Chapter 014 A Lost Beast

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

- King James Bible: Revelation 13:11

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"Food~ Glorious food~ Scrumptious food~"

The song rang out across the dark heath.

"Yum yum going in my tum tum~"

It passed over the short hardy grass, the brambly bushes and sank into the hard soil like melted snow.

"I'm gonna eat and eat and eat~"

The sound was alien in the cold darkness. The light of the moons provided plenty of illumination on the hillocks of the heath, yet there was a bareness so at odds with the cheerful voice.

"Eeeeeat~ Meeeeeat~"

No snow dotted the ground but it was a cold and apathetic place, where wind stole through clothes and flesh and settled deep into bone.

"You're not gonna eat cause you're dead~ Dead~"

The voice, off key, without a set beat, and horribly scratchy was eerie. Haunting. Not even it's cheerful tone, filled with childish wonder and joy, could change the fact that it was an abomination to good music.

"I get to eat you because I'm alive and you're dead~ Dead~"

Anyone who heard that terrible song echo across the heath would have fled in terror.

"Wabbit~ Wabbit~ I wuv wabbit~ And brown wabbit is the best~"

If they could hear it, that is.

"Wabb-" "Good evening." "AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Neron didn't move as the fox he'd interrupted jumped in surprise and scurried into the brush, leaving its meal behind.

The fact he could sneak up on it at all was a testament to how loud it had been singing, content in the knowledge only other foxes would be able to hear it on the wide and empty heath.

Though, if any had been around and with a Self of their own, they would have fled to escape that terrible noise.

"I do not mean any harm," Neron called out gently, taking the chance to examine the carcass the creature had left behind as he tasted the air. Fur. Blood. Mud. Musk. He could vaguely target the fox by directing the forks in his tongue to triangulate it, yet he still needed practice. The carcass being so close was confusing the results.

Despite recently being more interested in animals, biology, and taxonomy for obvious reasons, Neron could not identify the species by sight alone. It was a rabbit or hare of some sort, that was obvious, and a large one at that but the darkness of the night, combined with blood matted fur and dirt and mud from the fox dragging it, prevented him from noticing anything more than the obvious brown fur with black tips on the ears and tail.

The fox had obviously taken it by surprise, given that the rabbit was almost as big as it only had one wound on the back of its neck and there wasn't too much in the way of tearing.

"I am not going to take your prey either," Neron called out again as he crouched down, continuing to taste the air. He didn't go as far as to sit, the ground being cold and brambly, but he did try and shrink his profile as best as he could.

And he waited.

It hadn't left yet, he could taste that at least, but further encouragement wouldn't help. He was certain it had heard him, so if it was just a waiting game now. It was over two minutes later, as his thighs were starting to cramp, that he tasted the fox on the air more clearly and turned his head. He couldn't see it amidst the thicket of the heath, yet he was sure he was facing it directly.

"I just want to talk." Neron's voice was steady. Calm. Deep. All calculated to put the creature at ease. This was the first creature with a Self he'd found in his weeks of travel and he did not wish to lose the chance because he scared it off.

Tentatively, a small head poked out of patch taller grass.

"Talk?" It asked, it's voice scratchy yet distinctly female.

"Talk," Neron repeated, meeting it's eyes.

"You... can understand me?"

"I can," Neron nodded. "I can understand all creatures."

"How?" It asked, taking another hesitant step forward.

"A special skill of mine." No point diving into the specifics at the moment. "That same skill lets me help those like you."

"Help me?"

"Yes, it helps keep you safe and grow stronger."

"Safe?" It was now fully out of the bush, though it remained about five meters away from him.

It'd been hooked, now to reel it in.

"How about I explain properly." Slowly, so as not to spook it, Neron stood back up. It flinched, but didn't retreat. "I am camped not too far from here where it is warm and safe. If you follow me there, we can talk comfortably." 

Its ears were still pressed back to its skull, and tail low. Yet it didn't reject him out of hand. To sweeten the pot, he bent down and grabbed the rabbit by it's long feet. It was a solid thing, weighing about three kilograms, and the fox let out a low sound at the sight of him taking its prey.

"Do not worry," Neron reassured. "I am just carrying it for you. It is still all yours."

