The Sentinel Elk dashes through the woods with its massive bulk, swift as the morning breeze and graceful like a falling leaf preserving the peace of the forest as it restlessly scours the woodland. A child has gone missing from the herd, a reckless young one, and as the protector of their family, and overseer of the region, it is his responsibility to make sure no harm comes to even the ones seeking trouble.
Rising smoke catches its attention before the elk discovers the source of the flames, a worrying sight. It has been years since the last major fire in the forest since every resident knows the dangers of using the element of hungry destruction.
Knowing the child… it has to be there.
The elk takes a sharp turn and runs towards the spreading embers in his part of the forest, to fulfill his duties as the lord of these lands. Some of the strongest beasts have all carved out their own territories in this lush forest to rule as they see fit and create an environment to their liking.
This one belongs to the Sentinel Elk, the guardian of harmony and balance. This is not to be confused with absolute peace or a restraint on predators. Growing, dying, and getting eaten are all part of the natural balance, and as long as no party oversteps their boundaries the elk allows all creatures to act free.
Soon the sovereign arrives at the river near the burning part of the woods and it commands the water to flow out of its bed and rise above the flames, slowly falling droplet by droplet down on the seething lands. The fire is being pushed back on this side, but it has spread over a considerable area by now so quenching the flames may take a bit longer.
Near the river, only steps from where the flames previously were devouring the treeline he finds what he was originally looking for. The idiotic fawn is standing over something and licking it vigorously, so the elk steps closer, towering over the little brown baby and the shadow cast over it finally gaining its attention.
It seems unharmed even if covered in soot, at most it's just shaken by what happened. What it's licking turns out to be a who, a furless walker as the dwellers of the forest call them, or men as they refer to themselves.
This one should be a female and quite a young one at that. It's badly wounded and obviously exhausted.
The little fawn nudges the girl with its head and sends its intent to its father. As an elder beast, the elk can communicate through simple feelings, to better speak with the animals living under its rule. The intent it receives is simple yet filled with strong desire.
Help, Heal.
The child seems to want to help the girl, the furless creature whose kind often intrudes upon the lands and hunts indiscriminately. It’s not unheard of to help the walkers, but why would the fawn be so stubborn about it?
The elk replies with a sense of questioning. The answer is… chaotic.
Hunt, fear, run, this, fight, run, protect, fire, fight, lose, run, fire, fear, sleep, live, help.
The feelings are not easy to decipher, still the old male manages to get a vague outline of the events.
The girl indeed deserves to be helped, even if she’s partly to blame for the burnt-down trees. Acting selflessly is a rare virtue amongst even the denizens of the forest and a trait even more elusive amongst the outsiders.
But first, let's get rid of the flames.
***
The elk spends the next half an hour maneuvering around the edges of the raging fire, slowly quelling it all the way to its epicenter where he finds a smoldering corpse buried beneath the husk of once glorious trees.
This must’ve belonged to whatever was hunting for the child. A cruel end but a well deserved one nonetheless.
It returns to the riverbank, where it left the soot-covered bundle of trouble and its new friend. It finds both of them sleeping, so deep that even licking doesn’t seem to wake them up so the elk calls on the river once more, drawing water to envelop the two fragile beings and carry them gently to safety.
----------------------------------------
I wake not to light shining into my eyes, smoke filling my lungs, pain gnawing at my body, or even any loud noise…
Something is choking me, covering my face and weighing me down as I try to sit up. I snap my eyes open to see nothing but darkness and reach up to find something fluffy, something furry, something warm…
After a second of panic and aimless flailing, I grab whatever is aiming for my life and toss it to the side. Light returns to the world and I take a deep deep breath of fresh air as my hazy mind finally settles back to early morning mode.
The assassin attempting to take my life turns out to be Little Fluff. Yes, Little Fluff. The fawn is small and plushy, and so its name shall be Little Fluff.
It… I look where it needs to be checked… He. He is startled awake by my sudden and rude action, looking around in fright before settling back down, licking my face and closing his eyes again.
“What the fuck happened?” I look around.
