"I can't return to populated areas with ten tigers," Alan thought out loud.
"Nine mist tigers, and Fenrir the king mist tiger. Ruler of the nine mist tigers," Chun Chun corrected Alan.
"You don't have to be called Fenrir. You deserve a recognition as ruler of water and winter with your black fur. What about Mizutora? It means water tiger." Alan tried to persuade Fenrir.
Fenrir turned it's face away.
"What about Louhi? She stole the sun and moon to create winter. Louhi is the evil witch mother of the nine diseases: cancer, colic, gout, plague, rickets, scabs, and ulcers."
Fenrir growled with bared fangs, flared nostrils, and wrinkled nose.
"Master Alan you're truly putting yourself in the tiger's mouth," Chun Chun broke Alan's concentration on memory recall.
"What did I do wrong?" Alan asked confused.
"You stepped on the tiger's paw. Tigers are wards against disease, disaster, and evil. The name Louhi is a slap to Fenrir's face," Chun Chun answered Alan's question.
Alan kowtowed three times on his hands and knees, yelling, "I'm sorry," and bashing his forehead against the ground every time.
"A true martial master never lowers their head to anyone," Chun Chun spoke while trying to pry Alan off the ground as he kept bowing.
"I'm not an idiot that looks away from an angry tiger," Alan rebuked Chun Chun.
Fenrir roared in Alan's face. The humid thundering tempest of king mist tiger breath penetrated into his bone.
Alan's arms dropped limply in defeat as he asked Chun Chun, "Fenrir can't see you, can she?"
Chun Chun waved his hands in front of Fenrir's nonreacting face before saying, "You destroyed Fenrir's home with fire, ran away like a thief, and stood still like a ghost when confronted. Tigers hate fire, thieves, and ghosts."
"And I must look like a crazy person that talks and argues with himself," Alan added.
Chun Chun nodded his head slowly once.
"Is there some way I can recompense for my mistakes," Alan asked Fenrir.
Fenrir's eyes glowed with hunger, and showed a toothy grin inches in front of Alan's face. Alan closed his eyes, and then heard a large thud. When Alan opened his eyes, he saw Fenrir standing next to a large pile of yellow incensed paper.
"What is this?" Alan asked.
"Every child in the martial world learns about joss paper," Chun Chun rolled his eyes.
"Maybe I didn't grow up around here. Do your job as the color commentator, and explain the obvious," Alan said while poking Chun Chun's belly.
Chun Chun tried to suck in his pudgy gut, and said, "Joss paper is spirit money. Given as a burnt offering to help pay for things in the after-life."
"I thought tigers hated fire. Am I supposed to start a big fire? Do you want me to burn this?" Alan spoke around from questioning himself to questioning Fenrir.
Fenrir's face wrinkled with anger again.
"Okay, no fire. But what does a tiger that hates fire, thieves, and ghosts want me to do with spirit money," Alan pondered.
Fenrir put its head under a broken piece of the paper egg Alan had imprisoned it inside.
"It looks like Fenrir is wearing a stupid helmet," Chun Chun laughed while holding his belly and pointing.
"I guess it's my turn to say what's not being said, since you can't talk. You want paper armor made from incensed yellow joss paper," Alan guessed, "Since you're not trying to kill me or getting angry, is that a yes?"
Fenrir stared at Alan, and an image of it wearing the armor flashed in Alan's mind. Alan screamed in pain while holding his head as he bled from his eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth.
"Communicating with spirit beasts requires you to be on a much higher martial level, Master Alan." Chun Chun gave his chunibyo-saged wisdom.
"This is bullshit," Alan complained, "Why does every little thing in this world require violently excessive pain and suffering to establish its existence? Maybe it's a plot device that can't be overused. Maybe it's too overpowered. Maybe non-talking characters leave an air of mystery that can be imprinted on. Maybe it's too early to give Fenrir a voice, because she hasn't grown enough character traits. Maybe breaking both of my arms, because I unknowingly bought the last bowl of fish soup at your favorite shop is not a reasonable way to behave!"
Alan sighed and started making the paper armor for Fenrir.
"I think you have some unresolved trauma," Chun Chun spoke.
"I think you have some unresolved trauma," Alan repeated in a mocking tone.
"Why are you moving your arms in the air while using force displacement? Your not even touching the paper," Chun Chun pointed out the obvious.
"It's an exaggerated visual cue that uses somatic movements to establish that I'm focusing my mind on telekinetic control of the joss paper. It visually ties my body movement with the motion of the paper to eliminate the question of who or what is moving objects with invisible magic," Alan responded.
"Martial arts are not magic. They are skills that requires great practice and focus to master," Chun Chun scoffed.
"*Ding* Force Displacement - Adept Mastery - Level one has leveled up to level two."
Alan's eyes rolled.
"How do you know Fenrir is female?" Chun Chun asked.
"Why does the strongest of the strongest in a martial world always have to be male? Sexism and forced gender rolls are damaging for people that can't fit inside societies narrow views of normalcy. Also, I saw under Fenrir's taint, and there wasn't a giant set of tiger testicles," Alan responded.
Fenrir's tails tucked under her legs, and her fur turned pink under her whiskers.
"Are you going to randomly anthropomorphize into a sexy cat-girl," Alan gave Fenrir a suspicious gaze.
A giant paw smashed Alan's head into the exploding dirt that cratered around his face.
"Baka!" A female voice shouted.
"*Ding* Your harem size has grown by one." Chun Chun cheered.