Then, not giving it time to make a decision, Neron turned around to start heading back to his camp.

He couldn't know for sure it would follow him, it was downwind of him and his skull shape meant even his long tongue couldn't point behind him to try and track it, but he thought it would. He had its food, its attention, and its hope. If it didn't follow him after that, there was little he else he could do besides kill it for the experience.

Neron needed creatures to follow him willingly. His skill, The Nest, was focused on cooperation not subjugation. From testing with Jorry, he knew he couldn't force others to join and they could leave at any time. While he kept any fully assimilated traits if they did, further assimilation was impossible unless they rejoined.

In essence, The Nest was only as strong as his ability to persuade creatures to follow him. 

Unfortunately, he could only persuade creatures that had a Self. Without the ability to reason and make conscious choices, they couldn't agree to join him. He might be able to train a Self-less animal to indicate some manner of agreement, but that would take months of domestication if it was possible at all. Unfortunately, creatures with a Self were in short supply. He'd recognized his experience in Calderine as somewhat unique on an intellectual level, but he hadn't realized by how much until he'd spent weeks on end searching for a creature with a Self in the wild.

What reliable studies he'd been able to find on the subject, cross referenced with Medea's Knowledge, had claimed that creatures developed a Self more easily around other creatures with them, of which the Blessed races were the most common example. One of two known city-states, with an estimation of population of over a million, was a great breeding ground for such creatures, even if the animal population was artificially low compared to the real world due to the lack of pet-culture.

Out in the wild? Where density of animals was lower even if their numbers were higher? Where killing and dying was much more common? Where, if a creature did gain a Self, it usually evolved into a monster or organized others of its species to create a dungeon?

The only reason Neron had even found this fox was because it had been belting out an off-tune song that nobody else could hear. If it hadn't, there was every possibility he'd have continued on his journey without realizing he'd missed it.

The night wasn't pitch black, thanks to the light of the moons, but it was certainly darker than he was used to and Neron felt himself stumbling every once in a while on plants, rocks, the odd hole, or small rise. Without the omnipresent lights he was used to in real life, or even the lamps of Calderine, traveling in the dark was far more dangerous than he'd expected and why he limited himself to only moving across the heath during the day. 

Thankfully, the dim flames of his small encampment came into view as he crested a mound of rocks. The fire, not having burned brightly in the first place, was barely visible from it's place nestled in a shallow crevice between two hillocks that provided shelter from the wind. It wasn't a bad night, temperature wise thanks to his cloak and jacket, but any respite from the chill was a welcome comfort. More than once early on he'd attempted to carry on through the night due to being off his sleep cycle but had been forced to stop due to spraining his ankle or other injuries. Temperature drops were just as hazardous. This part of the world only rarely experience snow, and it never stuck around for long, but freezing rain or early morning frosts were common. If it weren't for Furu's cloak and his sister's jacket, he'd have died of hypothermia at least once. 

"It is just over there," Neron called out, gesturing to the orange glow of the embers with the hand not holding the rabbit. He didn't look behind him to check if the fox was following him. It was too quiet for him to hear move through the brush, but he was certain it was.

While he was satisfied to have discovered a creature with a Self, he wouldn't deny a large part was glad at the prospect of returning to the warmth of the fire. Early on he'd started setting up camp during the night, even if it wasn't on his sleep cycle, using the time he wasn't sleeping to continue his studies on games, their culture, God's Nature, or even zoology to see if he could discover traits he should be on the look out for.

Of which, this fox had more than a few.

"Did- did you find some- something," Jorry called out as Neron approached. His voice was an odd mixture of exhaustion and shivering cold, despite the fact Neron knew he didn't shiver like a mammal to stay warm. 

The grogginess had been omnipresent for the last few weeks as the snake fought his natural instinct to enter brumation to wait for warmer temperatures. His continued activity was only possible because the black rat snake would travel coiled under Neron's clothes, and stay near the fire when they camped. A fire which had dimmed to practically nothing, smoldering embers in gray ash from the few sticks he'd fed it before heading to follow the noise.

"I did," Neron said simply, well aware that the fox wouldn't have been able to hear the snake's question. Hopefully, that wouldn't be the case for too long. Then, to the fox, he called out louder as he set the rabbit down beside the fire pit he'd dug with Sculpt. "Here you go. Help yourself."

