While his brother and father worked hard, Fufu lived an extremely leisurely life in the ancient castle.
After Hickson left, Rainno quickly cleared out the flower beds with Fufu, planted new roses and other flowers and plants, and sowed a bunch of new strawberry seeds.
To let these plants get sunlight, Rainno even specially adjusted the protective barrier so that the area around the castle was no longer stuck at twilight brightness, but instead matched the outside world—only slightly filtering the light at noon so the midday sun wouldn't be too harsh.
To help his roses and Fufu's strawberries grow better, he also studied quite a bit of gardening knowledge, buying a large pile of fertilizer and insecticide, and fussing over the little seedlings in the yard with a flurry of activity.
But those plants didn't thrive as he'd expected. Instead, they turned yellow and spindly, and a few were even burned to death by the fertilizer, which left Rainno extremely frustrated.
In the end, it was Fufu who pulled out a planting tip he'd learned from the cub channel—talk to the plants every day.
First greet them, then compliment them, then sing to them. If the plants heard these things, they'd grow fast and well.
Rainno was rather speechless at this so-called tip.
The special fertilizer he'd bought from the wood elf didn't even work—how could this talk therapy possibly be useful?
But he quickly swallowed the complaint that was about to come out of his mouth.
Plain and simple—he also wanted to see the little cub standing there every day with a serious face, greeting the little strawberries and singing to them…
Whether the strawberries would grow well was uncertain, but this old father of his was guaranteed to thrive with happiness and regain his youth just from watching.
So he didn't discourage Fufu at all. Instead, he even fooled the cub into thinking that different plants needed different compliments, that the compliments should change every day, and that the songs should be switched up every few days to keep the strawberry babies from getting bored.
And so, Rainno got to watch the cub stand in the garden every day, shaking his fluffy little head, earnestly rearranging his limited vocabulary to shower the little strawberries with the most sincere praise.
It made Rainno's whole heart go soft, and he'd pretend to be seriously supervising while telling Fufu he was doing well, all while secretly recording videos and sending them to Hickson, calling it "training the cub's expressive abilities."
When Hickson saw them, he could only feel helpless.
Although it did seem to train his expressive abilities, wasn't all this practice just praise words?
What if Fufu went out later and got into an argument with someone but had no words to use? Wouldn't that be a loss?
He imagined the scene—his Fufu getting into a fight with someone, but only able to stick out a thumb and say, "You're really something, you're the best, most obedient, most spirited little strawberry."
Hmm, didn't seem like much of a loss after all…
So Hickson just let them do their thing.
But unexpectedly, half a month later, the half-dead little strawberries and little roses actually sprouted verdant branches and thick green leaves. Even the ones that hadn't germinated before quietly pushed out tender shoots, and some were even starting to form flower buds…
For the first time, the vampire's garden was so full of life.
Whether it was the delayed effect of the fertilizer or the cub's talk therapy actually working, no one could say.
In any case, Fufu was very satisfied, and every day he did his talk therapy with even more enthusiasm.
However, life in the ancient castle was inevitably lonely.
Back when he lived with Hickson, although most of the time he was only with his brother, his brother would take him to all sorts of novel places and introduce him to people he'd never met before, so Fufu never felt bored.
But here, although the castle was huge, it was always empty and quiet. As time passed, it inevitably got a little dull.
Especially when Papa was busy with work, Fufu could only play with his toys by himself, and after a little while, that got boring too.
But his brother always said that Fufu was a very independent cub, and independent cubs naturally find their own fun.
Fufu quickly discovered the most entertaining thing in this castle—the werewolf butler with big black furry ears.
Yes, to a cub, this tall werewolf butler was quiet and elusive, appearing and disappearing mysteriously. Even though he clearly didn't have spatial abilities, he always popped up suddenly in inconspicuous corners… It was simply too amusing!
And so, searching the entire castle for traces of Uncle Uther became Fufu's favorite new game.
Every time he found him, he would stretch out his claws and let out a loud "Awoo!"
The werewolf butler would get a fright, flattening both big wolf ears back, then instinctively tuck away his swishing furry tail and flee in a panic to find the next hiding spot.
Then Fufu could start a new round of searching.
The castle was huge, and the werewolf butler hid in a different spot every time, always in particularly tricky places, which made Fufu search with utter fascination, never tiring of the game.
Until one day, when Fufu once again successfully located the werewolf butler's hiding place, Uther didn't get startled and hurry away as usual. Instead, he stood in place, his gaze coldly fixed on Fufu.
The pale light of the crystal chandelier fell upon his hair, casting a shadow across his tense face, and his eyes were hidden within that shadow, staring unblinkingly at Fufu.
Fufu suddenly felt that Uncle Uther today seemed different from usual…
But Fufu didn't sense anything wrong; he was just puzzled as to why the other wasn't hiding anymore. "Uncle?"
The next second, Uther suddenly closed in, reached out with his big hand, and scooped Fufu up in one motion.
