I followed a few paces behind Crunch as he slipped out the back doors and padded down a flight of stairs. There were a series of docks here—or maybe ‘piers’ was a better word? I wasn’t entirely certain, and the system knowledge inside of me wasn’t offering much help, either. Not sure if I was happy about that or not.

A little past the doors, another barricade had been made of tables and what looked like they had once been canoes. There was a bloody handprint decorating the nearest one of them.

Crunch leapt onto a canoe, and from there onto the roof. He glanced back at me and jerked his head to one side. [C’mon.]

I eyed the jump. From out on the docks, the roof was more like the second story of the building, and it was a leap of a solid eight feet even from the top of the barricade. I wasn’t sure I possessed enough Power to pull it off.

Then again, maybe that was Crunch’s intent. This had the ring of a test to it. So, gritting my teeth, I leapt onto the barricade, and from there onto the roof.

I made it, barely. My back paws almost didn’t catch the lip of the building as I landed, and for a moment I scrabbled for purchase. Then my hind claws caught, and I pulled myself up alongside Crunch. The other dog looked at me, and his lips pulled back a fraction of an inch into what I thought might have been a smirk. Then it was gone, and he turned to look into the distance.

Out here in the sunlight, I got my first solid look at Crunch. He looked like he might have had a bit of Husky in him, maybe a little Rottweiler, too? Beyond that, he could have been any mix of a half-dozen breeds. Or all of them. Mongrels like us rarely knew our exact parentage.

Mongrels? I blinked. Where had that come from? I’d never thought of myself as a mongrel before. The system helpfully tried flooding images of dogs into my brain, but I just shook my head and pushed them away.

More important than Crunch’s heritage was his appearance. He had several bald patches on him where the skin showing through was puckered and had clearly healed improperly. One of his paws was a mass of gray scar tissue, and another scar ran from the top of his face to his chin. Tracing the line, I realized that the eye it intersected was milky and unfocused. Clearly this was a dog that had seen some difficult days.

Crunch’s good eye glanced towards me. [Like what you see?]

[Oh!] If I’d been capable of it, I’m sure my face would have been flushed under my fur. [I didn’t mean—]

[It’s fine. I’m used to it.] He gazed into the distance. [You feel that?]

[Feel wha—oh.]

There it was again, stronger this time. The sense that whatever I was searching for lay in the heart of the city. I could feel the quest calling to me. It was like how Prometheus had described his Pathfinder ability, only less a concrete direction, and more an innate sense.

That part of me where I didn’t know if my feeling were real... or a creation of the system.

[So, you do feel it. I thought so.] Crunch turned and watched me watch the city. [Zapper and the others don’t. But when I heard about you, heard you were down by the water looking for something, I knew then. You feel it calling to you.]

[I think so.] Finally, I broke eye contact and looked at the other dog. [Some part of me keeps wanting to go deeper into the city. Not sure for what specifically, though. Just something to do with a quest I received.]

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

[Quest?]

[Rewards offered by the system for completing certain tasks?] I furrowed my brow at him. Was my hunch about what was driving me wrong?

[Oh, those. I try not to pay too much attention to what the system shows me. All of this feels like it has human hands all over it.]

[Do you not like humans?] I asked.

[Do you?] Crunch retorted right back.

[I... I don’t know, actually.] Sure, I’d had some less than positive run-ins with humans in the last few years, especially since coming to the city, but before that...

Something tickled at the edge of my memories. Once again, I remembered laying before a fire, my belly full, my soul complete. Comforting words being spoken nearby. A young girl’s words. I tried to remember what she had said, and... the vision broke apart. Only a sense of the girl’s voice remained.

Crunch was watching me. [Do you remember? Waking up—really, truly waking I mean, for the first time—and finding yourself alone in the world?]

[Yeah, but I’ve always been alone.] Had I?

[Huh. Lucky.] Crunch turned and stared at the city along with me. [Ever since shortly after I awoke, I’ve had the urge to come here. That’s what the pack and I are doing, sniffing around this place. It’s as close as I’ll let any of us get. I wanted to see for myself. Once they’re done feasting though, I intend to take them far away from here. Whatever is calling to me in that city, it’s not for us. Better to leave human games to humans. As dogs, we need to look after our own.]

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just remained silent. We sat there together, watching the city.

[So,] I said at last, [I assume you had a reason for bringing me up here beyond just staring at a bunch of buildings.]

Crunch looked at me out of the corner of his eye. [Do you, now? And what reason might that be?]

[You’re wondering if I want to join your pack.]

This brought a lolling tongue out of the other dog. [I think the real question is: do you even want to join?]

[I don’t follow.]

[Your class, it’s Wildling.] That wasn’t a question, so I didn’t respond. [I got offered that one, too. I’m guessing the others didn’t, or they’d probably have recognized what it means. A dog who other dogs fear to be around? Who is as much wolf as anything? That’s not the sort of class you choose if you intend on making friends.]

I shrugged. [It just felt like the right choice at the time. I was more concerned with finishing the tutorial and finding some food than anything.]

[Interesting.] Crunch studied me for a moment. [Honestly, I almost took it, myself. It felt like a step further away from humanity’s influence, and that’s never a bad thing in my book.]

[So why didn’t you?]

[I don’t know. Maybe just because it seemed too obvious. Like maybe I was playing right into their hands by trying to go my own way.] He swung his head to indicate the city. [Like that.]

[Maybe.] I shook my head though. That was too much second-guessing for me. If I started questioning every single choice I’d made since awakening, where would it end? And would it even matter?

Huh. Something started tickling at the back of my mind, but it wisped away when Crunch started talking again.

[I won’t presume to know your plans, but you don’t strike me as the kind of dog to blindly follow orders. If you run with this pack, you should know up front that I’m the head honcho. I won’t demand your respect, but I will demand your loyalty. Are you willing to give that, Wildling?]

The way he asked, with emphasis on my class, really caught my attention. I considered for a few moments what it was that I wanted. And what I didn’t want. I glanced back at the city.

This pack might not be exactly what I was searching for, but it was a better choice than whatever lay calling to me in the city.

[I think I am, yeah.]

Crunch’s expression didn’t change, but I caught his tail give a little twitch. [Then welcome to the pack, Bubba.]

You have been invited by user: Crunch to join a party. Do you accept? Current party size 4/8.

I scanned over the message briefly before accepting. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the party menu reappear on my interface.

Crunch’s eyes glazed over for a moment as he received my confirmation, then returned to normal. [Alright, now that our business up here is settled, let’s go rejoin the others. The sooner everyone’s fed, the sooner we can get the hell out of here and on to somewhere better. Preferably somewhere we can be left the fuck alone.]

[Careful, Captain,] I said, my tongue lolling as I followed him down to the dock, [Don’t let Zapper hear you talking like that. Something tells me he doesn’t approve of coarse language.]

Crunch snorted. [I like that dog, but he’s got some harsh lessons to learn if he’s going to be running with my pack. Now c’mon. Let’s see if this place is as well-stocked as Leeli claims.]