Affecting nonchalance, Neron stepped away to grab some of the brush he'd set aside and piled it on the embers. Ensuring it had room to breath, as he'd been taught at Ysold's, he prodded the coals to flip the red sides to the top and let small tongues of flame crawl up the branches, piling slightly more on after a few moments. Then, when that too was lit, he put slightly larger branches on those before sitting down on the rock he'd place for that purpose. He'd slightly curved an indent in the stone to make it as comfortable as stone could be and leaned back against the sharp incline in the ground to relax a bit, his cloak keeping him warm and clean from the stones and dirt.

"Ooooh," Jorry let out a long sigh of relief as the fire grew again. He'd been practically in the coals and was forced to slither away to avoid getting burned, yet he remained as close as he could get without being directly in the flames. "That's the stuff."

The fox hadn't approached. In fact, it wasn't visible at all in the darkness beyond the slowly brightening flames. For all Neron could tell, it hadn't even followed him.

Facing his head toward the sky, Neron flickered his tongue out in every direction, trying to get a sense of it had. There was the taste of the flames and their burning contents. The blood of the dead rabbit. The familiar 'taste' of Jorry. And there, just under all that, was something else. Fur, like the rabbit's, but with a hint of a musk that was distinctly different. Triangulating its position took a few more seconds, each of the prongs of his tongue acting as a tuning fork until he got an estimate on its location.

Neron felt a twinge of satisfaction. He lacked the fine detail Jorry got, but it wasn't a bad result for a weeks of effort. He could probably have gotten even more if it had been upwind of him, but he'd take the sign of his progress.

"Are you going to come out?" He called out to the dark, looking in the direction he knew it was hiding. It was likely crouched in the dry creek bed. There were a handful of thick brambles there that gave good cover for a creature of its size. "I promised not to hurt you."

It was another thirty seconds or so before his eyes caught sight of what his tongue told him was there. The fox approached the camp slowly on jittery footsteps too soft for his ears to pick up. Neron didn't move, letting it approach the rabbit over the course of over a minute. It moved like it was ready to dash away at the slightest moment. It's eyes stayed locked on him, baring a quick look toward Jorry before returning to him as it deemed the snake not a threat.

By the time it was within reach of the rabbit, the firelight illuminated it enough for Neron to get a decent look at the creature.

"You brought back a rough one," Jorry said idly, also looking over the small predator.

It was clear the fox wasn't in the best shape. Its skin sat sallow on its bones, visible through threadbare fur. The exact colour wasn't clear in the dim light of the flickering fire, but it was of a more monochrome tint with the main colour being a hue of grey with hints of white along its belly and black along its back and tail. Even that was hard to tell because the coat of fur was thin and even had patches of skin showing through. 

It did not look like mange, as far as Neron could tell. He wasn't an expert by any means, but the looseness of the skin and skinniness of its belly implied it was more starving than sickness. The dirt and grime covering it, proof it hadn't been self grooming, was also a concern. Neron would have to double check, but he believed that creatures like foxes gained a winter coat of thicker fur that was wholly absent from this one.

"Go on," Neron urged gently to the wary creature as it stood beside it's fallen prey, eyes darting to it hungrily before jerking back to his as if afraid he'd attack the moment it looked away. "Eat. I will explain while you do."

It didn't do so right away, of course, but when Neron remained seated and patiently waiting, it slowly dipped it's head till its snout was sniffling the corpse. Its eyes were still looking up at Neron but he nodded as if he didn't notice.

"First off, my name is Neron. This is Jorry," Neron nodded toward the snake. "Like you, he has a Self. Which means he can think for himself." Neron added that last part on when he realized the fox might have an instinctive understanding of its existence, like Jorry, but would lack the knowledge of the terminology. "I am what is called a Player. A type of Blessed that is from a different world. I am in a temporary body that I use to experience this world. With it, comes skills. Every Player gets different ones. Mine let me talk to creatures like you and Jorry, even if you can not understand each other. I can also understand creatures without a Self, but because they can not think for themselves, they do not talk to me."

