Heart-warming Meals with Mother Fenrir - Chapter 11

Early in the morning, Rude, Rudia, and Croquette had made their way to the nearby beach.

There was a windbreak along the beach, where Rude took off his clothes in the shade.

As Croquette held Rude's clothes, Rude thought he should quickly transform into a Fenrir, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Perhaps because he had transformed many times, he could instantly become a Fenrir now.

With Rudia and Croquette watching, Rude was intoxicated by the thrill of running.

The speed he could achieve now far surpassed what he could run as a human.

Rude, accustomed to running on four legs, dashed across the sandy beach at an unbelievable speed, kicking up sand in front of the two as he passed.

While Rudia was able to track Rude, Croquette quickly lost sight of him.

They could only follow Rude's shrinking back.

"H-He’s way too fast-nya...!"

"Indeed. I hope he doesn’t overdo it."

Rude was testing the limits of his body.

Just how fast could he go?

How high could he jump?

Rapid acceleration, quick stops, sharp turns.

With this ability, he could comfortably make it to the catfolk's village and back.

Rude was thankful to Femurude for giving him this strength.

Rude made his way back to the two.

"Croquette-oneechan."

"Yes-nya."

"Would you like to ride on my back?"

"Is that okay-nya?"

"Yes, I want to try running with you on my back."

Croquette looked towards Rudia.

"Rude is saying it's okay, then you should ride him. Rude, just be careful, or Croquette might fall off, okay?"

"Yes, Mom."

Rude positioned himself on the ground to help Croquette climb on comfortably.

Croquette cautiously climbed onto Rude and murmured.

"N-nya, this feels a bit naughty-nya..."

Thinking about it, Rude could certainly feel Croquette's butt on his back.

Rude tried not to pay attention to that sensation.

He felt that paying attention to it would mean losing.

"W-What are you saying? Hold on tight! Here we go!"

Rude rose to his feet and began to walk carefully.

Rude gradually picked up speed, but Croquette felt it was strange.

"Nya? It doesn't shake much-nya."

"Right. I’m utilizing my leg joints to minimize the bumps."

"Oh, I see-nya! You can go quicker if you want-nya!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course-nya!"

"...You have no idea."

"Nya?"

Rude gradually increased his speed.

The vibrations began to reach Croquette.

"Nya, it's fast-nya."

"I can go faster."

Rude’s feet began to push off the ground with a step.

Croquette felt the up-and-down vibrations increase slightly.

"Nya, nyaa! Is this all you’ve got-nya?"

"Alright. Then, let’s pick up the pace a little."

Just as Rudia said, Rude barely noticed Croquette's weight while carrying her.

Since she said she could go on, Rude might have gotten a bit carried away with the speed.

"Nya, just a second, it’s getting a bit scary-nya..."

"Huh? Did you say something, Croquette-oneechan?"

The sound of sand being kicked made it hard to hear Croquette's voice clearly.

"Young master, Rude. It’s getting a bit dangerous now-nya."

"I’ll keep going!"

"But, it’s really time to stop-nya!"

"Huh?"

"The vibrations are getting a bit bad-nya. Young master Rude, please stop-nya!"

"Huh? Is something wrong?"

"Just stop... Oh... Nyaaaaa..."

Hearing Croquette’s weak voice, Rude began to slow down.

As he approached Rudia, Rude noticed a warm sensation on his back.

"That's why I told you to stop..."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Croquette-oneechan."

Croquette had, just like back then, had an accident.

"Rude, that’s not okay."

"I’m sorry..."

　▼

It seemed Rudia had decided to take Croquette home first.

Rude immersed himself in the now cool sea and, upon reaching the shoreline, shook his body to get rid of the water.

When he arrived at the windbreak, he noticed his clothes that Croquette had left.

There, he transformed back into his human form and decided to put on the clothes and return home.

Upon entering the house, Rudia welcomed him.

"Croquette is still in the bath, so Rude, you should join her."

"I’m fine; I just came from the sea."

"No, that won’t do. Look how cold you are. Get in, okay?"

Rudia lightly covered Rude as he sat, giving him a gentle hug.

Her warmth gently enveloped his cold body, bringing comfort.

"Alright..."

In the changing room, Rude took off his clothes and turned into his Fenrir form out of embarrassment.

"Croquette-oneechan, can I come in?"

"Yes, it's fine-nya!"

He closed his eyes and entered the bathroom.

In there, Croquette’s delighted eyes shone brightly.

It goes without saying that he ended up covered in bubbles and played with.

　▼

In contrast to Croquette's satisfied expression, Rude looked haggard.

"I had a great time-nya!"

"I’m done. This is what they mean by not being able to get married..."

"Have you both warmed up properly?"

"I’m all warm now-nya!"

"Y-yeah."

Croquette was happily brushing Rude's fur.

Rude's snowy white fur was becoming longer and more stunning with each passing day.

Since that day, Rude's hair as a human had also changed.

Although his eyes were the same color as Rudia's, he seemed to be influenced by his Fenrir form, as his hair was gradually turning white.

Rudia seemed to perceive it as growth.

Rudia had previously mentioned that Fenrir had the same fur color as their mother during childhood.

It is said that from there, boys gradually turn blue.

