by Yu Sakurai
“Mrah…?”
Confused, she held her cookie up toward the sun and gazed at it.
The stained-glass cookies are crafted with an opening in the middle and filled with colored candy. When baked, the candy loses its color and becomes transparent, resulting in a beautiful panel that resembles stained glass.
Berry had one of the cookies with a candy panel made with strawberry jam. The sunlight poured in through that layer, casting a red glow on her fur.
“Don’t worry, Berry. It looks like glass, but you can eat it.”
I took another cookie and bit into it so that she could see for herself. With a look of relief, the cat sniffed at the cookie and took her first bite.
“Meow meow meow!!” Berry cried happily.
To my delight, she seemed pleased with the taste of the stained-glass cookies.
◇ ◇ ◇
BERRY and I—and sometimes even Lucian—continued to help ourselves to one cookie after the next. It was a relaxing, peaceful way of spending our afternoon, until suddenly, Berry stood straight up on her hind legs.
“What’s wrong? …Oh, it’s Lord Aroo.”
I offered him a greeting when I saw the wolf emerge from the bushes.
“I’ve decided to visit you again. You better appreciate it.”
Lord Aroo gave a brief nod back at me. He was as proud as ever today.
The wolf’s silver fur rustled in the wind as he made his way toward me. Seeing this, Berry froze in place again, just like when she first tried the ice cream.
“Berry, is this your first time meeting Lord Aroo? Don’t be scared. He’s not a bad wolf.”
As I tried to comfort the cat, to my surprise, Berry began to rub her body against my hand.
Her fur was fluffy and it felt very nice as it tickled my skin. I knew Berry was scared, so I felt a little guilty, but really, I was just happy to see she trusted me.
“Graaah… Aroooooo!”
“There’s no need to be afraid. You got here first, so rest at ease,” Lord Aroo seemed to be saying.
Berry climbed into my lap. Her ears twitched as she stared at Lord Aroo, alert. The cat was clutching her strawberry stained-glass cookie in her striped paws, desperate to keep it away from the new visitor.
“You really don’t have to worry. I’m not going to steal your cookie…”
Lord Aroo seemed a bit exasperated in his breathing.
He lay down and kept his chin to the ground as if to make himself appear less threatening. This seemed to provide some relief to Berry. She left my lap, still holding the cookie with her right paw, and slowly but surely, she made her way toward Lord Aroo.
Creeeep. Creeeep. Creeeep.
Forward and back, she crept close to Lord Aroo, only to step back again, just out of reach. The wolf seemed a bit annoyed, but allowed Berry to continue her little dance undisturbed.
“Lord Aroo is kind to both humans and animals…”
Not that he would actually let me pet him yet.
But he really did have a soft spot when it came to creatures like Berry and the other wolves.
“Well, of course. Those are beasts. It would be childish to reject a beast.”
That’s what I took from Lord Aroo’s little snort.
◇ ◇ ◇
BERRY and her new pal Lord Aroo left a while after that.
Lord Aroo was truly a mysterious creature—I could never predict when he would appear or when he would be gone again.
According to Melvin, who had known Lord Aroo for some time, that behavior never caused any trouble, so I decided to just accept it for what it was.
After changing out of the dress now covered in Berry’s fur, I decided to head down to the kitchen. I’d received news that the herbs I requested were finally here.
“Herb-crusted chicken. We haven’t had this in a while.”
From behind me, Lucian kept his usual, formal smile, but I could see a bit of joy in that look as well.
The herb-crusted chicken we were about to make came from Elltoria—the homeland I spent seventeen years in.
But it was not the type of fine cuisine enjoyed by nobles. This was a simple recipe passed down through generations all throughout Elltoria.
“It takes me back. When Claude and I went out on the town, we would eat herb-crusted chicken together.”
Claude is the youngest of my three older brothers. He always doted on me, and we spent a lot of time together as kids. He loved to read, and in general, he lived a more leisurely life than I did—including taking frequent trips into town.
Whenever Claude took me out, what I looked forward to the most was eating the simpler meals I could find only there.
“……”
The duke’s daughter who sneaks into town in search of commoner food… Maybe my past life really was influencing me over all these years. To what extent, I didn’t know, but we really were starting to feel like the same person.
“What’s wrong, Your Majesty?”
“…I’m just trying to remember the recipe correctly.”
Brushing off Lucian’s question, I turned my eyes to the ingredients laid out on the counter.
Chicken thighs and salt, with basil, rosemary, and karana for herbs.
Karana is a common herb in my homeland, famous for the spicy kick it gives to food. It’s cheap and easy to obtain, so it’s often used with simpler meals in our local cuisine.
This herb didn’t exist in Japan, but I had my chefs back at home, whom I’d grown closer to, teach me how to use it. Today’s dish would be a result of their gracious assistance.
First, I cut the chicken thighs in half, then used a fork to poke holes in the meat. This would result in a more consistent cook over a flame.
I sprinkled salt onto the surface of the chicken, then followed it up with the finely chopped rosemary, basil, and karana. The spicy karana would give the chicken a balanced flavor without using black pepper…or so I hoped.
