwards and split his skull open on a dumpster, dying almost instantly. At first, Constantine had been horrified, but then somebody came rushing around the corner furious that he had killed the lion first. Apparently this lion had a price on his head, and this other animal had been coming to collect it. Sensing divine providence, Constantine had become a hitman.
He had rules though. Constantine would only kill those who deserved it, and never women or children. Murderers, drug dealers, animal traffickers, and all other manner of evil beings would face his righteous fury; and if he got paid for it, that was just a bonus. Which is what led him to once again visit "Jo's Discount Liquor and Wine."
While it ostentatiously was a liquor store, it primarily served as a market for contract killing. Animals who wanted somebody else dead would submit a recent photo and other necessary information, and killers would take the jobs. The owner of the establishment, a greasy water buffalo named Jo who had a love of chewing tobacco and loud Hawaiian shirts, was more than happy with the arrangement. While not in the Back Alley Market itself, his store was situated in the gray area where there still was no police presence. This was where most of the herbivore activity of the seedy underbelly of the city operated, but where a few carnivores still prowled. As weird as it was to Jo, there was a variety of thriving cross-species businesses here of both the intimate and murderous variety. Jo looked up as the door opened and the intimidating form of Constantine walked into his store.
"Well well, if it ain't Cross himself. Didn't see ya in church this week."
Constantine raised an eyebrow at the scummy herbivore. Today he was wearing a bright yellow shirt with pink palm fronds on it. Constantine hummed.
"That's surprising."
"What is? That I go ta church?"
"That you know what a church is."
The water buffalo cackled before spitting some tobacco juice into a cup.
"Enough joking around. You here for work?"
"If you have any jobs I'll be interested in."
"Must be inconvenient, being a hitman with a soul."
Constantine shrugged.
"Not really. Plenty of monsters in this town who deserve their just rewards."
Jo shook his head and remained silent for a moment before huffing.
"You're one scary bastard, Cross."
Constantine shrugged once again. Jo left the counter and moved to the back of the store. He returned a moment later with a photo. He slid it towards Constantine who picked it up and examined it. It was a mugshot of a large black bear with deep set eyes and a nasty sneer holding a card that identified him as Kaguwara. Constantine growled.
"Bear, huh? What did he do?"
"Ate some punk's broad. Now he wants you to smoke him."
"What'd he go to jail for?"
"Racketeering, drunk and disorderly, and shoplifting. Still, he's a bear. Sure you can take him?"
Constantine nodded.
"Yeah. Where can I find him."
"Got his apartment right here."
Constantine raised an eyebrow. Usually there was just somewhere they usually hang out or a club they frequent. Not a home address. Jo spit another jet of tobacco into his cup.
"He's a bear, Cross. You're the only chump stupid enough to try to kill him alone."
Constantine tucked the photo into his pocket and accepted the piece of paper with the details on it. He nodded to the water buffalo.
"Ain't alone. See you later."
Jo shook his head as the door closed.
"Crazy son of a bitch."
Thirty minutes later, Constantine was staring at the filthy apartment building that held his quarry. As was his custom, Constantine pulled out the rosary he wore around his neck and muttered a quick prayer.
"God in heaven, hear me an unworthy sinner. I beg you to forgive me my transgressions and grant me strength in the battle to come. May you empower me to render judgment on this wicked murderer. As the blood of his victims cry out from the ground, so may his blood cry out in anguish. Into your hands, Lord, do I deliver him. Amen."
He quickly crossed himself and kissed the beads. They had been his mothers. With a sigh Constantine pulled on the gloves he usually wore and slipped his brass knuckles on. He had seen some truly horrible things in his time as a hitman. It helped him to think that he was doing some good removing evil creatures from this world.
He walked casually towards the building. So long as he acted normal, nobody would pay any attention to him. He climbed the stairs to Kaguwara's apartment, past graffiti and trash that clogged the stairwell. He stopped in front of the peeling door and knocked sharply. A deep, guttural voice called from inside.
"Whaddya want?"
"Kaguwara live here?"
The door opened a crack and a hulking figure peered out at him.
"Who wants to—"
The element of surprise was the great equalizer when it came to a fight against a much larger opponent. Constantine had long ago learned that whoever threw the first punch was most often the one who came out of the fight alive. As such, he didn't even wait for the bear to finish speaking before going on the offensive.
With practiced ease, he centered his weight on his left foot and kicked the door in. It slammed inward, bowling the unprepared bear over. Immediately, Constantine was on top of him. Like a hammer swung by a blacksmith, his fist rose and fell onto the bear's face once, twice, three times. The bear roared as his snout, filled with sensitive nerve endings, was crushed into itself. He swung a clawed paw clumsily at Constantine, who ducked it easily.
