Getting back with dead weight was difficult. Though the little princess was competent and used to these woods, she was just too slow. He had to teach her a few tricks to barely scrape through.
When they finally got back, it was already morning, so he didn't even get to go to his other reason for going out.
Of course he also had the troublesome tag along.
It was a problem that she was just supposed to follow him around. What was he gonna do with her? He couldn't just bring around a 2 meter long wolf around and expect no one to ask questions.
He had no choice but to stay at the house with her until the time came to report back to the Wolf Matriarch.
He communicated this to Chen Yan, who agreed with him.
"There can't be an unlicensed beast walking around in human society. They have to have a permit to sell, proof of ownership, and/or a soul contract of any kind." She explained to him. The little wolf princess also understood thanks to the incredibly convenient plot device that was the Soul Communion skill, breaking all language barriers and making language of any kind irrelevant.
The little wolf princess introduced herself as Yin Xi, though he didn't care at all. Saying "you" or "little wolf" was more than enough, as it wasn't like there were a bunch of wolves to distinguish her from.
She did not let Ling'er touch her, so he had to take her place. He also ignored the incident that showcased the ignorance and arrogance of humans.
Whilst he was held, Ling'er tried to talk to the little wolf.
"Wow! Your fur is so pretty! How did you get it like this?" Ling'er asked a question that made him question its importance and relevance. But apparently the little wolf liked it.
"Fufufu~! My fur is the result of my noble blood. I don't really have to do anything to it, it's simply this beautiful naturally~!" He observed that she took a great deal of pride in her blood. Though he had no idea why it held any importance, the only thing hat mattered was performance.
It was thanks to that silver fur that they were almost caught several times. It lit up like a lantern in the moonlight, he had no idea why the color wasn't extinct, how was one to am use prey if they were literally a walking flashlight?
"Where did you come from?" Ling'er asked another question.
"I come from way out in the forest, 3 territories to the east." Nodding her head toward the woods.
"Our Tribe's dens are in a cliffside next to a beautiful lake. The lake is especially beautiful under a full moon!" She added details no one asked her, though Ling'er was interested. He hadn't seen the lake when he went here last time, perhaps he was on the wrong side. He thought to take a look next time.
Ling'er continued to ask questions while the little wolf answered with pride and satisfaction.
Eventually the wolf was brought into the house, and Ling'er and Chen Yan has to go to school.
"Xiaohei, I left some food for you, make sure you share with your friend." Said Chen Yan, sounding like a mother who's child had invited a friend over.
She seemed to be astounded at the human artifacts lined within. He sneered. How foolish to be so excited over these small things. It was as if he had forgotten that he was the same way only a few weeks ago.
"What's this?!" She would ask constantly. Hades would answer her questions concisely.
"That's a stove, it makes fire with a single movement."
"That's a book, it holds information the humans collected."
"That's a televisión, it can see the past and the present in different areas in human society." He wasn't very clear on what the television did yet.
They soon ate the meal Chen Yan left for them.
"Wow this is delicious! Humans can make this?!"
"Indeed, even though it's just meat, they can transform it into something amazing using a magic called cooking."
"this is meat? Where's the blood."
"I don't know what they do with it, but humans seem to hate blood for some reason."
"Really? What happens when they bleed?"
"They get scared. Many naive humans had never hunted anything in their life. The slightest sight of blood invokes fear and panic in them."
"How'd they get meat then?"
"They enslave an entire species that was weaker than them. They then forced them into captivity, where they let them repopulate under their supervision, before picking them to slaughter. I saw it in the television."
"Woah really? I can't tell if humans are weak or cruel."
"Humans are weird, they tend to fight each other rather often, but when facing other species, they tend to cower."
"Eh? How do they survive then?"
"They are protected by a selected breed of a small minority of humans who are raised use weapons and fight other humans and intruders. They are called police and army."
"What, they raise humans to protect other humans from humans? What's wrong with them?"
"I have yet to figure it out, I believe it is because of their intelligence that have created complex systems, weapons, and ways to live longer. Thanks to this, their population is overwhelming, and take up a large fraction of the planet. But it is precisely this intelligence that makes them turn against each other for greed and ambition among their self established hierarchies."
"Wow. Humans are strange."
"Indeed they are."
It turns out they found common ground on the complexities of human beings.
Ling'er and Chen Yan returned before they knew it, but did not disturb their exchange of information. Hades thought they were wise to let an outsider explain his perspective of human technologies. He was her senior at this after all.
Eventually night fell, and Hades waited for the girls to fall asleep again. Then he rose to leave out the door, his wings stretched as they prepared for flight.
"Where are you going?"