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Chapter Text

Kim Rok Soo was no stranger to suffering.

He had your stereotypical tragic upbringing; orphaned at a young age, abused and bullied in the place he was meant to call home, struggled to find a job to support himself and put him through school, watched as everyone he loved and thought of as a family died before him, was currently living through an apocalypse—

Just, truly your textbook definition of ‘tragic’.

However, no amount of suffering and tragedy could’ve ever prepared him for this…

The last thing he remembered before waking up, was reading 5 volumes of a book series he’d borrowed for one of his increasingly rare days off. ‘The Birth of a Hero’. Your standard fantasy story of a young man being isekai’d into a new world, only to then be burdened to solve this new civilizations problems.

The main character was obviously a Korean teen, and the setting was not so subtly based on historic Western Europe. Kim Rok Soo remembered the book was unusually detailed with its world building and descriptions of the characters—

But none of that mattered at the moment.

How could he even spare a thought or connect the setting of the book with his current predicament?

He had four legs.

Hold on, he might not have emphasized that enough.

He had four legs.

More specifically, he had a set of four furry black paws with slightly blunted claws that he could retract (interestingly enough) to top them off. Kim Rok Soo had an aching suspicion that should he turn around, he’d also find a bushy tail behind him.

What did he do to deserve this?

Not only was he now stuck in this foreign animal body; he’d also been rudely awoken by sudden pin-pricks of cold wetness. Fat drops of rain pelted him from above, while the sticky muddy ground sucked him in from below.

He barely had time to register all of this before the increasingly heavy shower and claps of screeching thunder had him tripping over himself towards the closest dry hollow he spotted in his periphery. Turns out walking with 4 legs was much more challenging when you’re used to two. Who knew?

Kim Rok Soo sighed. The universe just seemed to love messing with him— he wasn’t even sure if you could call it bad luck anymore— It’s like the world just went ahead and said “fuck you in particular” to him.

Now that he’d found himself a somewhat dry and mud free place to wait out the deluge, he could finally take the time to figure out just what sort of body he was working with.

As he suspected, looking behind him did, in fact, reveal a bushy red and white tipped tail. Touching it with the tip of his nose revealed a somewhat bristly texture, similar to a painter’s brush.

Lifting one of his forepaws, he rubbed the top of his head and confirmed the existence of two pointed and soft furred ears. Lastly, he brushed his newly acquired paw against an elongated snout, catching on a set of highly sensitive whiskers along the way.

The gears in his brain spun into overdrive to picture what he looked like now, trying his best to recall the time before the apocalypse when animals were more common; albeit, still rare in the urban jungle he lived in.

The fact that his snout was long and his tail was more bushy than sleek seemed to speak of more canid features. However, his retractable claws and long sensitive whiskers were much more feline in nature than any dog he could think of.

He had a sinking suspicion that whatever creature he’d come to possess was definitely not of a domesticated variety. As if the fact he woke up in the middle of a forest wasn’t a good enough indicator to his current social status.

Still, he had somewhat hoped he could’ve lived the comfortable and relaxed life of a tamed pet. He wasn’t above tossing away some face to please an owner if that meant he could live a slackers’ life.

Shaking away those unhelpful thoughts, he focused instead on observing his new world.

Kim Rok Soo was 98% certain he was no longer in the same world he had been before falling asleep. For one, this world was far too green. Even the mountain that Choi Jung Soo’s family was buried in wasn’t nearly this lush, beautiful and full of life.

The skies also weren’t nearly this blue! How could they be with all the destruction and smog released from burning or destroyed buildings after onslaughts of monster attacks?

Lastly, there were far too many animals and wildlife just casually roaming around. He could still hear the birds chirping through the shower and his heightened sense of smell could pick up the trails of various other creatures nearby.

They’d mostly disappeared after the first wave of attacks from the monsters through the portals, too smart and world weary to ever be dumb enough to reveal where they were so easily. Especially seeing as monsters attacked all living creatures indiscriminately.

This was not a world devastated by a monster apocalypse. It was far too peaceful. As for why he doesn’t just assume this is his world before the apocalypse… he just had a hunch.

Luckily, the rain was starting to clear up. The once pelting drops slowly tapered off to a drizzle, before stopping all together. Taking a few extra cautious moments to observe the weather, Kim Rok Soo left the cover of the tree hollow he’d sheltered in to take a better look of his surroundings.

The ground squelched uncomfortably between the pads of his paws and he quickly adjusted his steps to walk over more solid areas with grass. He took a sniff of the air, heavy with the scent of what his animal brain so helpfully filled in as water and prey.

He supposed it could be worse. He could be stuck in this animal body with an entirely human brain and sensory perception. At least this brain still had some leftover survival instincts and abilities. It’d be a helpful guide for him through this adjustment and learning period.

He quickly approached a puddle that’d formed from the rain and stared into his murky reflection. Through the brown tinged surface, he managed to make out a mostly red pelted creature with what was probably a white belly and throat under all the muddy muck. Along with that, he had black tipped ears, a pointed snout, and long rigid whiskers laying near flush with the sides of his face.

He was a fox… a very red fox at that.

Kim Rok Soo felt a headache fast approaching.

He’d already known he was likely a wild animal, but a fox? Really? A fox was one of those unfortunate creatures that not only had a short expected lifespan of 3 - 4 years on average without human intervention; but it was also notoriously given a bad reputation no matter the time period or place. The most value foxes had in the eyes of non-enthusiast or sympathizers would be for their exotic coats and warm fur to line expensive clothes with!

Other than their depressing commercial value, they were simply an annoyance, a pest in the eyes of society. Even if he were to try to take shelter in a human settlement, he’d have to be careful to stay out of people’s sights, lest he raise alarms and get chased out or killed for being a wild diseased beast.

He couldn’t just live in the woods either. While his leftover survival instincts from the animal brain he took over could help distinguish things like edible foods, prey, likely danger or water sources; he didn’t have the practical experience or know how to use this information to live a decent wild life. Not to mention his current body already looked extremely emaciated.

Besides, him, hunting? Hah! Even if his body had the energy, he could only just barely walk straight with four legs! He didn’t even have the motivation to want to learn either, not when his keen nose could pick up the scent of civilization in the form of fire…

His stomach was already beginning to growl at the thought of fire cooked meals.

Taking one last disgruntled look at himself, he got up, shook out his water clogged pelt, and started on his trek towards civilization. Even if the only life he could expect to live there would be the life of a thief who rummaged through trash and had to roll around in shit everyday, it still beat starving to death! He hated pain and last he checked, death by starvation was one of the worst ways he could think to go.

Besides, he’d already put up with a lifetime’s worth of hard work. Why go and waste his already shortened lifespan doing even more work? Just to keep up his dignity? Dignity wouldn’t feed him!

He continued forward with a renewed sense of urgency, justifying it as needing to get a better understanding of where he was and when. If he could sneak a bite of something cooked along the way… then that was just an added bonus.

By the time he stopped to rest, the sun was already approaching the midpoint of its journey across the sky. He sat on his haunches, panting. Apparently, he might’ve given his new sense of smell more credit than it deserved.

His paws were already aching and the scent of fire had only grown marginally closer; the smell enveloping the whole area and changing directions with the wind. For all he knew, he could’ve been walking in circles and been none the wiser.

The only reason he was sure he hadn’t back-tracked on himself was because he could hear the sound of a stream he’d been tracking from a distance growing closer and closer. His sense of hearing seemed much more reliable than his nose in this case.

Kim Rok Soo was starting to get thirsty anyways, he figured there’d be no harm in going to get a drink before continuing on his way.

Besides, wasn’t there that saying that when lost one might have better luck encountering civilization by following a stream?

With that thought in mind, he pushed himself back onto his paws and worked himself up to a trot; his ears twitching slightly atop his head as he adjusted his course to head directly towards the stream.

Finally, he pushed through a patch of ferns and came face to face with the hidden brook.

The water was a little more brown than he would’ve liked; but he took it as an aftereffect of the recent rainfall. He couldn’t exactly be picky either, not when his throat already felt scratched raw with each panting parched breath he took.

With a quick cursory look around the bank to make sure the coast was clear, he dipped his head down and attempted to drink the water.

It was a frustrating affair, seeing as he now lacked the hands to scoop the water and the lips to suck it up like a human would. In the end, he awkwardly ended up sticking out his tongue.

After a few clumsy attempts, he gradually began to master the art of catching the water with each lap of a tongue; gathering it into his mouth and gulping them down with gusto. The muddy taste could hardly compare with the relief it brought his tired body.

With his thirst quenched, his body was now free to complain about its other problems… such as his achingly empty stomach.

Whichever fox once possessed this body of his must’ve been as terrible a hunter as he’d currently be, seeing as he could see every rib through the somewhat scruffy appearance of his pelt. The fox had likely been deprived of nutrition for at least a few days; and, well, he didn’t feel sick or hurt elsewhere as far as he could tell.

Sure his paws stung but that was more a result of his non-stop walk through the woods; occasionally tripping over his own feet when he forgot he had to keep track of four limbs instead of two.

The feeling of an empty stomach brought up unpleasant memories he’d rather not let surface at the moment. To ward them off, he stuck up his nose and began taking deep inhales of the area. He even opened his mouth slightly, finding he could pinpoint scents better this way.

Eventually, he noticed a slightly sweet scent trickle into his nose. He whipped his head to follow it, his paws bringing him to the source of the delicious smell before he could even think to command his body to move.

At the end of the scent trail, he found a pile of assorted loose berries on the ground. They were just on the cusp of being ripe, appearing in shades of reds and deep blues.

Their presence together in a pile on the ground was highly suspicious. Kim Rok Soo knew there was absolutely no way they could’ve been gathered there naturally. Some other animal might’ve been storing them there. Or, more likely, it could very well be a trap.

He scented the area once more, but the delicious smell of sweet berries was far too potent to his starved brain. His paws were itching to go forward and gobble them up, but he hesitated.

His human brain was warring with the animal inside, trying to focus on the very real danger of this situation. Ultimately, his human common sense won over, giving him that little bit of patience to look over the situation carefully.

Using his sharp canid eyes, he once again scanned the clearing, his ears straining to pick up any unusual sounds. Of course, that was difficult when he wasn’t exactly sure what sounds would count as unusual in this world.

Thankfully, his eyes spotted something that stuck out as slightly unnatural. There was a lump in the leaf litter close to the berries. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a simple rope and snare trap.

He snorted at the rudimentary design, filing that bit of information away to deal with later. With his senses on high alert, he padded out towards the trap, being cautious of where he placed each paw so he didn’t accidentally stumble upon some hidden trigger.

He walked up along the rope, nosing at the leaves tactfully covering the majority of it so that he could follow the line to the grounding component. Once he found the stake, he made quick work of digging it up, the rope falling slack and harmless as he disarmed the trap.

Satisfied with his work –and after giving the rope a quick kick with a back paw to make sure there was no tension left in the line– he casually walked back to the pile of fruit and began to wolf down the meal.

Some of the berries were a tad too tart for his usual liking; but at that point, they may as well have been the most delicious thing he’d ever eaten.

That was the benefit of starvation he supposed. Anything would taste good if you were hungry enough.

It was far from filling, but it would have to make do for now. Once he’d finished and licked the berry juice from his muzzle, he quickly slunk back into the underbrush.

He didn’t travel far, just out of sight of the clearing. Once he was sure the bright red streaks of his un-muddied pelt wouldn’t be seen by anyone who walked by, he settled down to wait.

Why was he waiting so close to what could’ve been a dangerous trap for him? Well, obviously someone must’ve set it up. Seeing as the berries had been relatively fresh too, it had to have been recent. Whoever set that trap would surely come to check on it eventually.

It was a better plan than aimlessly following his nose that may or may not be leading him closer or further from his desired destination. He was in no rush. There was a water source close enough and he probably wouldn’t be able to catch something he was willing to eat even if he tried. It was one thing to adjust to newly gained and heightened senses like sound and smell; but with his still very human conscious intact, it was an entirely different story to dehumanize himself to the point of eating mice, voles and other critters that usually sustained a fox’s diet if he had other options. Therefore, conserving energy by waiting here was the only reasonable thing to do.

He lay his head between his two front paws, curling a slightly more matted tail around himself to act as a sort of blanket. If he wasn’t so hungry, this would be close to the ideal slacker life he’d always wanted.

Closing his eyes, he let himself doze on and off, his ears on constant alert to keep track of his surroundings while the rest of him lazed away in the warm afternoon.

The crack of a twig breaking was what broke him out of this near peaceful trance.

His eyes snapped open, the pupils of his amber eyes narrowed to slits as he focused on the clearing he could see through the leaves of his bush.

There was a… young boy there, dressed in a simple tunic, leather boots and a vest. He had a quiver and arrow on his back with a small dagger on a belt strapped to his hip. His hair was a dull shade of brown with a pair of gloomy brown eyes to match.

The boy looked… to be dressed in a historic fashion. Very… Western too. Kim Rok Soo had a bad feeling about this.

He looked stupefied by what he were seeing in the clearing. Not long later an older man followed him out; probably his father based on his similar features. The younger boy pointed at the disarmed trap stating that “Something dug up the trap!”

The older man looked between the boy and the trap, raising a brow as he quipped back “You sure you didn’t just drive the stake into the ground too shallowly?”

The boy was obviously upset by this false accusation. He seemed absolutely certain that he properly hammered in the stake and even tried tugging on it before he left. He pointed at the hole left behind where the stake used to be.

“Look! There are scratch marks around the hole! I’m sure something must’ve dug it up!”

The older man just shook his head and sighed. He patted the boy on the shoulder and reprimanded him for being far too imaginative.

“Animals are too stupid to have thought to dig up the trap first. Otherwise, why would this be the first time I’ve ever seen a trap end up in this state? Come on, just reset the trap and make sure to bury that stake properly this time!”

The boy still looked wronged. He scanned the area, kicking aside some leaves to look for some clues; but evidently he gave up as he began resetting the trap. He dropped another handful of berries on the ground within the snares range.

Before he left he made extra sure to tug on the rope attached to the stake to make sure it wouldn’t be coming loose easily. With one last glance around the clearing, aggrieved, he gathered his things and followed after the older man who left ahead of him.

Rok Soo waited a little bit longer before slowly starting to follow after the pair. While the pile of berries was tempting, he wasn’t stupid enough to waste time on such a small treat when there was a bigger fish to catch in front of him.

Using a combination of his hearing and sense of smell to track the pair, he kept up with them at a distance. Occasionally, he glimpsed them through the trees, but quickly ducked back into cover before they caught sight of his red fur.

They continued to travel like this, the two humans occasionally stopping to check on a trap and even gathering a few caught animals from time to time. The scent of fresh blood from the knife wounds used to incapacitate and bleed the prey, making Kim Rok Soo’s mouth water more than he was comfortable with.

He was ready to collapse by the time they led him to the outskirts of a city. A huge stone wall between him and the human made civilization. There were guards at the gates, dressed in rather medieval armour and equipped with equally medieval weaponry.

His eyes quickly scanned the situation, determining it would be difficult to slip in unnoticed at the moment. Especially not with the patches of his flame red pelt making him stick out like a sore thumb against those dull grey rocks and brown hoof trodden roads.

What he did notice though, was the gaudy golden turtle symbol waving along with the flags hanging on either side of the gate. He didn’t want to acknowledge the slowly piling facts pointing to a certain fantastical conclusion, but that symbol was fairly damning evidence.

It was the crest of the Henituse family.

The same family that housed the first minor villain that the hero, Choi Han, from ‘The Birth of a Hero’ was destined to beat to a pulp in the beginning of the story.

The book was written too descriptively to be able to ignore such clear evidence. The city infront of him was no doubt Rain City. The first place Choi Han will go to once the village he called home is burned down and all the inhabitants are slaughtered– and Kim Rok Soo, was now in the world of that book… In the body of a fox no less.

This was beyond the level of background character; he may as well have been given the role of a tree in a school play!

But that suited Kim Rok Soo just fine. He didn’t want to get involved in their struggles. He didn’t want to work hard or have the burden of knowing he could change the outcome of this world’s story. He was just a pathetic animal with a natural lifespan of maybe 9 years maximum if he ever did find a human host to take him in. What could he do to help?

Sure he could leave and avoid getting mixed up in the plot he’d read about entirely; but who knows how long he’d have to travel to get to the next town in this inconvenient body. How soon could he find his next meal out here in the wild?

Rain City was such a big place and he was such a small fox. Surely even he couldn’t be so unlucky as to get tangled up with the characters in this world with such slim probabilities right?

Comforting himself in his sound judgement and with a growing confidence in his theory, he started to come up with a plan to get into the city. Eventually, coming to the conclusion that he’d have better luck sneaking in under the cover of darkness. So once again, he settled in to wait.

Rok Soo was pleasantly surprised to find this body came equipped with some pretty good night vision. It made his plan just that much easier to execute under the cover of darkness.

Following in the shadow of an approaching cart, he slipped past the guards and immediately headed towards the darkness of an alley. Using a mixture of his nose, keen eyes and hearing, he quickly slunk along building walls and located what he assumed was a waste bin of sorts.

The smell was… rather pungent, but beneath the smell of rot and decay, there was something just about palatable.

Steeling himself, he held his breath as he pushed away the rubbish on the top and uncovered the mostly bones carcass of what was likely a pheasant at some point. He dragged the boney meal out of the pile and quickly fled to the nearest hidden and quiet corner.

He was back to starving by now. While there was little to no meat left of his meal, he soon found his fox teeth were actually quite capable of mashing through the tender bird bones.

While it couldn’t be considered a hearty meal, it did help restore more of the energy he used throughout the day. Like the berries he found earlier in the day, it was better than nothing, that’s for sure. For his first human made meal since turning into a fox, it could’ve been a lot worse.

He wasn’t sure if he was ready to stoop to eating bugs and literal garbage quite yet. Though, he was pretty sure he could find enough leftovers like such to make do for now anyways.

Kim Rok Soo could go back out to try to find more food before the night was over, but he had a feeling that would be trying his luck. He’d rather find a safe and comfortable place to make a home for himself instead.

He’d have to hide out there during the day after all, so it would be better to find someplace comfortable and with a source of water while he could still move around freely. As far as he knows, he wouldn’t likely be a welcome sight in a city like this.

Just as he was getting ready to leave, he heard a commotion coming from the only exit to this alley he’d taken shelter in.

‘Of course it just had to be there.’

He thought in annoyance as he sneakily crept towards the source of the sound.

If he wanted to leave, he’d have to exit this way. Hopefully whatever was causing the disturbance was distracting enough to let him slip by unnoticed. Once the people were in sight, Kim Rok Soo was quick to understand the situation.

An older couple was surrounded by a gang of slightly drunk thugs. They were yelling loudly, their flushed faces screwed up in anger as they berated the defenceless older couple for not allowing them to enter their bar.

“What gives old man! You gunna kick us out? We’re loyal customers, been drinkin here for ages!”

The old man looked pale and uncomfortable, his hands slightly shaking as he said “You haven’t been paying your tabs. We can’t keep serving you until you pay off your debts.”

The group of younger drunken men grew enraged at his answer. One even lifted a bottle threateningly over his head as he said

“We ain’t got that much on us right now! We’ll pay when we pay old man, now you better run along and fetch us a to drink while we’re still askin nice!”

The wife of the older man had more guts than her husband. Continuing to refuse even with her palms filing with sweat. They’d obviously been dealing with this band of thugs for a while now; and from the looks of it, the men had no intention of ever paying off their tabs.

Kim Rok Soo shook his head in disgust. These types of trashes existed everywhere, it didn’t matter what time period, place, or even world!

There was nothing he could do for the old couple, no one would be expecting him, a fox, to step in anyways. Just as he was plotting his next course of action to leave relatively unnoticed, a glass bottle came flying from the dark and shattered just shy of where he was hiding.

His fur puffed up, his back arching as he just managed to hold back a bark of shock.

A stumbling lone figure came down the street. Another half full bottle of alcohol in the arriving young man’s hand. Though his face was similarly flushed like the rude thugs, he had a more noble air around him; his expression a mixture of haughtiness and arrogance.

He took another stumbling step forward before he glared at the thuggish group of people for daring to block his way.

“Such an eyesore. If you’re too poor to pay then don’t go out at all! Get out of the way of paying respectable people.” He drawled.

The men who at first looked ready to fight whoever was bold enough to toss a glass their way now looked pale and ready to bolt. The first man, probably still hyped up on drunk confidence, argued back.

“You- this is nun’ya business! Go mind yur own business!”

His worlds were slurred with spittle in his stuttering rage. The newcomer seemed hardly phased by that though. Instead, he took a long look up and down at the man and arched a delicately carved brow.

“Ho, there’s really someone who hasn’t heard of my reputation around these parts before?”

The man seemed confused by his words, squinting hard and swaying forward unsteadily as he looked at the young man again. His companions were already starting to back away, one even pulling urgently on his arm to get him to move back.

You could see the moment the cocky thug seemed to piece things together. The flush of alcohol almost instantly drained to leave behind an ashen white face. He sputtered an incoherent string of curses, before turning tail and fleeing with the rest of his buddies. Shouting out a last ditch “You! W-we’ll remember this!” Over his retreating shoulder.

The young man with vibrant red hair, pale alabaster skin and handsomely carved features snorted at the empty threat. He took another swig of the alcohol in his hand, his eyes slowly roving towards the old couple still standing in the now empty street.

The old man nearly squeaked in fear, squeezing out a choked “y-young m-m-master Henituse!” With a barely perceptible bow, before he quickly tugged his wife’s hand as the two disappeared back into the bar they came out of.

It was a rather rude reaction, considering the young red-head’s intervention had ultimately benefited them.

The young man, Cale Henituse, seemed to sigh at the overly dramatic departure of the couple. However, his eyes revealed a calm acceptance, used to this sort of response as he took yet another slow drink.

Kim Rok Soo was frozen in shock. His head empty aside from a single thought. “No. Way.”

In such a big city such as this, he just happened to have the unfortunate luck to run into probably the last person he wanted to see— no more than an hour after he snuck in.

Cale looked exactly as he was described in the book. Wild red hair, stupidly expensive and elaborate clothes, a red drunken flush, half lidded reddish brown eyes and an arrogant personality to go with it.

He looked every bit the trash young master he was described to be in the book. However his actions thus far didn’t exactly scream trash. Sure, he threw a bottle in his tantrum, but had it not been to help out that old couple? Kim Rok Soo banished the thought before it could take root, he didn’t want to dwell on it. The less he knew, the better.

He was still congratulating himself on making the correct decision to not get involved when amber eyes met reddish brown.

‘Aigoo, he saw me.’

The pair of fox and human entered a staring contest. Neither one could look away from the other as they both sized each other up. Kim Rok Soo almost couldn’t breathe. His first day in Rain City and he already ran into the first villain described in the book. Was he just destined to live a torturous existence?

Before he could overthink or try to come up with some escape plan, Cale’s lips pulled up into a sneer as he spoke.

“That’s the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen.”

Kim Rok Soo, a fox: …

“It even smells like trash!”

Kim Rok Soo who just finished digging his last meal out of the trash: …

Cale snorted, amused at what appeared to be an offended look creeping onto the face of the small animal hiding in the shadow of the alley. He crouched down, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a napkin with a half eaten madeleine on it. He placed them both on the floor, pushing it towards the fox.

“You look like a gust of wind will blow you over. Can’t you even feed yourself properly filthy beast?”

Kim Rok Soo shot Cale an incredulous look. ‘Who did this guy think he was? Could he do any better if he was put in his position?’ His eyes seemed to say.

Still, he wasn’t above eating freebies given to him, so he quickly grabbed the madeleine and chomped it up in a few ravenous bites. He went back to staring at Cale once he was done, a look of ‘that’s it?’ Scrawled across his face.

Cale puffed out another amused laugh at the stubborn little creature behaviour. Usually animals were afraid of him and would run as soon as he tried to approach. This one was not only unafraid of him, it was even bold enough to demand more food after already gobbling up his offered snack in such a thankless way.

The redhead picked up the napkin and tossed it into a nearby bin. Then, he began to walk away, which, okay, he was a villain, but at least he didn’t add littering to his list of evil offences.

Just as Kim Rok Soo was about to deflate in disappointment of the lack of food and go off to look for some place to hide out, he heard a noise from the direction Cale left in.

Turning his head, he saw the redhead squinting at him. The young man clicked his tongue and gestured with a flick of his finger to follow.

“Well? Didn’t you want me to feed you?”

Kim Rok Soo who paused once more, weighed his options.

On the one hand, if he followed Cale, there was a small possibility he might get caught up in the story. Maybe, a 10% chance really. How involved could he get as a fox anyways?

On the other hand, if he followed Cale and got adopted as an exotic pet of sorts, he could expect a lavish and pampered life as the pet of a filthy rich household. He wouldn’t have to lift a paw for the rest of his life, nor would he have to really mind his manners. What, with being the pet of a trashy young master, who would dare call out his actions?

He could always leave before Choi Han showed up anyways assuming he hadn’t already. No one said he had to stay or owed the Henituse family anything. He was just a wild animal— and it’s not like he really asked for Cale’s help. The young man offered to feed him all on his own, so it was really his fault for humanizing or having expectation of a wild creature.

Rationalizing the idea in his head, he quickly made up his mind and followed after the young man.

What he didn’t notice, was the small relieved and almost hopeful smile that graced Cale’s lips the moment he realized the fox was really following him.

Chapter Text

-Cale’s POV-

This creature he’d picked up on a whim was far more interesting than he initially thought.

Not only did it possess remarkable intelligence with its ability to somehow understand him; it was also incredibly perceptive.

At the start of the walk back to the estate, Cale did his best to walk at a pace that wouldn’t be too hard on the obviously ill/ starved creature. However, he soon realized that his concern was unnecessary.

The small animal easily kept pace and followed at a reasonable distance, not too close (as though aware of the foul stench clinging to it), yet not too far as to become separated in more crowded streets.

It wasn’t long before they were approaching the guarded entrance to the Henituse estate. He paused a few feet away, just out of sight of the people standing watch.

Cale turned to face his newly acquired companion, watching as the creature quickly came to a stop a respectable distance away and sat down facing him too. It looked up towards him, head cocked in an inquisitive way. Yet somehow, it still managed to look judgemental.

If he didn’t know better, he’d think the creature was sizing him up.

He shook off the thought, disregarding it as no more than his own lonely projective thoughts trying to humanize the actions of a slightly more intelligent animal.

He wasn’t naive enough to look for empathy in a creature that saw him as no more than a convenient food dispenser.

Cale could feel his nose beginning to wrinkle as the odour the creature carried drifted towards him even from this distance. He really had to wonder just what this thing had been up to before running into him.

The animal had obviously been through something rough. While there were no obvious signs of injuries that he could pick out in the dark, the little thing was caked in mud and other gunk.

Its fur was practically slicked to its body, making its already meek frame look even more sickly and pathetic. He hadn’t been lying about the creature looking somewhat deformed in comparison to most dogs he’d seen.

Even disregarding its currently filthy state, the limbs of this creature were long and wiry in comparison to its body.

Its muzzle was also sharper and narrower than most canines, with what he suspected to be bent whiskers speckling the sides of its face. The only redeeming feature, were those bright amber eyes with slitted black pupils currently staring at him. They shone like jewels, near reflective in the dark. Another oddity that set him apart from most dogs.

There was no way he’d manage to convince the servants of the estate to let this creature in as is. Especially since this was obviously not a dog upon closer inspection.

Cale sighed. He’d have to somehow wash at least the first layer of filth off the animal if he wanted to go any further.

Alternatively, he could also just bring the food out to the animal. Though, just the thought of trying to come up with some excuse as to why he needed another dinner prepared and why he was going out again– let alone having to come up with a new one every time he wanted to feed it after this– had him grimacing in annoyance.

It was more trouble than he was willing to put up with in the long run.

He, not for the first time this night, questioned just why he felt the need to even bother helping the animal. It’s not like there was any guarantee it would stay or even live long. It probably didn’t even have the emotional capacity to understand or feel grateful for all the efforts he was putting in.

He clicked his tongue, fixed the sitting animal with a stern look as he said in a no nonsense tone

“You’re absolutely filthy.”

The animal, whatever it was, just stared back with a deadpan look. As though he was stating the obvious. He continued.

“If I’m going to get you inside, you’ll need to wash up at least a little first.”

This time, the animal reacted a bit more obviously. It seemed to look down at itself, as though only just now realizing how filthy it was. Its nose even wrinkled a bit as though offended by the state of its own body.

Cale was sure he was probably just over analyzing the little actions again, but it gave him a little more hope that the process of washing the thing wouldn't be too terrible.

Having said his mind (and seeing no other point to explaining anything more to a literal animal), he took a sharp left and walked just around the perimeter of the estate towards a quieter street he knew would have the tools he needed.

Just on the other side of the fence, there was an old stable that used to house the Count’s horses. They’d since built another stable close to the main house, but the old one remained where it was; though it was now devoid of any attendants or horses.

Luckily, the well built on the property hadn’t dried up yet and Cale went about the process of attaching one of the empty buckets to the worn rope.

His movements were practiced, seeing as this wasn’t the first time he’d done this.

The scrawny animal walked over and went back to sitting nearby. It’s inquisitive eyes never once leaving Cale as it watched him preform this routine.

There was almost something invasive about its gaze, as though it was pulling apart his actions, observing him like some sort of curious specimen.

Cale felt a shiver crawl up his spine at the feeling.

He quickly finished pulling up a bucket full of water, a bit on the stale side since it had been lying stagnant at the bottom of this forgotten well for who knows how long.

Then, the redhead poked around in the stables a bit before coming back with a dusty, cobweb filled horse brush. He did his best to shake it clean and knock it against the wooden gates to rid it of any clinging guests; but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

He looked towards the still sitting and calm animal, once again cursing himself for getting overly involved. He was slightly worried about the animals’ reaction towards being bathed.

He’d seen stable hands nearly get kicked unconscious by even the most docile mares for upsetting them in some way during a bath.

The thing he was about to attempt to wash was a wild animal that could have any number of diseases. Not to mention he’d seen just how sharp and painful those teeth looked when it was eating earlier.

He’d like to keep all his fingers whole and attached to his hand, thank you very much.

His voice was cold and serious as he mustered as much authority into his tone.

“Bite me and I will turn you into my next pair of boots.”

He could’ve sworn he saw the thing roll its eyes at him. As soon as he finished talking the animal got up and walked closer to the bucket. It’s nose twitched a bit as it sniffed at the surface of the water, but other than a huff, it went back to sitting and looking away in disinterest.

Cale was slow with his approach. He never took his eyes off the animal as he approached the bucket by its side. Other than a wary glance, the animal continued to sit patiently, not showing any signs of being hostile or spooked.

Gaining a bit of confidence, he dipped the brush in water and brought it closer to the animal; hovering just shy of actually touching it as he worked up the courage to actually follow through with the bathing.

It seemed as though the creature grew tired of waiting for him to continue, as it eventually ducked its head under the dripping brush and moved into the comb; letting it scrape along its body without a fuss.

The young man nearly lost his grip on the brush, not expecting the sudden movement and drawing his hand back quickly. The thing even had the nerve to look at him accusingly when it was the one acting unpredictably.

Cale coughed to cover up his embarrassment at having been caught up in his fear of an obviously unhostile creature. Then, he resumed the movement of dipping the brush in water and combing it through tangled fur.

The animal sat obediently, its eyes squinting occasionally when the brush caught on a knot in its pelt; but otherwise remaining stone still.

They continued this process for a while, the water in the bucket getting filthier and filthier until it had to be dumped and replaced with something fresher.

By the third refill, the animal looked thoroughly drenched and had begun to shiver in the slight chill of the night air. Its fur wasn’t much cleaner unfortunately, but at least the smell had been reduced significantly.

Small mercies.

Cale dumped the last bucket of water in the nearby grass and dusted as much dirt and grime from his hands as he could. His pants were utterly ruined, the expensive silks used to craft it beyond the point of saving.

He pinched the material between a pair of fingers before letting it go back to clinging to his legs with a sigh.

He tossed a half hearted glare at his shivering companion, jokingly snapping “you better pay me back for this later.”

He turned away too quickly to catch the almost horrified expression of the animal.

Having done all he could here, Cale back tracked to the entrance gate and led his little follower towards its new home.

He almost snorted at the ironic thought, seeing as it’s been years since the place even felt like a home to himself.

The guards at the entrance stiffened when they saw their young master approaching. The red haired man simply tossed them a glance, before scoffing and continuing forward. Only one of the two guards was perceptive enough to catch the brown blur following at the heel of the young master.

He startled, his hand twitching on the hilt of his sword as he prepared to draw it in order to protect his charge.

He didn’t get a chance, the young master freezing him in his actions as he glared at the man coldly.

“It’s with me.”

Cale didn’t bother explaining any further before walking towards the main building. His steps slowed as he seemed to walk in a way that shielded the creature from bewildered eyes.

Ron was waiting for him at the door as usual, his hands folded neatly behind his back and his eyes crinkled into crescents, displaying the gentle genial smile he was known to always wear.

Cale noticed the animal by his side seemed to falter in its step when it saw Ron. A near hesitant look crossed its face, before it apparently got over whatever spooked it and continued its leisure pace. The old butler’s smile grew the closer they got.

“Welcome back young master, did you have a pleasant outing?”

The young man shrugged in feigned disregard as he hummed in response. Secretly, he felt a burst of warmth at the familial concern in the older man’s voice.

Just before he could cross the threshold into the house, Ron held out a hand, barring entrance.

“Oh my, it looks like you’ve brought a little stowaway with you today.”

Cale could feel the vein in his temple twitch at the subtle provocation. He made a show of looking down at the small animal cowering by his heel, the poor thing seemed terrified for some reason.

The reaction only seemed to pique the old butler's interest further. He even bent down to get closer to eye level with his new companion, before grabbing it by the scruff of its neck and lifting it up.

The animal, by some miracle, had enough sense to not put up a fight. It looked about two seconds away from fainting in fright though.

The redhead frowned at the reaction of the little animal, seeing as it hadn’t had any problems with him up till now and he was the one that usually spurred such reactions.

Not that he’d ever seen Ron around small creatures before either…

“This old Ron hasn’t seen a wild fella like this manage to sneak past the wall in all his years. He’s quite a filthy thing isn’t he?”

The butler’s smile grew a sinister chill as he continued.

“Shall I take care of this thing for you young master?”

Even Cale was a bit spooked by the implications of his loyal butler’s words. He quickly snatched the alarmed creature from Ron’s hand and pulled it closer to his chest; ignoring the still less than clean fur now rubbing grime all over his front.

“No, I want to keep it.”

Ron looked surprised for all of a moment, before he schooled his expression back into a genial smile.

By now, the hurried steps of another servant could be heard fast approaching. Hans rounded the corner with a pale face and a bead of sweat on his brow.

He looked almost as scared as the animal in Cale’s arms.

“Y-young master-nim! You came back early…”

Hans was used to Cale’s nightly exhibitions by now. What caused him to act so skittish now, however, was the fact the young man cut his night of entertainment so short. Usually, it meant something had ticked the redhead off.

Nights like this would often spell disaster for the younger butler who had to brave Cale’s tantrums. He was already bracing himself to shield against flying bottles.

Unexpectedly, the cold glass never came; a damp bundle of fur fell into his arms instead.

He looked down in shock, meeting equally astonished amber eyes as he stared at the soggy animal in his embrace. He could already feel his heart melting from those innocent pools of warmth.

“Hans, give it a bath then bring it to my room. Ron, tell the chef’s to have my dinner prepared and sent there too.”

Hans was spluttering, still trying to make sense of everything as his master mercilessly powered on; giving him no chance to get a word in edgewise or even question where this adorable creature came from.

The older butler was faring much better at keeping up with the young man’s succinct and quick orders. Already bowing and getting ready to act on his commands.

Cale was halfway up the stairs when he stopped, calling out to the old man one more time.

“Oh, and make sure to have something prepared for him too.”

This time he pointed to the brown bundle of sodden fur now wrapped protectively in the deputy butler’s arms.

Ron bowed in acknowledgment, his lips still quirked in that gentle smile as he replied

“Of course, young master. I’ll have my son, Beacrox, make something that will surely suit both young sirs' pallets.”

Then the old man turned and disappeared in the direction of the kitchen in several quick strides.

Cale nodded in approval at the older man’s efficient execution. He now focused his attention on the only remaining person in the hall, fixing Hans with a vaguely judging stare until the younger butler finally caught on to the unspoken order.

Hans quickly bowed and practically sprinted from sight, promising to bring his guest to his room promptly after he finished cleaning up.

The redhead watched after them in amusement. With a shake of his head he walked casually back to his room.

Maybe this house wouldn’t feel so empty anymore.

-Kim Rok Soo’s POV-

Kim Rok Soo was pretty sure that the whole encounter shaved at least 2 years off his new expected lifespan.

’Aigoo, my poor lifespan…’

He dejectedly pawed at the nearest clump of bubbles in the bath with him, accidentally dislodging a few small bubbles that promptly flew up his nose.

He sneezed, scaring himself and startling a laugh out of the much more lively deputy butler.

Hans had spent the better half of the whole bathing experience cooing over his sodden shivering frame.

He tormented the unresisting fox by playing with his the pads of his feet and creating bubble Mohawks atop his head when he realized the unusually docile nature of Kim Rok Soo.

Kim Rok Soo coughed another fox sigh out of his lungs as the deputy butler went back to fawning over him.

He supposed he should feel thankful that the man didn’t seem to care that he was a fox. If anything, Hans’s enthusiasm only increased as he squealed about never having had a chance to touch a fox before.

He blocked out the majority of what was happening around him right now, allowing his body to be pliant in the younger butler’s hands, and trusting in his professionalism to get him clean by the end of this bathing session.

He had more important matters to focus on. Such as the meeting with that horrifying old assassin and probably his assassin of a chef son.

Would he be able to smell if his food was laced with poison?

He hadn’t really paid attention to anything like that outside the walls, but now he was wracking his brain to recall if he could remember anything remotely helpful.

From the looks of it, Cale definitely wasn’t aware of the danger either Ron or his son posed. It was either that or the redhead was fearless, able to treat the old assassin with such blatant dismissal.

He, for one, wasn’t nearly that suicidal.

In between feeling sorry for himself, Kim Rok Soo cursed himself for not thinking this through.

How could he forget about the murderous father son duo when making the decision to follow Cale? The chances of him being able to sneak away before Choi Han came into the picture were looking less and less likely.

The book never went into much depth into the background relationship between Cale Henituse and his butler; but it was obvious with the way Cale acted around the old man that he viewed him as a parental figure of sorts.

It must’ve absolutely crushed Cale when his supposedly faithful butler just up and left him one day.

He felt a foreign tug of pain in his heart at the thought. Two long forgotten and fuzzy faces conjured in the back of his mind, before he slammed that train of thought to a halt.

Regardless of how the story Cale felt after Ron left, there was definitely no way he was sneaking past that old butler to escape this mansion if Cale ordered him to keep an eye on himself.

At least for now, the man would continue to act the loyal butler part; and he wasn’t about to test his nonexistent sneaking skills on a professional assassin.

Once Hans finished drying him up, he was carried to a room that must’ve been Cale’s bedroom.

The whole mansion screamed stupidly wealthy, but this room in particular was definitely compensating for something.

Ignoring the wall of expensive and open bottles of alcohol arranged on one side of the room, the remaining three walls and ceilings were covered in ornate golden decorations. Even the heavy curtains were embroidered with golden threads.

The bed, a feature item in this room, was larger than any bed he’d ever seen in his past life and looked extra soft to the touch!

Kim Rok Soo could feel all the bones in his body turn to jelly at the thought of burying himself in the sea of comforters; and taking the fattest nap that would put newborns to shame.

His dream life was so close he could smell it; but alas, things never come so easily for him.

Instead of being placed on the bed he was staring holes into, Hans placed him on a (admittedly very comfortable) pillow on the floor by the lone dining table in the room.

The sound of running water was coming from a closed door to the west of the room.

Hans gave the base of his ear a last scratch with a longing look, before he got up and promptly left the room; closing the door as he went.

Seeing as he was now alone, Kim Rok Soo got up and stretched his stiffening limbs. He had the irresistible urge to shake his whole body, and seeing no reason not to, went along with this instinct.

He single handedly managed to make a mess of the once neatly groomed coat, resembling a red puffed up cloud instead. His conditioner softened fur light and sticking up in all directions.

Kim Rok Soo could care less about his appearance though, finding more of an interest in that delicious smell coming from just out of sight on the table next to him.

Now, he knew it wasn’t a particularly good idea to try jumping his way up there. He’d only just gained this new body less than 24 hours ago; and since turning into a fox, he had never tried jumping over more than an errant root in his path.

Still, his desire for food mixed with that tempting scent was practically a siren's call to his feral animal nose.

Kim Rok Soo managed to hop onto the chair just fine, even marvelling at how his new body could jump pretty much twice its height, unlike his human body.

However, just as he was about to hop up onto the table to check out the spread of dishes prepared, he heard a soft click of a door opening behind him.

His back paws slipped out from under him in surprise, causing his body to twist into an awkward pose midair as he fell just short of the table ledge; nicking it with a claw in his descent.

He landed with a dull thud on his side, the breath knocked from him and caught in a daze from the after shock.

That was the sight that Cale walked into.

Cale: …

Fox Kim Rok Soo: …

Cale: “I left you alone for 5 minutes-“

The redhead interrupted himself with a sigh. He walked over, then crouched beside the moping fox that had resorted to curling itself into a ball of embarrassed fluff.

Cale watched the ball of red fluff twitch on the floor, before surrendering to his desire and poking a finger into the tempting floof.

Instantly, the fur puffed up even further as a startled yip was released. Then, a pair of petulantly narrowed, amber eyes peeked out from behind a bushy tail.

Cale did his best to squash back any noise he was about to make, relying on sheer force of will to prevent his serious mask from cracking; revealing the laugh that so desperately wanted to escape, at the adorably pouty look on what he now recognized as a fox’s face.

He grabbed a sausage off the plate above him, lowering it so it was hovering just below the foxes nose, tempting him.

Kim Rok Soo further narrowed his eyes at the playful gesture; but he couldn’t stop his nose from twitching in interest.

Traitor.

Hesitantly, he opened his mouth, about to take a bite of the offered sausage, when it was suddenly pulled away from him.

“Nuh-uh, not so fast. I’m not going to let that stunt you just tried to pull off go so lightly.”

Cale went about scolding and berating him, repeatedly demonstrating that he was not to set foot on the dinner table or jump on furniture recklessly; much to Kim Rok Soo’s annoyance.

He had to fight back a yawn after the redhead went about trying to explain table manners for the fourth time, spending the time examining Cale instead.

The young man had walked out of the in-suite bathroom immodestly dressed in only a towel.

Sure, this was his room, but the young master must’ve been absolutely certain no servant would just walk in unannounced.

Proprietary was definitely something that would matter in a period piece like this after all, but whatever that spelled for the relationship between Cale and the staff of this place was none of Kim Rok Soo’s concern.

He was more interested in the lack of a scar around the side of Cale’s chest. A good indicator that the main character of this story had yet to be met; since the scar was gained the night before the two’s fateful encounter.

Good, at least now he could get a rough idea of his place in the story’s timeline.

By the time Kim Rok Soo focused back on whatever Cale had been rambling about, the man seemed satisfied with his explanations.

Finally, Cale set forth a dish of juicy meat for him to eat on the floor. Kim Rok Soo might’ve been a human once before, but a little thing like having to eat off the floor wasn’t about to stop him from enjoying his dinner.

The plate had only just been set down when he descended upon it; acting as though he hadn’t seen food in weeks. Which, honestly, could've been true. He only just got this body after all.

Cale marveled at the way the little fox practically inhaled his food, even going as far as licking the juices off the plate.

He only just took his first bite of his own dinner when Kim Rok Soo was finished with his.

The fox looked around his plate once more, lapping a few hints of stained juices to not let anything go to waste, before sitting back on his haunches with a satisfied lick of his lips.

He even lifted a paw, licked the pad, and used it to rub the oil off his whiskers and around his muzzle. A very cat-like maneuver for sure.

Before Cale could add that little move to his growing list of weird habits he’d been collecting since meeting the fox, Kim Rok Soo was already trotting off in the direction of his bed.

He was still mid chew when he realized just what was about to happen. He almost choked as he hurried to yell at the fox to stop, knowing he was too late the second the little red devil wiggled his haunches.

He let out a frustrated groan between coughs, rubbing his temple in distress as he gave the meanest stink eye he could muster towards the blissfully ignorant fox, now circling atop his favourite pillow.

“I see how it is, you’ve gotten what you wanted so there’s no need to curry favour with me any more!”

The fox now moved onto kneading the pillow between his paws, even dragging over the blankets a bit to make a more comfortable nest.

“Should I take it as you just ignored everything I said earlier.”

Rok Soo had folded both his paws under him by now, tucking his tail around himself as he snuggled down into his new favourite napping position. Seriously, human naps just couldn’t compare anymore.

“I know you can understand me.”

He continued to feign ignorance, not giving the young man across the room any indication he could understand a lick of what was being said to him.

Cale gave up eventually, sulkily going back to eating his dinner in a half hearted manner. He managed to finish ¾’s of the meal; which was more than usual, before pushing the plate away and calling for someone to come clean it up.

He disappeared back into the bathroom with a change of night clothes, mysteriously managing to time it perfectly with the entrance of the servant who’d come to clear away the leftovers.

Kim Rok Soo, who’d now gained the skill of enhanced senses, was able to perfectly imagine exactly what was happening around him without having to open an eye. He could hear the near rushed movements of the servant, obviously, they wanted to leave as soon as possible.

They’d left almost as quickly as they arrived. The door to the bathroom opened not long after.

He followed the sound of Cale’s footsteps, listened as the young man shuffled around in some drawers, before walking over to the bed; the mattress dipping slightly under the added weight.

He only opened his eyes after being prodded several times, with no indication the offender was planning on stopping anytime soon. He flicked his tail out at the hand, glaring in exasperation.

“Now you know how I feel.”

As childish as Cale knew he was being right now, some part of him felt lighter with each interaction. He couldn’t bring himself to care whether it was inappropriate for a noble to act like this.

Kim Rok Soo, as the bigger and mentally older person in the room, let Cale be. He allowed the young redhead to stroke his fur, awed by how soft it was now that it was clean and well groomed.

The two were lulled into a companionable silence. Cale continued to smooth the fur along Kim Rok Soo’s back as he lost himself in thought.

The older man turned fox could feel himself grow drowsy with the treatment, his eyes falling to a half-lidded state when the hand in his fur stopped abruptly.

“Hey, what should I call you? I can’t just keep referring to you as ‘the fox’ in my head.”

Kim Rok Soo just stared at him, unable to respond in any helpful way anyways. Cale just prattled on in his one sided conversation.

“How about Foxy? Sweet and simple.”

Kim Rok Soo very much disagreed. He may be a fox now, but he was still a full grown adult inside; he still had some pride left.

He made his opinion clear by whacking Cale in the face with a bushy tail.

Cale laughingly brushed off the feathery tail tip, amused by his companions' response.

“Fine fine, it was a long shot anyways... Then, how about Red? Your fur is very red after all.”

Rok soo rolled his eyes at this mentally immature guy’s naming sense. He pointedly looked at Cale’s own hair then back at his face, as though asking if Cale’s own name should be Red instead.

The two went back and forth with these names again and again. Each of Cale’s thought up names becoming worse and worse with each iteration.

Fluffy?

Rejected.

Sir. Floofy Tail?

Nope.