As the bear tried to stand, half blinded by both pain and blood, Constatine repeated the action with which he had knocked the door down, except this time his target was Kaguwara's knee. With a sickening pop, the knee bent backwards. The bear screamed in anguish, earning another quick blow to the snout. Like a sack of bricks, the bear crumpled once more to the ground. He groaned,
"Stop! Stop! Please, mercy! I'll give you whatever you want!"
Constantine wiped some splattered gore off his face and snarled.
"Did you give the herbivore you ate last week mercy?"
Bewildered, the bear tried to focus on his attacker.
"That's what this is about?! It was just a goat! Stupid meatbag had it coming!"
Constantine grabbed a nearby lamp and shattered it across the bear's face.
"Wrong answer."
The bear spat out a stream of blood mingled with saliva.
"Why do you care!? You some sort of herbivore sympathizer? They're prey, we're predators! It's just natural!"
Constatine pulled a length of piano wire from his pocket and wound it around his hands. He sighed as he approached the bear.
"I'll allow you one minute to pray to whatever deity you follow."
The bear spat blood and coughed.
"You're crazy!"
He made a desperate lunge for Constantine on his remaining leg, claws outstretched. Anticipating this, Constantine sidestepped and kicked the bear's ruined knee as hard as he could. The large carnivore let out a choked cry and landed heavily on the floor. Immediately, Constantine had sprung onto his back and wound the wire around his target's neck. He pulled it taut and immediately the bear's claws were scrabbling for the deadly metal filament. Kaguwara bucked and writhed, flailing with one paw for Constantine. And then, his eyes rolled back as his brain shut off from lack of blood flow. Constantine averted his eyes as the body spasmed a few more times, and then lay still. Only after it was completely still for multiple minutes, did he remove his wire. No matter how many times he took a life, it never got any easier.
Constantine reached into his shirt and pulled out his rosary again, saying a quick prayer for the departed. It was then that he heard a faint noise from the kitchen. Immediately Constantine was wary. If the bear had a friend waiting to ambush him, that'd be a dangerous situation to end up in. Constantine was strong, and had some practice when it came to fighting. But he wasn't dumb enough to fight a bear head to head without some sort of equalizing advantage. Slipping his brass knuckles back on, Constantine slunk towards the kitchen with his ears swiveling for any additional noise.
The kitchen was just as dingy and filthy as the rest of the apartment. Empty cases of beer and trash bags lined the wall, and several dirty dishes spilled out of the sink. But none of that was as shocking as what Constantine saw lying on the table. At first, he wasn't sure what he was looking at, and then he felt a burning rage in his stomach. Constantine looked back at the corpse of the bear and snarled,
"Hell's too good for you, monster."
Lying on the table with duct tape around its ankles and wrists was a small calf. Its white and black mottled hide was noticeably unwashed, and it wore a ragged shirt that went down to its knees. Below the massive, terrified eyes its mouth was covered in another strip of tape. There was only one thing this could mean, live bait. Slowly, Constantine pocketed his brass knuckles and crept towards the calf with his hands held palm upward in a token of peace. As he approached, the calf squirmed and muffled squeaks came from behind the gag.
"Shhhh, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."
Once he was standing over the young herbivore, the child huddled into as much of a ball as it could and closed its eyes in fear. Constantine felt his heart break as fat teardrops spilled from its eyes. Gently, he rested a hand on the calf's side, causing it to flinch.
"Let's get you out of here."
Constantine quickly looked around for something he could use to carry the child in. He couldn't exactly just walk around with a trussed up calf over his shoulder, but he couldn't just release it into the streets. There was no way it could take care of itself, it looked like it wasn't a day over four or five. Constantine spotted a worn duffel bag lying in a corner that was large enough to carry the calf, in fact that probably was what the bear had brought his meal home in. He picked up the bag and walked over to the table once more. Seeing what he was holding, the calf resumed its frantic struggling and squawking with renewed vigor. Constantine bit his lip in annoyance as he desperately tried to put the squirming animal in the bag.
"Hold still! I'm trying to help you!"
The calf just flopped around more, terrified. Constantine mentally kicked himself.
(Of course this kid isn't going to trust me. Probably been held captive by carnivores for as long as it can remember.)
Thinking of no better alternative, Constantine pulled one of his gloves off and began to gently stroke the calf's head. The calf squirmed fiercely at first, before stopping and looking up at the dog with confused and scared eyes. Constantine did his best to sound non threatening.
"There there, shhhhhhh. It's okay. You're okay."
With the calf somewhat more calm, he was able to eventually slide the still bound creature into the bag. Constantine grimaced.
"Sorry, but I'll get that tape off you later. For now, we need to book it before the cops show up."
With the heavy bag slung over his back, Constantine put his glove back on and pulled out a disposable camera. He snapped a picture of the dead bear and hurriedly left the building, slipping like a shadow into the dark alleys of the city. He returned to Jo's and watched as the greasy buffalo idly talked with another "customer", a sneering bobcat. Constantine set the camera on the counter.
