The morning after the market incident arrived without noise.
Elden Hollow looked almost unchanged, as if chaos had never touched it. Birds returned to rooftops, the river flowed steadily, and villagers resumed their routines with quiet familiarity.
Richard woke early.
Not in Lara's house, but in a small wooden shed behind her family's home. Lara's father had agreed he could stay—on one condition.
"You're not here for comfort," he had said. "You're here to work."
Richard accepted without protest.
It was still more than he had ever had before.
Outside, Lara was already awake near the river, washing a bucket under the morning sun.
"You're early," she said without looking up.
"I didn't sleep much," Richard replied.
Lara smirked faintly. "Still thinking about that dog?"
Richard didn't answer.
Because even he didn't fully understand why he kept thinking about it.
It had been just yesterday when everything changed.
The market had turned chaotic—arguments, shouting, and violence breaking out between traders. Richard had stepped in to stop a fight, only to witness something else entirely.
A thin stray dog had appeared suddenly, stealing a piece of meat and running through the crowd in panic.
The butcher had struck it with a stick.
The dog had crashed into Richard.
He had caught it without thinking.
It trembled in his arms, starving, terrified, yet still clinging to the stolen food.
The crowd demanded punishment.
Richard paid for the meat instead.
The dog ran away afterward.
No one gave it a name.
No one expected to see it again.
But that assumption was wrong.
The next day, as Richard returned from delivering supplies near the village edge, he was attacked.
Three robbers stepped out from the trees.
They were fast.
Stronger.
Richard was outnumbered.
Then—
A bark cut through the forest.
The same stray dog.
It rushed from the bushes without hesitation, biting one of the attackers and breaking their formation. It moved wildly, circling, distracting, refusing to let Richard be overwhelmed.
For a brief moment, chaos turned in his favor.
The robbers retreated, frustrated and startled.
Silence returned.
The dog stood there breathing heavily, still ready to fight.
Richard stared at it.
"…You again."
The dog didn't respond.
It just sat down.
As if it had decided something.
And then it followed him home.
By the time Richard returned, Lara was waiting near the yard.
"What happened?" she asked immediately.
"Robbers," he replied.
Her eyes widened.
Before she could speak again, the dog stepped out from behind him—dirty, exhausted, but alive.
Lara blinked.
"…Don't tell me."
Richard looked down at it.
"It helped."
The dog barked once, as if confirming.
Lara exhaled slowly. "You really attract trouble."
Richard gave a faint smile. "I didn't choose it."
The dog lightly bumped against his leg.
That evening, Lara's father saw it again.
His expression hardened immediately.
"A stray," he said.
Lara stepped forward quickly. "It helped him today."
Her father frowned. "A dog doesn't belong here."
Richard spoke calmly. "It saved my life."
Silence followed.
Lara crossed her arms. "And it's the same one from the market."
Her father studied it longer this time.
The dog didn't move.
It simply waited.
Finally, Lara spoke again.
"I'll take responsibility for it."
Her father hesitated.
Then sighed.
"…Fine. But if it causes trouble, it leaves."
Deal was accepted.
The dog was allowed to stay.
But still had no name.
That night, Lara studied it more closely.
"It can't just be called 'dog,'" she muttered.
Richard glanced at her.
The animal tilted its head slightly.
Lara thought for a moment.
"…Rook."
The word settled into the air.
The dog blinked.
Then slowly wagged its tail.
Richard repeated it softly.
"Rook."
And for the first time, the name belonged to it.
Rook lay down that night without fear.
Not fully safe.
Not fully understood.
But no longer alone.
The next day in Elden Hollow began with clear skies and a gentle wind rolling across the fields.
Richard, Lara, and Rook walked toward the fishing site beside the river where Lara's father usually worked. It was a wide, shallow stretch of water where fish gathered in large numbers, making it one of the village's most important working spots.
Lara's father was already there, inspecting nets.
"Late," he said briefly.
