“Arwf? (Okay, what game should we play tonight?) ”
Even slipping out of the young lady’s bed and going out to play has become part of my daily routine. It does mean I’ve been sleeping until after the sun comes up, but staying out late is too much fun for me to care.
Why not go hang out at the elves’ village? I promised I’d visit them once I lost weight. It’s just that if I went to them, they’d spoil me to no end. I already live at the peak of laziness, and they’d try to entice me to fall even further. And that’s scary, because I probably would never be able to turn back. The next thing I know, I’d probably find myself worshipped as the guardian deity of their village.
I don’t want my life to be chained down to anything, so I’ll pass on accumulating faith like that or reigning as a king, thank you. Being kept as a pet is perfect for me, as expected.
“Squeak? (Why not go and visit Shiro and Kuro?) ”
“Mew! (They were both so cute!) ”
Len’s and Nahura’s cheeks redden when they recall the little cries the baby wolves were making.
They’re right. Maybe it would be nice to go for a visit. I’d hesitate to get in the way of Garo raising them, but a little bit of looking at them shouldn’t be a big deal.
“Arwf, arwf. (Actually, I don’t know where Garo and the others live.) ”
They always show up right away when I call for them, so I’ve never gone to see them myself. My arrival at the Fen Wolves’ training ground was a coincidence, so maybe they have dens nearby?
“Squeak. (The night is young. Why not take a walk in the meantime while we search?) ”
“Arwf. (Sure, that works.) ”
We walk randomly through the woods, searching for Garo. Well, I’m the only one walking and searching, anyway. Len and Nahura are just riding on my back, relaxing.
“Arwf, arwf? (Gah. I keep saying this, but why don’t you two walk by yourselves?) ”
“Squeak? (I keep saying this, but why are you dissatisfied with two beautiful women riding on you?) ”
“Mew. (Exactly. If this form isn’t to your liking, I can change into a human if you want.) ”
“Arwf. (Please, no. I’ll pass out.) ”
No matter how cute the end product is, I don’t want to see the horror show that is her transformation. Also, if she changed into a person, she’d be that much heavier. At least stay that small size.
From time to time I stop and sniff around, searching for Garo’s scent. I thought I’d find her easily using my sense of smell, but it’s not going so well. How come? I can find the young lady’s floral scent immediately.
“Squeak. (Hmm. It appears my nose is having trouble as well. It was never as good as yours, but it feels as though a strange haze is covering everything.) ”
Len seems to be experiencing the same thing. Although I don’t get what she means about the haze and stuff.
Well, it’s probably just that I can’t tell Garo’s scent apart from all the other scents in the forest. I might be picking up on it but lack the talent to discern it.
It’s great that my Fenrir body is so awesome, but it’s still only me on the inside, so I’m clearly not able to master those skills. Garo and the other Fen Wolves have much better noses and ears, too. Woe is me—does the title of King of the Fen Wolves mean nothing?
Hey, that’s good. Real good. Accept that it means nothing. Let’s just abandon the rulership of the Fen Wolves. I’d like to be friends with Garo and the others, but I don’t want to be their king. Why won’t anyone understand my delicate dog’s heart?
“Squeak. (Beloved, your mane seems to be somewhat agitated. Is something the matter?) ”
“Arwf? (My mane?) ”
I only notice it after Len says something. My neck feels weirdly itchy for some reason, and then I realize the hairs in my mane are standing on end.
“Arwf? (What’s up with that? I’m feeling it from the direction of the mansion.) ”
I turn back the way we came, and the nervous itch intensifies.
“Arwf. (Well, we can’t find Garo, so let’s go home for today.) ”
This itchiness is giving me a bad feeling. Is this what they call a premonition?
“Squeak. (If you say so, I wouldn’t mind.) ”
“Mew. (It’s too bad, but we can see them anytime we want.) ”
I turn on my heel and return the way I came.
And then a figure falls over, as if to block my passage.
“Arwf?! (Whoa?! That scared me!) ”
She came wobbling out of the brush—it’s Ururu, her hair loose.
“Arwf, arwf?! (H-hey, what’s wrong?! Are you all right?!) ”
She must have tripped and fallen several times, because her elbows and knees are scraped and she’s covered in dirt. We have to get her in the bath and heal her.
“Arwf. (Which way was the village again? Or would the mansion be closer to here? Anyway, get on my back. We’ll patch you up at the mansion.) ”
Oh, and once we get to the mansion, please don’t call me King or anything.
“K-King…”
Yes, that . Don’t do that.
“Save us, King Routa…!” shouts Ururu in tears, grabbing a clump of my fur with a trembling hand. “My sisters… Eruru… Oruru… Everyone…! Please, King Routa! Please save them! If there’s something I can do… I’ll do anything!”
Now’s clearly not the time to say, “Hmm, did you say ‘anything’?”
Judging from Ururu’s wounds, she must have run here in considerable haste. I don’t know what happened, but we should probably go save them now. Garo and the other Fen Wolves are in the forest, too. By the time we get there, the others should already have arrived.
“Arwf. (All right. Should we go to the village then?) ”
Shaking, Ururu nods and climbs on me. I listen to her directions and run toward the elves’ village.
“Woof, woof. (Anyway, Ururu, what happened?) ”
“I don’t know… Eruru disappeared, and then when we found her, she bit my sisters… And then my sisters started acting weird…”