Gazing down at the sulky young cub jumping at her, Baihu wordlessly raised her hand.

It was an act that caused the cub to cease her pleadings.

The young cub talks much, too much.

Recalling their time together, Baihu felt a mix of mild annoyance at all her behaviors. The young cub, while not as unruly as her dear friend once mentioned they tended to be, was still a great source of a headache. Endless pestering about trivial things, constant complaining about minor inconveniences, and a seeming inability to complete the most basic of tasks.

Seeing all these features in the cub, only one word—one thought—dominated Baihu’s mind.

‘Helpless’

“We have arrived.” (B)

The cub was completely helpless.

Watching her stare in awe at the world around her, the thought reinforced itself. A lot of questions surrounded the sudden appearance of this cub. Where did she come from? Why was she alone? What was she doing in Baihu’s territory? But, out of all of them, one stood forefront currently.

How did she survive this long?

Growing up, Baihu learnt how to not only survive but also thrive through the lessons instilled by the fae. Through their harmonies, counsel flowed in the breeze, providing guidance to Baihu. Enabling her to live a life befitting her stature.

It took but a glance to notice the cub never received the same grace from the fae.

She was lacking, sorely lacking. Her movements when walking were loud, awkward, and possessed very little consideration of her environment. She spoke unnecessarily and in a very coarse manner. She also didn’t boast any fundamental knowledge of mana.

It was evident a cub like this could not survive unless there was a presence of…

‘Others’

Yet despite this, Baihu had never once heard the cub mentioning others between her ramblings. On numerous occasions, Baihu felt a temptation to ask. To satisfy her longstanding curiosity and intrigue. But, time and time again, she held herself back. She was fully capable, at long last, of finally sating her hunger, yet she chose not to.

“Master… why are we here?” (L)

Eying the small girl looking up at her, Baihu bent down. She fixed the crooked hat the girl wore, straightened out her clothes, and cleaned dirt still around her eyes.

It was a good thing Baihu ensured she didn’t sleep too deeply.

Waking her up from a proper nap would be a different kind of troublesome.

“This is a forest.” (B)

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Standing up straight, Baihu pointed at the ground and spoke,

“Grass.” (B)

Gesturing to the trees around, Baihu continued,

“LiverTrees.” (B)

If the young cub didn’t receive the fae’s blessings, it would be better in the long run for Baihu to teach her.

“Huh?” (L)

Grabbing the hand of the little girl, Baihu dragged her along toward the settlement while taking the time to teach her.

“Master, I know what a deer is! Please, just tell me what we’re doing here?!” (L)

A low groan sounded beside Baihu as they neared the settlement. The young girl, whose hand was currently entangled with hers, let out her frustrations. Seeing this, Baihu couldn’t help but be reminded of her younger self. When she first ventured out into the world, she too had been resistant to admit her lack of knowledge. Often feigning it to avoid embarrassment.

It looked like Lei-Lei was not much different.

Stepping onto the beaten path, Baihu paused.

“The next creatures we are meeting are humans.” (B)

“Humans!?” (L)

“Yes, humans.” (B)

Searching for an appropriate description, Baihu took a short break before speaking again,

“They bear your current appearance without the tail and ears.” (B)

“Like the deer, they are harmless… So long as I’m with you.” (B)

Finished with her short description, Baihu continued toward the settlement.

“Ah, um, can we slow down? I don’t think…” (L)

Seeing the cub dragging her feet more than usual, Baihu stopped. Was the description she gave too much? Compared to the other instances where Baihu did something similar, there hadn’t been this much resistance.

Bending down, Baihu lifted the small girl and carried her.

“Don’t worry.” (B)

Feeling the young girl clutch onto her, Baihu continued down the road.

“Yeah, Alright… Okay.” (L)

“Master… they’re really staring.” (L)

A whisper, a sound Baihu thought incapable of the young girl, filled her ear. Walking down the middle of the street, Baihu ignored the gazes and murmurs that came their way.

“Yes, they are.” (B)

Having grown used to most creatures freezing at the sight of her, such gazes no longer held any significance.

“Is that normal for you?” (L)

Perhaps noticing her nonchalance, an incredulous voice answered back.

Baihu thought for a moment before answering,

“It’s normal for our kind.” (B)

Reaching one of the only stone buildings in the settlement, Baihu pushed the door open.

At the sharp sound of the bell ringing, a loud, deep, boisterous voice boomed.

“Ah! Young lady! It’s always a pleasure to have you visit our humble restaurant!”

The place Baihu has entered is called a restaurant. It was a place where one could exchange worthless heaps of metal for a meal. A good thing for Baihu as a person in no short supply of such.

Nodding at the loud man hidden by a large counter, Baihu went to one of the many empty seats.

Most restaurants were like this, excluding the zealous owner and lack of people. A large room filled with a couple of tables and chairs to sit on.

“I’ll be out in a minute!”

Waiting on the man, Baihu sat down. Letting the young cub still clutching onto sit on her lap.

“Master, why are we here?” (L)

“To eat.” (B)

“Is… Is that the only reason we came here?” (L)

“No.” (B)

“Then, why did we come here?” (L)

“To gather a few items.” (B)

“Items? What items? (L)

Determining enough was said, Baihu decided to save her energy to speak to the man.

“Master? Master?! Oh, come on!” (L)

Not enjoying the attitude, Baihu contemplated discipline when, suddenly, the young cub opened her cloak and dived in.

“Ugh, whatever… I don’t care anyway. (L)

Feeling the body clinging onto her relax too quickly, Baihu ejected the invader and then pulled the chair close by her. Placing the young cub on it, Baihu sent two light taps.

“Ack!”’ (L)

“I’ve prepared the usual! Here you go, a nice helping of—Oh, oh.”

The man paused as he came upon the table.

“Hahaha, I didn’t know I had a new customer today! Well, welcome!”

As the man placed down a bowel on the table, he turned and face the young cub who was still clutching at her head.

“Ah… little lady, are you alright?”

Meeting the eyes of the young cub, Baihu patiently waited for her to answer.

“Y-Yes!” (L)

“Well… good to hear!”

Turning to face Baihu, the man asked a silent question.

Shaking her head, Baihu answered.

This unruly attendant didn’t need to eat now.

“I shall be back shortly then!”

With the man leaving, Baihu reached into her cloak and pulled out a short list of supplies.

It was time for the young cub to properly earn a keep.