Once again it seems I underestimate the reaction of the world around me. A young girl carrying me around like a cat was drawing a lot of attention to the two of us. Why? I had no idea. Other kids were doing the same thing it wasn't like it was something special. At least I don't think I was doing anything too peculiar. Yet a lot of people were staring at us at least the adults were. I didn't like the looks of greed on their faces. It filled me with disgust that grown men would look at a child with eyes like that. Talk about sick, if I were capable of breathing fire they would definitely get a face full of burns. Fortunately, when I focused my gaze on them, they looked away because they were caught staring. I'm thankful this child is at the oblivious age to not realize how filthy the world is yet, but it does make me worry for her. If they are looking at her like that now, it's only a matter of time before they do something stupid.

[This is my house.]

I turned my head towards the house she points at as she sets me down. It was a rather unimpressive building compared to the huge ones we passed on the way here, but it is a lot better than the houses back in my world. It looked far more put together and would likely be something a noble would have as a small summer cottage. However, it seems my assumption on that is wrong as the houses next door look similar yet are painted in a different color. The young girl's house is a rather garish and tacky shade of pink. Not even the nobility in my old world would wear such a color.

[I'm sure Momma and Poppa will love to meet you. Come on!]

Following along behind the girl and when she opened the door we were met with the gaze of one very upset looking adult. Upset adults typically equals problems and that is probably not good for my situation.

[Just where were you at young lady? Do you have any idea how worried we were when you didn't come home after school? Your friends said you'd run off into the forest on your own and didn't listen when they told you not to go inside. What actually went down.]

The guy's voice sounded odd. Definitely something about it was wrong in my head, but I couldn't exactly place it. It sounded colder than one would when it came to a parent addressing their child. Shifting my gaze to the girl she had looked rather guilty about something, but I couldn't determine about what and clearly the adult in the room didn't seem to know either judging by the look on his face. The guy sighed and crouched down to her level.

[I'm not mad Nora. Just tell me what happened so I can make it better okay?]

Nora hugged who I can only assume is her father figure and started blubbering about how mean the other kids were to her today. From what I could glean from this is that Nora, and her parents haven't been living here long. The local kids deemed her as an easy target to pick on and were pretty sneaky about it to say the least. I've heard of hazing when knights joined an order, but these kids are savages compared to that. Lobbing rocks, putting tacks on her chair, dumping milk in her shoes.

Good god this girl needed a hug and more importantly protection from those vile savage children. It honestly made me want to hunt down those children and show them what fear truly is. I must have been making a growling like noise because both of them were looking at me now.

[Did you make a friend in the woods Nora?]

I shook myself and sat down puffing out my chest slightly like the trained hounds would have back home for ceremonies. I definitely should make a good impression on Nora's father. I should present myself in a dignified manner. I was doing my duty to bring the young lady home. I lock eyes with him and give him a firm nod. Through a few sniffles Nora tells her father about me, though she added things that definitely didn't happen like a child would who is trying to get a pet by telling him how cool a stray dog is to convince their parents to let them keep it. It is another punch to my bruised pride to be thought of as an animal like this.

Through Nora explaining how good I was at leading her back to town and that I let her pick me up and carry me when we got to town the man's gaze shifted onto me with a searching look. Like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. I suppose I would be skeptical too if my daughter brought home a fox and said, 'it led me out of the forest can I keep it?' I however continue to look him square in the eyes not wavering from the spot I am sitting in.

[That right... Okay, let's see how well he follows directions. Come closer and lay down.]

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

I tilt my head for a moment looking to Nora who gave me a smile. I got up onto my paws and moved a few steps closer within arm's reach of Nora and laid down my six tails curling to my right side and I rested my head on my forepaws keeping my eyes locked on the two of them. Nora's father looked from me to Nora and hummed.

[Nora, you try telling him to do something.]

Nora blinked and looked at her father, scrunching up her face thinking for a moment. After a moment she seemed to have thought of something.

[Could you please close the door?]

