The figure moved slowly through the underbrushof the eerie forest. Arlen tensed, narrowing his eye, his muscles coiled and ready. Every instinct screamed at him to stay hidden, to observe before acting. He was no stranger to danger, but this was new territory.

But unlike before, the darkness around him wasn’t a barrier. His vision was sharp, clearer than it had ever been in the brightest daylight. He could see every detail—the twisted bark of the leafless trees, the uneven terrain of the forest floor, and the faint glimmers of red fur on the figure ahead. Darkness no longer hindered him. In fact, it felt almost… comforting. Natural.

The figure emerged into a small clearing, and Arlen’s breath caught.

It was a puppy.

A small black wolf pup, its fur so dark it seemed to blend into the shadows around it. But when it moved, the light hit its coat just right, revealing faint highlights of red. The pup was panting, its tiny form shaking as it sniffed the air cautiously. Then, its bright eyes locked onto Arlen, and it froze.

For a moment, they stared at each other. Arlen could see the fear in the pup’s gaze. It was just as scared of him as he was wary of it. Slowly, he relaxed his stance, lowering himself to the ground to appear less threatening. The pup took a tentative step backward, its little paws trembling on the forest floor.

‘Just a puppy,’ Arlen thought, the tension in his muscles easing slightly. He stood and turned away, deciding it wasn’t worth his time. He had bigger concerns than a lost wolf pup.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” he muttered, more to himself than to the animal, before he started walking again.

But after a few steps, he realized the sound of soft, tentative pawsteps followed him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the pup, still watching him, its ears flat against its head. It followed at a distance, unsure but unwilling to leave.

Arlen sighed. “Shoo!” He waved his hand at it, but the wolf pup didn’t budge. “Go on, you don’t want to follow me.”

Still, it stayed.

After another failed attempt to shoo the pup away, Arlen relented. ‘Fine, do what you want,’ he thought, shaking his head. His attention turned back to the endless forest around him. He needed to find a way out of this creepy, lifeless place, or at least some sign of civilization. A direction to follow.

With no real plan, he began running again, his movements smooth and silent as his shadowy form glided over the forest floor. The pup kept pace behind him, its soft paws making barely a sound.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

Arlen ran for what felt like miles, weaving through the skeletal trees. Even in the pitch black of the forest, his vision remained perfect, every shadow and movement starkly clear. It was as though his new form was attuned to the shadows themselves.

His mind drifted as his feet carried him forward. He remembered training for hours, dragging his body through drills during his time in the Army. Back then, exhaustion always came too quickly. But now, even after miles of running, there was barely the faintest twinge of fatigue.

‘Maybe this body does have some advantages after all,’ he mused, pausing at the sight of another pond nestled between the trees.

The puppy bounded past him, rushing to the water’s edge and lapping at the pond with a desperation that made Arlen’s chest tighten. He watched the creature drink, the red highlights in its fur catching in the pale light.

Arlen sat against a nearby tree, stretching his legs out. He had no idea how long he’d been in this strange place, but he knew he’d need to rest eventually. ‘Still not tired like I should be,’ he thought, his eye narrowing as he examined his shadowy limbs. The puppy finished drinking and padded over to him, sitting just a few feet away. Arlen couldn’t help but smile. Despite its fear earlier, it seemed to have accepted him as some kind of protector.

“Guess you need a name, huh?” Arlen muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn’t had a pet before, but something about the little wolf tugged at him. “You remind me of a certain beast from a legend back on my planet. How about Fenri? It’s not exactly the same bu—”

But before he could finish, a strange sensation tugged at his chest. His shadowy form seemed to ripple, and something drained from him. He gasped, his vision swimming as a wave of dizziness washed over him.

‘What the…?’

His body felt heavier, weaker, as if something vital had been pulled away. The world around him darkened, and before he could even attempt to fight it, his consciousness slipped away.

When Arlen came to, the first thing he felt was something wet and warm against his face. His eye fluttered open, and he found the wolf pup licking him furiously, whining softly between licks. He groaned and sat up, his body feeling heavy and sluggish.

‘What… happened?’ He rubbed his face, shaking off the dizziness.

Then he noticed the pup.

It wasn’t the same tiny creature that had followed him through the forest earlier. The wolf had grown, its small frame now that of a medium-sized dog, easily 50 pounds by Arlen’s estimation. Its black fur was still sleek and shadow-like, but it was bulkier, its limbs longer and more muscular.

Arlen blinked in disbelief. ‘How did you…?’

Just as the question formed in his mind, something else caught his attention—a glowing shape hovering just in front of him. His heart skipped a beat. It was a window, like something straight out of a video game.

Welcome, Arlen.

The words were clear, crisp, and seemed almost too real to be a hallucination. Arlen stared at it, not daring to move. ‘What the hell…?’ He thought, and as if reacting to his thoughts, the screen flickered and disappeared.

He blinked. ‘Did I…?’

The window appeared again as soon as he thought about it, as if responding directly to his mental commands. “Okay… that’s new,” he muttered aloud.

The wolf pup—no, wolf—sat beside him, watching curiously as Arlen tested the strange, game-like screen, making it flicker on and off with a thought.

Whatever was happening, it was clear that this world wasn’t playing by normal rules. And whatever had just drained from him had affected the wolf. His new companion.

“Well, looks like we’re stuck together,” Arlen said with a weak smile, patting the wolf’s head.