Fanv was back in her cave cuddling with the rodents. She had wanted to go clean herself off in the lake cave but the fear of the angry birds had kept her away. Instead, she had settled for letting the small rodents clean her. She had tried to lick her fur herself but strands of fur got stuck in her throat and made her gag. The rodents didn't mind helping her out. No, 'didn't mind' was the wrong description... They practically fought over who could help her. After a long explanation from Pohc about 'the glorious future, a ruler could bring them' and many tiring tries to make them not treat her like a goddess of death who'd blessed them with her presence, she had finally given up and accepted that the rodents wanted to worship her. Surely they would tire of it soon and just treat her like a normal person. They would stop right?

'Do not bother our beloved ruler with your filthy excuse for a mouth, rat. I shall help her instead.'

'Kindly go drown in the lake, vole. Our glorious ruler needn't be bothered by your chattering!'

'As the same species as Lord Pohc, I am of much higher liking to our benevolent ruler-'

'Do not pull that weak excuse again, hare. We all know that your species eats droppings and therefore has a filthy mouth. Your very presence is a disgrace to our leader!'

'Are you implying that anyone of my species is a filthy mongrel? Lord Pohc is our great ruler's closest follower and he certainly evolved from a hare. To claim hares are filthy would be the same as claiming our Lord Pohc is filthy as well!'

'Slander!'

Sigh. So much noise from such small creatures. Fanv couldn't help but smile though. Despite their way of speaking and hostile ways of showing affection, the small fellas were kinda cute. You just can't take a small mouse screaming 'this is an outrage!' seriously. They were also very good at cleaning. The thought of getting licked clean had been a bit disturbing at first, but since the lickers themselves were such cute little animals it wasn't really that bad. It tickled and her fur was gleaming in the dim light of the cave. Her fur had grown when she evolved, giving her a proper pelt to keep warm in. It also cushioned her as she lay on the dirt floor, taking the edge away from the small rocks and pebbles that usually poked into her skin.

Life in the dungeon was not so bad. She had a small cult group of friendly rodents following her around and a very friendly spider. There were food and water, although the food was alive and had to be murdered in cold blood and the water was guarded by angry monster crows. Maker was friendly too, a bit weird and intrusive at times but she meant well. She did miss the outside though. Trees and grass, the warm sun and endless sky. The sound of birds and insects in the summer. She missed the forest.

Fanv stood up and was met with a small outrage from the rodents that tumbled off of her body and onto the floor.

"I'm going for a walk. Pohc, will you join me?"

The hare jumped onto her shoulders and the other rodents sighed in jealousy. Fanv trotted out of her cave at a light pace, taking in the scents and sights of her surroundings. She felt the soft breeze that came from the tunnels leading to the entrance of the dungeon. She turned and followed the breeze.

"Maker? Are you there?"

Yes?

She's always here. Kinda easy to forget when her body is not present...

"I'd like to go outside for a bit? Is that alright with you?"

A moment of silence. She felt Maker hesitate-

Are you leaving?

"I miss the forest so I wanna take a walk. I'll come back so don't worry bout that. Will there be problems if I leave the caves?"

...You might feel a bit weird. A slight pull? Creatures do not normally leave the dungeon so I am not sure. I think as long as you do not go too far away there will not be a problem. You should know when you are too far away. It would probably hurt since distance would strain our bond.

"Ok... you're making me worried now..."

As long as you do not keep moving away when it feels as if your bones are being pulled out of your skin then you should be fine!

"Wait what?!"

I just found the memory. A rodent got snatched by a bird once and it did not die at once. The bond snapped when the bird carried it too far away. I feel my creatures' pain. I remember everything that happens to me and my creatures. If you are too far away you will feel it.

"...Doesn't that mean that I'm stuck in the caves a surrounding forest for the rest of my life?..."

I will expand my territory with time. I grow bigger for every day. It may be slow but given time I could claim the entire forest and beyond.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Fanv didn't mention that dungeons normally didn't live long enough to grow that big. It felt wrong to tell her a group of adventurers, or even an army, would some day subjugate her and destroy her core... Dungeons were considered a threat to the world and were almost always destroyed before they grew too strong. A few dungeons were kept alive to have their resources farmed by nearby cities that have the means to control the dungeon.

"I see... What a great day it will be when you own the entire forest! Maybe we could build a castle and declare ourselves a kingdom? The rodents can be nobles, they have the speech-patterns done already haha."

That is an interesting idea! I like it! The Dungeon kingdom- or maybe the Maker kingdom? I will have to come up with an impressive name for our domain!

Fanv laughed at that. A dungeon kingdom would be one hell of a sight! Monster inhabitants and their own special rules and customs. Their military would kick ass! She kept imagining what it would be like until she reached the exit. It was bright outside! The sun must be much brighter than normal, what the hell?!

'It's your night vision.'

