Chapter 1: 1.1. Warm Welcome

It was a stark and drolly night.

“No, no. Too generic…”

Without any warning, a suffocating silence permeated the woods, heralding the disaster that was about to come. Soon enough, a presence appeared out of nowhere, its silhouette bathed red under the moonlight.

As if spotting a prey, the figure pounced forward with wide open mouths. The sight and sound of words more bestial than human were enough to make one’s furs stand on end, and thus-

“Ugh! What is this? Some kind of cheap campfire tale!?”

With a frustrated growl, I returned the crumpled attempt of a report to its natural habitat. The bin, unfortunately, decided to protest my merciful way as it fell over from the “gentle” impact. As if adding more salt to the injury, the unleashed horde proceeded to rouse the slumbering dust bunnies into battle, raining their wrath upon the room.

The floor creaked in anguish as I made my tactical retreat from the losing war. With teary eyes and a runny nose, I vowed bloody retribution once the door was slammed shut, sealing the evil within.

*Creak*Creak*

Unfortunately, the allure of dusting the dust devils proved to be a costly mistake. Distracted and distraught, I could not notice the approaching danger until it was too late…  

“Boo!”

Let it be known that bὕnny runners would never scream like a kit, especially a certain doe that somehow got spooked twice in one day. Anyone claiming otherwise was undoubtedly a dirty liar that lied.

The giggle that filled the corridor was swiftly answered with a growl. I definitely had to improve my glare once this mess was done and dealt with, especially when it didn’t seem to have any effect on the snickering culprit.

“Sorry, sorry.” The doe wiped some tears from her eyes as she continued. “You were looking so tense. I just thought something like that might help.”

“Gee, how thoughtful. Making me feel like I was about to get chewed on certainly helps for when I actually get chewed out later. Thanks a lot, Imun.”

Bun`Imun, my dear colleague whom I had been through thick and thin with, still had the gall to look coy as she stuck her tongue out. However, the smirk on her face was soon replaced by a calm and cool facade.

Seeing this, I could not help but brace myself for the worst.

“… How bad?”

“I had made sure that the fetchers did their best.” Imun started before shaking her head. “It’s not promising, though. Humans could barely endure the pressure of Wyld Land, let alone a wyld city. And this boy… We could not even sense any will or magic from his body…!”

That last part made me raise a brow in shock, something that my companion seemed to agree with.

“I am just as baffled as you are.” The doe said while stomping her foot in irritation. “Given his looks, this shouldn’t be possible. Then again, tonight is hardly a normal one…”    

Sucking in a breath, I decided to collect my thoughts. On one paw, I might no longer have to put manslaughter on my long list of achievements. On the other paw, if it turned out that what I did actually caused the human boy to fall into this state…

Nope. Nah-ah. Impossible. I was just a normal, run-of-the-mill bὕnny that one could find anywhere. I denied any and all accusations and no silly human thingy like a court could convince me otherwise!

“Ughhh… Will there be at least one good news tonight?”

In response to that, Imun said a simple sentence that would proceed to haunt the rest of my life.

“Someone decided to be a tattletale and now everyone at the shouting halls are dubbing you “Isa the nut cracker”.”

I blinked once.

Then twice. 

“And how-” With a steady voice that was definitely devoid of rage and embarrassment, I asked her. “-is that supposed to be good?”  

“You have been so eager to get a title lately.” The doe shrugged. “This might not be a fancy one, but I think it suits you well.” 

She kept a straight face. However, the shaking of her shoulders and the way she kept biting the corner of her lips betrayed the actual emotion.

Bun`Imun, my dearest colleague, was doing her best to not burst out laughing at the mess I had gotten myself into.  

“I need to go deal with the dust devils now.” Sighing tiredly, I decided to end this conversation. “With any luck, I will be able to take out a horde or two before going down. Tell little Imit that big sis Isa died honorably, will ya?”

Imun snorted before leaving to finish her own tasks. It would take some time to return this guest house to an acceptable state, and I could only thank my lucky stars that the fetchers even managed to clean up the sleeping room beforehand.

Hopefully, that luck would not run out anytime soon…

•ㅅ•

“Anddd… done!”

Amidst the room clean of dusty rabbles, the image of me raising a scrolled up parchment in triumph must have been quite the sight. 

Nevertheless, I simply could not help it. This parchment, nay, this masterpiece did not simply hold the truth, but also displayed the culmination of my experience, cunning and, most importantly, resolution!   

“Suck it court! You won’t be getting this bὕnny today!!”

Upon leaving the storage room, I could see several fetchers making their way towards the exit. This would either mean that the guest house was now in tip-top shape, or there was simply no longer a need to keep it in shape.