I silently prayed for the chicken to turn out well as I placed it skin-side down in the oil-filled frying pan. Once the meat got nice and brown, I’d flip the thighs over, cover it with a lid, and let it steam until it was ready to eat.
“I see. So this is the local cuisine in Elltoria.”
Gilbert had been watching me cook. He gave the plate with the herb-crusted chicken a nod of approval.
It was an ordinary dish, but it was only meant for Lucian and me to enjoy in the first place. Gilbert, in his endless culinary curiosity, came to join us after the fact.
The plate was garnished with red and yellow vegetables that resembled bell peppers. They gave the dish some needed color.
I also cut the chicken into slices so it would be easier to eat, and watched as the tender meat came into view underneath the outer crust. With my first bite, the fragrance of the herbs filled my nose, and as I chewed, I tasted the delicious juices from the chicken. The meat itself was soft and moist, with a refreshing aftertaste.
“The rosemary and basil make for a fragrant bite, while the karana adds a bit of spice as an accent. It’s diverse enough to eat many times without growing bored of it.”
Gilbert was lost in thought as he stared at the dish. He appeared very focused on analyzing the flavor makeup.
No one from this kingdom was familiar with seasoning like this, but its simplicity might just make it that much more acceptable for foreigners. Food was different no matter where you went in the world, but deliciousness still translated all the same between countries when it came to some flavors.
I already had my hands full with re-creating Earth recipes and familiarizing myself with this world’s utensils, but someday, I hoped I could learn Wolfvartian cuisine as well.
◇ ◇ ◇
AS I busied myself with improving the chiffon cake for His Majesty’s birthday, I also worked on learning brand new recipes.
Each day that passed was peaceful and uneventful.
Berry had even come to learn that Lord Aroo wasn’t a foe. Th
e two were interacting much more casually now. Lord Aroo also didn’t seem to mind when Berry approached him either.
“Thanks to him, Berry’s getting along with the other wolves too…”
I thought back on the series of events that led up to this.
Lord Aroo was a large and beautiful wolf whom the others seemed to acknowledge as their superior.
Though he usually moved separately from the rest of the pack, they seemed to revere Lord Aroo as the lone wolf that he was. Now that Berry had earned his affection, the rest of the pack came to accept her too.
“And now, thanks to that…”
Behold: Berry, the wolf-rider of legend.
As the wolves scampered around the villa’s front yard, Berry would cling to their backs and ride like the wind.
She seemed to enjoy the speed they could give her, so the cat took many a ride on the wolves’ backs. I’d seen it more than once lately. The wolves didn’t appear to hate her extra weight either, and so they would run around the yard, clearly having an absolute blast.
“I wonder if I’ll get to see it again today…?”
I couldn’t believe my eyes the first time I witnessed it. I had to do a double-take at the sight of the glorious wolf-rider.
I stepped outside, eager to see it again, and after some time, the bushes began to rustle.
It was Lord Aroo, looking the same as ever, along with…
“What…? A baby…?”
Lord Aroo was carrying a wolf pup by the scruff of its neck. It was flapping its short little limbs in the air and crying loudly.
“Lord Aroo? You’re a father? When did this happen…?”
“Gruuuh?!”
With the pup still in his mouth, Lord Aroo attempted to let out a growl. It sounded like…
“Don’t be ridiculous! A father? Me? Are you joking?”
Or something in that vein of scorn.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Where did that pup come from…?”
I crouched down to look the flailing creature in the eye.
Her entire body was already covered in a fluffy coat. Her fur was much thinner and softer than an adult wolf’s, and her ears flopped around atop her head.
“Ruff?”
She looked back at me, and from the pup’s mouth came a little bark. She blinked her big eyes and cocked her head to one side.
“How adorable…!!”
The sight nearly knocked me off my feet. I couldn’t help breaking into a big grin.
Big adult wolves were cute to me too, but their coolness was nothing like the charm this pup possessed.
I continued to stare at the little pup as she let out more cries.
“This woman just fawns over any creature with fur, doesn’t she…?”
Somehow, it felt like Lord Aroo was watching me with a bit of disgust.
“Whoa! Your Majesty!”
“Edgar?”
He raced through the lawn in my direction, yelling loudly for my attention. Edgar didn’t appear to have his usual wolves with him. He looked panicked, actually.
“You scared me, Tera! How did such a little pup get all the way over here?!”
“…This pup escaped?”
“She sure did. I was so worried! I had to put the wolves in their pens and go looking with the other wolfkeepers.”
“Then Lord Aroo saved the day, didn’t he?” I praised him.
Lord Aroo raised his head, as if offering Tera, the wolf pup, for Edgar to retrieve.
“I heard the wolfkeeper was out in search of this pup. I’ve got a fine nose, so luckily, I was able to find her,” he seemed to boast, like a boss who had to lend a helping hand to his subordinates at work.
“Thank you so much, Lord Aroo. Tera likes to make her escape, so we wolfkeepers were keeping an eye on her, but she’s small enough that we can’t seem to keep her in her cage for very long.”
“So she’s a repeat offender, then? I wonder why such a little pup wants to escape so badly.”
