Two years passed, years in which Akira lived the worst days of his life, far from his mother. Nothing changed in Filippo's house except that insults became normal, and beatings became part of the routine. Filippo saw him as a heavy burden, something forced on him, never something he chose.
But this day was different. Not because it was better… but because it was the beginning of a new kind of suffering. It was his first day of school. Filippo didn't send him out of care or a wish to give him a normal life, but simply to keep him away from the house for as long as possible, to rid himself of Akira's presence.
Akira left alone, his bag slightly bigger than his thin body, his clothes are neat. He walked silently toward the nearby elementary school, head lowered. He already knew the other children wouldn't like him. He knew his appearance alone was enough to make him a target. Even so, he had no other choice.
When he entered the schoolyard, it was full of noise and laughter. Children running, gathering, talking freely… a world he never felt he belonged to. After only a few steps, the stares began. They didn't need long to see what made him different.
One child pointed at him in front of a group and said:
"Look at that kid. Do you see those ears and that tail?"
Akira froze for a second, then kept walking as if he hadn't heard. His eyes stayed fixed on the ground, trying to become invisible. But the laughter grew louder, and footsteps came closer.
Another child said in a mocking tone:
"Are you a wolf or a human? Do you really think you belong in our school?"
They were older than him. Some from higher grades, taller, stronger, louder, more confident. That's why he was an easy target. They slowly surrounded him. Laughter, whispers, cruel words thrown without thought. Akira tried to ignore them, clenched his small fists, but felt tears gathering in his eyes. He tried to stop them, bit his lip, but his body betrayed him.
Then small stones began to fall near his feet. One hit his leg. Another struck his bag.
They laughed more. One of them suddenly came from behind and grabbed his tail, pulling it hard. A short cry of pain escaped Akira without meaning to. His body stiffened, bending forward instinctively. The children laughed even louder, as if they had found a new game.
One of them said mockingly:
"Look! His tail is real!"
Another pulled his tail again, even harder. Sharp pain shot through his small body, his legs trembling. He tried to turn away, to escape, but someone else shoved him by the shoulder and he fell to the ground. Their laughter surrounded him from every side.
One of them laughed and said:
"Don't cry! Wolves don't cry, right?"
Akira lay on the ground, his small hands gripping the dirt, his tail still in their hands, his ears trembling. The tears finally fell without resistance. He didn't cry loudly, but in broken silence, his breaths uneven, his body curling in on itself, trying to protect what little it could in a world with no mercy.
After school ended, Akira returned home with heavy steps. His small body ached in many places, but what weighed on his chest more was that suffocating feeling of helplessness. He opened the door slowly and entered without a sound. He placed his bag near the door, then lifted his eyes hesitantly toward the living room.
Filippo was sitting on the couch, a cigarette between his fingers, eyes fixed on the TV, uninterested in anything else. He didn't look at Akira, didn't ask him anything, didn't even seem to notice he existed. Akira stood by the wall, hesitant, his voice barely coming out.
"Dad… today at school…"
The moment Filippo heard his voice, he cut him off without looking, his tone harsh and dry:
"Don't bother me. Be quiet, or go to your room."
Akira froze. No other words came out. He turned silently and walked to his room. He closed the door softly, but the moment he was alone, he broke.
Tears slid down his cheeks without a sound. He sat on the floor, his back against the bed, pulling his knees to his chest. They weren't only tears of sadness. Something else came with them… something burning. Old anger, buried, piling up year after year. A feeling of betrayal from everything around him: a father who never saw him as a son, a world that saw him only as a monster, and children who made him hate his own existence.
He clenched his teeth. His voice came out low and broken, filled with bitterness:
"I won't be weak anymore! I won't let them insult me! I'll make them feel pain the way they made me feel! I'll kill every child who hurts me. I'm not human, I'm a werewolf, I'm stronger than all of them!"
The words sounded more like a dark vow than a threat. A vow born from pain, not strength.
The next morning, Akira woke before sunrise. His eyes were swollen, the traces of crying still clear, but something had changed in his gaze. That childish hesitation was gone. Anger sat quietly in his chest.
He stood in front of the small mirror in his room. He stared at his reflection for a long time, at his ears, his eyes, at the face others had taught him to hate. Then he clenched his fist and said in a sharp voice, unlike his usual one:
"Today I won't be the weak child. Today I'll make them feel what I felt. Today they'll see who Akira is."
When Akira arrived at school, he felt the children's eyes stick to him as always, but something about him was different today. He didn't lower his head. He didn't cling to the walls. He walked into the yard with steady steps and held his head high. His red eyes weren't openly furious… they were controlled, as if his anger was locked behind a thin door, waiting for one push to break.