Rude was somewhat unique in this regard.

Since he was half human, Rudia seemed to think that becoming white was part of Rude's individuality.

Rude hadn’t lost the ability to use magic.

He had consistently created his own independent and whimsical way of chanting spells.

Rude transformed into his human form and stood behind Croquette.

　

"Croquette-oneechan, can I do this?"

"Yes, of course-nya!"

"Wind, blow gently. Fire, warm the wind."

By maintaining this double incantation, he was able to produce warm wind from his hands.

Seeing Croquette repeatedly using a cloth to dry her long black hair made him think it was cumbersome.

"How warm-nya! My hair is becoming so silky-nya..."

As he ran his fingers through Croquette's hair, he dried it with the warm breeze.

This was also one of Rudia’s favorite spells.

She always looked very pleased when getting her fur dried.

Rude was well aware of the happiness that comes from being cared for by family.

It was this desire to be helpful that inspired him to develop this magic.

　▼

In the town of Sea Wales, rumors of sightings of a large white canine species had begun to circulate.

The rumors included tales of a divine beast appearing and sightings of a white wolf.

The creature was said to belong to a divine race with beautiful, pure white fur.

However, there had yet to be any clear accounts of anyone actually seeing it.

One thing was certain: it was incredibly fast.

Of course, the true identity of this creature was Rude.

He had been training to run in the nearby forest, so someone must have spotted him.

He didn't intend to hide it but admitting it himself felt embarrassing.

Additionally, he needed to undress to transform and show that form, which was out of the question.

"I love your form. I would love to walk around town with you like that, but it’s a little inconvenient for shopping."

Rudia's encouragement made Rude feel very grateful for his mother's thoughtfulness.

"Mom."

"What is it?"

"If Femrude were alive, would he have had blue fur?"

"Indeed. In my homeland, it was considered normal. Fenrila's, like me, are green, while male Fenrir's are blue; that has always been the case. It's not that anyone decided this, but it could be our species characteristic."

"Exactly-nya. My village has only black fur, while I believe Mikariel's village probably has calico fur-nya."

"If I visit mom's homeland, do you think they will look at me weirdly?"

"That will be fine. If anyone stares at you strangely or treats you poorly, I will get angry..."

Although she wore a smile, her eyes were certainly not laughing.

"That’s why I will always protect you two. I don’t want to lose my son ever again. You are my purpose in life."

"Thank you, Lady Rudia-nya..."

"Yes. I will become stronger so I can protect both of you. Otherwise, I won’t be able to punch the man who abandoned you mom."

"Thank you. Rude, Croquette."

　▼

To prevent bad rumors and anyone bothering them, Rude decided to go to town in his Fenrir form.

As expected, the moment Rude stepped outside, he drew everyone's attention.

"I'm sorry for the commotion, everyone. I'm Femrude, the son of Ferruida, and I apologize for keeping it hidden."

To his surprise, the people were quite accommodating.

Everyone was saying things like, "Oh, is that so? Come shopping again!" and "What beautiful fur! May I touch it?" They treated him as if it were completely normal.

He felt foolish for worrying so much.

Rude sensed a wave of relief washing over him.

Comforted by the acceptance from the people, Rude and his companions decided to visit Mikariel's inn.

"So, you were the one behind that rumor, Rude!"

"Yes. I recently learned to take this form. I was so happy running around that I guess I was seen."

"Big brother, you’re so white, cozy, and beautiful!"

"Yeah, it’s soft and cozy."

Mikaela and Mikel clung to Rude even more than they had before.

Croquette looked on with a hint of envy.

"Let’s cuddle up together, big sister."

"Big sister, it feels nice."

"Yes-nya, it’s so fluffy and comfortable-nya!"

"Fluffy?"

"Fluffy?"

"It's fluffy-nya."

"Please don’t teach them strange words, Croquette-oneechan…”

Rudia and Mikariel looked at their children happily.

"You look just like your mother, so cute!"

"Yes, they are so cute that you could raise them in your mouth without discomfort."

It likely means 'They are so dear that having them near would never hurt.'

This seems to be a typical way for their species to convey such sentiments.

Rude had Mikaela and Mikiel riding on his back as he playfully bounced in place.

Rudia and Mikariel chuckled as they noticed that Croquette had sneakily hopped on too.

In this form, he didn't really feel their weight, so he remained unaware.

That day, the tale of Rudia's son being a pure white Fenrir spread throughout the town.

However, when going out for shopping, Rude would take on his human form.

Otherwise, it would be quite inconvenient.

However, when heading to Croquette's hometown, Rude began to take Croquette along on his back.

Rude was happy to be able to run alongside Rudia.

While Rudia was surprised by her son's development, she couldn't help but feel happy.

Even though Rudia was adjusting her pace, Rude kept up without falling behind.

When they arrived at the village, everyone was surprised, and Rude became a favorite among the children.

With about five children on his back, he wandered around the village square.

With each light jump, the sounds of laughter and the sight of smiling children surrounded him.

On the way back, he wore a specially made bag for Rude, sharing the load with Rudia.

Before long, it would just be Rude and Croquette visiting this place.

Thus, Rude continued to grow little by little.

Chapter length 5366 characters.

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