I'm still in the forest with nothing burnt around me, as a matter of fact, things look very alive around here, definitely not something I’d expect after the size of that fire. The trees are prettier, the light seeping through the foliage brighter, and the breeze smoother…
Wait.
Where’s the river? I look around nervously for the only lead I had back to civilized lands, my source of fresh water and the only thing keeping back the voices in my head whispering how truly lost I am. I would sit up if I could to start running around in search of something helpful, anything, but it would be a jerk move to wake Fluff up a second time.
Oh well, let's just rest. There’s nothing else I can do. Actually…
[You have triumphed over the enemy [Gale Panther - Wind lvl 87] - [Scorching Stalker - Fire lvl 32].]
[Your Class [Hungry for Mana] has reached lvl 66 ->67, +2 Free Points, +2 Speed, +1 Endurance, +8 Mana, +8 Willpower, +6 Intelligence, +6 Focus.]
[Your class Skill [Arcane Affinity] has reached lvl 61 -> 62.]
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[Your class Skill [Elemental Influence] has reached lvl 59 ->61.]
[Your class Skill [Armory of the Arcane] has reached lvl 45 ->49.]
[Your class Skill [Arcane Focus] has reached lvl 54 ->57.]
[Your class Skill [Mana Vision] has reached lvl 43 ->47.]
[Your class Skill [Manaconduit] has reached lvl 24 ->25.]
[The general Skill [Savant] has reached lvl 61.]
[The general Skill [Dodging] has reached lvl 49 ->52.]
[The general Skill [Pain Tolerance] has reached lvl 16 ->17.]
[The general [Skill Premonition] has reached lvl 40 ->42.]
Ah, I hoped the panther would get at least slowed down and lose our trail in the smoke, nice. What a terrible fate, being burned alive… I almost pity the poor thing. Nah, actually I don’t.
I really hate how the system basically wants us pushing up the daisies because the progress I’m seeing after two disastrous near-death experiences is baffling. I still wouldn’t do it on my own volition but if anything this is a little consolation. The small stat increase of two levels does have its kick, making even breathing feel a little lighter, as if all my wounds just vanished. The sensation will disappear soon but it has been long since I last enjoyed this instead of being out cold. This means only around an hour or less must’ve passed, otherwise I wouldn’t be feeling any different.
GRUMBLE.
Oh, right. Food.
“Sorry Little Fluff, I have to.” I whisper.
I’m not a heartless savage, I won’t eat him. I gently lift the little fawn and place him on the grass next to me and he keeps on sleeping peacefully, only his ears twitching slightly as I get up and when I stand fully upright something very weird catches my attention.
“My body…” I check every place where I got burnt or something didn’t really work right.
Nothing, everything’s healed. Every single wound, even the aches I didn’t even know of... gone.
Did a healer pass by? Guess not they wouldn’t just leave me here, right? Could Fluff have…? I look at the lazy and idiotic little fawn...
Nah, no way.
I start wandering around, close enough to know if Fluff wakes up yet not restricting my movement too much, and soon I hear the sound of rushing water again.
“The river? Did I just miss the directions when walking out of the fire?” I wonder.
Then what about that cool sensation when I fainted? Was that just my mind playing games?
My memories about anything after finding Fluff in the fire are fuzzy so it’s hard to tell… I debate for a second before carefully picking up Fluff into my embrace and gently walking with him in my arms towards the sound of the water because I sure as hell won’t leave something this defenseless alone in the wilds.
The sight that welcomes me isn't just some water, I find myself on the edge of a vast and more captivating clearing than I could ever imagine. The grass is dotted by berry bushes and many other snacks of nature with the sun, the mighty Solair, watching over the inhabitants of the clearing, deer, bison, rabbit and many other creatures alike.
The sound of water isn’t from the river I’d fallen into but a small cascade only around three meters high spewing water onto the clearing and the calm, shallow rivulet running on the edge of the clearing and slow streams of water snaking through the air in graceful twists. The water vapor and rays of light create glimmers and rainbows in the air, making this place look truly… magical.
“Awesome.” Is all I mutter subconsciously as I watch like a newborn lamb.