Sassy Little Shit?

Absolutely Rejected! Kim Rok Soo even went as far as to face his fluffy butt towards the young man to show his immense displeasure.

“Ugh, you’re impossible! I might as well just call you Rock! You’re as stubborn as one anyways—”

This time his ears twitched in interest. He whipped his head around to look at Cale, his eyes sparking with approval at last.

“Wait, seriously? You want to be called Rock?”

Kim Rok Soo, or rather, Rock, turned around and sat up at the new address. He even went ahead and pawed lightly at Cale’s arm to make sure he got his point across.

Cale couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief this time. He shook his head, thinking the mind of a fox truly was different from a humans.

Chapter Text

-Rock’s POV-

It had been a week since Rock became the new unofficial member of the Henituse County. Much to Rock’s chagrin.

While Rock had never seen himself as the dine and dash sort and believed in returning both kindness and slights towards himself tenfold— he hadn’t intended his stay with the Henituse’s to be this… permanent. At least not while there was still a homicidal protagonist on the loose.

Rock couldn’t help but scratch at the new collar on his neck with his hind paw for the fifth time that morning. The collar, while obviously made with the most soft and luxurious material money could buy, still bothered him on an instinctual level.

Just, something about having a foreign object rubbing so close to a vital area like his throat constantly, really threw his instincts into a frenzy.

It didn’t help that the ridiculously flashy golden bell on his neck would jingle and bounce against his chest with every step he took, making his ears ache and his chest hurt throughout the day.

Rock still hasn't forgiven Cale for that stunt yet.

He should’ve never let his guard down around that mischievous redhead to nap (no matter how heavenly his bed was), he wasn’t written as the first minor villain in the story for nothing!

When the ringing of the bell grew unbearably loud from the scratching, he finally forced himself to stop; settling for glaring in distaste at the decorative object which he now deemed a torture device.

Rock could suddenly sympathize with all the cats in his previous world that were forced to wear these stupid small jangly devices from hell.

The biggest reason he so hated this new collar, was the fact that he really couldn’t hide his presence with this thing on.

He’d managed to successfully avoid the scary old man and his son for all of 24 hours, before said butler managed to corner him with that petrifying benign smile on his face.

Cale, the bastard he was, left him alone in the manor to go day drinking or whatever else he did when he went outside. Of course, he left Rock to fend for himself against these skilled assassins who were but one wrong step away from ending his new life permanently.

Regardless of if he knew just what sort of occupation these servants used to partake in, Rock could only perceive Cale’s current actions as cruel. Perfectly suiting the villainous title he wore in the books.

The encounter with Ron was no less frightening than he’d feared it’d be.

The old butler had just quietly stood there, staring at him, his hands busy polishing a bread knife of all things, as his grin grew with each arch of Rock’s back.

When he did eventually speak, what came out of his mouth was utter nonsense that made Rock feel faint.

“Oho, this one is quite a sensitive fella, sensible enough to hide its true strength. But that’s alright, we can be patient, our shy guest can take his time to come out of his shell to reveal his intentions.”

His eyes looked completely cold as he spoke, not even a hint of the gentle butler he acted out in front of the masters of this estate to be seen.

“Of course, should I find you have any less than savoury intentions here, I assure you I am quite capable of making you regret ever setting foot near this place.”

Rock didn’t doubt him, he was already regretting ever choosing to follow Cale home.

The entire situation left Rock more rattled and confused than anything else. He was pretty sure the butler just threatened him— though, why the old man felt the need to threaten a weak and defenceless fox like himself, he had no idea.

‘This scary old man, are even animals not safe from his viciousness?!?’

Since that encounter, Ron seemed to make it a point to show up unannounced, at the most inconvenient of times, at least once a day. The old man damn near giving him a heart attack with each jump-scare like appearance.

He was pretty sure the old butler was monitoring him, looking for something. That or just messing with him. Unfortunately for Ron, Rock would have to disappoint the man since he was determined to play the part of an ordinary fox and not… whatever the crazy old man seemed to think he was.

Old scary butlers aside, there was still the young equally scary chef to worry about.

He hadn’t meant to get on the man’s bad side, really, he’d only meant to check the kitchen for a snack! How was he supposed to know that man kept near 24 hour surveillance over the room! Seriously, it was to the point he basically guarded it even past the time any sane person would be awake?

Rock could still feel himself tremble at the memory of pushing his way into the kitchen, managing to locate his desired snack– and nearly having his ears sheered off when he tried to take a bite.

A large kitchen knife flew just past his head that would’ve hit, had he not ducked in time.

Granted, he supposed it wasn’t the best idea for a wild creature like himself to be caught on only his second day trying to sneak food out of the kitchen after hours— but in his defence! The food in this manor was just too good…

Who told the man to make his food taste and smell so delicious?

If they didn’t want him sneaking food, then Beacrox shouldn’t make such high quality desserts without giving him a portion too!

He’d really been craving that honey cake Cale had with his dinner that night— and he was pretty sure there should’ve been some leftover that no one would miss if he was careful.

Beacrox had paused when he realized just what had been trying to steal a bite of his honey cake, his expression changing from a stormy black to a sudden blankness.

Rock didn’t dawdle to find out what the man would do to him after the discovery. He quickly scampered the moment he was sure a second knife wasn’t coming his way.

Every meal following that had been accompanied with a thick slice of Honey cake, as though the man was determined to send a reminder of that fateful night like some twisted version of a chef’s threat.

He still ate the cake of course, it was too delicious not to. He even made sure to never leave a speck of crumbs behind, in case the man interpreted it as an insult to his cooking.

Though, that plan seemed to backfire spectacularly as the chef obviously interpreted his actions as a challenge. A bigger slice of cake accompanied each meal, which was still manageable. For now…

Anyways, the act of hiding from these two individuals became exponentially more difficult since gaining the collar.

At this point, he could only stay huddled up in Cale’s room and mourn the days he would’ve actually enjoyed such leisurely loafing.

As it stood, his newly gained animal brain was too busy punishing him for his inactivity, making him feel electric courses of stir craziness with each extra hour he spent lying around doing nothing.

It hadn’t been as much of a problem before, when his body was emaciated.

However, now that he’d been fed and nursed back to a healthy state between all the extra food and pampering (ft. Hans), his body was bursting with energy at the seams!

He felt an itch under his coat, making him feel overly hot and restless, like he needed to just run laps around the entire property or he’d straight up explode.

Gritting his teeth, Rock got up to pace around the room for the 50th time since waking this morning. He decided to try busying himself with reviewing all the facts he’d accumulated about the world up to this point. Try to take his mind off the growing need to dash around or claw expensive sheets to shreds.

Through the scattered pieces of information he’d picked up over the past week, he could now accurately place himself a week before the events in the book happen. Meaning, there were just under 6 days left before the massacre at Harris Village.

Rock hadn’t wanted to get involved in this, he didn’t want to run into any of the characters in this world from the moment he realized he’d been sucked into the story exactly because he knew he couldn’t just turn a blind eye.

As exhausting and troublesome as it was to step into the events of the story, he couldn’t very well let things be, especially when he knew what the result of doing nothing would be.

Sure, as a fox currently trapped in the Henituse’s house, his options and abilities were limited. However, if he continued to act ignorant and let the story progress as is, a very real threat to his newly gained slacker pet life would no doubt be barreling his way here.

He couldn’t say he had any particularly special attachment to the Henituse household or Cale; but he damn sure wasn’t about to give up holding this golden thigh so easily. Not after the week of effort he’d already put in to endure the mental exhaustion living under the same roof as two deadly assassins brought.

Besides, if everything goes accordingly—other than the whole beating up his sponsor thing—he wouldn’t have to deal with these two headaches for much longer.

Now he just had to find a way to get that main character over here to start on the path laid out for him in the book, without adding the whole massacre debacle to preface the storyline, preferably.

You know, just changing the fate of the world, a simple matter, of course.

He growled lowly underbreath, finding himself caught in another dead end as he stopped his pacing. The bell’s ringing was starting to give him another migraine anyways, so he opted to hop up to the windowsill to look outside instead.

He felt much calmer looking into the garden, some more beast-like part of his brain finding comfort in the natural scenery, as opposed to the man made furniture and harsh golden accents drowning this room.

Rock had long since figured out how to open the windows in the room; and he knew he could easily jump out to attempt an escape at any time.

However, he also knew that this was likely a route he would only ever be able to use once.

After leaving through the window, he’d have no way of closing it behind himself. Once the servants, especially Ron (who was already suspicious of him), found out he could open windows, they would surely install better security measures to prevent future escapes.

Plus, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t just run into someone the moment he got outside, forcing him to be dragged and locked back into the house again.

That was why he’d painstakingly spent the last 4 days observing the manor routines, memorizing people’s scents and walking patterns down to the T, so he could better navigate to avoid them.

His chances of successfully leaving the property were now hovering closer to 80%, which was acceptable.

Waiting any longer would ruin any chances of his plans working, considering the travel time to get as far as Harris Village in his current form.

The last step, was to get rid of this stupid dainty alarm called a collar fixed to his neck.

With a renewed vehemence to his actions, he lifted his back paw and once again struck at the same spot on his collar he’d been aiming for over the past two days. The now weakened area finally gave under his clawed persistence.

With a snap, the soft leather collar fell to the floor, the bell sounding out a last futile ring before going silent once and for all.

Good riddance.

With a last shake of his body and stretch of his paws, Rock reached up and popped the locks off the windows to allow it to open.

He took a glance back at the room, a subtle melancholic mood befalling him.

The thought of leaving behind such good food—and possibly upsetting Cale once the young man found him missing—making him feel uncomfortable.

Still, he’d be back. His disappearance was only temporary.

He’d leave a note if it wouldn’t have come across as incredibly suspicious for a supposedly normal fox to do so. Not that he actually knew how to write in their language.

With determination filling his veins, he jumped down into the garden below. Vowing to be back as soon as possible.

-Cale’s POV-

Having the little fox at home had really changed the whole atmosphere around his half of the manor.

For one, Cale seemed warmer. A servant even caught him smiling once, his eyes infinitely soft while sitting in a warm beam of light and patting his fox companion. He looked younger, handsome with the smile softening his usually sharp stoic features.

It was such a rare and peaceful looking scene, the servant couldn’t bring themself to disturb the two with the tea that had been requesting; opting to come by a bit later.

Cale also never spent an entire night outside the estate since bringing the little guy home. He even made an effort to get back earlier from his typical drunk patrol routine.

He was almost tempted to spend an entire day at home with Rock.

Had his father not chosen this specific morning to invite him to a family breakfast, he very well would’ve caved to those doe-like amber eyes that seemed to beg to be let out.

He’d meant to take Rock out to the garden with him that day, feeling sorry for keeping the obviously restless red fox cooped up inside all the time. However, the invite from his father that came through Ron had his mood souring.

The once bright and chipper morning was now spoiled. He was in no mood to take a leisure stroll in the manicured gardens where his father was sure to find him easily after the meal.

With a silent plea for forgiveness from the fox, he left directly after eating; making sure to instruct the servants to feed Rock his meal on time and keep him company should he get lonely.

It was a day like any other, nothing really out of the ordinary in the behaviour of anyone in the house or in the fox himself! So how could he have expected what he’d return to?

He deeply regretted not choosing to spend the day at home now.

Upon entering his room, his face still slightly flushed from the weak but high quality alcohol he’d chosen that day, he was greeted with the sight of something shiny lying in the middle of the room.

His first instinct was to ignore it, chalk it up to something Rock knocked off his desk in retaliation for being left at home alone all day again— until his eyes landed on the empty bed.

That was strange, usually Rock would be waiting propped on his pillow for his return. Seeing how lazy the fox was, he was an unusually low maintenance pet since he only ever cared about eating and sleeping.

When he couldn’t find the splash of red fur on the bed, he started scouring the other couches and soft cushioned areas in the room, each returning empty.

With a frown and growing concern he futilely attempted to push down, he quickly walked towards the two bowls in the corner of the room. His heart dropped when he saw the full state of both Rock’s food and water dishes.

Panic was beginning to set in, Cale's voice trembling as he called out to the small fox as he started to wrench open drawers and cupboards in his search.

“Rock? Rock! This isn’t funny Rock! I’m sorry for keeping you cooped up but I swear I’ll bring you out to the garden tomorr— no— even tonight if you’ll just come out!”

The red fox was nowhere to be seen, not even a hint of a jingle to reveal Rock’s location. That’s when his foot knocked into the small round object left lying in his path. The lonesome tinkle left him frozen in place. His eyes were ultimately drawn down, back to that first shiny object he’d ignored upon entering.

It was a bell.

Rock’s bell.

Still attached to the broken leather strap that once made up his collar.

Cale wanted to collapse.

He knew it was stupid, he should never have even attempted to open his heart again— but he did, and he was hurt. Everyone and anyone he grew to love or feel close to would always leave him in the end, he knew that now.

His eyes were burning, an emptiness returning to that once slightly filled hole in his chest. He didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry at the situation he was in now.

That’s how Ron found him, on his knees, his mouth wavering between a frown and a self deprecating smile, the remains of a collar clenched in a white knuckled grip.

It was obvious where the fox had gone, the wide open window a dead giveaway. Whether it was the fox himself who managed to escape or someone else who took him, was anyone's guess.

However, Ron already had his suspicions before this. He felt he knew the answer to this question now.

“Young master, it appears as though your new pet has gotten presumptuous. He must’ve gotten lost on his way home.”

The old man kept careful watch of Cale’s expression as he spoke, his genial smile hardening into something a bit too sharp to be described as friendly.

“I’m sure he’ll make his way back soon.”

Cale felt the pressure on his chest lift slightly at his butler’s words.

He schooled his expression back to something neutral, though his fist never lessened its death grip on the leather strap in his hand.

He stood, an air of indifference resuming its presence around him as he nodded. Ron was right, he was jumping to conclusions. After all, he still had his faithful butler by his side; he hadn’t lost everyone yet.

He could understand the old man’s meaning beneath his words, nodding in agreement without turning around to face him.

Cale wouldn’t give up just yet, there was still a chance that Rock would return. He was a smart fox and addicted to Beacrox’s cooking; he was also terribly lazy and probably wouldn’t survive long on his own outside.

Rock would be back. He would definitely come back.

Ron caught the little spark of hope in his young master’s eyes, his own heart doing a funny flip in his chest; as though he were looking at his own son’s hopes potentially being crushed before him.

He couldn’t let his puppy young master’s feelings get hurt by that tricky little fox now. Cale would be reunited with his pet.

Even if Ron had to drag the thing kicking and screaming back to this room.

-Rock’s POV-

Getting out of the manor was a simpler affair than he’d anticipated.

With Ron and Beacrox’s attention divided elsewhere, he had little difficulty navigating around the rest of the servants.

With their routines memorized and all the necessary staff’s walking patterns and steps learned, he could easily avoid them long before they even caught a glimpse of his red coat.

He quickly found a hole in the hedge wall separating the county’s estate from the rest of their lands.

With a bit of wiggling like a boneless fish, he just managed to squeeze himself out the other side. Some of his fur caught on the thorny branches, but it was a small price to pay for a discrete getaway.

While he wasn’t fond of leaving too many trails behind, he didn’t have the time or luxury to worry about it. He had to get a head start on his mission if he wanted to get there in time to make a difference.

There was a long walk ahead of him after all, and he didn’t have the benefit of the night to blend into when walking through the bustling streets.

Thankfully, his body was full of energy from the past seven days of lazy naps and gorging himself. Rock set a quick pace, letting his paws carry him swiftly over the cobble ground and out of the open space.

He stuck close to the shadowed corner of buildings and weaved between sellers' stalls, just out of range of people’s heavy steps.

Like this, he navigated his way through the winding streets and towards the entrance gate; following the exact path Cale led him through on his first night in Rain City.

It was at times like this he was grateful for his good memory.

Getting past the gate in broad daylight was a much more challenging task. However, he soon caught sight of a cart with a tarp draped over the wares inside that was slowly making its way towards the entrance.

The driver was having a tough time navigating through the busy street. He wouldn’t notice a stowaway slipping amongst his wares.

Rock made his decision in an instant, taking a quick glance around to make sure no one was paying attention before leaping atop the wooden ledge at the back of the cart and nosing his way under the tarp.

It was a good thing his body was nearly as flexible as a cat.

He soon found a medium sized empty jar which just managed to fit all of him. He tucked himself down, pressing his puffy tail under a paw and being careful not to make a sound as the guards at the gate did a routine check of the merchant's goods.

Rock waited with baited breath a while longer, even after the guards at the gates gave their all clear. He stayed silent, allowed himself to be carried away for a distance before he dared peek out of his hiding place.

He could see the quickly shrinking gate in the distance, with that as a landmark, he could roughly pinpoint where they were heading based on his memory of the map he’d stolen a glance at in the study once.

Fortunately, the caravan was currently travelling in the right direction, so Rock settled himself in for the ride.

Why get down and exhaust himself walking when he could take advantage of the free ride?

He hitchhiked until around mid evening when they started to veer off his course.

Regretfully, he leapt down. He watched after the lone cart for a while, before sighing and turning back in the direction of Harris Village.

The ride cut down ⅓ of the whole journey at least, he would just have to be thankful for that much.

Already he was starting to miss the timely meals he’d gotten back at the Henituse estate, his mouth watering at the memory of savoury meats and sweet cakes.

Rock swallowed around the empty feeling in his mouth, his stomach already complaining about his decision to deprive it of two meals that day.

He didn’t realize how quickly his body had grown accustomed to the luxury treatment. He forced himself to ignore the feeling, opting to trot towards the forest ahead of him to cover as much distance as he still could before nightfall.

The sun was already well on its way to dipping below the horizon behind him.

He travelled for another hour or two in this state, before the growing darkness and increasingly loud growls from his stomach forced him to stop.

The hunger made him irritable, reminding him of the other annoying fact that he hadn’t been able to collect that ancient power before starting his journey.

Originally, at the start of his captivity in the County, he’d mused over the idea of collecting the shield's ancient power to somewhat up his defence capabilities as a fox.

However, no matter how he planned it, he couldn’t think of a good way to obtain the necessary amount of food to create the fateful encounter needed to obtain it. Not in the limited timeframe he was given and with the restrictions of his body.

He wasn’t even sure whether an animal like himself would be able to properly obtain an ancient power, even if he had a human soul.

Overall, there were just more cons than pros for trying to collect the shield power before heading to Harris Village.

Though, it was still left as a potential item of interest for later, preferably after he’d successfully dragged Choi Han back to Rain City safe and sound.

Plus, if he could obtain an ancient power with this body, he may as well try for a few more. The Vitality of the Heart was looking especially appealing with his limited lifespan.

He’d like to be able to enjoy his slacker pet life for as long as he could.

Rock shoved these thoughts of power ups to the back of his mind as a growl drew his attention back to the present.

His stomach, the greedy spoiled thing it’d become, was not timid at all about voicing its need for food.

With a mental click of his tongue, Rock went about searching for food like he had when he first woke up in this body. He stuck his snout up in the air and sniffed around.

For the first time in days, he relied on his more primal instincts to lead him to a meal, following the sweet scent of possibly ripe fruit until he found a blackberry bush hidden amongst thick foliage.

The fruits were nothing to boast about; they were small, wild things, a bit on the sour side too. However, food was food when you were out on the streets (or in the wild, in this case) and Rock was never one to be picky.

Having a human mind though, he set about the process of picking and piling up the ripest ones on a leaf nearby; refusing to resort to a completely animal method of eating the berries straight from the bush.

He’d rather not get a mouth full of bitter leaves and bits of twigs with every bite if he could help it.

Rock had been in the process of meticulously picking these berries for around 10 minutes by the time his nose and ears caught onto something peculiar.

For once, his fox instincts seemed confused, sending mixed signals of prey and not prey at the same time. As though it was indecisive about whether the thing approaching would pose a threat or be something he could overpower.

He somewhat grew to trust these feelings over the past week of getting used to this new body, so he was on edge as soon as he caught wind of this creature. Or rather, these creatures, as his ears helpfully picked up two sets of steps.

Once he pinpointed which direction they were coming from, he hid himself, masking his presence by sitting amongst pungent smelling plants. The scent stung his nose and almost made his own eyes water from the proximity.

Rock remained dead still and quiet, his ears perked to follow the sound of sluggish and staggering feet which he slowly made out to be two sets or four paws, a pair of quadrupeds, whatever they were.

They were also small, he noted, seeing as the weight of the creatures was only enough to make the leaves crinkle under paw, rather than thud loudly against the ground.

As the pair grew closer, he could pick up the sound of a conversation coming from their direction, perplexing the man turned fox.

“Noona, my paws hurt. We’ve been walking for days! Can’t we rest yet?”

“Not yet, we’re still too close. Come on Hong, just a little further!”

One set of paws stopped then, Rock presumed it was the one called ‘Hong’ based on the conversation from before.

“I can’t walk any further Noona! I’m too hungry and tired. I really really can’t!”

The other steps stopped then too, turning around and walking back towards the one who’d just spoken.

From the sounds of their voices, Rock could infer that the pair were young. He could also tell that the two were close, possibly siblings with the way one addressed the other as ‘Noona’.

Rock frowned, a bad feeling creeping into his chest at the thought of reasons why two youngsters would be walking alone in the woods, so late at night, on an empty stomach.

And if their conversation could be taken literally, they were likely on the run from something.

Rock had met children like this in his past life. Strong willed and seeking shelter from bad things. The home he’d been raised in after becoming an orphan was full of children like that at first.

An uncomfortable feeling settled in the back of his mind at the reminder of those days.

He should turn away, he had nothing to do with the pair beyond the bushes. However he couldn’t shake the feeling of wrongness by abandoning them here like this.

He’d once been on the other end, relying on the kindness of strangers to get by. He couldn’t in good conscience leave them here without doing anything.

With his mind made up, he quietly stepped out of the bushes, positioning himself in the way of the wind so his scent would be carried over to the pair in warning.

He could only hope his hypothesis that these two were beast-people, and thus able to scent him, was correct.

To be on the safe side, he made a point of making noise by stepping on dry twigs and leaves while keeping his pace slow and steady so they’d be well aware of his approach.

Rock could tell the two noticed him as their conversation instantly cut off. He could smell the scent of fear creeping into the air, so he adjusted his pace appropriately to try and signal he meant no harm.

He’d paused to collect the leaf bundle of berries before pushing into the clearing the two had been in before.

A brief glance around revealed no one, as he suspected. He heard the two scurry up a tree nearby before he’d pushed his way into the space.

Following his nose, he located the base of the tree the two crawled up and paused; his ears picking up the subtle sound of nervous claws kneading the branch above his head.

He held back a snort, amused by the two’s attempt to hide. Though, against a normal animal, he supposed the two’s hiding spots wouldn’t have been discovered so easily.

Rock placed the bundle of berries on the ground at the base of the tree.

He looked up, his eyes grazing over the spot his ears told him the two were hiding, before he turned his back on them and leisurely walked back into the bushes.

Whether the two took his offered food or not wasn’t his problem anymore. He’d helped as much as he could, but he wasn’t about to go barging in on their lives.

He always hated those people who went out of their way to stick their nose in other people’s business. He was busy enough as is without adding children to look after to the mix.

If the two were smart, they’d take the food and carry on their way.

With his own dinner now given away, he had to find something else to snack on for the night. He eventually found a patch of young leaves and roots his instincts seemed to deem safe for consumption.

They weren’t as tasty as fruit, but they filled some of the emptiness at least.

He could always try catching something to eat; but going about cooking the prey was a whole other problem he didn’t want to deal with when lacking opposable thumbs.

Eating those plants made Rock a bit thirsty, so he was on his way to find water when he heard the sound of rustling leaves ahead.

His paws faltered for half a second, before he continued on his journey as though he never heard it.

His ears could pick up the sound of little paws pattering over the branches above him. Rock knew the two were following him after a few more meters of travel through the brush.

He figured they were using him to find food, water, or a safe place to rest.

Fair enough, it only made sense to take advantage of a wild animal who had more primal instincts than themselves in a situation like this.

He led them to a nearby stream, walking a bit further downstream from where the paws above stopped to give the pair space to feel comfortable to come down and drink.

Rock quenched his own thirst, letting himself bask in the refreshing taste of the cool water he’d been deprived of for the past while.

He was just about to leave to find a place to rest for the night, when he heard a splash from the direction he last left the two. A loud wail and screech followed, before a red sodden lump zipped past him in the stream.

A gray bundle of fur came running out of the bushes next to him, hysteria in wide golden eyes as it chased after the red thing bobbing and flailing along the surface.

Rock didn’t have time to think, he moved with sheer adrenaline powering him.

He dove into the water, feeling a strong rapid current hidden below the deceptively calm surface.

The creature, which he determined was a red kitten, must've fallen in when drinking and gotten swept up in the undercurrent.

Even Rock was having a tough time fighting it as an adult fox, he couldn’t imagine the terror filled futile effort the kitten must be putting up just to keep it’s head above water.

Rock pushed himself to move faster, closing the distance between himself and the red kitten with strong movements until he was within reaching distance.

He grabbed the kitten by the scruff of its neck, then turned his body and kicked out towards the bank.

It was a real struggle with the added weight and surface area giving the current more to push against, but he eventually felt muddy and sharp stone beneath his paws.

He gripped the wet dirt with his claws to create as much friction as possible before shoving with all his force forward.

He grabbed the edge of the bank, this area of the stream creating steeper edges on both sides and making the ascent away from the water a much harder task than earlier.

Rock wouldn’t give up though, straining with every fiber of his being to pull both himself and the rescued kitten back ashore.

The gray kitten met them at the top, quickly pulling the red sodden bundle away from Rock and further up the bank.

The red cat, ‘Hong’, had taken in some water during the struggle. He now lay miserably coughing up lungfuls of water, shivering in the grass as the cold night air penetrated through his drenched fur.

Though the man turned fox was exhausted, he couldn’t push away the need to check on the still shivering kitten.

The gray one, referred to as ‘Noona’ earlier, made a show of standing before her possible brother and arching her back with an angry/ frightened hiss. She was obviously trying to protect the bundle behind her.

Rock continued to walk forward slowly, lowering his head with a rasping purr of sorts humming in his chest. He tried his best to appear as not threatening as possible, making obvious glances towards the red kitten behind her as he continued to close the distance between them.

He wasn’t sure if she could fully understand him, or was just intimidated by his unfazed approach, but she slowly backed off.

Her fur remained puffed up as he got closer, the threatening growl in her voice still rumbling away as he ignored her and looked over Hong’s condition.

The red kitten looked absolutely miserable, his body even smaller than the gray kitten with his fur slicked down with water.

Rock was pretty sure he remembered reading something about how cat’s couldn’t properly control their body temperatures when their fur got wet; which was why they usually hate baths so much.

If that was true, then it wouldn’t do them any good to leave the kitten drenched like this for long; he might get sick.

While Rock had only been a fox for a bit more than a week, he’d already grown to accept having to resort to more animal-like behaviours over time. For instance, using his tongue to groom and drink water.

At least, he was pretty sure cat’s usually groomed each other with their tongues.

Rock hesitantly licked the red kitten. When he wasn’t immediately assaulted by any foul taste or scents, he proceeded to lick the kitten again and again and again.

He gradually settled into a leisure grooming rhythm. He didn’t question why his instincts told him this was a good method to dry the kitten. He just accepted it as a fact.

The red kitten’s shivering faded over time, his eyes blinking owlishly up at the fox calmly drying him. Even his sister looked stunned, her matching golden eyes revealing her confusion as the growling tapered off into a baffled mrow.

Once Rock deemed the kitten dry enough and out of danger, he stepped back a few paces before giving his own pelt a vigorous shake to rid himself of the heavy water clogged coat.

He wasn’t even close to being dry, but he wasn’t bothered as much by it.

While the feeling was a little unpleasant, it wasn’t enough to make him do anything about it in his fatigued state.

He gave the kittens a last look over, before padding over to the nearest bush, scrapping some leaves together, and flopping down.

His roughly scraped together bedding wasn’t the least bit comfortable, but at this point, he was too tired to care.

As he was on his way to drifting off, he felt two small bodies creep towards him hesitantly, before two warm bundles snuggled their way next to his belly.

Rock shifted his tail to accommodate the two, welcoming the little living heaters into his nest for the night.

Chapter Text

Sorry for the interruption of the usual chapter, but this weeks update might be a bit delayed... I may or may not have gotten a tad distracted writing a completely different crackfic which I see some of you have already stumbled upon! 

Anyways, I felt a bit bad about not getting around to completing this chapter (trust, it's half way done, but I don't wanna rush it and push out shoddy quality), so I figured the least I can do is leave a note and something to tide you all over!

Hope you all enjoy some of the lighter fluff moments because I shall occasionally bring these characters to life!

I believe I saw a comment once saying something along the lines of "they wished they could see what was described in the story", and me, being the absolute dumbass that I am thought 'Huh, you know, I kinda wish I could see something like that too', while completely forgetting I make webtoons on a bi-monthly basis lmao.

So, Hope you enjoy!

Why Rock will never let his guard down around Cale again.

Chapter Text

-Deruth’s POV-

Something had changed about Cale over the past week.

Deruth noticed.

While he knew their relationship had grown strained and soured over the years, and he wasn’t likely to be recorded as an exemplary father figure anytime soon, he still greatly cared for him.

That’s why he was so quick to notice the difference, no matter how subtle, in Cale’s behaviour. Hans, the most promising deputy butler candidate in the bunch, had been assigned the task of keeping him updated on Cale’s schedule and whereabouts.

It’s not that he didn’t trust his son, nor did he worry about the boy causing too much mischief or ruining their face; he just didn’t want his son to be in harm's way.

So what if his son’s reputation was that of trash? So what if he chose to take up drinking hobbies and disregarded his studies? Could he, the father who hadn’t been there for him when he was needed the most, really blame him?

No. He couldn’t.

So imagine his surprise when one day Hans came to him and reported Cale returning with a wild animal who he took on and treated as a pet! Not only that, but Cale was even returning home earlier and even seemed to genuinely care for it!

His son was lonely, so he decided to go and find himself a playmate. Deruth almost cursed himself for such an obvious blunder.

Had he known simply getting a pet for his son could help alleviate some of the pain and burdens he saw his son shouldering by himself; he would’ve gotten him all of the most exotic and sought after creatures their country had to offer!

Hell, he’d even search neighbouring countries and lands for the most long lived, docile and caring pets he could get his hands on.

Hindsight always makes everything seem so obvious. Deruth accepted his faults and decided to pay closer attention to his son’s actions now. Sure, a pet was a great distraction at first; but there was no guarantee Cale would still be as interested in it once the novelty wore off.

He had to see for himself just how effective this new pet could be.

That’s why Deruth secretly spied observed his son on the third afternoon since the new pet was reported to him. Hans never did say what the creature was, so Deruth was assuming it was something like a dog or a cat, a stray that could easily be found on the streets.

He was completely blindsided when it was neither of these animals, but a genuine wild fox!

Deruth almost felt his knees buckle when he saw Cale’s delicate pale hand so close to the mouth full of sharp teeth; about to feed the creature a breadstick the size of one of his beautiful fingers.

He nearly collapsed in relief when he saw the fox carefully nipping at the end of the offered treat, pulling it out of Cale’s hand before quickly swallowing it down.

After watching for a little while longer, Deruth quickly learned of the unusually obedient temperament of the creature. It was a lazy thing for sure, perfectly content to stay by his son’s side and endure all manners of mischief from Cale.

His heart grew soft at the sight, having been years since he saw Cale this relaxed, happy and acting more his age around anyone or anything!

After that afternoon, Deruth quickly ordered for the most experienced animal doctor to be hired and brought to the county as soon as possible. He saw first hand how much joy and peace the fox brought his son, therefore, the least he could do was make sure the animal was well looked after.

That way it could stay by Cale’s side as long as possible.

Deruth was dismayed when his own independent research revealed its dismal life-span, but he assured himself that was just because no one had truly tried to raise one with the best of care.

He was even tempted to start funding a private research team into how to best care for a fox’s needs; until Violan shut down that idea as simply too excessive, with no real way to prove results effectively before testing on Cale’s precious pet.

The morning when he made a point to invite his son to join them for breakfast, was the day Deruth had meant to bring up formally registering the fox, Rock, as a member of the Henituse household. That way Rock would be under their protection if Cale ever took him outside the manor grounds; and would be entitled to receive the best treatment they had to offer.

Unfortunately, this never came to be.

“WHAT! What do you mean the fox disappeared?!?”

Deruth slammed the papers in his hands on the table, all thoughts of work and county management pushed to the side in favour of his son’s well being.

Hans, who already looked on the brink of tears, hiccuped in surprise at such a visceral reaction from the typically level-headed Count. The man’s anger a parallel to Cale’s drunken frenzies.

He felt the urge to pull up the tea tray brought with him in a vague attempt to shield himself from any flying objects, though, he beleightedly realized there were no glass bottles around that could potentially come his way.

Deruth was none too pleased with Hans’s delayed response and urged the young man to speak quickly.

“H-he, he was just gone! The young master had only left fox-nim in his room like usual, but when he returned, the fox-nim was missing and only his collar was left behind!”

Hans whimpered a bit as he continued, a sense of guilt bleeding into his next statement.

“I, I did think it strange when fox-nim didn’t immediately come out to eat his lunch when I delivered it- but he’d taken to playing hide and seek whenever I came by in the past few days. I should’ve known better! Master, I’ve failed you, young master and fox-nim greatly, please punish me ruthlessly!”

Deruth raised a hand to signal Hans to stop speaking, his mind caught up in too much turmoil to deal with the young butler’s grievances.

How could this happen? And right under his nose! Had someone snuck in and stolen the fox from his son’s room? Was security in the manor really so lax? Or was it a malicious spy’s doing?

He was pretty sure most people had given up looking towards Cale as his weakness (part of the reason why he allowed Cale to continue acting the way he did); but on the odd chance someone did take an interest in his son again, was there a need to purge the staff?

Deruth was so focused on thoughts of someone else taking the fox, he could never have expected it was Rock himself that escaped on his own.

A knock interrupted his increasingly darkening thoughts; managing to cut through the depressive atmosphere in the room as Deruth cleared his throat and told the person to enter.

Ron slipped inside the office, silent on his feet as usual. With three quick steps, he was at Deruth’s side, his ever present benign smile curving his lips.

Deruth dismissed Hans, then sat himself back at his desk with a heavy sigh. Bringing a hand to his temple to massage the tensed veins there, he got straight to asking the old butler to state his business.

“I hope you’re here to bring better news than Hans. I’m not sure how much more bad news I could bear today.”

Ron folded his hands behind his back as he tilted his head.

“This old Ron is simply worried about his young master. It seems that all that grooming from the acting deputy butler has made his new fox too slippery. Now the fox appears to have slipped its way right out of the grounds.”

Deruth paused, taking in and reading between the lines of what the old man just said. From what he could make out, it seemed as though Ron was implying it was the fox itself who managed to escape on his own.

“You aren’t implying Cale’s fox simply… ran away?”

The gentle old man just continued to smile.

Deruth let out a groan, both hands now coming up to rub at his exasperated face. When he dropped his hands back to his sides, he revealed a resigned depressive smile.

“Do you think it’d be easier to find a new, similar looking fox to be his playmate? Would Cale even be able to tell?”

Ron paused as he thought this over, before shaking his head and replying “he would know.”

Deruth was at a loss for what to do. If a person had kidnapped Cale’s new pet, it was only a matter of finding said person and settling the matter with money or whatever else they were aiming for. However, if it was indeed the fox itself that ran away… were there even any experienced trackers that could find a fox in such a big city as this?

Before he could give up entirely, Ron cleared his throat at his side. Quirking a brow, Deruth signalled Ron to speak whatever was on his mind.

“If I may be so bold, I believe I can help locate and return the young master’s silly fox.”

Deruth sat up quickly at this, his interest piquing. He knew when he hired Ron and his son that the two were far from your ordinary set of noble attendants.

However, both acted out their roles perfectly and never caused trouble for the county and its people. In fact, they were amongst his best performing staff he had to date! So why should he care what history or past these two came from?

With this newly revealed piece of information, Deruth, not for the first time, caught himself wondering what occupation Ron had before joining the Henituse estate as a servant.

Still, Deruth knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth. He nodded vigorously at Ron’s suggestions instead. He even went as far as to offer the elder to take any amount of money or resources he needed, if it increased his chances of finding and bringing the fox home.

“Money is not a problem, anything you need, don’t be afraid to ask for it!”

Ron bowed subserviently, thanking Deruth, but kindly rejecting his offer.

“My, this here Ron has already been well looked after by the Count for so many years. Why kick up such a fuss over looking for his young master's lost toys? Your servant will be back soon following the successful retrieval of the fox. All I ask is for a few days to look for it.”

Having said all he needed and gotten permission for leave from the Count, Ron bowed once more, then left the room with a soft click of the closing door.

Deruth sat in the silence of his office for a while longer, hoping and praying that Ron was true to his word.

Cale was finally happy again, even if only a little bit.

Deruth already failed to protect his son’s fragile smile once, he wouldn’t make that mistake again.

-Rock’s POV-

The first thing Rock registered when waking up was how uncomfortable his bed was. The firm and slightly lumpy surface was far more reminiscent of his floor, other than the weirdly crispy things that crunched as he shifted atop them.

He was trying hard to recall if he’d accidentally fallen asleep while reading with an open bag of crunchy snacks, when he finally opened his eyes.

Green and brown. That’s all he saw surrounding him.

Confused, he lifted his head and looked around, his sleep-addled brain struggling to make sense of the forest-like surroundings– until he caught sight of his furry paws.

Rock: …

‘Right, I’m a fox now.’

Before, when he’d fallen asleep and woken up on the heavenly bed in the Henituse estate, the conditions were far too good to mistake for his previous world. However, having slept and woke up on the floor in the forest this time, it was oddly reminiscent of his previous life’s routine. To the point he’d even mistakenly thought he was back in his old room.

Once fully awakened, it didn’t take long for him to re-familiarize himself with his more canine body.

Rock yawned, allowing himself time to stretch to rid himself of the kinks in muscles that got cramped with his terrible sleeping posture; it was only then that he remembered the two small bundles that had curled up into his side.

He stared at the red and grey kittens alternately; taking note of the slow rise and fall of their sides, indicating the two were still deep asleep.

To have been able to sleep un-disturbed through his stretching and shifting, the pair of them must’ve been exhuasted from the events of last night.

His nose twitched as their scent filtered in, providing the same complex information of prey and not prey as the night before.

He figured this would likely be the warning he’d get for most beastmen in the future; at least, one’s that were edible to his species. Rock could bridge the gaps for the more predatory species he’d encounter in the future; recording the sensation as useful information regardless.

Having memorized the feeling and corrected his animal brain’s knowledge, he focused back on his new travel companions.

He couldn’t very well abandon them now, not after how involved he’d gotten with them already. Rock would just treat them like benign tumours. They existed, would be found if you looked for them, but wouldn’t interfere with anything else unless provoked.

The sun was already beginning to peek through the foliage in the horizon when he woke up; while still early by most people’s standards, Rock didn’t have the luxury of time on his hands.

They had to get moving soon.

A low gurgle from his belly reminded him of his meager meal the day before. It would obviously be more efficient to travel on a full belly with energy restored; rather than not.

Thus, being careful not to jostle the two sleeping kittens too much (to let them sleep a bit longer), Rock got up from his sorry excuse of a nest and walked back towards the stream that caused the big event before.

He hadn’t thought of it earlier, but when he’d gone into the stream to rescue Hong, he was reminded of one other food source that he knew could be safely consumed raw.

Though… perhaps it wouldn’t taste as delicious.

He stopped when he reached a more gradual slope along the stream bank, hovering silently by the edge and making sure his shadow didn’t fall over the surface.

His body went stone still almost naturally, his eyes fixed upon the surface of the deceptively lazy looking water. Even his whiskers, which usually couldn’t help but twitch, went still.

Rock didn’t know how long he stood by the water like this, but the moment his eyes caught sight of a silver flash in the water, he lunged on instinct. His entire upper body dove beneath the surface, his paws landing on something scaly and slippery with his claws just barely digging in.

However, the second he tried to lean in to bite and drag it to the surface, the creature wriggled out of his grasp and quickly shot out of reach.

He pulled himself back with a huff, shaking the icy water out of his eyes and pelt as he glared hotly at the stream that stole his meal away.

For a first attempt at hunting though, it wasn’t bad. He at least landed on his mark, now all Rock needed to do was actually secure the fish next time.

Having caused such a disturbance there already, Rock decided to move a bit further upstream for his next attempt. This time, his bite landed true. With his claws getting a firm grip into the scaly flesh, he sunk his teeth deep into the body of the silver trout-like fish before dragging it out.

It was still young, smaller than the fish you’d typically see sold in markets, but it was a heartier meal than anything he’d managed to find on his own before.

He struggled a bit with the flapping fish in his mouth, getting slapped in the face quite a few times before managing to crunch through the spine of the trout, killing and immobilizing it.

The taste was… bloody, to say the least. Usually fishmongers’ would bleed and sometimes descale their catch before providing it to markets for selling; especially with typically larger varieties like these.

Sadly, Rock didn’t have the luxury of a knife nor hands to properly prepare it in a more human fashion.

Rock wouldn’t sweat the little details though. Having achieved what he’d come here for, he made his way back towards the bush he left the sleeping kittens last. He wasn’t entirely sure how long he’d been gone for, but he estimated it should’ve been enough time for them to start waking up naturally soon.

He was welcomed back with the sound of a distressed meowing. Rock sped up the moment he heard it.

Ducking under the bush, he found the gray kitten crouched low over her brother, nosing frantically at his listless body.

The fish that Rock had caught now lay forgotten in the dirt by the entrance; food was of less concern.

Taking obvious steps, he approached the pair, his ears alert, but shifted slightly back in a less threatening posture. The gray kitten could obviously hear him coming, but she paid no mind as she was occupied with fretting over the smaller unconscious body.

Rock could smell something in the air as he approached, something off.

He walked as close as he dared and bent down to get a better grasp of the situation.

The red kitten, Hong, had his eyes closed as though he were asleep; however, the rasping and short breaths gave away his ailment. Touching the tip of his nose to the small body beneath him, he could easily feel the unnatural heat and slight dampness of the kitten's fur.

Rock frowned, or at least he made the closest approximation of a frown that a foxes muscles could imitate. Hong was running a high fever, likely from the whole falling into the stream mishap from before.

Rock had already done the best he could, short of having electrical appliances or blankets to warm and dry the kitten; but he couldn’t help from feeling slightly responsible for the whole situation.

As irrational as he knew he was being, part of him blamed himself for the kitten’s current unwell state.

The grey kitten hadn’t stopped her crying since before he arrived, still pressed up as close to her brother as she could; licking his forehead in an attempt to soothe him. They really couldn’t stay here for much longer.

With a heavy rumble in the back of his throat, Rock walked back towards the fish, picked it up, then dropped it closer to the pair of cats.

He nudged the grey one slightly, only stopping when she looked up at him in a daze. Rock then pushed the fish forward, making it obvious he was offering it to her. She blinked, staring blankly at the food at her feet as though not able to comprehend what she was seeing.

He could see the moment she understood why he brought the fish to her. She looked up, her eyes so full of confusion, hesitance and hope. She paused a moment longer, as though weighing her options, before she opened her mouth and began to speak.

“Why are you helping us? Are you… also a beast-person?”

As she said this, she took a cautious sniff of him, before wrinkling her nose and backing away with a shake of her head. Whatever she smelled from him, probably wasn’t great.

Rock chose to ignore her reaction.

He shuffled their positions around instead, taking her place next to the red kitten and laying down to share some of his own body heat.

Rock took care not to crush the smaller red ball of fluff, opting to cover any exposed areas with his bushy tail; which he knew from experience, acted as a rather functional blanket.

The gray kitten had more or less gotten accustomed to his atypical behaviour. She knew he meant them no harm, and he’d already shown himself to be somewhat more experienced at surviving out here than they were.

The gray kitten was pretty sure he wasn’t a normal fox, but being unable to get a proper read of his scent underneath all the other muck; she couldn’t be sure. Either way, she knew that she needed help.

She couldn’t take care of Hong when he was in this state by herself; and there was no telling when they could meet another enemy. She’d rather place her bets on this wild fox that had already demonstrated himself quite skillful as a hunter and rescuer.

She ate half of the fish before sliding the remains back towards her new companion, who promptly chomped up the leftovers with no complaints.

It was while Rock was in the process of polishing off the last few boney remnants when she spoke up again.

“Are you… really just a normal fox? You really won’t say anything?”

Rock simply looked up at her with a deadpan look, before attempting to speak for the first time since transmigrating into this body.

Rock: “Gek”

Gray Kitten: …

Rock: …

Well, he tried at least.

Even Rock wasn’t sure what sort of noises a fox made before this. Considering they looked pretty dog-like, he was kind of expecting more of a bark noise not… whatever that was.

Oh well, not like he was planning on talking much before this anyways. He didn’t need to be able to speak to enjoy his slacker fox life.

The gray kitten quickly got over her shock at the odd chirping noise he just made, before looking back at him with determination in her eyes.

“Even if you can’t speak, you seem to be able to understand me at least. Right?”

Rock flicked an ear towards her in agreement, not wanting to bother with a nodding motion which was much more of a pain to pull off in this form. She obviously understood his meaning as she carried on quickly.

“In that case, my name is On, and the red kitten beside you is my brother, Hong.”

Rock made a low humming noise in the back of his throat to show he was following along.

“We… we need help. My brother is sick and there are people after us, bad people.”

She looked at him with imploring eyes, a note of begging entering her tone as she pleaded with him.

“Can you help us? Please, Hong’s the only family I have left!”

If Rock hadn’t already resigned himself to taking on these new travelling companions before, he definitely would’ve caved after this. He could almost feel a part of his heart breaking and bleeding anew with her desperation.

He didn’t like seeing her like this, groveling and praying for a stranger’s mercy.

Lifting his tail, Rock let it gently wrap around her shoulders and blanket her in a comforting embrace as she worked through her emotions. He waited for her to calm down first, before pulling his tail back and standing up.

She followed his movements with her eyes, a hint of uncertainty still there; until he bent down and lightly grasped the scruff of Hong’s neck in his jaws and picked him up.

He remembered this was how mother’s of most animal species carry their young. While he knew these two beast children were probably much older than any normal kitten of their size; he figured their anatomy should still function the same way.

Looking relieved, On came to stand beside him. Rock gave her a last glance before continuing his journey in the direction he knew should lead them to Harris village.

While he was aware the village wouldn’t remain safe for much longer, he planned on hopefully preventing that disastrous event. Plus, with any luck, perhaps a certain overpowered hero with a soft spot for small animals; would be able to help the currently ill kitten.

Even if he couldn’t, Rock could probably convince these two children to put on their human guises to seek treatment from a human healer in the village.

At this point, it was their best bet.

Heavy.

That was the first thought that came to mind after having travelled for the past while with a kitten in his mouth and another now latched onto his back.

Rock was frustrated.

Since turning into a fox, almost none of his plans have ever quite worked out the way he intended. He’d already given himself a generous window to travel to the village; but how could he have predicted he’d be picking up extra mouths along the way?

At this rate, he’d be lucky if he managed to make it to the village before the protagonist left on his ill-fated attempt to gather herbs for his sickly caretaker.

He couldn’t help but muse about this, thinking if gods really existed, then they surely had better things to do than mess with a poor little fox like himself, right?

Having travelled with twice the weight he started this journey with, his legs were beginning to be on the verge of buckling; and his neck had long since begun to twinge under the constant strain.

