103 The Stubborn Creature

During the next two days, no source of water appeared on my path. Though that was unlucky, there were some good news too. I saw loads of dark clouds forming in the sky. These were rain clouds, which meant water. 'I'll prepare a few bottles. If the rain is heavy enough, I should be able to collect enough water for a few days'. The rain fell before I made my shelter, but that didn't stop me from trying to collect it.

My method was simple too. Using a few large leaves positioned above the bottles, I only had to wait until the water filled them completely. Though the rain wasn't as heavy as I'd like, this was still better than nothing.

A few of my bottles got filled to a certain extent over the night, but the wind didn't help out much. Some of the bottles fell over, and spilled the water inside. " Four bottles full of water should last me a few days though. This is better than nothing or drinking my medicine. I'll need to cook the water before drinking it though".

Everything was wet, so starting a fire would be a nightmare. Fortunately, I learned to be prepared for such occasions, and stored the necessary materials inside my backpack. Once my water was boiled, I decided to use the fire to heat up my breakfast as well. "I wonder how far do I need to go, before the North appears?".

Without any maps, this was really hard to tell. The Endrosian Empire was bigger than the Great North, and that place alone was huge. Who knew how far those two idiots dragged me away. Maybe it'd take me another few months, if not more just to arrive at the border. "Either way, a water source is a must. With all my bottles filled, I'll be much calmer".

During the afternoon hours, I heard the same noise once again. A slight whine, which I almost forgot about. 'That has to be the same creature. So, it's following me after all'. Whatever it was, the creature hid within the tree crowns. Not only was it hard to locate, but even then catching it would be a massive task.

The creature didn't seem to have any malicious intentions. I didn't get that 'get away from it' vibe, as I did with the Elysian bird. The creature was really cautious though, it wouldn't approach me too closely. Always watching from afar, making it difficult to see what sort of creature it was. I knew it didn't have wings, because it would fly away instead going through the tree crowns.

I managed to learn something though. Whatever that creature was, it sort of looked like a wolf's tail. Long, furry but brown-ish in colour. That sort of thing reminded me of nothing. No such creature ever appeared on my path, but then again, I never claimed to know all the creatures in existence. The more baffling had to be its reason for following me. 'Are you tracking me? Keeping an eye on me? Or perhaps that's just simple curiosity?', I asked myself.

There was no way to tell, and I wasn't about to belittle it just because of its size. That creature followed me for the rest of that day, like the damned bird. "...Just what the hell do you want from me?!", I shouted a bit frustrated.

There were no Elysians in sight, nothing else seemed to follow me. The forest was rather quiet too. "Are you lost, or something? I don't know where I'm going, so get lost and leave me alone!", I added. The creature always got startled whenever I turned around, but shouting really scared it away. 'Great! Leave and don't return'. Happy about the development, I continued my search for the water.

The following day, that creature returned. I could hear a noise or two once in a while, playing on my nerves. Though admittedly, that thing could climb the trees better than Atols. With its agility and speed, that guy could travel between two trees in an instant. The creature might've been bad news, but a small river I found that day… The happiness of finding a river made me shed a tear or two.

"Water! Damn it took a long time", I exclaimed before rushing to check it out properly. The water looked clean, and fresh. Just to make sure, I'd boil it as well but it looked alright to me. With the remaining rainwater emptied from my bottle, I filled all of them with the water from the river. "... Haaah, now I can relax a bit". There was no way I'd move from that place for a while. Take advantage of happiness while it lasts. Who knew when another source of water would appear again.

After taking care of my shelter, it was time for my dinner and plenty of water. "Arrf", a very quiet sound came from the distance, immediately grabbing my attention. "It's you again? What do you want from me? Get lost already, I'm not going to play your stupid games". That creature wasn't going away though, it actually got closer for the first time. "Arff", another bark-like sound came from the creature.

"What? Are you hungry? Heh, tough luck, this is my food. Find your own", I replied. "Arf, arff", the creature barked once again. I still couldn't see it, but that gave me an idea. "You want some? Then come out. I'll give you some, if you show yourself", I said, without realising the small creature actually understood me.

I remained oblivious to that fact, waiting for the creature to show up. Everything went quiet for a while, no barking or any movements were there to be observed. Then suddenly, the creature moved a bit closer then poked its head out. "Huh? Aren't you cute?", I asked really surprised. The creature had a small furry head, with two standing ears and clear black eyes that focused on the food in front of me.

"Arf", the creature barked quietly. "You only showed your head. That's not 'show yourself', is it? Come out and I promise to give you some food, alri… Wait a minute! You can understand me!", that was when I finally realised. "Arf, arf", the creature replied, but remained mostly hidden.

"I'm not going to bring you any harm, you have my word. If you followed me for food, then come out and I'll give you some. Deal?", I asked. The creature hesitated, but it was probably too hungry to refuse. "Wow, you are such a cute thing... Here, I promised, right? Although this meat is cooked, I hope that's fine with you", I said while throwing a few pieces towards it.

The creature looked at me suspiciously for a while, then slowly moved towards the food. I didn't try to catch it or anything. A promise was a promise, even to an animal. Besides, that thing understood me. This was the closest thing I had to a conversation in a long time. Something I really craved for.

