A door opened and closed, disrupting the silence. It had to be Melody walking into the dining room from the back door. Finally, it’s almost sunrise. Melody’s internal clock is one of the most consistent ones I know. She always walks in the back door just before sunrise to cook breakfast.

It was easy to learn that because of my irregular sleeping schedule. I got up and performed my usual morning routine of brushing all my fur and changing for the day. Since I hoped I was going to be running a lot, I wore light clothing. Besides, it wasn’t cold enough to bother me. It never was.

The halls were still dark as I walked down them. I walked into the kitchen just as Melody was finishing getting everything set up. She turned around and jumped a bit when she saw me. “You need to stop that,” she whined as she put her hand over her heart.

I giggled. So long as you aren’t throwing knives at me again, seeing your reactions never gets old. “You should be used to it by now. Good morning, by the way.”

“We need to get you something so I can hear you when you walk up behind me like that. There was a time when you knocked when you entered a room. Can we go back to that?” She relaxed as she went to the meat chest. “I don’t know why you have so much fun scaring me. But if you give me a moment, I’ll have your breakfast ready soon.”

I tried to put the feeling into words. “I get this rush when I sneak up on someone. It kinda feels like a mission accomplished. It’s not my fault that my natural footsteps are silent.”

“Well, you can save it for the animals you’re going to hunt today.” She sounded both lighthearted and grumpy at the same time. She opened the meat chest and pulled out two slabs of jerky. “This is for you.”

“No eggs? I’ll take it.” I snatched the meat from her hands and effortlessly tore apart a piece with each bite. Yay, meat!

“We still can’t figure out why you can’t taste eggs.” Melody smiled as she watched me devour my breakfast. I had a blissful look on my face.

“What I don’t understand is that after all these years, you still feed them to me.” I took a moment away from another bite to express my annoyance.

“Because they’re cheap.” Melody’s tone made it sound like that was an obvious fact. “Today is different because you need to get going to meet Marigold and Zane at sunrise.”

I bounced on my toes. “Yup, I’m going hunting today!”

“Off you go then. You don’t want to be late.” Melody waved her hand towards the door. “I’m sure you’re going to catch something big today.” She couldn’t hold back her mirth.

I’m not coming back empty-handed, that’s for sure.

I finished the first piece of jerky and made my way out through the front door, then took off for the south gate. There was almost nobody out on the streets so early in the morning. The sun was just about to rise, making the horizon a reddish-orange color as the light crept into sight.

I ran to the gate with energy to spare. I stopped right behind a guard, who stood there bored because nobody was entering the city this early.

“Surprise.” I tapped the man’s back with my claws. I didn’t worry about them piercing through his leather armor.

“Ah!” he shouted. “Seriously, Lucia, do you have to do that every time?” He turned towards me.

“Yes, it’s so much fun.” I giggled at his expense. “Besides, Martin, it’s good practice.”

Martin gave me a sour look. The same look he gave me every time I teased him while he lived at the orphanage with me. “Trust me, you don’t need it. But, wow, you’re getting taller. How much have you grown lately?” He changed his expression to a more friendly one.

“I’m sixty-six inches tall now.” I stood up as straight as I could. “You’re just really tall yourself.” I’m still a good eight or nine inches shorter than he is. “How much more time do you have to spend as a guard?”

“I still have six seasons left.” He sounded bored. “So, do you want to tell me why you’re out so early? Going for another run because you couldn’t sleep again?”

“Not today,” I chirped. “Today, I get to go hunting.” My tail wagged.

“Ah, that would put you in a good mood, wouldn’t it?” Martin smiled. He turned his head back in the direction he should have been looking the entire time. “It looks like your chaperones are here.”

I turned to follow his gaze and found that both Zane and Marigold were slowly walking this way. “Well, I guess it’s time to get going. See you around.”

“Do me a favor and stay safe,” Martin called out after me as I walked to meet my two employers. I waved to him to let him know I’d heard him and took a bite from the second piece of jerky for my breakfast.