He needed to rest.

They’d been travelling near nonstop for the past day and a half. The gray kitten had started lagging behind near the start, obviously worn out from the pair's desperate trek to even reach here.

While it was crucial to keep a fast pace, Rock wasn’t so heartless as to force her to keep walking without rest. So he compromised by doing all the walking instead.

Like this, they managed to cover nearly three times the ground they had when On had been walking herself; with rock pushing himself to sprint short stretches whenever the terrain permitted.

It was times like this he missed his previous body most. Not only had he been in better shape then, but as a larger creature, he could surely cover much more ground.

He doubted the kittens' added weight would’ve even bothered him in his old form.

Alas, he was a fox now, and not all that much bigger than the kittens themselves! While his lithe and nimble form made travelling between bushes and through dense foliage easier, it wasn’t enough to save him all that much time in the grand scheme of things.

He finally came to a stop after a bit more than half of the third day passed. Rock set Hong down first, before gently tipping his body to the side to allow On to slide off gracefully.

She took a moment to stretch, before immediately going to check on her brother. Rock was far too tired to really pay them much mind. He already counted it as a win that he hadn’t fallen over yet.

They were close to the village by now. Infact, it should be just beyond the crest of the next hill according to the map he’d read before. However, Rock had one last thing he had to do before going there.

Arguably, this was going to be the most troublesome part of the whole journey.

Rock had been contemplating all manners of ways he could think to prevent Choi Han from leaving the village, but it all drew to one conclusion. He’d need to find and bring the herbs the man was searching for in the first place.

It was the only way to ensure the hero had no reason to leave, thus increasing the defence of the village and giving everyone a higher survival rate should the attack still occur as described in the book.

According to the timeline of events, three days from now, Choi Han will leave in search of the herbs. On the fourth day, the raid on the village will occur and Choi Han will only make it back in time to watch the last of his beloved villagers die at their hands.

It took that freakishly overpowered hero two whole days to travel into the dark forest to find those herbs and bring it back; and he had the advantage of knowing exactly where to go, plus the protagonist halo which makes him inhumanly fast while ensuring he would only encounter the minimum of obstacles.

Rock had neither the protection of being an important character in the story, nor the prior experience to know exactly where the plants would be. Sure, he read about it in the novel which was fairly detailed with their descriptions of places and people; but it was still a stretch to rely only on that.

Thankfully, the story, while not being reliable to find those exact plants the protagonist retrieved, did take the time to inform its readers on the effects of the plants, what conditions it needed to grow, as well as an unusually lengthy paragraphs dedicated to describing the appearance, smell and characteristics of the herbs.

It was almost as if the author was giving away foraging tips, as though expecting the readers to go out and find this plant for themselves.

Rock didn’t think too much into it, he was just glad that with this knowledge, he now had the chance to possibly find it growing elsewhere and wouldn’t have to risk his life going into a danger zone like the forest of darkness.

His old team may have described him as reckless, but he wasn’t an idiot, nor was he suicidal.

Having taken the chance to catch his breath and feeling new strength flow into his body with the certainty that they’d soon be able to get a proper rest in a village for at least three days; Rock turned his attention back to On.

She was still dutifully looking over her brother. Hong was looking a bit worse for wear after that long near non-stop journey and his fever was still showing no signs of coming down, but he has not deteriorated much either.

The little guy was surely putting up his own valiant fight, even in his starved and battered state.

Rock padded towards her then pawed at the ground to get her attention. When he had her focus on himself, he made a gruff chuffing noise, stomped at the ground with a forepaw twice to indicate here, threw his head over his shoulder in the vague direction of the bushes, and then tapped at the ground again while looking at her.

On, for her part, tried her best to understand just what sort of game of charades he was playing.

Rock once more cursed his inability to speak. He would’ve tried writing if he knew how exactly to write in their language.

After watching him repeat his movements another handful of times, she thought she was starting to understand what he was telling her.

“You… want us to stay here?”

Rock moved his whole body in a nodding motion, entirely relieved that at least something was finally communicated correctly.

“Then… you’re leaving us? You’re abandoning us!”

He vehemently shook his head, agitated as he lifted a paw to pat at his chest then pawed at the ground the same way he indicated he wanted them to stay here.

“You’re coming back?”

He let out another chirpy noise he now associated as a fox's bark in his relief that she understood him. She still looked slightly concerned and confused, but she wanted to trust him.

She wanted to trust that the fox who carried her and her brother for more than a day wouldn’t just up and leave them in the middle of nowhere. Besides, why would he have taken so much time trying to tell her all this if he was just going to ditch them?

On looked around the vacant but overgrown clearing, before dragging her brother to a nearby outcrop of rocks with a hole just big enough to squeeze the both of them inside.

Rock nodded approvingly at them, making a rumbly low growl noise as he made sure the gray kitten was fully tucked inside.

“We’ll wait here then… please, come back quickly…”

He patted the ground outside their hollow gently, as though promising them he would, before making his own swift exit.

Rock knew what the general terrain looked like based on the map, so he knew there was a mountain with similar growing conditions to the one in the forest of darkness just a bit of a distance away. If he ran full speed and didn’t encounter any obstacles along the way, he could probably get there and back before the day’s end!

Of course, he knew that was far too wishful thinking. With his luck, he obviously encountered a very big obstacle when he finally arrived.

He was already completely drained from the dead sprint he fulfilled just to get to this mountainous area, now he had a near 90 degree sheer cliff face to climb!

How was he so sure he needed to climb up?

Well, his nose was definitely picking up the tangy minty scent of those herbs from above him. And even if he didn’t believe his nose, the conditions that needed to be met to properly grow these herbs couldn’t exist anywhere else.

Besides, he was pretty sure his eyes could make out the distinct jagged leaf shapes and little purple flowers from this distance.

It’s just, the plant seemed to decide it wanted to grow smack on the middle of the cliff, with no visibly easy way to get there.

Even if he was still a human, the scaling difficulty of this rock face was exceptionally high. Expecting his fox body to be able to make it up there was practically ridiculous.

Rock paced at the bottom of the cliff, looking up occasionally as he growled to himself and tried to think a way around his current predicament.

Why couldn’t he have woken up as a mountain goat? Or better yet, a flight capable bird! Not a useless thing like a fox!

It was as he was thinking this, that he could feel something inside him start to shift.

Rock was hit with a sudden dizzy spell and nausea, the world seeming to tilt as his legs collapsed under him.

‘Oh great, have I finally stressed my body to the limit?’

He supposed the last few days of excessive exercise and maltreatment of his body was finally catching up with him which, frankly, he had kind of been expecting to happen earlier.

This grim line of thinking was abruptly cut short as a spike of excruciating pain shot through his spine and into his limbs.

It felt like he’d been sucker punched in the gut with a fistful of lightning, the aftershock causing his organs to feel as though they were being rearranged inside him.

He had to bite back a howl, the pain reaching such a point he nearly blacked out.

But just as quickly as it came, it disappeared.

He felt weak and still slightly dizzy. He wanted to bring his paws up to cover his aching eyes, when he noticed something off.

His paws…weren’t paws anymore?

Rock could only stare blankly at the set of naked fingers, something that should be so familiar, yet so very foreign to him now.

He had to open and close his hands a few times, even going as far as pinching the skin on the back to verify this was real.

He was a human again!

He sat up slowly, eyes still never leaving his hands as he pushed himself into a kneeling position. Rock was almost instantly alerted to his current state of… well… undress. He was wearing nothing, absolutely butt naked at the base of this random mountain in the middle of nowhere.

At least there was no one around to see him.

He sighed (a human one!) as he dragged his now human hands down his very human face. They were smaller now, even paler than his last life’s hands somehow and scar free.

His body, while similarly pale, did have some slight muscle definition. He supposed it was whatever was leftover from the prior fox’s active routine.

Lastly, he took note of his somewhat short but vibrant red hair; the same colour as his coat when he was a fox. It was just a shade lighter than Cale’s, not quite as bloody a red.

He’d always heard the saying that pets tended to take after their master’s, but he hadn’t expected it to apply so literally.

Well, he could sit around all day and marvel at his new body, but that wouldn’t get him any closer to his goal of collecting those herbs.

He wasn’t even sure how permanent this change was; and he did make a promise to try and get back to the kittens as soon as possible.

Having mostly gotten over the shock of his transformation, he stood on slightly shaky legs, still not quite used to the feeling of having them again; and approached the cliff.

He hadn’t been exaggerating the difficulty of this climb, there were few foot or hand holds in sight, and his newly granted human skin seemed a bit on the delicate side.

Rock never allowed the perceived difficulty of a situation to prevent him from completing his mission though. Even if he ended up the last man standing, he wouldn’t give up once he set his mind to it.

Grabbing a hold of a jutting stone, he started to make the climb.

It was an arduous affair, with a couple close calls where stones crumbled under his hold and it was only due to his steady grip with his other hand that prevented him from falling to a particularly painful death.

When he finally reached those cheery purple plants that seemed to wave mockingly at him throughout the entire ordeal, he already had numerous blisters and shallow cuts on his knees, palms and the soles of his feet.

Just clinging to the rock wall was enough to cause irritation to his wounds.

With a grimace, he grabbed a handful of the plants and brought it closer to inspect. His mind creating a checklist of characteristics which he looked for to ensure this was the right herb.

Jagged, thin, dark green leaves? Check!

Soft fuzz covering said leaves? Check!

Lighter green stalks? Check!

Small purple star shaped flowers? Check!

Tangy minty smell? Double check!

Yep, these were definitely the right ones.

He gently placed the stalks of the plants in his mouth, keeping a careful grasp of them without biting too hard since the flavour was really quite bitter, but he needed to free up his hands if he was to make the journey back down.

He’d only made it half way back to the ground when he felt another dizzy spell hit him.

“Damnit!”

He gritted the curse around the plants in his mouth as he felt his grip weakening, his body trembling under the stress of a sudden transformation as he started sliding down with less care for where his feet and hands found purchase.

He truly did black out this time. 

-On’s POV-

Something was wrong, On just knew it.

The sun was already setting and the temperature was starting to drop with the approaching nightfall. While the fox never specified how long he’d take, he did seem sincere when motioning that he’d be back soon.

She sealed away any doubts that were trying to squirm their way to the surface.

On had no reason to trust their fox companion, she’d only known him for at most 2 days! But she just knew he wouldn’t leave them here like this, not unless something happened to him.

In the time that she’d been waiting, Hong had started taking a turn for the worst. He’d come to a somewhat lucid state earlier, and whined about feeling bad and too hot and just too much in general.

She tried her best to comfort him, but she couldn’t do much more than press herself against him and try to soothe away his pains with whispered words. She even hummed a soft lullaby she was sure their parents once sang to them, the exact words lost to time, but the general tune still intact.

He quieted down after a while, though, it was likely more to do with simply running out of strength to put up any more fuss than actually feeling better.

Their fox guardian knew just how sick Hong was, so he wouldn’t have left them here where there was not much food or water accessible nearby unless he was absolutely certain he wouldn’t be gone long.

She felt panic and fear swarm her as she contemplated what she should do if he really didn’t come back.

She didn't know where they were, and she wasn’t strong enough to carry Hong very far. While she could always transform and carry Hong that way, she could only hold her human form for so long! Especially in this starved and exhausted state, she’d do better to conserve energy by staying in her cat form, rather than expending needless energy.

Just as she was starting to truly break down in her worries, she started to pick up on the sounds of rustling leaves. By the consistent movement, she could tell it was the sound of something moving through them.

She tensed, a hiss threatening to slip as she pressed herself closer to her brother and prayed it wasn’t anyone they didn’t want to see. The snapping of twigs and a last rustle of leaves was the only warning she got before she saw a boy pushing his way into the clearing.

He looked young with jet black hair, a pair of innocent eyes and hands full with a basket of plants.

She could feel the relief flooding her when she didn’t immediately recognize either his scent or appearance. Though, she still kept her guard up.

The man was still a stranger after all.

Following the youth was an older man with graying hair, his face wrinkled with age, but full of gentle laugh lines that just made him feel approachable.

The youth spoke up then, calling out to the older gentleman behind him.

“It’s getting late, we should head back soon! Surely something amongst these plants can help make granny feel a bit better!”

The older man just shook his head with a soft huff of amusement. Patting the youth’s shoulder in a near paternal affection.

“Choi Han, you really didn’t have to carry that whole thing or come out with me! I know this forest like the back of my hand, a young kid like you should be playing around and enjoying his youth!”

Choi Han revealed a sheepish smile at the comment, stating he wanted to help and he found gathering herbs just as much fun.

The amiable banter between the pair was soothing to the stressed kitten, taking the edge off her fear and bringing her anxiety down.

They were strangers, she didn’t really know them, but she felt kindness radiating from them like a beam of sunlight. It was almost like they were the lighthouse of hope that appeared in her darkest moment.

What else could she do? Sit here and continue to wait? If she trusted her gut instinct that something went wrong with The fox, then she needed help! She wouldn’t be able to do anything alone.

Besides, what are the chances anyone else would come stumbling into their clearing after these people?

She pushed away her fears of strangers and crept forward boldly. If not for her own situation, she at least had to get help for their companion! They owed their fox guardian at least that much.

The younger of the pair, Choi Han, seemed to pick up on her presence first; his body going tense as he gripped the hilt of a sword she hadn’t noticed in the dark.

She too froze at the abrupt reaction, almost beginning to regret her actions of trusting too quickly, when his eyes found hers.

His posture instantly loosened, the sharp dangerous edge to his aura fading, as he gave her a soft smile. The older man with him peeked past his shoulder, wondering what had set Choi Han off, when he too noticed the kitten.

“Oh my! What’s such an adorable kitten doing by itself in a dangerous forest like this?”

Choi Han bent down so he was closer to eye level with her before reaching a hand out to her in greeting. His movements slow as he took note of her cautious body language.

On twitched slightly at the extended hand, her fears still present as she couldn’t quite shake that terrifying dark aura from the back of her mind. But she put on a brave face. They didn’t seem to want to harm her.

She meowed up at them, backtracking towards the hollow she’d hidden in before looking at the pair, obviously waiting for them to follow.

Choi Han picked up on her unspoken cues first, following a step behind as she led him to the little crevice. Then, he waited as she stuck her head inside and seemed to start pulling something out.

He was curious just what this kitten was up to, he was truly shocked when she ended up coming out with another red kitten, smaller than herself!

He knew right away that something was wrong with the little thing, his hands moving too quickly in his concern.

On hissed at him, her back arching stiffly as she was startled by the sudden movement. Choi Han backed off slightly, his body curling a bit in on itself in a show of non-aggression, before he tried soothing her with gentle quiet words.

“It’s ok, it’s ok, I just want to look at him. Is that ok? I promise I won’t hurt him.”

On was still wary, but she let him approach closer this time, a persistent growl still vibrating in her chest as she glared down his every action.

Choi Han didn’t take it to heart though. However, he was much more careful with his approach now, gently reaching a hand out to the red kitten to pick him up and check his breathing and temperature.

He quickly came to realize the sick state of the kitten, his lips twisting into a bit of a grimace as he heard a light wheezy rasp originating from it.

“Granny would know what to do.”

He muttered it under his breath, but On, with her enhanced hearing, could easily pick it up.

She felt hope fill her chest at the words, knowing her brother could be healed if she followed the pair of them. However, she couldn’t just leave it at this.

She meowed again at him then, catching Choi Han’s attention as she turned and padded towards the bushes she saw the fox disappear through. She turned around to look at him once more, using the same body language to get him to follow.

After the first experience, Choi Han now knew there was likely another hurt kitten hidden somewhere with the way this one was acting.

He pursed his lips, before handing off the red kitten with the basket of plants to the older man. Choi Han wasn’t sure why, but he felt like the retrieval of this next kitten might take longer.

“Take this one and go back first grandpa, I’ll be back soon!”

The older man acknowledged his words with a “be careful”, before the pair of kitten and young man left into the darkening forest.

Chapter Text

-Choi Han’s POV-

Choi Han was really starting to regret following this random kitten into the woods so close to nightfall.

A blanket of darkness had settled in and the moon was already well on its way to reaching its peak position of the night, though luckily, being a full moon, it did help light the way.

He supposed their trip was also delayed due to the kitten seeming to stop occasionally, turning this way and that as it sniffed the surroundings, before continuing somewhat confidently.

Evidently, even the kitten wasn’t sure where their final destination was. Still, it seemed sure enough that there was something important at the end of its journey.

Why else would it have tried so hard to lead him to it?

Choi Han could only be glad that he had the foresight to send old uncle Butch back with the other sickly kitten.

He was just starting to contemplate picking up the gray kitten and heading back himself, when she seemed to stop dead in her tracks, ears perked and eyes wide open.

Choi Han only had a moment to process this sudden reaction, before she bolted through a bush and let out a distressed caterwaul.

The young man almost drew his weapon at the agitated reaction, but he held back, fearing it would only further startle the little kitten. Especially if it really had been leading him to another sick cat.

He pushed his way through the foliage with relative caution, eyes sweeping over the sight of a rocky cliff ahead of him, before landing on the small hunched form of the gray kitten leaning over a larger ball of fluff.

‘Its mother?’

From this distance, the body of fluff appeared deathly still; and with the dirt around the body ominously darker than the rest of the area…

Choi Han was already fearing the worst.

With a heavy heart, he drew closer; already steeling himself for the somber sight of a newly orphaned kitten weeping by its parent’s side– However, thankfully, this wasn’t the case.

Once close enough, he could crouch down to get a better look of the scene, and felt a jolt of relief when he picked out the subtle rise and fall of the body breathing. It was alive!

The gray kitten still looked distressed though, its nose pressed into its fur and gently licking at exposed paw pads that he noted as one of the sources of the darker stained earth.

From its position on the floor and the messy state of its paws, he almost thought the animal must’ve torn it up in a chase over a cobble path or tumbled down some rocks– but that would be absurd!

The only area with sharp enough stones to do this sort of damage, was the rock wall in front of them. And seeing as there were no bloody tracks leading to this spot; he could safely assume the wounds hadn’t been gained from somewhere else.

No way could this type of creature manage to scale a near vertical cliff like this, and survive a fall from that height?

Simply ludicrous.

His mind was only filled with more questions when he found the face of this creature, seeing as it looked nothing like the kittens. In fact, he was pretty sure it was an entirely different species altogether!

Sure, the fur colour was a similar darker hue that somewhat matched the red kitten earlier; but this creature seemed to have a much sharper muzzle that stuck out far more than any cat’s should!

If it really was a cat… then he truly felt sorry for it.

And if that wasn’t all strange enough, the young man was only further perplexed when he noticed it seemed to be… biting onto some plants?

Choi Han tried to pry the bits of greenery out of its mouth, but those jaws were well and truly closed shut. It was to the point that even death itself wouldn’t be able to get the animal to release its hold on those flowers!

This whole situation just screamed weird, but that didn’t stop the youth from feeling responsible for helping them.

He gently scooped the furry animal into his arms, trying to be careful with his handling as he wasn’t sure if there were any hidden injuries that caused it to fall into this state.

Evidently, he wasn’t careful enough. He winced a bit when a light whine was jostled out of the creature with his movements, its face screwing up in pain as it struggled to lift weight off a sore spot.

Choi Han quickly readjusted his grip, watching the face of the animal in his arms until it returned to a calmer stillness. He waited a beat longer, making sure the slow rise and fall of its breathing was still intact, before calling for the kitten to hop up into his arms as well.

It didn’t cause a fuss, merely hopping up his arm, avoiding trampling on the unconscious form of its friend, before perching onto his shoulder.

The journey back this way was much faster.

While it took them a while to get here, they hadn’t actually travelled too far out, and with the area pretty well memorized by now, Choi Han took the shortest route back to the village and made it in record time.

Most of the lights were out by now, a majority of people having well turned in for the night. Only one hut still had a fire going, their village chiefs.

Choi Han felt that same fuzzy warmth he’d first felt when stumbling upon this village, his own anxieties over the odd situation settling as he knew someone with more experience would be able to help them.

He quietly pushed his way into the hut, aware of just how to open the door so the hinge’s wouldn’t screech and cause a scene. However, seeing as the person inside was still awake and sitting in a chair by the fireside, his careful action wasn’t really needed, though it remained appreciated nonetheless.

The old woman looked up from her lap, her hand continuing its gentle stroking motion as she patted the back of a similar, though smaller, curled up ball of red fur.

The little one looked to be in better shape at least; however, he couldn’t be sure from just a glance.

The old woman’s eyes were warmed with a motherly gentleness, though there was a tired edge to her gaze. Her skin was also a bit more sallowed than it’d been when they first met, both signs that she was still feeling a bit unwell herself.

She greeted him then, her voice soft with respect for the sleeping kitten in her arms.

“Young man, you gave this old woman quite the fright by staying out so late, but, I’m glad you’re back safely…”

Her eyes shifted as she spoke, taking in the gray kitten on his shoulder and another bundle of red fur in his arms.

“Gone to fetch another patient, I assume?”

Choi Han ducked his head timidly, a note of guiltiness entering his voice as he apologized for worrying his caretaker.

“This one is sorry for the trouble he’s caused, but I couldn’t just leave them out there either. I… believed you would do the same.”

She let him squirm a bit in discomfort, taking amusement from his awkward shifting form, before finally taking pity and smiling patiently at him.

With a gesture of her free hand, she beckoned him over as she confirmed she wasn’t upset over the trouble he caused.

Her attention immediately focused on the creature in his arms, her hands moving deftly to first feel its breath on the back of her hand before touching around its body with light quick fingers to seek out the issue.

Her brows furrowed the longer she examined this new patient, a hint of worry entering her expression as she directed him to lay the red bundle on a clear table.

She, herself, quickly got up while moving the kitten on her lap to the warmed spot on the chair she vacated.

Once freed, she made her way to the table and continued to gently prod, poke and look over the whole of this new animal's body as she murmured lowly underbreath.

Choi Han was starting to get anxious again, his hands itching to move to help, but he wasn’t sure what he could do.

Eventually, probably catching on to his restless state, the older woman instructed him to heat up some clean water and grab a cloth with a basin to clean up their patient.

He moved quickly once he had something to do, relieved to be of use.

He was back at the old woman’s side before long, already wringing extra water out of the washcloth to be used on the animal.

The village chief huffed, amused at his flustered movements as she thanked him and took the cloth provided to gently wipe away the drying blood from the animal's paws. Then, she dunked the towel back in the water and started using it generously to wipe the grime and dust from its coat.

As she worked her way up the animal’s body, her movements faltered, her eyes zeroing in on the plants in its mouth.

She gasped, then immediately started trying to pry the stems from its hold.

Based on her sudden and near forceful action, Choi Han had a feeling those plants couldn’t be anything good for it.

He was already at her side and working to get a hold of its jaw as she hurriedly filled him in.

“These plants have a medium grade paralytic effect in the stems and leaves when not prepared properly! It’s no wonder its breathing is so shallow! If we don’t get these out of its mouth soon, it could paralyze the lungs all together!”

With the new information, Choi Han was all the more incentivized to pry the damned plants out of its jaws. He’d seek forgiveness later if he causes it any harm in the process; it’s either this or let it die after all!

With the two working together, the young man just managed to open a gap between the teeth wide enough for the village chief to pull the plants through and out completely.

She set them aside carefully, then went about pouring water through the still open gap, attempting to flush out as much of the juices left behind as she could.

After repeating the flushing process quite a few times, Choi Han started to feel the muscles of its jaws relax under his grip. Even its breathing was beginning to even out slightly.

They both breathed out a sigh of relief at the sign of its recovery.

With the crisis averted, the older woman now puzzled over the plants. Their appearance here and being held between the teeth of this wild creature was quite a stroke of luck!

She knew exactly what it was, since it was the very plant she needed in order to rid herself of her current illness.

Call her overprotective, but she hadn’t wanted to send any of the villagers out to collect this plant for her before, since her chronic illness had been manageable up to this point. Plus, from what she knew, this plant had only ever been sighted once in the forest of darkness and grew in a treacherous location.

How could she justify sending anyone to get this for her if she knew she would likely be dooming them an ill-fated trip?

However, the illness had been flaring up quite viciously in the past few days. Her strength sapped at such a rate she felt as though she was close to the brink of collapse; when this seemingly random chance encounter just so happened to give her the very medicine she needed!

She only broke out of her trance of thoughts when Choi Han prodded to get her attention. He turned a concerned frown upon the purple flowers and asked if he should dispose of such a dangerous thing so no one else could get hurt.

The old woman quickly put him off the idea, correcting that “while it can be harmful when ingested raw, it serves as a very valuable medicine if you take the appropriate measures to prepare it!”

Just in case he was still skeptical, she swiftly pocketed the plants, giving them an assertive pat and saying they would surely be put to good use in the near future.

He didn’t question what they would be useful for, simply trusting in her wisdom in the area of medicine.

The two worked on their new patient for a little longer after that, making sure to get, what they now knew was a male fox, to a stable condition.

Whatever this fox was up to before falling ill, he sure managed to take quite a beating. He even had a few bruised ribs! Though, luckily nothing was quite to the extent of being broken.

Choi Han wasn’t very confident they would’ve been able to help at all had his injuries been any worse.

As it stood, they managed to patch up the worst of the injuries by simply wiping them clean, applying ointments to the open cuts, and winding bandages around them to keep them from festering.

Seeing as the fox still had some of the foreign plant juices left in his system, the elder advised against using any oral medications for the time being.

With both kittens and fox settled in for the night and taken care of the best they could; Choi Han set up a temporary nest of blankets and placed them all in relatively close proximity with each other.

He was a bit wary to do so at first, seeing as foxes could potentially view small kittens as prey; but the gray kitten, which he know knew was a female and likely the red kittens sibling, acted so familiarly and comfortable around the fox, he couldn’t see any reason not to keep them close.

The moment the two unconscious patients were placed into the blanket nest, the gray kitten jumped up to join them. Curling herself between the two while more or less surrounding the form of her smaller brother.

He felt his heart soften at the sight, almost wishing he had a camera from his previous world with him so he could capture the fluffy moment forever!

Exhaustion was catching up by this point though, especially with all of the excitement of the day, so he could only breathe out a sigh and keep the image seared into his heart.

He could only hope the pair of kittens and fox would feel better by the morning.

-Rock’s POV-

For once in his life, Rock could say that a miscalculation on his part had actually worked out in his favour.

Sure, he might feel as though he’d been run over by a truck and he still felt a bit of an itchy icky feeling in his throat; but he’d made it to Harris Village in more or less one piece. Even the kittens had been safely delivered alongside him– and he didn’t have to walk all the way here either!

Long story short, on the scale of mess-ups he’d experienced, this one had the most favourable outcomes yet.

He woke up at some odd hour in the early morning. The room was still dark with only bits of embers from the hearth across the room casting a subtle glow over nearby surfaces. Not that it would’ve impacted his vision that much with his increased night sight.

As soon as he confirmed that both he and the two kittens were present and not in immediate danger, he let his head flop back down and closed his eyes again.

They still had a good buffer of time before any attack on the village happened, and no one else was awake yet, so why should he be?

With that in mind, he let himself doze off once more.

The next time he woke was to the sound of voices speaking. Being a bit cranky at having been woken from a solid nap, he kept his eyes begrudgingly shut and merely listened in on the happenings around him.

From the soft murmurs he could pick up across the room, he could tell there were two people inside with them. He could also still feel both of the warm kittens beside him, though he could tell On was likely awake from the way she was shifting about.

Putting that aside for the now, he strained his ears a bit to try and make out the soft conversation occurring across the room. When he put his mind to it, the once mumbling voices became a bit more clear, revealing the voices of a younger man and an older woman.

Choi Han: “Are you sure it’s safe to use these? You saw what it did to the fox, and we don’t know where the fox had been either. Even if you say the plants are good medicine, after being gnawed on by a wild fox, are they still as effective?”

Rock was quite offended by the implications of his words. He was usually a very clean fox, thank you very much!

Chief: “A little nibbling won’t do anything bad. Besides, they have to be boiled, dried, and ground down into a fine powder, then boiled again before I use them! The whole process is sure to get any of the bad stuff out before it’s used as a medicine.”

With more context, it seemed like they were discussing the use of the herbs he’d collected earlier.

He was kind of wondering where those went.

Rock was glad that the village chief seemed to know what they were and how to use them.

While he was pretty sure the book stated it was her that had asked for the herbs in the first place; he wasn’t entirely sure if she’d always known about these herbs, or if it was just something she learned of later on.

He wasn’t even entirely sure how they could be used, seeing as she was never able to acquire them before being slaughtered in that cruel way.

Though, he had his suspicions that the plant may be the very reason why his throat is feeling funny now.

Their conversation slowly shifted from talk of medicine to discussing their three new guests. He perked up at this, and he wasn’t the only one, seeing as On also seemed to stop her shuffling as she too paid attention.

“What should we do with the two kittens and fox? They seem to be pretty close, and they seem to be doing better today.”

Choi Han, because who else could it be, was the one to voice his thoughts first. As he spoke, his voice gradually grew louder. Accompanied with footsteps, Rock accurately assumed he was walking their way.

The older woman followed him, her voice just as relaxed and amused as when she’d been assuaging his worries over the use of the plants he brought.

“Hmm, well, once they’re all better, I think it should be left up to them to decide where they want to go.”

The old woman seemed to speak knowingly, as though she was already aware that the three of them were more than mere animals.

Rock could feel a chill go down his spine at the thought.

Knowing what he did about this world from the book, even an old and unassuming butler could be an assassin behind the scenes; and the Henituse territory was fairly well known for developing unusual talents, so what’s stopping this old lady from being more than meets the eye?

The two of them chatted for a bit longer, the older woman checking both him and Hong a bit with gentle fingers, before shooing Choi Han away and leaving herself.

After waiting a while in the silent room with no sign that anyone was still lingering, Rock opened his eyes.

It was much brighter than last time, so while he could still see relatively well in the dark, he could actually make out more details in the room now.

He scanned the room briefly, before confirming his ears hadn’t been tricking him and they really were left alone.

On noticed he was awake pretty quickly, shuffling closer to him, before whispering a “you’re finally awake!” Into his ear.

He flicked it in her direction to indicate he heard her, before moving to stretch, as he always does, upon first waking up.

He still felt very sore all over, but his own analysis of the pain revealed he hadn’t irreparably damaged anything, and there wasn’t anything truly serious.

He had a lot of experience with bad wounds in the past after all; and while he never enjoyed the feeling of being in pain, he was plenty experienced in dealing with the aftermath of injuries.

Having completed his own internal check, he scrutinized the state of his pair of siblings.

On was more or less the same as when he’d left her, though, probably with a cleaner coat since they all smelled freshly bathed.

Hong was doing much better though, his pelt finally cleaned of the muddy brown from the stream he fell in and his breathing back to a steady slow slumber. His temperature was also better, no longer the burning furnace he’d been when he’d fallen ill.

On intuitively understood the reason why he seemed to be sniffing and poking them all over with his cold nose, she sat still and let him check them over, a feeling of happiness washing over her at the care.

Rock was satisfied that both kittens were doing well.

When he completed his mandatory check of them, On perked up and began asking the questions she had buried all along their journey here.

“Is this where you were taking us? Are we staying here now? Do you live here? If not, can we stay with you?”

The rapid-fire questioning from the hyper and well rested kitten was a bit much to deal with after just waking up, so Rock pressed his tail against her mouth to hush her.

She didn’t seem offended or put off by this though, and she waited patiently for him to remove his tail before starting again, but only asking one question at a time.

Rock answered in the affirmative for her first question, before giving a negative response for the second and third inquiries. When she got around to asking her final question again, he just fixed her with a look; as though asking her “what do you think?”

She, accurately, understood it to be him leaving it up to them to decide whether they wanted to follow him or not.

Rock wasn’t a person who did things half way, he’d chosen to help the kittens in the first place, so he wasn’t about to go shucking that responsibility over to anyone else when he was the one who chose to get involved.

She looked at him with stars in her eyes, purring up a storm as she rubbed her head into his side, careful to avoid his bruised ribs.

He could only chuff at her response, thinking himself to be quite wicked for tricking them into believing him a benefactor when really, he was going to use someone else’s hands and money to raise them.

Besides, there was more benefit for him when it came to keeping these two kittens close. They weren’t normal cats, after all, and from what he knew of their kind, it was very likely that the two of them had abilities that could be useful.

How else could two small kittens like them have survived so long on their own?

Rock could always find out what their particular abilities were later. For now, his brain switched right back to animal instinct mode as he could only fixate on the hunger left in him.

He’d pretty much fasted for the rest of the journey since finding out Hong was sick, of course he’d be hungry now! And the smell of something savoury and spiced cooking over the fire wasn’t doing him any favors.

One glance at On revealed she wasn’t craving food nearly as much, meaning she’d either been fed last night or earlier this morning by the villagers.

As much as he tried to hold himself back, the animal won over this round, causing him to get up from his slightly rough nest and start seeking out the origin of that delectable scent.

His nose brought him to a stewing pot placed within the hearth, just out of reach in his current form.

He didn’t even care that being this close to the fire was practically singeing his fur, his whole focus centered around how he could go about getting into the contents of that pot.

He was just about to go insane from the temptation when he heard a sprightly chuckle from behind.

Caught in the act, he could do nothing but stare at the old woman who walked into the room, her eyes twinkling with mirth as she brought over a bowl and spoon.

She gently nudged him aside and picked up a ladle hanging to the side to scoop some soup into the bowl.

She placed it down within reach once ready, though she warned him that it was still hot and he should be careful not to burn himself.

While the hunger made him impatient, he was still smart enough not to immediately stick his tongue into scalding hot food.

Instead, Rock paced anxiously around the bowl as he eyed the steam coming out of it, grumbling lowly to himself.

The old woman went about fetching another two bowls and called out to the kitten to see if she was interested in eating too.

On had been reluctant to leave Hong’s side, but the call for food was still strong even after the food she’d been given the night before.

She settled with her own bowl next to him before long, and once their meal had cooled enough that it wouldn’t instantly burn their tongues, they both began eating with gusto.

A third bowl of soup was carefully set aside on a table for the time being, likely meant for Hong when he woke up.

By the way he was moving around in his sleep, seeking the warmth that had disappeared when they left to eat, it wouldn’t be long before he was joining them anyways.

The village chief watched over them, her eyes lingering on him a breath longer before she spoke.

“So, how’s our fox patient feeling today? Better?”

He ignored her, fully intending to act like any normal fox despite her seeming to have realized that they weren’t just regular animals.

When she could get no response from the fox, she turned to the gray kitten instead.

“Your journey must’ve been a long one, I haven’t seen any cat tribe members on the western continent in many years.”

On startled at her words, her eyes looked between the old woman and himself a few times, before she moved closer to him. A weariness entering her eyes.

The old woman’s smile only gentled at her movements, her voice lilting with a placating tone as she continued.

“You don’t have to be afraid little one, I won’t hurt you. Why else would I have treated both your brother and your fox friend?”

The gray kitten wasn’t so easily bought over, her body language remaining stiff and skeptical as she continued to observe silently; very much taking cues from Rock’s own reluctance to acknowledge the woman.

The old woman sighed, shaking her head though still never losing her warm smile as she tutted.

“Ah, such distrustful little ones. You must’ve had a very tough journey indeed.”

Maybe it was the way the old woman’s words were dripping with empathy, or simply the fact it had been so long since On had heard friendly words directed towards her; but she finally caved in.

Her voice, while small, carried over well enough in the silent room.

“How did you know?”

Having gotten her first response since taking in and caring for the three the previous night, the old woman’s face brightened.

She wagged a telling finger at On as she stated “After living so many years, of course this village chief has some knowledge. Though I will admit, it’s my first time actually coming across one of your people.”

On nodded along, still unsure exactly what gave them away, but deciding it wasn’t that important for now.

“Why are you helping us then, if you know what we are?”

The old woman just smiled, shrugging her shoulders as she responded back with “Do I need a reason?”

Having already experienced being saved by a more unorthodox savior in the form of a fox, On supposed it wasn’t that far fetched of an idea that this woman would have the heart to help them.

She’d rather believe in these good people she’d come across since leaving her tribe, than let prior experience taint her perception of everyone she meets in the future. On bowed lightly in thanks towards her, though her line of questioning ended there.

It was now the village chiefs turn to ask her questions.

“I will say, I was quite surprised to see you’re traveling with a fox. While I haven’t ever heard of a fox tribe on the Eastern Continent before, I assume he is also a shifter like you?”

This, On took longer to respond to. She looked back at him searchingly even, though Rock continued to act deaf and dumb, focused only on licking the bowl clean. Seeing his act, the gray kitten shook her head as she replied.

“I don’t know, he helped us on the way here, and we just… ended up staying together.”

The elder nodded in understanding.

When there was nothing left to lick in the bowl, Rock turned away from them and went back to their temporary bed, and by proxy, Hong.

His actions seemed to be misinterpreted as him wanting to check in on the red kitten, earning him a coo from the older woman, which he steadfastly ignored as he went about making himself comfortable again.

It was pure coincidence that the most comfortable resting position happened to be curled closer to Hong, seeing as the annoying lumps in the blankets were smoothed out around there.

On watched him from her place near their soup bowls and the old woman, still struck dumb at their luck for running into such a caring fox that was willing to look after them for no particular reason.

Seeing as Rock still appeared to have no desire to talk or even move once he’d filled his belly, the old woman continued to ask her questions to the gray kitten.

“Where were you all traveling before this? While our village may be small, we have enough hands to spare a person or two to help you get to your destination safely.”

On wasn’t too sure how to answer this, her eyes straying back towards rock and boring holes into his back as she said as much, but she felt like they were meant to come here.

If the old woman was surprised by the answer, she didn’t show it.

“You’re welcome to stay as long as you want. If you need anything just let me know.”

She was on her way out of the room when she paused and turned her attention back to On and Rock, her eyes glittering with a sense of mischief.

“And of course I’ll keep you’re being a cat tribe member a secret. No one else knows for now.”

With all that said, she left them to rest again.

On went back to curl up with Rock and Hong.

Now, Rock was just left with his own thoughts as he tried to mull over what to do next. He’d made it to the village with the herbs safely delivered, but that alone wasn’t enough to stop the disaster heading their way.

While he was surprised by his ability to turn into a human he’d only just learned he had, it wasn’t a reliable one.

Besides, whether he was in the form of a fox or a human, he was still just as powerless to do anything helpful once the attack occurred.

He had a lot to think about.

An entire day had already gone by and Rock had yet to finalize his plans.

If everything goes according to the book timeline, the bandits should arrive sometime in the morning two days from now.

The attack must’ve lasted for a few hours at least since there had to be enough time for Choi Han to make it back to spot them.

Within that time, they set fire to the whole village and slaughtered everyone on site.

Since it was a peaceful village stationed near the outskirts of the territory and right next to the forest of darkness, it wasn’t like there were no guards around.

However, they were stationed sparsely with a bi-monthly change of watch.

The villagers themself had certainly never experienced battle, and the general age of the people was either old or very young. Most youth’s choose to relocate to the bigger cities or towns after growing bored of this quiet place.

If anything, it was quite similar to those small farming communities full of old uncles and aunties in more rural reaches back in Korea.

The main reason things ended so badly for them in the book was due to the lacking fighting power and just being caught by surprise in general.

While the people living here may be old, they certainly possessed some strength; especially when considering their very labor intensive daily routines. With enough tools to defend themselves with and enough warning to grab them in time, they would be able to put up a decent fight.

Not to mention, this time they had the power house Choi Han to defend them. However, that may not necessarily be enough at this point.

Rock realized that this particular event was a crucial turning point in the main character's development of future OP plot armour.

While Choi Han already had the raw strength and power cultivated to be at a swordmaster’s level, from close to a century spent fighting and wandering the forest beyond the wall; he’d never killed a person before this.

This event, though tainting him, was what unlocked that iconic black aura of despair, making him truly overpowered. Besides, he may not even have the will or stomach to fight and potentially kill people yet.

If the young man wavered in his face off against this organized group of bandits even slightly, he could very well lose his life since they obviously weren’t ones to play fair.

Rock would’ve honestly rather preferred this soft puppy-like Choi Han better though. If it wasn’t so essential for the plot of the story to have that aura of despair and hardened heart, he would much rather the protagonist never have to kill another living person.

The man, who appeared no older than a teenager, was so lively and cheerful when interacting with the kittens and villagers. He seemed to have boundless energy and was always zipping around helping everywhere he could.

You could tell he had the personality to really get along with just about anyone.

It’s a real shame there wasn’t any other more jaded transmigrator around he could throw the responsibility of being a hero onto.

With these thoughts muddling his conscience, he couldn’t help but want to further observe Choi Han more.

In a way, he was seeking some answers to make the difficult decision for him or make himself believe this was a truly unavoidable encounter.

As black hearted and distant as he’d grown over repeatedly losing people he held close and the small bubbles of happiness he’d made for himself, he still couldn’t close his heart up completely.

He knew it was stupid, he’d already crossed the line once with the kittens– and he technically knew Choi Han for an even shorter period of time.

But at the same time, having been a reader of the story the young man was the protagonist in, he couldn’t put up those same mental barriers that he would with a stranger.

He knew Choi Han too well.

To everyone else, Rock’s actions merely looked like the fox had taken a fancy to the youth. He pretty much followed Choi Han everywhere like an extra leg, even though he should technically still be recovering from his wounds.

Though Rock, having no experience with what was considered a normal healing time for a fox, couldn’t have been aware of this abnormal recovery speed.

The fox was always watching him, quietly, but with such a dedicated focus that he seemed deaf and blind to anyone else trying to get his attention.

On and Hong who’d just woken up and were feeling well enough to explore the village now, both looked curiously at their guardians’ behaviour.

They hadn’t known Rock long, so they couldn’t really place his current actions as unusual… but even then, they could see he seemed oddly fixated on their savior.

On just thought maybe the fox wanted to repay him but didn’t know how.

She suddenly sympathized with the confused young man who had obviously noticed his little shadow but hadn’t done anything to push him away.

He looked a bit flustered at the devoted attention though, his eyes occasionally glancing at the fox between his tasks, as though checking he was still there.

The fox was a very curious character, as she was well aware, and the fact he never spoke– or perhaps couldn’t– when he was so clearly intelligent, only made him come across weirder.

That night as the trio settled in to sleep again, Rock was no closer to coming to a decision on what to do about Choi Han.

While the young man’s routine did end up rather helpful as he ended up touring the entire village by proxy; and even started laying initial drafts of defensive formations and escape routes in his head, he was still uneasy about making the decision to force him into this battle.

On the one hand, it probably wouldn’t rank as the most traumatizing experience he’d encountered compared to his time in the forest of darkness. Then again, why should he settle for just ‘not most traumatizing’?

He was still a man of mostly modern day standards and mindsets, and knowing Choi Han was just a regular teenager before being thrust into this world to become their villain and monster slaying hero without any sort of preparation– just rubbed him the wrong way.

The poor guy had already suffered enough, so shouldn’t there be a way he could help soften this blow?

Perhaps, even a way to gently unlock his sword aura without having to literally push him into a life or death scenario; or live through a trauma so bad he would lose any sense of his child-like hope.

Searching his memory of the story and any details mentioned about swordmasters, he couldn’t recall anything special.

Other than training for years till most become old and gray with some sort of trigger event to help unlock an individual's most compatible aura, there really wasn’t any easy cheap trick.

How unfortunate, seeing as there were plenty of other cheap tricks, like how he knew the location of pretty much all the ancient powers he wanted to get his hands on, since they were all detailed quite thoroughly in the novel.

Whoever the author was, they weren’t shy about adding unnecessary descriptions and needlessly ranting paragraphs about such minor things that could only just pass as world building.

Take, for example, the shield power he hadn’t managed to get yet. There were close to two entire pages set aside just to describe the location, how to create that fateful encounter, and what uses it could provide whoever obtained it.

Which, by itself, wasn’t odd.

However, the fact that this whole description was for an ancient power that never ended up being discovered or used by any of the characters for the first 5 volumes, sure made it seem like a useless knowledge dump.

Not that he was complaining though. Rock would definitely make use of all these random one off tips that could benefit him as much as it could’ve the characters, had they the knowledge he was privy to as an omniscient participator in their world.

Seeing as both kittens had already dozed off and the fire was on its last breath now, he realized he must’ve spaced out for a while.

He’d think more about this issue tomorrow; and if he really couldn’t come up with any other plan by the end of the day, he’d just have to make sure Choi Han wouldn’t have to face the threat alone.

Rock could do at least that much for him.

-Ron’s POV-

It had taken longer than usual to find the trail of that cunning fox. Ron was much more accustomed to pursuing human targets, but he hadn’t been the head of the Molan family for nothing.

As sneaky and planned out as the foxes escape attempt was, he hadn’t been thorough enough to not leave any traces behind.

In fact, he seemed almost sloppy at times, like the fur left behind around the hole in the hedge barrier.

Adding up all these careless little clues left behind, Ron was able to reconstruct and follow the tracks of the fox; only getting turned around a few times, but always managing to find another indicator to continue from.

He drifted like a shadow through the streets of Rain City, and travelled with the agility and grace of a black panther in its element when crossing the forest.

Ron only rested minimally, just enough to recover his breath and find the next trail lead, before setting on his pursuit anew.

He ended up arriving at Harris Village a day after Rock, choosing to remain out of sight to observe what that sly infiltrator had dared to abandon his master for.

The old man was not expecting the very domestic scene of a fox following a teen looking boy with unusual black hair and even darker eyes.

The boy himself had the smell of power and blood all over him; though the scent lacked anything human for now.

So, not a murder then.

He was thrown for another loop when two kittens just appeared and ran straight for the fox. Rock didn’t even growl or try to push them away as they clambered all over him very familiarly.

If Ron didn’t know better, he’d suspect that those kittens were actually his children!

Though, having witnessed the fox’s oddly easy going temperament around Cale, he couldn’t jump to any conclusions here.

After watching Rock follow after that strange teen like a lost duckling for nearly the entire afternoon, Ron felt a sudden burst of resentment building up in him.

Oddly enough, he felt almost disgusted at how quickly the fox seemed to have forgotten his own young master and gone off to follow this new person.

He’d already known the fox’s character seemed flighty since day one, yet he hadn’t stepped in to do anything. He had no rights to judge Rock, as he was just as guilty of acting the bystanders role.

Ron was here to take responsibility for his own actions though; and from the looks of it, he’d have to make sure to thoroughly punish this fox to rid it of such loose morals and capricious behaviour in the future.

Chapter Text

-Rock’s POV-

For some reason, Rock couldn’t quite shake the feeling of being watched since earlier this afternoon.

At first, he tried to dismiss it, chalking it up to one of the village kids who might’ve taken an interest in the unusual fox their chief and adopted village helping hand brought back. But he couldn’t ignore it as much when that same gaze started to feel cold and murderous, causing the fur along his spine to raise at the threat.

No matter how much he looked and searched for the source of that hateful stare though, he came up empty. Whoever or whatever was holding a grudge against him was obviously good at hiding their presence.

He was almost worried that it might have been those bandits and they’d just arrived earlier than expected; but then, why of all things would they target a fox with so much malice?

It didn’t make sense!

Rock was kept awake longer than the others for a third night in a row, his mind racing to try and figure out just who or what he’d managed to offend in such a short span of time.

He didn’t have to wait long to find out.

Rock only had a heartbeat to react to the feeling of someone hovering behind him, his ears shooting up to attention and his mouth opening to release a warning bark; when he was suddenly being picked up by the scruff of his neck and a cloth was tied as an effective muzzle on him.

