»Ouch!« A sharp pain shot through my foot. I had been in this world for nearly two weeks, constantly walking around barefooted and now, when I finally had some company, now, I managed to cut my sole on a stone. I couldn’t believe it.

Aoife looked at me, the words ‘I told you’ clearly written on her face.

»T-Th-That was the first time, that ever happened to me.« My voice sounded almost pleading.

The girl just nodded, but her expression didn’t change in the slightest. I sighed.

»Congratulations Maeve, now you don’t even need to fight a monster anymore to make a fool out of yourself.«

We continued walking further through the forest. The pain in my foot soon forgotten, my embarrassment, well, I could still feel my cheeks burning.

Luckily, Aoife was too busy, to pay attention to me. She was jumping back and forth between trees and bushes, as if it was her first time in a forest. Perhaps it was? She was a noble, after all. However, she also told me, that this wasn’t her first time running away after fighting with her sister. It was just the first time, that her sister didn’t immediately go after her, it seems.

Dead leaves and bushes were constantly rustling around us. In contrast to, who barely made a noise while walking, that girl seemed to be not just not caring about the noise she made, no, she seemed to quite enjoy trying to make as much of it as possible. No wonder so many goblins chased her last night, by now the whole forest must have heard us.

»Aoife, would you mind not making so much ruckus? You’re luring half the forest here…«

The girl stared at me for moment, obviously deliberating, if she should listen to me or not. Thankfully, she did. After a few seconds, she calmed down, and started silently walking beside me.

Well, silently for about five minutes. Then she got bored and started blabbering. It looked like her new ambition was telling me about every single person she had ever seen in her life. I really did my best, but after half an hour of listening to that waterfall of information, I zoned out.

Now I really wished I had just let her be. Her voice was excited and loud. Not enough to really hurt my ears, but annoying, nevertheless. I just didn’t have a clue how to deal with people, especially children. My gaze wandered over her happily talking face. She was cute though. These glowing eyes and her never-ending curiosity just made you want to protect her.

There was just something that irked me about her status, ever since I saw it. However, I had no idea what. I also didn’t give it much thought yet. I summoned her status page again.

Name, gender, race, age and stats, all there. Just what was it, that felt wrong?

I looked at mine again.

Well, getting angry didn’t change anything, so let’s get back to the main problem.
Guess, the name I came up with was official now. I still wanted to hit my head against a tree, when I remembered, that only nobles had family names. That would definitely give me a lot of headaches later. Also, my strength stat went finally up, but my status points were gone. You lose your assigned points when ranking up? That was plain cruel. Now I wanted to bash the head of the designer of this system, against a tree.

Name, race, level, age, stats and skills. I was never able to see the level and skills of others but, wasn’t there missing something?

Why did Aoife have a separate entry for gender, but I didn’t? Now that I thought about it, goblins didn’t have it either. They also had it attached to her race. The Orc’Lins on the contrary did have a separate entry.

I didn’t think that it was just a mistake of my appraisal skill, perhaps it was trying to tell me something.

Attaching the gender to the race… wouldn’t that mean, that there is only one gender in that race? Well, I really never saw a female goblin, but there were female and male versions of humans and Orc’Lins. So, Cat Sidhe was a female-only race then?

I needed to see some more examples, to support my theory, but for now it was enough to calm my mind.

Something poked my side, making me jump. Aoife was staring at me. Crap, did she realise I wasn’t listening?

»Maeve, Maeve? Can I pat your tail?« She looked at me with big, pleading eyes.

I sighed. It was just that again. I should probably say yes, after all I didn’t listen to her the whole time. I did feel a bit guilty.

»Fine… « I agreed, though I wondered, how she was imagining doing that, while we were walking. Before I could finish the thought, I felt her grabbing my tail, sending a wave of tickles through it.

Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed, after all. But those puppy eyes, how could one resist them?

»Nyaah!« Another wave of tickles wandered over my tail, making me squirm a little. Aoife giggled. Did she do that on purpose. I turned my head, and found her, a mischievous grin on her lips. She definitely did that on purpose! Those damned, evil puppy eyes! She tricked me! Before I could say anything, she tickled me again.