The animals don’t seem to care about my presence all that much and I could care less about their curious glances too. None of them feel threatening, even though I’m pretty sure some of them are even stronger than the panther which should be another speciality of this place. My eyes and mind struggle to take in the sight, everything is so verdant and lush, and even the temperature feels more pleasant despite the summer heat.
A huffing sound breaks my stupor. I don’t know how long I’ve been standing here, mesmerized by the sight, so it’s a miracle nothing approached me up until now. Even the small beastie in my arms opens his eyes lazily, hopping down and happily skipping ower to its kind in the clearing, the other animals seemingly used to his presence.
I can’t deny it, I’m a little envious, I also miss my parents. They must feel devastated at the news of my demise just months after seeing me again after the kidnapping. They lost me for years, got me back, and now… actually, the news of me dying likely hasn't reached them yet.
Anyways, the sound of breathing behind me is getting ever closer and just hearing how big the creature’s lungs must be to move so such a lot of air makes my hands shake.
I slowly turn around and look up, and up.
Damn, that’s a big deer. Like, almost twice my height and let's not even mention the weight. Some weird greenish-blue lines are running down its hulking brown body like the roots of a tree and on top of its head is the most majestic pair of antlers I’ve ever seen. It might just be me but that expansive crown on its head seems to be sparkling a bit like a tasteful light show in a winter bazaar. A bit too shiny for my taste.
[Elk lvl ???]
Well, that must’ve been some levels in Identify again.
The towering beast stops in front of me and lowers its head, taking a closer look and some ticklish sniffs. I would giggle at the sensation if only my survival instincts weren’t telling me to run while my body refused even to breathe. I can hear the sound of my heart racing, together with the slow breathing of the elk while the noise from the surroundings seems to have completely disappeared. It's only me and this absolute powerhouse, this… ruler.
Then a sensation invades me. It feels foreign, like it has nothing to do with me and I can confirm that I have no feelings or thoughts to cause… gratitude? Yes, gratitude. It’s not just the meaning either, the warmth and relief are also there.
Returning back to my senses I focus on the elk and see it bowing its head. A creature like the one before me, revered by many and feared by even more, one that could kill me with a sneeze, lowers its head to the insignificant girl.
Child, save. Grateful, repay.
It conveys. Since speaking doesn’t seem to be its forte, relaying information through whatever weird Skill it uses to send feelings seems like a good alternative.
Actually, this is almost better. Faster, simpler and more intricate since feelings can be a lot more colorful than words. Also, I only did what I did because Fluff was cute. Cuteness is truth and we can't let the only unshakably good thing in this world disappear, I refuse.
I repay the courtesy, bowing in my own human way and trying to send my own intentions back the same way they came.
Pleasure, heal, thankful.
It's a lot easier than I thought. How do I know it worked? I just do, it felt right. I have no evidence the elk had anything to do with my condition but I feel like it’s a strong guess.
Fluff skips over to us, nuzzling my legs at first, then jumping over to the elk and running laps between its legs. I eye his ridiculous behavior, acting this carefree around the…
Wait, little one, big one?
My eyes widen at the revelation.
No fucking way. This goofy little idiot is this majestic thing’s…?
Indeed.
Comes the answer through the connection.
I didn’t mean to share my thoughts, my astonishment must’ve reached all the way across the mental channel. I fearfully look up at the elk again, however, instead of anger or indignation, I only see some amusement in its eyes. It looks down to the little fawn and huffs, puffing out enough air to make the comparatively tiny creature skid back a little.
Fluff runs over to me and hides from the abusive parent before the elk begins to walk past me towards the clearing, towards the rest of the animals. I pet the little version that looks fluffier and a lot less scary because even though I know my life is not in danger I still need something to soothe my spinning mind.
The elk looks back at me and its child before nodding towards the clearing.
Stay? Shelter? Food?
It asks.
I feel my eyes turn watery for a bit. This is all I could ask for, some stability. I might have had a few survival training sessions back with the Fist near Grandhall but this… this is something else. What I need right now is a stable point in this unknown and dangerous environment to rely on and I got offered just that.
“Yes please, I’d love that.” I answer with a goofy smile.