Alden felt his feet ache at every step forwards, but he didn't care. That physical pain couldn't hold a candle to the bomb fire of mental pain inside his heart. He would've kept crying, but he ran out of tears to cry hours ago.

With nothing but heartache on his mind, he kept moving forwards. What else was there to do? He couldn't sit down and await death, his mind wouldn't let it. As guilty as he felt, he still had the innate desire to live inside him.

So he kept moving forwards. No matter how much it hurt, he put one foot in front of the other. Right, Left. Right, left . . .

How long have I been walking? Alden thought to himself but quickly dismissed this thought. It didn't matter. Just keep moving forwards, away from the people of the village he could harm. Away from his mother and father. Away from his little brother. Away from everything.

The soft squelchy sound of wet grass being crushed beneath his feet echoed out into the forest again and again, with the occasional snapping of a twig, or the rustling of the trees in the nighttime wind. Alden felt alone until he heard the bushes move. At first, Alden's fear crept into his heart, making him imagine the worst.

O-oh god, I'm so dead! A midnight bear, or a grey wolf . . . or maybe!

But these fears quickly dissipated as a small animal sauntered into the clearing. An orange cat with streaks of yellow and red slowly stepped, its paws making no noise as it silently made its way forwards. It tilted its head at Alden like it was curious about him. Alden starred back at its eyes and felt himself get lost in them.

The eyes of this cat were not normal. Normal cats have green eyes, brown, or maybe even silver, but this one's eyes were a dim purple, like the stars in the sky. It blinked at Alden, and then stopped what it was doing.

It started to walk towards Alden, who began to panic. He quickly waved his hands in an attempt to scare it off.

Stop! I don't want to hurt you! What if I start another fire?

"I'm a monster . . . g- go away before I hurt you!"

Alden stuttered as he stooks step after step backward, before falling on his behind. The cat looked at him with curious eyes again, before leaping into his lap. Alden covered his eyes with his arms and feared the worst. He imagined it touching his skin, and immediately burning to a crisp. He imagined the forest being consumed in a wild, ever-hungry fire. He imagined his father beating him again for what he had done. He imagined the village hating him, for he was a monster.

but . . . this did not come to pass.

Instead, Alden felt the creature in his lap vibrate as it emitted a soft buzzing noise . . . it was purring?

Alden looked down and realized that the cat was burning with a soft flame. Its paws glowed a dim orange; its eyes which were barely opened seemed to shine, and its tail remained completely still. It looked so peaceful, despite the fire surrounding it.

A spirit beast?! Alden thought in amazement.

The ginger cat looked at Alden and flicked its tail at him, almost as if it was saying See? I'm fine.

Despite the horrible mental state he was in just a few moments ago, Alden smiled. He was happy that for once; he couldn't hurt something. Maybe it could even be a friend for a monster . . . but this feeling faded quickly. Alden was a monster who hurt his mother . . . surely if this cat found out, it too would run away. Alden felt that this cat was smart; it would surely hate him for what he had done. Suddenly the cat in Alden's lap unsheathed its claws and flicked its tail in an erratic manner. Alden got the feeling it was angry with him.

Can it read my thoughts? Alden thought.

The cat didn't answer and went back to napping on his lap. It resumed purring, greedily absorbing all the flames around it. Within minutes, Alden began to get very tired for some reason. The longer this cat stayed in his lap, the more he felt a fuzzy feeling inside him, slowly covering him in a blanket of warmth. Alden faintly realized as he felt backward that this cat was probably feeding on his energy, but it was too late now.

In the middle of a dark forest, Alden collapsed with a happy cat purring in his lap.

Is this how I die? To a cute cuddly cat? I really am pathetic . . .

Alden opened his eyes and stared upwards at the gigantic redwood trees which soared into the sky. They gently swayed in wind, periodically allowing a ray of morning sunlight to fall onto his face. The ground beneath Alden had become soft after laying on it for the night. For a moment, Alden wondered where he was, but only for a moment. Alden clutched his head in agony as the memories can flooding back at him like he had PTSD.

His father's fists, his mothers look of horror, the eyes of the village . . . right. How could he forget? He was a monster who had ran away like a coward. Alden would have cried, but his throat was dryer than a desert. He would have cried, but no tears would come out.

