The sun was slowly setting, as it cast a reddish glow on the horizon. The few wandering birds started to withdraw back to their nests, sensing that the day was coming to an end.
A large shadow flew across the darkening sky, as it slowly revealed the form of a beast leisurely flapping its wings against the wind.
“I’m getting tired… ”
Calron inwardly thought, as he took a few minutes of rest by stretching out his wings and gliding for a while.
He had even surprised himself by flying continuously for hours, as he thought that he would have had to take frequent breaks after exhausting his body earlier by using the Divine Perception technique.
It appeared as if his body was gradually adapting to his beast form, enabling him to expend less and less energy each time he shape-shifted to maintain his form. Calron put this thought away for now, reminding himself to ask his teacher later.
“Avi! Are you alright?”
Calron inquired gently, as he took a quick glance back at the little pup shivering on his back.
“nnn…nnn…nnn”
The little beast pitifully whined while firmly digging her paws into Calron’s back, and spreading herself as flat as she could against his scaly body.
“Hahaha, don’t worry, Avi, we will be on the ground soon. Hang on tight!”
Calron let out a chuckle, as he folded his wings and dived towards the land below. He initially thought that the wolf pup was shivering due to the cold, but it turned out that Avi was just really afraid of heights.
This was not surprising, as wolves were not meant for flight.
Avi let out an angry yelp and dug her paws even deeper into Calron’s scales, as her soft fur fluttered in the wind.
*SCREEEEEE*
Calron let out an ear-splitting screech, as he rapidly descended towards the ground.
Quickly scanning the earth below, Calron decided to land on an isolated area that seemed to be devoid of any creatures within a mile radius.
*Whooosh* *Whoooosh*
The air around his wings exploded into bursts of gusts, creating a small dust cloud around his body the moment Calron landed.
He wished he could have landed a bit gentler, as he did not wish to startle the already frazzled pup, but with Calron’s utter fatigue, he would rather not stay for long in the air.
Calron was still new to shape-shifting, and until he understood all of its intricacies, he was not going to be taking any risks.
“Woof! Woof, woof!”
Avi furiously let out a string of barks, as she immediately hopped off Calron’s back. Chastising the human for taking her into the air, the little wolf pup continued to bark in her small juvenile voice.
*chi-chi*
The golden scales gradually returned back into Calron’s body, as he resumed his human form.
“Sorry, Avi… I promise to give you a warning next time.”
Calron softly comforted the little pup, as he bent down on his knee and petted Avi’s furry head.
The pup pretended to be initially offended by the petting, but soon gingerly rubbed her head against the human’s hand while making cheerful noises.
*grumble*
The pup’s stomach suddenly growled, and she pleadingly glanced up at Calron with her large adorable eyes asking for food.
“Haha, wait here, and I’ll try to hunt for some beast meat.”
Calron laughed out loud when he saw the expression on Avi’s face. He did not know whether or not the little pup was intentionally using her cuteness to make him do her bidding, but he certainly did not mind.
Spending time with Avi made him recall the memories of the other baby beasts at the outer ranges, and he wondered how they were faring right now.
He missed them.
Turning around and preparing to scout for a beast to hunt, Calron took a single step when he felt a tiny paw scratch his ankle.
*woof*
Taking a quick glance behind him, Calron found the wolf pup begging to go along with him. Calron could understand how Avi felt, as their current surroundings were eerily quiet and it most likely spooked the little beast.
“Fine… but you will have to walk a lot, as I have not recovered my strength yet.”
Calron sighed while shaking his head, and resumed treading into the trees.
Avi silently followed close behind the human, as her head kept darting around and absorbing the new scenery.
A human and a little beast slowly walked within the forest, bringing their bond even closer as they reveled in each other’s silent company.
“Stay here.”
Calron quietly whispered to the crouching wolf pup next to him.
In a flash, Calron bolted out from behind the bushes and instantly appeared behind the goat-like beast.
With golden lightning crackling around his palm, he thrust it deep into the beast’s brain before it could realize what was happening.
*splash*
A spray of blood splattered onto the ground, as the beast slowly toppled down with its eyes still wide open in shock.
Seeing that the beast was dead, Avi leapt over the bush where she was hiding and rushed towards Calron.
“Uhh… this is going to take some time to cook.”
Calron muttered, as he wiped away the fresh blood from his hand and stared at the medium-sized goat in front of him.
*growl*
The little wolf pup threateningly lowered her head, as she swiftly pounced on the dead beast. Grasping the beast’s leg within her small jaws, Avi violently shook it for a few seconds before hopping back and switching her target to the beast’s belly.
Watching the little pup pretend to be a predator, and acting as if she killed the beast herself, Calron could not help but let a smile slip from his face.
“Avi, let’s go. These type of beasts always travel in herds, so there will definitely be more nearby.”
Calron calmly stated, as he beckoned for the wolf pup to retreat.
Although he easily killed the goat-type beast, he would not be able to do the same against an entire herd.
“You can play later, but let’s leave this area first.”
Calron urgently whispered to the pup, as he grabbed the two front limbs of the dead beast and motioned for Avi to remove her jaws from the beast’s stomach.
“grrr…”
With a final tug, Avi let go of the beast and happily trotted behind Calron.
The human appeared to be serious, so she quit fooling around.
“Good girl.”
Calron chuckled, as he began jogging back to their original location, carrying the dead goat on his back.
“Awoooo”
Avi let out an excited howl as she darted past Calron and raced ahead of him.
—After a few hours—
With a half-eaten carca.s.s lying around them, both human and beast were lying on the ground, while one silently snored and the other one quietly gazed at the starry sky above.
Avi curled herself into a small furry ball, as she contently snored away with a belly-full of meat.
Calron brooded within his own thoughts as he recalled the mysterious owner of those piercing eyes and what that stranger’s presence meant.
Staring at the countless glowing stars above, Calron felt a strange peace within his heart.
“I have a feeling that this one will turn out to be more mischievous than we thought.”
Ezkael softly whispered, as he materialized next to his student and gave a quick glance at the sleeping pup.
“Haha, I have the same feeling… but she’s adorable, isn’t she?”
Calron replied back in an amused tone, as he looked at Avi’s sleeping form.
“Kid, she has a special bloodline…”
“I know, Teacher. We’ll deal with that situation later, once the need arises, but until then, she travels with us.”
Calron said firmly, as he gazed into his Teacher’s smoky eyes.
“Can’t go back after coming this far, can we now?”
Ezkael sighed while shaking his head, but a faint trace of a smile could be detected on his hazy face.
“nnn….nn….nnn”
Suddenly, Avi let out a few distressed whimpers as she kept shifting around on the ground.
“Looks like she’s remembering her mother’s death. Well, she is your responsibility now, Calron. Take care of her.”
Ezkael gently whispered, as his body dispersed into the shadows.
Rushing towards the little wolf pup, Calron gingerly embraced her tiny body and placed his arms around her.
“Shhh… it’s alright, Avi… “
Calron breathed into the sleeping pup’s ears in an attempt to bring her out of her nightmare.
“I’m here…”