The crackling sound of burning wood echoed in the dark forest, accompanied by hoots of distant owls, disturbing the peace of this silent, eerie night. The faint light of a shabby campfire illuminated a small area around it, revealing the small figure of a silver haired boy and a huge wolf-like beast with fluffy snow-white fur. The soft hair of the Obborik served as both bed and pillow for Kai, who was inspecting the map as the fire warmed up his pelt-covered body.
“Neither too close nor too far”, my ass! Stupid old man, maybe it’s not too far for you! Kai scoffed and sighed silently as he thought about the long journey. Evicario is on the other part of the map! How long would it take me to get there? If it took me a month to get close to the outskirts of this forest from the old man’s camp then… It's at least six more months by foot!
Grooooooowl! A faint, amused smile manifested on his face as a soft gurgling noise echoed in his ears, breaking his train of thought. He petted the belly of the large mountain of fur with one hand and patted his own with the other. “I know boy… me too…” he yawned lightly as he said in a raspy voice. “All we have are the dried rations… who would have thought we’d eat so much in just a month?”
Onyx’s ears twitched back and forth as he listened to Kai, slowly inclining backwards as he huffed helplessly. Kai put the map away into his backpack which was filled with miscellaneous stuff such as some potions, a notebook, some clothes and a lot of pieces of dried, salted meat along with a few water flasks made from animal skin filled to the brim, yet the backpack was empty of any food besides some berries.
Light rustling sounds resounded from within as he placed the map in between the notebook and a makeshift sleeping bag.
I didn’t even need the sleeping bag in the end, this boy is more than warm enough! He laughed silently to himself at the thought as he caressed Onyx’s fur once again. “Should we go hunt?” he asked the Obborik, who’s ears instantly perked up as he barked excitedly
Woof!
Repeating, soft thudding sounds resounded in the air as small gusts of wind that threatened to put out the fire were created from Onyx’s wagging tail.
Kai hastily got up, the wind blowing his untied, long hair back while he tried to contain the Obborik’s excitement. “Ok boy stop, stop! I struggled to make the fire without magic, don’t put it out just yet.” Onyx’s tail slowly came to a halt as his ears fell down, his small black eyes stared wordlessly at Kai, who sighed lightly at the sight.
“Don’t worry boy, I’m not mad.” he assured Onyx while patting his fur with a wide smile and twinkling eyes. I really can't get enough of this fluffiness!
“Come now, let’s go hunt some game before we turn into vegetarians. he joked as he brushed some dust off his dirty clothes. Onyx stood up as well, his tall stature creating a huge shadow on the ground behind him. They departed their temporary base under the cover of the dark forest.
Leaves rustled beneath their feet as they tip-toed on the dry and humid ground. With every step, branches cracked loudly, rendering their stealth-like mission useless. Onyx’s pearly black eyes glowed with a faint blue-ish light as he inspected the area around them, looking for any prey.
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Kai joined him in his search, his crimson eyes sparkling brightly as small amounts of mana freely circulated through them.
“Do you see anything?” he asked, a small cloud of vapor appearing around his mouth. Onyx sighed softly and lowered his head in response. “I guess not, heh. We are quite loud so I can’t say I’m surprised.”
Maybe we can hide and wait for something to pass… he looked around as he thought and set his sights onto a large bush not that far away. “Let’s hide for now, maybe we will get lucky.”
The bush rustled as the two slithered through the dense branches. Kai’s small stature was completely hidden within leaves, while Onyx’s body, save for the head, was completely exposed.
Kai did not pay any mind to his companion’s lack of stealth as his keen eyes were focused on a small clearing in front of him where small rays of moonlight slipped through the dense crown of the trees. The soft light walked on the icy ground, eventually disappearing then reappearing again someplace else.
Clattering sounds echoed from the bush as Kai’s teeth and muscles spasmed uncontrollably as midnight slowly approached.
“D-d-damn it w-w-will anything even show up?” he mumbled with crossed arms, small clouds of vapor forming at his mouth as he spoke. Onyx approached his head to Kai’s face, unbothered by the cold. “Thanks, boy.”
A faint, rhythmic thudding sound resounded in their ears as the small figure of a deer appeared within their field of vision. Its delicate footsteps slowly came to a halt as its hooves brushed against the overgrown grass.
The brown-ish, spot covered body of the deer stopped under the rays of moonlight, its long and sharp antlers glowing faintly with a silvery-white light.
Kai and Onyx locked onto it, their stomachs emitting silent growling sounds. Their bodies froze in place as they stopped breathing, waiting for the perfect opportunity to jump onto the unsuspecting victim. Onyx’s mouth was wet with hunger, his muscles twitching at the thought of the venison meat they were about to feast on.
An icy breeze brushed past them, moving towards the deer who had its eyes closed. Its nose twitched as the breeze passed by, its eyes snapping open, staring straight at the two. Damn it! Kai cursed under his breath.
The bush rustled as both of them jumped out, bits of white fur ripping out from Onyx’s skin as his huge body forcefully passed through the intertwined branches. Kai followed suit with huge momentum, clutching his sword tightly. A rattling sound emitted from his scabbard as he pulled it halfway out.
Agggh! His advance was quickly cut short as his body snapped backwards, a mischievous branch having caught him by the collar. Onyx’s ears twitched slightly but his hungry gaze was locked onto the deer, who’s eyes widened in fear. Its antlers immediately emitted a blinding light, forcing the Obborik to squint his eyes as he gave chase to the barely visible figure. A rhythmic sound of clicking footsteps echoed in front of him as the light slowly faded away.
A puffing sound resounded from Onyx’s snout as his tail lowered in disappointment. His head snapped at Kai, who still struggled to unbind himself from the playful branch. His pointy ears inclined backward as a fierce gaze manifested on his face.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Kai asked as his lips shaped into a weird, innocent looking smile.
Onyx growled angrily in response, his hair standing on end as he slowly approached Kai with heavy footsteps, his head dropping towards the ground. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he quickly freed himself from the clutches of the bush.
The Obborik stopped in front of Kai and he sat down, his huge head brushing against his legs before he let out a puff from his snout. Kai knelt down as well, pulling the backpack from the bush and fishing for the dry rations. “I’m sorry boy… This will have to do for now…”