"That bear's in a far worse place now, may God have mercy on his wretched soul."
Jo shook his head and handed the bobcat a few yen.
"Son of a bitch, you actually killed that behemoth. I'll have your pay ready once we can develop these pictures. Swing by in the morning."
Constantine nodded and wordlessly left. He had no desire to spend more time around Jo than he had to. He made his way to his apartment building, the calf occasionally squirming and squeaking on his back. As he looked up at the drab little building called the "Riverside Flats", he sighed.
"Home sweet home."
While noticeably nicer than the squalid abode of his target, this building was definitely still seedy. Which made sense given how cheap it was to rent a room here. He climbed the stairs to the fourth floor and hesitated as he saw his neighbor standing in the hallway smoking a cigarette. She was a curvaceous deer who Constantine knew acted as an… escort. She also smoked exclusively in the hallway so her son wouldn't see. She waved lazily at him.
"Hi, Constantine."
Constantine nodded.
"Koharu."
The deer held up a finger.
"Hold up, Casey made you something."
Casey was the name of Koharu's six year old son, a product of her job after a slight… mishap. But Constantine was always very impressed by how good of a mother she was to the boy. She pulled out a crayon drawing and handed it to him. It showed a brown and black blob labeled "Mister C" and a small brown blob labeled "me" in a park playing with something Constantine assumed was a baseball. Constantine took the drawing and grinned.
"He drew this? It's very good!"
Koharu laughed.
"He's still obsessed with you after your little babysitting gig."
The event she was referring to was a night a few months ago where she had been out… working.
[Constantine was sitting on his couch watching the baseball game when he heard a knock on the door. He looked out the peephole but didn't see anyone. Cautiously, he opened the door. A small fawn was standing there holding a microwave dinner. He looked up at Constantine with huge eyes.
"Excuse me. Can you help me?"
Constatine got down on one knee to be on eye level with the boy.
"Watcha need? You hurt?"
The deer shook his head and held up the dinner.
"Mommy is out working, and she left this for me to eat for dinner. I told her I knew how to use the microwave, but I don't."
"Why'd you tell her that?"
"I wanted her to know I was a big boy. And that I'm responiblu."
Constantine raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Responsible?"
The deer nodded. Constantine looked across the hall and pointed,
"You live over there?"
The deer nodded again.
"You Koharu's boy?"
The deer shrugged.
"I don't know. My mommy's name is Mommy."
Constantine snorted with mirth.
"Cute. Alright, come on. I'll show you how to work a microwave."
Constantine walked across the hall and tried the doorknob. It was locked. He sighed and looked back at the young deer.
"Guess we're using my microwave."
The kid stayed with him until his mother had got back close to midnight. Constantine was aware of this fact as he heard a panicked scream from across the hall.
"Casey!! Casey, where are you!?"
Constantine hurried out into the hall and got the female deer's attention.
"Hey! Koharu! He's with me."
The doe had immediately stormed over to him. She was wearing a tight, short dress with fishnet stockings and high heels as she did so, which made it a bit slower; but somehow she could positively fly in that getup. She looked at him in confusion.
"What do you mean he's with you!?"
Constantine jabbed his thumb at his door.
"Microwave trouble. And your door was locked so he had to stay at my place. Don't worry, I didn't let him eat candy or drink sugary drinks. We watched cartoons and then he fell asleep. I let him use my bed until you could come get him."
Koharu brushed past him and looked into the small room. Sure enough, Casey was sleeping peacefully in Constantine's futon. The dog chuckled.
"I'll be glad to have my bed back. Sleeping on that couch puts a massive crick in my back."
Koharu walked over and gently shook Casey. The fawn groaned and opened his eyes sleepily. He yawned.
"Mommy? What's wrong?"
Koharu crossed her arms.
"Casey! I told you not to leave the apartment!"
The little deer rubbed his eyes.
"It was an emergency."
Koharu sighed and scooped her son up.
"C'mon. Let's get you home."
As she carried him out, Casey tiredly waved to Constantine.
"Bye, Mr. C."
Constantine raised a hand in farewell and smiled. A few minutes later, Koharu knocked on his door. He opened it and she leaned against the doorframe.
"Hey, thanks for looking after him."
"No problem. He's a good kid."
She reached into her purse and pulled out a few yen.
"Let me pay you for watching him."
"I didn't do it for money. I'm sure I'll receive reward enough later."
The deer raised an eyebrow. After looking him up and down, she shrugged.
"Alright, but just make it quick. And don't be too rough, I bruise easily."
Constantine immediately raised his hands and backpedaled.
"I-I didn't mean that! I meant… from God. You know, 'give even one of these little children a cup of water in my name' and all that!"
Koharu seemed taken aback, but then smiled. She leaned towards him and kissed him on the cheek.