In class, Akira sat in the front seat. Behind him, quiet whispers began.
"Are his ears real?"
"My mom said wolves live in the forest."
"Does he bite?"
Then one of the children leaned forward and tugged at the tip of Akira's tail with curiosity.
"Wow… his tail moves!"
Another child laughed:
"He looks funny."
Akira tried to ignore them. A pencil case fell from behind, hitting the floor near his foot.
"Sorry… it fell by accident."
One of the children said in an innocent tone, unaware of the weight of his words:
"My mom said people like him shouldn't be with us… because they're dangerous."
Akira froze in place. The sentence pierced his head. For the first time, he slowly turned and looked straight at them. Before anyone could understand what was happening, Akira suddenly lunged forward. It wasn't a calculated attack, but an explosion. His mouth opened, his sharp fangs clearly visible, and he bit the arm of the child who had said it.
The child burst into tears:
"Aaah! That hurts! Stop!"
The entire class panicked. Screaming, chairs scraping, children backing away in fear. Akira was panting, his body shaking, his eyes still glowing. He finally released the child's arm and stepped back, as if he himself hadn't fully realized what he had done.
He looked at the crying child, then raised his head toward the others. His voice came out rough and trembling:
"Now you know who I really am!"
He didn't wait for a response. He turned and ran out of the classroom. Silence filled the room for a few seconds, then the noise exploded.
"He's a monster! We can't let him stay here!"
"Akira, stop! We didn't do anything to you!"
"You're crazy!"
The teacher stood frozen, unsure whether to run after him or try to calm the children. Akira rushed down the hallway, his chest rising and falling, a strange heat running through his body. He didn't feel the guilt he expected, but something closer to a bitter thrill. For the first time, he wasn't the one bowing his head or fleeing in silence. For the first time… he fought back.
He dashed through the corridor, the classroom door still open behind him to the sound of children screaming and crying. The teacher ran out after him.
She shouted while running:
"Akira! Come back here right now! This is unacceptable behavior! You must return to class and apologize immediately!"
He didn't look back. He didn't really hear her. His feet were moving on their own. In the long hallway, a group of older students stopped. They saw him running, his hair is messy, his face is flushed with anger, his fangs still visible because he hadn't thought to hide them. They exchanged looks.
One of them said in a low but audible voice:
"Did you see his face?"
Another stared in shock:
"He has sharp fangs, like a vampire!"
A third stepped closer, his eyes are wide:
"He looks like a monster!"
Akira burst out of the school gate and ran across the street without looking back. He didn't stop until the house stood in front of him. He threw the door open and rushed inside, his breathing uneven, his heart pounding violently in his chest.
Filippo was there. Standing in the living room, a cigarette between his fingers, anger clear on his face even before he spoke. The moment he saw Akira, he exploded.
He shouted as he moved towards him:
"You're a disgrace to me! Is this what I taught you? To bite children at school? Are you crazy?! What were you thinking?!"
Akira tried to hold himself together, but the tears came before his voice:
"I can't take them anymore, Dad! They were mocking me and hitting me, and I just… I wanted to make them stop!"
Filippo raised his hand sharply, his voice is growing harsher:
"And you think you'll get away with this? You filthy human monster!"
He didn't give him time. He suddenly grabbed Akira's arm and punched him hard in the face. Akira slammed into the ground, blood filling his mouth, his face swelling almost instantly.
Filippo shouted:
"You're punished, and you won't get food for two days! Do you understand?!"
Akira lifted his head with difficulty, his eyes full of tears, but his voice came out steady, unlike before:
"I… I hate you, Dad… I hate you all!! Go to hell, all of you!!"
Filippo froze for a moment, his eyes are widening.
"What did you say?!"
Akira slowly stood up, his body shaking with pain and anger, but he didn't back away.
"I said I hate you! I hate you, and I hate all of you! Why do I have to be here? Why do I have to live with you? Why am I… why am I everything to you except your son?"
The words poured out of him violently, as if they had been waiting for this moment for years.
Filippo tried to control himself, his voice is still burning:
"You… you don't know what you're saying! I never asked you to be here, but you came to me! I was never ready to raise you, you monster!"
Akira stood straight despite the pain, his eyes are shining with fury.
"And you were never a father! I don't need you! I can live on my own! And I will live far away from you! Far away from all of you, you bastards!"
He suddenly turned and rushed toward the door.
Filippo shouted, trying to catch him:
"Akira! Stop! Where do you think you're going?!"
But Akira was faster. He opened the door and ran into the street, running without direction, his heart pounding wildly, his mind drowning in chaos. He didn't know where he was going… but he was sure of one thing.
Running away… was the only choice.