I had originally intended to explain only the very basics, that I had needed to pass through the territory of the wolf pack, but once I started talking, I just couldn't seem to stop. Maybe, even surrounded by all of these wonderful humans, I was a little more lonely and stressed than I had realized, and while it was obviously none of the business of the strange pair, everything just came bubbling out. I told them about my lost owner, about my awakening to the powers of a paladin, about all of my trials and tribulations up to this point, only finishing with my failed battles against the AbyssalWood Alpha. The only detail which I did make a point to leave out was that final ultimatum which the Alpha had given me on our last encounter, as I had figured that it wasn't really important.

"Well, why not just go and defeat him?" Vile asks, after having listened quite patiently to me talking for far too long.

"Weren't you listening?" I say, with more than a hint of annoyance in my voice. "I already tried that! He's strong. Really strong. Even with my paladin abilities, it's still not enough."

I sigh upon saying those words aloud. It's far from new information, of course, but it still hurts to admit.

"I was wondering about that... is it normal for a dog to become a paladin?" Slave asks her owner.

"I wouldn't know. I've always had more of an interest in sorcery." the rat replies. I have similar questions as to how normal it is for a rat to be able to use magic, but I figure that they aren't too relevant to the situation at hand. She looks back to me, "Anyways, we can help you! It's just a wolf. I can't imagine it would be a match for all three of us."

"No. This isn't your fight." I say, shaking my head. "I need to do this alone."

"Says who?" Vile asks, "Nobody can do everything on their own. Sometimes all of us need a little bit of help, and there's no shame in admitting it."

Slave nods in agreement. Hardly a surprise given their odd relationship. I'm about to argue with the rat, purely on reflex, but I manage to stop myself. She's completely right, after all. I'm not incredibly powerful, and even if I were, I could still run into a group that is even stronger. Sure, there is the nagging voice of pride in the back of my head, the one that wants to save the day completely by myself, to make my triumph all the more significant, but the reality? The reality is that any tool that I can use to make my mission more likely to succeed, I should utilize.

I simply look to my feet for a little while, during which time the pair continue to show remarkable patience. "You're right. I... I can't do this alone." I say. It's funny, when I first began to say that sentence, I felt sad and ashamed, but even mid way through it, I suddenly felt so much better, like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. It feels good to admit it. I look up at the pair and ask, "Can you please help me?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

It's a ridiculous request, of course. They aren't my friends and they don't owe me anything, and have nothing to gain from endangering their lives against a powerful opponent. I regret asking as soon as the worlds fall from my mouth.

"Heh. Sounds like fun." much to my surprise, the rat says, smiling a jagged toothed grin. I don't think she intends for it to look menacing, but it very much does.

"Wait, don't I get a say in this?" Slave asks over her shoulder, casting a golden eye to the rat. Her objection isn't surprising. I can tell that the black cat doesn't like me very much.

"Of course you don't." Vile nods.

As for the cat, she blinks, smiles and nods her head, "Of course." she says, any objections that she might have had overwhelmed by her desire to serve her owner. I suppose that I can relate to the sentiment, even if not the specific logic behind it.

I can't keep my tail from wagging. In truth, while the pair aren't weak, I can't really see their presence being enough to win the upcoming battle. Still, it's no secret that I'm not the smartest of creatures, and Vile seems to be pretty clever, what with being able to use magic and all that. She doesn't seem to be the least bit nervous, either, so perhaps I should trust her judgement. Maybe not just her judgement, but rather I should simply trust in fate. Through seemingly pure chance, I have found people willing to aid me in my fight. Perhaps that happened for a reason. Perhaps all things do.

It has been a long day, of a lot of fighting and general questing, and we would need all of our strength for the fight against the AbyssalWood Alpha. At the outskirts of the town, beyond where any humans would bother us, and not quite at the point where we should start facing random encounters, we all took a well deserved rest. Well, I did, anyways.

I'm not sure whether Vile is whimsical or simply a liar. The pair had made a point to settle a good ways away from me, out of eye-shot. Unfortunately, my ears happen to be exceptionally strong. Despite stating that she wouldn't punish the cat,throughout much of the night, I could hear the sound of sharp impacts, along with Vile calling her 'slave' all manner of disgusting things which I dare not repeat, and, of course, the regular pained yelps and soft, low moans. Not the sort of pained and miserable moans that I would have expected, given the situation. Quite the opposite, in fact.

On one hand, it's good that 'Slave' isn't genuinely suffering, and as a paladin, it is my job to both inspire and appreciate joy in all of its forms. That said, I couldn't deny that the whole thing made me incredibly uncomfortable and while sleep did eventually come, it didn't come easily.

---

Vile: "It's about time that some new members joined the party."

Slave: "Yeah. Squire is pretty boring, and having a few people to bounce off certainly won't hurt."

Squire: "I'm not boring... am I?"

Slave: "Sure you are. Why do you think that the wolves got so much attention is these non-canonical sections? Even they are interesting, by comparison."

AbyssalWolf Alpha: "What do you mean 'by comparison'? I'm super interesting! ...aren't I?"

Wolfess: ...