"You're sweet. Thanks for being a good person, it's pretty rare these days."]
Koharu flicked ash from her cigarette and leaned against the wall.
"Hey, willing to do me a favor?"
Constantine gripped the strap of his bag and looked at her warily. He really wanted to hurry up and get into his apartment so he could free this poor kid. After that… he would think of what to do with it. Constantine answered evasively.
"Depends."
"Casey wants to go to the park and play some catch sometime. That's really more of a male thing, so I was wondering if you could, you know, do some guy stuff with him. I don't want him to be a sissy or nothing, spending all his time with his ma."
Constantine nodded energetically and slipped by the lady of the night.
"Happy to. Gotta run, sorry. Uh, have a good night! Sleep well! God bless you!"
And with that he had closed the door to his apartment. Koharu narrowed her eyes and dropped the butt of her cigarette, grinding it out on the floor. Something was fishy.
Inside his apartment, Constantine locked the door and gently set the bag down. Slowly, he opened it and lifted the still bound calf out. He pulled a knife out of a drawer and immediately the calf shimmied away, eyeing the knife with fear. Constantine raised a hand placatingly and slowly took hold of the calf's arm. Immediately it flinched away, but Constantine just kept trying. Eventually, satisfied that it was in no immediate danger, the calf let him cut the tape around its limbs. He then took hold of the piece over its mouth.
"Sorry, this is going to hurt."
Like a bandaid, he ripped it off as quickly as he could to minimize pain. Even still, it took some fur off. The calf began crying due to the pain and bolted to the corner of the room, hiding under the small table he had. Constantine nervously looked at the door, hoping nobody had heard that. Slowly, he moved over to the table and looked underneath at the huddled mass hiding below. The calf had both its hands clasped over its mouth to keep quiet and was looking at him in fear. Constantine frowned and glanced around for ideas of what to lure the child out with. He moved to his refrigerator and opened it up.
"Let's see, we have water, some sauce, cheese, and a few apples that are a little wrinkly. Good enough."
He took an apple and cut it into a few pieces. Carefully, he sat down in front of the table and held an apple slice out to the calf. It looked at the apple hungrily, but kept looking at him nervously. Constantine set the slice down on the floor and pushed it towards the child. Hesitantly, the little black and white hand crept towards the fruit before snatching it up as fast as lightning. Immediately the calf was chomping down on the apple with relish. It polished off the slice and looked at the rest. Constantine set another slice down, and the cycle repeated. By the last slice, he had coaxed the little animal out of hiding and had even gotten it to take the fruit out of his hand. He smiled at the child, careful to hide his teeth.
"See, I'm a friend!"
The calf tilted its head.
"Mmm. Oooooooooo."
Constantine felt his heart drop. He'd heard about the conditions live bait were usually kept in, but the fact that these poor kids weren't even taught how to speak was sickening. The monsters who took part in that hideous business really did think of the kids as little more than products. Constantine sat down on the couch and rubbed his forehead, the calf watching him curiously the entire time. For now, it seemed to accept that he was not a threat.
"God above, what should I do?" Constantine asked. He could take the kid to the cops, but then he'd need to explain where he'd found it. After that, the calf would probably end up in an orphanage. But Constantine had heard some horrible rumors about how live bait was supplied "ethically" in the Back Alley Market. Where better to get young herbivores nobody will miss than an orphanage? No, he would need to find someone to look after the kid himself. Finding the silence deafening, Constantine turned on the television. The calf jumped and hid behind the couch as the screen turned on.
Constantine watched as the calf slowly peaked around the couch and watched the television in awe. He snorted in amusement and flicked through some channels. This surprised the calf again, who hid once more. He stopped on a channel playing a kid's show, curious how the calf would react. Slowly, the child slipped out from behind the couch and shuffled towards the television screen. It seemed mesmerized by the bright colors and new sounds. Hesitantly, it reached out and touched the screen. Constantine spoke,
"That's a TV. T-V."
"Oooooooo? Moo?"
"That might be a bit too hard. Hmm… I really should give you some real food. Let's see what types of frozen dinners I have. Not that you're understanding a word I'm saying."
Constantine was not exactly a skilled cook. He could just about make prepackaged meals, and only occasionally burned them. He opened the small freezer above his refrigerator and looked inside.
"Beansteak for one. Tofu bowl. Bean bowl. Rice and beans. Pizza. Nothing for herbivores. Need something with some veggies. Carrots and all that stuff."
His mind went to Casey and his mother. Maybe they would have some herbivore kid friendly meals. Constantine looked back at the calf. It was still staring at the television, eyes wide. Constantine grunted.
"I'll be back in a second."
He slipped into the hallway and knocked on Koharu's door. He heard a scraping noise and some footsteps before the door opened. Koharu looked up at him and narrowed her eyes in confusion. She had a bottle of beer in her hand, which she took a swig from.
