At this rate, this creature’s not gonna last long. As I observed the animal sadly, I recalled something important. Right! I have a medicine-making skill. Maybe I can heal the wolf with that?
“Hang in there, pal,” I said before searching my surroundings, although I knew that the beast probably didn’t understand my words.
Medicine making, I thought. I can’t imagine that’s anything but literal, right? Luckily, I’m in the middle of a forest. There should be all kinds of herbs and nuts I can use to make medicine.
I began identifying the flowers, weeds, and trees growing nearby. “Bingo!” I picked all kinds of unfamiliar plants and harvested their roots and leaves, gathering a bunch of resources that could prove useful.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned about combining all the ingredients, considering that I could barely cook. Thankfully, the medicine-making skill apparently included “refinery,” which meant that I naturally knew what I needed to do.
I mulched the roots, stems, and leaves, then mixed them into the bottle of water in my bag. All that was left was to close the cap and shake the bottle. Is this really going to work?
Despite my apprehension, the water inside began to glow slightly.
MINERAL WATER -> POTION (EXCELLENT): Stops blood loss. Highly effective on superficial injuries.
“It’s done!”
The mixture was translucent, with a slight green tint. It actually sorta looks like a sports drink. I glanced over at the weakened wolf, only to find that it was looking back at me.
Wait. Actually, it’s looking at the water bottle in my hand.
The creature rushed over and balanced on its hind legs, its eyes sparkling. “Grrr!”
“You can stand on two legs?!”
Distracting me with its agility, the wolf snatched the bottle out of my hand and thirstily downed the fluid. Hunh. It can hold the bottle in its paws.
“Grrrrrgh…” Seemingly remembering its leg injury, the wolf sat.
It’s not whimpering anymore, either. Maybe the pain’s gone? I sighed in relief. I hadn’t thought that creating a potion would be so simple. Even someone with no innate knowledge or background in pharmaceuticals could mix a basic one. This medicine-making skill’s something else, man.
Since I also had the identification skill, I could immediately tell that making the potion had worked. I sipped it, curious how it tasted. “Hrm.”
It’s actually pretty good!
It was a teeny bit sweet, with a refreshing aftertaste. “Wait…I’ve drunk this before! The flavor’s the same as that one sports drink!” This realization stunned me.
Meanwhile, the wolf slowly rose to all four—not just two—legs. “Are you okay now?” I asked.
Obviously, it didn’t respond. Instead, the wolf circled me and pounced onto my knees. It was so big, I couldn’t help getting knocked over.
“Grrrgh!” The wolf quietly growled above me.
Its body glowed, and before my very eyes, its fur disappeared and its muzzle shrank. The white wolf morphed into a silver-haired young girl with wolf ears, a tail, and fangs.
“Huh? A girl…?” I glanced at her status.
WEREWOLF: Type of demihuman. Can take a human or wolf form.
So, you’re telling me she was a werewolf this whole time? I always figured they were more vicious. I guess not.
The werewolf girl’s blue eyes stared straight at me. “Noela say thanks. Many thanks. Almost dead.”
Noela swished her tail back and forth as she spoke.
“Er, you’re welcome…”
“What that?” she asked. “Very tasty.”
“This? It’s a potion.” Without listening to a word I said, the beast girl crept up and sniffed me. “Wh-whoa! You’re way too close!” She pinned my shoulders to the ground, peering at me, and began to lick my lips. “H-hey! Stop that! What the heck?!”
Panicked, I tried to escape from beneath Noela, but failed. She’s way too strong! I totally underestimated her!
She paid me no mind whatsoever. “Very tasty! Mouth very tasty!”
What in the world is she talking about? I’m down here freaking out, and she’s just licking me! What is she, some kind of kiss monster?!
“Hey, seriously!” I exclaimed. “Gah—stop that!”
Jeez. I only just arrived in this strange world, and a beast girl’s already tackled and licked me.
“Tasty, tasty! Very tasty.”
I guess she thinks I taste good. Oh—she must be licking my mouth to taste the potion I sipped!
“Stop for a sec!” I ordered. “See this? It’s the potion—er…the, uh, ‘tasty-tasty’—from earlier!”
I pointed at the bottle on the ground. Noela immediately pounced on it. Clank, clank!
She struggled with opening it, of course. “Grrr…” Her ears drooped sadly.
“C’mon, give it here.” I stood, grabbed the bottle, and unscrewed the cap for the girl.
As soon as I handed it back, she downed the liquid. Since it’s a potion, you’re not really supposed to chug it, but whatever. All I could do was grin, since Noela at least looked like she was enjoying it.
“Just a heads-up—that’s medicinal,” I warned her. “At any rate, I’m glad you feel better.”
“Tasty, tasty! Super tasty.”
“I was shocked when you came at me on your back legs,” I added.
“Hm?” Noela shook her head. “Noela can’t stand up when wolf.”
So, she’d done it without realizing. “Hey, I’m gonna head into town or somewhere. I guess this is goodbye, Noela.”
“Noela go too! Follow Master!” she exclaimed.
“Er, pardon?”
Noela nodded emphatically and pointed at me. “Master save Noela! Noela repay!”
“You mean repay me? I think that’s over the top.”
I hadn’t saved Noela to get her to pay me back. To be honest, though, it’d be helpful having someone like her guide me through this unknown world.
Noela repeated her intentions in a broken sentence: “Noela go with!”
She seemed dead set on this. “All right,” I said. “In that case, I appreciate the company!”
I stuck my hand out. Noela grabbed it and squeezed it happily with both hands, tail wagging.
She’s less like a wolf and more like a puppy, I decided. “I hate to spring this on you already, but do you know where the closest town is, Noela? Could you take me there?”
My hand still in hers, Noela began to walk. “Master, follow!”
And so, my otherworldly life with the werewolf girl began.