Silently crying as I finagled my way through plucking the feathers, using a sharp stick to cut through and gutting this thing. Taking up way too much time but I cleaned it...mostly.

I let the carcass sit on a pile of leaves as I gathered fallen sticks and anything dried out enough for a fire. Stacking the smaller ones in a small pile I looked at Hansey and nodding toward the pile.

Tilting his head to the side, showing he clearly didn’t understand.

Blowing on them in the hope he would understand I want him to use his ember skill.

Now he just eyed me weirdly.

OK, now I started touching the sticks and pulling back waving my hand around as if I burned myself.

AGAIN he stared like I was crazy and I was getting sick of these charades.

“Use ember on the damn sticks please,” I sighed out defeatedly.

His ears stood as he lowered down and blew some small embers onto the pile of tinder. Soon smoke started to float up from where the embers touched.

Slowly I was blowing on it to provide more airflow as I added more small dry bits as the fire started to grow.

Slowly the fire grew bigger and bigger as I started adding slightly bigger pieces of wood. Soon I was throwing in some decent-sized sticks as it reached a point of satisfaction.

I used some long pointed sticks to skewer the bird, setting up the sticks in a tripod-like way for the bird to stay above the fire. Then I waited.

Slowly time ticked away as the bird cooked and the juices dripped slowly off. Hansey was unbothered and laid next to the fire while I was completely entranced. Staring and licking my lips I was imagining how good it would taste, especially when all I’ve had for the past few meals were the blue grapes. Don’t get me wrong they were good but nothing beats the filling feeling of meat.

Finally, the bird looked fully cooked. Starting to take it off the skewer I carefully made sure to not damage the meat too much. Once it was off I let it chill on another bed of leaves.

Throwing the sticks to the side I picked off a small piece of the bird, blowing on it slightly I threw it in and chewed slowly. Savoring the taste and the feeling the only words I had to describe it was amazing.

The flavor was great even though I didn’t season it. It was slightly overcooked but the skin still had a pretty good crisp to it.

Before I knew it the bird was gone and eaten. Leaning back with satisfaction I licked my fingers wishing I had more of it to eat. I was happy and with my first good meal, I could think about what I should do next.

Looking around and at myself, I realized I had no shelter, my clothes were dirtying fast, and considering this was my first good meal I realized I needed to find some people. With myself being ignorant of this area I couldn’t do it but a certain fluffy friend could know.

“Hansey...HANSEY,” my whispers turned into yells until he responded with an annoyed look, “You know where other people are?”

He looked up confused but rolled over and started walking a little towards the inner parts of the woods.

Quickly I threw some dirt over the weakened fire as I followed after him.

Looking back to confirm I was following, I saw a glint in his eyes as he turned forward and started running full speed away.

“Hey wait up,” I shouted chasing after him!

I chased and chased but he kept running around trees, over bushes, and every which direction. I was trying my hardest to follow after bobbing and weaving around trees and jumping over the bushes.

My lungs started to burn and I felt my legs get tired, jumping over a bush my foot getting caught making me roll along the ground just barely getting my hands in front of my face. I rolled right into a tree heavily and that thing hurt.

“Owww, Hansey, when I catch you I’m gonna beat you with a fish,” I yelled towards, what I hoped was, his general direction.

Standing up, looking around, I started to wonder where that darn boy ran off to. I lost him practically the first few minutes into our game of chase.

I started to look through the trees trying to find some kind of land marker. But all these tries had the same green leaves, brown bark, with barely any difference in size or shape.

Taking a deep breath I yelled, “HANSEY!” Now all I could do was hope that he heard that or I just lost my first and only familiar in the woods. Sighing I started to investigate my surroundings hoping for some kind of footprints or tracks.

Examining the ground, the trees, even the sky I used every bit of my observation skills to try and find something. Minutes passed as I examined the place clean finding nothing. Sitting down with my arms crossed one thought flowed through my mind. I’m lost.

“Uggghhhhh, I don’t wanna wait here for him to find me,” I complained to the trees.

