The Record of Unusual Creatures
chapter-87

Chapter 87: A Songstress

It was the night of a full moon; the night Raven 12345 reckoned that Lily would go through with her transformation. Hao Ren and his tenants had been busy making preparations for the event since the break of dawn.

Although truthfully, no one knew exactly what to prepare for. Lily was a vagabond who had never met her kind before. She only knew that her kind were called werewolves from TV. Y’zaks too had never seen a werewolf in his world while Hao Ren’s knowledge of the lycanthrope came from movies. The only person who had any inkling (however little) of the ritual was Vivian. Yes, the vampire who was a bitter enemy of the wolfen.

Vivian had taken leave the previous night to look for herbs and other peculiar ingredients. She knew of some remedies from times long past, which were used by the werewolves during special rituals. Most of the remedies revolved around pacification and mental control, given that they were a race that went berserk very easily. Training their mental fortitude was a big challenge in all their rituals. Given this particular need for their kind, the werewolves were rather proficient in making herbal poultices for the mind. Vivian had a long and difficult relationship with the werewolves. Through that, she managed to get hold of some of their secrets. As a precaution against Lily losing control at the height of her evolution (to be honest, it was more like they could not and would not trust Raven 12345’s words), Vivian labored the entire day to prepare the poultices.

As for Lily, she was the most carefree of the lot. By Hao Ren’s instructions, she was to sit at home and relax. She was even forbidden to go out and play with the dogs in the streets. She was supposed to rest up so that she would be able to withstand the strain of her evolution. Furthermore, to appease the hyperactive pup, Hao Ren prepared a giant pot of roasted pork ribs for her and the pup was now glued to the television munching on the ribs.

Hao Ren supposed that it was for the best.

As he and Y’zaks had zero idea on how to deal with a werewolf, they went to town to get some essentials for the night.

Lily’s transformation was expected to take a few hours at least. The prevailing theory was from moonrise to sunrise and she cannot be left alone during the evolution. Hence, Hao Ren, Vivian and Y’zaks had to be present. Having to stand watch under the stars guarding a rampaging werewolf was not something to scoff at and the necessary preparations were needed.

No one was sure how or what Hao Ren had looked up on the internet but, he somehow managed to cobble together a ‘to-buy’ list. The list included a cheap and sturdy mat, a disposable tent, a camping lamp, a huge bundle of rope and a box of snacks. When he first showed the list to Vivian, it gave her a shock. At first, the vampire thought Hao Ren was going to perform a field delivery for Lily and run off with her. She was finally convinced by Hao Ren that he was merely preparing some survival tools

.

While the Southern Suburbs was a small locale, the supermarkets there had pretty much all the items Hao Ren had indicated in the list, except for the tent. It was a given since it was not something you would normally use. Accompanied by Y’zaks as he went about shopping, both of them quickly ticked off the shopping list, except for the tent.

Y’zaks was lugging two big shopping bags as they stepped out of the supermarket. The bags were stuffed to the brim with the items they just bought. Since they could submit a claim to Raven 12345 later, Hao Ren did not not spare any expense.

“Mr. Landlord, why are those people staring at us?” Y’zaks felt uncomfortable at the looks the crowd was giving him. Hao Ren supposed that the great demon had still not fully recovered from the traumatizing experience in his own world. Moreover, Y’zaks had pretty much been cooped up at home for the past two days. The moment he went out with Hao Ren, a sense of discomfort threatened to overwhelm him. “Besides, why did the cashier hold her hands in the air the moment I stepped into the store?”

Hao Ren could only look at the seven-feet giant of a man who had a vicious look eternally plastered on his face. As for the vibe he gave out? Much like a murderous devil who had been under lockdown for years. Hao Ren muttered to himself, “It’s not ‘us’, it’s you and that face of yours.” Y’zaks could consider himself lucky for not getting locked in the slammer by the local police.

Moreover, the way the demon carried himself was extremely direct. The moment they stepped into the supermarket, Y’zaks, without as much as a word, slammed the shopping list onto the counter and commanded at the top of his voice, “You lot, get me the items on this list here!”

The poor cashier girl broke into tears the moment Y’zaks pulled that stunt. Her hands were shaking as she pulled out the cash tray from the register and handed it over to Y’zaks. She then left the counter with her hands held in the air. Hao Ren sensed that something was amiss and darted out to check on what went wrong. The first thing he saw was an old liberation army man hiding by the cabbage rack, dialing 110… Thankfully, he reacted quickly.

Also, thank goodness he purchased a boat load of items so, the manager did not ask for any compensation for the anguish caused.

Having recalled that scene, Hao Ren shook his head and sighed. Y’zaks clearly had very little idea on how society functioned there and he started to explain in detail. He did brief Y’zaks on the matter of supermarkets and the process of purchasing items. However, because it was short and coupled with Y’zaks misunderstanding, things were a mess. He knew that deep down, the demon had a kind heart and was a very affable per.. demon. He simply wanted to help but this was a time where the face mattered and by the looks of things, Y’zaks scared everyone away with just a glance. Such is the society nowadays.

Y’zaks frowned at Hao Ren’s attempt to explain. “Superficial… superficial indeed the way your society sees things. In my world, the most respected are the most hideous to look at. Demons, humans, even those pompous elves knew the value and honor a battle scarred look brings. The sense of beauty in this world is way off,. People should not be wearing justice and conscience on their sleeves.

Hao Ren almost snickered at the notion of a demon talking to him about justice and conscience. What a revelation indeed. He knew Y’zaks was different from most demons but, this was a difference on a whole new level. It even surpassed the insane goddess. Y’zaks face glowed with a saintly halo when he spoke of ‘justice’ and ‘conscience’. Hao Ren simply could not figure out how to react to that.

“This is a societal issue. Pay no heed to it.” Hao Ren laughed wrily and patted Y’zaks on the shoulder. “That said, are you clear about the process of purchasing stuff? A supermarket is different from your sundry shops and control your volume when you speak…”

“I know. There are merchant stalls in my world and I know money is a good thing.” Y’zaks shrugged. “I may be a demon but I have also wandered within the human society as well. The men there are as sly as your kind here. They could even sell oil mixed with rice gruel to the gnomes. Hell knows where they got that idea from.”

Hao Ren was curious about the world which Y’zaks hailed from. It sounded like the typical fantasy world you would see in a fantasy novel. However, he knew that Y’zaks was rather sensitive about the topics of his home world and Hao Ren just left it at that.

As the two were walking towards a crossroad, they heard a song in a distance.

Hao Ren looked around and saw that a young lass was performing in front of a shop, the melodious tune coming from her guitar.

Buskers were a common sight in the main towns or train stations but, for a place like the Southern Suburbs, it was a rare sight indeed and Hao Ren stopped to have a better look.

The girl was petite. She was clad in a loose grey sweater and a pair of dusty-looking jeans. She had slightly dark skin, fair as well as supple features and a pony tail, which dangled from the back of her head. She was not exactly a beauty but, she had a quiet and cute charm about her, especially when she pursed her lips.

While Hao Ren was mesmerized for a few seconds, the girl started singing again. The song played from her portable sound box.

“She sings pretty well,” Hao Ren muttered to himself. “But, what language is that?”