He would’ve put up more of a fight in the beginning, had it not been for the close proximity of the sleeping kittens and villagers. Whoever this was, that was in the process of kidnapping him, was obviously very skilled; to the point they could even slip past the protagonist without being noticed!

Even if Choi Han hadn’t really gotten to the point of being OP yet, his senses should’ve already been much sharper than the average person after living so long in that danger zone.

Against this person… those villagers and kittens wouldn’t stand a chance!

He could never allow himself to drag other people down with him again.

Other than the first instance of almost letting out an alarmed bark on instinct, Rock remained docile with little resistance. That is, until they made it just past the border of the village.

The second he was sure they were out of range of anyone else becoming needlessly entangled in their skirmish, Rock reacted violently.

The person holding him was caught off guard by the sudden and fierce resistance, making them slow to react when sharp claws struck out at the arm being used to hold him.

Even through the cloth muzzle, he could smell the blood of the person, though he was not prepared for that oddly familiar low chuckle that followed it.

This was truly a nightmare come to life!

Rock was abruptly thrown down, the breath knocked from him as he was stunned from the impact. He suddenly very much regretted lashing out. Maybe if he hadn’t, he could’ve gotten away with his life. Now though… he’d be lucky if he wasn’t ripped to pieces!

Looking up, he saw the man he dreaded the most looming over him; horrifying benign smile and all.

Ron had found him, and he looked positively furious.

Rock sent a string of silent curses up to the gods who obviously still had too much free time on their hands.

“Oho, so this fox does know how to put up a fight! Finally revealing your true colours are you?”

The man turned fox shrunk further into himself at the anger lacing a usually calm voice; finding his cold delivery all the more terrifying with that ever present smile.

“What’s this? Regretting running away now? Or just regretting getting caught? I have to say, if you weren’t prepared for the consequences, you did a piss poor job of covering your tracks!”

He could do nothing to defend himself. Rock wasn’t even sure why the old butler seemed so upset in the first place! It wasn’t like he stole anything big from them or trashed the house...

Though, he probably did upset Cale a bit… alright, maybe a lot.

He didn’t have a way to let them know he was coming back though! He really hadn’t meant to make anyone feel abandoned or rejected, he wouldn’t give up those golden thighs for anything!

But Rock had to do this, it was for his slacker life’s Cale’s and the entire Henituse territories own good! They just didn’t realize how scary this protagonist could be yet.

The next thing he knew, that terrifying old man was right up in his face, his eyes sharp and icy with a hideously sadistic gleam as he reached down and gripped the cloth keeping his mouth closed.

“This old man isn’t unreasonable though, he’ll give you a chance to speak up for yourself,”

As he said this, he ripped off the cloth, catching a stray whisker as he yanked and pulling a whimper from Rock as the pain ran up the length of his jaw.

“Tell me, how do you justify your actions? What was so important you had to leave after wrapping our young master around your little paws?”

Through the stinging that brought tears to his eyes, Rock desperately tried to speak. He opened his mouth, and did his best to form the words he’d been trying to say since the day he chose to leave— But all that came out was a high pitched whine and shrill chirps.

He really couldn’t speak!

Ron didn’t know this though, he thought the fox was just messing with him, still refusing to speak.

The old butler’s anger only increased, his smile sharpening to a dangerous degree as he spoke next.

“So you refuse to say anything even now when the evidence is damning. Fine, I won’t be merciful then.”

‘This crazy old man! How does he expect a fox to answer him in a way that makes sense?!’

Rock closed his eyes with a rueful heart, resigning himself to another abrupt end to a life and just hoping for it to be quick, when the screech of a metallic clash occurred overhead.

“…”

“…..”

“…….”

‘This butler really is too cruel! Is he trying to kill me through blood loss from my ears?’

The click of steel against steel was so sharp and shrill and painful in such a way he almost wished the man would’ve cut into his flesh instead!

The noise was then pushed away from him, the clattering of blades hitting against one another shifting to the left as his nose started picking up a new scent in the clearing.

His eyes shot open immediately, unable to tear away from the scene of the eternal youth standing before him and facing off against the assassin old man.

‘Well, I guess that takes care of one introduction…’

Rock had been a little worried about figuring out a way to get Ron and Choi Han to cross paths without getting his benefactor beat up in the process, so he supposed it might’ve actually been a good thing the old butler came here on his own.

Though, he would have preferred not having to get tossed around first.

The two stood on equal grounds. Ron with his two daggers and Choi Han with his rusted blade. If Rock squinted, he could’ve sworn he saw a hint of respect in the old butler’s gaze as their weapons clashed.

After pushing away from the stalemate of strength, they stood facing off against one another, neither wanting to back down first.

When Ron took note of the defensive posture and the way the young man seemed to be trying to cover for the fox, his grin turned ugly.

“So I see you’ve gone ahead and tricked another young man into being your servant. What, did my master not provide enough for you? Was the money and lavish treatment too little?”

Choi Han looked thoroughly confused as to what the old man could’ve been talking about. In his mind, the only one the elder could be addressing was himself.

He’d certainly never met this elder before in this life; and in his eyes, the only terrible person here was the old man himself!

However, he had to admit, he was a little stunned at how skilled the older gentleman was with his daggers; Choi Han had been partially blinded by age and nearly made the mistake of underestimating his strength.

Choi Han wouldn’t make that mistake again.

Choi Han: “What the hell are you talking about! There’s no one here but me!”

Ron smirked, a wild look taking over his features as he snapped “That’s what he wants you to think!”

The youthful looking Korean shifted back a near imperceptible amount when taking in the other man’s reaction. Thinking to himself ‘Ah, this old man must be crazy!’

He almost wanted to feel pity for him, but he couldn’t allow himself to lose sight of the very real danger.

Crazy or not, the old man was talented with those daggers and insanely agile, if Choi Han so much as blinked, he could lose his life while being none the wiser!

The longer the two fought, the more and more confused Rock got.

‘Wait a minute, these two… aren’t they getting a little too into it?’

When Ron lunged for Choi Han’s neck and only missed by a hair, leaving a perceptible bleeding line behind, Rock’s alarm grew tenfold.

‘This…this isn’t supposed to happen! Where’s the acknowledging one another’s strengths? Where’s the appreciation of one another’s skills and feeling of camaraderie? Why is the side character suddenly trying to snuff out the main character here!?!’

With that last attack, Choi Han backed off to put a greater distance between the two, a subtle line of sweat at his brow as he swiped an unconcerned thumb against the shallow bleeding cut.

Ron took advantage of the distance to use long ranged attacks, pulling a set of smaller daggers from his sleeves before launching them the young man’s way.

Choi Han, on high alert as he was, easily evaded the projectiles; though he mistakenly dodged to the side further from Rock.

Not one to let an opportunity slip past, the butler quickly made to grab him, getting as far as touching the fur on the back of his neck before Rock even realized he’d gotten that close so fast.

Luckily, Ron didn’t manage to get a firm grip before he was swiftly kicked in the side and far away from him.

To anyone else watching this fight without prior context, it probably looked like elder abuse.

Now knowing the old man’s target, Choi Han refused to let Rock leave his side. He even went as far as picking him up in one arm and wielding his blade single handed to fend off the next series of attacks effortlessly.

‘Alright, now he’s just showing off.’

Rock was appalled to see the dramatic increase in Choi Han’s fighting ability through a single battle. Thinking at the rate this little chunni was improving, he’d be strong enough to blow the whole world away soon!

However, no matter how insanely talented the youthful looking transmigrator was, he still fell short when it came to practical experience in battles against other intelligent beings.

Ron used this advantage in technique and strategizing to slowly chip away at the protagonists confidence. Pushing him back bit by bit and applying pressure to the point of cornering him.

By now, Rock could see the mounting disadvantage for his would be hero.

Stubbornly keeping hold of him was a significant handicap, but, in the young man’s view, so was leaving him anywhere else!

The old man proved earlier that he was incredibly fast and would no doubt use any break between clashes to try snatching him up; and it wasn’t like he had any way to communicate to Choi Han that he was very much aware of this and could protect himself accordingly.

Still, Rock realized the longer the battle continued, the sooner Choi Han would run out of stamina. Not to mention the fact the other party was a dual weilder while he only had a single blade, already put him at a disadvantage.

Rock knew he had to take matters into his own hands.

He tried struggling out of Choi Han’s hold between attacks, wiggling to free himself; but that steely arm wouldn’t move an inch!

The young man was still obstinately refusing to let go, when the worst combination of attacks struck.

The raven was already fending off an attack from a dagger held above, when the old man slyly used his free hand to aim a dagger below and towards his gut.

Now there were only two options.

Either Choi Han drops him and uses that free hand to hit the blade away; or tank the stab to the gut and keep fighting.

When the blade was only a few inches away from hitting its mark and he still didn’t feel the hold on him loosening at all; Rock could only stare in horror as he realized the decision the man made.

Thankfully, the hit couldn’t land. The attacker forced to back off as an ominous cloud of vibrant red smoke drifted between them.

Rock blinked, then blinked again when the smoke still wasn’t disappearing. He wasn’t hallucinating, there really was this CGI looking could of (likely) poisonous red fog acting as a barrier between them.

His brain hamsters were still running on their wheels to connect the dots between how this super convenient natural barrier could’ve appeared just then, when he heard the slightest sound of a twig snapping in the branches above.

Having been so high strung during this whole battle, of course he reacted instantly, looking up into the trees and balking when he saw a little red tail whip out of sight.

He was worried they’d try getting involved before, but even after all the effort he put into getting his kidnapper to move them further away, the kittens still found him.

The moment he realized Ron also pinpointed the kitten's hiding location, he could no longer take a backseat to this encounter.

With Choi Han currently still preoccupied by the appearance of a convenient fog, he finally wormed his way out of the transmigrator’s hold.

Ron was already in the process of making his way towards the kittens who hadn’t realized they were in any danger yet, still preening at their ability to help.

In a panic with few options left, Rock opened his mouth and let out the loudest, most hauntingly shrill shriek yet. It almost sounded like a woman being tortured to death!

Even he was taken-aback by the sound.

It served its purpose though, causing everyone in the clearing to freeze and stare at him, the perfect distraction.

He took the following pause to stare sharply at the kittens and give three short sharp barks, alerting them to their now exposed status.

They quickly got the hint, looking behind them and seeing how close the older man was, before scrambling down to join him and Choi Han.

It appeared they no longer felt it necessary to hide seeing as their presence was already well known by all parties.

Rock was on them as soon as they got to the base of the tree, giving the pair disapproving looks to warn them off attempting something like this again.

While Hong looked satisfactorily chastised, On was far more resilient, meeting his stare head on with her own challenging gaze. She obviously didn’t think they would’ve made it out of the conflict unscathed had they not intervened.

Rock wanted to sigh for the billionth time since waking up in this world.

‘why is it so damn difficult to just live a peaceful slacker life!’

With all the attention still focused on Rock since he made that horrendous noise, the old butler obviously saw the very paternal care the fox took over the two kittens. He could also see the way the two were obviously very attached to him in return.

They were even willing to go as far as exposing their abilities to protect him; even though the two cat tribe children were surely taught to never let anyone know of their skills, unless it was a target that would never be able to speak of it again.

Seeing as one of them even had the power to create fog– which was likely a renowned skill amongst a tribe named after it– he could tell these two must’ve been of high rank or their equivalent of nobel birth once.

Ron’s suspicions were only growing further and further, unbenounced to a certain fox.

Said fox, having spent the last hot minute mourning over his lost slacking life, remained entirely oblivious to what was happening around him.

He was only brought back to the present when his nose picked up on something odd.

Now, while his nose hadn’t always been the most reliable, he had enough faith in his animal brain’s instinct to alert him of approaching danger.

Rock swung his head towards the direction of the odd smell, his heart freezing as he spotted the dark clad figure slinking through the bushes.

He didn’t have time to try to alert anyone else, immediately jumping bodily over the kittens as the hooded figure thrust a sword in their direction.

Ron and Choi Han were both quick to react, Choi Han taking up his defensive position to fend off the initial attack, while the old butler blocked a pair of throwing knives that came from behind.

The older man’s eyes narrowed, already aware of the number of people surrounding them. He’d been tracking their movements since a while back, though he’d initially thought they might’ve been in allegiance with the fox to attack the village.

When Rock immediately went into a defensive mode the moment they chose to attack, and the mere fact they were even sending an attack directed towards the fox, seemed to show otherwise though.

They really were attacking earlier than they were supposed to.

Rock, while a little concerned over the displaced timeline, was also partially glad for the well timed distraction.

With Ron and Choi Han both here, their chances of being able to take on and completely wipe out the assailants with minimal casualties was much better than before.

However, Rock couldn’t let his guard down.

His ears could already hear the sound of footsteps rushing through the bushes past and behind them, aiming for the unprotected village.

Seeing as it was now night and the villagers were similarly unaware of the impending attack, they were just as much sitting ducks as they had been in the book!

Not only did it seem as though there were a lot more people involved in this attack than the book described (likely to keep the two powerful people occupied), it appears that their goals were still the same; as though no matter how he tried to prevent it, this event was always meant to happen!

Rock couldn’t afford to worry about these two scarily powerful people and their OOC behaviour, if he didn’t chase after the evading attackers now, the same fate would befall the village!

The kittens didn't hesitate to follow after him.

As much as he knew the danger of the situation they were following him into, and as much as he wished he had time to prepare thoroughly to keep them as far away from any unnecessary risks; he also knew they could be useful.

Now knowing one had the power to create poison and the other fog, his mind was already running through strategies to effectively use them.

The smell of smoke and fire was already starting to float up from the direction of the village, not quite strong enough to imply a raging fire big enough to burn down a whole building, but it was alarming nonetheless.

Rock came to a grinding halt just out of sight of the buildings and rising panic from beyond the bushes.

He turned to face the kittens who came to their own stumbling stops just behind him, before forcefully shoving Hong and On down into the dirt with his nose.

They spluttered at first, taken aback by the sudden aggressive move, before Rock himself went to lie in the muddy dirt beside them and started rolling around.

From the looks of his practiced and effective method of coating himself in a rather thick blanket of blackish brown mud; he had definitely done this before.

On and Hong shared one look together, before hesitantly following his example.

When Rock deemed them sufficiently unrecognizable, he patted them each with a paw to get them to stop.

Now was the tough part, he needed to explain to them what their roles would be in protecting this village entirely through gestures.

He tried his best, using as many familiar movements and gestures as he could, but he quickly reached a roadblock when it came to more complicated instructions.

On and Hong were clearly trying their best to understand him, but the frustration with the communication barrier between the three was obvious.

Rock lashed his tail in irritation, his patience dwindling as the screams of villagers and hideous laughs of those disgusting attackers was starting to fill the night air.

He didn’t have time to play this game of charades! He needed to be able to speak. Right. NOW!

A familiar tingling ache started up in his throat then, the gradual irritation spreading like the fire he heard crackling through the trees as it grew into a mind numbing spasm.

His head became clouded with the pain, causing him to stop his pacing and nearly sway on his feet.

The kittens looked downright terrified by his sudden pause in movement, undoubtedly already put on edge by what they were hearing around them; his current behaviour was doing them no favours.

On rushed to his side when he looked like he was about to fall over, her worry evident in her voice as she asked what was happening.

He grit his teeth as he tried to reassure her through the pain, unintentionally trying to speak by habit.

“I’m fine, just… dizzy.”

He only realized he spoke actual words when he noticed the wide eyed look the two kittens were fixing him with.

Rock could speak again!

Then, he recalled what happened the last time he was able to speak human words; shooting a quick glance down to see what state he was in, and mentally relieved to see he still had paws.

As much as it didn’t make sense that he was able to speak now when he was still in the body of a fox, he wasn’t about to waste time questioning it.

He’d just have to thank whatever power was enabling him to do this for having the mercy to not traumatize children with the sight of him completely bare.

Without a moment to spare, Rock began explaining the plan he’d been trying and failing to get across through gestures for the past bit. The kittens were better able to understand and respond now that they were speaking in a language both knew.

“Which one of you can control fog?”

On perked up in response, raising a paw as she said she could excitedly.

He nodded, then looked at Hong as he confirmed the younger boy was the source of the poison from earlier.

He shyly nodded along, a hint of expectation in his eyes that quickly sparkled into pride when Rock affirmed his skills would be useful and necessary for their operation.

He went about pointing out various locations on a crude map of the village he quickly scratched out with a claw in drier dirt; his voice still a bit shaky with disuse, but his words coming out clear and concise.

The kitten siblings were awed by his knowledge and easy to follow advice, even marvelling at his suggestions for how they could use their skills to both put out the fire and slow down/ paralyze the attackers.

On couldn't help beaming up at him throughout the entire explanation, feeling proud of herself for being right about him probably being a beast person too.

While the pair had their questions on why Rock had never spoken to them before now, they knew it wasn’t the time to ask. As soon as they received their instructions, they jumped into action.

Rock wasn’t far behind them, already acting on his own plans while keeping an eye on the two to make sure they weren’t in danger.

A subtle fog was already beginning to spread around the village, starting off as light wisps along the ground, before increasing in volume and crawling up the sides of burning buildings.

Thick tendrils of it reached towards the flaming wood, smothering and putting them out with a gentle hiss before moving on to the next burning patch.

Only the villagers seemed to take notice of this gravity defying fog at first, though, realizing whoever was controlling it was acting in their favour, they did their best to draw attention away from it.

As the process was gradual, the fog managed to slip the attention of the attackers until they truly couldn’t ignore it anymore; a dense blinding cloud of it surrounded them.

They’d be in the process of striking down a villager, when vision of their target would abruptly go white, their attacks slowing in the confusion, before a bright red took over.

All around the village, sounds of gasps and gagging were heard; writhing cocoons of white and red mist swirling violently around those black clad attackers.

However, as the kittens were still young and fairly new to controlling their powers, they couldn’t cover all of the attackers at once. The remaining assassins, now alerted to a hidden enemy striking them down from the shadows, became ever more vigilant.

They almost stumbled across Hong’s hiding place once, had it not been for Rock paying close attention and distracting them first.

He bit into the unsuspecting ankle of the offending person, his teeth chomping mercilessly through soft tendons before unlatching and darting out of range of the howling person.

With his red pelt hidden by the mud from earlier, Rock managed to conceal himself rather effectively into the surroundings.

He moved gracefully and strategically through the village, familiar with the terrain from the past two days.

He was still limited by his fox body though; and while it did give him lighter footed steps and increased agility, he had little to no defence to speak of.

Each taunting bite he landed was a daring brush with death, thus, Rock wasn’t a big fan of this method. However, paired with his years of experience as a strategist, he was able to map out the best course of action to take for himself to mitigate the chances of getting struck.

Unfortunately, it was soon apparent that even with his and the kitten's aid, they were fighting a losing battle.

More and more attackers just kept pouring in, each fresh with new energy and driven by the anger of being retaliated against.

Rock was already reaching the limits of his own stamina, so he was sure On and Hong had long reached the point of draining themselves.

He could tell this was the case when he noticed the distinct lack of fog around the space.

Rock used some of the last of his dwindling energy to strain his ears and nose to locate the pair of siblings. When he could find their scents coming from the roof of a less damaged building, he started trying to guide the attackers further away from them.

The pads of his feet were sore, old wounds acting up as he pushed himself to keep running and dodging attacks left and right. He bobbed between barrels and anything he could use as a barrier to keep his pursuers from getting a clean sight of him.

He was already sporting more than one superficial cut along his back and side, gained in place of more debilitating wounds when his body couldn’t move away fast enough.

Rock’s breaths were coming out in ragged gasps, but he ignored it and the burning pain in his lungs. All he could focus on now was getting these villains away from the defenceless villagers and kittens.

They’d already suffered a few casualties in the time it took him to get here and position himself and the kittens effectively.

He just needed to buy more time, just a little more!

“This stupid mutt think’s it’s all that! How dare it try to attack us, I’ll skewer it with this sword if it’s the last thing I do!”

Apparently, he’d effectively riled them up.

His ears flicked back as he heard the whistling of metal cutting through air, looking up just in time to see a sword bearing down on him from above.

He dodged to the right, narrowly avoiding the strike, but losing his footing in the process.

Rock skidded painfully across the exposed dirt in the center of the village, slamming back first into a pile of crates and causing a few to tumble atop him.

He hissed in pain as one landed atop his tail, just heavy enough to pin him effectively.

“Can’t run off anymore can you lil’ shit!”

He was surrounded, with his tail trapped, he couldn’t do much more than glare at the approaching men.

His desperation only grew when he could hear the tell-tale signs of scrambling claws on clay shingles above him; knowing the kittens had likely come in a misguided attempt to help.

Rock couldn’t do anything though, he was useless, just like he’d always been in the past.

He didn’t want anyone to sacrifice themselves for him in this life!

He willed himself to move, to shift, to do anything! Anything that could get him out of this situation and prevent those kittens from trying anything stupid.

It was then, he felt that burning sensation that had settled around his throat shoot downwards, spreading in that familiarly dizzying way it had when he last shifted.

He was prepared for it to happen this time, ready to expose it all— but he didn’t need to.

Before he could shift and before the kittens could try and act to protect him, a dark aura filled sword came shooting out the darkness and pierced the chest of the leading attacker.

Rock was so shocked by the sudden appearance of the blade tip through the man’s chest, he somehow stopped the shift before it could start.

Choi Han had finally arrived, and he looked every bit the dangerous man he was trained to be through years spent isolated in the woods.

Whatever happened in the time between when Rock left him in the clearing till now, had done the work of blackening the main character fully.

He didn’t even hesitate to cut the assailants down, his blade already soaked in the blood of countless people as he swung with enough force to cleave limbs from bodies in a single strike.

This version of the protagonist was the one that absolutely awed and terrified Rock.

He was so focused on this abrupt change of a once puppy like boy to this brutal killing machine, he barely even registered the rapidly piling bodies as an equally efficient shadow darted around the village “cleaning up” the leftover would-be assailants.

Between Ron and Choi Han’s ruthless abilities, the attack on the village soon came to a close.

On had already put out the majority of the fires they’d started upon the initial raid, any remaining embers already being put out by the organized efforts of the remaining villagers.

Rock was glad to see he’d at least changed that much of the story, to go from a village that was completely wiped out to one that had survived with casualties.

Looking around at the remaining people shuffling around and trying to put things back together, he noted a distinct lack of a certain warm hearted elder woman; his own spirit dampening at the realization.

Was this an event that couldn’t be changed? Perhaps, was that the trigger that pulled the aura of despair out of Choi Han while they’d been apart?

He was proven wrong though when he saw her stumble into the clearing with the arm of an injured old man over her shoulder.

Other than looking a little tired, she seemed completely fine.

She scanned the faces of the remaining people, her eyes landing on Choi Han, before she called him over to help her take the older man somewhere to recover from his wounds.

The young transmigrator quickly dashed to her side, back to his puppy-like ways, the black aura that had surrounded him during the fight practically non-existent now.

Rock nearly did a double take.

This… was just too strange.

With all of these new developments, how could Rock even be faulted for forgetting about the one remaining dangerous man still lurking in the village?

That is, until he felt the crate atop his tail being shifted and the scruff of his neck being pinched in the strong grip of a person once more.

Ron clearly hadn’t forgotten his purpose for coming here.

Though, what Rock missed in his dread for being caught once more, was the way the hold on him was much gentler this time around; a complicated expression worn over the old butler’s face.

Ron had certainly realized that his initial assumptions of the fox had been way off the mark. While he still wasn’t sure why the fox had done what he did, he now knew the fox seemed to have wanted to protect this village from the raid.

Through this fight, he also identified these attackers as members of the same organization that initially pushed him to flee the eastern continent. Meaning they shared a common enemy.

He was also pretty sure the fox hadn’t been acting or been trying to trick him, not with the way he fought so desperately and fiercely.

Rock, being aware of none of Ron’s thought process, was still cursing his fate for always ending up in bad situations like this.

The old butler was still trying to come to terms with his own thoughts on the fox, when a loud displeased meow sounded next to his foot, followed by an abrupt whack on the tip of his shoe.

“Put Mr. Fox down nya!”

“Yeah, stop bullying him nya!”

Looking down, Rock almost felt his soul leave his body at the fearless actions of these kittens challenging the scary old butler.

Didn’t they see how fiercely he fought just moments before? He would snuff them out in the blink of an eye! How could they act this way towards him?

Ron, however, was simply amused by these two kittens' actions.

He crouched down so he could better talk to the two, a benign smile once again settling over his features and masking his thoughts as he spoke to them.

“You two seem to really like this fox here. Tell me, what is he to you?”

On and Hong looked at each other hesitantly, before On spoke up stutteringly.

“W-well, he’s… family! He’s like family to us nya!”

Ron’s eyes crinkled even further in amusement, his voice gaining a purr of humour as he added onto the little brown kitten’s statement.

“Oh? Is he your father then?”

Rock wanted to spit blood when he heard that.

Him, their father? Was the old man blind? They were clearly cats and he was clearly a fox! How could he be these two kittens’ father???

The two kittens didn’t seem to see the problem in that statement, though Hong seemed to think it over a bit, before shaking his head and chirping back “Better than father nya!”

Ron seemed to have at least part of his questions answered now, nodding along seriously to the kitten's responses as he slowly set Rock down.

“Your fox friend here seems to have gotten lost on his way home to my master then. You see, my young master has been taking very good care of him and he was very sad when Rock went missing.”

The two kittens looked at him strangely when he said this, On voicing their confusion as she called out “Rock?” Questioningly.

The old butler feigned surprise that the kittens weren’t aware of his name, even going as far as egging them on.

“Oho? Could it be? He hasn’t even told you his name yet?”

Rock could feel the betrayed and hurt looks of the kittens digging into his side.

He couldn’t help it alright? He’d only just gained the ability to speak in this body recently!

Knowing his days of pretending to be a normal fox were likely over anyways, he tried to defend himself; but he only managed to bite out the first word, when the tingling that hummed constantly at his throat since earlier suddenly flared up with a vengeance.

It felt as though he’d just taken a deep gulp of something acrid!

He was cut off abruptly with a cough, his whole body shuddering with the motion as something warm and wet dripped past his open jaws.

Ron, who’d looked humoured before, froze; his smile stiff on his face. The kittens were similarly paralyzed by the unforeseen outburst. Their golden eyes widening in panic when they noticed the scarlet blood dripping through his teeth.

Rock grimaced at the metallic taste, though he felt marginally better after coughing up the blood. He wanted to reassure them he was fine, even managing to get out an “It’s ok-“ before another bloody coughing fit took over.

This one ran truly rampant through his system, causing him to collapse onto his side as more blood flowed sluggishly through his parted jaws.

With a last shudder, the tingling that once encompassed his throat vanished without a trace.

He still felt miserable though, like a wrung out used dish towel.

The kittens fluttered around him like distressed little butterflies. They let out a series of vexed mewls as they buried their noses into the matted fur along his neck and licked at his face, doing their best to comfort him.

He hated seeing them worry over him like this, but when he tried to open his mouth next to let them know he was really ok now, all that came out was a low fox-like grumble.

He’d lost his voice again.

The kittens looked up at him as he made his noises, On sharp enough to catch on to the resigned look in his eyes as he continued to slowly croon to the pair.

She was the one to realize what he was trying to get across first.

“You can’t talk anymore nya?”

He shook his head to indicate he really couldn’t.

She looked down, appearing deep in thought, before she turned to Ron and spoke up on her own theory.

“I think… Rock can’t always talk. It seems to hurt him when he does nya!”

Ron seemed to carefully mull over this, looking over the wretched state the fox was left in; and how he really didn’t seem capable of forming words anymore.

He accepted this for now, seeing as the fox couldn’t have acted out such a realistic scene on such short notice.

That’s the scene Choi Han walked into, seeing Rock on the floor still shivering slightly in the aftershock of the coughing fit; with a pool of blood staining the ground beneath his mouth.

Seeing as Ron was still standing over him with the kittens standing between them, it probably wasn’t the best look for the old man.

The vein at the raven’s temple tensed, the whole aura around him shifting into something icy and dangerous as he placed a hand on the hilt of his blade; still dripping with blood.

“I’m thankful for your help earlier, but step away from the fox, or I’ll have to draw my blade.”

Ron looked at the supposedly younger man and smirked slightly, a hint of a challenge in his eyes; before he turned away, stepping down.

As much as the old butler was itching to fight and put the youngster in his place, he had to admit that Rock had been in good hands for the past bit.

Seeing as Rock was in no condition to sit out another fight– and he’d already cleared up his initial misgivings of the fox– he went back to professional mode.

Ron had been tasked with retrieving and returning the young master's pet after all. Returning it in good health was definitely implied.

“This humble servant was not intending on hurting the fox. This old servant was merely tasked with retrieving the young master’s pet– when these pesky rabbits happened to come our way.”

Choi Han didn’t look impressed or swayed in the slightest.

He looked like he trusted the old man about as far as he could throw him; which, actually, no, probably less since Rock wouldn’t put it past the protagonist to actually try throwing Ron right about now.

The old butler easily picked up on the hostility of the raven haired newcomer, tailoring his actions and speech accordingly with years of practice in servitude.

“Ah, perhaps I should’ve introduced myself earlier. This humble one is named Ron, the head butler of Henituse County. This one was tasked with finding the young master’s pet, Rock, a fox, who’d gotten lost a few days ago.”

At this point, the old man bowed deeply as he gestured toward Rock, his every action dripping with dignified elegance befitting the servant of a noble.

“Many thanks for taking such good care of our young master’s fox until now, I will be sure to inform the Count of your ignoble deed. This old servant is sure you’ll be compensated generously.”

By now, Choi Han had begun to shift uncomfortably, unused to such polite speech and formal methods of address. Especially since it was coming from the same old man who seemed to have no qualms with killing him no more than an hour prior.

He didn’t seem to know whether to trust the man or not and was still undecided on what to do, when the village chief made her way over. She took one look at the situation and the people involved, before she turned to Ron and gave him a generous bow.

“Do my eyes deceive me? Is it truly the head butler of our dear Count that’s come to pay a visit? My, I wish you didn’t have to see us in such a sorry state, but I hope the Count’s butler can look past our inability to receive you properly.”

Ron was all smiles back at her, seeing through the veiled warnings she was jabbing his way and throwing back some of his own.

“This head butler is not offended in the slightest. In fact, this old man should thank you for helping him find and take care of his charge’s pet. His fox is a bit unruly you see, but our young master is terribly fond of him; it wouldn’t do to try tricking him or replacing such a dear family member now would it?”

The two of them remained in a silent battle of wills, both armed with deceptively gentle smiles.

Eventually, the old woman broke off their flattering contest, her eyes seeking out the fox as she seemed to ask a question to herself.

“Ah, have we truly stumbled across the pet of such an esteemed person?”

To any other person, it might’ve seemed like the old woman was asking a rhetorical question, but Rock saw through this guise; making eye contact with the woman as she waited patiently for his response.

As much as Ron scared him, he wasn’t wrong about him being the spoiled pet of the trashy noble son Cale. He never had any intention of giving up that title from the start.

He gave the smallest perceptible nod towards her, which she picked up on instantly.

Her attitude did a near 180 once she had confirmation.

Turning towards Choi Han, she ushered him to go prepare a bath and get what medicines survived the attack out and ready for her.

When the young man seemed ready to protest, she shot him a sharp no nonsense look.

The raven wilted under her reprimanding gaze, going off to do as he was told, but obviously not happy about it.

Ron sent another polite bow the elder woman’s way, his tone containing high respect as he thanked her for her generous hospitality.

She brushed off his flattery though, stating she was only following her own conscience and doing what was right.

Any of the remaining attackers left alive were rounded up and kept under watch. They’d send guards back after their return to bring them back for questioning.

They stayed in the village for another night to give him time to recover, then they prepared to send them off the next morning.

As most of the villagers were still working to recover and repair their homes, only Choi Han and the village chief attended the send off.

It wasn’t even a question where the kittens would go, seeing as they were as sticky as rice cakes since the whole coughing up blood incident.

The villagers were even kind enough to provide them a basket large enough to accommodate the medium sized fox and two cats; serving as their travelling vehicle in the place of a suitable carriage.

Choi Han was the one carrying the trio for now, but when he was expected to hand over the basket, he paused.

He looked conflicted once more, a shadow of doubt still crossing his face as he sent a downright distrustful stare towards the older butler.

Ron met his challenging stare evenly, neither provoking or acknowledging it as he kept up a serene appearance.

“I will accompany you on your journey back. Who knows, you might run into more of those ‘rabbits’ out there.” 

Choi Han couldn’t put his finger on it, but he just felt uneasy about parting ways with the fox and kittens. He felt like he needed to follow them back, at least to make sure they made the journey safely.

Ron didn’t rise to the bait, simply bowing in mock gratitude as he said his most over the top thanks for their concerns and accommodations.

Rock was already dreading the journey back.

So that’s how two kittens, a fox, an old butler, and a Korean transmigrator ended up travelling together back to Rain City.

Chapter Text

-Henituse Estate POV-

For the first time in the past 7 years, the west half of the manor was well and truly quiet.

There was no nervously dashing servant, no sound of glass bottles breaking, not even the slightest peep of a tantrum to be found— But no one could enjoy it.

Replacing the once tentatively lively space, was a restrictive gloom. The cloud of despair was practically visible with how suffocatingly it crowded the air.

Ever since the young master’s new fox went missing, the young man had refused to leave his room. He didn’t even ask for any alcohol; nor did he touch any of his own private stash from the looks of it. Apparently, too depressed to even want to indulge in its numbing embrace.

The staff serving the young master of the west estate was divided in their reactions to this new atmosphere.

Some of the servants thought his current sadness was well deserved; thinking he only had it coming with how atrociously he acted that even an animal wouldn’t be able to put up with his behaviour.

Others felt pity for the young master.

Mostly, those consisted of the servants who actually got to witness the domestic interactions between the young redhead and his fox; or had known their young master since childhood.

Though, those were few and far between seeing as the Count had gotten rid of almost anyone who even vaguely reminded him of the previous countess.

Nevertheless, Deruth and the rest of the Henituse family worried over the scarce sightings of the temperamental young man.

Even Lily, the youngest and usually most oblivious to complicated family matters, took notice of her oraboni’s absence. Speaking up about it at the fifth family dinner Cale had missed in a row.

“Does oraboni not want to see us anymore? He’s never not come to this many dinners before…”

She looked dejectedly down at her plate, wondering if maybe they’d done something wrong and offended her older brother in some way.

Violan looked up sharply at Deruth, her eyes revealing a trace of worry and impatience as she fixed him with a pointed stare.

She’d been pestering the count over the matters with Cale for the past four days, ever since the boy started refusing any visitors and remained locked up in his room. She was already at her wits ends with her husband’s usual avoidance of anything even remotely negative related to his first born son.

It was like pulling teeth every time she tried getting him to act on something that could potentially upset the boy. Deruth, somehow, always found some reason to avoid confronting him directly.

Whether that was through pushing the matter aside to deal with later, or even having it dealt with by someone else entirely; he always managed to weasel out of it.

Violan couldn’t understand this strained father-son relationship and the weird dance the two did around each other. In her eyes, it appeared that Cale very much loved his father; and Deruth very much loved his son in return.

She could tell through their actions. Such as how Cale, while in no way a model nobel son, never did anything that could ruin the face of Henituse County. Only his own.

She was also well aware of her husband’s obsession with always knowing where Cale was and what he was doing. Borderline stalking his son.

However, for whatever reason, both of them seemed to avoid actually interacting with each other like the plague unless absolutely necessary.

It was hard enough just to get the boy to eat a meal in the same room with them from time to time.

It wasn’t Violan’s place to step in though, no matter how absurd she thought their relationship and behaviour was. She hadn’t been around during the time of Cale’s mother’s passing; and from the bits and pieces she caught through gossiping maids before their abrupt dismissal, Deruth had just fallen apart.

She’d understand if the boy hated his father for basically ignoring and abandoning him during such a delicate time, especially after she found out he’d been completely in the dark about her and Basen’s addition to the family until it was practically set in stone— but Cale wasn’t like that.

As much as he tried to put up that uncaring and violent front, she could see the soft hearted boy hidden beneath. Violan was sure this wasn’t healthy for either of them, but she’d been willing enough to let them be if that’s what worked for them.

Now, however, she just couldn’t sit idle on the matter any longer. Her husband could drag his feet all he wanted, but at the end of the day that boy was her son too. He was her son and he was suffering.

She would never leave Basen to struggle like this no matter how much he hated her in that moment.

“Yes, Deruth, I believe it’s been long enough since any of us have seen Cale. Perhaps it’s time for a check-in with him, hmm?”

Deruth shuddered when he picked up the chilly tone of his wife’s voice, knowing he probably wouldn’t be able to just evade the matter this time around. Not that he wanted to… In fact, even he was getting worried about Cale by now.

From the reports he’d been receiving from Hans, the boy had barely been touching any food at all!

No matter how delicious and curated he ordered the meals to be prepared. Cale never ate more than a few bites before simply turning it away.

Their chef looked about ready to bust his son’s door down and drag him into the kitchen to force feed him at this point, something he’d hoped to avoid as he would very much like to keep the man employed.

Beacrox was one of the best cooks he’d ever had, and his father was a trusted aid. It would be very awkward to have to explain why he had to fire his son later when the older man returned…

Just as the man was floundering to come up with an answer to his wife’s prompt, a hurried knock was heard at the door to the dining hall. It was a little too fast to be considered polite, but not overly informal.

Grasping at the lifeline that threw itself his way, Deruth cleared his throat and ordered whoever was outside to come make their report.

Violan narrowed her eyes at yet another of her husband’s avoidance tactics.

The servant behind the door quickly made his way inside, his face lightly flushed and still a bit out of breath, as though he’d run all the way here from across the estate.

“Milord, Milady, the head butler has returned-“

He was cut off before he could finish making his report. The sound of cutlery clattering onto the table and a chair being pushed out of place interrupting his speech.

Deruth practically manhandled the man in a strong two handed grip, his eyes shining with hope and expectations as he skipped right to the important question.

“Did he bring it? Did he find Cale’s fox?!?”

As caught off guard as he was by the Count’s out of character excitement and touchiness, the servant couldn’t do much more than give a stilted nod with eyes wide in surprise.

The count immediately let him go, turning to his wife in glee as he seemed to say ‘I told you everything would work out’ with the most smug of looks.

Violin just rolled her eyes at her husband’s childishness, but deep down in her heart, she was thankful to hear the news.

Nothing and no one else had been able to get through Cale’s walls quite like that fox had… from what she heard at least.

The servant, who’d nervously been fidgeting before Deruth since earlier seemed to have more to say. Eventually, he worked up the courage to speak.

“Um, but, Milord, there was something else I meant to warn you about-“

However, he was soon cut off again by the oblivious Count, too blinded by the good news to even realize he’d just interrupted the poor servant twice.

“Well, what’re you doing standing around there like a statue? Hurry and inform my son!”

Deruth, in his excitement, wasn’t able to control his volume very well. He was practically shouting his orders by then.

His wife could only sigh at the look of fright on the servant who immediately scurried away to do as he was told. Knowing her husband, he hadn’t meant to come off that impatient or overbearing.

She just hoped whatever else that servant had wanted to say before running off wasn’t too important…

-Cale’s POV-

Cale felt nothing.

He didn’t feel sad, happy, angry, disappointed or anything else.

He just felt… empty.

Since breaking down the first day after finding out Rock went missing, he felt this increasing sense of apathy towards everyone and everything.

Perhaps he should be worried. It wasn’t normal to have no feelings after all and had it been happening to anyone else, he was sure he would be worried about them too. But it was happening to him and whatever happens to him never mattered.

Besides, it felt good to just let his mind go blank. To not have to worry about putting on a fake mask or acting the part of a trash son anymore.

Why should he care anyways? No one else seemed to care about him.

It was just as those gossiping servants said, even an animal didn’t see him as worthy enough to stick around.

Cale knew his father was likely worrying over him, and he’d never intentionally tried to inconvenience his father since mother… but he was too tired. He didn’t have the energy to keep walking on all those eggshells to appease everyone else.

A soft knock suddenly broke the silence of his wallowing, the sound echoing through the otherwise empty room as he continued to stare straight up into the canopy of his bed ignoring the interruption.

After a pause with no answer another knock came from the other side of the door, a bit louder this time and accompanied with a voice.

“Young master? Young master, I know you’re awake. Please respond.”

Cale’s response was to continue to play dead. If it was possible, he’d probably have already melted into the blankets and become one with the bed frame.

There was another moment of silence as the training deputy butler on the other side waited in vain, before sighing at the lack of response.

Hans’s overall stance on him had changed in the time since he brought back Rock.

Whereas before he would keep his distance with the skittishness of a small bird, he now acted more akin to a mature cat. World weary and quick to react, but more or less over the posturing of something they knew wasn’t a threat to themselves.

He even had the cheek to act familiar with him at times, emboldened through a sense of misplaced camaraderie in a love for fluffy animals.

Cale just never felt the need to correct that he only found Rock interesting and not every fluffy creature in existence.

Hans was the only one bold enough to continue bothering him during this period of time, likely due to his own grief over the missing fox.

Having accurately determined he wouldn’t be getting up or answering the door anytime soon, the deputy butler in training decided to relay the message through the door instead.

“Young Master, you have some visitors waiting for you in the main hall~ I really think you’ll want to see them.”

Cale just blinked, wondering when the last time he actually had a visitor for himself was— and not just a visitor for the Henituse estate in general.

He may have been curious to meet a visitor before, but now… he didn’t have any motivation to entertain anyone.

“Send them away, I’ll have no visitors.”

Hans let loose the loudest and most over dramatic sigh Cale’s ever heard in response. He sounded almost giddy. Like he was trying his best to hold back from spoiling a secret, but very much wanted to.

“I really do insist young master, it’s worth your while~”

Now Cale knew for sure Hans was acting strange. He never sounded this bubbly around him before. The last time he’d heard his voice even close to this octave was back when he’d been trying to coax Rock out from under the bed…

He sat up abruptly.

‘It couldn’t be…’

Cale didn’t want to get his hopes up, he didn’t want to feel disappointed again; but part of him still felt a treacherous pang of longing when the possibility crossed his mind.

Hesitantly, he tried sounding out the man behind the door. Still cautious about jumping to any conclusions.

“Has… Ron returned?”

He could practically hear Hans vibrating behind the door, his voice thick with suppressed excitement as he replied “Yes, and he’s brought some very esteemed guests!”

Cale completely ignored the extra ‘s’ at the end of ‘guests’ and almost fell over himself to get out of bed.

Just as he was about to wrench the door open though, he paused. Why was he getting all excited by himself? Just because Ron came back with the fox, didn’t mean the fox came back willingly.

He knew the old butler well enough by now. With his skills, he’d have no trouble catching a wild fox regardless of how much it fought back.

The little flame of happiness that burned when he heard the news wavered at the thought, his hand falling back to his side.

Over the past few days of quiet rumination in his room, he had a lot of time to think over his actions and Rock’s.

Cale never meant to force the creature to stay by his side against its will. He didn’t want to become that sort of villain.

As much as he missed Rock and as much as Rock brought him a sense of peace… if the fox didn’t want to come back on his own, he wouldn’t trap him like a bird in a cage. He didn’t want a repeat of himself.

Leaning his forehead against the cool lacquered wood of the door, he opened his mouth and gritted the unwilling words between clenched teeth. He turned them away again.

“I won’t have any visitors, tell Ron to release him.”

“Yes of course, I’ll have them come as soon as he’s been cleaned… huh? You want them to release Rock?”

The lack of any response from the door was confirmation enough.

“But, is that truly what you wish? They travelled so far and it was very difficult to find Rock, you really want them to just release him again-“

A loud bang as though furniture was being upturned came from his room as Hans continued to question him, his own seething voice following it.

“Are you deaf?!? I said get rid of it! I won’t see that fox- I won’t see anyone!”

‘Please, don’t make me say it again!’

He felt like he was balancing on the edge of a precipice once more, struggling to hold back his own desires.

Cale knew if Hans kept pushing he might very well fall into the temptation, though he was trying his best not to.

Had this been before Hans witnessed his more gentle side, Cale had no doubt the man would’ve taken the his words at face value. He’d merely attribute it to one of his unpredictable mood swings. However, the younger butler knew him better than that now. Unfortunately.

Enough to call him out on his bluff.

“Young master, I think you’re misunderstanding something. Ron isn’t forcing Rock to come back, the fox is here willingly and he seems anxious to see you.” Hans’s voice crept softly through the door, patient.

Another silence elapsed between them, though this one wasn’t nearly as heavy as the prior ones.

When he eventually managed to find his voice again, it was quiet to the point that Hans would’ve had to strain himself to make out the words through the thick wood barrier.

“… He wants to see me?”

Interpretting the question to be rhetorical, the auburn haired butler continued to wait.

“I’ll go see them.”

“Oustanding choice young master! Shall I help you get ready-“

The deputy butler barely had the time to finish his words when the door was wrenched open before him.

Cale’s disheveled form leaned against the doorframe, dark circles under his eyes and a frown further maring his usual noble elegance.

“No, I’m going now.”

-Rock’s POV-

They’d only just arrived, yet the moment they stopped in the large foyer Rock Immediately took the chance to jump out of the travel basket.

The kittens didn’t hesitate to follow after him, not after the gruelling journey they’d just been through.

Sure, while none of them had to walk on their own four paws, just weathering the inhuman travel speed— least of all the constant hostile air between their two human travel partners— was enough to leave them wanting some distance.

The older man and transmigrator apparently entered an unspoken endurance contest early on in their journey, as they just kept going faster and faster without a break.

Anytime one of them seemed to be on the verge of stopping, the other would overtake them as though taunting the other for giving in already.

Needless to say, Rock was pretty sure at one point they’d been moving faster than the speed limit of most residential neighbourhoods back on earth. Leading them to cut the journey time nearly in half!

He still felt a bit queasy from that.

After taking a minute to let the room stop spinning around him, he could finally think about another pressing concern that had haunted him all throughout the journey back.

Rock wasn’t sure what to expect when he finally saw Cale again.

Maybe he’d be angry, or aggrieved with the whole disappearing act he pulled. Or perhaps he hadn’t cared at all and would see him as a nuisance that showed up again.

Though, he highly doubted Cale was that un-bothered seeing as he went as far as to send Ron after him.

He was even prepared to accept any sort of punishment or verbal insults thrown his way! So you can imagine his surprise when all the redhead did was stare at him with the look of a person half expecting the sight before them to be a mirage, before taking hurried steps towards him and scooping him into a warm embrace.

Cale even ignored his dirty (probably smelly) state and buried his face into his fur; a suspiciously wet feeling seeping through.

It was as if nothing and no one else existed in the room, all the young noble could see was Rock. And in return, all Rock could see was the wild red locks that looked even less maintained than usual.

He could feel something twist uncomfortable in his chest in response, his own shock over the sudden scenario and close proximity causing short circuits in his brain.

Forgotten memories that really couldn’t be called forgotten with the amount of times they threatened to resurface recently, nagging at the back of his mind.

He didn’t know how to comprehend this. The reunion was short lived though, interrupted by the sound of meows, two identical pairs of honey gold eyes looking up at the young man who had abducted their guardian (yet again). Their little claws digging into his pant legs.

Cale only then seemed to notice their presence.

The red headed youth looked down, his face blank and stoic for all of a minute as he tried to process the sight, before he fixed that dead serious gaze back on him.

The man turned fox was already mentally preparing himself for the chewing out he would receive for bringing more mouths to feed. Though he had no intention of backing down.