His way of carrying the cub was extremely rough—he gripped Fufu under both armpits with his large hand, holding him up like a cat. This made Fufu uncontrollably tuck in his neck, looking completely dazed.
Before he could react, Uther was already carrying him up the stairs with long strides, walking to the narrow staircase at the end of the fourth-floor corridor and entering a dim attic.
Fufu was dropped onto the ground and curiously looked around, wondering why the other had brought him here.
"Uncle…"
He had just opened his mouth when suddenly he heard loud "bang bang bang" sounds behind him!
The werewolf butler crouched on the ground, opened a low cabinet against the wall, and took out one heavy glass jar after another.
The glass jars were large and thick—two stacked together were almost as tall as Fufu, making him look like a miniature dwarf.
Inside the jars, layer upon layer, were filled with a thick, sticky black-red substance that was impossible to identify.
Fufu was a little curious and was about to move closer to look when Uther grabbed a jar and crouched down in front of him, twisting the lid off with his big hand—
The next second, a rich, sweet fragrance rushed at him.
Fufu couldn't help but let out a "Wow."
He immediately leaned in. In the dim light, the contents of the jar gleamed with a pale golden honey hue, and a fresh fruity tartness mingled with sweet floral fragrance wafted continuously from within.
It was a whole jar of honey-preserved dried fruit!
Uther's big tail swayed back and forth, but his voice was muffled, deeper than usual:
"Moonshadow Planet specialty, delicious, for you."
He pinched one out from the jar.
Fufu's mouth was practically watering: "Thank you, Uncle!"
He took the dried fruit and popped it into his mouth.
The surface of the fruit was coated in honey—so fragrant and sweet! Fufu held it in his mouth for a good while before he could bear to bite into it.
But the moment he did, the sourness twisted his face into a scrunched-up mess. He didn't dare chew at all and hurriedly swallowed the fruit down.
Yet after swallowing, a fruity tang rose back up from his throat… it was truly captivating.
Fufu squinted his eyes, smacking his lips as he savored it: "So good…"
Seeing that Fufu liked it, Uther finally relaxed, and the cold, tense aura around him faded considerably. He pinched out another piece from the jar and handed it to Fufu.
This time, Fufu had learned his lesson—he didn't lick the honey off the fruit first, but bit straight into it.
A rich burst of fruity tartness exploded in his mouth, intertwining with the sweetness of the honey, weaving together into a vivid tapestry of birdsong and blossoms.
Fufu squinted his eyes in bliss.
"I want more…"
Uther pushed the jar toward him, signaling he could help himself, then opened a few other jars: "These are pecans, these are blueberries, and this is chocolate…"
Fufu: "Uncle, you're the best—"
The werewolf butler's tail wagged even faster.
And so, that afternoon, Fufu neither went to disturb Daddy at his work, nor video-called his brother, nor roamed the castle in search of fun spots. Instead, he stayed hidden in the dim attic, sampling all sorts of delicious Moonshadow Planet specialties alongside Uther.
Normally, his snacks were strictly rationed—his brother always checked the ingredient list and net weight, calculating exactly how much he could eat; Daddy was a bit more lenient, but still wouldn't let him eat freely.
So Fufu and Uncle Uther shared a silent understanding to keep their sneaky snacking a secret. Uther would even use a little handkerchief to wipe Fufu's mouth clean, and it became their shared secret.
But the secret was soon exposed—
Rainno noticed that Fufu's dinner intake was shrinking day by day, and that he was only drinking water, skipping proper meals.
He told Hickson about it, and the two men who hadn't raised a cub in over a century studied the matter over a video call, concluding that Fufu likely had a digestive problem and needed to see a doctor immediately.
However, when Hickson contacted his friend Winster to make an appointment, the other man listened to his description—not eating, only drinking water, full of energy, normal bowel movements—and slowly offered a diagnostic direction:
"…Maybe first check whether he's been sneaking food somewhere?"
And so, Fufu and the werewolf butler's secret was exposed.
The result was that the cub, the werewolf butler, and Rainno—who had failed to keep an eye on the cub—all sat together in front of the video feed and got scolded by Hickson.
He emphasized the importance of balanced nutrition, ruled that they could have at most three to five pieces of dried fruit a day to satisfy cravings, and warned Fufu that eating too many snacks would stunt his growth—scaring Fufu so much that he never dared to overeat again.
Rainno also reflected on the matter, concluding that Fufu was simply too bored and lacked activities, which was why he had turned snacking into a form of entertainment.
He discussed it with Hickson and Uther. Although Fufu could only stay within the Castle Barrier for safety reasons in the near future, the estate surrounding the castle still had plenty of space, so they could arrange some outdoor activities for him.
So Rainno and Uther first cleared the courtyard near the castle, opening up a large activity area in the yard. They planted flowers and grass, replaced worn-out sections with new fixtures, redecorated the gloomier spots, and set up a swing, a slide, a small sandpit, and a mini ball court in the yard.
