Lui held up his hands, backing away from Gregor slowly.
"Look, I didn't mean anything by it, I was just checking on the noise, if you want I'll just go and we can forget this whole—"
Gregor's fist cut through the air and connected with Lui's jaw.
The sound was brutal. Wet and hard. Lui's head snapped sideways and he stumbled, catching himself on a crumbling wall.
"Forget?" Gregor laughed. "You think you can just walk away after disrespecting an effective male?"
Something flashed across Lui's face. Not fear anymore. Anger. His ears pinned back and he launched himself at Gregor, throwing a punch with everything he had.
It connected with Gregor's chest. Did absolutely nothing. Like punching a wall. Gregor didn't even flinch.
"Pathetic."
Gregor's fist drove into Lui's solar plexus. The air exploded from Lui's lungs in a desperate wheeze. Before he could recover, Gregor grabbed him by the scruff and hurled him sideways.
Lui crashed into a barrel, the wood splintering under the impact. He collapsed among the debris, gasping for air that wouldn't come.
The hybrid creature, the one that had brought John bread, watched this from where it was cowering. Its big dark eyes went from Lui to Gregor to Lui again.
Then it made a decision.
It launched itself at Gregor's back. No hesitation. Just pure protective instinct. Claws extended, teeth bared, it latched onto the massive wolf's shoulders and started scratching and biting with desperate fury.
"WHAT THE—" Gregor spun, trying to dislodge it. "GET OFF ME YOU HALF BREED PIECE OF—"
The creature bit down on his ear. Hard. Blood welled up.
Gregor roared in pain and rage. His hand shot back, grabbed the creature by the scruff, and ripped it off his back. For a moment he held it at arm's length, the hybrid thrashing and making those distressed chirp-bark sounds.
Then Gregor slammed it against the nearest wall.
Full force. No holding back. The creature hit stone with a sickening thud and crumpled to the ground, making weak whimpering sounds.
"NO!" John screamed from his cage. "STOP! LEAVE THEM ALONE!"
Gregor turned toward him, fury written across his bloodied face. "You want some too, ape? I'll—"
He didn't finish. Lui, still gasping for breath, had dragged himself up from the broken barrel. And while Gregor was distracted, Lui did the only smart thing he could think of.
He kicked Gregor in the balls.
Not a light kick. A full power, everything he had, desperate survival kick.
Gregor's eyes went wide. His mouth opened in a silent scream. His hands dropped to clutch himself as he fell to his knees, then toppled sideways, curling into a fetal position.
Silence. Except for Gregor's wheezing and the hybrid's whimpering.
Lui stood there, breathing hard, holding his ribs, staring at what he'd just done.
Gregor's voice came out strangled. "You... you've done it now... all three of you..."
He tried to sit up, failed, settled for rolling onto his side to glare at them.
"They were planning... to kill some of the older male slaves... cut down on inventory..." He coughed, spat blood. "And now... I'm gonna make sure... the lesser male slut... and the half freak... become slaves too..."
He dragged himself to his knees, one hand still clutching himself.
"Gonna kill all three of you... just you wait... the chief will hear about this... attacking an effective male... you're dead... all of you..."
He laughed. Pained but genuine. Like he couldn't believe his good fortune at having such a perfect excuse.
Then he limped away, still laughing, one hand against buildings for support.
The moment he was out of sight, John grabbed his cage bars. "You need to run! Both of you! Get out of here before he comes back with others!"
Lui whipped around to face him. "Where does the ape get off telling me what to do? You think I need advice from property?"
"I'm trying to help! He's going to—"
"I KNOW what he's going to do!" Lui's voice cracked. Then he deflated, slumping against a wall. "I know."
The hybrid creature dragged itself over to Lui, pressing against his legs, making soft comforting sounds.
Lui's hand came down automatically to pet it. "It's fine. We'll be fine. Gregor's all talk. Effective males bluster all the time."
He didn't sound convinced.
John watched them. The lesser male trying to comfort himself. The hybrid trying to comfort the lesser male. Both of them in danger because they'd helped John. Because they'd stood up to someone stronger.
"Does it have a name?" John asked quietly.
Lui looked up. "What?"
"The hybrid. Does it have a name?"
"No. Why would a feral have a name? You don't name animals."
"It's not just an animal though. It helped me. It helped you. It understands more than a pure feral would."
Lui considered this. "Maybe. It's hard to tell with hybrids. Mixed instincts. Mixed intelligence."
"Then we should name it. Since it helped."
"We?" Lui's eyebrow raised.
"Fine. I should name it. Something badass. Worthy of its courage." John thought for a moment, channeling his old anime protagonist energy. "How about The Mauler? Or Flesh Tearer? Blood Fang?"
Lui burst out laughing. Genuine laughter, the kind that hurt his bruised ribs and made him wince. "Are you serious? Look at its face!"
The hybrid tilted its head, completely unaware of the conversation, its expression vacant and derpy.
John looked. The creature's face was admittedly not intimidating. Big eyes, slightly open mouth, an expression of benign confusion. Zero menace.
"Okay, fair point," John admitted. He thought harder. "What about... Selio?"
Lui's laughter stopped. "Selio? Why that?"
"Seal, because it's clearly part seal. Leo, like lion, because it showed lion level courage attacking someone way stronger to protect you. And mycelium, because it's slender and always gets entangled where it doesn't belong." John's voice gained enthusiasm as he explained. "It's a layered name. Multiple meanings. Representing different aspects of its nature and behavior."
Lui stared at him. "You sound like a pretentious noble. The kind that gives their hunting dogs elaborate titles and expects everyone to be impressed."
But he was smiling. Actually smiling. And the hybrid, Selio now apparently, chirped happily like it knew something good had just happened.
John felt his face warm. He smiled back. "Maybe. But it fits, right?"
"It's ridiculous. Completely ridiculous." Lui petted Selio's head. "But yeah. It fits."
For a moment, things felt almost okay. Three outcasts, making connections in a ruined city. Finding small moments of humanity or beast folk equivalent in a world designed to crush it.
John felt something he hadn't felt since the cabin. Since the family. A tentative warmth. Hope, maybe. Or just relief at not being completely alone.
"This is nice," he said quietly. "This is—"
"YES SIR! THOSE THREE ATTACKED ME!"
Gregor's voice, loud and theatrical, echoed through the ruins.
John's stomach dropped.
A figure emerged from between buildings. Taller than Gregor. Broader. Older. Covered in scars that made Alrick look pristine. An effective male who radiated authority in a way that made Gregor look like a child playing dress up.
The chief. Had to be.
His eyes swept across the scene. Took in Gregor's injuries. Lui's defensive posture. Selio cowering. John in his cage.
When he spoke, his voice was deadly quiet. Controlled. The kind of calm that preceded extreme violence.
"Explain."