For The Greater Good-World 1: A Corrupted Cove || World//Zero ||

25. The Fox's Way Out

Almost a week had passed since the dungeons have been closed. Of course, as Alec thought, mostly everyone was upset by this change. Though, some who probably didn't enjoy doing the dungeons were relieved. But the majority were furious. "Now how are we going to finish our quests?" "Are we supposed to wait until this thing blows over?" "How long will it take?" And many more questions came from this. However, all that the elites could say was "I'm sorry," or "We're working on it." 

Using this time to his advantage, Alec decided to do what everyone else seemed to be doing, and that was working on his side quests. Every time he opened his scroll, he would glance over the boarwolf mount quest and look at what else he had to get done. Soon, he managed to slay enough boarwolves, earth crabs, and toucans to get those checked off his list. Of course, there were still his main dungeon quests to worry about, and some of the side quests he noticed were only achievable if one of the dungeons was opened. But not a single one was. Which left Alec, for most afternoons, in his dormitory with his new fox friend. 

Speaking of the little fox kit, it seemed to get closer to Alec as time pasts, slowly but surely getting used to the small boy. It felt brave enough to walk up to him and eat out of his hand, and sometimes curl up in his lap. Alec was very happy about this. But he still didn't have a name for it. 

One morning, Alec woke up to a pressure on his chest, and he craned his head forward to see that the fox was lying there on top of him, crammed in what looked like an uncomfortable-yet-comfortable sleeping position that looked similar to a feline's. It looked adorable, but Alec couldn't hold himself still any longer and sat up, the fox sliding down onto his lap. It gave a small yip in surprise and twisted its head up at him. 

"Sorry," Alec shyly apologized. 

The fox stared for a long time before nipping at his arm.

"Hey! Now what was that for?" 

The fox didn't respond, but it did narrow its eyes, continuing to stare. 

Eventually, Alec got up out of bed and got ready for the day. As he put on his armor, he yawned. "Time for another...boring day." 

The fox perked up its head. Alec looked at it as he started putting on his boots. At the sight of his pet, he then got an idea. "Do you want to come with me?" he asked it, as if he was expecting to get a verbal response. 

The closest he got to one was a pip, and the fox jumped off his bed. Alec laughed happily and picked up his tiny friend, holding it in his arm. He smiled at it before leaving his room. 

At first, the fox seemed rather curious of the outside world. After all, it spent most of its time in Alec's room since it hatched. So all of this was new. When they got close to the stairs leading them to the grassy field of boarwolves, Alec set down his fox friend. "I'm going to show you how to fight those," Alec told it, pointing to the nearest boarwolf chewing on some grass. The fox looked up at him cluelessly. "They're pretty easy, but it took some time to master. There's a lot of different ways to kill a boarwolf, but my mentor said that the best way to go it for its belly and neck. The hoofs are very sharp, heavy, and hard, and can hurt you. One bucked me back once with its hind legs! Oh, and he also said to avoid the face, because of their tusks. The ones here are pretty dull, but the ones in the forest are sharper and--" 

"Yip!" The fox interrupted, bouncing slightly. Poor Alec. Even the fox was annoyed by his long explanation. 

Alec rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Ah, sorry for rambling. Just follow my lead, okay?" 

The fox yipped again and followed the boy down the steps. Alec waited as it hopping down every step, slowly and carefully. When it finally hit the bottom, Alec led the fox to one of the boarwolves. The boarwolf lifted its head and glanced at the boy and his pet. For some reason, this boarwolf didn't seem to care about their close pretense, and continued chewing at the grass, swinging its tail. It was also slightly smaller than the others in the field, and its fur was a darker brown.