The albino girl blushed as I extended a hand to help her get back up. Instead of grabbing my hand, she began to curse my name.

I offered her a hand to help her get back on her feet. Her cheeks blushed with a pinkish red pigmentation. Then, hesitating for a second, she unleashed a stream of words.

“[] ^ 000%%$ !!!”

“00^^[][][][]$ !!!”

I did not know what any of it meant, but given her tone, it was something not pretty.

When she was done, she began picking up the rocks that had scattered all across the street after her fall. I could not just stand idle. When she saw I was helping her pick them up, she whispered to herself.

Perhaps I had insulted her honor, or she was thinking that I was going to steal them. What would I even do with her rocks?

When she was done. I had no idea of how to tell her to extend her hands. Despite the cultural and language barrier, I made a few universal motions to indicate that I wanted to return her rocks to her.

The girl looked confused, but after I insisted, she extended her hands and I dropped the few more rocks she needed to complete her pile.

“Happy?” I asked.

Her face blushed again. Parting away slightly, her lips uttered a few words. It sounded like a whisper.

Then she ran away, looking back only once to make sure I was not following her. When she noticed that I was staring at her, she sunk her face into her pile of rocks and ran away even faster than before.

Maybe if I find a way to level up, I could unlock a language based skill. The best approach to grinding was by starting small and from the bottom. And I knew exactly who could help with that.

“Elvin, take me to a place where I can hunt something.”

He responded by tilting his head.

I began making faces. Like those adults make to entertain children under the age of eight.

Elvin began moving his tail. Perhaps I was making progress, or I was just a clown.

[+1 Clown Skill]

Whatever I did, it was working... Suddenly, Elvin began running further west. Almost tracing the path that the Albino girl had taken. Then, we took a sharp turn left.

While I chased after Elvin, I realized that perhaps he had taken advantage of me back when I met him. Right now he was so full of energy and yet back then he had made me carry him around. For someone so fluffy, he was sure a shameless manipulator. Men could not be trusted.

We ran for half a block, then Elvin came to a halt. We had reached an open space that was not inhabited by the ruins of the city. Instead, there was an enormous tree in what looked like the entrance to a forest.

Elvin proceeded to assert his dominance by peeing in it.

For whatever reason, he looked so smug.

Perhaps he had a plan.

He had no plan. The fucker began rolling on the floor, and I had to resist the urge to tickle his fluffy belly. Because I was supposed to be mad at him.

When he was done, he began taking a sun bath and then a nap.

***********

“Elvin, let’s try this again. You - Me - Gather - Food. We - Gather - Food.”

I made as many gestures as I could. Speaking to him as if he was a caveman. His tail began moving again, and he ran towards the forest. Where we passed a sign that had words I could not read.

Once inside, Elvin took me to a small opening that had a yellow flower in it. He then began munching the flower.

“Don’t tell me you are a herbivore,” I said.

Well, this was not a bad thing. If Elvin and I were to wait here in ambush, perhaps we could hunt other herbivores. This plan might actually work.

“Elvin, I am a genius!”

****

After waiting for an hour, a few black rabbits showed up.

“Elvin, wake up, this is our opportunity.”

When the poor fluffy ball opened his eyes, he bolted.

“Elvin?”

Then, what was just a few rabbits had become a dozen. Releasing a loud roar, the leading rabbit opened his mouth and exposed his bone breaking teeth.

I bolted too.

“This entire ecosystem is so wrong!” I yelled. Catching up to Elvin in no time. I quickly got a hold of him and began carrying him in my arms.

As the two of us ran for our lives, I took a small peek at the rabbits. They all had merged together into a big rolling ball of pure evil.

“THIS HAS TO BE A JOKE.”

The deeper we got into the forest, the more difficult it was to see the floor. As the trails began to be covered in round clusters of leaves.

Nevertheless, I kept running forward until suddenly and without warning, Elvin and I got catapulted and ended up suspended almost two meters above the ground.

The rolling ball of death passed right below us before falling for a similar trap as well.

“Is this how a fish feels when they get nested out of the ocean?”

Elvin and I were tightly pressed together by the ropes of the net. No mercy was given.

“Don’t worry, whoever owns this trap has to come back at some point.”

Hours passed.

His stomach groaned. Mine did too. 

***********

The cold breeze of the dark blue sky blew against my skin. I hugged Elvin’s fluffy body like a pillow to keep myself warm.

Then, as I fell back asleep, something sturdy poked me on the cheek.

As I twisted my body in the tight space that we had, Elvin let out a small grumpy moan. He was fully asleep.

I opened my eyes, only to get poked again.

“Hey!” I yelled. Then got poked once more.

I looked down to see who the culprit was. And there she was. The rude albino girl from a few hours ago, holding the murder weapon - a wooden stick. Her glowing red eyes livid with emotions.

“^^^000000^^^00 !”

Whatever that meant, a small lecture followed it. But before it ran for long, it seems she remembered I could not understand her.

Then, as a token of love. She undid the ropes in a way that sent me and Elvin plunging to the floor at once. I took the full fall.