The campfire had burned low as the sun began to rise, leaving behind warm coals and a few flickering embers. He leaned back against the trunk of his “bedroom tree,” chewing on the last (burnt) bit of dried meat from the day before.
The wolf lay a few feet away, watching him — not quite curled up, not quite alert. Somewhere between a relaxed guard dog and a curious toddler.
He stared back.
“Well… we’ve been traveling together for, what, a couple of days now? And I still don’t know what to call you.”
The wolf tilted its head.
<blockquote>
It always does that when I talk. It’s adorable. Like it’s trying to figure out if I’m stupid… or just entertaining.
</blockquote>
“I can’t keep calling you ‘hey, wolf,’” he said, scratching the back of his head. “That’s rude. You need a name. Something noble. Something cool. Something that says, ‘this is my fluffy murder companion.’ Right, boy?”
The wolf huffed softly — not aggressive, just exasperated.
He raised an eyebrow. “What, you don’t have any suggestions? Okay, fine. Let’s workshop this.”
He stood up and began pacing like a man in a deep creative crisis.
“Fang? Too edgy. Bandit? Too cliché. Mr. Floof?” He paused. “Actually… kinda love that one.”
Another head tilt.
<blockquote>
It’s judging me. I can feel it.
</blockquote>
“Alright, how about something cool and mysterious?” he said. “You always sneak up on me, you move like smoke, and your fur’s darker at night…”
He tapped his chin.
“…Shadow. Yeah. That works.”
The wolf blinked.
“You like that?” he asked.
The wolf gave the faintest wag of its tail — so subtle he almost missed it.
“Awesome. Shadow it is, then! My loyal sidekick! My silent partner! My brooding beast of the woods!”
The tail stopped wagging. Another huff, louder this time, and looked away with a flick of its ears.
He froze.
“…Wait. Are you offended by ‘brooding’? Or ‘beast’? Are you… not a boy?”
Another loud huff. She laid her head down in the grass and stared at him — unimpressed.
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“…Well, too late now,” he muttered, crossing his arms. “You should’ve spoken up earlier, dude.”
She let out a long, theatrical sigh.
He turned back toward his shelter. “Alright, boy—Girl…”
Her tail wagged slightly.
<hr>
“My Matter Manipulation reached level six yesterday, and I can finally create these!” he said proudly, holding out a few new tools.
In one hand: a canteen for water. In the other: a small leather pouch made from the deer hide he’d cut a few days back. Around his waist, a newly formed belt secured the pouch and supported his slightly pointy sword.
“I think we have what we need to finally make our way out of here. I need to find out if this world actually has civilization. It’d be pretty grim if I was the only person around.”
He paused, glancing at Shadow.
“—Uh, not that you’re not great companionship, girl. It’d just be nice to have someone who could talk back, you know…”
He mumbled under his breath.
“Maybe even someone cute?”
Shadow tilted her head again, this time with what he could’ve sworn was an eye roll.
“Well, what are we waiting for!? Adventure awaits, Shadow!”
She jumped up with a slight wag of her tail, clearly excited to finally get moving.
He chose a direction and started walking — no map, no real plan — but after some time, he realized he was following the same river he’d used for water and bathing.
<blockquote>
That’s odd… but now that I think about it, I guess I read somewhere that following a river can lead to civilization. Could I have subconsciously known to do this?
</blockquote>
As the thought passed, he noticed Shadow up ahead. Could she have been leading him all along?
“Hey, Shadow. Do you know where we’re going? Did you lead us this way?”
Shadow looked back nonchalantly, and once again, he was sure she rolled her eyes.
<blockquote>
Could it be that this wolf is actually smarter than me? Damn it.
</blockquote>
<hr>
They walked for what felt like hours.
The terrain varied: thorny brush, rocky inclines, muddy slopes — but it was also peaceful. Birds chirped. The forest smelled earthy and alive. He hadn’t noticed how nice it was just to be somewhere quiet without dying every few minutes.
But then... the breeze picked up. The crisp air that once felt refreshing had turned sharp and biting.
“Uhh… Shadow? I think there’s a storm coming. Take a look at those clouds. We need to find shelter. Fast!”
Shadow’s tail gave a flick — almost like a nod.
Soon, the storm was upon them. Lightning lit the sky in stark flashes. Thunder rolled like the heavens were cracking open. Rain pelted them in heavy sheets, soaking through his hoodie within seconds.
“There!” he shouted, pointing toward a muddy cliff face with a narrow overhang. “That looks like our best shot!”
They darted toward it and barely squeezed under the ledge — huddling together beneath the rocky outcrop, trying to shield themselves from the wind and rain.
“I guess we picked a real winner of a day to leave camp, huh, girl?” he muttered through chattering teeth. “Then again, winds like this probably would’ve flattened my old shelter.”
The words had barely left his mouth when a thunderclap boomed directly overhead. The overhang trembled. He looked up.
“Shadow…”
The cliff cracked.
“LOOK OUT!”
He lunged toward her, grabbing her by the scruff just as the ledge gave way. The sound was deafening — like a wave of rock and mud collapsing all at once.
He felt himself being pulled.
Felt the ground vanish beneath his feet.
Felt the crushing weight of mud crash down over him.
And then...
Black.