Mine never that soft.

Greenie??

But his tone sounded different-

The wind whipping past my head accompanies my quick twirl, looking for Greenie. But only a large grey wolf with a scarred eye loomed over behind me. Disappointment hits my gut, cold and heavy. I had been so used to the constant presence hovering by my side that now with Greenie asleep I felt..off. As if I were right-handed, but forced to do everything with my left instead. Behind Capo, more wolves stream in to the clearing, dragging in their latest kill, Boudicea marching behind them like a tall guardian. Purple flames flare when our eyes meet, the female wolf narrowing her gaze at me head on.

Now what was she mad about? Was I in trouble??

Meanwhile, Andvari groans in frustration as the pups break off from the rest of the hunting party and beeline straight towards him.

What? Disappointed its me? Capo asks, tilting his head.

Is it that obvious? I ask, feeling myself deflate even further.

Well, when your feathers stop dancing around so obviously, then yes.

HOW IS THIS A SWORD!??

I shake my head, resisting the urge to turn around even as the loud bellows of the dwarf echoes before us. What was this now, his 5th try? Andvari kept doing his best to make the sword straight, running his hand down the wavy blade and carefully hammering the sword to smooth out it's strange nonsword-like qualities.

Last time Andvari lifted the sword off of the makeshift rock anvil, the sword flopped around his forearm like a thick whip. I tell the wolf, turning back to watching the dwarf explode yet again. Poor guy, I didn't know when the right timing would be for me to tell him what Appraisal showed me.

{Named Snakebronze Sword: The Flaccid Tickler: A flexible sword that seeks out and tickles the sensitive tickle-prone areas on the opponent's body. Leaves the opponent with a remnant ticklish feeling for double the time they were tickled. Not limited to species.}

In a way, it was an amazing sword??

The pause it took each time for Andvari to do his best in fixing the sword only served as a comedic slow-burn for Crixus. Leaning forward with anticipation with each attempt the dwarf makes, the Minotaur would fall into a fit of laughter when the sword would go soft once again.

The large wolf shuffles backwards, turning away from me and focusing his one good eye on the fiasco unfolding before him.

Sorry about that. What you said, it sounded so similar to what Greenie would say-

Because it was? Capo interjects, confused. I only said what the goblin was saying since he kept repeating it.

It was? Greenie's awake?? I hop forward, motioning to fly into the cave. But no matter how much I flap, I don't move forward. Something was pulling me back by the tail feathers. Looking back I can see Capo stopping me, tugging gently on my bottom wings with his mouth to keep me from flying into the cave.

He's here. The large wolf ambles to the side, revealing what had been behind his large body: Greenie laying sweetly in only a loincloth, on his grass bed with arms crossed over his chest, a frown twitching between his thickened brows. He looked like a Sleeping Beauty from the wrong dimension.

What's Greenie's bed doing out here?? Isn't he still evolving?

Sputtering at the strange sight, I hop straight towards Greenie to check up on him. After three days, Greenie's evolution seemed almost complete. His face had lost it's stronger goblin-like characteristics, smoothing out the hard ridges on his forehead and the overall unbalanced structure of his features. Almost human like? I flutter atop his chest to get a better look. And his fangs were still there peeking over his lower lips, albeit smaller than before.

Though his body didn't change in height, Greenie had lost the muscle mass he'd had before. If he'd been a tank before, now he was more like a motorcycle? Everything was compacted into thinner, but no less hard muscles, the bone structure standing more sculpted out of his body.

Greenie's dark green hair curled across his forehead, much thicker now than compared to the thin strands that would plaster themselves to his mostly bare scalp. I glance over his chest, sad to see that the scars from the rats, the large bite shaped gouges, were still there. This evolution hadn't fixed it either, sadly...

His scent was telling me he was about to wake up. Capo shrugs, gently gripping the edge of the grass bed with his teeth and dragging it, sleeping Greenie and all, closer to me. The various twigs I'd inserted into the bottom of his grass bed while Greenie continued to sleep seemed to be doing a great job keeping the mattress from falling apart.

And besides, he seems to be able to hear us. Why else would he continue with this "Mine never that soft" each time the dwarf cries how soft and weak his sword is. Listen.

Capo prods at Greenie's arm with his nose. In response, Greenie's fingers clench ever so slightly. I do a double-take when I notice he now had 6 fingers on each hand, a big upgrade from the 3 he had before. They were thin and delicate looking too. Interesting.. It seemed an Oddwright was capable of more than rough weapons? Maybe they were suited to more complicated work then?

SWORDS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE STRONG AND HARD!! Cries Andvari again, pulling at his beard. Capo motions to me to listen once again which I follow, staring deeply at Greenie's face to see if his twitching eyelids would open.

...like mine....

Very faintly do I hear it. Greenie's mind responding to each and every comment made by the dwarf with a reference to his own genitals.

Any good sword of mine can cut so clean the flesh doesn't bleed until moments after! But look at this, not standing up straight like it needs to be! Not even useful as a practice sword! Does something this soft even count as a sword??!

Andvari continues to rant, pausing to point at the sword like it had personally offended him.

....Maybe mine is sword then..

Umm..Greenie? I call out, poking his cheek with my wing. You ready to wake up now, buddy?

As if on cue, the notification rings out.

[Evolution of Kin (Greenie) completed!]

Greenie?

Slowly, Greenie's eyes flutter open, the murky black pupils lightened to an earthy green. His eyes were huge now, like lanterns that glowed up at me from his sleeping position.

Master!

Green arms gently hug me to his chest as he sits up, staring at his fingers and touching the thick strands of his hair in surprise.

Greenie feel different.

A bad different or a good different? I ask, concerned and trying to wiggle out of his hug so I can look at Greenie better. Do you have any pains? Anything still evolving??