"We're here now," Lara replied, stretching her arms.
Rook stood beside Richard, alert and curious, watching everything closely.
The work began quickly.
Villagers used long woven nets and wooden baskets. They dragged the nets through the water in coordinated motions, then pulled them back full of fish. The fish were quickly sorted and placed into baskets for transport.
Rook watched silently.
Its head tilted slightly each time the humans moved in rhythm.
Richard noticed.
"You're thinking too hard," he muttered.
Rook blinked at him.
Then, unexpectedly, it stepped closer to the edge of the water.
Before anyone could react, it jumped in.
"Hey—!" Lara shouted.
But Rook was already in.
At first, it was chaotic.
The dog splashed awkwardly, clearly not built for swimming. It struggled for balance, circling in confusion as water hit its face.
Lara's father frowned. "Get it out before it drowns."
But Richard raised a hand slightly.
"Wait."
Rook did not give up.
It adjusted.
Slowly.
Then instinct began to take over.
Its movements steadied.
It started swimming properly.
Not just swimming—tracking.
A fish passed nearby.
Rook lunged.
It missed at first.
Then again.
But on the third attempt, it snapped forward and caught a fish in its mouth.
The villagers froze.
"…It caught one?" someone muttered.
Rook swam back to shore and dropped it carefully.
Then immediately went back in.
Again.
And again.
Within a short time, fish were being caught faster than before. The villagers no longer worked alone—Rook was moving between them, driving fish toward the nets, even retrieving ones that slipped away.
Richard watched in silence.
Then exhaled slowly.
"You're… actually useful."
Rook paused briefly, as if offended, then continued working.
Lara laughed softly. "Did you just compliment a dog?"
The work became faster, smoother, almost effortless compared to before. By midday, baskets were overflowing.
And the village noticed.
Word spread quickly.
"The apprentice with the strange dog."
"The one that fishes like a human."
"Maybe even better…"
Richard didn't like attention.
But Rook didn't seem to care at all.
---
Far away in another part of the village, someone else was paying attention for a different reason.
Richard's former master.
The farmer who once controlled his labor stood outside his compound, irritated.
"He hasn't shown up in days," the man said sharply.
His workers exchanged glances.
"He… left," one finally said carefully.
"What do you mean, left?"
"He started working with the fisherman's family."
Silence.
Then anger.
Without another word, the farmer set out.
---
By late afternoon, he arrived at Lara's family house.
Lara's father stepped out first.
"What do you want?"
The farmer didn't bow or greet properly. His voice carried authority, as if Richard still belonged to him.
"I've come for the boy."
Lara's father frowned. "He is not your property."
The farmer ignored him and turned to Richard, who had just returned from the river.
"You," he said sharply. "You've stopped coming to work."
Richard looked at him calmly. "Yes."
The farmer scoffed. "You think you can just leave? Come back. I'll increase your wages."
Lara blinked slightly at that.
But Richard didn't hesitate.
"No."
The farmer frowned deeper. "Don't be foolish. You won't find better work than mine."
"I already did," Richard replied simply.
The man's expression hardened. "You don't understand. I'm offering you more money than before."
Richard shook his head.
"I'm not coming back."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Lara's father watched quietly, studying Richard more closely now.
The farmer stepped forward angrily. "You're being ungrateful."
Rook growled softly beside Richard.
The farmer noticed it and stepped back slightly.
Richard remained still.
"I paid you," he said calmly. "I worked. That is all."
Another pause.
Then the farmer clicked his tongue in frustration.
"This isn't over."
He turned sharply and left.
---
When he was gone, Lara exhaled slowly.
"You really just refused him like that…"
Richard shrugged slightly. "There was nothing to accept."
Lara looked at him for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"You're getting bolder."
Rook sat beside him, tail flicking once.
Lara's father studied them both for a long moment.
"…Strange boy," he muttered quietly.
But there was no anger in it anymore.
Only observation.
And in Elden Hollow, observation usually meant something important was beginning.