The baby panther beckoned him to follow with his furry paw. Seeing his demeanor, Xuan Li resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and silently trudged along.
One hour, two hours, three hours… Xuan Li kept counting the minutes passing by in his mind. Just how far was this 'nearby' village?!
Exhaustion filled his body, and his limbs felt stiff. Although the sun had set, the place was so humid that he couldn't stop sweating. Unable to continue walking anymore, Xuan Li called out to the panther, "Hey, Dumdum, let's take a break. You must be tired after all the walking."
The baby panther halted in his tracks and twisted his head backward. He snarled, saying, "Tired? I'm far from being tired, mortal. And don't call me Dumdum, I'm the mighty—"
He trailed off in between.
Xuan Li gave a questioning look to the baby panther.
"Mighty what?" He prompted.
"Nothing. If you're tired, just say so. No need to put it on me. Hmph." The baby panther's whiskers quivered as he laid down with a huff.
"... You want us to rest here?"
"Why not? Do you have any issues?" The panther asked, licking his paws.
Xuan Li wanted to bang his head. They were in the middle of a forest-like region. In such an area where danger could possibly be lurking everywhere, this Dumdum actually wanted to rest.
Wasn't finding a safe abode the right thing to do?
'He is really a dumdum.' thought Xuan Li to himself as he ruffled his hair in frustration.
'Nevermind. I'm looking to die anyway. This way is good.' He added while laughing sarcastically in his heart.
He flopped to the ground, resting his head on his arms. As he thought about the day's happenings, he suddenly remembered a bizarre incident.
"Dumdum. How did you get that huge form before?" Xuan Li shifted his body towards the panther, inquiring about his transformation.
"Nothing for you to know. It's one of my forms. And don't call me Dumdum!" The baby panther answered lazily.
"Wow. One of your forms? You have more?? Are all animals like this? Can they all talk like you? How is that biologically possib—" Xuan Li shot out questions, but was forced to shut up by the baby panther who smacked his face with his paw.
Both of them hissed in unison.
"Calm down with the questions, mortal." The baby panther spat out while holding his paw.
Xuan Li groaned in pain, his face burning. He wanted to hit him back, but he held back. The panther was helping him; he needed his help until he reached the village. "That was uncalled for!"
The panther ignored his complaints, saying, "Other animals can't usually talk, unless they're of a certain level. You see, I'm an exception." He spoke proudly, chest puffed up.
Xuan Li muttered, "Yes, yes."
Silence ensued until Xuan Li again turned towards the panther.
"Tell me more about this place. What's it called?"
"This brat won't let me rest tonight." The baby panther mumbled in a low tone.
"Didn't you just say that you don't need to rest? So, what is it called?" Xuan Li lifted an eyebrow.
"I said it's called Auhnmire." The panther growled.
"Auhnmire?" Xuan Li sank into deep thought. He was sure he hadn't heard this name before. "Which country?"
"Hah? Country? What's that? These are the Lands of Wylde. Auhnmire is just one of the numerous villages." The panther replied, turning his back to Xuan Li. "That's enough questions for now."
"B-but, I want to know more." Xuan Li urged. He couldn't help it, his curiosity got the better of him.
"Then let's get going on our way. You can ask all you want to the villagers."
Without uttering any more words, Xuan Li settled down to sleep. Suppressing the curiosity in him, he soon fell in a deep sleep.
Needless to say, he dreamt of his grandpa.
A crystal-like tear slid down his face as he screamed out loud," Grandpa, don't leave me! Please… Pl-please… I have no one else. Don't leave me alone."
The baby panther shook his head, roused by the noise. He was about to growl when he noticed Xuan Li's body was curled in a fetus position. As if he were trying to protect himself from the world.
The baby panther planned to ignore it, but after a few minutes passed, he found himself near Xuan Li, patting his head with his small paw.
"Sleep. It'll be alright." He said in a low tone, feeling embarrassed.
Xuan Li soon quietened down. His hands clutched the paw on his head, feeling its warmth. A small smile was etched on his face.
The baby panther felt content seeing it, but pretended to be oblivious. He also fell asleep beside him, curling into a ball.
The next morning, Xuan Li awoke to find the baby panther fast asleep beside him.
"Huh? Why are you here, Dumdum?"
The baby panther stretched, on hearing someone call out. Getting back to his senses, he leapt away, saying, "I was always here. It was you who came to me in your sleep. Don't get me wrong."
Not letting him ask anything else, he started to walk ahead, tail swishing behind him.
Confused, Xuan Li scratched his head, but still followed him, in fear of being left behind.
After a few more minutes, a house came to sight.
Finally! They had reached their destination.
Xuan Li let out a sigh of relief.
Just as he was about to talk to the panther, his eyes fell on a man standing a few feet away from him.
He had a well-built body, long black hair that flowed down his back, and was dressed in traditional robes. But what astounded Xuan Li was the ball of fire in his hand. A glowing red circle was below the burning orb, shining brightly as seconds passed.
The male's mouth moved, but Xuan Li couldn't hear what he was saying. Then the man proceeded to toss the fireball.
Xuan Li's eyes followed the path of the fireball. He bit back a gasp when the fireball made the receiver, another boy of his age, set on fire.
"That guy… He'll die if he continues to be burnt… Right? Which means—" Xuan Li's eyes glowed.
The panther was clueless about what he was saying.
Li took off in a run, approaching the male who had sent the fireball off. The male sent a look at Xuan Li, who was charging towards him like a mad bull.
"Hey, you! Yes, you! Make me burn too, please. Burn me like you did to that other guy. Please! I beg you." Xuan Li shouted.
The male wondered from where this madman had come, interrupting their mana practice. He spoke in a rude tone, "Get lost, don't distract me."
Refusing to give up, Xuan Li tugged at the male's robes. "Please! I want to die."
The male glared at him. "You want to die? Fine. Go die." His foot raised, and he laid a swift kick on Xuan Li's head.
With a 'whoosh', Xuan Li was sent flying back. He hit a tree and fell down to the ground.
The baby panther slowly went to where he was lying. He gingerly tapped his head. When he received no response, he laid his ear on his chest.
"Still alive. He sure has a good body."
The baby panther suppressed the urge to laugh and pondered on what to do about him.