Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Forest Companion
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Winter had swiftly arrived in the forest.
Even early in the morning, opening the cave door brought a biting chill.
"It's gonna be brutal come full winter..."
I sat by the wood-burning stove I'd painstakingly installed, warming myself up.
The scattered raindrops soon turned into a downpour.
Plip-plop-platter...
Training was off the table today. No question.
I was debating whether to ditch the forest, head back to reality, and hit the market when the infrared sensor blared.
Beep-beep-beep-beep.
"What the hell..."
I geared up and grabbed my weapon.
In this forest, anything approaching the cave was bound to be a monster.
My muscles tensed, every fiber coiling tight.
Peeking through the door's peephole... a wolf?
Beyond the bushes, I spotted a wolf.
Lush silver fur, long snout, bushy tail—it was unmistakably a wolf.
Cracking the door open for a direct look revealed its name.
Silver Wolf
"Monster or what?"
It staggered toward the fence before collapsing in a heap.
Blood pooled on the ground from whatever wound it had.
"This is a headache."
If it was a monster, caution was key. Even if it was just an animal, I shouldn't touch it.
Compared to the bushes, the Silver Wolf was way bigger than any wolf I'd seen at the zoo.
Not something I could help, in other words.
"Bet I could ride that thing."
My back would snap in half, but still.
I watched it, fantasizing about galloping through the forest on a Silver Wolf.
Monster or animal...
Then the bushes rustled, and a tiny wolf pup burst out.
"Husky?"
It looked just like that Siberian Husky pup I'd seen around the neighborhood once.
Was the fallen Silver Wolf its mother?
The pup whimpered, licking at her frantically.
But the mother never stirred again.
The silver wolf was laid to rest amid the pouring rain.
"..."
I quietly observed the mother and pup.
Left like this, the pup would die too.
I desperately wanted to take it in and raise it.
But I could barely take care of myself—raising a wolf was absurd.
"Hope it doesn't grow up and eat me..."
Assuming it got as big as its mom, I'd be in danger.
Who could guarantee it wouldn't snap one day, reverting to its wild instincts?
But...
I couldn't tear my eyes away from the pup.
Maybe I felt a kinship with the small, pitiful thing.
From now on, it had to survive this dangerous forest alone.
Once fully grown, it'd shrug off most threats, but getting there meant overcoming brutal hardships.
"Just like me."
It was a pup now, but it'd grow huge.
Hunting together, eating together, sleeping side by side, protecting each other—sounded pretty good.
"Seen too many movies..."
I shook my head to clear it.
Still, my desire to save that wolf didn't waver.
If I was doing it, now was the time—before it was too late.
I opened the door and approached the Silver Wolf.
The pup instinctively locked eyes with me and growled.
Definitely a wolf—not quite like a dog.
I grabbed its scruff without hesitation.
"Come on, let's go."
It went limp, probably thinking I'd bitten it like its mom.
Cute little guy.
I gave the mother wolf's wound one last glance.
Bite marks from something with a big maw...
Not an Owl Bear, though.
No time for detective work in the rain.
I snapped a photo of the wound with my phone, then carried the pup back to the cave.
"This is wild."
Wolves were different from dogs.
I realized that the moment I brought the Silver Wolf pup inside.
It didn't even glance at me—just scratched at the door.
A regular puppy would've looked at a human at least once.
I recalled some animal researcher saying wolves don't need humans.
Figured it could fend for itself.
"Still, leaving you out there is dangerous..."
Dry it off, warm it up, feed it.
That was all I could do right now.
I wrapped it in a towel, set it by the stove, and dried it off.
It fussed at first, but soon started yawning contentedly in the warmth.
"Hmm."
I rubbed down its chubby little body with the towel.
Like all mammal pups, this one was insanely cute.
It resembled a Husky pup a ton, but up close, the eye color was different.
A bit plump, too.
"Water's off. Let's check your belly."
Flipping it over made it kick and squirm fiercely.
Instinct told it exposing its belly was dangerous.
Definitely not like a dog.
I ignored it and stroked its tummy anyway.
"Haven't eaten much, huh?"
Teeth coming in?
Prying open its jaws revealed tiny, adorable teeth.
Time for some tender chicken.
I fashioned a harness, tied it up, and fetched some chicken.
In that short time, it'd thrashed so much the straps were tangled everywhere.
"Hope I didn't bite off more than I can chew."
Worried about the chaos it'd cause down the line.
Apocalypse was coming anyway—no biggie if it wrecked the place.
I carefully shredded the chicken and offered a piece.
"Eat up. I know you miss your mom..."
Chomp!
Almost got bit.
It gulped the chicken down without chewing.
Staring between me and my fingers, it seemed confused.
Was it me or the hand giving the food?
"Look, it's me giving it to you."
I emphasized it, but it ignored me, fixating on my hand.
Then it spotted the bigger chunk on the cutting board.
"Hey, no you don't."
I snatched the chicken away, and it barked furiously.
What to name it?
But before naming, there was unfinished business.
Burying its mother, still cooling at the cave entrance.
Didn't want to attract other monsters, either.
"Eat this for now."
I diced the chicken and spread it out; the pup was busy devouring it.
Meanwhile, the rain stopped.
I grabbed a shovel and stood.
This was gonna suck.
"Hoo..."
Nearly an hour of grueling battle later, I buried the mother wolf.
Doing this heavy labor often had surprisingly taught me tricks.
The damp soil made digging easier, too.
Looking at the grave afterward, my heart ached.