Rainno even bought Fufu an electric toddler car so he could drive it around the yard for fun.
Not only that, Rainno and Uther also set a schedule, taking turns to accompany Fufu during different time slots. That way, even if they had work to do, the cub wouldn't be left without company.
This request put Uther in a difficult spot.
He had originally come to the Capital Star alone and taken a quiet, low-key job precisely because he was too introverted to fit into the atmosphere of the werewolf community.
And now he was being asked to take care of a cub.
Of course, he adored Fufu, but every time the cub snuggled up to him, he felt a bit at a loss.
Besides, how could someone like him—quiet, speaking barely three sentences a week—possibly raise a cub well? What if he ended up making the cub as withdrawn as himself?
But there were only two adults in the castle. The master of the house had work to handle, and there was no one else reliable to be found anytime soon. So he had no choice but to push through and reluctantly take Fufu out to play.
But he soon discovered that although Fufu was lively and energetic, he didn't demand much feedback from adults.
As long as he was given enough attention and kindness, the cub would happily ask and answer his own questions, playing contentedly on his own.
For the first time, Uther realized that not every cub needed adults to speak in that exaggerated, squeaky tone like on children's shows.
He learned that even someone as introverted as him could have a great time playing with a cub.
He began to care for Fufu in his own unique way.
So, every afternoon after that, during the hours when Rainno was busy with work, Fufu would follow the werewolf butler out of the courtyard to explore the grasslands and woods around the castle.
The estate was vast, but largely undeveloped. The surrounding meadows, forests, and even the back mountain retained their original, untouched scenery.
Uther knew the place like the back of his hand. He would lead Fufu through the woods, telling him which path to take to reach the stream.
He would have Fufu sniff various scents, teaching him which fruits were edible, which mushrooms could be picked and brought back, which flowers must never be touched, and which leaves could be woven into a cute little rabbit.
They even caught a small squirrel in the woods once. It loved holding sunflower seeds and gnawing on them, even spitting out the shells, which utterly delighted Fufu.
Unfortunately, Uther said they couldn't keep the squirrel for long—its teeth would keep growing until it couldn't eat anymore and starved to death.
So the next day, Fufu reluctantly held the cage and released the little squirrel back into the woods, even giving it an extra handful of sunflower seeds as a parting gift.
The forest was a treasure trove for a young pup. Fufu went to play every day, and every day he discovered something even more interesting. He also came home filthy every day, so exhausted by nightfall that he could barely keep his eyes open, and he grew healthier and sturdier by the day.
Rainno even claimed that Fufu had grown a whole notch taller since he'd taken over caring for him, insisting that his eyes were a perfect ruler and no measurement was needed. He paraded Fufu around in front of Hickson, showing off for quite a while.
Two weeks passed like this, until one day, Uther asked Rainno for leave. He said something had happened at home—his little nephew had gone missing, and he needed to help search for him.
Of course, Rainno understood.
Werewolves didn't have the same difficulty reproducing as vampires did, so their families tended to have more pups, and their approach to raising them was more rough-and-tumble.
But no matter how many there were, wasn't every little pup the apple of someone's eye? If Fufu ever went missing, he'd certainly do everything in his power to find him too.
So he granted the leave immediately, and even asked for a photo of Uther's nephew to spread around, asking the company's employees to keep an eye out.
After Uther left, Rainno also pushed back some of his work, spending as much time as possible playing with Fufu.
But sometimes he still couldn't keep watch over him, so he could only assign a robot butler to follow Fufu around, adopting a free-range parenting mode for the pup.
After all, no outsiders could get past the Castle Barrier, so there wasn't any real danger.
If anything did happen—a bump or a scrape—the AI would report it to him, and he could open a Spatial Rift and be there in an instant. He wouldn't let anything happen to his pup.
Fufu thought this was great too. After all, compared to staying home waiting for Daddy to finish work, he much preferred running around in the woods.
But playing alone for so long, picking flowers and grass started to lose its charm. Fufu still missed Uncle Uther.
He even used Daddy's phone to call Uncle Uther.
Unfortunately, Uncle said his nephew still hadn't been found, and he'd need a few more days before he could come back. Fufu could only continue enduring the loneliness, playing by himself.
One day, Fufu stuffed a pouch full of snacks and headed to the forest again.
He plucked a few blades of grass, then sat on a big rock, weaving little rabbits out of grass while munching on snacks.
He made several in a row. Holding the woven grass rabbit, Fufu suddenly let out a sigh.
If only there were real rabbits.
The picture books all said there would be rabbits in the forest, so why had he never seen one?
He'd only seen them in videos. Little rabbits were so cute, all fluffy. His favorite was white, but yellow was nice too—he wondered if there were pink ones.
Just as Fufu was thinking this, he suddenly heard a rustling sound from the bushes not far away.
Fufu glanced over and froze instantly.
Among those bushes, a pair of big, fluffy white ears had popped up…
A rabbit!
There really was a rabbit!!