Alden would have stayed there on the ground for the whole day, completely consumed in his misery if it wasn't for that cat. It hissed at him with anger and swatted at Alden with its paws.

"What? What did I do! Ow, that hurts damn it!"

Alden quickly sat up and realized the problem. The cat hopped into his lap once more and began purring. Flames sprouted around it, and it once again began to greedily absorb his spirit energy. Alden couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the humorous situation. The cat was angry that its cozy sleeping place had been moving.

Slowly, Alden began to pet the creature.

Its purring got louder, and its eyes fully closed, indicating how much it trusted him. Alden smiled, his loneliness alleviated for just a moment. Alden feared he would fall asleep again, but after a few minutes, he felt no change in his mood. He didn't feel tired.

After half an hour, the cat hopped off his lap and stretched, arching its back like it was trying to touch the ground with its belly. It opened its jaws like it was yawning, and then began to saunter off into the brush. After reaching the edge of the clearing, it looked back at Alden and flicked its tail. Alden felt sure that it wanted him to follow it.

"Do you want me to follow you? Wait, why am I talking to a cat?" Maybe I'm going insane . . .

The cat didn't answer, but rather tapped its paw to the ground impatiently as it tried to get Alden to follow. It then spun around in a circle. It was obvious that it wanted to get moving, but to where?

Why are you in such a hurry?

Alden got to his feet and walked behind the cat as it plunged into the wood. Alden eventually had to jog in order to keep up as the cat trotted in the undergrowth. Normally, he would lose sight of such a small creature by dodging and ducking into various bushes, but he found it quite easy to keep track of the cat because of its fiery red glow. Its paws left a dim, warm red light wherever it stepped. Its neck seemed to be ever burning with an ethereal-type flame, which is to say, it didn't actually 'burn' anything physical. An ethereal flame was a spirit type of flame that did emit heat but required no substance like wood to keep burning.

Alden realized that those were probably his flames since when it had found him, it hadn't glowed at all. When this ginger cat had found him, it had been just that, a normal ginger cat. Now, it was very obvious that it was a spirit beast.

The cat flicked its eyes back to Alden because of how much he was staring.

"Sorry, your very majestic and easy to stare at . . ."

Alden didn't know why he was talking to an animal, but it just felt right. This cat had intelligence inside those dim purple eyes. As if confirming his words, the cat seemed to close its eyes in pleasure . . . and Alden felt he was seeing things, but maybe even a smirk?

Do cats smile?

He left that thought alone and decided to bring his eyes to the surrounding forest. The tall redwood trees towered into the sky, and a thick canopy of leaves left little sunlight to leak down to the ground below. Those leaves gently swayed in the wind, filling the silent forest with a gentle, comforting rustling noise. The morning sunlight which did find its way to Alden gently illuminated the otherwise dim forest.

The smell of the forest also permitted through Alden's nose. Hundreds of these odors found their way to his nose . . . damp moss, rainwater, wet tree trunks, rotting wood, the sweet sickly smell of some flowers, just to name a few. All of this was very calming to Alden's distressed heart. It didn't erase his guilt, but he felt at peace.

Yeah . . . Peace.

If he had to describe this forest with one word, it would be peaceful. This confused Alden a little bit since the 'wild wood' as his village called it was very dangerous. Why would such a dim place feel peaceful to him? Maybe it was because he was a monster. Monsters didn't fear the monster under the bed, because they were equally a monster.

Maybe Alden wasn't afraid because this was where he belonged. . .

a monster. . .

"Owwww! That hurts, stop!"

Alden suddenly jumped a little bit as that crazy ginger cat clawed at him. It flicked its tail in annoyance before rubbing itself on his leg. Alden then felt a powerful emotion permeate through him. It wasn't English, but Alden could understand what it was trying to communicate. If he had to verbalize what it had said to him . . .

Stop thinking such things, you idiot.

Alden didn't know why, or how, but he perfectly understood what it was trying to say. Alden looked at the creature with wonder in his eyes.

"What are you? How can you read my thoughts?"

The ginger cat refused to answer and began to trot through the forest once more. Alden sighed. It seemed like a fickle creature, only answering or talking when it wanted to. Alden began to follow the creature once more.

