Everything was shaking. What was-

“Wake up already,” someone said.

I opened my eyes. “I’m up.”

“I’m going back to bed,” he said before laying back down by his bedroll.

I yawned. The sun hadn’t risen yet. I am guessing the official wake up time wasn’t for another couple of hours. Wait, did that mean I got the shortest rest shift? I guess my shift was the only uninterrupted one. I guess it sort of balanced out.

I looked around, I didn’t see Mina though. I had grown a bit accustomed to her commentary. Perhaps she was still asleep, but where? I can’t imagine she decided to go far. I actually considered it more likely she would have snuggled up next to me. Panic raced through me as I jumped up. I didn’t roll over on her did I?

No, she just wasn’t anywhere. Part of me wanted to think that the talking mouse was just a fever dream, but I was still in the grasslands of wherever this was. Hina and Hana were just a few meters away. I know in your dreams, they somewhat feel realistic sometimes but this felt like it was that on a whole other level.

I was way too stressed to properly think and with no one to distract me I figured it was best to draw. I opened the book but before I could even grab the pen, my jaw dropped. The drawing of Mina was back. No blue glow anywhere to be seen either. Did she… get sucked back into the book?

“Mina!” I tried to whisper and shout at the same time. The book hummed in blue light just for a moment before returning to normal.

Okay, this was clearly magic. Magic is real, that much was simple to accept, I found myself on an alien world with three moons for hecks sake. I wanted Mina back. How to get her. The book reacted to me, that was a clue, but I hadn’t called out to her when she appeared the first time. Focus. I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing. Something my mother taught me.

Mother, she was a yoga teacher by trade. She liked to run marathons for fun. She instilled the practical advice of good stretching and a good breathing rhythm from a young age. Such advice was more useful to my athletic siblings but I found it very grounding in moments like this.

That’s right, I thought. Breathe in, and out. I noticed something, it was like a warm glow in my hand, I placed it on the book and my hand continued to feel warm. I don’t know what’s happening but I was going to run with this feeling.

“You okay, Captain?” Mina asked.

“Huh?” I almost shouted as I opened my eyes. Mina’s art was gone and there she was standing next to my hand.

She tilted her head. “Is something wrong?”

“What do you remember?” I asked her. “Since last night I mean.”

“Hmm, that is,” she paused as she brought her paw up to her chin. “I remember laying down next to you. I remember a sense of being asleep, and your voice calling out to me, but then I was just here. How odd, I don’t remember waking up at all.”

How to tell her, this wasn’t going to be easy.

“What won’t be easy?” she asked.

Gah! I forget she constantly reads my mind! Crap!

“Is that bad?” she asked. “It would be unfortunate if I missed something important because I wasn’t listening.”

I took a deep breath. “No, you are fine. Just, I think I created you, or something.”

“Whatcha mean?” she asked.

I pointed to the book and its pale blue glow. “When I woke your art had returned but now it’s gone. I think you are living art. Which-”

“Would explain my fragmented memory! Very interesting!” she interrupted.

“You’re not mad?” I asked.

She paused and looked at the page while scratching her chin. “No. I think not. You have a kind heart, and I don’t need to read your mind to realize that. Life is precious and you by whatever means granted me this one. I am happy to dedicate it to you, and all I seek in return is for you to remain kind.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

I smiled and offered my index finger. “Deal.“

She shook it with her entire paw. “So what should we be doing next captain?”

“I think, first we need more information, especially about where we are going,” I said. “When we arrive, we may be asked questions and I’d very much like to have proper answers prepared. Beyond that initial goal, I suppose figuring out where here is and how I came to be here would be the next goal.”

“Leave it to me, Captain!” She shouted. “Detective work is my speciality after all.”

I smiled. “Okay. You handle that. I’ll try not to make any blunders in the meantime.”

“I think you should draw something else too,” she said. “After all, you don’t have any ways to defend yourself. A loyal beast would be most reassuring.”

“Don’t you think it’s wrong though? To create life like that?” I asked.

“Not at all, I enjoy the prospect of this life,” she said. “But if the entire camp is asleep this is a prime moment for me, so please allow me to depart.”

“Okay. I’ll think about what you said.”

With that, the pink little mouse Mina scurried away. Creating life, this was the power of a god or so I thought. To be honest I don’t know anything about this world. I don’t know if magic is commonplace or if creating life is simple or complex magic. Or if it was me or this book doing it. But I couldn’t deny that Mina had made a point. A way to defend myself was logical.