»Nyaah-hahahaha-hihi! S-st-t-stop! Hahaha!« She ignored me completely.

Just you wait! That game could be played by two. She was trying to tickle me again, but this time I was faster. Laughing uncontrollably, she sunk to the ground.  That will teach you not to tickle me again!

I punished her a little longer. She had to learn after all. I definitely didn’t do that because I thought I laugh was cute.

After a while I came back to my senses and stopped. Aoife was completely out of breath and still shook from laughing.

»Do you want to tickle me again?«

»N-hihi-no-hihi! No!«

I nodded and picked up the giggling mess she had turned into. Our little tickle fight might not have attracted any monsters yet, but I wouldn’t wait until we did. Aoife seemed to quite enjoy being princess carried. She even cheered me on to run faster and giggled like a maniac when I followed her wish.

We did enjoy ourselves quite a bit, so I didn’t even realise how the forest around us started to open up. The edge of the forest couldn’t be far anymore.

»Do you recognise anything around here?«

Aoife looked around, then pointed on a patch of dried dirt. With a few steps I got closer, realising, that this patch of dirt was a small road. Following the road in the direction of the rising suns, or rather with the now sinking suns on our back, we marched on.

I let Aoife walk on her own again, and for the first time on this trip she was quiet. It was strange, but I didn’t complain about a little peace and quiet. Seeing the road, she probably remembered, that she soon had to face her sister. They parted in a fight after all, and it was her sister who was supposed to take her home not me. Well, everything would be alright, wouldn’t it?

Seconds later I wished, I could take back those thoughts. A deep growl came from the side of the road. I barely managed, to jump aside, taking Aoife with me of course. A giant wolf came crushing down at the spot, we were standing just moments earlier.

My eyes went wide when my gaze graced over it. That beast was a full head taller than me. How was I supposed to defend against that? Impossible!

I picked up the petrified Aoife and ran. I could only pray that we would escape.

The dog growled again. He was close. Judging from the sound, I was nearly able to feel its breath on my neck. A shiver ran down my spine, and a sped up a bit more.

Please let us reach the city, before that wolf reaches us. The days of training my footwork paid off. I could hear the distance between me and the wolf’s breath increasing. This glimpse of hope made me run even faster. We would be able to make it.

A dull thumping sound reached my ears from behind. Immediately I stopped in my tracks and threw myself to the side. Moments later, the wolf once again struck down at the spot we had been just now.

The wolf didn’t reach us with his attack, but he crashed that little spark of hope I had. This monster needed just one jump to make up for the distance I created between us by running with all I had.

We were dead. Completely and utterly lost. How would I escape an enemy that was stronger and faster than me?

No, I couldn’t give up like that. I ran again. It was like I was flying over the ground. It would have been so much fun, if it weren’t for that nose torturing, grey pelted abomination behind us. The wolf propelled itself in the air again, and I barely dodged it again, but my stamina was running out.

The next time I dodged the monster’s assault, I let the girl down.

»Run!« I yelled, while turning towards the beast, drawing rapier and dagger in the same motion. I couldn’t escape. I couldn’t fight it openly, but perhaps I could stall some time, until I had an idea to trick it. Though I couldn’t go all out, if I had to protect a little girl.

The beast came already rushing at me. I could see the surprise  in its eyes. Perhaps…

I reached out with my rapier and plunged forward. With its speed it wouldn’t be able to stop in time. »Come, little doggie and skewer yourself on my blade.«

It jumped, just moments before its head ended on the tip of my blade. Only its shadow roamed over me. I froze, only a split second, but it was enough.

»Gyaaaah!« The scream escaped my throat, as the wolfs sharp teeth pierced my left shoulder. Burning pain shot throughout my body. My knees turned into jelly and my vision blurred with tears. My ears were filled with the sound of blood rushing through them.

I was blind, deaf and the only thing I felt, were the teeth further piercing through my shoulder. The pain drove at the edge of passing out.

At least Aoife could try to escape. There were people waiting for her at home after all. I wished there were some for me too. People waiting for me, caring for me. Yeah, I really wished had someone like that too. Perhaps the next time I had more luck…