Cale’s family was more than wealthy enough to accommodate the two anyways.

He thought he was prepared for anything Cale could throw at him, but the young man seemed keen on thwarting all his expectations today.

“You had children?” Cale said with an unreadable look on his face.

Now it was his turn to stare blankly back at the man, his own brain turning to mush just trying to comprehend the sheer stupidity of the claim as he was, once again, very. Clearly. A. Fox! And if it wasn’t clear enough already, those two were obviously kittens!

Did the people of this world not understand basic biology? Should he be worried? Sure this is a “dark ages” piece where a proper formal education system hadn’t been established yet— but these are nobles!

You’d think they’d have the common sense to put 2 and 2 together and not come away with anything that wasn’t 4!

The kittens, again, ignored the illogical question and continued vocalizing their demands that Rock be put down through their annoyed little meows. They were fearless when it came to defending their perceived guardian and didn’t seem open to sharing either.

Cale: …

“You were only gone for a bit over a week, Rock…”

Perhaps taking pity on Rock who obviously had little control over his own voice— and seeing as the kittens didn’t seem to want to expose their ability to speak right away either— Ron spoke up for them instead.

“It seems these kittens took a liking to your fox, young master, they refused to leave his side when I found him in the village.”

Cale’s head snapped to the voice, only then taking notice of the older butler and the stranger standing next to him. With lips turned down into a frown, Cale sharply questioned “Village? What village? And who’s that?” His question was phrased rather rudely in his defensiveness.

Choi Han took the initiative to speak. While he’d been silent up till now, he seemed to have come to the conclusion that Cale was his (Rock’s) original owner and a noble, thus speaking with marginal respect.

“Greetings young master-nim, this one is called Choi Han, the one who found your fox and a… resident, of Harris Village.”

While Cale had been calmly appraising him at first, that ended with the mention of Harris Village. And of course, Rock had forgotten just what sort of relationship these two had in the book until now.

He’d thought he’d gotten rid of the biggest death flag for Cale when the destruction of Harris Village was averted, but apparently, Cale was just preprogrammed to speedrun himself into getting beat to a pulp.

“That village? Why on earth would Rock go to that trash of a place? Nothing there could even come close to being worth as much as what I could offer him here with only the trinkets in my room!”

Wrong answer.

Even Ron seemed disproving of the hostility of his young master’s words, a chip in his usual smiling mask appearing in the slight twitch of his lips.

Choi Han, obviously, took immediate offence when he understood the meaning behind Cale’s words, any ounce of respect he may have had vanished as his eyes grew cold.

Rock could already feel the rising killing intent behind him.

The thing is, being forced into the position he was currently in, he could see Cale hadn’t even meant to direct his comment to anyone in particular. It looked more like he was talking to himself, his eyes looked distant and laced with the lingering pain of a forcefully reopened wound.

Rock would know that look anywhere. He’d often worn it himself, all those years ago…

Another hidden piece of the novel seemed to be buried here, but Rock didn’t have the time to dig, nor did he care to look too deep into this.

All he cared about right now, was not letting either Cale or himself get beat up within the next 10 seconds.

He tried pawing at Cale to get his attention and draw him back to the present, but the young man’s eyes were misted over in remembrance. Focused somewhere else entirely as he spoke more harsh words.

“Nothing good ever happens in that village. I should’ve just had father get rid of it entirely!”

‘Aigoo, this bastard was really designed to be a sunfish!’

Choi Han was already taking violent steps towards them and with Cale too caught up reminiscing over those bad memories, he hardly seemed in the right state of mind to notice the approaching danger.

Ron didn’t seem like he was going to step in anytime soon either, acting the part of a gentle old man only when it was most convenient (read: inconvenient to Rock), and he sure as hell wasn’t about to use the kittens as a shield.

He growled lowly in Cale’s arms when the transmigrator got too close; but when it seemed like his warning would go unheard, he snapped at him, halting the raven in his tracks.

Even Cale flinched, though he hadn’t been on the receiving end of the teeth.

While Rock hadn’t actually bitten the approaching man and had even done more violent things in front of the kittens before— he’d only ever acted like a gentle duckling before Choi Han in the past.

The rage that once burned in his eyes extinguished into surprise, which quickly melted into a stunned hurt and confusion.

Cale, who was a lot more present now than before, could only feel an immense warmth and satisfaction when he realized Rock had acted out in his defence.

The redhead’s hand automatically carding familiar patterns through the knotted fur on his back in quiet appreciation.

It appeared Ron had expected this to happen as only then did he choose to speak up. Still smiling like the sociopath Rock knew he was.

“Oh my, it appears our young master’s fox has picked up some bad habits during his time away. He’s never done anything like that before.”

Completely ignoring the fact he was well aware of how dangerous and vicious Rock had been during the battle of Harris Village. Or even that he wasn’t actually a fox and was completely responsible for his own actions.

‘What’s this scary old man playing at?’

Cale who’d had the time to process the situation and grown wise to what Choi Han’s intentions were with getting closer, could only harumph at Ron’s claim. Adjusting his hold into something more comfortable, albeit tight.

“Nonsense, Rock is just as well behaved as before. He’s just good at identifying an individual with bad intentions when he sees one.”

It was clear who the redhead was referring to. Rock thought it ironic that Cale was saying Choi Han had ‘bad intentions’, when it was his own fault the man wanted to beat him up in the first place.

Though, he supposed Cale didn’t realize that just yet.

He truly felt pity for this villainous character who’s intelligence must’ve been nerfed in the face of the true “protagonist”.

Not wanting to get suffocated in the Cold War brewing between these two, Rock decisively placed his two front paws on Cale’s chest and pushed hard.

The young noble let go with a surprised grunt, giving him just enough leeway to turn around midair and land with some semblance of grace.

Two kittens were quick to surround him, purring and meowing alternately as they gave everyone else stink eyes for daring to separate them for so long.

Their combined adorable charm must’ve paid off, because the tension in the room was significantly lighter now. Both Cale and Choi Han eased off their posturing/ hostility in the face of two angered balls of fluff and their equally annoyed guardian.

They appeared to be much more attuned to Rock’s behaviour now, as the moment they started to act hostile toward each other again, all he had to do was growl before the tensions between them plummeted.

As soon as Cale realized it was partially his own actions towards the newcomer that was putting off his fox so much, he frowned deeply. Though he only tsked before straightening out his clothes and proceeded to dismiss the transmigrator.

“I suppose I do owe you a reward for saving Rock, so I’ll permit your presence in our estate while you sort out whatever you want with Hans.”

Leave it to Cale to find the earliest opportunity to dump his problems on someone else.

Though his phrasing and actions still appeared to be rubbing Choi Han the wrong way, the transmigrator kept his silence for now.

Rock wasn’t about to look this gift horse in its mouth and was simply glad that the two weren’t at each other’s throats anymore.

He was just about to congratulate himself over another successful danger averted, when he felt the cold pressure of danger behind him.

Rock didn’t even need to turn around to know who was lurking there.

“Young master, it seems like a bath is long overdue for this sly little fox of yours. Seeing as young deputy butler Hans will have his hands full with settling your visitor, this humble old servant shall take on the task.”

Hans nearly snapped his neck with how fast he reacted to those words, his eyes widening and words already tumbling over themself to claim this wasn’t the case; but Cale cut him off before that.

“Do as you will. Bring him and his two companions to my room once you’re done.”

While the redhead's tone may have sounded indifferent, his eyes betrayed a trace of amusement as he flicked a glance in Hans' direction.

He obviously said that knowing Hans would be devastated!

Ron continued to smile, playing along and ignoring the soulless form of his fellow butler who looked as if a gust of wind would knock him over from the shock.

The old man then scooped him, On, and Hong up into his sturdy arms and with a final address to his young master, he left the room with the three of them.

Chapter Text

Hungry.

Hungry.

Hungry, hungry, hungry, HUNGRY!

his mind was consumed with thoughts of his empty stomach. Starvation wasn’t necessarily a foreign sensation but… it was never like this.

His body was weak to the point he could barely keep his legs under him. His vision swam till he couldn’t make heads or tails which way was up and down– yet somehow, he managed to keep moving forward without a conscious thought.

Then there was that smell, pungent and sweet in a way only rotting could be… but it called to him like a siren.

He should’ve been repulsed. Should’ve being the keyword, since his mind was completely detached from his body. Like an unsuspecting movie viewer, he was forced to watch himself dig frantically into the earth.

The soil was loose, as though recently dug up. Even through the delirious haze, he continued to work at the dirt unendingly until finally a part of the buried thing could be seen.

The skin was pale, furless, almost grayish in color. Some part of his mind wanted to throw up when he made the connection to just what his mouth was currently tearing into.

Still, no matter how unwilling he was mentally, the rest of him was monopolized by the singular instinct driving him to eat, eat, EAT.

He couldn’t stop.

He watched, horrified, trying desperately to look away from the disgusting scene. To shut his eyes to the depravity his body was forcing him to partake.

Distantly, he noted the chilling caw of crows in the trees above.

He shut off his mind.

-Rock’s POV-

Rock woke with a start, his mind numb and his ears ringing. He already couldn’t remember what it was he’d dreamed about that left such a foul taste in his mouth.

It must’ve been a bad dream.

He sighed, his head returning to rest on his paws as he tried to smooth out the turbulent afterthought's.

Bad dreams… he hadn’t had one of those since transmigrating here. Rock almost forgot how unpleasant the experience always was.

A shift of movement beside his belly followed by a soft uncertain meow, dispersed the lingering irritation like sun rays evaporating the morning dew off plants.

On had woken up, disturbed by his restlessness.

She blinked sleepy eyes up at him through the dark, her mouth stretching into a yawn as her two small paws curled up to rub the tiredness from her eyes.

“Rock? What’s wrong?”

A part of his heart he hadn’t even realized had been hurting till then was soothed in that moment. Rock didn’t know how to describe this feeling, but… it was nice.

He lifted his head and used his nose to press her back down, before laying his tail comfortingly over her. The implied “nothing happened, go back to sleep” was more or less understood.

On beamed a drowsy grin up at him, before burrowing deeper under his tail and going back to sleep.

Rock observed the two red and silver kittens dozing comfortably by his belly, then turned his head to spot their new owner sleeping not far along the bed from them.

The soft sounds of their combined breathing and sleep driven movements grounding him back to the present.

He was awake now, and wouldn’t likely get back to sleep anytime soon. Always a practical person, he took this quiet moment to gather his thoughts and go through all that happened since returning.

Rock was glad Cale had taken his return well. Albeit, the young man was much clingier now. Though, seeing as the care extended to more elaborate meal spreads, he couldn’t really complain.

Cale even took in the kittens with no questions asked! Even if Rock was a little concerned that the young man seemed to still harbour suspicions that he was their father…

Rock may not know the age of this fox’s body, or even if he was a regular fox at all considering the recent developments; but he was pretty sure any combination of cat and fox wouldn’t result in purebred kittens.

Just look at Paseton! He was half whale, half human and as a result, he was a small-

Wait… ok maybe that’s not the best example but still, Rock knew for sure they definitely weren’t his kids.

He’d say as much, but unfortunately he didn’t have a full grasp on his abilities yet. So far, he’d only been able to shift and speak in a human tongue during desperate situations. Not to mention the extreme backlash to using just his voice before…

Rock wasn’t overly keen to try using it again for non-emergencies if the painful result was guaranteed.

Ron for his part, was still the same terrifying butler he’d always been. He did thankfully limit the amount of jump scare appearances to twice a day though, so there was that.

He was also the only one to know about his abilities aside from the kittens, and maybe Choi Han a little, but he wasn’t jumping to expose himself anytime soon.

The old man was shrewd, Rock didn’t doubt there was some more sinister plan brewing behind that benign smile of his.

Even if he couldn’t respond, as long as the two were alone, Ron spoke to him in that confusing conspiratorial way. Saying scary things like “don’t worry little fox, those rabbits won’t try hurting you or the kittens here. They may have chased us out of land and home in the east but here, they are nothing but worms detached from a main body just waiting to die.”

Rock didn’t need or want to know any of this. The old man can keep his origin story to himself. In fact, just go off with that troublesome bipolar main character already!

Choi Han for lack of better words, was like a boulder placed in the middle of a shallow stream. He stuck out obnoxiously and made life more difficult for the people just trying to live their lives peacefully around him.

Especially in Rock’s case who had to walk on eggshells whenever Choi Han was around Cale; which was every time he saw the man since Cale rarely left him alone for longer than an hour at a time.

Rock only left once! It hadn’t even been for very long, just a quick trip to Harris village and back. Considering he had only his fox body and was weighed down with an extra two kittens for a majority of the journey, he’d say it was already a miracle he wasn’t gone longer!

That aside, Choi Han only made the younger man’s stickiness to him worse by constantly challenging their “bond”. It was petty, childish and above all, extremely petty!

Weren't the main characters supposed to be selfless individuals who fought for the greater good of all people?

Sure some might have a worldly attachment in the form of a heroine, and they didn’t have a reputation for getting along that well with villains, but that didn’t excuse this trivial feud that Rock hadn’t quite gotten to the bottom of!

If he had to compare their recent behavior to something, he’d say it was like watching two toddlers fight over a toy they both wanted. Each made up increasingly ridiculous reasons as to why one deserved the toy more.

All of this was a headache in itself to deal with, and he’d been dragged into it while having nothing to do with any of it!

Choi Han’s involvement only made him feel more aggrieved since the elder transmigrator wasn’t even a kid anymore! He should know to be the bigger person here.

It had only been a day and a half since their return, making it three days before the novel Choi Han should’ve set foot in Rain City. Seeing as the attack occurred earlier than it should’ve, adding on the endurance contest between butler and transmigrator on the trip back; they were well ahead of schedule.

That didn’t mean Rock could relax yet though, as much as he so desperately wanted to.

He still had the matter of getting the shield ancient power. There was also a dragon he’d like to prevent from going berserk. However, with how overprotective Cale had been in just the last 24 hours, it was starting to look close to impossible to leave long enough to take care of that matter himself.

Maybe he could get Ron to handle it? The old butler was going on the trip anyway… but the thought of willingly being alone with the unpredictable assassin long enough to ask a favor– forget it.

Rock wouldn’t survive that encounter.

He mulled over these useless thoughts until late in the morning, uninterrupted as both the kittens and young master of the room were well accustomed to sleeping in.

It was Ron that ended his silent rumination. Three curt knocks rapped on the other side of the door, a telling signature of the old butler.

Cale shifted in his sleep, grumbling with a frown pressed between his brows as he smooshed the side of his face further into the pillow beneath him.

When another three knocks answered him, his scowl deepened as his hand reached out blindly grasping for something; before landing on Rock's back and smacking the breath out of him.

In Rock’s daze from the unexpected assault, the hand reached around and under him, before yanking the poor fox away from his warm spot and over Cale’s face.

He… was being treated like a sound blocking pillow.

Rock was too stunned to speak.

By now Ron had already given enough notice to follow the customs of courtesy and had started making his way into the room; only to be greeted with a pair of shell shocked amber eyes and the whining mewls from disturbed kittens.

His young master was also buried beneath 3 bodies of fur— though even from an external point of view— appeared entirely self-inflicted.

It was telling just how experienced and professional the old butler was that his usual benign smile didn’t falter in the slightest even with all he’d walked into.

“Young master, it's quite late in the morning. Breakfast has already been served, it’ll be cold if you delay much longer.”

Cale’s muffled groan tickled Rock’s belly fur, which was the trigger that ended his pillow cosplaying career.

He made a point of stomping directly on Cale’s nose with a back paw as he pulled himself out of the sleepy grip.

That definitely woke the sluggish redhead up.

Cale shot into a slouched sitting position, his hands covering his nose with a pained grunt as he glared daggers towards Rock. The fox in question acting aloof and oblivious to his actions.

It was worth it.

After a hearty breakfast with plenty of sweets, came the dreaded sour water.

For some reason, Ron had taken to squeezing a lemon into his water dish since returning. He even garnished it with a few extra skinned lemon slices, defending his actions as being concerned over the foxes' health.

Rock thought it was a load of bs. Never had he heard of lemons being a good thing to feed any dog or cat before. The most he’d seen in relation to the sour fruit and animals, was compilation videos of dogs or cats making disgusted expressions when smelling or licking them.

But of course, seeing as the people here mainly relied on word of mouth for medical practices— especially in the case of animals— who was there to prove the old butler wrong?

It wasn’t like many people made a habit of keeping foxes around as pets.

Therefore, Rock was forced to swallow down this injustice. He just hoped whatever creature he was could actually stomach lemons. It would be terrible if it turned out to be some ploy to poison him subtly overtime, like one of those historic dramas with the old aunties and their teas.

Rock would refuse to admit the lemon water was cleansing after a greasy meal even at the threat of death.

After breakfast, he found himself once again cornered by Ron. That clingy Cale was only ever around when it was inconvenient for him, never when he needed him like now!

Still, he tried his best not to show how much Ron’s presence affected him. It would only give the old man more twisted satisfaction.

“Hoh, your continued weariness breaks this poor butler's heart. If I was going to get rid of you then you would hardly be standing before me right now.”

Well, he had a point about the second part. Rock wouldn’t still be alive if Ron was actively trying to kill him.

That didn’t answer why he was currently being cornered by the old butler though.

He continued to stare skeptically at Ron, the older man’s smile pulling up into a smirk as a hint of disturbed glee flashed in those crescent eyes.

“That fighting spirit of yours truly does take me back to my youth… Alas, this old man is just reminiscing. I’m sure you’re wondering what I’ve pulled you away to discuss are you not?”

When Rock’s ears twitched, betraying his interest, the man proceeded to pull something out from behind his back. The item drew both an unconscious growl from the fox and an amused chuckle from the butler.

“Ah, what a strong reaction! Did you really think you’d be rid of one of these forever? Not if you plan on keeping up that pet identity of yours.”

Rock’s ears were pressed flush with his skull, his lips curling in distaste at the collar now dangling in front of him. This one was clearly more ornate than the last, likely comissined before he even received his leather one.

The body of the band was made of pure gold, the Henituse crests’ turtle design carved into it. Instead of a bell, there was a fat blood red ruby as a centerpiece.

Ignoring the fact it was still a collar, this was obviously a sign of status. The expensive elements making it look much more impractical and uncomfortable to wear.

Ron snorted when all Rock did was glare at the offending apparel, unclasping the golden collar while explaining its purpose.

“This piece was especially requested by our young master as a gift to you. With this collar, anyone within the territory will immediately recognize your affiliation and status. I even proposed a few extra instructions to the crafter with your comfort in mind.”

Pointing to the ruby, he tapped it twice before a dagger materialized in his hand, much to the shock then understanding of Rock.

“This stone is no mere jewelry. It is a custom magic artifact with the ability to store items. Unfortunately there is a limit, though I doubt your luggage will exceed the size of a small house.”

Then before Rock could react, the golden collar was fixed around his neck and clicked shut. The metal seemed to shrink until it rested snug against his neck, surprisingly light and warm while being neither too tight or too loose.

“And in case your body should undergo any– ahem– sudden changes, the collar has been enchanted to grow and shrink in accordance with the recognized wearer. It cannot be removed without a key… unless they possess a dragon’s level of magic.”

He had to hand it to them, if he really couldn’t get out of wearing a collar, then at least this one had a lot more thought and practicality put into the design.

Just another example of why it was great to have a lot of money.

Their one sidedly private discussion was soon drawn to a close as the previously missing young master came barging into the hall, yelling Rock’s name all the while.

As soon as he saw them, specifically Rock wearing the new collar, a look of pure joy bloomed across Cale’s face.

He practically dashed over, noble etiquette be damned, grabbing Rock up in that iconic pose of an illustrated baboon and lion cub.

He turned Rock this way and that to admire the new addition, fiddling with the gem and tracing thoughtful fingers over the engraved designs.

Once satisfied, he gave an approving nod (to himself) before shifting the fox into a more typical hold.

“Indeed, I have an eye for these things.”

Ron clapped along, his usual gentle old man attitude back in full force before his charge.

“Of course, our young master is truly gifted in this aspect.”

Rock could only put up with it, allowing the two to talk over his head at his expense. He figured he owed Cale at least this much for the scare he put the noble through with his escape.

It was only after a solid ten minutes of back and forth flattering of Cale’s above average fashion sense (Rock would beg to differ), that they made their way to the once empty study.

Apparently Cale used to avoid this room vehemently, but he’d picked up on Rock’s unusual interest in books and maps back when the fox was still trying to plan a trip to Harris Village.

Cale had taken it as something Rock liked, so he’d had the place cleaned up for leisure visits. However, he treated it more like a reception room seeing as half the space was decked out with fully stocked liquor shelves.

It was… certainly a unique design for a study.

Rock wasn’t one to fuss over details though, he did enjoy reading after all, even if the words in this world were still foreign to him.

He’d only gotten by reading the map before as he relied on his ability to depict pictures. Not to mention he still had a general memory of the layout of the world described by the original author.

It was pure coincidence that the first volume of the birth of a hero had a rare illustration that was a similar map of the Henituse territory, which he referenced to better familiarize himself with this world’s written language.

Rock was prepared to have to teach himself an entirely new written language to read this world’s texts. He was already lucky enough that whatever entity pulled him here had the decency to give him the spoken human language patch after all. That is, until Cale started to read out loud.

The young man had plopped himself onto one of the large plush couches, grabbed a book at random, and just rolled with it.

The entire ordeal was strange, considering he’d never seen Cale even sneeze in the direction of a book since becoming his pet. But then, Rock had only been around for about a week, so who’s to say this wasn’t normal.

The kittens who’d been playing around in the corner of the room until then looked up in mild interest, before seemingly growing bored with Cale’s monotonous tone and stiff dictation.

Rock didn’t mind it though, it reminded him of the text to speech translators he used to use when foreigners visited the restaurants he worked in.

Gradually, he found himself creeping closer and closer until he was curled up on the backrest of the couch and looking over Cale’s shoulder to the book in his lap.

The young man seemed to have a habit of pointing to the word he was currently reading, which was all the better for Rock. It made it easier to digest the information, and store away correlations for future review.

In no time at all, Rock was even pretty confident he could read ahead without Cale pointing and sounding out the words for him.

Looks like learning the language was going to be easier than he thought.

-Cale’s POV-

Cale wasn’t dumb.

He could tell by the way Rock’s eyes scanned the pages of the books he read aloud to him, that he was doing more than admiring the sounds of his voice or pages turning.

While he wasn’t quite sure just how smart the fox really was, he wasn’t about to write off his intelligence as a mere fluke.

In a world full of magic, mages and even dragons, Cale knew better than to overlook the possibility that his pet-like companion could be more than a simple fox.

He still remembered the stories his mother used to tell him back when he was younger. Those tales that seemed too tall to be true; about animals that could become humans, beings so beautiful they made even elves look like toads in comparison and much much more.

At the time he was still young and naive, he’d taken them as mere bedtime stories.

In such a safe and isolated territory as the Henituse estate, of course it was easy to draw such a conclusion.

However, an untimely death was his jarring wake up call.

He hadn’t gone into those books to confirm or deny his mothers statements at first, he was just looking for something to remind him of her. To take the edge off the pain.

Cale didn’t even realize their library had such extensive coverage of the topics she used to recall so fondly to him.

He was 10 years old when he first learned that those stories she used to tell him hadn’t all been made up. The knowledge didn’t bring him any real sense of comfort or dismay, it was simply a fact that he took at face value.

Cale had just closed the book after learning about it at the time, having no real interest to learn more about the topic.

Now, with Rock as a potentially more permanent companion, he had an itch to dig up those books once more and pour over every little detail he could get his hands on.

He was reading one of those books to him now, a thick and almost scholarly depiction of the last few sightings of dragons known to them. It was a wordy and frankly boring read. One that used lots of tediously big terms that had Cale frowning through his annunciation.

The troublesome to read content came second to the way it seemed to truly captivate Rock though. The fox looked downright hungry for knowledge, his eyes soaking up every word with rapt attention.

Even as Cale’s throat grew sore from disuse, he kept up his effort to read aloud at a steady pace. It was only when Hans returned to inform them of lunch plans that he finally set the book aside.

Thankfully one of the servants had the foresight to prepare some tea and set it aside for him.

While he busied himself with the much needed refreshment, he caught Rock peering down at the open book alone. It appeared he was impatient to continue reading.

Cale hid his dawning smirk behind the lip of his cup, sneaking a few more peeks at the charming sight of a fox studying a book so seriously.

This confirmed it for him. Rock was definitely not a normal fox.

The realization didn’t change his opinion of his companion much. He’d never really planned on treating Rock like a pet anyways.

In a way, he felt more satisfaction at the idea the fox was actually listening and understanding him this whole time.

Why Rock was hiding his true identity, didn’t matter. Cale himself was experienced in the art of building defensive walls, so he could understand Rock’s weariness. Probably better than anyone else.

It just takes time. When Rock realizes he’s safe here and grows comfortable, he’ll open up naturally.

The fox already proved his loyalty in Cale’s eyes when he chose to return with Ron that day. And if their separation proved anything, then it was already too late for him to pretend to be detached.

He was relieved to see Rock had taken to the new collar well. At least he wasn’t actively trying to claw it off like the last one.

While yes, he did trust that Rock was here of his own volition and would likely always try to return; it was just an added reassurance.

Cale made sure to commission the collar to be fitted with a tracking enchantment, one that was embedded into a compass which acted as both the key and locating device.

He’d be sure to keep the paired apparatus on himself at all times.

Though Cale wished he could keep Rock coddled safely behind their walls and at his side at all times, it just wasn’t realistic. The fox was sentient, and deserved freedom rather than the cruel oppressive fate of being locked up for his own selfishness.

So with a heavy heart, Cale tried his best to distance himself for extending durations with each day that went by. Knowing how cunning his fox companion was, Rock was bound to find a way out during these windows should he really want to leave.

It did warm his heart a little that Rock stayed put and didn’t try leaving much longer than he expected.

Cale ended up already being outside when Rock made his first move.

He was back to prowling one of his many haunts in the early afternoon, disgusted that his disappearance for a little less than a week had already caused such an increase in disorderly riff raff along his streets.

It was while he was acting out his usual drunk routine of scaring off thugs who had no business bothering other patrons, that he felt a small burst of heat from his breast pocket.

He almost lost his grip on the bottle too early in his surprise, managing to fix his grip long enough to aim just shy of actually hitting anyone.

With the cowards already sent running with their tails between their legs, he lost all interest in his surroundings in favor of the glowing compass.

Cale knew what this signal meant. It was set to flare once when Rock initially leaves or enters the Henituse estate, twice if he leaves the boundaries of the territory.

Seeing as the hot flash only occurred once, he was probably still nearby.

On the one hand, he’d expected Rock to try leaving at some point. He’d even told himself he wouldn’t stick his nose in the fox’s business until he was ready to come clean by himself.

But in practice… Cale was a weak man.

His curiosity and worry got the better of him. Before long, he found himself following the needle of the compass as it brought him deeper into the city slums.

Even Cale rarely ventured this far into the backwater streets. The smell of stale water and rancid gutter sewage had him wrinkling his nose in distaste. His decadent noble clothes drew a lot of attention here, especially with the accursed red hair that had always alienated him in family portraits.

Cale couldn’t fathom what business his fox could have in such a seedy place.

After getting gawked at by the 20th person in a row, Cale grew tired of the spectacle his current appearance was garnering him.

Ducking around the nearest corner, he waited, counting to 100 under breath before grabbing the arm of the cloaked person frantically about to rush past. He pulled said person into his hiding spot with him swiftly, ensuring his actions wouldn’t cause a spectacle.

The man was a bit taller than him, older too if the scruff of a beard hinted at his exposed chin was anything to go off. Cale crossed his arms, leaning back as he looked over his would-be stalker with a critical eye.

He was pretty sure his name was Hills something, a vice captain if his memory served him correctly.

His father’s face must’ve been thinning with age if he was willing to send such a high level tail to keep him out of trouble on one of his routine excursions.

With a sigh, Cale ran an exasperated hand through his hair and cut to the chase.

“Look, I’ll make this simple for both of us. Hand me that cloak, then go wait for me around my usual bars and I won’t report this glaring incompetence at covert surveillance to the Count. Deal?”

The older guard sputtered a bit, the visible lower half of his face going through a series of rapidly changing expressions, before settling on a grim line of defeat.

His shoulders slumped as he pulled off the requested article of clothing and bundled it into Cale’s arms.

The dusk blue haired man looked almost sheepish as he tried to laugh off the encounter.

“Ahah, I guess I got a bit too careless this time young master! But you still never noticed me before!”

Cale didn’t dignify the lame excuse with a response. Knights and guards were all a prideful breed, it would only trigger him to mention he’d been turning a blind-eye to their stalking thus far.

He accepted and donned the cloak quickly, pulling the hood up all the way in an effort to disguise himself better.

While it was a pity he couldn’t do much about the expensive shoes he was wearing, the cloak did wonders to diminish the eye-catching nature of his looks.

He left the older guard to keep rambling to himself, refusing to interact further than necessary since he’d already gotten what he wanted from the man. He’d lost enough time as is.

Anxiously, he pulled out the compass once more to double check his heading.

Cale had pretty much made it all the way to the foot of the hill before he realized what Rock’s goal was with the excursion.

The man eating tree, a notoriously avoided site with more rumors surrounding it than most information guilds got in a day.

An odd choice for an excursion for sure.

Cale was only further stumped by Rock’s intentions when he spotted the fox with his two kittens by the rubble reduced ruins about half way up the hill.

The fox seemed to be instructing them about something, before placing down a brown paper bag and walking further up the hill alone.

An ever present mist soon obscured the flame red pelt, taunting the curiosity in Cale.

He wanted to go up there. Just what was going through Rock’s head to come to this sort of place with the kittens and have a… was that food packed in the brown bag? Did he stumble across a picnic?

Sadly there was no one here to answer any of his questions, only more confusion.

He was still puzzling through the riddle that was his fox, when he caught on to a hushed murmur not far from him.

The only reason he’d noticed was due to the more sinister nature of those voices. The way they tried and failed to keep their voices low, dripped with bad intentions.

Cale strained his ears to make out more of their conversation.

“Did you see what that mutt had around its neck? Looked like gold!”

“…probably some prissy noble's pet!”

“Even if they can’t be bothered to pay up a ransom… fetch more than enough of a reward if we get that pretty little collar!”

The longer he listened, the more enraged Cale felt.

How dare these nobodies even think about harming Rock! He only felt more justified in his decision to follow Rock outside; seeing such shady people drawn to him.

While Rock may have proved to be more intelligent than a normal fox, that didn’t mean he could fight! What if his fox was a pacifist? He had been severely emaciated when he’d first arrived at their territory, so there might still be something wrong with him.

And even if Rock had some sort of ability to attack or defend, anyone would have a hard time protecting oneself if ambushed by a large enough number of people!

Cale noted there were a total of 6 lying in wait, none of them familiar to him so they weren’t one of the thugs that frequented the bars. For all he knew, they could be vagabonds or bad intentioned travelers who managed to slip past the guards at the gate.

All he knew for sure, was that these people were truly the lowest of scum, they didn’t deserve any sympathy.

It was one thing to be down on your luck due to circumstances such as unavailable jobs or waning health. It’s an entirely different story if they were simply too lazy to earn money through law abiding means.

Cale knew these clearly able bodied men fell into the later category, especially with this scheme to make a quick buck off a defenseless animal.

He wouldn’t allow them to threaten Rock’s safety!

Cale crept towards the group, sticking close to the shadows and being careful where he stepped to make the least amount of noise possible. That is, until a loud crunch came from a nearby narrow street and had him freezing in place.

His eyes zeroed in on the source of the sound, finding a black boot clad foot standing stiff over the shattered remains of an old ale bottle. Following that foot up, he found himself looking at a pair of unusually black eyes on an increasingly annoying face.

Choi Han stared right back, vacant, wearing a dare he say surprised expression when recognition dawned on him.

The boy had been cleaned up since their first encounter. He’d even been given new clothes, which Cale was irked to note was more familiar than he would’ve liked. Choi Han was wearing a squire’s training clothes, the rough insignia of the Henituse Crest emblazoned at his left pectoral like a slap to the face.

Of course his father just had to reward the young man in this way. As if Choi Han’s unwanted remarks and presence hadn’t already been unbearable enough when he thought there was an end date to his stay.

Based on the way Choi Han met his hostility with open disdain, he had a feeling the other young man was on the same page. They merely tolerated the other for the sake of Rock, who’d become distressed otherwise.

Cale was smug to note that Rock still seemed to prefer his company over the raven haired youth, even if the fox got huffy everytime Cale sent a scathing remark to the other in his presence.

Seeing as he was under the impression that Choi Han was also in the habit of minimizing their encounters for the sake of peace, it begged the question as to what he was even doing here.

They both sized one another up, trying to make sense of each other’s presence; until their staring match was rudely interrupted by one of the aforementioned scum.

“Well well well, what do we have here? Looks like one of that cowardly Count’s little mice found their way all the way into our homely gutters.”

“Heh, looks like this one’s still wet behind the ears! A little squire boy thinking he can take all of us on? Alone? Maybe we should teach ‘m a lesson first!”

Choi Han’s dagger-like glare was shifted to the men converging on him. Cale, in his shadowed spot, was left ignored and unseen. He could’ve left the raven to deal with it on his own, but something about the look in Choi Han’s eye delayed his retreat.

He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something just felt… Off.

Even being surrounded, the younger man didn’t look at all fazed. He simply grabbed at his ratty rusted sword that looked one wrong hit away from snapping, before shifting into a defensive stance.

He was cool as a cucumber, cold even. The men didn’t take him seriously at all in the way they approached him.

It only took a moment, a split second of cocky self-assurance that the younger man posed no threat, for pandemonium to break out.

The first man who’d reached over intent on grabbing his shoulder from behind now collapsed on his knees. The same hand he’d raised now clutched in the other with white knuckled pain and missing two digits.

Cale’s eyes widened in shock at the bloody scene.

He always had a feeling the boy before him was abnormal, but never did it occur to him how vicious and dangerous he could really be.

Cale suddenly felt thankful Rock had been holding him back from pestering the youth more. The vision of himself beaten and bloodied in the place of those men… caused a cold sweat to gather at the nape of his neck.

The rest of the men paused at first, caught off guard by the sudden violence. However, be it due to prideful unwillingness to back down, or sheer stupidity, they only grew more agitated at the resistance.

The fight was only growing more out of hand as concealed weapons came into play. While the raven haired youth continued to bat them away with ease, the brutality of his hits left even onlookers scrambling for cover.

Cale couldn’t afford to stand back anymore.

Thinking quickly, he grabbed the broken handle of a nearby wooden broom and rushed forward to redirect Choi Han’s blade right before it could lop the head off one of the downed men.

It was a testament to just how much strength was hiding behind that unassuming face, that Cale’s arms actually ached from the brief encounter.

“Tch, are you insane? Why are you going so far for something so insignificant!”

Choi Han looked shocked when he stepped in, though it didn’t take long for that frosty scorn to settle back into place.

“Mind your own business.”

Cale huffed, side stepping a poorly aimed swipe from one of the men who were still misguided into thinking they had a chance.

“Well you made it my business by wearing that uniform before coming out here to cause a scene! Are you trying to destroy the reputation of Henituse County?” He hissed between jabs at another man.

Choi Han was busy dealing with two others who’d coordinated enough to launch a simultaneous attack on him. Unfortunately for them, they’d bitten off way more than they could reasonably chew.

Though still fighting, Choi Han was relaxed enough to look slightly abashed when he remembered what he was wearing. He made a gruff noise in the back of his throat as acknowledgement, before pushing the two away and falling back into a practiced sword stance.

He even had the audacity to look annoyed by having to hold back. His brow furrowing as he readjusted his grip on the hilt of his broken blade.

“Well then what am I supposed to do? Leave them to run amok and attack unsuspecting people and creatures?”

Cale, who'd become involved in the fight and was now weathering through his own series of attacks, could only grit his teeth in frustration at the obvious skill gap between them. He was already panting with the exertion of blocking a few attacks and dodging between flailing limbs.

His snappishness was part annoyance and part exasperation at the tone-deafness of the talented youth.

“No you bumbling idiot! Just beat them until they can’t move and leave the patrolling guards to deal with them. There’s no reason to go so far as killing such big mouthed weaklings!”

Between the two of them, it didn’t take long to bully the group of 6 into submission.

Though, Choi Han did most of the work. Cale hadn’t used a blade properly in years and he’d only had the imitation of one in the form of a broom handle.

His own rustiness in the art grated on Cale’s nerves, especially when comparing his contributions against the seemingly younger and more talented stranger who’d come from that village.

Perhaps it was due time to take up the hobby again.

Wiping the sweat and other miscellaneous crimson fluids off his brow with the back of his hand, Cale frowned as he took a look at their messy surroundings.

So much for borrowing a cloak to stay inconspicuous.

Being as caught up as they were in the fight, neither of them noticed the small crowd that had slowly gathered around them.

“Wasting time, could’ve dealt with them much quicker…”

Picking up the grumbled complaint from the raven behind him, Cale’s hackles raised as he interpreted the subtle jab underlying those words.

He was just about to whirl on the younger man to give him a piece of his mind, when an older woman broke away from the ogling spectators.

“Have you… been sent from the Count?”

Only then did they notice the gathering around them, Choi Han now reverting to an innocent and blindsided youth. Stammering and blushing with erratic hand movements as if he had no idea what to do with them.

The two-faced bastard!

As Cale didn’t trust Choi Han not to make more of a scene in this matter, he begrudgingly took on the public relations role.

“Mn, just patrolling.”

The woman practically burst into tears of relief, her body crumpling till she was on her knees, her hands clasped above her head as though in prayer.

“This old woman thanks the benevolence of our territory lords! These men have been terrorizing our streets for months without end! We wanted to get help, to say something earlier– but we dared not bother our lord with such trivialities. If only we could pay more tribute to express our deepest gratitudes but…”

It didn’t take a genius to understand why she didn’t elaborate.

Cale almost felt sickened at the way these people were prostrating themselves before him, like he was a god descended to earth to banish a great evil doer.

He was no doe eye’d youth and he’d even seen some of the dark underbelly of their city… but even he had no idea just how bad things seem to have gotten in certain areas.

It was nauseating to realize that just like in this case, there could be more deplorable people hidden right under their noses!

Emboldened by the old woman’s example, others stepped out from the crowd to express their gratitude and grievances. The more Cale heard about the things this group of 6 low-life’s did, the more outraged he felt.

As a member of the lording family he could not ignore this, the noble blood that runs in his body wouldn’t allow it.

He’d have to speak to his father about the matter as soon as possible.

Cale cast a quick glance in the direction Rock had been before. Though their fight had caused a bit of a ruckus, they were still a good distance away and the only reason he could see them was due to the higher elevation of the hill.

The kittens were no longer anywhere in sight and a brief glance at his compass proved the fox wasn’t there anymore either.

It appeared Rock had finished whatever business he had on the hill already, the direction of the arrow pointed back towards the estate.

Having wrapped up what he came here for, he ducked out of the crowd, being careful to never let the hood fall. At the last moment, he remembered to grab the arm of Choi Han before completely ditching the scene.

He’d redirect Hill-whatever to deal with that mess.

Little did Cale know, the opinion of the person he was dragging along behind him was beginning to change.

Choi Han hadn’t liked Cale when they first met, especially not after the young noble insulted the first kind village he’d come across after so many years spent alone and fighting for his life.

He thought the redhead was a result of spoiled upbringing, lazy and selfish with only pleasure and leisure on his mind. Even if Rock appeared fond and defensive of him, Choi Han couldn’t bring himself to find any redeeming quality in him.

However, this new side of Cale… he’d admit it was a little bit admirable.

-Rock’s POV-

Rock bit the bullet.

As much as Ron scared him, at this moment, there was no one else he could rely on.

He had to form a truce, one he only begrudgingly considered after careful contemplation and with the magical upgrade bribe in the form of a collar.

No matter how much Rock thought about it, there was no way around asking the wily old butler for help in getting the ancient power.

He already felt guilty enough causing Cale the mental trauma of leaving him. He couldn’t in good conscience steal more from them! Not that he’d even be able to… with Beacrox still employed anyways.

While he could always wait for the man to leave with Choi Han on their hero’s journey that was just around the corner, something inside him wouldn’t sit still. He had a niggling feeling that he’d need the ancient power sooner than later.

Rock, having come to trust his instincts, knew better than to dawdle on the matter. So after much deliberation, and with the newfound ability to read, Rock managed to grab a hold of a pen and with much effort, wrote a single word on a paper…

Which he secretly dropped on the ground by Ron’s feet before dashing away.

Knowing the skills of the old assassin, he didn’t doubt the man would know who the note was from. Rock peered at him from his hiding place behind a curtain just long enough to see him pick up the note, before trotting back to Cale’s room where the kittens were waiting for him.

He’d leave the rest up to Ron.

Though he debated asking for money at first, he quickly realized how futile that request would be. So long as Rock was still a fox no sane person would take him seriously if he tried purchasing things.

Though he could potentially try shifting into his human form, the trouble that would cause outweighed the benefits, seeing as he’d have to hide his identity and steal clothes before sneaking out.

No. In this case, it was better to skip the middle step and go straight for the end goal, food.

He needed a lot of it too.

Rock was glad to see his trust paid off when no more than an hour later the man arrived at his door to escort him to the kitchen. On and Hong followed along this time, excited at the prospect of eating something delicious.

They were led to the smaller secondary kitchen, one that plagued Rock with the bad memories of his first night in the estate. He suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

“Apologies for the wait. This old man wasn’t too sure how much or what you needed, so I had my son prepare every dish he could think of just in case.”

The sinking feeling in his gut dropped several levels lower. Rock swore he could see his life flashing before his eyes as the door opened to reveal a very pissed off looking set of rigid shoulders sharpening a knife behind the counter.

Indeed, every available table surface of the kitchen was covered in plates of food with baskets full of cheeses, sausages, breads and fruits piled half-hazourdly in the corner. Rock couldn’t even imagine the small fortune it would cost to hold such a feast.

Maybe he should’ve been more specific in the instructions he left…

Beacrox, the chef responsible for the jaw-dropping banquet of food set about turned to face the incoming guests. He looked downright incensed at having been coerced into making so much food.

The kittens, oblivious to the thick air of hostility, instantly darted to the nearby plate of sweet cakes and juicy steak near the door. The glutinous siblings were already drooling at the sight even though they’d only finished breakfast mere hours ago.

“Can we really eat this! It looks so delicious!”

“I’ve never had such a juicy steak before, is this what heaven tastes like?”

The kittens abandoned the pretense of acting normal in front of Ron long ago. Seeing as they could probably smell how similar he was to Beacrox, and with no one else in the kitchen aside from them, they saw no reason to hide their true selves.

Rock could only numbly look on, his heart shattering in aborted fear as he soulessly nodded his head to the former’s question.

Beacrox walked around the kitchen island, his sharp stern brows set into a mean frown as he took vicious steps towards him.

This was it, Rock had finally knocked on death’s door after so many courting encounters. There was no other ending to this than— The thud of a glass plate being set on a polished foot-stool.

He flinched at the harsh noise in the mostly silent room. The only other sounds being from the kittens thoughtlessly wolfing down their chosen snacks.

Looking up, Rock found the stool set in front of him with a plate of thickly sliced honey cake atop it. He instantly lost any appetite he may have had before.

Cautiously, he peered up at the chef responsible for its appearance. He almost froze over at the intense glare that was being directed at him.

Rock had a feeling if he so much as left a crumb behind, that would be the end of him.

Fearing for his life, he quickly got to work eating the cake. His stomach felt almost painfully full by the end, though his traitorous taste buds still enjoyed every second of it.

Beacrox really was a gifted cook.

Said man only angrily clicked his tongue when he finished, mumbling something about “practically choking”, before snatching the plate and stalking to the sink.

Rock never wished to experience that torture again.

Ron, like the terribly wicked old man he was, looked sickly amused throughout the whole ordeal. He was probably reveling in Rock’s suffering. He only spoke up after the fact, clearing his throat before directing his gaze back to the rest of the set aside dishes.

“Is this enough for what you had in mind? I’m sure my son wouldn’t mind preparing a few more snacks should it be insufficient.”

Rock was already shaking his head before Ron could finish his sentence. He quickly walked to the nearest stack of plates before summoning the power of the gem he’d been practicing with at every opportunity he could snatch.

The food that once chalked the room full, was transferred into the private space of his collar. He could sense it all there, just out of sight.

Rock did his best impression of a bow in thanks, grimacing at the overbalanced state his full stomach left him in, before nudging the two kittens to leave.

He was stopped at the door, a small brown doggy bag with more food packed in Ron’s hand as he pasted that knowing smile on again.

“Do take care to be back before our young master returns.”

The “or else” needn’t be said.

Rock shuddered before hurrying along. He prayed for his stomach's sake that this would be the only trip he’d have to make in this manner.

Thankfully, the ancient power was right where it was described to be. While it was a shock how noisy acquiring it was in reality, he was partly amused at the reactions and ramblings of the former owner.

Her personality was big, just like her appetite. He was almost afraid he hadn’t brought enough food. However, she seemed satisfied by the quality and variety.

After a long spiel about useless background information and unnecessarily pointing out how he was a weird fox, he soon found himself protected by the ethereal white glow of a flying silver shield.

Rock was less than impressed by its holy appearance– but beggars can’t be choosers.

He was just glad that his defense capabilities had raised up a notch. Though he’d unintentionally recruited some handy companions in the form of fog and poison wielding kittens, he still felt better knowing he had the ability to protect himself.

Not wanting to chance his luck by lingering outside, he made his way back down the hill and towards the idling kittens. They seemed fixated on something going on in the streets below, meowing in interest and a bit of trepidation.

Rock took a passive glance in the direction they were staring at, before instantly looking away from the bloody scene.

How troublesome, and the book said the Henituse territory was one of the most peaceful. He tsked the author mentally for thinking up such a violent themed story.

They had to take a detour to avoid the fight entirely, but Rock didn’t want to risk getting involved in whatever skirmish was occurring. He’d already had one near death experience today and he wasn’t a busy body by nature.

By the time they returned to the estate, Cale was only just getting back himself. With the help of On and Hong, Rock managed to sneak past the servants and plop his way back into Cale’s room with everyone being none the wiser.

He was greeted back to the sound of hurried footsteps of servants in the hall just outside the door. He paid attention just enough to the whispered words of those that passed to figure out whatever had happened wasn’t related to him leaving.

He sighed in relief, plodding over to the bed with two tired kittens trailing behind. He figured they had enough excitement for the day, especially after stuffing themselves full at every chance they got.

With a yawn, he circled his favorite pillow and plopped down for a nap, already shifting to accommodate the extra silver and red bundles who cuddled up next to him.

If only he knew that a few rooms away, there was something big unfolding that would push his dreams of a slacker life further out of reach than ever before.

-Deruth’s POV-

Getting a request for an audience from one of his children was already a rare event. Having the audience request come from his eldest, was completely unheard of.

Nothing would’ve stopped Deruth from granting his son’s request, not even a meeting with the royal crown’s messenger.

He instantly shooed the man out, the messenger appearing flustered as he rushed to leave the invitation on his desk before exiting in a huff. Deruth could worry about appeasing the courts at a later date, their family would always be a priority for him.

After a swift comb through his hair and straightening of his clothes, he asked the servants at the door to let Cale through.

His son looked particularly stone faced and troubled as he walked in, not at all like the joyful boy of his memories. While Deruth’s heart ached at the reminder of the bygone happy days, he quickly pooled all his dissatisfied thoughts to the back of his mind.

