Getting Your Bearings 1 (2/2)
Yes, there was a patch of yellow snow. Someone had peed here!
“Scents and Sensibility!”
And predator stink filled his nose, the same predator that had marked the rock. Big and deadly, and familiar, and…
Oh. Oh!
For the first time since he’d arrived, hope, that fragile thing with wings soared in his chest. He looked at the sky. It had been so long. Would he remember Threadbare?
The little bear got to work, brushing snow away until he found the old firepit. Damp wood, pine wood went into a pile, and the little bear pointed at it.
“Firestarter.”
Your Firestarter skill is now level 2!
A tiny spark leaped out, and the wood smoldered, but nothing happened.
No! He would NOT be denied!
“Firestarter! Firestarter! Firestarter!”
That did it. Around skill level four, the wood caught. Threadbare kept a few pointy pieces of wood aside. Then he glanced over at the pond, shucked off his apron, and stomped toward it with bearly determination. “Forage,” he said, skilling up, and wading into the school of newly-born salmon.
Twenty minutes and one dexterity boost later, the sky was light, so light, and he knew the sun was just behind the eastern mountains. He eyed his eight fish, and decided they’d have to do. He tossed them over by the fire, and stuck them on the skewers, then put them over the flames. It took some fiddling, but soon he had them cooking.
You have unlocked the cook job!
Would you like to be a cook at this time? y/n?
No, that was pretty silly, he decided. The words went away, and he breathed a sigh of relief. What use was cooking to something that didn’t eat?
Besides, he wasn’t trying to cook them. He was just trying to get the smell into the air.
“Clean and Press”, he decided, tapping his noggin. And instantly the fish blood and guts and grime and mud and dirt from traveling whisked away from him. He put on his apron again, buckled it, turned around-
-and there it was, looming over him in the predawn light. Twice as tall as he was, black as pitch, with suspicious yellow eyes fixated on Threadbare. A pair of high, pointed ears poked out from its skull.
Though Threadbare had no word for it, humans would call this beast a bobcat.
And while every instinct shouted at the bobcat to chase the little creature away from its good-smelling dinner, to assert dominance and steal its food, the big feline hesitated.
Because something about this little thing seemed familiar.
It leaned in, animalistic instincts activating its own Scents and Sensibility, and it sniffed the teddy bear. It sniffed him carefully…
…until it came to the apron pocket that Threadbare had tucked soap powder into.
And its eyes opened wide, as a rumbling purr burst from its chest!
It had not ALWAYS been a bobcat, after all, and he too had lost his home, his home that smelled of soap powder and hoomins and polished wood and comfortable napping spots in the sun and warm places in winter and that little toy bear
It WAS the little toy bear!
“Pulsivar,” said Threadbare, hugging the big cat, and then he was purring and licking the little bear over and over again, and rolling around on the ground and purring and getting up and running in circles in pure joy.
CHA +1
LUCK +1
Well, Pulsivar celebrated for a little while, anyway. As much time as he could give the matter. Those fish smelled delicious and you had to have priorities, after all.
Threadbare watched happily as Pulsivar gobbled up the catch, even helping remove them from the skewers so the black bobcat could properly enjoy breakfast. Afterwards it simply flopped down next to the fire, half-on top of Threadbare, grooming him for all he was worth.
By befriending a wild beast you have unlocked the Tamer job!
You cannot become a Tamer at this time.
The words faded as Threadbare laughed for the first time, tiny little giggles completely lost against the massive feline’s purr. It didn’t matter. Not one bit, because though everything wasn’t right with the world, this, right now, made everything a bit better.
And though there was a lot to do, though so much bad had happened and he still needed to go and save everyone else he could, Threadbare sighed and relaxed against the warm, purring lump of fur and muscle that was his first foe, and first ally, and just enjoyed being cuddled again.
For now, this was enough.
And it was enough for Pulsivar, too.
THREADBARE'S CHARACTER SHEET
Spoiler: Spoiler
Name: Threadbare
Age: 5
Jobs:
Greater Toy Golem Level 9
Bear Level 8
Ruler Level 4
Scout Level 4
Tailor Level 8
Model Level 2
Necromancer Level 1
Duelist Level 1
Animator Level 1
Enchanter Level 1
Golemist Level 1
Smith Level 1
Attributes:
Strength: 79 Constitution: 83 Hit Points: 216(236) Armor: 34 (38)
Intelligence: 60 Wisdom: 93 Sanity: 152(172) Mental Fortitude: 24
Dexterity: 43 Agility: 59 Stamina: 110(130) Endurance: 44
Charisma: 57 Willpower: 47 Moxie: 103(123) Cool: 20
Perception: 60 Luck: 54 Fortune: 113(133) Fate: 9
Generic Skills
Brawling - Level 20 (21)
Climb - Level 12
Clubs and Maces - Level 9
Dagger - Level 9
Dodge - Level 2
Fishing - Level 1
Ride - Level 7
Stealth - Level 5
Swim - Level 2
Greater Toy Golem Skills
Adorable - Level 15
Gift of Sapience - Level NA
Golem Body - Level 20
Innocent Embrace - Level 8
Magic Resistance -Level 4
Bear Skills
Animalistic Interface - NA
Claw Swipes - 16
Forage - 8
Growl - 1
Hibernate - 37
Scents and Sensibility - 14
Stubborn - 7
Toughness - 12
Ruler Skills
Emboldening Speech - Level 1
Identify Subject - Level 1
Noblesse Oblige - Level 1
Royal Request - Level 1
Simple Decree - Level 1
Scout Skills
Camouflage - Level 1
Firestarter - Level 4
Keen Eye - Level 1
Sturdy Back - Level 5
Wind's Whisper - Level 1
Tailor Skills
Talioring - Level 37 (41)
Clean and Press - Level 1
Adjust Outfit - Level 1
Model Skills
Dietary Restriction - Level 10 (+20 to all pools)
Fascination - Level 2
Flex - Level 10
Self-Esteem - Level 10
Work it Baby - Level 2
Necromancer Skills
Assess Corpse - Level 1
Command the Dead - Level 1
Soulstone - Level 1
Speak With Dead -Level 2
Zombies - Level 1
Duelist Skills
Challenge - Level 1
Dazzling Entrance - Level 1
Fancy Flourish - Level 1
Guard Stance - Level 1
Weapon Specialist - Level 1 (Brawling +1)
Animator Skills
Animus - Level 5
Command Animus - Level 1
Creator's Guardians - Level 5
Eye for Detail - Level 1
Mend - Level 1
Enchanter Skills
Appraise - Level 1
Glowgleam - Level 1
Harden - Level 1
Soften - Level 1
Spellstore - Level 1
Golemist Skills
Command Golem - Level 1
Golem Animus - Level 1
Invite Golem - Level 1
Toy Golem Construction - Level 1
Smith Skills
Refine Ore - Level 1
Equipment
Apprentice Tailor's Apron (+4 Armor, +4 Tailoring Skill)
Quests
Save Celia
Unlocked Jobs
Cook, Tamer, Wizard