Normally, Sloght would have twisted his face up in a grotesque grin, and if the child called their parents, he’d disappear in thin air. But, for some reason, he didn’t feel the draw. He didn’t want to scare her. Just observe.
He creeped further back beneath the bed, ears back and tail flicking. If she saw him, it wouldn’t matter. Part of him even wanted her to. He wanted to know what made her paranoia trigger.
Instead, he just pressed himself against the floor, looking almost cat-like in his position.
Izumi peeked under the bed and frowned, the book was not to be seen. She saw a pair of animal-like eyes and smiled. "Charlie! Come out from under there!" But no response came. Izumi frowned once again and called for the pup once again but again, no response.
Sloght slinked back to the shadows, disappearing fully. He’d go back to the other demons and report his findings… maybe.
He disappeared from under the bed, leaving no trace, and leapt through the shadows of the street until he returned to where he had previously come. Leaping back into another shadow, he appeared at the headquarters.
Upon his arrival, the small goblin ran up, ears perked higher now.
“Well, sir? How was it? Did you show them that I could be done?” the small demon asked.
Sloghtfoot gave a sort of pressed sigh, keeping his eyes off the member before him.
“…. I want to be assigned there again tonight,” he mumbled, voice deep. The girl’s situation had piqued his curiosity greatly. “I would like to keep this one.”
“Right, sir!” the goblin replied, and skittered off, leaving Sloght to just him and his thoughts.
Izumi went inside, waving at her brother as he walked away. She walked a few steps forward then slowed, the 8th grade group was blocking the entrance closest to.her class. She frowned and looked at the other way, it was thankfully clear. Izumi ran as fast as her legs could take her and reached the doors in time for the bell. She pulled open the doors and ran inside, sitting down at her table before the second bell rang.
The school day was uneventful, the only exciting thing that happened was that it was her turn to feed the class rabbit. Izumi walked to the front gate to wait for her brother, ignoring the calls of her friends. Once he came, they raced home where Mama was waiting with a some cookies.
Once half the cookies had disappeared, Izumi went upstairs to do some homework
Sloghtfoot, as he was left to his own devices, couldn’t help the racking of his brain. The curiosity, of course, kept desperately asking to be followed.
And, after a long while, he gave in.
He crept back to the small house, slipping under the bed once more, and laying down. He’d keep his post here until he found what was keeping this child from being scared by the horrors that lay beneath her.
Izumi finished tracing then went down for dinner. Daddy was in the other room watching football and had a beer in his hand, one of the reasons why the dining room was so quiet. Once they finished, Izumi helped clear the table then went upstairs to read before going to sleep. She kept her door open a crack to make sure if anyone was coming up the stairs.
Sloght had almost fallen asleep himself by the time the child returned, but snapped wide awake when she did.
With no other real resorts, he decided tonight would be a test.
Slowly, he dragged his claws on the floor once more. With it, he let out a small growl, that seemed more demonic than any animal he’d been in contact with. It wasn’t loud enough to distinguish well, just enough to set unease.
Izumi heard the strange sound and snuggled further into her blanket. The sound was a frightening one but not more than the next one she heard. The stairs squeaked once more as a sluggish pair of footsteps came up and stopped in front if her room. "Izzy, come out here, let's go read a story downstairs." The voice outside her door called. Her door creaked open and the footsteps came closer.
Sloght’s clouded eyes glowed beneath the bed, his growls and scratches stopping the instant he sensed the other presence. He kept alert, however, his ears perked forward and his fur on end.
This. This is what he waited for. This fear the child felt at the voice.
He waited below the bed, awaiting the next move from either the child or the voice behind the door.
Izumi could feel hands on her bed, trying to figure out where her small frame was and she whimpered. "I found you little bird." Light reflected off the teeth of the figure as she scrambled to get off her bed. Izumi figured that she would hide in her closet again but there were two problems. One, the figures was standing in front of it, and two, her hiding place would be found. So she did the logical thing and rolled under her bed. Pressing herself against something… soft?
Instead of slinking into the shadows like he normally did, Sloght instinctively grabbed the child, putting an arm around her small frame and glaring from beneath the bed. He resisted the urge to growl at the feet of the figure provoking her, but if the man showed his face, there’d certainly be hell to pay.
His claws were extended and his face twisted back in a snarl, but none were angled toward the little girl.
Izumi was now certain that the shadows she saw shifting under her bed, were actually shifting. The creature didn't seem like it would harm her, although even if it did, Izumi would welcome it more than what was going to happen. The lights in the room opened and the smell of alcohol drifted underneath the bed were the girl covered her mouth and nose to stop inhaling it. "Izzy, come now, daddy wants to read a book. That's all." The feet stopped at the edge of the bed and a dark chuckle broke through a silence. "Are you under there? Come out!" He said in a singsong voice. Before anything could happen, Charlie ran into the room and started barking and growling. It was then that her mama came into the room to see her husband bent over the bed, looking for their daughter.
