McKeyla had two things to choose from:
1. Walk a little more. Chances are she would find the exit to the forest.
2. Stay where she is. Chances are her grandfather would have asked someone from the village already to look for her.
But there are downsides to these choices, of course.
Choice number 1 might only get her deeper into the forest and more lost. Choice number 2 might make her an easy target for wild animals if there are any nearby.
But as she was sitting down on a pile of fallen leaves, snacking on freshly picked nuts from the tall trees, McKeyla just had a choice number 3: sit quietly with a fox-tailed, fox-eared, might-be-a-little-bit-cute boy.
McKeyla learned that this strange-looking (but also cute) boy's name is Renji. He said that he came from a spirit tribe of kitsunes. McKeyla is quite knowledgeable in terms of spirits since she studied about them her whole summer and the last summer, and the last summer before that, and so on in her grandfather's library.
"Sorry I almost killed you with my dagger," Renji said, sounding really apologetic.
"Should I forgive you for almost killing me?" McKeyla said, sounding angry.
Renji looked at him with sad, puppy eyes.
"I was kidding," McKeyla immediately took back. "Of course I forgive you. If you have damaged me, even with a scratch, I would not have forgiven you."
"Well, I just have to make sure that you are never harmed as long as you are in this forest, now would I?" Renji said proudly as he popped a nut into his mouth.
"Yeah... I guess you have to..." McKeyla blushed.
"Not that I don't mind...." Renji said as he looked straight at her. "Who wouldn't want to take care of a new friend?"
"You are calling me your friend already?" she asked, clearly surprised. "You just met me. How can you call someone your friend if you don't know about the person yet?"
Renji pondered over it for a minute.
"Well, I just have to get to know you right now!" Renji decided with a smile.
"You are so trusting," McKeyla whispered almost to herself.
McKeyla told Renji who she really is. A Berseashore, who her grandfather is, where she currently lives, and her adoration to spirits. Including her hobby of reading about them in her grandfather's library.
"Telling me that I am so trusting, but you just laid out all information there is about yourself to someone you just met," Renji said with a smirk.
McKeyla blushed, "So you heard?"
"Of course! I have ears that could hear anything from a mile away," Renji said and twitched his fox ears to flex.
"Sorry," McKeyla apologized.
"It is not a problem. I am happy that the princess trusted me," Renji said.
"The... princess?" McKeyla asked. Surely he didn't mean that to be her?
"Yep. You. The princess," Renji answered.
Then again, maybe not. He did call her that.
"Why did you call me that?" McKeyla asked shyly.
"Well, aren't you? You are a Berseashore and your grandfather's grandchild. You are the heir to your grandfather's current position, making you the princess. Don't you know anything about that side of yourself?" Renji said as if this is obvious.
But not to McKeyla. She is literally confused.
Princess? Heir? What?
A howl.
Renji perked up to the sound and howled back. His howl sounded small, even cute, than the first howl.
"What is it?" McKeyla asked.
"It is my father. He is worried about me. I'd better go," Renji said.
"You are going to leave me here?" she asked, starting to tremble in fear once again.
"Who said anything about leaving you?" the little fox boy said with a proud grin on his face.