Someday I'd die too, but if possible, on my terms—place and time of my choosing.
"...Doubt that'll happen."
The pup rolled in the dirt at the grave, going nuts.
Probably catching its mother's scent on instinct.
Now it had a choice.
Stay here or follow me.
I had zero intention of turning it into a pet.
To survive this deadly forest, it needed to make its own decisions.
"I'm heading out."
I left those words and walked away.
Even as I headed to the cave, I felt conflicted.
Maybe just grabbing the clueless pup would've been better.
Glancing back, it stood frozen, staring at me.
A few more steps, and the bushes would hide me.
I'd thought teaming up could get us through this forest okay.
"Tch..."
As I regretted it, something scampered up behind me.
Suddenly, the pup matched my pace.
I kept looking ahead and spoke.
"Your name's Dingo. Got it?"
Woof!
Dingo was the name of the dog I'd had as a kid.
"House rule one: hunt your own food. But you're too young for that now, so I'll handle it. Pay me back later?"
Woof!
What nonsense was I spouting, dragging this thing along?
But one thing was clear.
In this barren forest, I finally had an ally.
Who knew if it'd go feral and leave someday...
"At least until then, stick together."
Woof woof!
Dingo barked energetically.
I'd gained a forest companion.
An hour after Dingo became my companion, I learned something.
Silver Wolf stamina was insane.
This pup didn't tire after an hour of tug-of-war.
I ended up sprawled out, towel tossed aside.
"Your stamina's ridiculous, isn't it?"
It climbed on my stomach and barked.
No cutesy dog affection here.
It just liked being near me.
Followed me everywhere—honestly, a bit annoying.
Even tried coming up to the second floor, so I leashed it, but gave up quick.
It barked like the cave was collapsing.
"Ha... gonna summon every monster in the neighborhood."
So I decided to take Dingo to reality too.
It looked like a Husky pup—no big visual mismatch.
Learning non-humans could pass through the dimension gate was a nice bonus.
"Exclusive gate must apply beyond just humans."
Makes sense—items had crossed dozens of times.
The next day, with Dingo in tow, I geared up and left the forest as usual.
Out to check what killed the Silver Wolf mother.
Dingo trailed cautiously behind.
Not fully back, not quite side—perfect positioning.
"Way better than going solo."
Not human, but having someone guard my back felt reassuring.
Even if Dingo couldn't fight monsters yet.
It followed obediently, then suddenly tugged my pant leg.
"What?"
Grrr...
Low growl.
I dropped low, tensed, and hid behind bushes.
Through binoculars: a rabbit.
What, just a rabbit...
That thought barely formed when Dingo bolted like lightning.
Pinned it before it could react.
"Whoa!"
The movement was jaw-dropping.
This the same pup chowing chicken and playing tug?
Dingo clamped the rabbit's neck, refusing to let go.
As it thrashed harder—their sizes matched—it bounced up.
"Hold on, hold on."
I jumped in and grabbed the rabbit.
Up close, it was hefty, with long claws—not a pushover.
Dingo growled at the dangling rabbit, then met my eyes.
Did I do good? Its look warmed my heart.
"Good job, Dingo."
As I carried the rabbit, it sniffed around then followed.
Hunting at this age? Impressive pup.
Teeth too small for real damage, but hey.
Back at the cave, Dingo alternated stares between me and the rabbit for ages.
I knew what it wanted.
Kill and eat the rabbit.
But I'd never butchered anything but fish.
"...Can't we just let it go?"
Did we have to eat it?
Tons of canned goods and ramen in storage...
I couldn't ignore Dingo's gaze.
Fine, butchering one rabbit wasn't a big deal.
Worse awaited in the future.
I steeled myself and searched Mityube for rabbit butchering tutorials.
"Graphic stuff."
Super detailed—practically real.
Basics matched what I knew: drain blood, skin, gut, remove head and joints.
"Damn, easier said than done..."
Grumbling, I slit its throat in one go.
Sorry. Gotta eat to live.
I hung the limp body on the wall and nicked the bulging vein behind the head.
Wait for blood to drain...
Dingo watched calmly, unfazed by the blood.
"You some kinda supervisor?"
Checking if I did it right?
Blood dripped in globs—time to skin.
Hunters said do it warm for ease.
"Gotta cut the scent glands too. So much work."
Remove genitals to avoid meat taint—real chore.
Blood and goo stuck to my hands, but I kept cutting.
"Started it, gotta finish."
Woof.
It barked agreement.
Somehow gutted it clean.
Peeled out what looked like liver, sliced some, offered to Dingo.
"Wanna try?"
Sniffed, slurped it up, swallowed.
Carnivores eat blood and organs first post-kill for nutrients meat lacks.
"Off with the head... score the joints..."
After prep, it looked decent enough.
Gross... very gross, but I'd adapt.
Sliced some for Dingo.
"Good hunt earlier."
Petting its head, it finally seemed content, resting on my leg.
Felt like the hunt was truly done.
I finished up.
Hands and knife bloodied, but accomplishment swelled.
Sizzle—sizzle—
Meat roasted golden over the fire.
"Rabbit-only diet lacks fat—some disease risk."
"Plenty other food..."
I cut a fatty loin for Dingo's share.
It wolfed it down hungrily.
"Nothing left."
Bone scraps it was.
Salted bite—fishy stench hit hard.
Damn, botched the prep.
Swallowed vomit, chewed it down.
Gotta be grateful for this.
To survive the apocalypse.
End of Forest Companion