Pail darted towards the sound first. His fluffy wings were flapping behind him to help him go faster, but all that accomplished was making him far less aerodynamic. “Come on, mister! That sounds like a doggy! We gotta help it!”

  Norman followed closely behind, taking long strides to keep up with the frantic running of Pail’s little legs. He didn’t care for the supposed dog; he even felt that approaching it was a bad idea in case it was being attacked by a predator, but being left alone in the forest without his guide felt like an even worse idea. He made a plan to pick up Pail and dart as fast as possible if there really was a beast waiting for them. A terrible plan considering his 3 stamina points.

  “I would advise you to be careful. It might be dangerous.” Felt like an adequate warning to Norman, but it went through one of Pail’s ears and out the other. As expected.

  Pail finally came face to face with whatever was making the noise. It was a jackal-like creature with large ears and a long, flowy tail. The creature’s hind legs were pinned below a fallen tree. It must’ve been rotten on the inside and fell over when the critter tried to climb it. Despite being the size of a Dobermann, it looked very pitiful as it howled for the pack that abandoned it.

  “Mister! We gotta help it! It’s jus’ a puppy! It’s gonna be okay, lil’ puppy! Mister is gonna help ya!” Pail pet the creature as gently as he could. The jackal-like animal bared its teeth at him, but Pail interpreted the gesture as a smile of gratitude instead of a sign of aggression.

  Norman put his hands on his hips as he tried to grasp the situation. This animal seemed like a canine, and canines live in packs. If Pail is right, and this really was a puppy, there should be a pack desperate to get it out. The fact that it was alone meant that it was abandoned, and if it was an abandoned puppy, then he couldn’t just free it and walk away.

  His choices were to either leave the puppy here to die while looking like a heartless monster to Pail. Save the puppy and let it free in the forest, where it would eventually starve or get eaten by predators. Or, the most humane yet inconvenient option—save the puppy and take it with them. Norman rubbed his temples in frustration. None of the options seemed like a good idea.

  [EMPATHY IS A FUNNY THING, ISN’T IT?]

  “That it is. Could you tell me more about this thing, please?” Norman needed more information to decide on what to do. If this was a species of animal that feasted on human flesh, then he’d leave it without a second thought—no matter how cute it was.

  [IT LOOKS LIKE A JUVENILE HULI JING. HULI JING ARE SHAPESHIFTING CREATURES BORN BETWEEN A FOX AND A BENEVOLENT SPIRIT. THIS PARTICULAR SPECIMEN IS TOO YOUNG TO MAKE USE OF IT’S POWERS.]

  Ah. That was an inconvenient bit of information. If this was truly a spirit beast, then he couldn’t just leave it here. Norman felt like doing so would bring a curse or ill omen on him, so he would take care of it to the best of his ability. Well, if it would even survive after being pinned under a tree for who knows how long.

  “Alright. Back up a bit. I will try to get it out. I cannot promise that it will survive, but I will do my utmost to make sure it does.” Norman told Pail, being sure to set realistic expectations. The last thing he wanted was for his guide to be too distraught over a dead fox to guide him properly.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Pail gave the Huli Jing a last pet before he did as he was told and stood behind a nearby tree. He gave the not-puppy a pair of encouraging thumbs up while he watched the rescue from afar. Meanwhile, Norman rolled up his sleeves and got ready to perform the rescue of the century.

  There was no way he was going to be able to lift a massive tree stump by himself with his measly strength stat. Luckily, he was a modern man with all of human history behind him. Taking a page out of his ancestor’s book, he found the sturdiest stick he could find and firmly wedged it under the tree. It made for a primitive yet effective lift.

  Norman put all his weight on the protruding stick. He didn’t weigh all that much, but the tree trunk yielded with a deep groan. It lifted just enough for the Huli Jing to squirm its way out from danger and onto the forest floor. The stick Norman was standing on snapped right as the kit’s tail made it out of the danger zone, narrowly avoiding crushing it to pieces. Both Pail and the kit let out a yelp of surprise at the loud snapping noise. Norman silently fell on his ass, not so much as letting out a gasp.

  +1 SP

  SP. Norman remembered that from his status. It had something to do with saving people’s lives. If he got a point for this spirit fox, then it would probably be fine. He didn’t really know how the whole SP system worked, but that was something to figure out when he was out of this very inconvenient situation.

  The Huli Jing was shaken, but other than that, it seemed miraculously unharmed. Even Norman had to admit that it was a very beautiful animal. Its fur was a mystical blue color that seemed to get lighter at the extremities. It had golden eyes that seemed to shift like desert sands and a long, misty tail that dissipated into smoke at the tip. It was the size of a large dog and would probably grow to the size of a horse as it aged.

  Pail, ignoring the kit’s wariness, quickly wrapped his arms around its neck. The creature looked around in confusion as the child rubbed his face against its chest fluff, but it made no effort to bite or struggle free. It seemed it understood that it had been saved by these people.

  “I’m so glad ya aren’t hurt too bad!” beamed Pail while nuzzling closer to the wild animal. “I don’t got a clue if ya’re a boy or a girl, but ya look real purdy so I’m gonna name ya Pretty!” Pail seemed very proud of his horrible naming sense, but it’s not as if Norman expected him to do any better.

  Pretty gave him a yip of approval, happy to have been given a name. It curled its tail around Pail in a gesture of affection before hoisting him up on its back, making the boy squeal in delight. “Look! Look, mister! Pretty wants to come with us! We gotta take ‘em!”

  “As long as they behave, I guess it’s fine.” Norman was planning to take Pretty with him no matter what, but he felt that giving an impression of reluctance would give Pail a good reason to look after the creature. He would leave Pretty with the boy when he dropped him off at the orphanage, so strengthening their relationship would be a good thing in the long run.

  While Norman was resting from his strenuous workout (walking for an hour and lifting a slightly heavy object), Pail and Pretty did what children of all species do best: play. It was clear that neither the kit nor the boy had socialized with other children of their species before, as their games amounted to little more than running after each other. Perhaps because of this isolation, they bonded remarkably quickly.

  The trees kept getting sparser and sparser the further east they walked. Norman even spotted old bootprints every now and then. They were definitely getting closer to civilization, and Norman couldn't wait to get a hot bath and a change of clothes. A proper meal and a drink wouldn’t be so bad either.

  Pail, however, looked wary. He kept a tight grip on Pretty's fur, and his tanned face seemed paler than before. His eyes darted all over the place before resting on Norman, the first adult who had been kind to him.

  “Mister… are ya gonna leave me n’ Pretty in the forest once ya find ya way out?” Pail stammered; his voice was weak and shaky. He didn't want to be left alone, not when he knew how nice people could be. Even if his bar for niceness was very low.

  Norman looked at the boy with an unreadable expression, not because it contained a mix of emotions but because it contained none. He didn't understand why Pail thought he would leave him there. That would make him a bad citizen. The logical thing to do would be to leave the child with the proper authorities.

  “Don't worry. I will not leave you until we have found someplace you can be taken care of.” Norman responded with his usual flat tone. He gave the impression of someone uncaring but dependable, which wasn't far from the truth.

  After that, Pail's mood lightened, even though he remained quiet. Norman couldn't blame him, as he could imagine the kid having a lot to think about. The silence was a peaceful break from the very eventful day. Well, eventful by Norman’s standards. The peaceful atmosphere continued for a while, until it was broken by Savant.

  [THERE IS A ROAD UP AHEAD]