"Whatcha need?"
"Uh… can I come in?"
She shrugged and opened the door. As she turned and walked further in she spoke quietly.
"I put Casey to bed, so be quiet."
Constantine's eyes flicked to a curtained off area that must serve as the child's room. He nodded and stood awkwardly near the door.
"You wouldn't happen to have anything… for a kid like Casey to eat handy, would you?"
Koharu frowned.
"The heck? Why?"
"I… need some."
"Why?"
"It's… complicated."
Koharu thought about it for a moment before standing and walking to the fridge. She pulled out a small box and waved it gently.
"Leftovers from dinner tonight."
"Thank you, Koharu. I really—"
"Calm your tits, big boy. I wanna know what's going on."
Constantine gulped.
"Uh… it's really not that important."
"You're acting sketchy. And given you spend time with my son, I wanna know what kinda crap you're getting into. What are you hiding?"
Constantine considered his possibilities. He could lie, or just leave… but he honestly could use a little help from an experienced mother right now. He didn't know the first thing about kids, especially herbivore kids. And if this kid was from where he suspected it was from, it was definitely terrified of carnivores in general and not just him. So a herbivore might help calm it down.
"Fine." Constantine grumbled. "Just don't freak out."
"That's not inspiring confidence in me."
Constantine led the way back to his apartment and opened the door for them. The calf's head jerked over to the door as it opened and it hid behind the couch as Constantine and Koharu entered. Constantine pointed at the calf as it peaked around the couch.
"That's what I need the food for."
Koharu gave him a bewildered look.
"Why the hell do you have a kid here?! Where did you even get it?!"
"I… found it. In a really bad place. I couldn't leave the poor thing there, so I brought it here until I could find out what to do."
Koharu shook her head.
"Unbelievable…. What's the kid's name?"
"I don't know if it even has one."
"Did you ask? And is it a boy or a girl?"
"It doesn't talk, and I have no idea. I wasn't about to check that."
Koharu raised an eyebrow.
"It doesn't talk?"
As if to accentuate that point, the calf crept forward, eyes locked on Koharu.
"Ooooooo? M-m. Moooooo?"
Koharu knelt down, looking the child over.
"Hey there. You're a strange little thing, huh. And you're pretty dirty, so someone needs to give you a bath."
Koharu gave Constantine a meaningful look. He shook his head.
"Kid's terrified of me. Not happening."
"You could try smiling."
"I get the sense it's scared of all carnivores."
Koharu swore softly and stood.
"Fine. I'll help you, but you owe me. Heat up that food while I wash the kid up. You have any milk?"
"A bit."
"Good. Pour a glass to go with dinner. And run back to my place. Some of Casey's old clothes are in a box in the closet. They're probably too big, but it's better than this ragged old shirt."
Constantine nodded, already feeling better. Koharu knew what a kid needed. The calf was in good hands. After he retrieved the clothes and began heating up the food, Koharu left the small bathroom attached to the apartment and dried her hands on her pants. She shook her head as she took the clothes.
"Well, she's a girl, F-Y-I. And she's got a number on her foot, for some reason, number two. Any idea why?"
Constantine felt his throat constrict. There was no doubt now that the kid had been sold to a live bait market. Poor thing. Constantine sighed.
"It's… something to do with… the Back Alley Market."
Koharu shuddered.
"Then I don't want to know. I stay as far from there as I can. But what's your plan? Take her to the cops?"
Constantine rubbed his nose.
"I don't want to. They'll put her into an orphanage, and I've heard bad things about what happens to kids in orphanages around here. Especially one that's already disappeared once."
Koharu swore and turned her back, pacing worriedly.
"You mean to tell me… people sell kids out of the orphanages here!?"
Constantine nodded grimly.
"That's what I've heard."
Koharu rubbed her arms to comfort herself.
"I hate this damn city. If I ever get enough money I'm taking Casey and moving somewhere safe, out in the countryside. So what? You going to raise the kid?"
Constantine rested his head in his hands.
"No. I'll give her a place to stay until I can figure something out. Maybe there's a foster family that could take her? Or a boarding school when she's a little older. I just… I'm not going to abandon her. I know too well how that feels."
Koharu sat at the table and looked appraisingly at the dog. Finally she stood.
"Alright, I'll get her dressed. We can think this over a bit more later."
She went back into the bathroom and returned with a now clean and clothed calf. The clothes fit the little girl decently, but were a bit baggy. Koharu picked her up and set her in a chair. The calf immediately gave Constantine a nervous look and pointed at him, directing her eyes back to Koharu.
"OooooOoo! Gah! Gah!"
Constantine shook his head.
"She's never going to trust me. Maybe she should stay with you."
Koharu glared at him.