“…She doesn’t like her food.” Edgar turned his head down to look at Tera. His dog ears and tail seemed to droop. “Tera’s mother struggled in childbirth, and she ended up passing away about twenty days ago. We’ve been giving Tera milk to drink, but…”
“She just won’t accept it…”
Edgar nodded weakly in response.
It appeared that wolves weren’t so receptive to artificial attempts at nursing.
“Her father and the other wolves are looking after her… But sadly, none of the female wolves have any milk to spare right now, so it’s up to us to make sure she’s fed.”
“What a difficult situation. How old is Tera now?”
“She’s about forty days old, so still quite young, but her development is pretty slow, since she won’t drink much milk. I just don’t know what to do about it.”
“I see…”
It wasn’t a simple problem.
I took another look at Tera and saw that she did seem quite thin and weak, even for a baby. It sounded like she was drinking just enough milk not to starve, but at this rate, she might be prone to other risks in the future.
“So, are humans giving her the milk directly?”
“No, she doesn’t seem to like it that way, so we put the milk in a leather bag, cover it with tightly wound cloth, and make a hole for a tap. Then we leave it out for her to suckle the milk from.”
“…So she has to decide when she wants to drink.”
Tera, from Lord Aroo’s mouth, was staring at me without any fear. Being raised by wolfkeepers seemed to result in a lack of caution around humans.
“I’m sure it’s hard on her without a mother…”
Animals are defenseless when they eat.
Tera, the young pup, didn’t seem to feel completely safe when it was time to be fed, so it just didn’t feel natural to her.
Is there any way she can eat without feeling scared?
I racked my past-life memories for an idea until I landed on something.
“Edgar, would you mind if I participated in Tera’s feeding, just once?”
◆ ◆ ◆
“TERA, it’s time to eat.”
The pup’s ears perked up when she heard her name. Her usual keeper was calling her. When she stood up to follow that voice, her legs wavered a little.
“Hrm…”
Her limbs were heavy, but her belly was too empty.
The pup’s natural instincts were telling her she needed to put food into that tiny body. The urge made her take step after wobbly step forward, toward where the wolfkeeper would have milk ready for her.
Though the feeling was a hazy one, Tera did have some appreciation for the fact that she even had the opportunity to eat. But still, this didn’t make her actually want to drink the milk.
The milk was warm, but the leather pouch was cold.
The more Tera drank from the lifeless leather vessel, the closer she felt to losing the memories of drinking milk from her mother, and so, she always gave up halfway through her meals.
If her desire for food was instinct, so was the longing she felt for her mother.
With these feelings of loneliness, she carried herself to the milk just to survive another day.
“Ruff…?”
Tera cocked her head slightly when she saw a different meal setup than usual.
There was the leather bag that smelled of milk, but wrapped around it was some kind of cloth lump.
Curiously, she sniffed at the cloth and caught a familiar scent.
It’s Mom.
She smelled her mother, the wolf who had disappeared without a trace, on this lump of cloth.
The nostalgic smell drew her in, closer and closer.
She took another look and saw that the lump even had four leglike things sticking out of it and some sort of triangle shapes on the top, like ears. The brown fabric was also a familiar color.
With both a scent and appearance that reminded her of her lost mother, Tera nuzzled her body up against the fa
bric.
Strangely, the cloth even felt warm to her.
Tera softly closed her eyes, now enveloped by happy memories.
The sweet aroma of milk tickled her nose.
Remembering the days she spent in her mother’s embrace, Tera found the hole in the milk bag and began to suckle.
◆ ◆ ◆
“…AND that’s how we managed to get Tera to drink milk.”
I finished telling Lord Aroo my story while holding the wolf-shaped plushie. The doll wasn’t too big in size. It could sit in my hands when I put them together.
I had thought back to my plushie-making experience from my past life, then started with a small toy, working my way up to the experimental wolf plushie meant for Tera.
“You never know what experiences are going to help you out in life…”
Back in college, at my friend’s request, I helped her make stuffed toys for her volunteer work when the group didn’t have enough items to sell at the school festival.
Wanting to make realistic Shiba Inu dolls, I’d put time into finding the right pattern paper and learning how to use it. Now, that experience had proved useful again.
Shiba Inus and wolves share some similarities in their ears and faces. But their torsos, tails, and other small details are different shapes, so I had to adjust my work as I stitched together a mother wolf doll for Tera.
“I made her a plush toy to act as her mother and set it next to the bag of milk. I wasn’t sure it would work, but I’m so relieved she took to it.”
When I lived in Japan, I saw a documentary showing how dolls could help animals in their nursing.
The wolves who visited my villa were very smart. The depth of their intelligence and emotions was probably why Tera struggled so much with her loss of a parent.
“But still, the wolfkeepers and I can’t replace her mother…”
Maybe all we could do was offer her the occasional memory of the mother wolf.
The plushie had another trick to it too. I’d stuffed some of the mother’s remaining fur, along with fabric that had her scent on it, inside the doll. Finally, I filled the plushie with a bag of hot water to give it a familiar sense of warmth.
It was all a lot of guesswork, but it appeared to have been a success.