The little creature had small legs, a tail and light brown furry coat. It was perhaps as long as my arm, but of course a bit fatter. I could see razor sharp teeth inside its mouth, as well as small claws slightly protruding from its paws. That thing looked sort of like a miniature wolf, but a bit more furry. The way it moved was also a bit different. Perhaps due to its length, the creature arched its back upwards a bit when running... In a sort of flowing way, like the waves in the sea. Moreover, it looked really cute and cuddly.

"I haven't seen anything like you inside this forest. You must be really rare", I said. When the creature heard that, it quickly backed off for some reason. 'Maybe that thing had previous encounters with Humans or perhaps Elysians. Otherwise, how could it understand me?', I asked myself. Though I couldn't deny one thing, that creature was quite intelligent. That little fellow didn't trust me at all. The creature sniffed and observed the food for a while, before actually eating it. Every move was cautious and calculated.

"Hey, you look like some sort of wolf, right? Why are you starving then? Can't you hunt your own food?", I asked curiously, even though the creature couldn't reply. Though it made some noises, I had no idea what it meant. Once the food was gone, it simply backed away but didn't leave completely. 'Are you planning on actually following me? I mean, this thing doesn't eat much, but why should I feed it?', I asked myself.

There were more concerning things on my mind, than some unknown creature in a large forest. Besides, how could it, when it didn't hunt? I had a feeling this creature had an owner, but got lost or something. There was a possibility it belonged to one of the two masters, but I had my doubts about that. The creature was real for sure, I refused to believe that illusions could actually act like that.

My journey north resumed the next morning, but the creature still followed me. Well, I had a supply of food with me, and shared it once with it. That thing probably assumed I'll be willing to share once more. During my stops, the creature would get close and ask for more food. "Hey, you are in the forest, right? Why don't you hunt, or eat fruits and… Oh right, the fruits and berries didn't grow yet…", I realised. This was the beginning of spring, the plants didn't have enough time to actually produce berries or fruits yet.

I also figured out why that thing couldn't hunt. The weakest animals were boars, sometimes weird spiky animals could be found, though I haven't encountered any for a long time. That creature couldn't really hunt, because everything was too strong. Moreover, other animals usually remained in groups. There was no way a small creature could take on a whole group of boars, and hunt something. This made me feel a bit bad for that little guy, but I wouldn't give it food for free.

"Alright, I can see why you have a food problem. I'll give you food, if you come over and let me have a look at you. I'm not going to harm you, I just want a company of... anything really. I've been lonely for so long, and you seem to understand me. I'll feed you, if you become my friend. How about it?", I asked.

The creature made a few sounds, but didn't approach. "That is my condition. If you don't believe me, you can find someone else to feed you", I added. The creature refused my deal and left. 'Well, that's a shame'. I wasn't heartless though. I'd leave some food for it, even though the creature didn't want to get close.

That guy didn't appear during the next day. 'Perhaps it gave up, and decided to actually get food by itself…', this made me regret my words a bit. Giving it some food wouldn't hurt me, and that creature couldn't really hunt by itself in such a dangerous forest. '... I kinda feel bad now, and the feeling will not go away. This forest made me selfish and uncaring'.

My attitude towards animals changed, after my journey inside that forest began. I usually saw them as food, or enemies. That guy, I didn't feel any bad intentions from the creature. There was no need to say such things, especially since it could understand me. '... Agh.. It's already late now. Searching for that guy now would be stupid, and probably impossible. I should go back tomorrow, and check. This guilt will never go away, if I don't'.

I got the campfire going, then took out some food. "Hey, come out! I'll give you some food, alright? Forget about before, so you can come out now", I tried calling out, but no creature appeared. 'Hah, it seems that guy really stopped following me'. I was right, but also wrong at the same time. About half an hour later, there was some noise inside the forest. I tried to figure out whether that creature returned, or a pack of wolves was trying to get close.

"Hey, is that you little creature? If you want food, I'll give you some. No need to come over… You must be hungry". I threw a few pieces of meat towards the direction of the noise. 'Heh, so it was that guy after a... ', my thought stopped suddenly, when I noticed a wound on the creature's back. 'That idiot tried to hunt something for real…', "... I have medicine with me. Come over here, I'll apply it. If you don't believe me, here, I'll show you", I said while taking out a bottle of medicine.

With the cork removed, a nice herbal fragrance spread around the area. "This is real medicine, and I'm not joking. You are hurt, so let me help you", I added. The creature growled a bit, but didn't get close. "Really? You prefer to be wounded, instead of actually trusting me this once? I'm not going to hurt you, I want to help you. Stop being so stubborn, and let me help you", I said, a bit annoyed.

"Arf, arf... ", the creature finally decided to get a bit closer, but watched my every move. "Here, I'll prove to you this isn't going to harm you", I said while taking out my dagger. The creature immediately backed off, but watched my every move attentively. "Watch", I said then cut my finger. "See, I have a wound, right? Now, I'll apply this medicine", I explained while slowly applying the medicine.

With the medicine applied to my finger, the bleeding stopped and the wound scabbed really quickly. "Medicine, right? This should be enough of a proof for you now, right? Come over, and let me have a look at your wound", I beckoned.