Grey's POV

I opened my eyes and saw light shining through a hole, kind of like a window. I felt stiff and the floor was hard. It was morning and cold, which wasn't very pleasant waking up like this. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked around. I was surrounded by wood. Then I remembered everything that happened. The kingdom, Max, the gigantic hollow tree I'm in, and that girl, Wren.

There was something about Wren that I couldn't quite put my finger on. It was odd, really. She seemed really familiar. I think I had a small clue about her from last night, but I don't remember it. She was quite pretty though. Probably better looking than those girls father tried to introduce me to. He said something about marrying the nobility for capitalism over business and something about the economy.

I wonder if there's any news on Idela's current state. I wish I could return already and hear some news. That's right! I should start moving. I looked over at Max. He was sleeping, but he was starting to stir awake. The fox was curled up next to me and he had his face buried in his tail. He suddenly did a roll and was lying on his back with his paws stretched out. He blinked slowly and then looked at me. Max got up and looked at me steadily.

"What are you looking at?" I asked.

The fox motioned and pawed at it's head. It licked it's paw and then made a sweeping motion at it's head again. You want to get pet? I reached for it's head and started to stroke it, but it batted at my hand. It made the sweeping motion again and then pawed at me. Then it scratched it's head like a dog with it's hind legs. My hair? Crap. My hair's probably messy. I haven't combed it in a while and I've been sleeping on the floor recently.

I started combing my hair with my fingers. The fox stopped staring and it started licking itself clean. Maybe I should take a bath too. I probably reek of sweat. Speaking of cleanliness, I think that girl left already. There wasn't anybody in the corner and the fire was out. I guess she didn't want to say anything to me.

"Hey Max, you know how to hunt yet?" I tried asking.

The fox tilted it's head and looked at me funnily. Then it crouched down and jumped on me.

"Woah, okay buddy. You sure you can hunt on real animals yet?" Can he really understand me?

Max ran over to the hole in the tree and jumped out. I got up and walked over. I looked outside and he was gone. I heard a slight trot and saw him coming back. He has something tiny in his jaws. He jumped right back in the hole and I had to pivot to the side before Max would hit me. He landed softly and sat on his haunches. Max dropped what was in his jaws. A wet beetle fell onto the wooden floor.

"Gross. I meant mammals, Max." I said.

Great, the beetle's still alive and wiggling it's legs. Even better, Max ate the beetle and made a loud crunching noise... I shivered a little. Let's go walk outside. Would Max still follow me?

"Let's go outside. Maybe we can find more berries, or maybe apples. I also need to travel to the next kingdom." I said while motioning to outside.

I grabbed my blue jacket that was now dry and put it on. It seems a bit odd to be out in a forest, yet dressed in a dirty tuxedo. I stepped outside and breathed in the cold morning air. I sighed a little. Max jumped out as well and landed on the dirt between the large roots of the tree. He's just like a little cat. We walked along a trail I had found.

As Max trotted happily along, I was stiff and sore. I cracked my neck a couple of times and my back was tense. The best I could do was stare at the scenery as I walked through the woods with Max. We walked on for an hour. Every once in a while, Max would have his ears pricked up and he would bound off into the trees and I couldn’t chase him through all of the thick trees. The very first time I got worried and thought that Max left me. After all, he was a wild fox, but he came back to me running along the dirt after a short period of time.

Max leaped through the thick trees for the fourth time. I was getting hungry again. My stomach growled loudly. By the time Max came back ten minutes had passed, but he had something in his jaws. It was a baby white rabbit.

“I suppose you do know how to hunt. Poor rabbit was probably chased for a kilometer.” I teased at Max.

The fox looked pretty proud. He stopped behind me and barked at me to stop as well. I turned around and walked back to Max. I gave him a questioning look. Max started to eat from the rabbit and ripped the skin apart. I tried my best to look away. Raw meat is unappealing to me, especially raw, bloody meat. After 3 minutes of hearing Max eat, we walked on for a few kilometers.

We reached a fork in the road. One leading through a denser part of the forest, and one uphill. I decided to go uphill so that we'd have a better view of what was in the forest and which direction to head. We walked uphill for what seemed like years. By the time the slope was finally level, the sun began to set.

Max was exhausted and decided to leap onto me. I held him for a bit, until my arms got tired. Max climbed onto my shoulder and put his fore paws and chin on my head. I think he's trying to take a nap on me. He's just a kit anyways. I hiked on for another half hour until I reached a small clearing with a single boulder in the middle. There was a cliff extending forward and I could see many kilometers away.

"Max, wake up. Look at the view!" I said in a soft voice.

The fox got up and I held him in my arms again, but I made sure he was looking outward. The view was breathtaking. The trees extended on as far as I could see, but some parts reached mountains and stopped growing around there. Either this forest was huge, or I was just really lost. There was a large lake in the middle of all the trees. It was big and a dark blue around some areas, but the sun reflected against it, giving it an orange yellow glow. It also reflected many trees and a mountain. If I squinted, I could see a small pass around a mountain to the side.

Max looked disinterested, but for me, it was the first time seeing a lake like this. In fact, I've never traveled much, unlike my mother. The most I did was attend a royal ball in a city away. Mother did say that many times traveling was a drag, but she also said many locations were a sight to behold.

I wasn't sure, but I heard a faint call. It slowly got louder, until I was sure it wasn't just in my head. I turned around a saw someone walking my way. Wait, that's Wren! I think she's calling my name.

"Grey!" she yelled, fairly audible now.

I guess it is a small world after all. Maybe in this case, a small forest.

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Sorry for the late update guys. I'm finally able to spend some quality time with my computer now and type. I tried to make this chapter a little lengthy, but I usually try to write around 800-1100 words. I think this chapter is almost 1300 words, and I put a decent amount of effort into this. I've posted a poll, as you could see, and I'd appreciate it if you answered, guest or member of royal road.