"Oh hell no! You brought this little twerp here, you're taking care of it. I'm just helping you get her to trust you, and then she's all yours."
"But you said—"
"I'll lend a hand every once in a while, but only because you help out with Casey. Now, give her the food."
Constantine looked between the deer and the calf before moving his chair closer to the child. She shied away, but her eyes remained glued to the plate of food he was holding. Constantine set it down in front of her and tried to give her a fork. Instead the calf began eagerly scooping the meal up in her fingers and shoveling it into her mouth. Constantine pulled the plate away, much to the calf's displeasure. He held up the fork.
"Slowly, or you'll get a tummy ache."
Koharu snickered.
"See, you're doing fine."
"Shut up. I don't want her to puke all over my house."
Constantine used the fork to spear a few greens and slowly moved the utensil towards the calf's mouth. He pointed to his mouth.
"Open wide."
The calf just looked confused before hesitantly nibbling on the food stuck on the fork. Constantine handed her the fork and watched as she ineffectively used it to eat. As the calf had her meal, Koharu asked.
"So what are you going to call her?"
"Oh, well, I don't know."
"We can't keep calling her 'her' or 'kid' or whatever. So just pick something."
Constantine thought about it before nodding.
"Mary. I think she looks like a Mary."
"Cute."
Constantine pointed at the calf. Two wide, brown eyes met his.
"Mary. Ma-ry."
The calf cocked her head. He tried again.
"Ma-ry. You… are… Ma-ry."
"Mooooo?"
"…We'll get there."
Constantine noticed all the food around her mouth and moved to wipe it with a napkin, only for Mary to flinch away. He sighed.
"She still won't let me touch her. I don't know how I'll take care of her without touching her."
Koharu thought about it before picking Mary up and walking to the couch.
"C'mere, Mister big and scary. I have an idea."
Constantine sat down on the couch and watched curiously as Koharu set Mary down and moved to stand near Constantine. She over exaggeratedly patted his head.
"Friend! Constantine… friend."
Mary tilted her head, eyes questioning. Koharu took it a step further. She placed her hands on his cheeks and squished his face into a smile.
"See? Not scary. Big, dumb, teddy bear."
"Hey."
She opened and closed Constantine's mouth with her hands, making a funny voice.
"I look big and scary, but I'm actually a biiiig softy!"
Mary giggled as Koharu continued squeezing Constantine's face. She then beckoned Mary over. Slowly, the calf crept over and hesitantly tweaked the dog's ear. She giggled.
"Hraaaaab. Ooo, moo."
Constatine had an idea. He slowly removed his rosary from around his neck and shook the beads in front of Mary's face. She stared at the necklace, transfixed, as Constantine gently placed the beads in her hand.
"This was my mom's. See, look at the pretty colors."
Mary looked curiously at the beads and happily shook them, seemingly entertained by the rattling sound they made. She sat on the couch and happily played with the rosary for a bit as Koharu yawned.
"There, she's not scared anymore. My work here is done."
Constantine nodded.
"Thanks for your help. I appreciate it."
"Mhm, and Casey will appreciate you taking him to the park. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
And as she closed the door behind her, Constantine found himself alone with the calf once more. Mary looked up at him with curious eyes, as if trying to understand what he would do next. Constantine sighed.
"Alright, it's late. Time for bed."
While at first he considered letting Mary take his bed and he sleep on the couch, he decided against it. She might feel more comfortable on the couch where the back of it would give her a bit of privacy. Armed with some spare blankets and a pillow, Constantine set about making a small bed for Mary. He spread the blanket over the couch cushions and patted it, looking meaningfully at Mary.
"You… sleep… here."
The calf blinked those big sad eyes of hers and looked at his hand. He patted the couch again.
"Sleep. Go… to… sleep."
Mary just stared at him. Finally, Constantine sighed.
"Whatever. You'll fall asleep eventually."
Constantine slept poorly that night. His dreams were haunted by visions of terrible things happening to Mary. What if he had been a few minutes later and had caught the bear mid-meal? What if he messed up and did something wrong? He was a killer, not a parent. He was bound to screw this up. Constantine woke up in a cold sweat as his alarm went off. Four in the morning, time to get started on his garbage route. As he was about to leave, he looked over and saw part of Mary's ear poking out of a wad of blanket on his couch. He grumbled.
"Well at least she figured that out."
It was dark and cold out as he drove the truck for his partner, a squat little mutt dog named Roan. The smaller canine yawned as he sat in the cab to warm up. They had finished one part of their route and were now heading to the next section. Roan looked at Constantine.
"Yo, Big C. You look like hell, trouble sleeping?"
"Yeah, a bit." Constantine grunted.
"I feel that. I was at a club till pretty late last night. My favorite girl dances there. Hot little corgi, nice ass. I figure if she sees me enough, she might be open to some private dances if you catch my drift."