I stood up and turned around immediately looking at the door that was left open and frowned. The door opened outwards so I would have a bit of difficulty doing that. However, I am competent, I would not let the lack of hands or height stop me from closing the door. I pushed the door with my paw to determine how heavy the door was. I could push it, good. I moved my way to a window, pawed the at the manual latch keeping it locked open, leveraged my body against the sill and pushed the window open far enough to get outside. I jump out the window go to the door and push it closed. I move back to the window, jump back up and through the window before pushing the window closed with a bit of effort pawing and nosing the latch closed. Once that was done, I moved right back to where I was laying down and sat there looking at them.

Nora was practically ecstatic, her father looked surprised and perhaps a bit concerned. I suppose advanced problem solving wasn't something wild Pokémon could normally do. Then again, I wouldn't exactly know too much about that. The only wild Pokémon I had encountered were really angry bees and a rat looking one that I didn't really have the time to talk to because of said bees. Heck, I don't even know if it was possible to talk to them at all.

Nora's father sighed softly when Nora turned her hope filled gaze at her father. A more lethal weapon than any blacksmith could craft was unleashed by Nora, the bane to every father's existence the puppy dog eyes. I could feel the man crack under that look. I internally smirked, the puppy dog eyes were a weapon that felled many knights. I myself was one of them. A child looking at you with those big round eyes, pleading and hoping with all their heart that you'll say yes. You know it's a losing battle as well, because if you say no, they look at you like a kicked puppy so sad and hurt that you wouldn't be able to bare it.

[I think it's okay, but you'll have to ask momma when she gets home. Okay kiddo?]

The sheer joy that crossed Nora's face as she attempted to hug the stuffing out of her dad was an endearing sight. It makes me regret not having a child of my own back in my past life. I shake my head before I let my mind wonder into dangerous territory. I shouldn't worry about how to go about having kids of my own in this life. If it becomes a relevant topic in the future I will think about it. Now is not that time.

=================

Meeting Nora's mother Sherry was an experience. She gushed about how cute I was and that I was something special. It was something I couldn't wrap my head around until Nora's father, who I found out was called Tom, seemed to elaborate that my fur was indeed a different color from what is normal for my species. I learned a bit more about how I was different and that the official terminology was 'Coloration Variant' but the more used term is 'Shiny.' Supposedly shiny Pokémon are so rare that people pay exorbitant amounts of money for them to add them to collections.

I was getting something called a Pokéball tomorrow and being registered as Nora's Pokémon. I could have ended up in some collection instead of here. I kind of wish God had filled me in about this world in more detail. Perhaps that's why Nora and I were getting so many stares on the way here... It wasn't because they were sick perverts, okay some of them might have been but it wasn't for Nora... it was for me and the thought of that made me shutter. I guess this is how the maiden's feel when being ogled at like an object.

I was let into Nora's room and slept on a pillow she had set on the floor for me. This child is so sweet. It makes me wonder why those kids were being so mean to her and how she ended up in the forest in the first place. If she was as nice to me as she was to them then what could possibly possess them to act that way? I should forget it for now. I won't be able to come up with a solution to those questions now anyway.

The upcoming morning had me waking up to a really nice smell coming from outside the room. It seemed pretty early in the morning judging on the sky outside the window. Looking to Nora I huff jumping onto the bed and starting to push her shoulder with my front paws. It seemed to work cause she opened her eyes and stared at me. Nora blinked as if confused for a moment before smiling like a kid on Christmas morning. She was definitely excited and I found myself being carried into the kitchen by said hyperactive child.

The heavenly smell of breakfast was on full blast in here. The smell of batter, eggs and grease of cooked meat that made my mouth water. Gods I really missed bacon. It's heavenly smell that was a rare treat during the rough times the land had found itself in before I died.

To my emence joy and happiness I was given some bacon and eggs mixed with this odd bite sized kibble. I wasn't sure what it was but it tasted a fusion of the berries I found in the woods and something I couldn't quite place but it tasted alright. I actually licked the bowl I was given clean and upon meeting the eyes of Sherry I bowed my head thanking her for the meal. The woman smiled at me and then glared at Nora who was attempting to sneak me another piece of bacon but did it anyway when she looked away. Such a kind child, I was going to roast those bullies alive. It may sound unknightly but this child is an angel harming her is akin to kicking a puppy or kitten. I'd be damned to hell if I stay back and did nothing about it.