After two days of deep, uninterrupted sleep, Shad Darc finally opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the oversized cat staring intently at him.
Its white-and-green reptilian eyes held a faint trace of curiosity, as though it had been waiting for him to wake up.
Shad stared back.
Unlike the creature, however, he wasn't thinking about anything in particular.
His thirst had become unbearable.
It felt as though he hadn't had a drop of water in ages. His throat was dry, and every breath seemed to worsen the sensation. Hunger was no better. In fact, he was so hungry that he felt capable of devouring an entire elephant.
With some effort, Shad pushed himself upright.
He had been sleeping against the oversized cat's enormous body, using its warmth and softness as a makeshift bed. Now, he carefully moved away from it and stood.
The first thing he did was examine his injuries.
Most of them had healed considerably. The wounds across his body had closed, and both of his hands were usable again.
However, the pain hadn't disappeared completely.
A dull ache lingered in his joints and muscles, warning him not to strain himself.
Shad flexed his fingers.
His right hand responded, though a sharp pulse of pain followed the movement.
"Still not fully healed..."
He lowered his hands and glanced at his body.
His shirt was completely gone, and his trousers were barely holding together. Large tears ran through the fabric, leaving him half-naked in the middle of the strange forest.
Shad released a tired sigh.
"My shirt is completely gone, and my trousers are one step away from falling apart. If I have another battle like that and somehow survive, I'll probably end up walking around this forest naked."
He looked down at his ruined clothing.
"Aargh. This is so annoying."
His voice grew slightly louder.
The oversized cat lifted its head and watched him.
Shad turned toward it, then raised his right hand toward his chin as though he were about to engage in serious contemplation.
The moment his fingers touched his jaw, pain shot through his hand.
"Fuck!"
He immediately lowered his arm and glared at it.
For a few seconds, he remained silent.
The oversized cat continued staring at him, seemingly confused by the strange behavior of the little creature it had chosen to protect.
Shad eventually shifted his attention toward its eyes.
'So, what exactly am I supposed to do with this thing?'
He had never owned a pet, much less raised one. He had no idea how to care for an oversized creature capable of crushing him with a single paw.
'Wait. Why am I even thinking about raising it?'
His thoughts wandered from one question to another.
One of his mental identities finally spoke.
'Just treat it like a guard dog or something,'the contemplator suggested.
'Try being nice to it from now on. Who knows? You might discover something useful... or something completely unexpected.'
'Hmm. Is that so?'
Shad considered the suggestion.
Then another thought surfaced.
'Now that I think about it, why does this oversized cat seem to be in much better condition than I am?'
His eyes briefly moved across the creature's body.
The wounds he had inflicted during their battle should have been fatal. The injury to its neck alone should have left it in terrible pain, assuming it had survived at all.
Yet the creature appeared relatively healthy.
It was still injured, but its condition was far better than Shad's.
'Wait... I didn't actually expect it to survive.'
His expression remained calm, but confusion stirred beneath the surface.
'Even if it did survive, shouldn't it still be grimacing in pain? Why does it look almost perfectly fine?'
The Ponderer responded.
'Don't exhaust yourself by overthinking it. This world is entirely different from Earth. There are countless questions you haven't answered and truths you haven't uncovered. Something like this shouldn't surprise you too much.'
'Maybe you're right,' Shad replied skeptically.
He glanced at the oversized cat once more before continuing.
'Regardless, let's focus on the task ahead and deal with the present situation.'
The Lonely King spoke next.
'Indeed. There is little value in drowning yourself in questions when your immediate problem remains unresolved.'
"Yeah," Shad muttered. "The task ahead."
He looked at the oversized cat.
The creature quickly averted its gaze.
It didn't understand why, but staring into the little creature's eyes made it uncomfortable. There was something strange about them—something it couldn't explain.
It could tolerate the little creature's presence.
It could even allow him to rest against its body.
But looking directly into his eyes for too long made an unfamiliar uneasiness spread through it.
Shad, meanwhile, remained unaware of the creature's discomfort.
He was thinking about water.
Finding a water source had been his primary objective from the beginning. He had already spent days searching for one, and his thirst was becoming dangerous.
'Come to think of it... why do the days here feel so much longer than they did on Earth?'
He paused.
'Am I overthinking that too?'
Shad mentally scratched his head.
Physically doing so would have been a terrible idea considering the condition of his hands.
"Aargh. So many questions and no one to answer them."
He exhaled slowly before turning toward the oversized cat.
"Hey. From now on, you'll be my accomplice and guard dog."
The creature tilted its head.
"Even though you're an oversized cat, your name will be..."
Shad paused, studying its white-and-green eyes.
"Fray."
He stood there for a moment, staring at the creature as though he expected it to respond.
The oversized cat merely blinked.
It understood nothing of what he had said.
Well, almost nothing.
It had recognized one thing.
A name.
The moment Shad assigned it one, something subtle shifted within the creature.
It couldn't explain what had changed, but the sound of that name lingered in its mind.
Fray.
Shad, unaware of the significance of the moment, continued speaking.
"Since you have nothing to say, let's get moving. I was heading somewhere before our little fight."
He glanced at the creature's injured limb.
"Although, I'm not sure whether you're capable of walking yet."
The oversized cat remained still.
Shad rubbed his chin, then immediately remembered the pain in his right hand and stopped.
"Well, I suppose there's only one way to find out."
He looked toward the creature's back.
"Would you mind letting me ride on your back? Only if you're capable of walking, of course."
He didn't expect a response.
In fact, he wasn't even sure why he had bothered asking. The creature couldn't possibly understand him.
Shad had spent enough time talking to his mental identities to become accustomed to speaking aloud when no one else was around.
Talking to an animal wasn't particularly different.
At least, that was what he thought.
Then the oversized cat moved.
Its enormous body rose from the ground.
Shad's eyes narrowed slightly.
The creature turned around, lowered its body, and positioned itself in front of him.
Its back sank closer to the ground.
An invitation.
Shad stared at it.
"...You understood me?"
The oversized cat glanced over its shoulder.
Shad didn't waste time questioning the situation.
He stepped forward and climbed onto its back, settling himself carefully to avoid aggravating his injuries.
Only after he was seated did another thought strike him.
'Wait.'
His eyes shifted toward the creature's head.
'This thing actually understands human speech?'
The oversized cat began moving.
Shad remained silent for a moment.
Then he sighed.
"Of course. Another question."
He leaned forward slightly, allowing the creature to carry him through the enormous forest.
At least now, he wouldn't have to walk on his own.