I truly dreaded the answer that I was about to find out…

•ㅅ•

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The human boy survived.

No, scratch that. The boy did not just survive, he now fared just as well as a kit that had grown up inside the city’s very walls! 

The young fetcher charged with overseeing the recovery process looked like he himself couldn’t believe this outcome. In the end, though, he just told me something along the lines of “Must be due to the blood” before taking his leave.    

That aside, Imun had also left once it became clear that the human boy was no longer in a critical state. Apparently, some expedition teams had just returned and Growling Trunk was now busy preparing a feast in honor of its heroes.

Soon enough, only a few remained inside the building. I watched blankly as several fledglings milled around, itching for something to do. Some were also gossiping in corners they thought my hearing couldn’t reach. 

A quiet sigh left my lips as I shook myself out of the stupor. However, as I was about to leave, a fledgling ran down and whispered to me.

“The human has woken up.” 

Nodding my head, I told her to deliver my report to the great hall. Elder Ruink would need some time reading this over, and it was best that I put said time to good use, just in case. 

The feline bobbed her head before speeding off into the night, no doubt eager to prove her worth. Fortunately, she still had enough mind to put the parchment inside a bag for safe keeping, which was… actually better than how I fared when I first started out…

Shaking the thought away, I turned around and began my trip up the second floor, where the human boy lied. The wćlf on guard duty looked a bit nervous at my approach, though I simply waved him off before entering the room.

Lo and behold, the highlight of the night, the source of my most recent headaches, was peacefully dozing in baa baa land. 

Snugly wrapped up in untattered clothes and a warm blanket, the boy in front of me looked nothing like the haggard creature that managed to make my skin crawl. With rhythmic breathing and pure black hair that no longer looked like a mess, the sight of his sleeping form made quite the serene picture.

How cute…

“You know, wylders are excellent at spotting things that try to play dead, let alone those not even sneaky enough to pull off an attempt.”

*Thump*Thump*

The “sleeping” beauty continued to act like his visit to dream land wasn’t a bust. It made for quite an adorable scene, not unlike a little kit pretending that he wasn’t spotted as long as he couldn’t see the spotter. Unfortunately for him, a quickened heartbeat and a slight twitch of the body had already given the game away.

That aside, I was in no mood for games. 

“You were awfully rude, asking that of me earlier-” Ignoring the urge to stomp my foot in irritation, I decided to throw a bait, “-only to act like nothing happened now.”

One beat.

Two beats.

And finally, the boy deemed it fit to open both eyes. With a sheepish smile, he sat up and said. 

“... Was I actually that bad? The sleeping part, I mean.” 

I contemplated telling him that even the fledglings downstairs would have been able to hear his breathing. Then again, those lot were too busy goofing off to actually notice the change in their ward…

“Nah, I just got lucky. Bὕnny’s foot, see?”

My attempt at humor seemed to fall flat, seeing how the boy cringed at the sight of me raising my leg up… 

Then again, he might just be remembering some… “unpleasant” memories…

“Ughhh, look.” I tried once more, mustering the most placating smile possible. “I know that we got off on the wrong foot.” Another cringe, though I ignored it. “But please know that it was only an accident, and I am truly sorry about what happened.” 

Doe eyes, checked. Droopy ears, checked. Now for a toothy smile as I delivered the killing blow!

“If it is possible, can we start over?” I extended my paw out, making sure that all claws were retracted. “My name is Bun`Isa, runner of Growling Trunk. May I know yours?”

The boy looked at the offering paw with an unreadable expression. I could only feel glad that humans didn’t have a wylder’s keen senses, else my racing heartbeat would have been discovered in an instant.

One beat.

Two beats.

Three beats…

And finally, the boy shook his hand with mine.

“I’m sorry as well, especially since I gave you quite the scare.” He winked at that, before continuing. “My name is Enstai Hiro. Nice to meet you, Bvᴎ Iæ!” 

I had to bite back a frown at the horrid way the human boy butchered my name.

Regardless, this was to be expected. “Nice to meet you as well, Hiro. I will have to leave and take care of some business soon. Before that, however, can I ask you some questions?”

“Actually, it’s…” The boy started, only to stop himself mere moments later. “No… You know what, Hiro is just fine.” His downcast look did not last long before he lifted his head up and offered me a smile. “Anyway, what can I help you with?” 

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Fun animal trivia! 

Bunnies can’t actually retract their claws. However, their fantasy equivalent most probably can, thanks to the many centuries of evolution. Please don’t ask why evolution also decided to make them look like humans with animal-themed accessories attached. Isekai is simply weird like that

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