Neron maintained a steady cadence as he spoke, not too loud or too quiet while taking effort to make his voice as soothing as he could. As he talked, it seemed to make a decision as it planted one paw on the rabbit carcass and lowered its muzzle to its stomach. The fox's ears flickered too and fro, one always pointed toward him while another continued to swivel around. Then, as if it could hold itself back no more, it bit down violently, tearing fur and flesh.

Neron kept speaking.

"Not only talk to you, my skill is designed to help me work with animals like you. To do that, it gives me other benefits. Only two of which really matter at the moment. The first, what is in it for me, is that I can gain your traits. Fur. Claws. Teeth. That kind of thing. You do not give them up, I simply copy them for my own use. This does not impede you in any way."

An upfront admission of the 'cost,' which really wasn't one, would help lessen their wariness of him. It told the fox why he was doing this. Not generosity or kindness, but desire. An exchange of services was much more believable than nebulous claims of charity.

The reasoning might as well have flown completely over the fox's head. No sooner had it taken the first bite of the rabbit than it began to devour its prey with gusto. Chomp. Tear. Squelch. Chew. Gulp. Chomp. A frenzied clamor of gluttony, or perhaps desperation, as the fox ate and ate and ate as fast as it could. By the time Neron paused in his recital of his side of the bargain, the malnourished predator had already consumed the liver, the heart, and most of the intestines.

So consumed was it in its feast that Neron would have worried that it was not listening to him, were it not for the ear still locked on him.

"The second benefit, what you get out of this deal, is that when you die you do not loose your Self. Instead you-"

"What?"

"Pardon?" Neron asked at the interruption. He now had the fox's full attention, its eyes locked onto his with an intensity that had been lacking before. It seemed not to care about its bloody muzzle and the pieces of flesh and fur caught between its teeth. "Was I unclear? I said, if you die then you will not return to being a instinctive beast. You will retain your Self and reappear at my location after six hours. So long as you agree to join my Nest you can-"

"Yes." The fox's interruption this time was far more eager and direct but Neron was also ready for it. "I'll join. I'll do whatever. Just give me that."

That was all that was needed. Neron noted the fox's eyes going unfocused as it saw the prompt to official join him. He didn't pull up his own skill, knowing what it would say.

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The Nest (5)

All Beasts may now join you in common cause of survival and growth.

You can communicate with all Beasts.

You can assimilate traits of the Beasts who join you.

Beasts who join you will resurrect at your location.

Beasts: 3/6
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That was... surprisingly easy, honestly. 

Neron had been prepared to make certain concessions to get the creature on his side. Just finding an animal with a Self had been hard enough and he hadn't wanted to waste the opportunity. Neron wouldn't have bent over backwards, but at the same time he wasn't in a great position at the moment if he wished to keep experimenting with his skill. He'd run into a dead end with Jorry alone. 

For all that snakes had some desirable traits, many of them were too esoteric and alien to his human body. A mammal would fit much better, giving him some buffer room to increase his skill's level and his own stats until he could assimilate the other characteristics he wanted from Jorry.

The tongue and Jacobson organ, for all their visual difference to the human equivalent, were simply a long thin tongue and a more sensitive taste/small process. It was taking a long time to really get the Jackobson organ assimilated but it was the last possible gain he could get from Jorry at the moment. He'd already exhausted other possible traits in the weeks they'd spent traveling and camping. Neither of the two other traits he'd gained were particularly useful at the moment and of the other options his low stats would allow would be actively detrimental.

Snake fangs, for example, might be intimidating on a snake, but without venom they were pretty useless on a human and would be a huge problem for him in trying to eat most of his food. Similarly, the ability to dislocate his jaw was a neat party trick, but Neron still had human cheeks and could not eat anything that would require him to do so to get in his mouth.

A fox though? They might not have been his first choice, but there were simply too many good options for him to pass up.

"Good to have you on board," Neron gave a simple nod. "Before anything else, Jorry. Greet our new companion."

"Why should I?" The snake said haughtily. "It cannot understand this magnificent dragon and I will not lower myself to charades again."

"Hey," the fox cried. "That's mean. And aren't dragons supposed be bigger?"

"You want to fight newbie!"

"Ah!"

Neron watched, amused, as the snake reared back and the fox ran away into the dark of the night.

"That's right!" Jorry called after the fleeing creature with a huff of pride. "Learn your place."

