Chance realised that his mouth was hanging open. He shut it and then opened it again. “You can speak?” he asked the wolf. No sooner had he spoken the word than he regretted saying them; of course the wolf could speak. He had heard the words himself after all. Well, not heard exactly, more experienced them. But a talking animal shouldn’t have come as much more of a shock to him after everything else that he had already experienced to date. There were talking animals in kids books, weren’t there? It had been a long time since he had read anything himself, and certainly nothing of the type that was similar to the world he found himself in, but it stood to reason that that kind of thing would be present in them. A talking animal wasn't much of a step after a talking kobold. They did look a bit like an animal after all. He had just been surprised, that was all, and had blurted out the very first thing that came to his mind.

Of course I can. You of all people, A Walker of the Forests, should know that.

The voice wasn’t reproachful but it was curious.

“Sorry, sorry, lot going on here. Bad day and all. Let’s just assume that I don’t know anything and we may be close to the truth, okay?”

The wolf tilted its head to one side, golden eyes still studying him.

Your thoughts are strange, all mixed up.

“Yeah, its really been one of those days.”

It would be easier, and quicker, to mindspeak, Forest Walker.

“No doubt, no doubt. Hang on, give me a moment here.” It seemed strange that he had received no message about the mindspeech ability, not after every other little thing seemed to spark that internal message that announced a new discovery. So where to begin?

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to clear his mind of any of the extraneous thoughts that were going through it. This was something that Craghand should know about, not Cranlin. The Craghand had bled through a couple of times before, allowing him to do things that he ordinarily wouldn’t have known how to do. If he could tap into that, it would help in understanding. Yet, as ever he didn’t know how that bleed through happened, or how to replicate it. Next time that he saw The Counsellor, he was going to give him a thumping for not explaining anything. Or at the very least a right good talking too.

Okay, so just sort of think the words and try to throw them out there.

Hello, can you hear me?

Power Unlocked:

Mindspeech.

Class: Druid.

Affinity: Nature.

Power Source: Primal.

And there it was.

Chance had never before seen a wolf - or even a dog for that matter - roll it’s eyes; this one did though.

Naturally I can. And so an everyone else in the vicinity as well. You have less control than a newborn pup.

Yrip had started to stir where he lay, his eyes slowly blinking open. “Master, did you call?” It was only then that he spotted the wolf and gave a startled yelp, jumping to his feet and dashing around behind Chance, hiding there while sneaking a peek towards the wolf. Chance could feel the little kobold’s body trembling as he pressed up close against him. “Shaggy Death, master!”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The wolf grinned, an action that showed off its fangs, which caused Yrip to yelp again, burying his head into Chance’s back.

“It is okay, Yrip, he isn't going to hurt us,” Chance reassured the terrified kobold.

Yrip raised his head, risking another peek. “Are you sure, master? Shaggy Deaths hunt the Iyari.”

Chance risked the mindspeech again, trying to concentrate on projecting it just to the wolf.

You hunt kobolds?

A better effort. It has been known to happen, yes. Out of necessity. We don’t much like being turned into wolf skin rugs.

Chance looked down at the still trembling kobold, then back to the wolf that sat unconcerned a little way off. These hunt your kind?

Do not be deceived, Forest Walker. They may look small and harmless, but they are vicious, masters of traps and ambushes. These things you should know, but yet your thoughts seem ignorant of matters.

“Yrip, do your people hunt the wolves?”

Yrip nodded his head rapidly. “Oh, yes. Shaggy Deaths have nice furs.”

Chance sighed. Another thing he didn’t understand. “No one is to hunt anyone, okay?” he told the pair.

“Yes, yes, Yrip will leave big Shaggy Death alone, just like master asks.”

I will abide by that. For the time.

“It’s okay, Yrip,” Chance told the kobold, “He said that he won’t harm you. You can go back to sleep now.”

Eyeing the wolf suspiciously, Yrip made sure he placed the fire between the two of them before finding a spot to sleep and curling back up on the ground again. Chance sat back down as well, alongside the fire.

Will you join us? The more that he used the mindspeech, the easier he found that it happened.

I am comfortable here. Dogs may lie down beside fires, but wolves aren’t dogs. There were strong tones of condescensions in the words in his mind that came from the wolf, where as all previous messages had been fairly placid in comparison, without much in the way of emotions. This time he could almost feel the contempt that the wolf held for dogs.

What brings you here? Chance asked the wolf. While it hadn’t come any closer, it had lain down on the ground, resting its head on its paws, eyes watching the fire.

I was called. You should know that each Forest Walker, when they begin their journey, has a companion from among the beasts of the forest to accompany them. I was chosen for you.

A pet?

No. The message came very firm to him, rejecting the very concept. We are not dogs. We are companions, but we are still wild. If you attempt to pat me, I will bite you. The wolf bared its fangs as it spoke, though there was a playful edge to it.

Chance couldn’t help but grin; he admired the wolf’s attitude. Fair enough. Do you have a name? I need to be able to call you something.

By tradition each Forest Walker choses something appropriate. With some guidance, of course.

How about we go with Shaggy Death?

The wolf visibly winced. I would prefer not. It sounds…childish.

Hey, I like it. It fits you. But we can go with Shags for now, at least until we can come up with something better.

The wolf - Shags - actually sniffed. Fine, but note my protest.

Certainly, Shags, certainly. Right now I need sleep. It has been a day.

Sleep well, Forest Walker. We have a lot to do come the morrow.

That was rather what he was afraid of. Beating down some grass, he tried to settle into a comfortable position, ignoring the wolf starting at him out in the gloom a little way from the fire. Even as he closed his eyes, he could feel Shags there, like a nagging itch; he suspected that even with his eyes shut he could point directly at him.

Power Unlocked:

Animal Companion.

Class: Druid

Affinity: Nature

Power Source: Primal

Sincerely hoping that it was the last of those messages he got for the day and that no more surprises were waiting, he let his brain idle down, trying to blank out any thoughts and let himself drift into the welcome arms of sleep.