Constantine grunted. He didn't particularly care for Roan or his vices. But, they were both garbage collectors. It wasn't exactly the most professional of work environments. It was late morning by the time he was back home. He groaned as he walked through the door, looking around for his houseguest. He found Mary idly staring out the window, seemingly mesmerized by the view of a dingy alleyway it provided. She turned as Constantine entered, and stared at him. Constantine did his best to look more approachable as he walked over to her.
"Hey, whatcha looking at?"
He peered out the window as Mary pointed down at the alleyway. Constantine blanched as he saw a male and female cat, with the female kneeling in front of the male… pleasuring him. Constantine covered Mary's eyes.
"That's not appropriate for kids."
"Oooooo?"
He closed the blinds and looked around for something more child friendly. The only thing he could think of was the television. He turned it on and put the educational program channel on for Mary. Once again, Mary seemed absolutely hypnotized by the bright colors and cute visuals. She sat down in front of the screen and stared transfixed as Constantine settled into his chair. He sighed and pulled out a piece of paper and pen. He stuck his tongue out as he wrote, and dictated it outloud to help him concentrate. He'd never been very good at writing.
"Ideas… for… what… to do… with… Mary."
He worked his jaw for a moment and drew a "1" on the paper.
"Foster home…. Probably will be hard… because she can't read, write, or… talk."
Next was "2".
"Orphanage…. Absolutely not. Heard that… they sell kids… to live bait markets."
Constantine wrote "3" and sighed.
"I raise her… until… she can go… to a boarding school…. Bad idea… because I will be… a terrible guardian."
He rubbed his eyes and groaned.
"They're all crap choices."
"B-baub!"
Constantine blinked and looked down at Mary. She was happily clapping as the cartoony characters on screen blew bubbles. One of them was saying,
"Can you say, 'bubble'? Try it again! 'Bubble!'"
Mary worked her mouth.
"Boooo… bluufff. Boooo."
Constantine grinned.
"Hey! That's not bad!"
Mary flinched and looked up at him nervously. He smiled widely.
"Go on, say 'bubble'!"
Mary curled her knees up to her chin and averted her eyes. Constantine sighed. She was probably used to being discouraged from making too much noise. He tried to think of a possible way to encourage her. The only thing he could think of was the vague memory of his mother patting his head as she praised him when he was little, before her accident. He hesitantly reached out towards her. She shied away at first, but slowly allowed him to touch her. He gently stroked her head.
"Good job. Say… 'bubble'."
Mary didn't seem to understand. She tilted her head, looking up at him in confusion. Constatine shook his head.
"Bubble."
"Bluuuu?"
"Bu-bble."
Bu?"
"Yeah! You got it! Bu-bble!"
"Bu… bu… bleh? Blu-bleh?"
"Bubble!"
"Blubleh?"
"Bubble!"
"Bloobloo!"
Constantine sighed and patted her head again.
"Good try. We'll keep working on it."
He heard a knock on his door and curiously looked out the peephole. Koharu was standing there looking a bit miffed. He opened the door.
"Morning."
"Sure. What the heck are you doing in here? I could hear you talking from across the hall, except you were only saying 'bubble' for some stupid reason."
"Trying to teach Mary to talk."
Koharu snorted.
"Good luck, pal. It's a pain in the ass. Believe me, I've been there."
"Could you—"
"No."
Constantine shrugged.
"Oh well. Worth a shot I guess."
As the days passed, Mary couldn't help but be… confused somewhat. She had been in the dark scary place for as long as she could remember. Others like her had come and sat in the little place with cold metal bars, only to be taken to the room where they didn't come back. Everyone was scared of that room. She remembered when she was taken there. The big scary monster with green scales had grabbed her and stuck her mouth closed with gray stuff before sticking her arms and legs together. And then she saw the huge monster with fur.
The two monsters made noises for a while before she was shoved into a dark bag. She was so scared as she was jostled around until she landed painfully on top of something hard. The bag opened, and the big furry monster had leaned over her with its mouth watering. She didn't know what exactly was going to happen, but some instinct told her she needed to get away. But she couldn't. And then, there had been a lot of loud noises. Her back had been to the noises, but eventually she heard as something came walking up behind her. She had wriggled around, trying to escape when she saw a new monster. This one was smaller than the green scaled one or big furry one, but it had the same teeth and claws. This one had squiggly lines all over its arms though, she had noticed as it put her back into the bag.
What she hadn't expected was what would happen next. She had seen another creature like her, except much larger. This big person had washed her, and then took her out to where the small monster was sitting. The small monster gave her food, and then the big person touched the monster. She had made Mary do it to, and that's when Mary learned that the small monster with squiggly lines on its arms was nice.