“Still eating breakfast, are we?” Zane glared at me when I stopped in front of him. “Maybe you should have gone to sleep earlier so you wouldn’t be eating your breakfast on the run.” He stood up straight, with his hands on his hips and feet apart, though he never adjusted his head to look at me because we were almost the same height.

“I couldn’t sleep last night,” I said nonchalantly. “In fact, I haven’t slept through the night in the last six weeks.” I finished the last of my jerky.

“Are you going to be alright?” Marigold asked with skepticism in her voice. “Maybe we should do this another day once you’ve slept.”

“No, please don’t,” I hastily pleaded. “I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep last night.” That, and I had a wonderful conversation with Mom about puberty.

“It’ll be fine. I don’t expect to see much today.” Zane, with a carefree attitude, pointed in the direction of our destination with a small wave of his hand. He’d planned for us to go to his tried-and-true hunting spot. “Since you have so much energy, Lucia, lead the way. Let’s see how much you’ve learned.” He’d lightened up over the years as I’d studied under him and his wife.

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I jumped at the task. We spent most of the morning heading to the place Zane directed us to. We walked through the fields around the town to the southwest. The town walls were no longer in sight once we reached the beginning of the forest. There was a noticeable temperature change once we entered the trees, and the two humans following me didn’t hold their heavy cloaks as tightly as they had been. The foliage was thick, but most of it was still dormant.

I followed Zane’s directions and pointed out any tracks I spotted. If I missed any, Marigold or Zane pointed them out to me. There was a time when Zane wanted to see if I could learn to track using my sense of smell. It went as well as anyone could imagine. Originally, I’d called Zane insane and refused to try it. Eventually, I gave it a try and learned that it was extremely difficult. Within some margin of error, I could tell how many smells were in a small area, but not how old they were or where the owner of the smell went afterward. The biggest hurdle was that I would smell everything: plants, people, animals, excrement, and anything else. Trying to sort out all the smells took a long time before I could figure out which one I was looking for.

As we walked, it looked like parts of the forest were waking up from the ice season. The trees didn’t have many leaves on them, so the only major obstructions to our view were all the tree trunks.

Zane stopped us just outside of a small clearing. It was strange to find a small section of flat ground with no trees in the middle of the forest. The two humans discovered a clump of bushes that were strategically placed to provide ample cover for hiding.

After we settled in the bushes, Marigold grabbed my attention. “If there’s any trouble, either run or climb a tree.” Her tone was as stern as her expression. It was a rare look on her face, one she saved for important topics.

“Is there anything special we need to look out for?” I asked innocently.

“Just the usual dangers. Orcs, some wild animals, and dire animals,” Zane answered. “Nobody’s seen a dire animal in these parts for a few years now, so it’s unlikely we’ll need to worry about that.”

“It’s unheard of to see orcs this far south at this time of year,” Marigold interjected.

“So that leaves wild animals,” I finished. “But aren’t we out here to kill wild animals?” What are they worried about?

“Yes, we are, but there are some predators that can hunt us.” Zane had a sorrowful look on his face. “And there are some animals, like boars, that will require a bit more work to bring down. But if you see anything like a bear or a wolf, don’t keep that information to yourself.”

“Ah, those kinds of animals.” I get it now. We’re not the only predators in these woods. “So, what’s the plan of attack?”

“We’re going to sit quietly, looking for any sign of an animal that walks close enough for us to kill.” Zane removed the bow from his back and took out three arrows, holding them in his hand. Marigold did the same thing.

“That sounds boring,” I complained. “And I don’t have a bow. What am I supposed to do?”

“Watch us and learn,” Marigold said in a hushed tone. “Besides, I have a hunch that you won’t want to use a bow when you hunt.” She gave a slight smirk.

I sat down with a huff of frustration. This is not what I thought it was going to be like. I didn’t sit quietly as I scratched at the ground. Both Zane and Marigold looked at me like I was a spoiled child who had been told they couldn’t go out and play.

