Rodent and the Wolf passed through the vastness of the woods, which, some time ago, was dense with nature and secluded from the rest of the world. Now, it was a closed area that had become uncomfortably open—once hidden and private, now revealed to the world’s eyes.
Rodent didn’t speak as he followed the Wolf, watching how its various pieces of wood shifted and moved as the Wolf walked. A hint of emerald magic was beneath the wood and seen through its cracks. It wasn’t before long that the duo passed destroyed buildings that were small and seemed to be cleaved at an angle.
Small statues were also situated on rectangular slabs, too old and ruined to be discerned as anything.
Rodent felt like he was walking on a ruined land, that this place was supposed to be something special, something important… and that it all had been decayed by something terrible. His heart increasingly went out to the Wolf as it remained sombre and steadfast.
And then the Wolf paused at a clearing ahead.
Rodent paused behind the creature, watching it scan the land with a low growl. The Wolf brought its paw forward, and suddenly, a wall of emerald light rose. Its paw then lowered into the center of the magical block—a strange symbol rising and then disappearing.
Rodent blinked. The creature went forward, though moved a block to the top right, another nearly holographic symbol rising, holding in the air, and then disappearing. The Wolf stopped as it curved to look across the side of the barrel at Rodent.
It waited impassively.
Rodent nodded and followed, though when he stepped where the Wolf had first touched down, no thin, magical barriers rose, and neither did the symbol. He shook his head and tried not to pay it much mind as the Wolf moved to the next block, top-left, and Rodent took to where it had been standing before.
And like this, they moved swiftly through the area, coming to where the trees resumed on the other side. A second after they passed, the whole land behind them became contained within the thin, magical walls that streaked very high.
Rodent watched as the Wolf did the same except that it had less emotion.
The shining, glimmering walls furled to the center of the land into a ball that exploded and trailed outward into a multitude of symbols. Rodent’s head shook as he took out his notebook, scratching them down. His heart thundered as his mind clicked with what it meant.
‘ONLY A PURE SOUL SEES CLEARLY.’
Rodent shook his head after putting his notebook away, checking over his shoulder to see that the Wolf had started to move again.
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The end was in sight.
The dense collection of trees offered a sense of hope as, despite their weakened or broken branches, they were not destroyed like the others. The density grew its thickest before all the trees suddenly ceased, and there was an opening on the other side.
Rodent had actually been the one to take the lead, seeing the world again as it was mostly barren and covered in grass—the usual hills and mountains in the beyond. The Wolf had slowed and purposely allowed him to take the lead. Once Rodent passed the trees and outside the woods, he found himself on a hill that went downward—straight to a village in the center of the open lands ahead.
“H-Hey! We did it! Civil-i-zation!” Rodent cheered with a jump and pumping of his fist upon leaving the woods, chuckling as the breeze came through, stroking his hair and returning to the grass at his feet.
He chuckled and turned back to the Wolf, stepping back and rolling his hand to motion for the Wolf to come along. “Aha! Looks like we’ll be meeting some normal people for once! Maybe even have a normal conversation for once!”
The Wolf slowly approached between the large, dying trees, having to lower itself to fit through the tighter space.
“Not that I haven’t enjoyed our time together.” Rodent then smiled brightly as his eyes fluttered with an idea. “Hey… why don’t you come along? You’re probably in need of a good time, right? We could venture this world together!”
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The Wolf rose to its height after passing through the trees, and though its form had become better built, more impressive from the intake of wood on its trip… its new size didn’t cause the man to flinch one bit.
Rodent only talked excitedly.
“I’ve got no clue what I’m doing here and having you along would be a great help!” Rodent snickered and turned to the section of the world awaiting them. “We can wander and chill at campsites together. I can head into towns while you deal with surrounding areas—sniffing for clues, threats, or anything like that.”
