Chapter 435: Ava's Past

Seven years ago.

Ava was standing like a normal rabbit in a dark alley. She looked left and right to check her position and began to panic as she realized she was lost.

She was sneakily visiting the human city with her mother to see what kind of civilization invaded their home.

At first, she was shocked when she saw so many people walking around. If not because she stealthily hopped from one roof to another, she would have been found out.

On the way, she somehow went in another direction, losing her mother in the process. After searching for her mother for three days, she was too tired and hungry.

She had been searching for a way to get home and returned to her mother, only to end up in this dark alley.

Looking to the left, she smelled food from the trash can next to her and leaped to the top, finding some leftover food that started to rot.

Her stomach was growling, but she couldn't endure the bad smell from it. Her stomach wanted the food, but she didn't dare to eat.

Before eating, she saw a blue-haired kid wearing a plain white but messy shirt. Even though the sleeves were long, she managed to see the gap between sleeves, finding bruises all over his arms.

There might be no injury on his face, but she could still see the boy's body swaying left and right.

He continued walking in her direction with blank eyes as if he had given up living itself.

Even so, the man continued his way and arrived in front of a door with a poker face before finding a pure white rabbit ransacking the trash can for food.

The boy looked at the rabbit for a moment.

"!!!" Ava panicked as she just got spotted.

Her mother told him that the majority of humans were bad, so she needed to hide when she encountered a human.

Even though there was still a chance that the human was good, the story told by her mother was so scary that she ended up panicking.

The human shocked her again when he asked with a plain tone. "Are you searching for food in the trash can?"

Before Ava could answer him, he looked at the bag in his right hand, reached a palm-sized can and opened it for her.

He then placed it on the ground and put the bag inside his pocket as there was nothing inside anymore.

"In this kind of age, to think we are still having trouble with food…" The kid sighed. "I have no ability to bring you to a vet, nor do I have the money to adopt you. However, at the very least, I can skip my meal tonight so you can have enough food to eat to regain your strength. May you find someone who wants to adopt you within that time…"

After saying those words, the kid rose again and entered the building with those lifeless eyes.

Ava stared at his back in silence as the smell of food enticed her.

In the end, she leaped on top of the can and started eating the food inside.

Compared to the building outside this alley, this place was so bad like that of a shadow coming from a bright light. And a kid, who was injured all over his body, had lifeless eyes and was hungry like her, gave her this meal so she could survive.

Having lived on the other side for so long, she was familiar with the rule of the jungle. No stranger would give her food like he did, let alone when he was injured like that.

It was such a cold world like the temperature of the food she ate right now. Despite how cold the food was, Ava was somehow filled with warmth.

Unknowingly, tears started to fall down from her eyes as she kept munching the meat inside the can.

People and monsters might give others something, but everything they gave came from their wealth. It was different from the boy. He gave everything he had… Everything he had to live on.

Despite knowing he would sleep while clutching his stomach in hunger, he still gave it to her.

She just realized the boy might be "stronger" than anybody else outside.

That was why Ava couldn't help but cry while eating it. She felt like it was the best food she ever had.

While eating, another white rabbit suddenly landed on the ground next to her, watching her daughter eating the food.

"Kyu! (Ava!)" The slightly bigger white rabbit called her name.

"!!!" Ava's body shook as she raised her head, finding her mother next to her. "Kyu (Mom)."

"Kyu (Are you okay)?" She asked. "Kyu (I'm sorry for not paying attention)."

Ava shook her head furiously. "Kyu (It was my fault)."

After that, Ava continued eating despite her mother's presence.

"Kyu?" Her mother was confused by Ava's action.

Ava stopped for a moment and explained what just happened. She told her that she wouldn't waste a single piece of meat inside the can.

Even her mother was surprised by her story. She couldn't believe what she heard. However, Ava wasn't someone who would lie to her mother, so she knew it was the truth. No wonder Ava wanted to finish everything.

After eating, Ava asked, "Kyu, Kyu (Mother, can I help him in any way?)."

The rabbit tilted her head and asked her to show him the person.

They then climbed the building and looked through the window until they found the blue-haired kid.

The mother was surprised when she saw the kid and told her to wait until the night.

When the kid was sleeping, they sneaked inside his room without making a sound.

After that, the mother hopped onto the bed and reached for his pocket watch. She opened it and took the paper inside.

It was a map with a few region names inside it.

Bringing it to the ground, the mother grabbed a pen on the table and covered the pen's tip with her own blood.

She wiped the map inside and drew seven stars with her own blood, making a rabbit symbol.

"Kyu (Give me your blood too)."

Hearing her mother's request, Ava cut her own foot and gave it to her.

After that, she clasped her hand as the paper glowed. "Kyu, Kyu (This blood shall become the proof of our Ancient Pact. Star and Moon Sacrifice)."

As soon as the light vanished, she wiped the blood on the pen and returned the paper to his pocket watch.

"Kyu (You know him)?" Ava tilted her head in confusion.

However, her mother only said, "Kyu, Kyu (Let's go home first, I will tell you there)."