We sat in our little hiding spot, waiting. And we kept waiting. Zane and Marigold were sitting quietly while taking turns watching the surrounding area. I fidgeted with anything I could get my hands on. This is worse than reading! I don’t know what I should have expected, but I didn’t think it would be this dull. I kept drawing on the ground with my claws, playing with small rocks, or shredding up small plants. Because I didn’t make any noise, Zane and Marigold couldn’t scold me for anything more than not paying attention, though Zane was getting visibly annoyed with me for slowly peeling the bark off of a small branch.

“Why did we even let you come if all you were going to do was play around and not take this seriously?” He was quiet, but the anger was still there.

“I didn’t think it would be this boring.” I was a little louder than he was. “There’s nothing even close.”

Marigold put her finger to her lips. “Shh, quiet.”

“Trust me, there isn’t anything close.” I rolled my eyes. “There hasn’t even been anything close enough for me to hear except for a few birds chirping over in that direction.” I pointed towards them.

“How long have you heard the chirping?” Zane sounded even more annoyed.

“A little while. Why?” I turned to him, confused. “I thought we were hunting for something worth our time.”

“Birds can be worth our time,” Zane snapped back. As soon as he said that, I heard a twig snap in a different direction. Just as he was about to stand up, I put my hand out to stop him. He looked like he was about to explode. I put my finger to my lips and pointed behind me, in the opposite direction of the birds. Please tell me he can understand that there’s something behind us. I just don’t know how far away it is.

Marigold crept up to the bush behind me and slowly peered above it. She lowered herself and whispered, “Giant toad.”

Zane’s eyes grew wide, and I could have sworn that his pupils turned into coins.

Giant toad? I’ve got to see this.

I poked my head over the bush. A large, bright-green frog with an uncountable number of small black spots on its back was hopping slowly through the forest. I estimated it was at least thirty arcs away from us, which was nothing more than an educated guess. Arcs were a measurement I struggled to get a feel for. Each arc was one hundred and fifty inches. Their distance was based on something involving magic, but I could never remember what. One or two arcs I could guess with some certainty, but anything more than that was tough. Aren’t frogs and toads cold-blooded?

As I watched the amphibian continue its path through the trees, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I know this feeling; my instincts are pushing me to hunt this toad. The sensation was so strong, I couldn’t stop myself from following them even though I didn’t want to.

I didn’t inform Zane or Marigold of what I was intending. The soon-to-be frog-leg dinner was hopping away from us.

What are toads’ strongest senses? Taste? Smell? I should have watched more nature documentaries. Then again, I would never have guessed that I would die and have a second life in a fantasy world where I would be stalking a giant toad through a forest, ready to kill it with my claws. There are some things you just can’t plan for.

I left the cover of the bushes, much to the dismay of the two humans behind me. The toad’s movements were slow, yet methodical and purposeful. I circled around to the back of the creature and confirmed that the wind was blowing perpendicular to us.

The toad gave no sign that it knew that I was stalking it. My instincts kept pushing me to rush at it, but I held back, picking my steps quietly and gradually. I could hear both Zane and Marigold trying to keep up, but I moved much more freely. My small footprint and naturally soft step made it too easy to stalk my target. I gained ground slowly but steadily. Once I got close enough, I readied myself to pounce on my prey.

Carefully, I lowered myself into a crouching position and then into a four-point stance. Just before I was about to take off and charge the oblivious toad, I heard a crack that sounded like a branch breaking.

You can’t be serious! Who did that?

Without breaking my stance, I turned to look at the person who’d broken the silence with a poorly placed step. My gaze landed on Zane. He was still looking at the offending stick. He looked at me, and I mouthed, “Really?” at him. The sound, unfortunately, caught the attention of a certain toad. I heard two thumps and then returned my attention to my prey.

I stared at the giant toad, and it stared at me.