I turned to the backside of Mina’s page and tried to draw a line but… it didn’t work. I tried the pen on my shirt and it worked just fine. I tried on Mina’s page and again nothing. It was like the page was sealed or something. The next page then, I drew a curved line and it worked. Huh. I could see why it wouldn’t work on the side with Mina, but not on the backside?

Well, it was too early to speculate. I figured I could meet in the middle. I didn’t want to create life if I didn’t have to. So instead I began drawing a knife. I was far from an expert but I had done some whittling, so I wasn’t unfamiliar with how to hold it. Drawing it was a simple process, yet no glow. Nothing.

I placed my hand over it and tried to meditate, also nothing. I did a small line in the corner as if to confirm I could still draw on the page. Is it not complete? I guess I named Mina. Couldn’t hurt I suppose. I thought Carver sounded like a good name. So I wrote the name but no change. What am I doing wrong?

Looking up, the sky was beginning to glow with the bright morning lights. People would probably be waking up soon. I didn’t have too much time to investigate. Maybe it had to be alive? I turned the page and began drawing on the back. What would I want as something defensive? I guess a dog made the most sense.

I began drawing, I was going a lot faster now so I wouldn’t be interrupted. I was going for a black furred dog, well my design more resembled a wolf to be honest but I was still thinking of him as a dog. After all, it was hardly a good defensive tool if I made it something that wouldn’t be a good boy.

I had given Mina psychic abilities by imagining her with them. What would I want for a dog? Shadow magic. Yeah, so he could hide in my shadow when he wasn’t needed. A good surprise attack. Let’s see, I ended up giving Mina a backstory too. I should probably think of that and a name. Hmm. Kagerou, the shadow pact prince. A former royal dog that belonged to a dog kingdom but his king was overthrown in the chaos he retreated to a more peaceful life. Which he found under my service.

God, was that lame? I couldn’t think of anything better and I wanted to finish. Heck it. I signed his name and I noticed it as I finished. My pen was still making contact but as soon as I finished his name, the ink stopped sticking. Huh. I tried an experimental line and nothing. Just like Mina’s page. This was-

“Goodmorning!” Hina or Hana said. It was hard to think properly on which girl it was as I noticed her… assets touching my back.

“Goodmorning,” I said, trying to think.

“Did I startle you?” she said as she pressed her finger against my page. “I didn’t know you were an artist. What a beautiful Lycanthrope.”

Lycanthrope? Like a werewolf? I don’t know why she saw that, but probably best not to expose my own ignorance. “Maybe a bit. I didn’t notice you wake up.”

“Not good for guard duty!” she said.

“Hana! Stop drooling on him, he said no last night,” Hina said.

Okay so it was Hana pressed against my back. I closed my book. “I should get up.” She took my message and climbed off me. I turned to both of them. I noticed the boys were still asleep, which made sense. “So this was my first night with this camp. Yuto seems like a stickler for the rules. Is there anything I should be aware of about the morning routine?”

“No,” Hina said. “It’s pretty standard. Everyone sort of has their own flow, after breakfast we should just prepare for the walk, but breakfast isn’t for a few hours. Once the boys wake up we are free to do as we please.”

“We should go to the forest!” Hana said. “Maybe we can find a spirit tree!”

Frick! I can’t keep pretending I know everything. Risk reward time. Hope I guess right! “Spirit tree? What’s that?”

“You don’t know?” Hana said with her mouth agape.

Frick! Did I pick wrong?

“Hana! Don’t be rude, we haven’t seen one in weeks. If they don’t grow this far out east, perhaps they don’t grow out west.”

“But wouldn’t he have crossed them on his way here?” Hana followed with.

“Perhaps but it isn’t like I stopped to ask about every piece of vegetation I had never seen before,” I said trying to cover up my lack of normal knowledge.

“Hmmm, then all the more reason to go!” she said.

“Hana, we can’t go anywhere until the boys wake up,” Hina said.

Hana ran over to the boy that woke me up and started rubbing him. Oof. Poor dude. Hana was a force of nature, not one to be stopped by anything. She kind of reminded me of my youngest sister in that regard. Lisa was the same way, once her mind was set, she’d climb the walls to get what she wanted.

The three boys were all grumpy staring at Hina, Hana and me. What! What did I do! Ugh, I guess I didn’t stop her, not like any of you were going to be able to stop her either. Oh well.

“Look, we can go!” Hana said.

Hina just smiled awkwardly and I decided to follow suit, if not even Hina was trying, then stopping her was a fool's errand clearly. I supposed we were going to be looking for a spirit tree.