He sat up straighter, giving his full attention to the son he was lucky to still have around.

“Cale, what troubles you so my son?”

Deruth instantly regretted the formal tone he took when all it got in return was a grimace. Cale broke the tense gulf between them with a non-discrete cough.

“Well, Father, it has come to my attention that there has been an increase in pests being allowed to run afoot in our cities.”

The uncomfortable way his son addressed him was probably deserved, but it didn’t make it any more pleasant to hear spoken aloud. He almost missed the importance of the statement that followed it.

When he did make sense of what Cale was implying, he was sent reeling from thoughts of why his son was bringing forth this information. He practically slammed his fist down on the desk before him, the poor old wood creaking under the recent rise in aggressive abuse.

“Who dares-“

What was he paying those lazy guards for if his son could meet with enough despicable people to come directly to him to complain about it? In fact, was that blood on his son’s clothes?

Deruth was close to murderous.

Cale waved away his concern with the nonchalance of simply being told his favorite wine was out of stock. His tone unchanged even while stating such ludicrous things that had his father on the edge of his seat.

“Oh, I only ran into them by chance. That new squire boy picked up a fuss with them, but according to the subjects living there, that group had been running rampant for a while now.”

Nothing hurt Deruth more than the near accusatory look his son shot him next. His words were like arrows to his chest.

“I was only curious why such a group was left at large for so long unchecked.”

He clenched his fist atop the desk, a serious frown taking over as he mulled over the undeniable proof of his lacking management.

How could he allow for such a thing— and for his eldest son to have possibly been put in danger due to his own negligence? Unacceptable!

Deruth wouldn’t allow for such slips to occur again, even if he had to double the guards and send out twice the number of patrols.

Once he made the decision, he quickly called upon staff to send word to the barracks and inform the captain of the guard on the changes. He was already leafing through the many documents on his desk to look over the current patrol routes to figure out where the gaps in security were.

Cale who’d stood by to watch all this happen seemed content with his efforts. His son looked about ready to excuse himself, when a thought occurred to the man.

Though he’d normally send Basen on such trips— seeing as his younger son was currently handling a majority of the territory duties already— his eldest was starting to show signs of walking the path of rehabilitation.

The current display of interest in the territory's well-being only confirmed his growing beliefs.

The invitation letter on his desk looked particularly appealing at the moment.

“Cale, before you go, what do you think about attending a royal summons for the king's birthday banquet in the name of Henituse County?”

His son stopped in his retreat, a frown maring his good looks as he nearly instantly rejected the idea.

“That’s-“

“I know I usually send Basen to attend these, but I thought it would do you some good to stretch your legs, re-familiarize yourself with the circles. You don’t have to do anything strenuous, just eat, drink and play, then come home.”

Deruth rushed to express how simple the request really was. Though yes, technically it was rather rude to approach a big event like this with such capricious behavior, he could really care less about the noble etiquette.

All he wanted was for Cale to be happy. It wouldn’t hurt to display to the world that his eldest still had his backing too, just in case any of those other scheming nobles started getting any ideas.

Cale didn’t seem at all tempted by these suggestions though. Taking a shot in the dark, Deruth could only hope that his son’s interest in the fox was genuine.

“It… could also be a good way to bond with your new pet! It must be awfully stuffy to keep a once wild creature cooped up inside all the time. While our territory is still sorting through the pests inside, why not take your fox and his kittens out in the safety of the capital? I’m sure they would enjoy it!”

Deruth only recently learned of the new kitten additions, having spotted the adorable pair from a far. He never realized his son had such a soft spot for small furry creatures before.

Maybe their family crest was in need of an update.

Luckily enough, it appeared his gamble actually paid off! Cale didn’t instantly shoot the idea down, he was considering it.

Then, with a nod, Cale even agreed!

The boy’s eyes displayed a gentleness Deruth now associated with him thinking about or being around that new fox of his. He was eternally grateful Ron was able to both find and bring back the fox in good health.

“It has been a while since I last visited the capital...”

Deruth nodded along encouragingly, a big goofy grin lighting up his face.

“Of course, leave all of the preparations for the trip to this father of yours. All you have to do is attend and enjoy the capital!”

Cale hummed something flat, before walking out of the office without a dismissal. To an outsider, his son’s actions would probably look rude, standoffish even; but Deruth had trudged through far colder treatment in the past.

This was practically cordial!

Rejoicing at the breakthrough with his son, he sent another servant to call his wife immediately. It was always better to share such good news with others!

Just as a bonus and somewhat an apology for the long wait, here’s a bit of old fanart from the story concept days!

Rock on his way to deliver new instructions to Ron like:

Chapter Text

~Rock’s POV~

For the first time since arriving in this accursed book, Rock could relax. Sure, there were always things he could worry about, a black dragon going berserk for one, but he was 5 steps ahead of any novel events! A break couldn’t hurt at this point, could it?

Choi Han was already in the city and acquainted with all the important characters who’d eventually send him on his merry way. He’d even managed to avoid his sunfish of a master Cale from getting pummeled into paste, though the man sure seemed hellbent to reverse it every time he turned his back.

With the extra assurance of an ancient power under his command, what more could Rock need to prepare for? He was a simple pet fox now. Even having a shield power was overkill if you think about it.

Yes, he could truly live his dream slacker life— for all of 10 minutes.

That ended the moment Cale so rudely decided to enter his bedroom in a flourish of unnecessary dramatization. The man’s clothes were a rumpled mess with what looked like red wine stains on his collar. However, even being as disheveled as he was, Cale had an almost giddy air about him.

Looks like he’d drunk too much on his outing again… and it was only midday too! Rock sent out a silent prayer for Cale’s liver.

A glance towards the bed had Rock immediately on edge, already resigning himself to his fate as the distance closed between them. With monumental effort, Rock held back a growl as he was removed from his comfy pillow and manhandled into Cale’s arms. His displeasure was more than accounted for in the moody hisses and whines of his two kitten companions anyways.

They quickly clambered back to his side, shoving their way past Cale’s arms in their mission. Cale for his part, barely even gave them a glance. He simply freed up a hand to give both kittens consolatory pats on the head. No fear for the very high probability he’d lose those fingers should the kittens get fed up with him.

You’d think Rock would be indignant with Cale treating him like a particularly squishable stuffed animal, but he’d long come to terms with this level of shame. He was a pet after all, it only made sense. He didn’t even blink as Cale coddled, patted, tugged at his tail and pinched his ears between overeager fingers. The sensation could even be enjoyable at times… though he’d never admit it aloud.

When Cale seemed to have his fill of bullying the pliant fox in his lap, he finally voiced what had him in such high spirits.

“Enough with the moping Rock, I know how much you hate being stuck inside all the time. Since you’ve been so good, how about we go on an outing together hmm? Say, the capital-“

Rock, who’d been busy droning out Cale’s rambling, shot up the moment he heard the word capital. His neck nearly snapped with how fast he turned in sheer disbelief.

‘Aigoo, these fox ears of mine must be getting old. Did I hear wrong? He didn’t just suggest going to the capital… Did he?’

Cale, misinterpreting Rock’s sudden movement for eagerness, smirked in a faux self deprecating way. He squished the fur on Rock’s cheeks as he grumbled indulgently. “Unfilial little beast, no need to look so excited. We won’t be leaving for a few days yet.”

Where did he go wrong?

Rock thought hard back to the beginning of the book. But no matter how much he scrubbed through the timeline, Cale wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near the capital during this point of the story!

Sure, with how rich the Henituse territory was, there was probably a summer home or villa of sorts for them to relax in the capital- but at this time? Really? Even for a man like Deruth, the expense required to send someone that far for a pleasure trip would be astronomical! If he was going out of his way to send Cale there now, isn’t that just confirming his eldest will be attending the royal banquet as their representative?

No offense to Cale, but he was a well known waste in the higher circles! It was an open secret the responsibilities of the county successor had long been taken over by the younger and more talented Basen. Shouldn’t something as important as attending a royal event be left up to the competent heir in training? Why was this freeloading master of his suddenly playing the role of a responsible noble?

Having no way to easily communicate his thoughts to Cale, he could only settle for staring at the young man with as much incredulity as he could muster. He channeled all of his inner team leader energy into trying to convey what a terrible idea this was through his eyes alone!

Try as he might though, Cale just wasn’t literate in interpreting fox expressions.

“Cheeky brat, don’t go looking at me like that! Everything’s already being prepared as quickly as it can be! There’s formalities involved when preparing to send off a noble, stupid as they may be, but alas, there’s no way around them.”

In despair, Rock could only close his eyes and slump down on his belly as he held his paws above his head.

How could Cale be so perceptive at times and yet dumb beyond belief in others? Was this another villain thing? Is there a cure for his stupidity?

His misery was interrupted by a soft nip at his tail. Rock uncovered his eyes just enough to peer back at the offending kitten, On. She had a weary look in her golden eyes, though even he could see the subtle hints of anticipation hidden beneath it.

Once she caught his gaze, she let out a hesitant meow, darting between looking at Cale and him. It only took him a few repetitions of her action to figure out what she was asking.

He thought for a moment, then subtly shook his head. Cale didn’t know anything yet. The young man was just overly enthusiastic and had a habit of personifying animals and objects from what he could tell.

Having gotten her answer, On remained quiet. Returning to acting the part of a normal kitten for as long as their owner remained in the room. Thankfully Cale seemed to have other plans for the day. With strict, albeit useless, instructions not to leave the castle, Cale went off to do whatever he did when he wasn’t in the room.

Rock was once again left to bemoan his perfect life getting ripped out from under him.

Had he known preventing Cale from getting beat up by the main character would’ve resulted in this fate he never would’ve interfered! That ungrateful brat was irredeemably brainless! Rock was starting to rethink even letting the young man out of his sight from now on. It was clear Cale was just a death seeking magnet!

Why on earth would the count have even approved of this? The father and son had an estranged relationship in the books at best! It’s not like Cale ever did anything to leave a good impression on Deruth either.

Blah blah blah, ‘love is blind’ and all but even the Count can’t possibly deny the fact his eldest would sooner drink himself under a table than even spare a thought towards upholding their family’s face in this event!

Rock allowed himself to wallow in his self pity for a moment longer, before shoving his worries back under lock and key. As stressful as the upcoming trip was, sitting around complaining to himself wouldn’t solve anything.

He’d have to start planning again…

“Are we really going to the capital?”

The soft, near reverent purr interrupted his thoughts. Rock fixed his attention back to the two kittens still in the room with him. Hong was vibrating in his excitement at the thought of the upcoming trip, while his more subdued sister also revealed her curiosity in a twitching tail tip.

The lingering stress in his body seemed to dissipate as he met their eager eyes. Unconsciously, he relaxed further as he nodded and indulged their following rapid fire questions and enthusiastic remarks.

At least he had help this time.

~Choi Han’s POV~

Choi Han wasn’t sure how Cale had escaped him exactly.

One second the red haired noble was right beside him, leading him through the crowds of people. The next, he up and vanished. For a person who reportedly spent more of his day drunk than sober and lazed around at every available opportunity, he sure had a knack for stealth!

While there wasn’t anything all that impressive with his swordsmanship skills, it was a surprise in itself that the stuck up noble even knew how to defend himself. He’d pegged Cale as one of those whiny brats that was all bark and no bite.

It looked like he’d have to revise his first evaluation of the young noble.

Choi Han spent the next while trying to navigate his way through the complex corridors of the Henituse castle. Seriously, he’d already been here a few days and yet he was no closer to mapping the layout of this place.

Everything was just so over the top and ostentatious. What was even the point of having a roaring lion water feature placed smack in the middle of an empty hallway? Just for looks? Who was even walking through here to be impressed?

Maybe this was just his modern Korean sensibilities at play, but there were a lot of things he’d change in the design of this place if it were left up to him.

In the midst of his musing over yet another pointlessly gold gilded decal, he thought he heard a voice. His steps paused for a moment, before he walked quickly out of range of the fountain— with its persistent noisy babble— and stopped to properly listen.

Distantly, he thought he could hear someone familiar.

Choi Han followed the sound, turning corner after corner in his search before finally coming upon an out of the way reception room. This close he could easily recognize who the voice belonged to.

Just beyond the door, the kind Harris’s village chief was engaged in a lively chat with the young deputy butler who’d helped him on his first day. They were discussing the aftermath of the attack.

As excited as Choi Han was at the prospect of seeing a friendly face, he knew this wasn’t a conversation he should interrupt. He could always find the chief later when they finished their business.

However, before he could turn around and go back on his quest to find the squire training grounds; a new voice had him freezing in place, hackles up.

Choi Han would recognize that somehow elegantly condescending tone anywhere.

Unlike before, with the crowd of less fortunate commoners, Cale did nothing to hold back the clear disgust and haughtiness. It was clear he thought Harris village beneath himself and his family.

“What gives you the right to come here and think to request our family’s help in restoring that pathetic village? Let me tell you, this wine in my hand is worth more than all those lousy lives of your villagers combined!”

It was only through sheer force of will that Choi Han managed to hold himself back from throwing the door open and strangling the count’s son right there. He takes back everything he said about the guy maybe being decent; Cale was clearly scum, just like his reputation advertised.

Though he tried his best to stay calm, he just couldn’t sit still. It was one thing to be a spoiled brat or insult him, but it was a whole other story if he was going to be throwing mud on the first people to help and show kindness to him after dozens of years of despair!

It was as he was pushing the door open, ready to flail Cale alive, that the younger man continued his tirade.

“That village was a trash heap to begin with, only ever attracting bad omens.”

Maybe his fists wouldn’t be enough to get through that thick skull of his. Surely the magnanimous count could look the other way if he only used the butt of his sword?

“No, if you want help, your village is going to have to prove you need it. There’s no such thing as a free meal in this world. It just so happens that due to certain people’s negligence, some positions have recently opened up within our city.”

Had Choi Han been a weaker man to his emotions, the meaning of those words would’ve gone right over his head with how clouded by rage he was. Thankfully, he caught himself at the last moment, sword already partially drawn from his scabbard.

With eyes widening, he almost couldn’t believe his ears. Was that stuck up nobel… really suggesting that?

Cale must’ve heard something, as he shot him a look. His eyes narrowed at the sight of a partially drawn sword, though the glint in them looked more bemused than offended. Choi Han could only clear his throat and re-sheath his sword in embarrassment, trying to play it off as if he wasn’t the one who’d been radiating murderous energy a second ago.

Even with the interruption, Cale continued un-phased. He looked just as bored and condescending as he sounded through the door— though now that he was actually able to see the man’s expression, Choi Han could see the barely noticeable lines of a mask hiding his true intentions.

“Your people number, what, 50? 60? Barely enough to fill one servants quarter in our mansion! Even the barracks behind the old stables outside are probably in better conditions than those burnt down hobbles you call a home. The kitchen scraps should be more than enough to feed the lot too. Just move them there for the time being as whatever able bodied peasants you have pay off the debts.”

And with a wave of his hand, the decision was made.

Hans was already bowing and leaving the room with a slight smile to the corner of his lips, though the man feigned fear in the wobble of his voice as he acknowledged his lieges commands.

His village chief, for her part, looked amused at the whole display. She still bowed respectfully of course, grateful in her every action as she played along in the groveling act between a peasant and noble.

Cale didn’t seem to appreciate her flair though as he was quick to try to leave with a dismissive huff.

“Whatever, your village isn’t my problem. Go look for Hans if you want to complain.”

He was halted in his tracks by the entrance of someone with higher authority than him though. The count himself made an appearance as he looked back and forth between the rooms’ occupants in obvious confusion.

Cale glared at the interruption to his planned escape.

“Father.”

The man was snapped from his daze, his eyes refocusing on his son as he gave him a soft placating smile. It was an incredibly awkward interaction to view as an outsider.

“Ah, Cale, I was just looking for you… and this is-“

“None of your business, what do you want?”

If Choi Han thought Cale was being disrespectful before, then the younger man was acting like a downright delinquent now. At least he used full sentences when addressing their chief!

This disrespect didn’t seem to bother the count though. The words rolled right off Deruth as he quickly shifted topics in accordance with his son’s wishes.

“Ahem, well Cale, I meant to find you to discuss your upcoming trip and— ah perfect! That young squire boy is here too!”

Caught off guard, Choi Han felt himself tense as Cale shot more daggers his way, as if it was his fault Deruth was minding his business now!

“You see, I was discussing with your mothe- I mean, countess Violan '' Choi Han could see Cale physically cringe at that obvious slip up, though he was kind enough not to point it out “and we were both a bit worried about the lack of security details that could be provided for your trip. We thought it’d be best to send additional knights… but this boy you brought back with you seems to be incredibly talented. Even Ron had high praise for the boy and seeing as the current situation in the territory is still being investigated…”

Choi Han’s mind drew a blank. It was almost like a scene in those movies when a flash bang goes off near the characters. White noise filled in the silence as he was left blinded from the shock.

First of all, being praised by the psychopathic old man masquerading as a gentle butler already sent chills down his spine. However, was the count blind? Could he not see how much Cale despised his guts!

And sure, while he knew he was probably more talented than those knights who dealt with little more than a squabble over bread throughout most of their careers— he also knew how he looked on the outside! It was one of the oddities that he slowly accepted after years spent trapped in this harsh world.

He barely aged.

His face had maintained the same youthful appearance from the first day he fell into that accursed forest. While his hands had grown calluses and his skin mottled with scars, it didn’t change the fact he still looked like a teenager to everyone else.

The count couldn’t have known about his many years spent training in those woods, and he didn’t seem to have any clue about how vicious his head butler was either. Was the count really prioritizing those pathetic crooks in the back alleys of the slums over the safety of his eldest son? Was their relationship really that terrible?

Cale was a brat, with little to no manners, but even then the boy was legitimately related to him! Wasn’t that supposed to be a huge deal in a place like this? If it wasn’t for the seemingly genuine smile the count had plastered over his face, Choi Han would think the man was telling his son in a round-a-bout way to go die on his way there!

Then again, Cale had to have inherited his poker face from somewhere…

Everything was starting to click together in a morbid sense. One that made Choi Han only feel guiltier at how easily he’d jumped to conclusions regarding Cale before.

“… you want to send that squire as a security detail?”

Cale looked like he’d been forced to swallow a whole lemon. His brows crinkled in clear distaste like he was seconds away from throwing a fit. He didn’t, not with the audience present, but his next question came out strained.

“Is there really no one else free?”

Deruth looked completely oblivious to his son’s distress, his expression still laid back with a doting smile.

“Come now Cale, you know I’d never take a decision like this lightly. I’ll make sure Hilsman whips this boy into shape well before you set out. Who knows, maybe he’ll even impress you enough to appoint him as your personal knight! It couldn’t hurt to expand the circle of friends your age to talk to either-“

“Enough!”

Cale appeared completely drained by the whole conversation. He raised a hand to his temple, still frowning though there was a resigned set to his shoulders.

“Do as you want” Cale was already on his way out the door, his next words whispered and only still audible to Choi Han through his heightened hearing as a sword master. “It’s not like my opinion mattered anyways.”

Deruth seemed pleased with the response, still smiling like a fool… or maybe a sociopath.

It wasn’t long before Deruth was calling forth a different servant to guide him back to the training grounds to ‘prepare’ for the trip ahead.

Choi Han made a promise to himself then. No matter how sharp Cale’s tongue may be, he would observe the man’s actions first. He had a feeling that would be a more honest judge of his character as his words didn’t quite seem to match.

~Rock’s POV~

Once again, Rock needed help.

There just wasn’t a way around it! The vicious butler was his only point of contact outside the kittens- and as willing as On and Hong were to help; they were only children.

No, for this he needed someone human, someone with authority. He’d debated exposing himself to Cale too, but the man was a wild card. Who knows if Cale would be sober enough to even take him seriously. For all he knows Cale would just assume his mind was playing tricks on him and pass out drunk.

He needed someone who already knew his secret, someone who could work with him efficiently and wouldn’t ask pointless questions. Rock still didn’t know much about his new abilities, nor did he know what the exact conditions were to be able to transform or for how long.

As loathed as he was to admit it, Ron was the most reliable person for this job.

So, like before, he tore off a random page from a notebook, wrote two words this time, then dropped the note off at the older butler’s feet before scurrying away.

This time he trusted Ron to take the hint and didn’t wait around to check. He was already on edge as it was, seeing as the next step in his plan still had a lot of uncertainty surrounding it.

He needed to transform fully.

Rock had only managed a transformation of any sort during desperate or life threatening situations before; but that didn’t mean he had to be in one to do it. It was likely a dormant skill he’d always had, but just never had a reason to tap into until then.

While he may have promised himself not to work hard or train in this life, learning how to use a skill he already had didn’t count. Just like the ancient power he recently gained, all he needed to do was figure out how to wield it.

He returned to Cale's bedroom quickly, taking a brief look around the space to confirm the young master was still absent. Not that he needed to as Hong ran up almost tripping over his own words in his haste.

“Rock! You’re back! That grumpy guy still isn’t back yet and no one else has been by since!”

He patted the young kitten’s head with his paw in a somewhat stilted manner, fox legs weren’t exactly designed to move that way. Hong didn’t seem to mind though, eating up any affection with a rumbling purr as he turned a proud look his sister’s way.

On just rolled her eyes at the juvenile behavior, though Rock still made an effort to tap the top of her head with his tail when he walked by. If she sat up straighter and let out a soft purr too, he didn’t point it out.

After a moment of contemplation, Rock soon changed directions and headed towards the partially open door to the bathroom. He still remembered what state he’d transformed in last time, and he wasn’t about to go morphing in the nude in front of the pair of children.

Sure, they both were still young enough not to care— and cat beast tribes probably weren’t as phased by it seeing as all of them would’ve had to experience a first transformation at some point— but it was just weird!

Rock was no prude, but he’d like to keep his modesty intact. Thank you very much.

Once he’d made sure the kittens wouldn’t follow him in, he began pacing around the slightly warm tiles of the bathroom floor. The click click click of his nails peeking through the pads of his paws reverberated around the small room with his increasing frustration.

How does one trigger a shift anyways?

He’d already tried thinking really hard about wanting to become human, even tried standing up on his hind legs to mimic walking upright! No luck from either of those attempts.

The longer he spent pacing, the more and more annoyed he grew. This was just ridiculous, you’d think a body like this would come with an instruction manual if shifting didn’t come as second nature. How was he supposed to do anything if he had to wait till he was in mortal danger to even use human words?

Rock had half a mind to ask the children for advice— but that was a headache of its own! How would he even go about miming out the question? He’d already figured out the children didn’t know how to read early on thanks to Cale’s impromptu reading sessions.

This was a struggle he’d have to face alone.

With a growl, he turned another tight circle as he glared up at the mirror high above, floating over the sink that was out of reach in his small fox body. Maybe he should just give up, let someone else deal with these problems or turn a blind eye to them.

Something in his chest ached at the thought. A bitter taste left in its wake. As annoying as it was, he couldn’t bring himself to ignore the plight of the dragon in the Tolz territory.

If Cale really was determined to go to the capital then they’d no doubt have to cut through there. It was the fastest way to reach their destination and with the celebration so close already, it wasn’t like they had time to take the scenic route. That meant the baby dragon would be his problem soon and he didn’t want his already short life to end in a pitiful blaze of depression.

Rock was so distracted by thoughts of the dragon he didn’t notice the small patch of water on the floor in his path. He slipped, gaining no traction on the polished marble surface even as his claws fully extended in vain to get a grip.

With a short yelp, he found himself face planting into the foot of the tub; his nose stinging and drawing tears to his eyes. He paused, his attention solely focused on the throbbing pain at the tip of his nose-

Pain…

He remembered now, weren’t all of his transformations preluded by a painful sensation? An idea formed then, one that might be a shot in the dark— but with how little progress he made so far, it couldn’t hurt to try.

Before he could second guess himself, Rock reached deep into his records and ripped open the memory of those last two transformations. He forced himself to recall the moments before he experienced his first full transformation, the feeling of white hot lightning bolts of electricity running beneath his fur and realigning every muscle.

With a gasp he lost his balance, his mind a haze of delirious thoughts and records playing out of order. He tried to reign in the sensation, only now thinking that maybe reliving memories that his brain actively suppressed might not have been a great idea, but it was difficult to close the gate once the flood burst forth.

He didn’t know how long he lay there, panting through the effort and just trying to focus on getting one breath after another through his lungs.

It was only when he heard the soft familiar knock on the door to the bathroom that he fully came to. The worried meows of the kittens gradually making their way through the muddy static filling his ears.

When he opened his eyes and tried to sit up, the world seemed to tilt to a nauseating degree and he quickly found himself hunching back over with a groan. His hands came up to block the light from his eyes, pressing the pads of his fingers into his temple to stave off the vertigo—

Wait, fingers?

He bolted upright again, ignoring the protesting headache and lurch of his stomach that followed the action. Rock marveled at his fingers once more, appreciating the sight all the more after the struggle it took to reclaim this appearance.

He would’ve lost himself in the motions of just opening and closing his hands in front of his face again, had Ron not cleared his throat.

If Rock didn’t know better he’d think there was a hint of concern in the old man’s ghastly voice.

“Little fox, are you alright in there?”

Was he alright? Well, he successfully turned into a human so, probably.

The headache, nausea and lingering aches from the transformation would suggest otherwise.

He tried testing his voice, a soft hum leaving his throat at a slightly higher pitch than he was expecting. Odd.

Rock grabbed at a nearby towel to cover himself before he tried to stand, his legs trembling as he used the sink to pull himself to his full height and— Stared blankly at the smooth slightly off white sight that greeted him, uncomprehendingly.

His brain was slow to process the porcelain sink rim he used to pull himself up. While he understood what it was, he couldn’t wrap his head around why that would be the first thing he saw when standing up straight.

Shouldn’t there be a mirror here? Was the sink really so tall?

In his confusion, he neglected to answer Ron’s question. With an abrupt apology, the door soon swung open with a bang, startling Rock and revealing the sight of a frozen Ron.

In the back of his mind, he noted how his head actually had to tip back a bit to meet eyes with the older man who still looked enormous even in his human form.

‘Huh, the book never said anything about Ron being a giant.’

Ron looked like he was struggling for words, before something sharp glinted in his eyes as he cleared his throat.

“The little fox truly is very little. It looks like the clothes I’ve picked out may be… unsuitable.”

Hmm? The clothes were too big? Well, Ron had never seen his human form before so it was understandable.

Two kittens peeked past Ron’s legs, their curious eyes flashing with shock. Rock looked back at the kittens, equally stunned. They didn’t look all that much smaller than when he was in his fox form… but that could only mean-

He looked at his hands again. This time, processing the fact his fingers looked incredibly small and pudgy, a bit of baby fat surrounding each digit.

…

…

This was a child’s body wasn’t it?

His head was throbbing for a whole new reason as his latest transformation added a new complex ingredient to his ability sandwich.

“Rock? Why do you still have those ears?”

“Noona, is Rock actually our age nya?”

Great, he must look like a pretty young child too if Hong was asking if they’re the same age; and what did On mean by those ears?

“Little fox, your ears are quite cute, but I believe they’ll be quite counter productive to whatever you have planned next.”

Why was he being attacked by an old man now? What was so weird about his ears-

He went to touch the area where his ears should be, when Ron shook his head. A curl of amusement painted his lips as he indicated with his eyes to the top of his head.

“Not those, little fox, I believe the kittens were referring to the ones up there.”

Up- his hand brushed against something soft and sensitive, the appendage flicking away from his wandering fingers as he came to another dreadful realization. He still had his fox ears!

This time he grabbed both the fox ears atop his head none too gently, confirming that yes they were both there; and they were definitely not removable.

He sank to his knees as yet another wrench was thrown into his careful plans. How was he supposed to get around looking like this!?

Hong walked up to him cautiously, the soft pad of his paw gently tapping at his arm as he tried to comfort the panicking small mostly human child before him.

“Can’t you hide your ears nya? It’s easy! Just think about not having them and… and poof!”

Rock did his best to follow those instructions, vague as they may be, but no matter how hard he tried, it just didn’t work. His ears drooped back in dejection at the failure of his transformation unconsciously. If he were still in his full fox form he would’ve curled up into a tight ball to smother his embarrassment by now.

Did he always have ears even in his last transformation? He wouldn’t know. It’s not like there was a mirror at the time, or anyone else who could’ve told him. Checking himself out had hardly been his priority at the time either— but he was certain his body wasn’t nearly this small last time! How’s else would he have been able to scale that wall if he both had to readjust to this incredibly disproportionate body size and the unfamiliar terrain?

That did leave a few possibilities though… does it have something to do with his energy? Was last time just a fluke, or was this transformation just a dud? All these questions and yet there was no one here who could answer him.

With a sigh, he did what he did best and swept what problems he couldn’t control under the proverbial rug. His transformation had been partially successful after all and he could still speak from the looks of it. If this go around was anything like the last one, he also had a time limit to worry about.

Once he’d wrangled all the unhelpful emotions back under lock and key, he schooled his face into what he hoped was something neutral before facing his companions.

“This is just how I look.”

He didn’t bother trying to explain the whole process, it wouldn’t be helpful either way. When it looked like Hong was about to ask more questions, he quickly moved on and asked Ron where the clothes he asked him to bring were.

Like the ever reliable butler he was, he managed to conjure a fresh set out of seemingly thin air. The older man eyed the clothes, then Rock’s small frame and settled back into one of his default genial smiles.

Rock could already tell he wouldn’t like whatever Ron was scheming in that vicious head of his.

“Shall this butler help you get dressed then little fox?” The crescent shaped curves of his eyes took on a wicked edge as he rumbled “It will be quite nostalgic for this old man.” He said in a tone that very much implied he was going to do it anyways regardless of any protest.

On looked between Rock and Ron before quietly herding a confused Hong out of the room. A twinge of betrayal shot through Rock as soon as he was left alone with the unpredictable madman.

He took back his estimate on his life span, at this rate, he’d be lucky if he lived another year with all this stress!

As scary as Ron was though, there wasn’t a doubt the man made for a skilled butler. The entire dressing ordeal only took 5 minutes and was conducted professionally with barely a brush of gloved fingers against skin.

The clothes were a bit big on him as expected, but a few careful tucks, folds and pins had the entire ensemble looking tailor made for him. Ron had even sourced an Ivy cap at some point that fit snugly on his head and covered his ears.

By the time he found himself face to face with a mirror, he was shocked at the visage looking back at him. With his hair carefully styled and immaculately dressed as he was, he looked just like a noble!

Albeit, a 10 year old one.

The vibrant red strands of his hair were so similar to Cale, you’d almost think they were related at first glance. There were subtle differences in their features though, like how his eyebrows had a much gentler arch and his eyes were more phoenix structured with slightly slitted pupils. Though, you’d have to be staring pretty close and hard to note the oval shape to them.

The collar he wore had adjusted itself just as Ron said it would. However, it wasn’t just the size that morphed with him, but the overall design. Whereas before there was no mistaking the collar belonged to a pet, it had now transformed into a more elegant piece of delicate gold jewelry.

A curious attempt proved that even in this state, the collar wouldn’t come off. Magic truly was a cheat in this world.

Satisfied that he passed as both a human and a noble, he turned back to Ron and made his final request.

“Take me to the fragrance tea and poetry shop run by Bilos.”

With Ron’s help, it was a simple enough affair to sneak out through the servants quarters. Of course, Ron had a number of responsibilities to attend to as the head butler, he sent his son Beacrox to act as a footman and guide instead.

The kittens knew their roles and stayed behind in the room as a look out. Beacrox for his part was a mostly silent companion. He only raised his brow once towards his father when Rock was first pushed onto him; but the man asked no questions and simply did as he was told.

He was the perfect subordinate, if not for the fact he was also an incredibly viscious torture expert with a fondness of sharpening knives in his spare time.

With the earnest chef as a footman and the fancy though unmarked carriage, they made their way quickly through the streets and arrived at the tea and poetry shop before long.

The place wasn’t exactly packed, but there was a sizable number of patrons. His entrance alone in this kid sized body definitely drew a few wandering eyes, but most looked away after finding the cloaked kid uninteresting.

Still, the prickling sensation had him pulling the hood of his cloak further over his hat covered head. He’d rather not leave any lasting impressions with his unusual red hair.

Bilos was waiting behind the counter, already armed with a service smile. He really did live up to the descriptions in the book, harmless and unassuming, if not a bit cunning with the wane of his smile— though personally, Rock would describe him as looking more like a piggy bank than anything else. Bilos didn’t seem to care that his newest guest appeared barely old enough to drink tea.

“Good afternoon young master, how can this Bilos be of assistance today? Perhaps a good storybook recommendation?”

Rock gave him an unamused look before fixing his sight elsewhere, feigning nonchalance as he mimicked Cale’s most insufferable speech.

“Oh, I was told a bastard merchant worked here. My mistake, it seems there’s only a nearsighted bookkeeper staffed today.”

Bilos went rigid behind the counter, his smile fracturing a little as his previously closed eyes opened a crack. When he spoke next, there was an air of earnestness to his words, layered in shrewd calculation that was easily glossed over.

“Ah my mistake young sir. Please excuse my careless tongue, perhaps our conversation may benefit from a change in scenery?”

Without waiting for a response he led the way past the counter and towards the unoccupied upper floors, trusting Rock would follow along.

Rock did his best to keep up, all the while throwing silent curses around in his head as his stubby legs made the trip up the stairs a truly humiliating process. He’d grown so used to walking on fours by now that he had to physically restrain himself from leaning forward and casually use his hands to speed up the process.

He kept the animalistic urges under wraps though, maintaining as much dignity as his unaccustomedly short 10 year old legs could afford him. Bilos brought the pair of them to a discrete door between ancient looking shelves that opened up to an enclosed terrace.

The room was grandly decorated for such a small space. Floral and private. It actually looked like a pretty cozy nook to read in if he had the time. Bilos offered Rock the chair across from him with a nonchalant gesture of his hand. A chair that Rock struggled to pull himself into, though the fox turned child refused to acknowledge the effort. He maintained a neutral expression through the entire process, missing the barely restrained amusement slipping into Bilos’ expression.

“Now that that’s settled, who are you and what are you really here for?”

Rock appreciated a person who could get to the point. Regardless, he ignored Bilos’ question and got right to asking his own.

“Aren’t you tired of being a bastard? Someone who can’t even call their own father ‘father’ or their half brother ‘brother’? What’s the use of carrying the Flynn last name if you waste it away here cowering in the shadows?”

Bilos shifted in his seat, a wry smile lifting his expression into something sardonic.

“And I suppose you’d know all about being a bastard then?”

Rock remained stoic, holding Bilos’s challenging gaze, before sighing and removing his hood. With only the cap in place, there was nothing hiding the curling red hairs framing his slightly rounded cheeks.

Rock didn’t have to say anything, the sharp breath Bilos took at the sight was confirmation enough.

Now, he wasn’t exactly lying to the man, he was just letting him draw his own conclusions. If those conclusions just so happened to be wrong- well, that was Bilos’ own problem.

An abrupt laugh filled the room, stilted and void of any mirth as Bilos doubled over in a fit.

“He he heh! That absolute crazy bastard has really gone and done it has he? Ah to think I’d see the day-“

“Are you done?”

Bilos took another minute to compose himself, wiping a final few tears from the corner of his eye as he settled into a more comfortable tone “ho ho! And this one’s inherited quite the famous temper!”

He drew his eyes up and down his frame in a lazy appraisal “Looks like this bastard has been well looked after behind the scenes.”

Rock ignored the comments, quickly moving back to the point as though Bilos never said anything in the first place.

“I know you’re still in contact with your uncle. He’s fond of you, is he not?”

“Hmm, and what of it?”

Rock quickly took out the note he’d prepared beforehand, donning an innocent smile as he took advantage of his boyish charms to play off his request as a minor thing.

“I need him to meet me in the capital and I need you to get me these items in the next two days.”

Bilos barely glanced at the note he pushed forward before crossing his arms and leaning back with a smug expression. Though his posture read as closed off, his eyes were quite lively with curiosity; there was still an opportunity here.

“And what will this do for me? Do you really expect me to trust the word of a child who doesn’t even feature in the smallest rumors of the town that birthed him?”

Bilos took on a pitying stance, a genuine softness lighting the creases of his eyes as he spoke with a hint of sadness.

“A bastard is a bastard no matter how one struggles. Best keep your head down, naivety will only carry you so far-”

“And opportunities like this only come once in a lifetime.”

Bilos’ mouth shut with an audible click, stunned by the bold declaration.

“Think hard, bastard Flynn, are you really the only merchant capable of getting me these things? If you’re so capable, what’s stopping you from grabbing what you really want?”

Rock wished he’d ordered a refreshment before this, his throat was already getting a bit dry with all the talking.

He’d done as much convincing as he could do on this front, all he needed was a little nudge and Bilos would crumble under his hands.

“If you agree, find Ron to get word to me by the end of the day. Otherwise I’ll assume the rat still wants to live like a rat.”

Rock made to get up from the chair, but was stopped in place as Bilos raised a hand. He looked serious this time, a first throughout their entire little chat. Silently Bilos reached for the note left forgotten on the table and carefully read through the items listed there.

The further down the list he read, the more severe Bilos’ expression became. When he finally reached the end of it, he looked back up at Rock with an iffy expression.

“What, is there something listed outside of your capabilities?”

Bilos slowly shook his head, but the frown remained.

“What on earth could you want to do with half these items? Are you planning on destroying a city- wait, no, I don't want to know.”

He shook his head, dragging a hand down his face as he peered over the top of the paper towards Rock with narrowed eyes.

“I can get them… but it will cost you. Do you even have the means to pay me proper?”

While Rock appeared outwardly unaffected by the comment, internally he was shitting bricks.

How could he forget about the funds! Ron had said before that the collar he wore would indicate he was a Henituse then automatically direct any bills he accrued in the territory directly to the household- but that was under the condition he was recognized as the young master’s pet fox!

As it was, in his current form, he had a whopping zero gallons to his name!

What could Rock do in this situation you might ask? Bluff of course. He looked right into Bilos’s eyes and scoffed as though insulted by the correct insinuation.

“If it’s really too hard, I can always find someone else.“

“That’s not what I-“

The door to their room slammed open abruptly. Bilos and Rock whipped their heads in unison to stare at the uninvited guest in bewilderment.

Cale stood there in all his red flushed glory, backlit and holding a bottle of some expensive wine by the neck. He looked a mix between cross and amused at having stumbled into this peculiar setting.

The moment Rock realized who had just walked in, he wanted to sink into the ground and vanish. Was it too late to turn around and pretend he never saw Cale?

It was obviously too late to run away, Cale definitely noticed him if the surprise that flashed by his face was anything to go by. Fortunately, he did little more than frown a bit harder at Rock before looking at Bilos accusingly.

“And what do you think you’re doing alone with my son?”

“…”

“…”

How long has Cale been standing outside exactly?

Rock was bewildered as to why Cale would so easily assume the role of father to some random kid with red hair he just met— but it was sort of working in his favor so he probably shouldn’t be looking this gift horse in the mouth. Even if the math didn’t add up.

“Ahem, young master Henituse, we were just discussing some trivial payment matters for some… unique books. They’re quite rare, you see, so the high cost is quite reasonable if this young sir wishes to buy them from my collection.”

Rock side eyed Bilos and his fancy linguistics.

‘What a sly bastard, quick thinking too. Perhaps he’ll be more useful than I thought.’

Cale just hummed, playing with the rim of the bottle and looking bored around the room. “And how much is expensive?”

“Oh, I couldn’t put a price on some of these rarer pieces… but if I had to venture a guess, 35 million gallons should be fair to rent some and buy the rest.”

Rock felt his heart drop when he heard the price. That was the price of renting?! This was clearly a scam! The man must not value his life if he was trying to pull the rug out from under Cale, no way would the temperamental bastard put up with such an obvious-

“That’s it? Haah, and here I thought I taught my son to have better taste.”

‘Excuse me, what?’

Cale looked like he thought the staggering numbers being spit out by the scammer of a merchant was chump change! He didn’t even bat an eye as he tossed a large clinking bag towards Bilos.

“That should more than cover it. Oh, and keep the change. The godforsaken rattling is annoying to deal with in the morning.”

With the context clues provided, and seeing a few spilling out from the mishandling; Rock could only watch mouth agape as the bag Cale just tossed like a sack of rocks was revealed to actually be full of gold and silver coins! Real ones! He almost fainted at the casual treatment of such a large sum of money.

‘Being rich is the best!’

It took Cale an uncountable number of tries to get Rock’s attention next. He was just so awestruck by the realization of how rich of a family he wandered his way into, he completely tuned out his surroundings.

“If we’re done here, return to the estate at once.”

It was only when Rock registered the sharp glare that he remembered Cale’s repeated instructions earlier that day about not going outside. Ron probably ratted him out didn’t he? So much for being the only one he could trust!

Regardless of how Cale found out, it was clear he had some explaining to do on the way back… he wasn’t looking forward to that conversation. Maybe he should be thankful he transformed as a child this time. It would be a lot more awkward to think of him as a full grown man being carried around and sitting in Cale’s lap all the time.

Rock pulled his hood up again as they made their way back down to the awaiting carriage. Somehow there seemed to be even more people interested in him now that he actually had a guardian around… though the guardian being the infamous trash young master was probably a factor in it.

Once they’d both been loaded up safely, Cale closed the curtains and settled a firm disapproving look Rock’s way.

It was only natural. Rock would also be upset if he found out his favorite pet was actually a sentient being that could turn into a human one day, regardless of it being a child.

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

Rock pulled the cap off his head and away from his ears, as soft as the material was, it was still a pain to keep his ears pressed flat for so long. He definitely wasn’t just stalling for time.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you… Cale hyung-nim.”

If he looked like a child, might as well go all in! Who knows, it may even soften the prickly noble enough to let him off the hook. Rock couldn’t have known that the combination of his large child-like eyes mixed with those naturally drooping fox ears were already enough of a killer combo to make any man or woman bend to his whims.

“You-! Haaah, so troublesome…”

Cale dropped his bottle to the floor of the carriage— drawing an unnoticed flinch from Rock— and threw his arm dramatically over his eyes as he leaned far back into the cushioned seat. He seemed to be mumbling something under his breath, though all Rock could pick up with his less heightened senses was the occasional “children” and “too young to be a dad”.

Rock didn’t feel the slightest bit of remorse for that last part, Cale put that title on himself if anything.

“I told you not to go outside! Do you ever even listen to me?”

Rock just tilted his head, blinking up through his lashes as though he really were just a clueless child and not scheming at all.

Cale huffed and flopped back into his chair with a groan.

“That’s it, you’re grounded when we get back.”

Rock only just managed to hold back from rolling his eyes. He merely let out a short huff and crossed his own arms as he frowned petulantly. This only earned him a laugh from Cale though.

“Don’t go thinking that’ll work on me! I know you’ve already gotten most of the servants wrapped around your grubby little paws. Someone’s got to be a good role model and set boundaries for you.”

Rock thought a good role model and setting boundaries were the last things he would associate with the trash villain of the books; but who was he to judge?

His chest was starting to feel itchy, a warm sensation building in the root of his gut. Either Rock was starting to get emotionally constipated from all this coddling from Cale, or his time limit was coming up fast.

A sharp stabbing sensation in his limbs, woozy sensation in his head and almost falling face first onto the carriage floor was his answer.

Cale had jumped up to catch him just in time, arms immediately wrapping around Rock as his body jerked and spasmed with each punch of white hot pain.

This was nothing like his former transformation, it felt ten times worse! It was like his bones were snapping, whittling down and trying to fit themselves into a much too small container.

Rock grit his teeth, trying to hold back any sound but failing to suppress the occasional whimper when it got really bad.

“What’s wrong! Wha- Beacrox pull over and fetch a doctor immediately! Rock, stay with me, please! Oh god what do I do!”

He wanted to tell Cale it was alright and he’d be fine soon, probably, but all that came out when he opened his lips was blood.

Which, ok, that was one way to get rid of excess volume.

This only made Cale panic even more, his hand now hovering over Rock’s chest and face as his other patted Rock’s back a bit too hard to feel comforting.

“Rock! Breathe! Please don’t do this to me, we’re almost back, help is on the way!”

Rock was losing his grip on consciousness the further the transformation went, he’d probably pushed the time limit too far earlier. He’ll remember for next time. For now, he surrendered to the exhaustion blanketing his body.

With his last conscious thought, he patted Cale’s hand, a weak smile on his face as he explained as much as he could make out through slurred speech.

“Imma pass out.”

Then blackness.

Chapter Text

Silence.

It was thick, cloying, colorless silence. And it was all around him. There wasn’t a sound to be heard nor a sight to be seen. Though Rock was alone in this empty dark void, he didn’t feel any fear. It was like he knew exactly where he was, even if it was his first time being here.

He took a step forward, knowing subconsciously there would be ground for him to walk. Step by step he continued on this unseen path, relying only on his sense of touch to navigate. Rock couldn’t explain it… but it was almost like there was something calling to him from within the darkness. Beckoning him closer.

Against all better judgment, he followed the command in his head prompting him to go deeper. On and on he walked through this eerie place, the feeling of deja vu nestling deeper into his bones the longer he stayed in this space. Finally, out of the corner of his eyes he thought he spotted a hint of gray, a shade of difference in the otherwise black monotony.

He turned to follow it, the instinctual tug that had been calling to him all the while weakening more and more until it too fell silent. The place he found himself in was a mostly vacant room, blank empty walls similarly black to the rest of this place if not for the sheen of pale light reflecting off the surface. In the center of this room was the cause for the abrupt disruption to the darkness of this world.

He… wasn’t sure how to describe what he was looking at. It was… an orb of light? No— it was more solid than that… like a cloudy glass marble with a single LED light placed in its centre. Whatever it was, it hovered in the center of the room, bobbing slightly up and down while emanating a weak silver light.

Rock took a step closer, entranced. The temperature of the air dropped several degrees colder. This close, he could spot the spiderweb of black cracks on the surface of this spherical object no larger than his palm. It was almost like it had been broken before, then hastily glued back together with whatever pieces were found nearby.

Intrigued, he reached his hand up to touch the brittle surface. He traced over one of the many black veins and looked on in wonder at its unexpected warmth. If he put his mind to it, he swore he could almost feel it pulsing beneath his touch, like a small fluttering heartbeat. In his trance he lost track of his fingers, wincing when one of the serrated edges of the splintered surface sliced open a tip during its trailing exploration.

He pulled away immediately, but not before a drop of blood fell from the wound and onto the orb. Instantly the blood was absorbed, sucked in through one of the many cracks and turned the black vein red. A wave of unpleasantness hit him a beat after that.

Whatever he did seemed to trigger something within the ball, the red vein glowing, thickening and spreading through the network of overlapping lines. The already weak silver light darkened to crimson, wisps of smoky tendrils emerging from the shadows of the room, seemingly alive.

When it pulsed again he found himself kneeling on the ground, hand over his chest and gasping for breath. It was like his lungs were on fire, his blood rushing to his head as he felt all hell break loose within his body. His human and beast instincts were locked in a fierce battle, warring with opposing responses to the red light.

Through the throng of confusing and opposing instincts, only one managed to push its way to the surface, unanimously agreed upon by both sides as they screamed at him to MOVE! But even if he wanted to listen to it, his legs were frozen, incapable of letting him escape.

The smoke surrounded him, crawling up his prone legs and aching chest before forcing their way up his neck into his ears, nose, mouth— anywhere they could get! He tried to fight it off, tried to hold his breath! But there was no end to the formless cloud invading his body.

He choked, the pressure of suddenly feeling too full overwhelming all of his senses as the red light flickered entirely black.