Neron gave it moment of silence before he spoke.

"Did you realize it could understand you?"

"...Yesssss... I totally did. I obviously knew that would happen! It was clear to me that anyone you used your skill on would be able to speak to me. Otherwise, it would be a failure of a skill."

"Obviously," Neron drawled sarcastically.

Unlike the aspect of his skill that allowed creatures with a Self to return whole, this did not come as surprise. The Nest was explicit in that it was about coming together and collective advancement, not just his own. While Neron might be the only one able to speak to those outside of The Nest, it wouldn't make sense for that to remain the case in between recruited Beasts.

It would have been a huge hassle if he was wrong but fortunately he wasn't.

"You can come back," Neron called out to the dark. "I will not let him hurt you." Jorry might not even be capable of hurting the fox at this stage. At least not alone. Sure he was larger, measuring two meters or so, but he was still a contrictor. Unless he could wrap around the fox, it could just claw Jorry to death or rip a chunk out of him. But the creature seemed to be extremely skittish and it wasn't a bad plan to increase its reliance on him in these early days. It had worked with Jorry and, until he had a better grasp of its character, he'd use what tools he could. "I am sure you have questions. Come back, finish your food, and you can ask them."

The rabbit remained crumpled in place, its innards spilled to the sky, as neither Neron nor Jorry were hungry at the moment. The snake because it had caught a vole earlier today that it was still digesting and Neron because he'd retained some rations from the village they'd passed through two days ago.

It took another minute for the fox to reemerge, slinking its way into the firelight once more, keeping its eyes firmly on the snake.

"Stop cowering," Jorry huffed and the canine flinched. "So long as you remember who was here first, and do what you're told, we won't have a problem. Got it?"

"...Yes," it muttered softly, tail and ears drooping submissively as it set itself beside its prey and began to eat once more.

Neron didn't chastise the ratsnake. He didn't expect this hierarchy to last longer than it took for the fox to realize it could kill Jorry easily. 

Or until it saw the snake cower pathetically in Neron's clothes once it was time to leave the warmth of the fire.

"So...," the creature eventually pipped up after taking a few more bites of its food. "How does this work?"

"My skill or something else?"

"The skill. And everything else. I know the Blessed races, but I don't know about Players. And what do you want me for?"

"Before that, what do you want?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you." Neron gestured toward Jorry with his head. "He wants to evolve into a dragon. That means getting stronger. I help him do that while he helps me with things I want to do. So, what do you want?"

"I want to eat and not die."

"Hmm," Neron hummed in thought. As far as goals went, those were easy enough to achieve. Yet there was also a bit of a problem with the last one. Jorry's desires required a certain amount of risk. "I can not promise you that you will never die. I can promise to try and keep your deaths to a minimum and that, so long as you stick with me, you will always come back as 'you.' Is that acceptable?"

"I guess," it muttered, gnawing on a leg.

"Then let me show you how my skill works first." Neron had a few ideas, from claws, to fur, to ears, or a tail. A fox could provide multiple advantages. However, there was one he wanted that would fold in very well with the traits he'd already assimilated. First he dismissed his current trait, the Jackobson organ.

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Warning

Changing from a trait that has not been fully assimilated will reset any progress gained from the assimilation.

Are you certain you wish to continue?

Y/N
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He waved off the familiar warning. It was largely inconsequential, he felt. He gained skill progression when he learned to use the traits as if they were part of his own body. An internal measurement rather than some external 'skill bar' or the equivalent he couldn't see.

"Fox rostrum." Unlike the Jackobson organ, which he had experience summoning and dismissing, he needed to verbalize the new trait. Through testing, he'd also been able to do away with the need to verbalize the name of his skill when activating it.

Neron felt the familiar stinging sensation of pain as body began to shift and morph. Localized along the lower half of his face, his jaw narrowed and extended forward. His nose flattened somewhat as it too was dragged forward with his cheeks along the extension of bone yet still remained distinctly human as it poked skyward from the top of his mouth which now had a slight upward angle. His lips had retained their starting position on the side of the new protrusion but extended to wrap around it.

By the time it was done, only five seconds or so, Neron had fox shaped mouth jutting from his human face. It would take some getting used to, having the snout blocking more of his vision than his nose did, but that was hardly the greatest difficulty he'd faced assimilating traits.