Looking around making a drastic decision that would make me look crazy I started talking to the trees like, “Hi Mr. Tree, you have any stories...no...maybe...please say anything.” This series of one-way conversations carried on for longer than I like to admit.

“You know what I need a lay of the land so fuck this ground and I’m gonna climb that tree,” I exclaimed with way too much confidence. So I started to climb, one foot after the other, one hand reaching higher than the other. Carefully I made my way up avoiding anything too pointy.

The tree was a decent height so after ten minutes of straight climbing I got to the top arms burning. Sitting there on a thick branch I examined the sea of trees around me.

Looking back from where I came from I saw the meadow, looking towards where I was heading I saw more trees but there was a green mountain almost out of eyesight. Looking to the left I saw more trees but there was a clearing, I couldn’t quite see what was inside the clearing but I knew there was something there.

Excitedly knowing my destination I started my climb down the tree. I was being careful to not slip and fall but when I was about halfway I heard a faint “hiss”. While I might not be a normal person I sure as hell know that sound means snake and hearing a snake means jumping away from the unseen threat.

Jumping away from the sound I immediately lost all grip on every branch there was to grab. I fell a bit before the frantic waving of my hands managed to grab onto something. Pulling myself up and hugging the branch for dear life I heard my heart pound loudly in my ears.

“Shit, I thought I was going to die there,” I wheezed out before the “hiss” came again and in an exasperated tone I responded with a very kind, “Fuck you.”

Turning my head and glaring at the source of the sound I saw a tiny jade-colored snake. It was so small that if it curled up I would fit in my palm with room to spare.

“I can’t believe you almost killed me,” I grumbled toward the tiny green bastard. I sat myself up balancing on the branch looking this thing over.

It eyed me cautiously, slowly slithering towards me, making that all too familiar hissing sound as if to threaten me.

“Bro, your teeth couldn’t even get through my skin, you ain’t threatening,” I stated, “Also why aren’t you running, you clearly can’t eat me?” Slowly reaching out my hand to give him a little pat on the head.

Obviously, he jumped back eyeing me even more now.

“Ok ok we aren’t there yet and that’s ok I’ll give you an offering of friendship,” I mused, “Now what do tiny green snakes eat...bugs, tiny eggs seem about right so let’s see.

Starting to look around trying to find anything I could use for an offering. Looking up, down, left, right there was practically nothing but I did spot a single grasshopper.

I waited for it to get closer and as soon as it did my hand shot out faster than I thought it could. My fist wrapped around it as it was about to jump away. Carefully I brought my hand closer and using two fingers from my free hand I clenched the little bugger by the back legs.

“Here is your offering, oh Tiny One,” I whispered as I held the grasshopper in front of his face.

Looking pensively he came to a quick decision striking out fast as lightning, wrapping around the bug slowly crushing it.

“Good to know you aren’t poisonous,” I chuckled as I watched him slowly crush it. He slowly uncurled his body to swallow the now dead bug down.

I started reaching out again to give him a little pet but due to being full or some other reason he let me touch him. Slowly I sat petting his tiny head, the first touch caused a flinch but the ongoing time he just let it happen soon he was leaning into them.

After I stopped he started slithering up my wrist wrapping around it where I could feel him relaxing.

Petting his head with a smile I said, “From now on I’ll call you Tiny.” Then there was a ding.

[-Would you like to accept Tiny as your familiar [Y/N]]

Of course, I said yes.

[-You have accepted Tiny as your familiar. You may now see all stats and skills of Tiny. ]

[-Through special action, the skill [Monster Taming] levels up]

[-Reward, gaining 1 Affinity stat point and 15% exp]

Name- Tiny Gender- Male Race- Forest Boa Level- 1 (60%)

Stamina 5/20

Mana 10/10

Strength- 1 Dexterity-3 Constitution-2 Attunement-1

Skills-

Bite level 1/10 Constrict 1/10 Heat Sense 1/10

Reading over his stats I stated, “So you are super young.” His low level, low stats, and this size meant he couldn’t possibly be older than a few weeks, a month at most.

Bringing him closer I whispered, “I hope you don’t abandon me like a certain fluffy boy.” The last words had a certain tone of annoyance to them.