Passenger

Chapter 4

Krys hesitantly stepped back as the creature emerged from the bushes. It was...surprisingly unremarkable. A thin, matted thing, with tangled fur and yellow snarling teeth. It looked more hungry and desperate than particularly violent. Honestly, it was kind of pathetic.

Oh. That was all it was. Relaxing, I chuckled and looked back at Krys. "no worries, it's not anything dangerous – just some wild dog or something. Just let it come at you and kick it into a tree or something. It'll run away real quick."

As it approached Krys, the Avian raised his hands and stepped back from the wild animal. He didn't seem eager to attack. Hell, he didn't seem like he was gonna defend himself. Frowning, I floated back and folded my arms, watching from a distance.

The wild dog snarled again, haunches coiled, before leaping at Krys. The Avian backpedaled and darted to the side, the dog missing him by mere inches. It landed and spun around, snapping at Krys' arm, and he just narrowly managed to yank his arm out of the way. I waited for him to lash out in retaliation, but...well, he didn't. Instead, he continued to hold out his hands, crouching down towards the dog.

I gaped in shock. "what the – what the hell are you doing?" I demanded. "that thing's gonna rip your face off if you keep that up! Get away from it!"

If Krys heard me, he certainly made no indication of it. he kept his eyes trained on the dog, who had backed up slightly, another growl building in its throat. But it didn't move as, slowly, Krys knelt in front of it and reached into a pouch on his side, withdrawing a piece of...huh. Was that some of the sausage from breakfast this morning?

Gently, Krys held it out towards the wild dog. I saw the creature's ears perk up as it sniffed the air, probably smelling the scent of cooked meat. It crept towards Krys' outstretched hand, its eyes shifting between Krys and the food.

When it opened its jaws, I grimaced and looked away – but when I heard Krys laugh in delight, I looked back. The wild dog had taken the sausage out of the Avian's hand and was now chomping on it hungrily, with Krys looking on in interest.

Once the dog had finished it meal, it bumped Krys' hand in askance, clearly wanting more. Krys smiled, before reaching back and scratching the dog behind the ears, causing its tail to wag, striking the base of a nearby tree with a steady thwack.

After a few moments, Krys stood again and reached into his bag, giving the wild dog another piece of sausage. The animal gobbled it up hungrily, then looked up at Krys, panting and wagging its tail. The angry, hostile animal it had been literally seconds ago was completely gone.

I was so stunned by the turn of events that I could only float in midair as Krys waved goodbye to the dog as it turned and scampered away, before Krys did the same, heading further into the woods. Eventually I was pulled along after him, which brought me to my senses. "what. Was. That?" I exclaimed, floating over his head to glare at him. "are you an idiot? You could've been killed!"

Krys looked up at me. "it wasn't hostile. It was just hungry." He replied. "there wasn't any reason to fight."

"yeah, well now you've got no food, so congrats." I told him. "it would've been way easier – faster, too – if you had just kicked the stupid thing. It was hungry, and if you just showed it that you were a tough meal, it would've went away! You didn't have to feed it!"

But the Avian shook his head. "I don't want to fight." He replied softly.

Oh. He was one of those pacifist-types, huh? "well, eventually, you're gonna have to." I told him. "if you don't, you'll end up dead – especially if we run into Sarah again. and I guarantee, she'll be looking for you now."