"You should stick to becoming me," Jorry recoiled slightly at the sight of his new trait. "You look like one of those ratmen. Only hairless. And uglier."

"Uuuugh," the fox scooted further away from the fire, and Neron, dragging its food with it. "That is... impressive?"

Neron didn't particularly care that he currently looked like an abomination as he flexed his new snout this way and that, opening and closing it as far as it would go. His nose was a bit of an issue, facing upward as it was, but it was just something he'd have to deal with. Until he finished assimilating the Jacobson organ he didn't want to attempt to gain a new sense. At least with this extended jaw, his forked tongue did not need to fold upon itself so much to fit in his mouth. His teeth had also remained human with sharp frontal incisors, pointed canines, and flat molars in the back. They'd each grown slightly, but there remained thirty two in total. All together, it was what he'd expected when he chose 'rostrum' as his word of choice.

It wasn't pretty, but it was practically guaranteed that his skill would allow it, being nothing more than the frontal extension of the jaw. 

'Rostrum' was almost a catch all term for the jutting forward of the the mouth in animals with a beak or other elongated jaw. If he'd used something like 'snout,' which would probably have included the nasal passage, there was no guarantee it would have worked and 'skull shape' would be way to large of a change for his Body. It was also a trait he could master fairly quickly and, once he did, he could add 'fur' which should thicken his body hair and make him look less like a monster out of a child's nightmare and more like a fox-kin therianthrope.

"See," Neron said, noting right away the change in his voice. The new acoustics of his mouth gave him a lower pitch than usual. "What I gain you do not lose. My skill is designed for us to collaborate."

"...Right..."

"To answer your other questions, we are currently traveling southward to see the Bone Wall. After that, we have not decided. Are you attached to this area or will you be willing to travel with us?"

"If you promise to feed and protect me, I'll come with you."

"You'll need to pull your weight," Jorry insisted. The fox flinched and whimpered. "We do not need any useless people."

"I'll, I'll try?"

"As for how this works day to day, there are a few things you should know. Like I said, I am a Player. This means that I inhabit both this body and my original in my world. And time passes differently between the two. There will be times I will be gone for days on end if something comes up over there. They will be rare, as I am not currently employed, but leaving for hours at a time to eat or other necessities will be common. Most of the time, I will tell you when this happens and plan things accordingly." 

"Most of the time?"

"There might be occasions, however, where I suddenly collapse," Neron explained, idly wincing as he bit his cheek. Just because rostrum was 'easier' did not mean there were not learning pains. "If I am still alive but seem asleep and do not wake up then it means something has happened that requires me to return quickly, without the proper procedure to put this body away safely. If that happens, I would appreciate it if you took care of my body while I am gone. Hide it if you can. Defend it, if you can not. It is not terrible if it dies before I return, but I will resurrect at the most recent Sanctuary I linked to. That might be days or weeks away and, unless you die yourself and return at my location, then it will make joining up again difficult."

While the warning about what to do if he needed to log off in a hurry was for the fox's benefit to keep it from panicking, Neron expected it to be rare enough to not matter. What mattered was the corollary. The attachment of ideas in its brain. If Neron died, then not only would they loose his help, but finding him again would be difficult. Either they died in turn or struggled for who knew how long to link back up. Even if the fox was requesting Neron to protect it, there needed to be a reason for it to protect him.

Even if both parties resurrected after six hours, Neron's death was to be avoided while theirs was more acceptable.

"Okay," the fox nodded, licking parts of meat from a small rib cage. "I'll hide your body."

"Thank you," Neron said graciously. "It should not matter too often, but it is appreciated." Its tail wagged slightly. "In day to day travel, we stop every night. I only need to sleep every two days so I will be reading the others. When not traveling, or when I am gone, you are free to do as you like. I carry some food with me, but we also hunt when we get the opportunity. If you notice anything we can catch and eat, then tell us and we can work together to catch it."

"I will!" Its tail's wagging picked up speed.

"Then the last thing of note is that when interacting with Blessed races, which we will, I will act like like I control you so they do not think you are monsters to kill." It let out a low whine. "When that happens, you will need to do as I say and stay near me. Do you understand everything so far?"