Ah... That explains why the caves were always bright enough to see in... But wait, wasn't that because of the Glowshells?

"Aren't the Glowshells the reason we can see in the caves?"

'The Glowshells only add enough light to let us see. We need very little light to see, unlike most Outsiders.'

"I see. Still, it's so bright!"

'It sure is.'

They stood at the mouth of the cave and stared out for a moment longer, marveling at the bright sun and tall trees.

It was the same crevice that Fanv had fell down that fateful night. She had almost died... Hmph, time to meet the outside world again!

She had to squeeze her way through the small opening. It had felt bigger the time she fell through it. Once she made it out a wave of worry flowed through her. Being outside suddenly felt very wrong. Pohc was shivering on her back. She shook her head, hard.

"Come on. We made it this far. We'll go back once we've explored a bit."

The hare could only nod. He had spent his entire life up until now inside the dungeon. Not having Maker's calming presence in the back if his mind felt terrifying. The wolf doing way better than him. She walked through the underbrush and made her way up the steep slope that surrounded the cave opening. Leaves and twigs brushed past his fur, making him inch away. It was a very new feeling, to say the least.

The smells and sights of the forest all felt new to Fanv. She could sense so much more things than before she transformed for the first time. She saw the bugs hiding among the plants and trees, she heard the birds singing all around her, and she could see the stars in the blue bright sky. Her 5 eyes saw so much more that was previously hidden from her. The air was filled with new scents and she heard small animals sneak around beneath the underbrush.

And she smelled fire. The breeze carried smoke and scents of humans from far away. A campsite maybe? Fanv thought for a moment. She wanted to meet humans again but... She looked down at her clawed paws. Yeah... And if she transformed she would just be a naked girl in the forest. If the people she met were superstitious then they'd probably mistake her for a Hulder or a Forest spirit and that could end badly.

"Let's sneak up on some humans."

'Humans? Are we going to kill them?'

"No. Just watch them."

The hare nodded and jumped to the ground. Then he did something strange. He uncurled his ears (she hadn't realized they were curled up before to look smaller) which were almost as long as his entire body. He slumped down ad bit and then his fur shifted color. A faded gray replaced the black and white and his eyes dimmed a bit. When he was done he looked like a normal hare. He was slightly bigger than a normal hare but it was barely noticeable, probably because of his Skill.

She whistled mentally at him. She hadn't known he could imitate other things besides her. And now he was adorable! She couldn't help but nuzzle him and pull at his fur a bit. He pushed at her gently to stop. He looked so innocent and normal.

'Let's go.'

They lowered their bodies and snuck towards the smell of smoke. The thick underbrush hid them well despite Fanv's easy-to-spot-fur, hidden joints and flexible limbs were amazing for sneaking. 

The campsite was further away than expected and it stunk. Sweat, piss, smoke, all smells were magnified by her sensitive nose. Pohc and Fanv kept close to each other as they crept closer to the worn tents. It was evening and the people there were lounging about, doing a few tasks or eating. They were almost all male.

"Bandits..."

'?'

"There's a dead body over there, and a lot of bloody weapons."

'What are bandits?'

"Uh... People who steal and kill. They are evil."

'I see.'

Pohc didn't really get it but apparently killing and stealing wasn't normal among humans. They were very complicated beings after all... He watched the wolf as she sniffed the air and eyed the bandits. Then she froze and her eyes went wide as a huge burly human walked past them just a few meters up ahead.

"I smell Mikvel."

'Who?'

"Mikvel, my friend. We grew up together. That man that walked past us smelled like him...-! We need to find him!"

Pohc couldn't tell which smell she meant so he just followed as Fanv held her nose to the ground and searched for her friend's scent. She moved closer to the camp. Only a few more meters of underbrush to hide them from the humans. She homed in on a tent that stood a bit further away from the others. It reeked of different humans. They snuck around it and crept close to the back of the tent. Only the tent hid her from view as Fanv crept closer and began scratching at the ground and fabric, making her way in under the tent wall and into the tent itself. Pohc held his breath as he kept a look out.

Fanv nearly threw up when she stuck her head inside the tent. It reeked of humans and filth. And in the middle of stained hides and blankets lay her childhood friend Mikvel, torn up and battered. He had cuts across his arms and naked chest and his breathing was faint. He opened his eyes into slits as she watched him. His eyes were glassy and didn't register what he was seeing at all. Fanv whined and pressed her nose to his cheek, getting no reaction from the boy.

She felt anger boil up inside of her. Who dared do this to her friend? She would tear them apart! But first she must save Mikvel or he'll rot away in this sorry excuse for a tent. She searched for any of his clothing to bite onto to drag him out but found none. Some bastard had left him wounded and naked in this stinking tent. She was furious now. 

Gingerly she closed her jaws around his neck, grasping him gently by the neck as if he was a puppy or kitten. He stirred a little but didn't do much else. But then she pulled and the same second he felt himself being dragged he screamed.