"Kree!"
"Raar!"
"..."
The three beasts of Azael were busy following the instructions left by their master companion.
Or, at least, they were attempting to.
Mantislayer had taken the responsibility of clearing the upper corners of the ranch, his emerald scythes moving with surprising delicacy as he sliced through layers of old spiderwebs without damaging the wooden walls.
"Careful!" Azael called from below. "Don't cut the beams!"
"Kree!"
Mantislayer paused mid-swing and glanced downward.
"Yes, I'm talking to you."
The insect warrior slowly lowered his scythe.
Azael narrowed his eyes.
"You understood that?"
"Kree."
"...Good."
Azael turned away.
Behind him, Leonarch had apparently interpreted the instruction to clean the floor as an opportunity to demonstrate his strength.
The lion-like monster spread his wings and released a controlled gust.
Whoosh!
Dust rolled across the wooden floor in a thick wave.
Azael froze.
The dust cloud slowly reached his feet.
Then his knees.
Then his waist.
He stared into the brown haze.
"...Leonarch."
"Raar?"
"Come here."
The golden beast approached proudly, apparently expecting praise.
Azael pointed toward the floor.
"You were supposed to remove the dust."
Leonarch looked down.
Then back at Azael.
"Raar."
"Yes, I know."
Azael sighed.
"You technically moved it."
He crouched and dragged a finger across the floor.
"Unfortunately, you moved it from there..."
He pointed toward the other side of the room.
"...to here."
Leonarch's ears lowered.
Azael couldn't help but smile.
"Don't look like that. We'll figure it out."
The monster's tail immediately began wagging.
Azael shook his head.
"You're too easy to forgive."
A sudden metallic clatter came from the other side of the room.
Azael turned.
"Scarabian?"
The large beetle had discovered a stack of old wooden boxes.
Rather than moving them, Scarabian had apparently decided that the boxes were an excellent place to hide.
Only the rear portion of his carapace remained visible.
Azael stared.
"Are you hiding?"
Scarabian didn't move.
"Scarabian."
Nothing.
Azael folded his arms.
"I can see you."
The beetle slowly backed further into the boxes.
Azael's eyebrow twitched.
"You realize you're making yourself more obvious, right?"
The beetle stopped.
"Kree..."
"Don't 'kree' me."
Azael walked over and crouched beside the boxes.
"Come on. We need those moved."
Scarabian emerged reluctantly.
Azael pointed toward the boxes.
"Push."
Scarabian stared.
"Push."
The beetle looked at the boxes.
Then at Azael.
Then back at the boxes.
Finally, he lowered his body and rammed into them.
BAM!
The entire stack moved several feet.
Azael blinked.
"...Okay."
He slowly nodded.
"That works."
Scarabian looked pleased.
"Now do it again."
"Kree!"
The beetle immediately charged.
BAM!
Another stack moved.
Azael's expression brightened.
"See? You're useful."
Scarabian's wings vibrated proudly.
Across the room, Leonarch suddenly gave a roar.
"Raaaar!"
Azael looked over.
The golden lion had begun helping Mantislayer.
The two were working together surprisingly well.
Mantislayer sliced the tangled vines and webs hanging from the rafters while Leonarch used carefully controlled gusts to blow the debris toward the open doorway.
Azael watched them for several seconds.
"Huh."
For creatures that couldn't understand half of his instructions, they were beginning to figure things out themselves.
Perhaps they didn't need to understand every word.
Perhaps they only needed to understand the purpose.
Azael smiled.
"Good work, guys."
Mantislayer immediately raised both scythes.
"Kree!"
Leonarch gave a proud roar.
"Raar!"
Scarabian continued pushing boxes.
For the next several hours, the ranch slowly transformed.
The old furniture was dragged outside.
Broken wooden boards were separated from the usable ones.
Spiderwebs disappeared from the corners.
Dust was swept out through the windows.
The backyard was cleared of weeds and fallen branches.
Azael even discovered an old training post behind the house, half-covered by vegetation.
He brushed the leaves away.
"This could actually be useful."
Mantislayer approached and examined it.
"Kree."
"Yeah."
Azael tapped the wooden post.
"We'll repair it later."
The afternoon sun gradually moved across the sky.
Sweat gathered along Azael's forehead as he carried another box outside.
He placed it beside the growing pile and wiped his face with his sleeve.
"How is everyone doing?"
Mantislayer stood near the doorway, his carapace coated with a thin layer of dust.
Leonarch was lying beneath a tree, panting heavily.
Scarabian had disappeared again.
Azael looked around.
"...Where is Scarabian?"
Silence.
He slowly turned toward the backyard.
A small mound of dirt moved.
Azael stared.
"Scarabian."
The dirt stopped moving.
"You didn't."
A tiny portion of the beetle's shell emerged.
"Kree..."
Azael covered his face.
"You buried yourself."
The beetle slowly emerged from the soil.
Azael sighed.
"You know what?"
He pointed toward the ground.
"That's actually a good idea."
Scarabian tilted his head.
"After we're finished, we'll make you an underground training area."
The beetle's antennae immediately lifted.
"Kree!"
Azael smiled.
"Yeah. Something suitable for your species."
He looked across the ranch.
The place was still far from perfect.
The walls needed repairs.
The furniture was old.
The training field required work.
But compared to the morning...
It looked like an entirely different place.
Azael stood quietly for a moment.
This was his ranch.
Not the Bluestone estate.
Not a mansion provided by his family.
Not a temporary room in some expensive inn.
This was something he had chosen.
Something he would build himself.
He looked at his three monsters.
Mantislayer was cleaning his scythes.
Leonarch was resting beneath the tree.
Scarabian was already digging another hole.
Azael smiled.
"Maybe this isn't so bad."
"Kree."
"Raar."
"Kree!"
The three responded in their own ways.
Azael laughed softly.
"Alright."
He rolled his shoulders.
"We've cleaned enough for today."
Leonarch immediately stood up.
Azael pointed toward him.
"Don't celebrate yet."
The lion froze.
"We still need dinner."
Leonarch's expression brightened again.
Azael shook his head.
"Of course that's what gets your attention."
He walked toward the house, with the three monsters following behind.
The ranch was still rough around the edges.
But it was no longer abandoned.
It had noise.
It had life.
And, for the first time in years, it had someone calling it home.