Who are you? I thought, observing her with my instinct.

Elder Nature Spirit [Lvl ???]

Aha! Another ???-level entity! And… not a human?

The edges of my mouth crept up into a smile as this world just became even more mysterious.

She brought a hand to her chest, either because she understood my curious gaze, or perhaps because she felt my instinct’s use. [Me?]

I nodded. She paused, tilting her head upwards and frowning slightly.

[Well… I’m sure I had a name once, but that’s been lost to me. I am a being of life.] She looked towards the sleeping gorlen, gesturing with her head. [That creature once saved something precious to me. It was a debt I could never repay. She sometimes visits me with food, but it was never until now that she’d asked me for help.]

She appraised me for a moment.

[You are special, virtuous one. She was trapped in a human’s net at night. And when they took her, she’d nearly given up on life. No other Saurian would’ve saved her. Well,] her gaze turned upwards as she paused, [almost no other Saurian would’ve saved her.]

She touched my chest, a light spreading out from her hand and a coolness washing over my body.

You’ve unlocked the [Nature’s Embrace] trait!

[If you ever need me, please call.]

And with that, I watched as the elder nymph exited my cave, fading into the leaves, and leaving me alone with the gorlen.

Who, by the way, was just now waking up.

So you’re a girl, huh? I thought as I watched her rub her eyes with her stubby hands. She turned to see me laying on the floor and met my gaze with her wide eyes.

Then she jumped and rushed towards me, hugging my neck and nuzzling against me.

Yeah, yeah. I thought, pulling free of her. I’m happy you’re alive, too.

The creature smiled, showing eerily humanlike teeth, the only difference being the two larger fangs towards the sides of her mouth, before rushing towards the back of the cave. She returned moments later with a large leaf covered in some kind of paste.

Then she held it towards me.

I looked at her, confused, and decided to observe what she was holding.

Crude Health Packet

This crude packet of restorative herbs blended into a paste can be ingested to provide minor healing.

I shook my head.

I don’t need that anymore. Thank you, though.

I wasn’t sure if she could understand me, but as she stood there, looking at the packet, and then at me, my stomach growled.

She leaped into the air at the sudden fearsome noise and ran back into the darkness of the cave.

Oops. Sorry…

But moments later, the gorlen returned, this time holding a leaf with a familiar-looking meat atop it. I observed it, for posterity.

Giant Tree Worm Meat [Experienced]

This meat comes from a fearsome beast, capable of taking on some of the strongest monsters. It is possible to eat, but it is an acquired taste.

Oh. So she must have scavenged some from Sailboat’s meal. Or maybe she’d found another one. But I doubt this tiny creature had actually killed one herself.

She held the meat before me, and without a second thought, I snapped it up, swallowing with delight.

It actually does become tastier after you get used to it…

I licked my chops as the gorlen pushed the bowl of water, completely refilled, towards me.

What, are you like my butler now?

Actually, that didn’t sound like a bad idea.

If you’re gonna own a Dino Cave, might as well have a butler, no?

But… what to call you?

Should I call her Alfred? No... Frieda?

Yeah, why not. Frieda the gorlen. Today must be Friday.

After seeing I was fine, spending a bit of time sitting in the corner of the room, and watching me as the outside light turned to dark, Frieda left the cave while I checked my body.

Tail? Felt fine.

Neck? Also felt fine.

No pains in my stomach so it was probably-- oh.

Yeah… The wound had definitely healed but… it left a scar.

Way to ruin my perfect scaley body, Santa. I didn’t want this for Christmas…

The scar was jagged and long, probably because I’d fallen onto the cause of the wound, and then had it pulled out of me.

Well, at least now I knew another friendly [Lvl ???] entity. Maybe I could go really risky with my leveling and have her heal me back up. Like the NPC’s that do escort missions with you.

But that was probably not a great idea. Especially since the fights here did hurt, and I wasn’t a masochist.

Well, it was too bad I had no idea how to call her, anyway.

Unless…

Magic boxes? Information on that new nature trait thing, please.

I was rewarded for my efforts with the requested information.

Nature’s Embrace [Trait]

Atypical of Saurians, you’ve shown a passion for life and respect for the organisms around you and been rewarded for it. In times of dire need, your soul might connect with nature to summon aid.

Well, that wasn’t as overpowered as I was hoping. “In times of dire need” sounded like it was probably going to be insanely restrictive.

Then again, how many times have I been in “dire need” since I’d woken up in that egg? It was potentially an ability I could abuse.

Maybe the trait was exploitable. Though I was still wasn’t entirely sure what the differences between Traits, Instincts, and Skills were. I’d worked out that Skills were things I could intentionally activate and control, whereas Instincts and Traits were something else… but I wasn’t sure what. My working theory—and don’t quote me on this—was that Instincts were buffs or effects triggered by something external while Traits were passive abilities.

But… without a game wiki, I had no idea how to go about figuring it out. Guess I’d have to hang around in this new life a little while longer to unlock its secrets.

I suppose the age-old saying is true, after all. Age does equal wisdom.