The Beast

7.

It's been a week since I am living here and I have gotten used to everyone, even they also got used to me, apart from few, the Leader and Serpent are the top ones who still hate me.

I spent most of my day with Cookie in the kitchen or with Louis helping him with his chores. He mostly hunt animals. He even taught me how to set traps. If it wasn't for these two people, I don't know how would I live in this place.

I only see Beast while I distribute food, and that too, he came after everyone else. I sleep in his cave on his mattress, but he comes after I sleep and leave before I am awake. The only indication that he came is the blanket on the ground a little away from me.

"Did you talk to him about me?" I asked Louis as he was washing his clothes, and I was washing mine. They all wash their clothes themselves here. We were sitting by the river as few of the men were sitting away from us while talking to each other.

"Yes!" He said while scrubbing his shirt.

"Then what did he say? Will he take me with him?" I asked with hopeful eyes. Louis sighed and looked up at me.

"You don't want to know what he did!" He sighed and shook his head.

"What d-did he do?" I asked him a little scared.

"He punched me," Louis said and winced a little while he touched his stomach.

"But why??" I asked. Wouldn't he be happy to get rid of me. Louis looked at me and sighed.

"Are you really that naive?" He asked, and I didn't know what to say. I frowned at him.

"Louis, please talk to him, tell him to take me with them. I really want to go there, please!" I pleaded.

"I had already talked to him and looked what he did to me.." He scowled, but then his expression softened.

"You should talk to him yourself, I am sure he will listen to you." He reassured me, but I wasn't convinced, and there is another thing too. I don't see him often. It's like he ignores me.

"But I don't know where he is. He ignores me." I sighed as I rinsed my dress.

"He must be in the forest. He works there during the day!" Louis told me, and I smiled at him. I stood and hung my clothes on the wire to let them dry. I turned to go to the direction of the forest when he called me from behind.

"Be careful! He likes to stay alone." He said, and I nodded. I also realized that he doesn't like gatherings. He always stays alone. He even eats alone in a corner away from anyone. I have only seen the leader ever talking to him or Louis, but other than them, everyone stays away from him.

I started walking towards the forest, I have been here while setting traps with Louis. But it seems like Beast works further inside the forest. I kept walking in a direction Louis told me, but he was nowhere to be seen. I was about to turn around dejected when I heard a sound. I started walking towards the sound, and there I saw him cutting the woods with an axe. His shirt was on the ground as he was cutting the logs.

Now that I have found him, I felt hesitant to go near him. What if he hurt me too as he did with Louis. I was standing on the side watching his back and contemplating whether to make my presence known or not. But he made it easy for me as he turned around and our gaze met. There was a scowl on his face, but when he saw me, his feature softened a little.