He turned back around. “And, if you were willing, I could even ride on your back! We’d be a duo, a combo, a rider with Stick that rides into battle and then hops off as we take our fair share of our foes.” He nodded over and over. “We’ll be so cool. Maybe we’ll get some drawings done of us—legends spread across the lands.”
He then relaxed a bit. “Then maybe we can find someone to help with that totem. Restore it. Get some more green magic into it. Do something about your land.” As if struck by an idea, Rodent took out his notebook, flipping to the quest portion of it. “Shit. That’s right. I need to write all that down as a quest.”
The Wolf stood, and despite its height, it held itself low, silent and still, its air sombre without hatred or aggression. It seemed like a solid, sad thing that kept close to the man for reasons unknown. It watched as Rodent finished adding the quest, and Rodent then bowed forward a little.
“I mean… it’s okay if you don’t want to come.” Rodent softened. “I know you won’t get the best reaction out of people.” He placed his hand on his chest. “But I’m usually pretty good at talking. I can probably figure something out. So… what do you say?”
The Wolf stared at him for a while, the man holding a soft, tender smile, waiting without expectation, his gaze set upon the creature. The Wolf stared back at a time, everything about it still sad, almost to the point that it felt like it was sulking.
And then the creature came forward a little, just a little, right on the outskirts of the wood, coming to take a seat as its height became higher. Rodent raised his gaze as the creature’s lofty muzzle with a perplexed expression.
The beast, however, started to extend its paw…
…until it brushed against a sudden, translucent wall of magic, which was greeted with glittering sparkles upon it. The barrier became physical as the paw touched and then passed slightly through it—that which came through the other side falling off.
Rodent blinked as he looked at the piece of wood that had fallen before his feet, losing his breath and shaking his head as he worryingly lowered and picked it up. Rising again, he stared at the piece—how devoid of life felt. Then he looked up at the Wolf that sat there with its paw out.
“That’s why you never left,” Rodent said simply with a loss of enthusiasm in his voice. “Because you can’t.”
Rodent hesitated for a moment, coming then to shake his hand and press the piece of wood back through, which latched onto the paw from a magical attraction and pull—fusing to the part that had been destroyed. The paw held in the air as it was being repaired, a silence between the two as they watched the action.
And just as the Wolf was about to pull its paw from the translucent barrier it was pressed against…
…Rodent’s fist came through and fistbumped its paw.
The two held together for a second.
“Don’t lose hope now.” Rodent had been looking as he said that. It was hard for him to raise his head. “Don’t just think because you saw me through to the other side that you can munch that totem like a chew toy.” Finally, he did raise his head—looking into the Wolf’s hollow eye sockets. “Just because I’ll be gone for a bit doesn’t mean I won’t return. No matter what happens, unless a purple-haired girl comes to kill me, I’ll be back even to visit.”
Rodent nodded at the animal. “So keep around. Even if it means you must go back to sleep for a while.” He smiled earnestly. “Think you can do that for me?”
The Wolf stared for a moment.
And then.
It nodded.
Rodent smiled more as his hand fell back, and the Wolf did the same with its paw. The two stared at each other for a moment longer, man and beast, human and creature. The Wolf then started to rise as Rodent started to step backward.
“I’ll see if I can find anyone to help with gathering all the broken scattered wood in your woods,” Rodent said. “If I do—please try not to kill them, okay?”
The Wolf, which had turned around before the entrance to the woods, glanced back and looked at Rodent. And then, after that, it raised its muzzle to the sky—letting out a calm, gentle howl before it finished and returned to its woods. Rodent watched and felt a heaviness within his soul.
And wiping his face, he turned and began ahead, bound for the village where he prayed for better luck.
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Friend Made: The Wooden Wolf
Little is known about the Wooden Wolf, except that it is made from sticks and stones and powered by ancient and fading magic.
It seems designed to be part of a test that can no longer be performed.
Though defensive of its land, it lost its will to live.
Now, though, it wanders its land.
Collecting all the wood that has fallen.
And creating a large pile for unknown reasons.