With a jolt he found himself awake in the soft embrace of Cale’s top of the line comforters. He blinked once, twice, finding it difficult to focus with the light stabbing his eyes and threatening to pierce the back of his skull.

With a groan he rolled over and tucked himself away from the glaring brightness. It was only as he felt his hind legs tangle up with a stray fluffy tail that he noted he must’ve successfully shifted back at some point.

Another shuffle came from further down the bed, followed by a low sleepy voice mumbling his name. Suddenly the soft surface dipped dramatically, Rock rolling in the complete opposite direction toward the dip in the bed and the dreaded light.

“Rock, you’re awake! Ron, quickly fetch something to eat and drink!”

Rock flattened his ears against Cale’s overly loud voice, his head still spinning from the light headed-ness of a disrupted sleep cycle. It was similar to experiencing the beginning of a hangover, though he was pretty damn sure he hadn’t had a lick of alcohol since transmigrating here. Speaking of alcohol though… the usual strong scent of it clouding Cale like some high end cologne was particularly untolerable at the moment.

Rock wrinkled his nose. He never did like the smell of alcohol growing up.

His body moved of its own accord, attempting to shuffle back even through the increasing nausea. Only for Cale to thwart his attempts at creating distance by immediately leaning further into his space while yelling some other nonsense, bringing that awfully heavy scent closer. It was all he could do to stop himself from retching, his mind hyper focused on the fact it just smells so bad!

Cale froze, the room froze, but Rock remained none the wiser to it. He was too distracted by his watering eyes, still irritated from the light and now assaulted with the sharp pungent smell of wine. The bed dipped again, this time the shadow of Cale disappearing and taking with it the terrible smell. A door slammed shortly after, echoing in the near empty room but Rock, again, could hardly pay attention to it. He was too caught up in the immediate relief of clean air as his body gradually relaxed.

That relaxation didn’t last long though.

The loud clatter of cutlery and a tray being set down aggressively nearby had him nearly leaping out of his own fur! “Tsk tsk, and that puppy had been so worried…” Rock felt the usual shivers crawl up his spine at that overly honeyed tone. Ron’s typical benign smile fixed on his face— but Rock knew better than to trust it, the old man’s eyes were far too cold.

“You gave us quite the fright after all… oh, and might this Ron add, it would’ve been much more useful to know your kind were aligned with the dark elements before you passed out.”

Verbal comprehension wasn’t quite coming naturally yet. Rock found himself struggling for a whole minute to even digest part of what Ron said. ‘Dark elements? Aligned? What the hell…’ Ron must’ve been in a bitterly benevolent mood today as he so helpfully began spelling out the problem further. Of course, between each word, he force fed him spoonfuls of over lemoned.

Wasn’t Beacrox supposed to be the torture expert? What a joke.

“Oh my, perhaps this butler got ahead of himself. Your age must be taken into account after all, it’s reasonable you may not have learned everything about your kind before fleeing here— so allow this old Ron to teach you.” Another spoonful of lemon tea was served, Ron’s lips still twisted in that facsimile of a nurturing smile, an extreme juxtaposition compared with his current viscous behaviour.

“As all dark creature’s should know, you will naturally reject anything associated with the light attribute. Be it healing potions, blessings of the sun gods, or healing priests- even holy relics; all of these are nothing but poison to your kind. Therefore it is especially important that if you’re ever hurt, you must let us know immediately as you can only be treated the old fashioned way.”

Aside from the lemony after taste, Ron’s explanation was actually rather appreciated… in a panic inducing way. If he was understanding things correctly, then that meant he, whatever he is, is a dark creature. His species fell into the same category as dark elves, mermaids, necromancers, and black mages; considered scorned by the gods.

Assuming he was a beast person— as he displayed almost all the traits of one besides having difficulty shifting— then his tribe had it ten times worse than any other! All beast people were supposedly “abandoned by gods”, but that just meant potions and healing magic wouldn’t work on them. Not that it really mattered as a majority of them had the trade off of fast regenerative abilities.

But the fact is, it was incredibly unfair that a change in a single descriptive word could be the difference between a mild inconvenience like lack of effective potions, and suddenly being allergic to all light associated things! He didn’t even want to think about what must’ve occurred while he was passed out for Ron of all people to have learned of his dark heritage.

With an author as exceptionally detailed as the one who wrote this story, you’d think they’d make a point to mention a beast tribe with the darkness attribute. Then again, maybe it was mentioned later on… past volume 5.

Rock felt a sudden wave of depression filling him, horror and anxiety following quickly after it. While this was all useful to know, it also meant he no longer just needed the next ancient power for simple quality of life improvements, but as a necessity for survival. These were the dark ages for crying out loud! He wouldn’t be surprised if using leeches in medical practice to suck out the ‘bad blood’ was a real thing here.

Avoiding pain was number one on his bucket list next to living a leisure life and if he wasn’t allowed to use magic to heal himself (because of course not, why should he get to benefit from such convenient things now when he was never so lucky in the past); he sure wasn’t about to twiddle his thumbs and wait to suffer through the next big injury. Not when there was a perfectly good ancient power available that was destined to be wasted if he didn’t pick it up first.

As if his life wasn’t troublesome enough already.

Ron paused in his meticulous spoon feeding of a finely diced steak. He suddenly looked amused, for whatever reason. “Hoh, could it really be you didn’t know before this?” The older butler was eyeing him with a critical look, the disbelief quickly replaced with something more sinister and calculative. “Hmm, perhaps I can suggest some additional reading materials to help further your education.” The sly smirk that accompanied his innocent sounding offer left Rock doubting those books were anything so simple.

‘Educate my ass-‘

“Rock!”

That immediate response was too perfectly timed to be a coincidence… Had he been talking aloud this whole time?

Cale had returned at some point during their discussion. The young noble looked practically scandalized, like a mother catching their child speaking blasphemy against the crown. He walked over with large purposeful strides, grabbing Rock by what would’ve been his armpits in a human form and holding him eye level in a scolding manner. 

“Where the hell did you pick up such a foul tongue!” Cale barked, rather ironically.

Ron, being the ever so helpful butler he was, quickly pointed the finger back around with the claim “I believe most children learn by example”. Never-mind that Rock was actually a 36 years old man and long had a dictionary of colorful language at his disposal. Not that anyone but himself needed to know about that little fact.

Cale clicked his tongue, apparently annoyed with the association. “Tsk, this simply won’t do.”

This close, Rock noted the distinctly clean smell of soap coming from Cale’s whole body. The young noble’s hair dripped with water, a damp towel loosely hung around his neck as though fresh from a shower. It looked like Rock had been speaking out loud a lot longer than he thought, the realization dawning with pooling dread.

While maintaining stern eye contact with Rock, Cale pursed his lips and took in a deep breath before carrying him away from the safe comfort of the bed. No doubt readying himself to yell and punish the fox for his poor behavior and attitude. Rock’s ears were already pressed back flush to his skull, his tail curling between his legs in submission as his mind went careful blank.

He tried to distance himself from what he knew was coming, it always went by faster if he just kept silent— Only, the shouting never came.

Instead Cale sat him on the plush cushion of the couch next to the small dining table and kneeled in front of him. His gaze remained firm, but there was no annoyance there nor anger. In fact, Rock couldn’t read what expression Cale was making.

“Rock you can’t be using language like that. I know I may not be the best of role models and I won’t patronize you by assuming anything about your upbringing— but as your senior and current guardian I should at least be responsible enough to teach you right from wrong-“ Cale prattled on, speaking slowly and methodically as if explaining these concepts to a child.

Which, on second thought, Cale probably actually believed he was! Rock was silent, eyes staring forward unseeing, his ears long having filtered out Cale’s words into piercing white noise. He tried hard to recall a time he may have given off the impression of a child, but nothing came to mind.

Rock may not have much experience with children throughout his 30+ years of life, neither was he an expert on wild animals, but he was pretty sure he played a decent fox until now. Shouldn’t Cale be more surprised? Or better yet, more guarded against this creature that was cunning enough to approach him and pull the wool over his eyes for so long?

Rock expected anger, he expected to be punished or thrown out when he was discovered! Not… whatever this was.

His stomach flipped, a queasy feeling flooding his insides as he tried to figure out what this meant, what Cale expected of him. He must’ve been zoning out noticeably as the gentle warm pressure of a hand atop his head snapped him back to the present. Though there was nothing distinctly aggressive in the touch, It took effort not to react negatively to the unexpectedness of it.

His pupils shook as he met Cale’s gaze. “Do you understand?” The noble repeated, the harsh frowning lines on his face softening as he slid his hand down from his head acting as a solid grounding weight on his back. Rock’s tongue felt heavy in his mouth. He could only nod in response, though he had no idea what he was agreeing with. Cale could have been asking for his soul at the moment and Rock would have agreed to it, like an idiot, in his distracted state.

Cale’s lip lifted in an attempted half smirk, his hand back atop his head and ruffling the fur between his ears condescendingly. “Well, I won’t fault you for using that language in my presence at least, but try to hold back when we have company hmm? Wouldn’t want any busy bodies sticking their nose in our business.” His voice lilted conspiratorially.

And perhaps it was a testament to just how out of it Rock was that despite how bad of an idea it would be— and even through the cotton stuffed sensation of his mouth— he managed to mumble out “hypocrite.”

An abrupt snort met his words but when he shot a suspicious look Ron’s way, there was no trace of his distantly benign mask slipping. “I must agree with our little fox here, young master, it would be quite unfair to hold the child to a standard you aren’t willing to meet yourself.”

Cale frowned hard at that. His hand suddenly raised to pinch the bridge of his nose, catching Rock off guard with the abrupt movement and triggering the fox to flinch back on reflex. When Cale noticed and made the correlation, he looked even more furious, his face almost red with the effort of holding back a curse.

“I need another drink.” He released with his next exhale, his tone and expression carefully controlled as he made an effort to slowly raise himself to plop into the arm chair across from Rock.

Ron had conjured up another cup in the meanwhile, carefully extending the steaming tea out to Cale. The noble glared at his old butler’s overt undermining, no real heat in his eyes as he grabbed the offered beverage with a scoff.

“Fine, I’ll also make an effort to act more…proper-” his nose wrinkled, his voice cutting off as he brought the tea cup to his mouth. He threw an incredulous frown Ron's way “did you add lemon to this?”

Ron met his accusation evenly, not a hint of remorse as he used an oily tongue to smooth over it. “I thought the fruity tones would help alleviate some of your cravings. It wouldn’t hurt to look for alternatives to your preferred drink while keeping certain company.” Rock didn’t miss the way the old man’s eyes lingered on him as he finished his statement. No doubt still suspicious of Rock and subtly implying that Cale shouldn’t let his guard down around him.

Sadly Cale wasn’t able to pick up on his butlers concerns. The younger man continued to mutter pettily, staring daggers into the cup like he was handed a poisoned chalice. “You know I absolutely dispise sour flavors.” He hissed through clenched teeth to deaf ears. The older man’s smile only twitched slightly as he quipped back “is wine not sour as well though?”

Cale made a show of gagging as he took another sniff of the tea, his glare only burning hotter as he opened his mouth ready to keep arguing- when he shot a look at Rock and finally seemed to catch on to Ron’s hidden meaning. His jaw snapped shut with a click, his protests squashed as he gave another wary look at the tea in his cup and back at Rock— before ultimately deciding the sour tea was the lesser of two evils, taking a sip of the warm drink. Rude.

Ron on the other hand looked quite pleased by the outcome. His hands folded behind his back professionally as he tilted his head and inquired in the silence “Seeing as the little fox is awake and well, perhaps it would be a good time to bring up some rather concerning rumors I’ve heard recently.”

Rock stiffened as the attention seemed to shift back to him. He was abruptly reminded of the interrupted interrogations started by both men in the room at separate points. Neither of which have technically been concluded and Rock was now painfully aware of the kittens' absence for this conversation.

Cale nodded distractedly, still struggling to maintain a neutral facade while drinking his lemon tea.

“For example…?”

“How the eldest young master of the Henituse house has a bastard child running about.” Ron clipped out in a single breath, his expression even more benign than usual.

Rock suddenly found himself very taken by the fine gold threading of the sofa cushions beneath him. They were exquisitely detailed, he wondered how much money he could get from tearing out the strands and selling them individually.

Cale who’d just taken another ill timed sip of his drink was left choking into the cup, coughing as he finally put the offending drink down while staring wide eyed at Ron. “Excuse me? How did you-” Ron’s voice remained level, answering before Cale could even finish his question. “I believed the young master was already aware, but walls do have ears.”

Once he’d cleared his lungs of the stray tea, Cale settled back into his seat the picture of composed overconfidence. “And? what of it?” His voice schooled back into his typical flippant cadence.

Rock swore he saw a tick mark appear at Ron’s temple, the older man’s voice coming out noticeably strained. “Need I remind the young master of his age?” Cale looked genuinely perplexed at the mention of this. His brow rose in bewilderment as he shot back almost defensively “What’s wrong with my age?”

Ron shook his head, disappointment radiating from him like a put upon teacher failing their student for the third year in a row. “Let me reframe the question.” He turned an appraising look Rock’s way, back to professional mode. “Little fox, if you could enlighten this old man, how old are you?”

Rock still couldn’t meet the man’s gaze, feeling a bit cagey about the whole interaction as he turned the question back to him “How old do I look?” It was Cale that answered “About 10.” He paused then, acting as though he had to think over the answer before replying “Older than that.”

Rock wasn’t about to tell them his real age… but he also didn’t want to be forever stuck as a child if he figured out how to transform back into an older appearance in the future. “How much older?” Ron followed up, his voice still level though he had no doubt there was aggression building under the surface. “Older” Rock took advantage of his young voice to spit back petulantly. If Cale’s poorly hidden snort was anything to go by, he was definitely selling the little kid act.

“So I have a 10 something year old son. What’s so strange about that?” Cale concluded before Ron could start up another loop, his voice prickly and his eyes screaming to dare question his sound logic. Unfortunately, his opponent was Ron, and the man wasn’t one to hold back his punches. “That would make you 8 at the time of siring him.” He responded in a dry tone.

Dead silence followed the statement. If the rising flush was any indication, it looked like Cale only now seemed to have done the math himself. Even then, he refused to admit his mistake and doubled down by acting deliberately obtuse.

“Adoption is always an option! I’m hardly the only person who could have red haired children.”

Ron’s gentle facade finally cracked, his eyes flashing with barely concealed annoyance as he ground out “Impulsive little pup- would it not have made more sense to call him a brother or cousin-”

“No.” Cale’s voice was loud and abrupt as he cut off Ron’s words. There was a fierce protectiveness in the way he held himself, not willing to back down even under Ron’s out of character glaring.

“Even if we looked nothing alike I would’ve claimed him as my son.” He declared with stiff finality. The two held each other’s glare for a long moment. Rock was almost afraid he was about to witness the butler turn on his young master right there; but then the older man’s lips broke into a wide feral grin. A single laugh was forced out of his chest, as the old man drew a hand down his face in exasperation.

“Perhaps even hatred breeds affection.” Ron muttered when his hand reached over his mouth, whispered just low enough that Rock almost couldn’t hear it even with his canid ears. He could feel his hackles rising at Ron’s causal admittance to having no regard to the boy he’d watched grow up all his life, even if the comment was meant to be private.

‘Viscious bastard.’

He was sure this time his mouth wasn’t open as he thought that.

Rock was grateful for the distraction when a knock broke through the awkward atmosphere in the room. Ron quickly excused himself to the door, greeting the young deputy butler behind it and allowing two smaller guests to slip by his legs into the room. It wasn’t long before twin bundles of warmth were pressed against his side, loud meows and purring filling his ears as Hong and On rubbed their heads against him alternately.

Cale’s eyes were stuck on them watching over the scene with rapt attention, entirely ignoring the envious look Hans was shooting at him through a rapidly closing door. Once the door was shut with only those in the know present, Ron dropped his smiling act and turned back to the couch with a frown. Rock was already on high alert from the moment he noticed Cale obnoxious staring, his eyes darting between the old butler and Cale as he moved to surround the two kittens with his tail.

Perhaps sensing the strangeness of his behavior or the overall tense atmosphere in the room, the two siblings redoubled their efforts to act like normal cats rolling around and blinking owlishly up at the two humans in obliviousness. Rock quickly put a stop to the unnecessary show though.

“He already knows.”

On looked taken aback when Rock talked to her, her golden eyes wide in shock and panic as she quickly dove to cover his mouth with both her paws. “Don’t push yourself anymore Rock! You’ll start coughing up blood again!” Her voice was laced with fear, already looking him up and down as if expecting a sea of blood to gush out at any moment.

Hong also scooted closer, his large doleful stare similarly aggrieved as he buried his paws in the fur of his neck before butting his head into Rock’s cheek. “Why didn’t you tell us you were sick! Don’t you trust us?” He sobbed with a pitiful whine to his voice.

Rock was stunned speechless by the overly concerned actions of the two kittens. They’d never acted this way with him before, even when he’d coughed up blood in Harris village. This treatment felt much more… like coddling. Not quite the same as being talked down to— but more along the lines of someone determined to be weak, or incompetent.

Shouldn’t the kittens of all people have realized he definitely wasn’t a child though? They’d heard his voice before. His adult one. Or had they really just conveniently forgotten about that? Rock shook off On’s paws, glancing once in Cale and Ron’s direction warily before he addressed their concerns. “No, not this time. Talking in this form won’t hurt me anymore.”

Call it a hunch, but he just knew that his ability to speak was no longer temporary. There was no extra weight or warmth wrapped around his vocal chords, he barely even had to think to speak. It just came naturally again, like riding a bicycle after a long period of not needing to. He was glad for it all the same, not being able to speak had been a pain.

Before he could really take in either kitten’s relieved expression, Cale was cutting into their conversation with questions of his own.

“I’m sorry but what’s this about being sick? Is that why you coughed up blood and passed out before?” Something about the way he was speaking gave Rock the impression he was expecting a flushed out explanation. Too bad for him though because Rock was also just as confused about this whole sick business.

Rock tried to say as much, starting with “I’m not sick-“ only to be instantly drowned out by concerned twin meows and a disbelieving “ho!”. On rounded on him with the first glare she directed his way since saving the two at the stream during their first face to face encounter.

“Rock don’t lie! Isn’t that why you’ve been having trouble shifting until now? I remember a member of our tribe who stopped being able to shift and the healer said it was because of a t-terminal illness!” Her pupils were trembling as her voice took on a pleading edge “they, they died Rock! Please, If you trust these humans enough to stay with them then let them help!”

Rock could feel his own self confidence deflate in the face of her earnest pleas. He felt almost guilty for worrying both siblings so much, but he couldn’t grant her request. Some part of his brain was just certain that whatever was causing these problems wasn’t a sickness.

“I’m really not sick though… at least, I don’t think I am?” He growled as he couldn’t really understand it himself, not for the first time wishing he hadn’t fallen asleep after reading only the first 5 volumes. Maybe there’d be an answer if he’d just read a little further. With a huff he slumped to rest his head on his paws, the tip of his tail flicking in annoyance as he grumbled “It's difficult to explain.”

Ron of all people seemed to be the only one willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. While he didn’t seem to blindly accept his answer, there was a hint of something contemplative in his expression.

“If I might interrupt, Rock, are you really part of a fox beast tribe?”

Rock could only shrug “Maybe, I don’t really remember.” Which wasn’t technically a lie. As far as he was aware, a fox beast tribe never existed- but how else would you explain what he is? His ability to turn into a human and a fox?

Ron frowned at the non-clear answer, but after staring at the fox and seeing no trace of deception he accepted it. “Then may I ask, have you had any strange dreams recently?”

Rock startled at the incredibly perceptive guess. However, knowing the man was an assassin, it wouldn’t be too out there to assume Ron had been watching him even while he slept. Like a freak. His silence seemed to be enough of an answer. With his lips pressed in a firm line, Ron nodded once to himself before muttering “that’s what I thought.”

Cale perked up— the kittens too— as all attention was now on Ron and waiting for the elder man to explain.

“There are… very few records about it. Most literature pertaining to the subject is usually kept under strict supervision. But there is mention of a creature born from death. A spirit of sorts. One that usually takes the form of an animal until it can cultivate a human form-“ Cale was instantly out of his chair and gathering Rock into his arms protectively. His voice dripped with denial and high from the shock as he vehemently disagreed “Rock isn’t some evil spirit!”

“And I never implied that.” The older butler calmly rebutted. Ron waited patiently for Cale’s ruffled feathers to settle before continuing. “If Rock really is one of these creatures though, then he must still be in a delicate stage of his development right now. It would explain his human form’s resemblance to the young master and his lack of control over his abilities. It was said they tend to take on the appearance of those they attach themselves to, or act a reflection towards their target's deepest desires.”

Cale only seemed to latch onto one part of that whole explanation. His eyes wide as he looked down at Rock with shock. “You mean… Rock’s attached himself to me?” Not what Rock would have focused on but to each their own.

A genuine smile split across Cale’s face as self-obsessed pride evened out his previously shaky voice “Ahem, I mean, of course he would. My son would obviously have good taste.” Out of the corner of his eye, Rock spotted both On and Hong rolling their own eyes at Cale’s narcissism.

Ron remained silent, back to smiling that damned benign arc. Suddenly Rock felt a new wave of exhaustion hit him like a truck. Maybe it was from all the excitement and stress of the conversation, or perhaps it was leftover from his last transformation. Rock didn’t know. All he knew was that it was impossible to stop the yawn working its way up his throat and leaving his eyes tearing up in its wake.

Cale’s attention snapped back to him, the bubble of happiness burst and shifted back to concern. “Alright well I believe that will be enough discussion for now. Anything else can wait until Rock is back to normal.”

Hong and On meowed in agreement, easily jumping up Cale’s arms and curling close to Rock as the man made his way back to the bed. Rock’s eyes were already closed as he felt the familiar soft sheets flattening beneath him. He let out a content sigh, this time sinking deep into a dreamless sleep.

~Cale’s POV~

“Did you make sure to pack an extra bed roll? Money? Potions? Oh, I almost forgot! Quick, you, fetch the instant teleportation scroll from the cabinet in my study— And Ron, you made sure to pack twenty sets of clothes of course-“ Cale groaned as he tried his best to tune his father out. Deruth had been yapping like a broken record in his ear since the break of dawn.

It wasn’t even useful!

The man was constantly talking over himself, back tracking, and bringing up needless things. He knew he should have left earlier, but dammit, was it really so wrong of him to want to sleep in a bit longer while he still had a comfortable bed?

With Deruth dead set on harassing the servants still laboring to stuff 3 carriages with luggage fit for 5, Cale slumped against a wall and regretted his premature decision to abstain from alcohol. It’d only been three days since he made that promise to himself for the sake of being a good role model for Rock and already he’d received multiple concerned looks from his family and maids.

Hans even had the gall to question whether they’d received a bad batch of wine with the last shipment; and if that was the reason he was refusing to drink any! You’d think wine was as necessary for him to consume as oxygen with the way they were treating his dry spell… which only made him all the more determined to prove them wrong through spite!

His step mother finally stepped in when it looked like Deruth was about to try stuffing the entire treasury into his carriage under the guise of an allowance. “Darling, I think you’ve packed enough funds to last Cale a month. Anymore and I’m afraid he may just think we’re telling him to get lost.” His father actually stopped to listen to her. A stunning feat, seeing as he’d ignored all of their estate’s financial advisors to the point of them pulling out their hair and crying out to end their suffering already.

“But— what if he runs out early? Or what if he needs to make a big expense later! It would be too late to send him any then and what if-“

“And what if he becomes a target of bandits by carrying around so much wealth? You’re overthinking, again. It’s not like we don’t know where he’s going. We can always send a follow up care package directly to the capital estate should the need arise.”

His stepmother placed a calming hand on his father’s shoulder, her face every bit as stoic as she always held herself; but her words and eyes carried a gentle tone. With her acting as a calming balm, his father finally dropped his stubborn act. With a tired wave of his hand, he backed down. Servants quickly swooped in to carry away the excess funds and materials, sighing in relief.

With that matter settled, Violan turned her attention upon Cale. The two eyed each other warily, his step mother’s lips pulling into a light frown as he cocked a brow daring her to speak first. Just as he was about to write it off as another failed awkward conversation, she cleared her throat. “Cale. Your father, siblings and I will be awaiting your safe return here. Please enjoy your trip and remember, you are a Henituse.” Satisfied with this, she gave him a curt perfunctory nod and stepped back.

He blinked, almost stunned by her surprisingly kind words. For her at least. Cale couldn’t remember the last time she even tried to acknowledge his presence. Secretly, he’d even assumed she hated him. Basen and Lily who’d stood just behind her took the opportunity to quickly add their own departing words. His younger brother, ever the practical one, a near mirror copy to his mother as he had a similar to the point message. “Hyung-nim, safe travels.”

His sister Lily on the other hand, was a bit more outgoing. She faltered a bit, similar to their father in her awkward finger clenching of her dress and worrying of her lip. But unlike their father, she managed to look towards his shoulder and find the courage to straighten her back and confront him. With a flicker of mischief only a child could get away with, she smiled. “Orabeoni, make sure to bring back lots of gifts!”

Cale felt amusement curl at her cheeky behavior. Of all his family, Lily had always been the least affected by his trash persona. While she was still distant in the past and followed the example of others, she was also never one to back down from forming her own opinions or voicing her thoughts on a matter. Ever since Rock came into the picture, Lily’s attitude towards him had also grown markedly more soft and unguarded.

It was surprisingly refreshing to be treated like a normal brother.

Basen looked aghast that his little sister would be so bold. The younger boy’s subtle kick to her foot didn’t go unnoticed by Cale. “Lily!” He hissed, before turning to Cale with a diplomatic front. “Hyung-nim, please excuse Lily. She didn’t mean to sound greedy, she’s just talking nonsense.”

Cale felt his lips unconsciously tick upwards as he heard Lily’s muffled “hey!” clamped behind her brother’s palm. Holding back a snort, he played along with Lily’s request instead. “Oh, and what gifts might my nominal siblings have in mind?”

Basen was the one left spluttering this time, his eyes wide with shock as if he could never have imagined Cale would respond positively to such a demand. Gradually, the boy even softened up when he saw no retribution or deceit in his older brother’s posture. It felt… good to be able to talk so easily with his estranged siblings like this.

Unbeknownst to the three, Deruth and Violan watched on with soft eyes and a hope blossoming from the bottom of their hearts. Neither could be more thankful to the fox currently draped around their eldest’ shoulders for giving them this chance.

After successfully wheedling out gift requests from both Basen and a much more cooperative Lily, Cale finally made his way into the awaiting Carriage. Hans had long since settled himself inside with the two kittens perched on their own luxurious cushion across from him.

As soon as Rock saw the pair, he stretched from his lazy pose and slid his way down from Cale’s shoulder and stepped into the cushion to curl around the kittens. The two were more than happy to make room for him. With a lazy air about him, Cale motioned outside the carriage for them to depart.

It was going to be a long trip.

The journey was far from smooth. Even with Deruth’s excessive meddling and Violan’s warning, their envoy was attacked by bandits. However, Cale wasn’t worried. Though they had few knights to escort them, he was already well aware of Choi Han’s strength and character. He’d had his suspicions since the day he ran into the younger boy in the slums.

With those in mind, he made sure to subtly watch a few of his training sessions with their knight brigade. As improper as it was, Cale felt a certain sense of pride when watching the teen wipe the floor with the others. Choi Han was, after all, specially brought back by Rock. Wasn’t this just another example of his newly adopted son currying favor for him? Collecting such good things and delivering them to his doorstep.

Though he’d never be caught dead praising Choi Han, he was more than satisfied that the younger teen would be capable of protecting their party in this journey. Ron reported as much after the first attack. As threatening as the situations should’ve been, Cale found himself hard pressed to feel fear while sitting primly in a carriage, far removed from the bloody scenes and with his lap full of soft fur.

Rock had moved there at some point in the journey, followed closely by his kitten companions. His little fox must’ve gotten up to some useless things between the time he woke up from the bloody coughing fit and their departure as the poor thing was completely out of it. Rock was asleep through the entire attack and most of the two day’s journey so far. He only woke up long enough for meals and to relieve himself outside the carriage during rest stops. Otherwise, Rock remained dead to the world.

Cale would be worried about the increased lethargy if not for Ron’s constant assurance that this was probably just a natural part of his development. That didn’t stop the kittens and Hans from fussing though.

They’d made it all the way to the village within the border of the Tolz territory by the time they’d have to stop for the night again. The first leg of the journey being mostly uneventful, other than one briefly annoying encounter with a stuck up Stan. Cale didn’t care to remember which of the son’s he’d just encountered, the man baby was a whiny bitch either way.

The only good thing that came of it was getting a guide to the local inn and a discount on their stay in gratitude for Choi Han’s help. The place was more or less a glorified dump, but Cale held back his snide remarks. It wasn’t like there were much better accommodations available and he was not about to make a visit to the lording Tolz nobles. He simply had Ron, Beacrox and Hans do a thorough clean up of the rooms while he paid the dining hall a visit with the children.

The kittens were more than happy to stretch their legs and stuff their bellies. Even Rock seemed a bit more energetic, his eyes constantly darting around the room and taking in everything between bites of his own meal. When on their second night’s stay the innkeeper brought out some delectable spiced ale in a further show of appreciation, Cale almost wanted to weep at the unfairness of his promise to be a better role model. However, before he could wave the bottle away Rock had hopped up onto the table and started pawing at it.

Startled, the innkeeper pulled back, a nervous look in his eyes at never having been in a situation like this before. Cale eyed Rock curiously as well, he’d never seen him act quite like this before; but after catching Rock’s eye, he quickly placated the innkeeper and thanked him for the bottle before shooing him away.

With the man distracted on the other side of the bar, Cale leaned closer to Rock and whispered “Any reason you wanted this bottle of alcohol in particular?”

Rock didn’t answer in words. He pushed an empty glass in front of him instead, eyeing the bottle, then him, then the knights still standing stiffly around the room. Cale managed to connect the rest of the dots.

He flagged down the innkeeper again and asked him to serve this ale to the rest of his attending knights. When they pushed back, citing being on duty, he simply poured himself a glass and threw it back in an easy glide. His cheeks were already feeling hot from a single glass, his lips pulling up in a practiced smirk as he eyed the captain of the knights through a lidded gaze.

“Do you really think I’m planning on going anywhere tonight?”

Hilsman gulped, his eyes already glued to the next generous glass of amber liquid Cale was pouring with single handed laze. “Ahem, well, if you’re sure..” It didn’t take much more convincing after that.

The innkeeper was all too happy to accommodate. They didn’t get many visitors ever and while Cale’s crew were merrily rowdy, it was a far cry from the ill behavior they were used to from passing nobles.

After drinking a few more glasses, Rock clambered his way back onto Cale’s shoulder and nipped at his ear gently. Seeing as Rock had been getting steadily more antsy and throwing impatient looks towards the staircase to the upper rooms; he figured it was about time to hear him out.

Then again, had Cale known he’d end up sneaking around in a dank tunnel system a few hours after that conversation, in the middle of the night in the Tolz territory, maybe he would’ve thought twice about his earlier decision. Much less with his current company of a fox, two kittens, and a guy who’s simple existence pissed him off. Rock was just full of surprises it seems.

It was a struggle to hold back that familiar itch of curiosity. With Rock reminding him so much of himself, he doubted he’d be learning much about his fox’s past anytime soon.

They left Choi Han to clean up the mess outside. Meanwhile Cale took over the role of decoy, drawing out the lone torturer and distracting him long enough for Hong and On to drug him with a light paralyzing poison. He made sure to drop the man lightly, not forgetting Rock’s repeated warning about the link between this man’s life force and self destruction charms littering the cave.

With the coast now clear, Rock popped his head out of Cale’s hood. He was similarly covered in charcoal to hide his usual flame colored pelt as the two kittens; but unlike them, Rock wasn’t quite as nimble. It was just easier to hide him in his clothes until they made it here.

Rock sniffed the air, his ears perked as they swiveled two and fro before both focusing in one direction. He quickly made his way towards a set of empty cages, calling for Cale to bring the jailer’s keys over his shoulder. It was funny how an action that normally would’ve been considered extremely rude came off so endearing when coming from the fox. Maybe he was just especially doting when it came to Rock.

Regardless, he didn’t complain. He simply kicked the groaning man over— completely forgetting his earlier concerns of being careful with the guy— and grabbed the jangling keys off his belt. He couldn’t have taken longer than a minute, but by the time he reached the cage Rock looked seconds away from shoving his head between the bars and wiggling through in his impatience.

It took a few tries to find a key that fit this cell, but as soon as the door swung open Rock was inside. He hadn’t noticed before, with the bars obstructing his view, but there seemed to be a black lump curled in the corner of the cage amongst rotting hay. The strong stench of blood and mold hit a beat late, heavy enough to leave Cale reeling back in revulsion.

He couldn’t imagine how bad it must be for Rock’s more sensitive nose. Yet that did nothing to stop Rock from approaching the slightly trembling creature covered in black scales. Rock only stopped when he was a step away from the thing, his ears still perked to attention as his head cocked to the side inquisitively.

“You… do you want to get out of this place?”

Blue eyes met his words, the pupils sharp black slits and burning with such intense emotion Cale almost flinched back even though he wasn’t the target of it. Rock didn’t budge though, hardly even twitched a whisker under such heavy hostile scrutiny. If anything, he seemed more relaxed in the face of open animosity. Rock nodded then, as if the creature’s glare was an acceptable response.

He stepped closer, his nose dipping down and mouth opening as if he was about to try carrying the dragon around the nape like he would a kitten— before freezing a few inches from actually touching it. “You carry him.” Rock chirped without even bothering to look at the person he was talking to. Then, he casually sat on his haunches, looking over at the wall like he hadn’t just been about to try picking up something almost twice his size and obviously too heavy for him.

Cale’s mouth twitched as he desperately held back his laugh. His humor died quickly though as he was soon found himself the new target of creature’s ire. Apparently, it could understand them well enough even if it wasn’t responding in words.

“…”

Can he not?

Cale sighed. He swore he would begin his training to say no to that face soon! He approached far more cautiously than Rock, never taking his eyes off the growling creature with raised black spines popping up one by one the closer he got. His knees almost buckled when his brain finally caught up with the fact that this was a literal dragon because what the hell were the Stan’s thinking!

Dragons were said to be powerful enough to blow up entire continents on a whim when angered; and while this one was likely a baby from the size, the intensity of the hatred in its eyes spoke volumes about how unlikely this creature was to forgive and forget when it was older. Rock had already told them in advance what they’d find in this cave…but can you blame him for finding it hard to believe until now? When was the last time anyone has even seen a dragon before this! 

Cale winced as he bent down, seeing the mess of blood and dirt creating a grim scene of the floor around it. He made the executive decision to remove a spare outer jacket from the pouch at his hip— whispering a quick apology— and bundling the dragon up before pulling it into his arms. Its growl hitched slightly, the tiniest pained whimper slipping in, before the growl redoubled into a snarl as it flashed its teeth at him.

Only then did Rock tear his eyes away from the wall he’d been so earnestly staring a hole into. He was at his side in seconds, stood up on his back legs, and used Cale’s elbow for leverage before wacking the baby dragon on the head with a gentle paw, startling it into silence.

“Stop that, we’ll be out of this dump soon, then we can help you.”

When the growling didn’t start up again, Rock dropped back onto all four paws and trotted out of the cell. The whole interaction taking place to suddenly Cale didn’t even have time to react. With lingering shock in his system, he looked down, meeting the dragon’s incredulous stare. He could only shrug, helpless. “What he said” he repeated as he walked them both out of that depressing little cell and over to the wall that rock was now patting his paws and pressing his ear against.

Hong and On who’d busied themselves tormenting the passed out jailer were quick to come over and fuss over the little dragon. Alternating between cooing worriedly and threatening violence upon anyone who’d do such a terrible thing. Cale found himself liking them more and more.

When Choi Han finally rejoined their group, he was quickly tasked with knocking down the cave wall that Rock pointed to. Cale absentmindedly found himself patting a calming hand over the weak dragon’s back. It still hadn’t quite relaxed its guard and if he listened carefully, there was still a soft rumbling coming from its throat; but with the immediate threat gone, the weariness and pain it was experiencing weren’t nearly as well hidden.

Cale never fancied himself a good parental figure in the past. He purposely acted as a drunk, distanced himself from his step siblings and even resigned himself to a life labeled as trash— yet somehow he found himself all but surrounded by children. Was he really the only person with heart enough to not coldly shrug off their suffering? Was the bar really so low that children found themselves gravitating towards an alcoholic for comfort and safety?

He felt angry, a deep and numbing hatred spreading from that corner of his heart that had always been unsettled. He’d been aware of the unjustness of a society ruled by nobles who partook in pleasures at the expense of others; but he must’ve been willingly blind to not have noticed this sort of vile underbelly hidden beneath his nose.

By the time they made it back out of the cave through the secret passage, Cale had already thought up several methods of tormenting and publicly humiliating Venion without outright drawing a target on his own family’s back. Admittedly though, none of them would come close to paying back what the noble had done.

The little dragon in his arms had gone completely silent the moment they stepped out under the night sky. Its eyes opened wide in wonder and unfiltered awe as it took in the sight for what was probably its first time. If it hadn’t been in so much pain, Cale didn’t doubt the dragon would’ve stood up and tried reaching out towards the lights.

His grip tightened, the weight in his arms suddenly spiking until it felt like he was carrying an entire castle— but he refused to put it down. If he was the last person left with humanity enough to care about these children then so be it.

This was a challenge he wouldn’t back down from.

~Rock’s POV~

The whole rescue went better than he expected. With Cale and Choi Han at his beck and call, he didn’t have to get nearly as involved as he thought. He probably wouldn’t have even needed to come out himself if he hadn’t been worried about the dragon’s reaction.

Lucky him, while the baby dragon looked incredibly pissed, it still seemed rational with fight in its eyes. It hadn't gotten desperate enough to give up on its own life yet. He motioned for Cale to put the dragon down on a nearby boulder, already in the process of taking out the needed items from his collar’s storage space. 

Having no desire to tempt fate or pass out in another bloody coughing fit, and seeing how he currently lacked hands, he immediately delegated the task of cutting the collar off to Choi Han. The dragon wasn’t making it easy though. Whenever the teen approached with the large pair of scissors it would begin snarling anew, backing away and lifting a clearly broken wing in an attempt to make itself look bigger— no doubt hurting itself more in the process.

Rock couldn’t stand looking at the scene. He jumped up beside the little dragon, ignoring the attempt at a swipe that didn’t even come close to hitting him. It must’ve been delirious with pain if its aim was so bad at such a close range. He growled to get its attention, holding his ground.

When those blue eyes settled on him, he flicked an ear to motion Choi Han to go forward, never once breaking eye contact. It was heartbreaking to think that for all 4 years of this dragon’s short life, it had only known suffering; its pain and suffering clearly reflected in those wide unblinking eyes. Even then, there was a fire burning through it all, a strong gaze unwilling to back down or be broken. It was a beautiful look.

With the dragon distracted in a standoff with him, it didn’t even seem to notice the slip of steel under the collar around its neck. The crisp snap of the blades clicking together with force broke the trance between them, its head ducked down in shock to follow the limp collar falling at its feet. Choi Han swiftly picked up the broken remains and stepped back just as promptly.

The dragon looked stunned. Completely uncomprehending of its sudden freedom as it continued to stare at the cracked gray stone where its collar once lay. Rock didn’t waste the opportunity. He made quick work of uncorking a vial of healing potion between his teeth while steadying the tube between his paws; then gently tilted his head to grasp the vial before dumping most of the contents over the little dragon’s back.

He paused when only half the liquid remained, his neck in an awkward position as he debated how to get the dragon to drink the rest. In the end, he could only think of one. Thickening his face, he quickly shoved the open end of the vial into the dragon’s slack jawed mouth.

“Drink it.”

The dragon swallowed the liquid in a daze, its brain only seeming to catch up with what it just did after the fact. But by then, the potion had already taken effect. A warm cloud of buzzing electricity surrounded them, a blue aura glowing beneath dull scales until it exploded outward in a flash bang like effect.

By the time Rock managed to blink the spots from his eyes, the baby dragon was looking whole and well with hardly a shadow of the injuries or suffering maring its glittering black scales. The look of wonder in the dragon’s eyes went away with a blink as soon as their eyes met again. It curled its back up, its eyes narrowed with suspicion as they darted around to take note of the lingering strangers.

Rock didn’t feel bad to see that though, he’d be more worried if the baby dragon hadn’t been wary. At least this way he knew it had the instincts to survive on its own. Still, as thankful as he was to see it, he’d rather not have their group immediately get attacked after rescuing it.

“What do you want to do now?” He questioned, trying to break the tension. When all it did was continue to glare back at them, he huffed and tore his eyes away. Rock felt a prickle of foreign aggression the longer he stared at the dragon’s threat display; some baser animalistic instinct clawing at him to bare his teeth back at the provocation and get the younger creature to submit. He didn’t want to know what made his animal brain think it was a good idea to antagonize a dragon.

“I know you can understand us and speak. You’re a dragon, learning our language would be a piece of cake for you.” He forced himself to speak calmly, not allowing himself to fall victim to his animal hindbrain.

He was rewarded by the dragon actually responding. Each word spoken slowly, the annunciations carefully sounded out through a raspy voice. “I… I want to live. I h-hate humans! I want to fly far away from any of them and destroy all who step in the way of my freedom.”

Rock nodded. That was about the response he’d been expecting. “Good, dragons are strong and mighty. They should be able to live freely and do whatever they want.” He encouraged, though after thinking a bit more, he quickly added “But it’s best not to go out of your way to seek trouble with humans. Avoiding them is better. They’re very persistent and annoying to get rid of when they find a reason to get attached to you.”

Out of sight from Rock, Cale and Choi Han flinched when they heard his words. The dragon’s eyes flitted towards them briefly before narrowing and looking back towards Rock with a near accusatory tone. “You are not a human, but you travel with them. Why?”

Rock tilted his head at the question. It’s not that he hadn’t expected it, but he’d figured the dragon wouldn’t have stuck around long enough to care to ask. “Because not all humans are bad?”

The dragon met his words with a deep hostile rumble, his claws digging into the stones underfoot as his newly gained magic whipped chaotically in the air around him violently. “All humans are bad! They’re evil creatures that deserve to be exterminated!”

Rock shook his head rapidly, already foreseeing a terrible future if this baby dragon couldn’t let go of its grudges. In order to prevent a possible massacre, he did his best to quell the hatred at its roots.

“What makes humans bad?” The dragon sputtered, not expecting Rock to question him. The little dragon looked genuinely confused as he mulled the question over in his head. “They’re… they’re bad because they hurt me!” Rock blinked, almost amused at the distinctly 4 year old logic behind the reasoning. Though, seeing as it was a dragon and they were known to be very arrogant and vain, it probably would have been reason enough for an adult dragon to hold a grudge.

“Hmm, so you’re saying that since they hurt you they must be bad?” The little dragon nodded, his eyes glowing brightly in triumph as he perceived this as acknowledgement. “But then, didn’t you just try to hit me earlier? If you actually had hurt me, wouldn’t that make you bad too?” He reasoned with equally childish logic.

The dragon’s jaw dropped, his eyes now darting down to its clawed feet as though only just realizing his own deadliness. Rock didn’t try to convince him further. The dragon was already looking a bit sheepish, his tail lashing in agitation as he thought over it again. Instead he nudged a small bag of potions, coins and food towards the dragon.

“Good or bad, you shouldn’t let humans rule your life anymore. Didn’t you say you want to live freely? Then live like a dragon and leave these matters behind.”

With that, he said his piece. He jumped down from the boulder quickly, brushing up against Cale and nudging the kittens to get going. Whatever the dragon chose to do from this point on wasn’t his business.

“Rock nya, aren’t we bringing the little dragon with us?” Hong questioned, looking back constantly even as he sped up to keep pace with him. Rock just snorted, refusing to look back himself. “Dragons are proud and solitary individuals. He wouldn’t want to come with us. That one especially hates humans, so there’s no way he’d agree if we’re staying with them.”

On hummed, having not stopped staring at the dragon herself as she quietly mumbled. “I’m not so sure about that.”

Rock was going to pretend he didn’t hear that.

Choi Han and Cale walked wistfully behind the three smaller animals; Choi Han’s face still twisted in a frown as he glanced subconsciously back towards a now empty boulder. No one aside from Rock believed that was the last time they’d see the dragon.

Chapter Text

~Ron’s POV~

Ron was a gentle old man.

Unassuming, but commands respect. Dedicated and loyal, yet not so blind as to follow his master off a cliff. He was punctual, a borderline perfectionist, but flexible enough to adapt to new situations as they arise.

The perfect butler really…

At least, that’s the facade he’d carefully painted for many years.

If one were to look closer, dig past the surface, they would see the little chips in the mask that didn’t quite fit the benign old man description. Ron walked with silent footsteps. His smile was perfect to the point of looking practiced. He took on new tasks too easily, as if he were an expert at assuming the identity of whatever role he was trying to fill.

No matter how hard the man may try to bury it, he would always find himself swaying back towards his assassin roots. Ron didn’t try to hide these parts of him due to shame. He wasn’t ashamed of his past-life, nor his family’s line of work— no, he would always be fiercely proud of his origins and would never even entertain the idea of forgetting those memories.

But Ron was a cautious man.

Being on the run did that to you. Even the proud former head of a great family can find himself brought to his knees when cornered, when protecting something far more important than his face.

By then, it didn’t matter if he lost his last name. It didn’t matter if his status was reduced to that of a mere servant. As long as he could give his son a safe environment to grow up in, that was enough.

Jour, the previous countess, was able to provide that for him. The woman was similar to Ron. A person also written off as gentle and delicate to the untrained eye; though there was a talent hidden beneath. She had a fierce protectiveness, so similar to his late wife, that aided her well as the countess.

Perhaps that was why it was so easy for him to make the decision to settle down here, for all these years. Even when the countess died, he stayed. He went out of his way too, taking on the role of personal nanny to the boy she left behind. A small price to pay towards the woman who provided shelter in his time of need.

Cale on the other hand, was nothing special. The boy had grown up coddled and for want of nothing material. His father was especially doting, though in his own strange way that never allowed the man to show it to his son. It was oddly amusing to watch, even if he knew it was wrong of him to think like so.

He never stepped in though. It wasn’t his responsibility. Ron only cared enough to play his part, but the festering wound in his heart wouldn’t allow him to extend his emotions any further.

He only had enough love to spare for his son, after all, rage had taken up the rest of the space.

Let it not be said he didn't take his role as a carer seriously though. He made sure the boy was kept out of harm's way, even through his rebellious phase.

But that was it.

It didn’t matter if Cale grew up into a trash, it didn’t matter if the other servants isolated and spread rumors behind the boys’ back. Cale was safe and healthy. Anything else, Ron figured, was his father’s responsibility…until the day Cale brought back the stray.

The young master really picked up something special with the little beast. He doubted Cale even knew at the time. Beast people are so rarely seen or talked about in the western continent, unlike the east.

To a sheltered boy, the fox must’ve just looked like an unusually docile animal. Ron knew better though. It’s eyes were far too intelligent. It reacted too suspiciously on cue to their commands and people’s voices. It was a crafty thing, he’d give it that. Had nearly the entire staff wrapped around its little paws within a few days of following their young master home!

Ron wasn’t so easily blinded though.

The vermin had a smell to it. Something familiar, something that could relight the pyre of burning hatred within Ron’s memories.