The small monster fed her, played with her, and turned the picture box on for her whenever he had to leave. She liked the picture box, it was her friend. He had also given her some colorful sticks and taught her how to "draw" as he called it. He was teaching her a lot of words, like "Mary." Apparently, she was a "Mary", whatever that was. She tried to make the noises like he did, but it was hard. The picture box made the noises too, and she tried to learn from it. It had been a long time since she came to stay with small monster, and that's when she learned what he was called.
Mary spent the evening watching the television while Constatine was away. The episode that was one was all about the main character and their dad. Mary tilted her head as she watched the screen.
"My Daddy takes care of me! He feeds me, gives me nice things, and makes me feel safe! Can you say, 'Daddy?'"
Mary furrowed her brow, looking from the screen to one of her drawings. She was staring intently at the picture she had drawn when Constatine came home. The german shepherd sighed and rubbed his face as he usually did before smiling at Mary.
"Hiya, Mary. How are you doing?"
"Mmmmm. Ugaaaa!"
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
He sat down heavily and looked at the calf. It had been over two weeks since he had brought her here to stay with him. He had tried to teach her to speak, but it hadn't stuck. Mary came tottering over to him and looked up at him expectantly. Constantine frowned, confused.
"Need something? You hungry? Thirsty?"
She clambered up on the couch and, much to Constantine's surprise, sat in his lap. This was the first time she had ever willingly initiated physical contact with him. She held up her drawing for him to see.
"Mmmooooo?"
"Whatcha got?"
He looked at the splotchy creatures on the paper. One was black and white and the other was brown with squiggly lines on it. Constantine chuckled.
"Is that you and me?"
Mary nodded. She had learned basic gestures by now, and mainly nodded or shook her head in response to everything. She pointed at the brown blob and then pressed her hand against Constantine's belly. She garbled,
"Dwaaaa?"
"You trying to say my name? It's Constantine. Try just 'Stan' for now."
"Dawaaaee."
"Stan."
"Daaa…dweee."
"St-a-n."
Mary shook her head and pushed more forcefully on him.
"Mmmmm! Dawda!"
"What is it? You come up with a nickname for me?"
She furrowed her brow and slowly enunciated.
"Da…dy."
"….What?"
She grinned and patted him more energetically.
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"
Constantine froze, looking down in surprise. He had thought she was still scared of him, but… did she think he was her dad? He was about to tell her that he wasn't her dad, when he hesitated. Would that help or hurt Mary? She had already had such a terrible time of it, did he have any right to crush her spirits?
That night, he went across the hall to visit Koharu again. He knocked, and she answered. She was clearly planning on… going out given she was wearing her very skimpy… uniform. The doe raised an eyebrow.
"What's up? Issues with the girl?"
"Well… she called me 'Daddy' today. I don't know what to do."
"Aw geez. She's getting attached. You still planning on finding a new home for her?"
Constantine nodded.
"Of course! There is no way I could ever raise her! She needs a real home."
(Twelve years later.)
"Good morning, Dad. How'd you sleep?"
Constantine turned his head as Mary walked into the kitchen. She was wearing her new high school uniform, which made him feel old. Was she sixteen already? Where had the time gone? Constantine returned the smile.
"Morning. I slept fine."
Mary kissed him on the cheek, and he grinned.
"Are you excited for your new job, Dad?"
"Excited that it pays better." He grunted. Mary laughed.
"Head of janitorial services for one of the largest colleges in the city. You're going places."
"Don't make fun of me. I had to drop out of school so my options are limited."
Mary sat down across from him.
"How's grandma? Any changes?"
Constantine shook his head.
"No, but sometimes I think she recognizes me when I speak. We should both go see her sometime. Even if she can't talk, I think we make her happy."
Mary nodded.
"I'd like that. Want to walk me to school today? It's on the way to your job."
"Mary, you don't want me to walk you to school. I'd embarrass you."
Mary shook her head.
"I insist."
And so, Constantine walked with Mary. There was no doubt in Mary's mind that he would have. He couldn't say no to her wanting to spend time with him. It just wasn't who Constantine was. As they stopped in front of the gates, Mary hugged the muscular canine.
"Have a good day at work, I love you."
"Love you too, sweetie. Study hard, I'm working my tail off getting you a college fund. But only if you want to go to college! I won't make you—"
"Dad, I want to go to college. You're not imposing on me at all."
Constantine smiled.
"Alright then. See you at home."
The two parted ways, and Mary went to join her two friends inside the school courtyard. One of them, who hadn't been friends with Mary for very long, gave her a curious look.
"Mary, who was that dog you were with? He looked scary."
Mary smiled.
"That's my dad."
The other friend giggled.
"Yeah, it's a bit weird. But he's pretty nice once you get to know him."
Mary's mind wandered to her earliest memories. Of a life filled with fear and despair, marked by the number etched into her foot to this day. Until a gruff German shepherd rescued her from it and gave her a home. Mary grinned.
"Of course he's nice. He's my dad!"