"I do!" It agreed as it broke a bone, getting to the marrow within.

"Wonderful," Neron smiled at the creature. Time would tell whether it would be a good fit or if he'd leave it after getting the traits he wanted from it, but for now they were off to a good start. "Jorry, do you have anything to add?"

"So long as you aren't completely useless and do as you're told then we won't have a problem."

"Be nice." This time Neron did chastise the snake. It was fine to have a bit of tension between the two, good in fact if it led to them relying on him more than each other, but he couldn't let it grow into actual animosity. They'd need to work together going forward. "You two are companions now. I am sure you will become great friends and partners."

"We'll see," Jorry huffed haughtily. "You got a name, fox?"

"Um, no?" It spoke up, voice uncertain. "Should I?"

"Unless you just want me to call you 'fox' you'll need one. A good one. If you're going to be traveling with me and Neron, you can't be too pathetic." The snake paused, then hurried to add. "Not that you'll ever get one as good as mine. I'm named after a dragon so large it surrounded the entire world! Jormungandr the World Serpent!"

"I, uh, don't know," the fox hesitated, looking at Neron for help.

"I am sure we can find a name you like. Do you have any preferences?"

"Um, how do the Blessed usually choose their names?"

"They do not, traditionally," Neron said. "At least not their first one. They might take up a new name later or change it, but the first names are given by their guardians, parents, or local authority figures."

"So... You can just give me one?"

"If you wish. How about Ooliet?"

"Um."

"Yld?"

"Eh?"

"Phaleen?"

"Er... Do I have to?"

"No, you do not have to." Neron responded easily. "Strictly speaking, you do not even need one right away. Though, I will warn you, if you do not give others something to call you, they will assign one themselves and you will not have a say."

"Right." The fox, hesitant and tremulous, looked from Neron to Jorry. "...right. So, he's named after a dragon, right?"

"Tangentially," Neron nodded. "A shortened form of the name, not the full thing."

"Until I become greater than even the World Serpent!" Jorry insisted. "Then it shall be the one with the smaller name."

Neron wasn't quite sure Jorry understood that Jormungandr was a fictitious creature, and thus did not actually have a body to compare to. He might not have learned what Neron was trying to convey when he said they needed to believe in history and myth. Jormungandr, by dint of only existing in story, would be as grand or as small as the storyteller wished it to be.

Then again, Neron would be long gone before Jorry ever got close to becoming a dragon, if it was possible at all so there was no need for Neron to insist on his own viewpoint.

"So you wish to be named after a fox?"

"Are there any famous foxes? If that's what I am, I should have names like theirs, right?"

"I can think of a few, and probably find more through a bit of research. But there will not be too much overlap in their names." Foxes, like snakes, were one of the most widely spread animals of the world, with dozens, if not hundreds of individual species. Because of that, many cultures had depictions of monsters, deities, or shapeshifters that were either foxes or exhibited fox-like traits.

"It will at least give me a place to start."

Neron mentally shrugged. They still had hours before dawn and talking like this was helping him get a grasp on his new adaptation. If he wanted to stop biting his cheeks, he'd need more practice.

"Then let us start with Aguara, a fox spoken of by the Chane," Neron began, leaning back to get comfortable in his seat on the rock. Strictly speaking, Aguara wasn't believed to have been based on a fox these days, but a maned wolf, but it was close enough for his purposes. "A trickster, as most foxes are portrayed to be, and sometimes villain, there are still stories of it working with and helping people. For you see, Aguara's rival, Tatu, was well disposed toward mankind."

As the fire cast its shadows across his warped face, Neron spent the night telling tales, regaling his small audience with stories from all over the world. Jorry listened, of course, but the warmth of the fire was the true draw on this cold night.

The unnamed fox, though, seamed enraptured by the stories. As it listened, its nerves lessened and that jovial spirit that had sent song across the rose once more as it began to actually engage him in lively conversation. It got so into it, that the rabbit was only half eaten by the time the sun rose and Neron took to the road once more. Its name was yet undecided, yet it followed him southward.

He'd give opportunities to Jorry. That was his promise to the snake. Neron would provide food and safety. That was his promise to the fox.

It was convenient that both could be attained at once. 

After all, to live in this world one needed to leave far more corpses behind than just one jackrabbit.

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