It was then Sloghtfoot let out a furious growl, holding the kid closer. If he wanted to scare her, then no one else could.
His fur ruffled upon his back, his eyes still glowing their milky white color and his lips stretched back to reveal his lengthy incisors. His ears were pressed back against his head and the cracks in his horns glowed a piercing amber.
A scream broke through the tense silence as her daddy glimpsed what was under her bed. He pushed past his wife and ran into the bathroom. Mama was going to look under the bed as well but sounds of retching came from the bathroom and she ran there. Izumi peeked through her fingers and once she realized no one else was in her room, she ran to close her door and sat in front of it, breathing heavily.
Seeing no reason as to hide anymore, Sloght slid out from under the bed. He tried to look as least threatening as he could, his horns no longer glowing and his eyes much kinder. He looked to the child, and although he stood tall and proud, his voice was soft.
“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice deep and melodic. It came out as a partial whisper laced with concern.
"I'm ok. Who, or what, are you? You look like a very big kitty." She said, pulling her knees up to her chest and looking at him with a suspicious gaze.
“My name is Sloghtfoot,” he said, a small purr in his voice. He was glad she had calmed, enough to speak at least. “And… I’m the monster under your bed.”
"Nice to meet you Mr. Sloghtfoot. I'm Izumi but my brother and mama call me Izzy." Izumi relaxed her stance and studied him. "Why are you the monster under my bed? I dont need one." She said, her voice almost a whisper at the end of her sentence
“Every child has one,” he mumbled, flicking his tail. His voice resonated through the air, his fangs glinting in the dim light. “You just happened to have me.”
"So you stay with them forever?" She asked, flinching at the sounds of shouting coming from the hallway.
Sloght’s pupils thinned to slits as he heard the muffled yells. Although despite them, he kept his attention on the little one.
“Until you grow up, and cease getting scared,” he said half-heartedly, seeming more occupied with the issue at hand. “But there were multiple before me, under your bed. They said they couldn’t ever scare you. I understand why now.”
Slowly he moved his eyes to where she sat, stepping forward. “But, you don’t have to worry. He won’t hurt you.”
As he mentioned the man, he flicked his head in the direction of the door.
“I’ll be here every night. For as long as you need me.”
Izumi's eyes filled with tears as she pet the monster. "Thank you." She whispered. They sat in silence for a bit before a whining and scratching sound came from behind the door. Izumi opened the door and Charlie came inside. He pawed her leg before noticing the creature. He barked in surprise before growling at him. "Charlie no. He is our friend!" She smiled
Sloght let out a small animalistic grumble, twitching his nose and bending down to greet the little dog. Well, little to him. His tail flicked with curiosity. He hadn’t met too many animals in his time. He was mainly just surrounded by demons.
His eyes glanced back up to the girl, and he let out a comforting purr.
“Of course,” he said. “Each demon’s child is theirs. No one should get in the way of that, hm? Also, may I ask— what is your name, young one?”
"I am Izumi. My mama and brother call me izzy. My old mama used to call me Amore." Izumi smiled and brushed her hair back
“Your old mother?” he asked quietly, cocking his head slightly. I didn’t know kids had multiple…, he thought.
Before continuing, Sloght cleared his throat, tail swishing.
“Which one of those names would you like me to call you?” he mumbled, voice raspy.
"I lived with my mama until I was 5 then I came to live with my new mama. She took care of me and a lot of other kids too!" Izumi responded with a smile. "You can call me whatever you would like! I have only had one nickname so I don't mind what you call me as long as you don't use the words the big kids at school use."
Sloght let out a small, almost inaudible whimper. This poor girl…
“Then I will call you Izzy,” he said, his melodic voice almost not even fitting the word.
He gave a sigh, closing his eyes. This little girl was… strong. Very strong.
Maybe, maybe he would go to her school with her. Demons had the ability to live within shadows. So he’d stay in hers. Only come out when she needed him. She deserved that.
Izumi yawned and leaned against the door. "Its late and I have school again tomorrow. Good night Mr. Sloghtfoot." She yawned again before closing her eyes and falling asleep against the door.
Sloght raised an eyebrow, watching as the small child fell limp against the door. He looked from the pup to the kid, then finally decided to help out. Slowly he cradled Izzy, picking her up and setting her gently in her bed. He took the covers in his mouth, his fangs ripping small holes as he pulled the blankets up to under her chin.
He crawled reluctantly back under the bed, keeping his eyes locked on the doorway.
Izzy woke up and thought everything that happened last night was a dream…until she opened the door to see Raiden sleeping outside her door with a baseball bat. She smiled softly and closed the door. She peeked under the bed to see if the monster was still there.