It smelled like death.

He didn’t act at first. It had been so long since Ron had a lead, he wouldn’t risk scaring the thing off before he could torture every last detail out of it until it’d outlived it’s worth. Ron’s suspicions were only confirmed when—barely a week later—the beast fled.

For the former head of a great assassin family, tracking the beast down was child's play. The village it brought him to was home to another hidden gem of strength, though this one didn’t seem to have any connection to that group. It was there that he finally got his first taste of vengeance against the people who took so much from him. The fox had led him straight to arm.

However, despite his initial assumption, the fox was not their friend. It fought against them just as viciously, appearing to hold a similarly personal grudge. From there, Ron would’ve had to be a blind idiot to not come to the proper conclusion. Rock was another victim of the group-

And his interest in the little fox only grew.

Without the taint of treachery to the fox’s actions, Ron could now see it for the desperate struggle it really was. He saw the ghosts of a painful past in his docility, the tendency towards lethargy that spoke of sadness and willful suppression of bad memories.

His anger and thirst for revenge against arm only grew when he learned of how painfully young the fox really was. Rock was hardly older than Beacrox when they-

Ron forced himself to shut down the thought before it could rip open the scabs anew. It was through watching the fox and his amusing coping methods, that Ron found himself reflecting on his own actions.

He couldn’t help but compare himself to the child. It was through this, that he first started to feel genuinely ashamed. Rock hadn’t given up like Ron. While it was true that Rock seemingly had a lot less to lose, it didn’t turn the fox into a cold and distant creature; only caring for revenge or consumed by fear and hatred.

The fox didn’t let his own tragedy define him. Rock went out of his way to find and protect others like him. He even attempted to prevent the group from repeating their cycle of massacre and calamity. Meanwhile, Ron had stagnated.

He’d spent so long with his head shoved in the sand, he almost allowed the group responsible for his suffering to escape him. He swore then that he would stop letting his fear hold him back.

Ron was tired of hiding behind flimsily crafted excuses. It was time to bring the name Molan out of retirement.

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~Cale’s POV~

“Noona look! There’s some strange rock tower things outside those houses!”

Cale lifted his head to look towards the window following Hong’s excited exclamation. A curl of amusement filled his chest as he took in both kitten’s child-like wonder, their faces smooshed into the glass as if that would help them get a better look.

He hadn’t known either of them long, but he found the two furballs growing on him like weeds. It was almost funny really, Cale spent years purposely isolating himself and crafting an image to keep his younger siblings at arms reach.

He was even worse around small animals—though by no fault of his own. The damn things were just too skittish, more often turning tail and fleeing at the sight of him.

So to see himself now, collecting these gremlins like fine wines and even enjoying their company, was a true head turner. But he made a promise to himself when they free’d that dragon. As much as he played up the trash persona when it benefited him, Cale was no stranger to commitment.

That didn’t mean it was gonna be easy. Far from it.

Cale was no expert on rearing children, but he had a creeping suspicion that these kids were about to be a challenge from hell.

Both kitten siblings were far too reserved in his presence. Ohn, especially, acted mature for her age. It tore at his consciousness to see the familiar signs of a child being forced to grow up too early.

Not to mention Rock, his little menace of a fox turned son, was in a whole other league of his own. If someone were to create a checklist of signs a child was raised in an abusive home, he was sure Rock would check off all of them and add a few more to it.

Cale was barely an adult himself, but he wanted to shield them. He couldn’t stand the thought of watching any more children growing up the way he did.

His hand gently stroked the back of soft fur in his lap, a small smile lifting his lips at the put upon sleepy growl he got in response. As much as he complained about the trouble magnet Rock was turning out to be…Cale couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed. He wouldn’t trade his new normal for the world.

His attention shifted as an overexcited red blur hopped on his lap and attempted to swat the fox awake.

“Rock-nya! What are those towers-”

Cale quickly pulled the kitten down and shushed him. Hong blinked up at him owlishly, before looking back down at a frowning Rock.

The older fox shifted a bit, a low huffing sigh whistling from his nose as he tucked into a tighter balled up position and continued to sleep. When Hong met Cale’s gaze next, it was full of guilt.

The poor kitten's ears had folded down, his small tail tucked between his legs in repentance as he proceeded to look completely miserable. Great. Now Cale was starting to feel like the bad guy here.

Cale was too sober for this.

Holding back the desire to press his fingers into his aching temple, he lowered his voice and did his best to make himself appear as non-threatening as possible. A tall order for him specifically. What, with the way his face was almost frozen in a perpetual scowl-

“What was that about the towers, kid?” Cale spoke quickly, lest he think too hard and over exaggerate his expression to the point of creepiness.

The red kitten perked up slightly at the potential brain to pick. He looked back at Ohn hesitantly for a moment, the two apparently speaking telepathically as many siblings were rumoured to do, before Hong plucked up the courage to speak.

“Rich ahjussi, what are those rock things stacked outside the houses?” Hong pointed at the offending monuments the residents of puzzle city were so fond of.

“Oh, you mean the wishing towers? They’re just—wait…rich ahjussi?!?” Cale sputtered as the name caught up with him. His voice rose to a near shrill squawk at the sheer audacity. “Who’re you calling ahjussi?”

Hong squinted up at him like he was trying to make sense of a squiggle.

“You’re rich aren’t you?” 

It took an embarrassingly long amount of time for Cale to chew through that statement. He wasn’t…wrong, exactly…that was one of the traits he’d make a point of emphasizing when putting on his trashy mask—but to have a child put rich and ahjussi in the same sentence when describing him was a bit…

“Well, yes, but-”

Hong cut in with a triumphant meow. His tail and head were held aloft, very obviously gloating at his perceived win.

“See, rich! So you're a rich ahjussi!”

It took effort to hold back the groan at the distinctly childish logic being used. That wasn’t even the part he’d been complaining about in the first place!

“I’m not that old- and I have a name, brat!” Cale snapped, though there was little venom in it. Not that either kitten knew him well enough to appreciate it.

Ohn whirled around from her spot at the window, her hackles raised as she gave him the meanest stink eye he’s ever seen on a cat’s face.

“My brother is not a brat!” She hissed vehemently.

Cale fixed her with an unimpressed look of his own as she arched her back further to appear intimidating. If he squinted a bit, he could just about see the hazy mist starting to shed like dandruff from her coat.

With a roll of his eyes at her dramatics, he declared “You’re both brats.” With a finalized deadpan tone.

Before either of them could react violently to that, he dragged them back to the original topic.

“Besides, I thought you wanted to know about the wishing towers?”

With a loud “Humph!”, both kittens turned away from him. Looks like being called brats hit a sore spot.

Cale shrugged. “Suit yourselves. It’s not like they’re all that interesting anyways. Wish granting rocks are a dime a dozen and all-”

He was nearly bowled over by the force of two kittens launching themselves to stick to his sides with big sparkly eyes. Cale almost melted at the sight, though, echoes of ‘ahjussi’ had his face growing stern once more.

With a lifted brow, he played oblivious to their silent request as he questioned what they were up to.

“Rich ahjussi-”

“Ahem!” Cale coughed, his arms crossing as he tapped his finger along his arm impatiently.

Seriously, what was with these kids' insistence on calling him an ahjussi! Did he really look so old? He wasn’t trying to be vain here, but he always knew his appearance was one of his biggest selling points. He’d wager he’d even land in the top 3 most handsome young masters this side of the western continent!

But fine, if they were so determined to label him an ahjussi, may as well play the part.

With a dramatic groan, Cale hunched over and pretended to rub at his back as though it was in pain.

“Ah, my poor old back from being so old is killing me and- wait, what were we talking about again? Aish, how troublesome, memory’s been getting spotty cause I’m so old and all…”

Ohn shot her brother a quick reprimanding look, before pulling back to compose herself a beat later.

“Sorry about my brother, he was just getting a bit ahead of himself with his…excitement.” Completely ignoring the fact she had been bouncing with enthusiasm to hear the story herself.

Cale shook his head, amused. He wouldn’t point out her slip-up in the mature act though. It was a good sign if anything. Meant there was still a child yet to save under all that responsibility.

Be that as it may, Cale refused to allow the two to continue calling him old even inadvertently.

“I suppose I could be persuaded to tell you more about the wishing stones…” his lips curled up with a hint of something cunning and mean. “If you address me properly.”

Hong stumbled back from him, his eyes wide and betrayed. The kitten looked as devastated as if Cale had just announced that dinner for the foreseeable future was gonna be plain salads.

…was calling him Cale really that hard? Now that he thought about it, even Rock had only called him Cale once, hadn’t he? And he clearly only did that to distract him at the time…not that the fox said many things since his ability to talk was exposed.

He was almost starting to feel bad for his reasonable demand, dammit!

Ohn cleared her throat, cutting through the growing tension in the air like a knife through hot butter. She threw Hong another look, before sitting primly and ducking her head respectfully to Cale.

“Of course, I’ll make sure my brothers and I use your proper title, first young master Henituse-”

Cale choked on air at the overly formal tone. What the hell was wrong with these kids? If not one extreme it was the other…

“Wrong! Nope, absolutely not! Try again.”

The young gray kitten paused, tilted her head with a squint and tried again.

“Master-?”

“How about dropping the master all together hmm?”

She looked particularly exasperated at that request. It was like she couldn’t fathom a name that didn’t include the term master in there somewhere.

“Ew, Noona, I don’t want to call him our ‘owner’-” Hong leaned over to whisper in his sister’s ear. Unfortunetaly, he was terrible at it. Cale could still hear him clear as day.

The vein in his temple must’ve been bulging from the rate his blood pressure was skyrocketing. Was it too late to take back his promise about raising these kids? They were seriously about to send him to an early grave.

“BANNED! No master’s, no owners, nothing even remotely related to that! Can’t you just address me normally?”

Both of them were looking at him like he’d sprouted a second head now. He didn’t understand what was so complicated about his ask-

“But humans hate being put on the same level as us.” Ohn spoke like it was a matter of fact. Hong nodded along earnestly, the picture of innocence as he followed up her claim with an even more gut wrenching reveal.

“Yeah because humans are our sue-peer-e-oars! We have to be very careful to be respectful nya!”

And if that didn’t just stab Cale right in the heart.

Two kittens, children, were taught such atrocious concepts at such an early age! It was horrifying no matter what way you looked at it! The fact that neither of them seemed to realize how insane what they were saying was, how blasé they were being, made Cale want to punch a hole through the wooden sidling of their carriage.

This level of conditioning, brainwashing more like, would take far more than one trip to the capital to undo.

“But, but…if we can’t call you master, and you don’t like owner…then what do we call you? …Sir?”

Hong’s little voice shattered Cale from his dark musing. The look of panic and confusion on the kitten would’ve been enough to bring Cale to his knee’s if he’d been standing.

He buried a grounding hand into Rock’s fur once more, patting a little more aggressively to work off the frustration and bring himself back to a semblance of calm.

Thankfully, the rough treatment didn’t seem to bother the fox in his lap. Rock merely flicked an ear, chuffed and continued to sleep.

Cale huffed and he puffed and with a withering sigh—he gave up.

“Just, call me rich ahjussi then…”

It’s only a name after all.

Out of sight of the defeated young man, one kitten smirked and another wagged his tail in victory.

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~Rock’s POV~

They arrived in puzzle city with little fanfare. It was a smooth trip…almost too smooth. For Rock, the whole stretch between here and the Tolz territory may as well have been a blink.

One second he was looking out the window from his surprisingly comfortable cushion (Read: Cale’s legs), next thing he knows, he’s opening his eyes from a nap he didn’t remember falling into; and they’re already being ushered out of the obnoxiously over-decorated carriage, into the equivalent of the fanciest inn in town.

He wouldn’t admit it aloud. It was probably nothing after all—but Rock was starting to get a little bit concerned. Added up, he already lost at least a day to these random bouts of unconsciousness.

It was fine for now. He always managed to wake up before any of the important bits of the story took place…but what about next time?

Cale might not have said anything yet, but the young man looked equally troubled by this. Even Hong was quick to point out how hard it’d been to wake him recently. Though, the kitten said it more as a passing observation than anything concerning.

All of this uncertainty was really starting to grate on his nerves.

It didn’t help that Rock’s only consolation that this wasn’t a bigger deal came in the form of a former assassin. One that had previously tried to kill him no less. That being said, Ron was the only one who seemed even remotely familiar with whatever creature he may be now.

While he wasn’t naive enough to blindly trust the old man, he was experienced enough to know what potential sincerity looked like.

Besides, worrying himself sick wasn’t going to improve his situation. Best to focus on what he could control, like getting as much done while he was conscious and capable.

Hong was already bouncing circles around him in excitement as he jabbered on and on about wishes and rocks and festivals and—rich old uncles?

Rock eyed Cale incredulously from his corner. He didn’t peg the noble as one who’d let such a disrespectful nickname fly to his face. Then again, he seemed more than happy to prance around letting people call him trash behind his back, so what did he know.

Said ‘trash’ was busy looking like a wilted vegetable in his chair. Rock may have better hearing now as a fox, but Hong wasn’t trying to be quiet. The man could clearly hear them, yet he made no move to correct the kitten.

Hmm, interesting. Rock would have to look more into that later.

For now, he had a certain town to scope out…and a particularly eager kitten was giving him the perfect excuse to do it!

Shamelessly, Rock padded up to the chair Cale had claimed for his pity party for one. It only took a few tugs on the young man’s flamboyant green pant leg with his claws to get Cale’s attention. If he left a few holes behind, well, Rock thought it was an improvement.

Cale looked down with a frown, though when he saw who the culprit was, his posture softened a little.

“What is it-”

“I’m bored.” Rock got straight to the point. He’d already been masquerading as a pet for weeks, acting like a child with the attention span of a goldfish was a step up.

Surprisingly, Cale didn’t immediately sour at being interrupted. He looked enlightened if anything, his eyes warm with amusement rather than the annoyance Rock was used to from adults interacting with children.

It almost threw him for a loop when Cale immediately stood up and started calling for Hans to prepare for an outing.

Sure, he figured Cale wouldn’t be immensely opposed to his rudeness, he wouldn’t have said what he did if there was a risk of harm—but knowing that and seeing Cale respond so positively, were two different stories.

“And did my nominal son have a specific place in mind to stave off the boredom?”

Rock winced at the knowing tone in Cale’s voice. Looks like his little act was seen through…not that he would acknowledge it.

Keeping a straight face, he nodded towards Hong as he pretended to be very curious about the rock tower ruins he’d been gushing about. It was a popular enough tourist destination that it shouldn’t raise too many brows to visit during the day.

The fact it just so happened to be close to the hidden cave entrance for a certain ancient power, was simply hitting two birds with one stone.

The kittens were very vocal in assisting him in making the request appear authentic. Though, in their case, they genuinely were excited about seeing the rumored wishing towers.

Luckily, Cale didn’t need much convincing. Hans was already helping to prepare some new outing clothes for the nobel while Ohn and Hong danced impatiently by the door.

Rock was torn between waiting with the children and preventing the disaster that was Cale’s fashion choice from making a debut. The green pants he’d been wearing before were bad enough, but the caution sign yellow undercoat with criminal amounts of gold ruffles and satin white ribbons was bright enough to make his eyes bleed.

The whole point of this trip was to discreetly blend in with crowds and find an opportunity to slip away to collect the next ancient power- which Cale’s wardrobe was NOT helping.

While he could wait for night to slip out again after memorizing the route there, he’d already lost enough time as it was. If his memory wasn’t failing him, the eventual original owner of the power should already be in the city searching for it.

When Cale started reaching for the matching gold pants with sparkly silver threading, Rock knew he had to do something.

With a face thicker than the Great Wall of China, Rock leapt onto the bed where the clothes were spread and proceeded to roll around, wrinkling them beyond saving. To make doubly sure he covered his bases, Rock grabbed the most offensive garments and ran away with them.

Cale yelped, his voice rising in shock as he tried to grab them back.

“Rock what the fuc- get back here!”

The nobel was so bewildered he nearly defaulted to swearing like a sailor, though he caught himself at the last moment.

Ohn and Hong looked confused too at first, though after watching Rock get chased around for a bit, a note of mischief started creeping into their stances as well.

Cale was hit with a sudden ominous premonition. He whirled around just in time to catch both kittens grab their own shares of his best clothes to join the game of keep away.

“YOU BRATS!” Cale roared as he dove head first after a fleeing red tail.

Hans just looked lost, his head on a swivel as he tried to keep track of the darting blobs of red and gray fur/ hair- before ultimately giving up, turning back to the bed, and attempting to tidy what remained of the ruined pile.

By the time Rock tired enough to trip over the trailing sleeve of the shirt in his mouth, Cale was heaving and red in the face. The young man swooped down with a cry of triumph as he grabbed Rock before he could slip away again.

They were both flopped on the floor after the extended chase. Cale on his back still struggling to gasp in big lungfuls of air, while Rock lay limp and trapped in his arms.

The kittens were peeking out at them from the corners they fled to, practically drowning in the oversized clothes they’d taken hostage of. It made for an oddly adorable sight.

“Hans…”

“Yes, young master-nim?”

“Remind me…to get…proper toys…”

The ‘as soon as possible’ and who for, needn't be said.

Hans smiled, perfectly composed in the face of the ludicrous scene the four of them made.

“Of course, young master-nim.”

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.

Cale was still sighing like a maiden abandoned at the alter 10 minutes into their walk to the ruins. Rock Didn’t see what the big deal was.

Once they’d sorted through the carnage he and the children made of his clothes, Cale still managed to find a rather eye-catching maroon vest to wear with gold and silver accents.

The black collared shirt and brown pants he was ‘forced’ to pair it with may have been ‘plain’ in his words, but Rock still regarded it as fancier than anything he would’ve worn back in his time.

At least this combination followed a few basic rules of colour theory. As a bonus, the maroon vest was a perfect compliment to his red fox coat! He didn’t stick out like a sore thumb while draped across Cale’s shoulder’s like an expensive scarf at least.

All the better for him. Rock might have overdone it with the chase earlier.

To an external observer, he probably appeared like a lazy tag along, if not a piece of Cale’s wardrobe. In reality, Rock was carefully soaking up as much information about the city around him, memorizing the path through the streets in case he needed to backtrack without a guide later.

His heightened hearing and sense of smell only made the task easier. Even if the scenery changed with nightfall, his nose wouldn’t lead him astray on such an occasion.

The bits and pieces of conversations he could peep on were an added boon for discreet intel gathering.

It was while he was listening in on a conversation between a couple about some tedious chore dispute that he caught his first lead.

“I told you to hang the laundry earlier! Look, a perfectly clear day, not a rain cloud in sight!”

“Yeah yeah, it’s my fault, always my fault when things like this happen- oh, holy suns, is that who I think it is?”

“You- don’t try to change the subject! I know you’re just trying to distract- wait, oh my, it really is! Aiy, what a poor fellow that one is. I was rooting for him too, ya know?”

“Shame what happened to his legs. He seemed like a genuine lad…”

At the keyword legs, Rock lifted his head and zeroed in on the direction those words came from.

Through the crowds pushing through the otherwise bustling street, a small pocket of space was moving closer to them. When Rock swiveled his ears in that direction, he could just catch the creak of something wooden between the gaps in moving bodies.

He was still looking their way when the crowds parted enough to get a peak at the man and woman at the center of the commotion.

Taylor was easy enough to recognize. The man had a scholarly air to him, though his face was gaunt with weariness as he sat with his hands folded in a lame lap. He still had a certain handsomeness to him, only muted partially by the sickly state of his body.

Cage, the not yet crazy priestess, was cheerily acting as his legs and dutifully pushing his wheelchair bound form from behind. Neither of them seemed to mind the whispered words of pity and revulsion at their expense.

The two were friends long before the accident. Even after Taylor lost his successor seat with the loss of his legs, Cage didn’t abandon him. Rock could appreciate that level of loyalty, even if it was what ultimately led to her later descent to insanity upon his death. He didn’t have to approve of all of her life choices to respect her resolve.

It almost seemed like fate when Rock and Cage’s eyes met across the gap. He froze, a ringing noise flooding his ears as blood rushed through them. Rock almost couldn’t breathe as a primal panic began gathering in his chest.

It was unreasonable. What did it matter if Rock made accidental eye contact with the priestess of death in this body? From that far away and with so many people between them, it was extremely unlikely she would notice anything off with him.

As if to prove his point, she blinked and continued scanning the crowd leisurely. Her body language remained relaxed.

Rock forced himself to calm down, his tail flicking back and forth in a nervous tick as he tried to banish the lingering unease.

Nothing happened. He was completely overreacting. There was no reason to be worried about-

‘Found you.’

Rock was really getting sick and tired of this whole fade to black schtick.

Chapter Text

~Rock’s POV~

On the scale of weird days Rock’s had, today was elbowing its way to the front of the line faster than an ajumma in a grocery store holding its weekly discount promotions.

He didn’t know where he was exactly, but if he had to describe it, he’d say it felt like he was floating in a giant tub of grass jelly. All of his senses were muddled, his vision dark with only distant blobs of shapes dancing just out of corporeality. He’d be more worried about the whole situation…if he wasn’t simultaneously forced into a sense of peace.

It was like he just knew he was safe here. And well, it kind of was relaxing to float in the jelly void without having to worry about plots, villains and his potential death-

“-ELLO!?! HMMm, MayBe I diDn’T gEt it QuiTe RiGHt…”

Rock groaned as all five of his senses slammed back into his body at once—but super unexpectedly. Like when you connect your headphones to your phone and it automatically starts playing the chorus of a rock song at full blast.

The main culprit for the pain, his ears, were still reeling from the impact of that booming voice. Once the resulting tinnitus quieted down to thinkable levels, he opened his eyes and realized he could actually see things again.

The previous vague shapes formed into a disturbingly blank room with a single swinging caged light and an overly modern couch for decoration. Everything in the room was painted the same shade of obnoxious red aside from the floor…which was taken over by a hideous ragged carpet.

He wasn’t sure what was worse. The fact the carpet was some mottled cream mixture that left it looking permanently stained and blotchy, or the fact the room was carpeted at all.

“Oh you’re alive! Great, had me worried there for a second.”

Rock nearly jumped out of his fur as he leaped around to face the source of that voice- and instantly regretted it. There was some hazy figure standing there, though the shape of the person was constantly jittering like the static of an old satellite tv out of focus.

The longer he looked at this…person? Thing? Whatever it was, the more his head hurt. It felt…wrong to look at them, on an instinctual level and a physical level. It almost hurt worse than that time he was convinced into holding a staring contest with the sun.

The thing tipped what was probably its head at him, before raising its probable arms up in a universally frantic gesture of ‘my bad, my bad!’ And blinked into a solid form. The person, who Rock could now determine was a man, looked frankly pathetic. He wasn’t usually one to judge on appearances alone—but Rock was frankly amazed at the ability of this man to somehow look unhealthily pale yet tanned at the same time.

If he had to guess, perhaps this man was a frequent visitor of tanning beds rather than achieving the tone from spending anytime outdoors touching grass. The unhealthy glow he had going on was only further accentuated by his shoulder length sleek hair that was whiter than a century old grandpa.

To top it all off, he had infinite black voids for eyes and enough bags under them to give Beacrox a run for his money. Aside from the unusual colouring of his features, the rest of him was dressed like your average harried salary man in a casual office culture. One that had been forced to work about a dozen too many overtime shifts in a row.

The fact he still somehow managed to look handsome enough to feature on the cover of an edgy spin off of a vogue magazine, was just the insulting cherry on top.

It took a minute for Rock to realize the man was observing him back with thinly veiled amusement. Once their eyes met, the stranger cocked a brow and let a smug smirk pull up the corner of his lips to breathe a bit of life back into his exhausted face.

“Like what you see?”

“…”

Nevermind, Rock takes back the comment about looking like a harried salary man. That was an insult to all hard working white collared workers! This guy was clearly a sleazy uncle stereotype.

The bastard snorted as Rock continued to glare at him. That flippant attitude towards his increasing hostility only further rubbed him the wrong way.

“What, cat got your tongue? Or should I say fox, in your case?” He continued on, cheery for a man on the receiving end of a death glare.

All too suddenly, the man was leaning into his space, a hand held at his chin as he somehow managed to meet him eye to eye without overbalancing into a face plant. Gravity defying gymnastics aside, the man looked serious for once. His black eyes scrutinized him almost invasively, before he swung back to stand just as abruptly.

“Nope! Based on the state of your soul, you should be merged enough to talk just fine. So you’re just being shy, aren't you?”

The man proceeded to hum and haw a bit, his eyes shut in a look of intense contemplation as Rock was left floundering to make sense of anything that was happening.

He was still far from getting a grasp of what was going on when the man snapped his fingers in a eureka moment.

“I know! How about a familiar face-”

the man’s form was already crumbling to dust before him, reshaping from the feet up until all that was left was a painfully realistic ghost with those empty black eyes.

Rock was moving before he even realized it.

In two quick bounds, he was leaping higher than he ever could before, claws extended and a vicious snarl full of rage echoing through his chest as he swiped at the man’s imposter face. The stranger was quicker though. He leaned back just in time, leaving only the tips of his hair to weather a blow that would’ve blinded.

With irritation only building, Rock landed and spun around with his fur puffed up to twice its usual size. He was already prepared to leap again as the man wagged a lazy finger at him.

“Ah ah ah! Touchy, touchy, is that really any way to treat your benefactor?”

“You are not Team Leader!”

The imposter rolled his eyes. His face twisting into an expression so eerily similar to one he could recall his real hyung making, only digging the knife of nostalgia and longing in deeper.

“Well duh. That guy is way too scary when he gets mad and he would go off his rocker if he saw-”

Rock wasn’t listening. He just growled louder for every second this imposter continued to wear that face. When Rock took a threatening step closer, his tail lashing in preparation to lunge again; the man sighed and with a put upon frown, waved a hand in front of his face and reverted back to the silvery white haired man from before.

“Tsk. You’re no fun.” The man pouted, crossing his arms as he lazily flicked a few stray strands of hair back over his shoulder.

“I’m sure you’re probably wondering where you are and who I am-”

“Not interested. Send me back.”

The man looked gobsmacked at the very notion of Rock not being more curious.

“You’re not- WHAT! I- what do you mean you aren’t interested?!?”

Rock fixed him with a withering look.

“It means I know a charlatan when I see one.” He bit out.

Rock could tell just by looking at the man that he was trouble. He was also experienced enough to be wary of entertaining such coincidentally appearing powerful people during times of uncertainty.

“A charla- child, I am the Grim Reaper! The God of Eternal Rest-”

‘An edgelord’ Rock added in his mind.

“I am literally the god of death, overseer of all souls that ever have and will be!”

Rock took another pointed look around the room, before staring back at the man claiming to be the god of death. Not to be rude or anything, but the theme of this room wasn’t really screaming underworld.

“Heavens below, you try to be nice and accommodating for once and…” The god grumbled as he snapped his fingers and the room around them turned into a black void that felt awfully familiar.

“Happy now? Welcome to the realm of death!” The god spread his arms to show off the blank space around them.

Rock looked around warily. That nagging feeling of deja vu was still biting away at his subconscious, but he pushed it down to focus back on the man, or, ‘god’ he supposed.

Not that Rock much believed in gods still.

“Look, the time we have here is limited so are you willing to listen or not? I’m trying to help you out here.”

Rock looked up sharply, “Help how?”

“Knowing you, not knowing what you are is probably eating you alive, am I right?”

The fact this person seemed to know him so well was definitely suspicious…but not something you wouldn’t be able to learn about him through being a particularly persistent stalker.

After a moment of contemplation, Rock dipped his head in acknowledgement. Who knows, maybe the guy would tell him something useful. Besides, if the man was lying he could always bite him later.

The man sighed in relief, before clearing his throat and leaning back with a nostalgic aura surrounding him.

“You see, to answer that, I may as well tell you how and why you ended up here in the first place…”

Oh god, Rock didn’t realize he was signing up for a monologue. Was it too late to hit escape?

“…It all started when I made a deal with a certain redheaded momma’s boy. The original agreement was to send him to your world to reunite with his mother’s reincarnated soul- ah, well, I guess that isn’t happening now. Anyways, you two were supposed to switch places. But during the process of swapping souls, yours got a little…misplaced.”

The god looked almost sheepish at the admittance. Though the way he spoke about it seemed way too nonchalant for the severity of what he was claiming happened. Rock was pretty sure losing track of an entire human soul should’ve set off at least a few alarm bells here!

“I looked of course! But even for a god finding one soul amongst a sea of billions is like finding a gold leaf in an autumn forest. If not for the hard work of my employee’s and the little priestess, you could’ve been lost like that for a lot longer!”

Alright, assuming this guy really was a God™ as he so claimed to be, “Then, you dropped my soul into the body of a fox…by accident?” he came to the conclusion out loud incredulously.

The idea that gods could be such scatterbrained, butter fingered idiots playing around with their lives out of boredom…made a lot of sense actually. Though it didn’t inspire Rock to want to believe in them any more than before.

If anything, he was even more convinced that his atheist approach to life was the correct path to take.

“Um, well technically- not really? Even a God like myself has limits. Putting a human soul inside the body of an animal would be like trying to shove a square through a circle hole. It just wouldn’t fit.”

Rock sat down with a huff, his head tilting with a grim bemused frown pulling his whiskers down.

“Then how do you explain this?” He gestured with a paw to his very not human shaped body.

The God perked up, a shimmer of something excited lighting his gaze.

“That’s the interesting part! My guess is that your soul ended up sucked into the body of a recently deceased corpse. One that this ambitious little fox you’re currently inhabiting must’ve dug up and ate. However, your soul was still alive when it consumed you and this little ancestor is a couple thousand years too early to try harnessing that much raw energy.”

“Essentially, your soul is now possessing this fox! Funny how life works sometimes, isn’t it? Usually, it’s the other way around!”

Rock didn’t see anything funny about that at all.

If he was in a human form, he would’ve buried his face in his hands from sheer frustration.

“I’m a fox spirit then. A Kumiho?”

“Exactly!”

Great. He was a fairytale monster. And not just any monster, but one that goes out of its way to be a man-eater.

“Although, your case is a little bit strange.”

‘Of course.’ Rock thought self-deprecatingly. He was already preparing himself for the worst.

“Usually, in possession cases like these, the souls will swap bodies. There should never be more than one soul piloting a single vessel- but your body was understandably inhospitable to the fox.”

The god paused then, as though waiting for a sign that Rock was following along. When all he did was blankly stare at the god, the man cleared his throat and continued.

“Most of the time, the original soul would just move on but this fox must’ve really liked you. Your souls seem to be fused together, which is why your body is now developing towards becoming a kumiho but at a rapid progression.”

Here, the god reached his hand out and materialized a marble sized glass bead with a very familiar cracked pattern on it.

“Assuming you’ve heard the legends, you should know what this is. In a normal Kumiho, this fox bead would be the storage point of their power. In your case, however, it doubles as both the container for your soul and your new foxy powers.”

Wait, so then those weird dreams he was having…were they not nightmares after all? Rather, were they an attempt at communication from the original fox host trying to show him what was happening to their body?

In the god’s hand, the cracks began to glow, before filling in the previous empty sections with a white glue-like substance.

“I’ve stabilized your soul for now, but you have to understand, the fact you survived at all was thanks to both of your strong desires to live.”

This was…a lot to take in. Rock could already feel the migraine brewing from sorting through all this information and what disasters this spelled for him in the future. Though, at least now he would have the chance to be more mentally prepared for it.

There was one thing that was still nagging at him though. One piece of information that wasn’t sitting quite right.

“You said Cale and I were supposed to switch places originally…then the Cale I know now-”

“Is the same one who made a deal with me.”

At least this time the god of death looked suitably upset by this. The deep frown lines on his face made him look weathered and aged. Clearly, he was miffed by the end result of a deal gone wrong.

“He won’t remember it. Nor would he remember any of the diverging events that took place prior to the time reset. With the partially unfulfilled parts of our agreement, penalties were put in place. But, his soul is still the same…he refused to move on with your location in this world left unknown.”

Rock wasn’t sure how to feel about this. On the one hand, he should probably be upset. Right? Neither Cale nor the God of Death had asked before dragging his soul into this mess. Considering the deal involved him trading places with Cale—and seeing as the man even got to a point in his life he was making deals with a God of Death, the future of this world wasn’t looking great.

Then again, when Rock looked back on his life as Kim Rok Soo, there wasn’t all that much he had left to miss. He’d lost almost everything by the time he woke up here. The only reason he kept living every day was because he couldn’t stand the thought of dying.

The more he thought about it, Rock couldn’t even find it in himself to get upset at the thought of his original body in some world being an empty husk now. Cale hadn’t meant for that to happen. Knowing the man as he did now, he was pretty sure Cale would’ve probably worn it better than him anyways.

Plus, it’s not like being Cale would’ve been a hardship. The young man was filthy rich! Sure he had a trashy reputation, but that just meant he wouldn’t have to bend over backwards trying to uphold a noble image.

Sure, things may not have had a happy ending in Cale’s first go at life, but Rock had knowledge of the future. He also had years more experience living through a hellscape world constantly trying to kill him and those he swore to protect. In comparison, this world was a cake walk though rainbow fields!

The god looked up then, his head turning to focus a hard stare on a spot far away. When Rock turned to look in the same direction, he saw nothing.

“Whelp, looks like our time here is up! It was nice catching up with you Rockie, we should do this again sometime-”

Rock whipped around with the fur on his back already standing up in disbelief. How dare this bastard try running away so soon after dropping that bombshell of a reveal!

“Wait, dammit! At least give me an instruction manual on how to use my powers!”

He never got an answer from the god.

.

.

.

When Rock opened his eyes, he immediately wanted to close them again. He was too emotionally constipated to even begin unraveling the emotions swimming around the three sets of eyes staring at him. All he needed to know was that the look of it spelled disaster. And he had enough complications dumped on his plate to feed him for a lifetime.

“Rock hyung-nim! Are you ok? You should’ve told us if you weren’t feeling well! We…we didn’t have to see the rock things!”

“Are you still tired? We can go back now if you don’t feel up to staying outside…”

The two kittens spoke one after another. Hong put on a brave face, trying to play off his interest in the ruins if it would make Rock feel better about not being well enough to go see it. His sister encouraged this, speaking in a coaxing manner that she often used to sway Hong.

Cale hushed the two as he gently stroked along Rock’s back as the fox looked up at him woozily.

“You troublesome brat. Stop being so self-sacrificing! If you were that tired you shouldn’t have pushed yourself.”

Rock felt extremely wronged by all of their assumptions. This was all that damn bastard of a god’s fault! If he could’ve just waited till night to visit- Well, the conversation wouldn’t have been any less annoying, but at least it wouldn’t have put him in such a tough position.

He was still cursing out the bastard in his head as he looked around to figure out where they were and how much time passed.

They’d stopped in a clearing from what he could tell. Cale and the kittens were sitting in the shade of an old gnarled tree just off the foot path probably leading to the ruins. Luckily, there wasn’t much foot traffic here. Rock didn’t even want to think about what an odd sight they must make right now.

Another brush of fingers through the fur on top of his head had Rock focusing his attention back on Cale.

Now that he was looking at Cale, really looking at him, he was reminded of what that god had told him of the deal they made. Cale, or a future version of the man before him, had been so distressed and disillusioned with the life he had here he was willing to give it all up for a chance at seeing his mother again.

While Rock wouldn’t put it past that rat bastard of a god to leave out the exact details of the world Cale would be transmigrating into by switching places with him, it didn’t change the fact that Cale had been prepared to leave everything here behind regardless.

Trying to picture the young man he knew now, as the desperate deal maker of the future was making his head hurt. And if that wasn’t complicated enough, he threw even that plan away all over again when Rock’s soul was lost. He wasn’t sure what compelled Cale to stay when the god made it clear he still had the choice to go.

Was Cale just an idiot? Did he get cold feet?

Somehow, neither option felt particularly fitting…

When Cale asked him again in an overly tender voice how he was feeling and if they should turn back to the inn, Rock scrunched up his face. This minor villain he’d adopted was really too confusing.

“You’re really strange.” He told him point blank.

Rock’s point was only proven further when Cale just smiled at that. He didn’t even try tormenting him the usual way by tugging on his tail or squishing his paws.

Weird. Very weird.

Rock quickly slipped out of Cale’s lap to stretch and wake himself up the rest of the way. He felt much more well rested than he had in days! There was new energy thrumming beneath his skin, and now that he had the time to focus inward, he felt more attuned to his body than ever before.

It was as surreal as waking up one day and realizing you could breathe on autopilot. He had a feeling if he tried shifting into a human form now, he wouldn’t struggle with it.

That being said, he wasn’t about to try it out here. Based on his last two go arounds, clothes weren’t included in the transformation magic and he was by no means a nudist.

Hong snuck up to him cautiously, his head tipping curiously side to side as he looked him over for any signs of discomfort.

“Are you feeling better now, Rock hyung-nim?”

“I’m ok.”

Hong gave him a scrutinous look up and down, before nodding in approval. Rock ignored the sound of Cale snorting somewhere behind them.

“Well then brats plural, still up to visit the ruins, or should we head back for dinner first?” Cale got up to stretch his own legs out as he offered them their options for the evening.

Rock’s eyes widened at the question. He nearly gave his neck a cramp with how fast he tilted it up to stare at the sun slowly sinking across the horizon. He hadn’t realized it’d gotten so late already!

His claws were already sinking into the moss underfoot as the first trickle of panic started to set in. The window to grab the next ancient power was closing soon, he’d have to get there fast if he didn’t want to waste the opportunity.

“Is something wrong, Rock?” Cale’s voice startled him out of his dazed staring into the woods behind them.

He wasn’t sure how to bring up his concerns without giving too much away though. Especially not while he could still sense the presence of two additional hidden tagalongs hidden from view.

“…it’s nothing.” He avoided the question.

There was no reasonable way he could answer that without exposing the existence of the ancient power. Rock may have grown a little bit fond of his companions, but at the end of the day, he was still selfish.

Even if he was a kumiho and not a normal fox, he wasn’t willing to risk his own life when there was a life line right in front of him.

With a frown, Cale’s eyes narrowed. He’d gotten a bit better at reading the more subtle fox expressions over time. He didn’t believe for a second that Rock wasn’t worrying over something.

Though Cale usually wouldn’t push when it came to matters like this, he was stressed out enough from the sudden fainting spell earlier. The thought of Rock bottling up again or hiding something important, especially related to his health, left a bad taste in his mouth. He wanted to become someone the little fox could rely on!

“Bullshit, I know it’s not nothing! Just tell us what’s bothering you-” Cale’s voice was raising unconsciously as the accumulated stress started leaking into his words.

Rock took a step back, his ears flattening in response to the figure of a yelling man looming over him. He knew it was an unfair comparison. Cale was nowhere near as vicious as that man—but that didn’t stop the scenes from his past from eerily overlapping with Cale in this moment.

Cale, like the times before, quickly picked up on the rapid shift to defensive body language. But the damage was done.

Rock only had a moment's notice. His animal hindbrain yowling danger, as a small version of his shield power formed just fast enough to block the wind bullets of an attack from reaching Cale; and shattering on impact.

None of them had time to fully comprehend the near miss before Rock disappeared from the clearing.

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.

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~Unknown’s POV~

The world was a lot bigger than he imagined.

That first night, when he was finally freed from the cave, he thought the sky above must’ve been the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen! The sparkle of what looked like millions of bright shiny crystals was so eye-catching he almost forgot he was being held by a vile human.

Once he was set down, he was infinitely more comfortable. While the grumpy red haired one may have been part of the group who helped rescue him, that didn’t mean he liked them.

It was clear the human’s were only helping because of the strange fox anyways.

Even now, the little dragon who had lived a grand total of four years, couldn’t understand the fox’s reasons for traveling with them. He could smell the fox wasn’t a normal one. There was something weird about it…not quite like the cats, but also not like anyone else he’d ever met.

As a dragon, it left him rattled to leave this a mystery. He had to get an answer, his pride and curiosity wouldn’t allow it any other way.

So he followed the group the fox traveled with. It wasn’t hard at all for a mighty dragon like himself. The puny humans were too dumb to sense him and he didn’t think the cats would rat him out either.

Still, he made sure to stay cautious. The fox had warned him before about how meddlesome humans could be. Not that he didn’t already know that of course!

But at least for the sake of the fox, who he technically owed a favour to, he would take his words to heart and try to be careful.

It was almost boring how slowly the human’s traveled. Even as a small dragon he could’ve outpaced their group several times over. The fact it had taken them over a day to get from his prison to this tiny human base was pathetic!

If the fox was smart he would’ve just teleported and left the humans to flounder their way here. He was still puzzled by the fox’s actions when he came upon the scene of four of his rescuers in the clearing outside the human base.

The fox had been asleep again after a strange pulse of energy went through him. Even the dragon felt off-put by the suddenness of it. Though considering the others in his group hadn’t panicked too much, he figured it must just be another weird thing unique to the fox.

He settled into a tree nearby to wait and watch.

To any other dragon, a task like this would’ve been impossible. But he was much more powerful than any of those other short tempered dragons! Waiting an afternoon in the branches of a tree, with the warm sun heating his scales and listening to the wind blow through the trees, was easy for the little dragon who’d grown up in darkness knowing only pain all his life.

He’d almost dozed off by the time a commotion picked up in the clearing below him. With a jolt, the little dragon raised his head in alarm as the familiar pitch of a yelling voice echoed beneath him.

His pupils narrowed to slits as he witnessed his savior cowering at the hands of the same human he’d protected from him in the caves.

He knew it, all humans were bad after all!

It didn’t take much effort to gather wind at his claw tips and fire them at the despicable creature to distract him. Then, within seconds, he zipped to the foxes side and transported them both far away from the danger.

‘Now we’re even!’ The little dragon preened at the thought.

The fox looked too awed by his heroic rescue to speak! That’s ok, he knew how that felt. The little dragon had been in the very same position not long ago, so he didn’t mind that the fox was gaping at him rudely.

“What-”

“Don’t worry fox! I teleported us far away so that evil human can’t hurt you anymore!”

“That’s not what was- haah, how troublesome…” The fox shook his head in dismay.

The little dragon found his eyes glued to his neck. The movement caused the light to reflect off the shiny gold metal band there. Instantly, the little dragon was flooded with anger and hatred anew. He remembered when humans forced one of those on him before. His eyes widened as he came to a horrifying realization.

Maybe that collar was the reason why the fox insisted on staying with the humans! He was trapped by them just like the little dragon had been.

With quick movements, he cut the distance between them and reached out with his claws intent on removing the terrible device. His claws sliced through empty air. The fox had darted back right before he could cut through the damn thing.

“Hold still! I can get that thing off in just a second-” the dragon insisted, already moving closer to attempt to cut it off again.

The fox just continued to dodge. His ears flattened back as he growled when the dragon tried to swipe it off a third time.

“Stop!” The firm command had the little dragon freezing in confusion.

He was trying to help the fox, couldn’t he see that? So why was the fox getting so angry?

“I promise I won’t cut you if you stay still?” He reasoned, thinking maybe the fox had misinterpreted his actions like that first time when he swiped at the fox for trying to help him get his own collar off.

“I don’t want you to cut it off at all!”

The little dragon was stunned. How could the fox want to keep wearing that? He couldn’t understand.

The fox must’ve noticed his confusion as he took a breath and started to explain more.

“This collar was a gift, not a bad thing. It’s even helpful, it can store my things.”

As a demonstration, the fox tapped a paw to the red gem in the center and a bunch of mana related tools popped out and floated in the space between them.

The little dragon widened his eyes in understanding, before narrowing again as he glared hatefully at the collar still. Useful or not, that didn’t change the fact that the dragon could sense restrictive and tracking magic imbued in it.

“Humph, that little space is nothing to a dragon! Why would you want to wear that thing that signifies your enslavement to those humans!”

The fox gave him a bemused look.

“Do I look like a dragon to you?”

The little dragon spluttered. “Wha- of course not! My mighty dragon eyes can tell the difference between a fox and a great dragon!”

“Then you should know, what is considered little space to dragons, is a lot to a non-dragon like me. So for me, it’s valuable.”

“But, even if you wanted to, you couldn't take it off! There’s restriction magic on it!”

“Yes, but why would I want to take it off? It’s much more useful when I’m wearing it.”

The little dragon’s head was hurting trying to keep up with the confusing fox’s logic. It was hard to imagine himself not being a dragon…but he supposed if he thought about the time when his mana was restricted, a device even as rudimentary as that collar might’ve been helpful.

The fox’s eyes softened a bit.

“I told you before that not all humans are bad, remember? This collar was given to me by one of the good ones-”

“LIAR!”

The fox looked taken aback by his outburst.

“I saw what happened! That human was being mean to you! He was just as bad as the humans who hurt me!”

There was silence between them for a long moment. The little dragon found it difficult to breathe. The more he tried to focus on getting air, the tighter his chest felt. His eyes were tearing up with the pain as he clawed the ground in frustration.

He was a dragon! A big, mighty, powerful dragon! So why was he struggling with something so simple?

“I knew a dragon once…”

The little dragon twitched as the fox started speaking. The low calming voice cut through the rush of blood and panic filling his chest like the lights in the sky at night. He found himself drawn to it, subconsciously tilting his head to focus on the story being told.

“He was the bravest dragon I ever met. Even though he was tormented every day and kicked down again and again, he never stopped fighting for his freedom.”

the little dragon started to breathe deeper, his eyes opening as he found himself growing more invested.

“But years passed, and little by little, the will of the dragon was broken down until one day, he snapped. He used up almost all of his mana to blow up the prison they captured him in and went on a rampage that destroyed everything in his path, including the homes of peaceful people who’d never done anything to harm him.”

With a gasp, the little dragon leaned forward.

“In the end, he was mercy-killed by a wandering knight. The mana exhaustion would’ve led to a slow painful death otherwise. The people left behind, however, only remembered him for the destruction of his final moments. He was seen as a monster, a villain for his crimes.”

The little dragon recoiled at the abrupt and sad conclusion. He felt both pained and angered on behalf of this other dragon.

“That’s not fair! It was the other humans who hurt the dragon first! The dragon was only trying to get free-”

Warmth covered the back of the little dragon. He hadn’t realized he’d shuffled so close to the fox until a bushy tail landed on his shoulders like a comforting blanket.

“Yet in the eyes of the civilians, the dragon only represented pain for their slaughtered family members and destroyed homes. They didn’t know the little dragon's story before that.”

His jaws clicked shut. The little dragon had never thought about it from that perspective before.

The fox gave him a meaningful look then.

“Not everyone deserves the chance to explain themselves. Sometimes their repeated actions outweigh anything their past could explain. But relying on a judgment made after only one encounter can lead to a false labeling of good or bad.”

He let the fox’s words wash over him, turning the concept around in his head. It made…sense. Though he’d have to take some time before he could fully accept it.

The tail slipped off him as the fox stood up abruptly and took a few steps forward. His ears were twitching atop his head, his nose lifted in the air as he angled his head back with a hint of anticipation.

“Where did you teleport us to exactly?”

The little dragon took to the sudden shift in conversation with relief. As interesting as the story about another dragon was, the topic left him feeling a bit off balance. He was more than happy to distract himself with something else.

“We’re around the base of the mountain near those rock tower things you were heading towards.”

The fox’s eyes were practically sparkling as he pushed aside the hanging ivy next to a bush and revealed a small tunnel entrance into the mountain of rock in front of them.

“You really are a great and mighty dragon.”

And despite the little dragon’s outburst earlier and previous self doubt, he couldn’t help but flutter his wings in pride.

“Obviously!”