No. I feel different, in good way. More..able?

And it looked like Greenie could express himself more now too. His emotions and thoughts spoke more like a middle/high schooler, compared to the broken elementary level words he'd spoken in up till now.

Greenie grins his familiar grin, releasing me from his hold as he stretches his back.

I can protect Master more, now! I do my best!!

Why won't this thing get hard!!? Andvari groans, shaking the hilt of the sword in his hand. It ignores his desperate cries, continuing to wave back and forth like a limp noodle, accidentally slapping the dwarf in the cheek in the process. Incredulous, Andvari waves his hand in the area around the sword to confirm what just happened.

Why won't this harden to my satisfaction??! This will never suffice as it is!!

Was I the only one hearing all this? I look around, hoping someone would understand, until my gaze meets Crixus'. He nods putting a green leafy palm to his face in an obvious face-palm, while Andvari continues. He doesn't seem to notice the repeated innuendos coming out of his mouth. Instead, he gets angrier and angrier, face turning red like a tomato each time the sword slaps him back when he waves it. It didn't help that huddled around his waist was a wiggling group of wolf pups begging earnestly for attention yet again.

We should let the dwarf alone. Capo quips. Let him have his fill with the weak stick.

I can hear you, you know! Andvari yells out. Huffing, he holds out the sword in our direction.

Here! Take it. I have more work to do.

I'll take it! Crixus interjects, swooping in to take the Flaccid Tickler off Andvari's hands.

All that laughing and you still want it? I understood Andvari's confusion. the dwarf scratching his head at Crixus' sudden change in heart.

I enjoy what's entertaining when I can. And I know a good weapon when I see one.

Crixus nods, testing the hilt of the flopping sword in his hand.

See what you can do with it, then show me later. Waving a hand dismissively, Andvari turns his back to us, going back to smelting more metal in the firepit. Meanwhile, now that the show was over, Capo goes back to his mate, licking her cheek, while Greenie gives me another big hug.

Greenie missed Master!

I missed you too, Greenie. I smile, hugging him back with my outstretched wings draped over his shoulders. Our short reprieve was broken by the soft ring of a clanging bell echoing from within the cave.

Ring~ling!

At the sound, Greenie and I look to each other, one word on our mind.

Ham! I cry, flying out of Greenie's arms and straight into the cave.

Recently, I'd been growing suspicious that there was some funny business going down in our cave when we weren't looking. The latest meats hung from the ceiling would slowly decrease in number when we weren't looking. Greenie had been the one to help me make a trap that would create a noise courtesy of a empty bronze helmet and metal shard. And the sound that I was hearing now I knew definitely came from the special herb rubbed ham!

Greenie follows behind me as I make my way straight into the cave, looking for the intruder. Who was stealing the ham!? And I faintly smelled a whiff of that rotten scent again!!

The moment my skill picks up that scent, I see it.

A long, thin shadow of a tail, curling in and out on the floor of the cave! THIEF!!!!!

I bellow through Thought Transmission, crying out in a high pitched squeal reminiscent of a fire alarm at the same time.

THIEF!! The others echo my cries, wolves piling into the cave one after another while Crixus and Greenie leap in right on top of them.

Where!!? Greenie cries, his slingshot in hand. Hair falls into his large green eyes as he searches for the shadow that I pointed at, hand searching for his pouch of pebbles left somewhere on the ground.

Catch the prey! Capo calls out below me, howling for the pack to follow him.

I don't bother pointing, not taking my eyes off the shadow that swiftly climbed up the cave wall and headed out of the cave through the ceiling. A great racket follow behind me as I race after the thief, my precious ham clasped in it's mouth. The shadow leaps out of the cave and onto the nearest tree branch, the sunlight revealing it's brown fur and pink, creepy human-like hands.

Don't think you can get past the Siphon Bush wall! I call out after the possum, who meets up with another buddy hiding in the thick tree branches. I fly towards one with my talons outstretched, trying to rip the ham away from them. I was close enough to grasp their curly pink tails-

Only to grasp empty air. The first possum had tossed my precious spiced ham to the buddy waiting outside. They got over the Siphon Bush wall by grabbing a vine and using the momentum to fly across, just like tarzan!

What the heck!! I didn't know possums could do that!!

Pushing back my surprise, I continue the chase, honing in on their scampering behinds as they leaped from tree to tree, tossing the ham to each other when I attempted to intercept.

These possums!

They were playing monkey-in-the-middle, and I was the stupid monkey!

I was a fool to try and trade with these possums.

Catch it!!!

I cry, flying after the ham and the possum. Below me, a wave of grey and brown coats shimmering against the forest floor also chasing after the two possums, Greenie running among them. Capo had also joined in the chase, lightly loping in the back as he seemed to be enjoying running for the sake of it.

The possums were much faster than I'd expected...

Though I flew after the duo with as much speed as I could muster in the crowded bramble of overgrown trees, my speed was no match for the possums who flitted from branch to branch while also tossing the ham back and forth.

I grit my beak, putting on a new burst of speed to not lose the possums. The wolves followed me now, unable to track the possums as they never got close to the ground.

Ding~!

Wha-

Flaring my wings wide, I grind to a halt.

[Title Obtained: Belladonna]

Alpha! What about the thieves?? Capo calls out, not sure whether to have his pack continue the chase or stop with me.

Give me a minute Capo, I call back, waiting for the next notification window. What was happening now!?

[Title: Belladonna awards you title skill 『Lethal Flourish』]

But…I haven’t done anything???

Landing on the nearest branch, I eyeball the description that continues to hover.

What’s wrong? Capo asks, putting both forelegs up on the tree trunk to bring his head closer to me.