The All Powerful Mutt Tamer

Chapter 4

When the morning sun finally poked through the cracks in the wooden wall, the smoke vanished as if it had never been there. 

The hairless, shivering mutt was gone.

In its place stood a beast that looked like it had been carved out of a solid block of obsidian.

 Its fur was pitch-black and so dense it seemed to absorb the very light hitting it. It was lean, its muscles rippling like coiled springs under its skin. 

Its tail was long and tipped with a tuft of fur that looked like a flickering flame of shadow. When it opened its eyes, they were two glowing violet slits that burned with a terrifying intelligence.

[Evolution Complete: Shadow Stalker.] [Rank: Bronze (Growth Phase)] [Special Trait: Void Stealth — The beast can blend into the shadow of its tamer.]

The beast stepped forward, its paws making no sound on the creaky wood. It nudged Alex’s hand. Its fur felt like cool, heavy silk, but Alex could feel the raw, electric power humming underneath. He stood up, his height feeling different, his presence heavier. He wasn't just a scholarship student or an intern anymore. He was a tamer.

"Let's go," Alex said, his voice sounding deeper to his own ears. "It’s time to wash some paws."

Alex led the Shadow Stalker toward the main training grounds. 

He commanded the beast to stay in his shadow, and it disappeared instantly, turning into a patch of darkness that followed his heels. 

To anyone watching, Alex was walking alone, the same pathetic beggar they had mocked the day before.

He hadn't reached the central fountain before a massive wall of muscle blocked his way.

"Hey! Trash-tamer! Stop right there!"

Kael, Chris’s best friend and the academy’s most notorious bully, stood there with a malicious grin. 

Beside him was a Flame Lion, its mane spitting sparks of aggressive fire. The beast was nearly the size of a small carriage, its golden eyes fixed on Alex as if he were a piece of meat.

A crowd of students quickly gathered. They didn't want to miss a chance to see Alex get humiliated again. Elara was there too, standing at the edge of the circle, her arms crossed and her face a mask of bored pity.

"My lion just finished a training hunt, and his paws are filthy," Kael shouted, his voice booming so everyone could hear. 

He pulled a greasy, muddy rag from his belt and tossed it at Alex’s chest. "Get on your knees and scrub him. It's the only thing a trash tamer is good for. Do it well, and maybe I’ll let you eat the leftovers from his bowl."

The crowd erupted in cruel snickers.

"Go on, Alex! The lion's waiting!"

"Don't keep the noble beast dirty!"

Alex caught the rag. He looked at the greasy cloth, then at Kael’s arrogant, red face. He didn't move.

"You want me to wash your cat, Kael?" Alex asked, his voice smooth and dangerously calm. "Why? Are you too busy being Chris’s shadow to do it yourself? I didn't know you were the designated groomer for the Hummer family."