The forest seems to hold its breath. Somehow, this Eldritch Doe gives off an air of ruling the land. The sparks and glimmers of the patches on her fur mirror the hues of the forest. When one of the flowers opens further, the patches on the doe’s fur open too, or unfold, or spread.

I can’t ask the doe this, not with our fate in abeyance. I also won’t ask System. As well, no one speaks, either in the mind-link or out loud. No chatter. Keep quiet. Everyone is riveted to the doe and whatever she might say. Always mindful of perils, Dag hovers, eyeballing the doe with something suspiciously like respect.

Several more moments pass, turning into minutes. It could even be hours for all I know, although the fluffy egg of the sun stays fixed in the sky.

Finally, the doe reacts. A shudder ripples through her, and she shuts her eyes, then scents the wind and flicks her ears. What does her body language portend? My nose can’t detect anything in the potpourri of smells, but then, I am not smelling us and the environment from her perspective. I wish I could.

She bows her head to stare at Einswine, eye to eye. [Do not touch any living creature in this forest. No hunting. Eat what you have. Plants and berries abound. No hunting here.]

Einswine snorted. [I was afraid you would say that.]

[Beg pardon. We are many.] I lean forward. [Can these plants feed all of us?]

With a cavalier toss of her head, she dismisses the question. [Are you so deprived that you cannot think of the creatures in these woods before yourselves?]

Demos grunts. Lobo gnashes his teeth. They both know that we’re dependent on the mercy of the Eldritch Doe. We need to pass through the woods.

Dag squawks. [No like deer.]

Gussie shrieks at him, batting at him with her wings. [Hold your tongue!]

He is an ant or a piece of moss to the Eldritch Doe for all the notice she gives him.

We tamed beasts relay the Eldritch Doe’s terms to our tamers. For several moments, they huddle together, whispering. Of course, our superior hearing catches every word.

"She can’t demand this of us."

"Guess we will just have to eat smaller portions. And fill up on fruit. And cook vegetable stews.]

"Doesn’t she realize that the population could explode?"

"Maybe she magically keeps it stable? There is something eerie about these woods."

"How fast can we get through, Father?"

"Two days if we push, and if nothing impedes us, such as bad weather or some other disaster."

Everyone! Stop giving System ideas.

Finally, they decide to be sensible. "We can do this."

Einswine communicates to the Eldritch Doe. [We agree to your terms. We will just be on our way without further delay.]

I can’t resist chiming in. [And if you could tell us what is safe to eat, we would be grateful.]

Graceful, the doe lifts her foot in acknowledgment.

"Thank you," Lamant replies. "We will respect this forest."

With a flick of her ears, the Eldritch Doe shares all the knowledge of what is safe to eat with me. [Creeper vines make tasty stew, or even tea. The rare blue-dew flower has a nectar that is prized. Avoid the large rust-colored mushrooms.]

I thank her for her tutelage, and she rotates her body, then trots off into the woods. The trees themselves cloak her passage until it seems she was never here at all.

After her departure, we decide we had better make haste through these woods. Our food supply of the meat variety is not huge, so we need to stick to that two days’ travel time.

I make sure Lightning and the cubs are comfortable in the carriage, then resume my position at the forefront of the caravan with Kaline on my back. She pats my fur, a reassuring touch. "You were good, Blaze. This is the Eldritch Doe’s home. We can’t disrespect it."

I give a little "mrrrp" of pleasure. Of course it was the right thing. But I live on praise from Kaline. Other than Lightning and Lobo, she is my person. I wish she were not a video game character. She feels real. Once I leave this world, the game will be in my past, and I will miss her. I wish she could be a friend in real life. I won’t miss this world, but I will miss her.

We make decent time through the woods after our lengthy stop. Kasz and the others push on, even when the trees block out the dying sunlight and the cold air wraps around me. Soon it will be too dark to proceed, even with magical light and beast night vision. We need to camp soon.

Kasz runs up, his hobnail goblin boots clomping and crushing twigs underfoot. "Camp ahead?"

I scan for an opening and a clearing. Aha. There. By another streamlet. Not as spacious as the glade, but offering more in the way of cover.

My roar signals the carriages and wagons to halt, and camp is underway before Kaline has even dismounted. Wood is chopped, a fire is lit and dinner is started. Niall, with Peridot and Maartenwitz and Hans, goes off to forage for plants. Einswine, Lobo, and Demos stand guard in the clearing. Gussie and Dag constantly scout.

I help Lightning carry the cubs from the carriage while Elandior, Lamant, and the others pitch tents. No airs and graces here. Everyone does his or her part. Minette supervises. Kaline and Vedette look after us beasts. Then, Vedette prepares the meal, under Minette’s supervision.

Our team of foragers returns without incident, and with baskets of plants. Although sweaty and covered in leaves, they look satisfied, although Niall kvetches about wanting to see the blue-dye flower with the fabled nectar. To divert himself, Niall joins Vedette and helps cook dinner. The smells of roasting meat and simmering vegetables hits the spot even before I eat a bite. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.

When the meal begins, the cubs get fed first as the youngest and most vulnerable travelers. Their first hunt was a bust, but they don’t care. Their faces are covered in meat and vegetables and smiles.

After that, everyone else enjoys dinner al fresco. The portions seem smaller than normal, but Niall has found crunchy exotic fruits, so dessert more than compensates.

No more activity tonight. After everyone goes out for calls of nature, in groups of two, we settle in for the night. Lightning and the cubs and I snuggle in a tent, at Kaline’s insistence. The cubs need their dad, and they need shelter from the cold.

Sleepy after the eventful day, I melt into lazy night cuddles with Lightning. Hans and Kaline are sharing the tent along with Minette and Lamant, so Lobo and Gussie are with us, too. A real family affair. Hans and Kaline sleep apart, shy in the presence of parents. Not that they have done anything beyond holding hands or maybe a chaste peck or two.

[Lightning? I mean, Amber?] My private chat with her as our true selves. [You awake?]

[Not for much longer.]

[Isn’t it funny that even though I’m in the body of a boy beast and you a girl beast, our tamers in the game are the opposite of us?]

She lets out a "mrrrp". [Go to sleep. You’re tired.]

[I’m just saying.]

[Go to sleep.]

Of course she can always head off my ramblings. That’s why we are so good together, no matter where we are. The first thing I do when I recover in the real world is take her on a pre-wedding trip. Somewhere she has always wanted to go. London. Tokyo. Florence. Los Angeles. Anywhere.

I can’t resist asking a question that’s on my mind. A more useful one. [What do you think the Eldritch Doe represents? Just another obstacle?]

She hums. [I don’t know. It’s not as menacing as some of System’s efforts. Maybe it’s an ally?]

I hadn’t considered that. But it makes sense. Except for her conditions about not hunting in the woods, the doe does not seem like a threat. More like a test. Which means she could, in theory, reveal something important that we need. Maybe this flower with the nectar? System is not even creating a side quest around that, which tells me that the Eldritch Doe is an Easter egg, much like the Mushroom Man or the Amulet of Beast Power. When I wake, I should ask Lobo.

[Makes sense. I really do not deserve you, you know that?]

{Naturally.] She purrs. [I was proud of you today. You handled the doe just like I expected.]

Awww. No beast taming victory could fill me up and raise me up more. [I love you.]

[And I love you.]

Finn and Leonie curl closer, sensing our love. The night forest sounds weave a lullaby, a siren song. I drift toward sleep.