After about an hour of walking, they finally arrived at a road within the forest. It was nothing special, only about as big as a double-lane highway. The grass had been ripped up, leaving a solid dirt surface behind to walk on. On the right side of the road, pillars of dirt arose every few dozen feet, each emitting an aura into the atmosphere. Alden realized that this road must be the main highway that leads all the way to the capital. The pillars of earth emitting such an aura were called 'Deterrence Pillars' that used a highly condensed spirit to ward monsters away. They were only used on the main highway ways.

These wouldn't stop a fourth-ranked monster and up, but they were rare. It was used so that merchants wouldn't lose their wares to a wild pack of grey wolves or any other small fry monsters. They required the personal touch of an elemental master to construct, so naturally, they could only be found on the main highway. If he followed this, he could go to the capital and maybe find a job.

Oh who am I kidding . . . society will never take in someone like me.

Who would allow a fire-breathing monster to look after a library, or clean the streets? What if he hurt someone on accident? What if-

Once again, his train of thought was interrupted by cat scratches. Alden felt tears gather near his eyes, this damn cat had almost drawn blood . . .

Just like before, the ginger cat rubbed itself while purring near his leg, as if it hadn't just attacked him. Alden felt it's emotion creep into him.

You're not a monster. You're not a monster. You're not a monster. (etc)

Alden felt himself tear up. He sat on the ground and hugged his knees to his chest. Why did such a caring, and although annoying sometimes, cat bother with him? Some golden-hearted princess deserved such a caring creature, not him. Someone who harmed their mother wasn't worthy of such unconditional love. Alden looked at this ginger cat with teary eyes and thought to himself despite the claws he knew were going to come his way.

I don't deserve you.

I don't care.

The cat sat down and stared directly at Alden. Its emotion could be felt, and Alden let his eyes drift elsewhere. He was pathetic, he couldn't even look a small creature like a cat in its eyes . . .

That's when a voice resounded from behind him. Not a transmitted emotion, but a real human voice.

"My my, aren't you quite the sight?"

Alden turned his head and saw an old grandma at the front of a wagon being pulled by a dazzling white horse. She looked to be about 5’11, with silvery gray hair, hunched back, and wrinkly skin. Despite all this . . . she still bore the regal beauty and atmosphere of a royal. The way she carried herself resembled a noble tax collector which visited his village twice every year. Her blue eyes held a twinkle of youth inside them, despite her aged body. Alden didn't say anything as he gazed at her wagon, which seemed to be filled with all kinds of trinkets and goodies.

"Want to buy something, dear?"

Alden quickly shook his head no, before trying to walk away into the forest.

I'm a monster . . . she'll hate me once she gets to know me . . . just like everyone at the village.

He tried to walk away but stopped when he found that ginger cat in front of him. Alden frowned and spoke in a serious voice.

"I'm a serious, cat! Get out of my way before I . . . I h-hurt you!"

The cat narrowed its eyes and then sat. It sassily snapped its tail back and forth, almost like a challenge. Alden frowned even deeper, but then sighed. He couldn't bring himself to honor his words and put his hands inside his pockets. He then looked at the cat with disdain.

Why are you doing this? Can't I just be alone?

"Well, I knew I was getting ugly over the years, but to think I would drive you away so quickly!"

The old lady laughed to herself as she tried to lighten the mood. It worked. Alden let out a little giggle as he apologized while scratching the back of his head.

"Your not ugly miss, sorry I just . . . I don't want to talk to people right now . . ."

The old lady raised an eyebrow with a smile.

"Such a lonely attitude . . . "

Alden was about to turn away when she asked him another question.

"Have you headed anywhere, dear? It's dangerous to go alone in the Wild Woods."

"It's fine, I have . . ."

Alden stopped as he realized that he didn't know the name of that ginger cat. The old lady filled it in for him.

"Noel. Her name is Noel."

Alden looked at this old lady with surprise and a little bit of sadness.

"Oh . . . shes your cat?"

The old lady shook her with a snort.

"First, she's not a cat. Second, I wouldn't say she mine, she's much too smart to be a pet . . . but I suppose you could call use companions."

Alden smiled with understanding.

"I know what you mean."

The old lady smiled back. It seemed like they both knew how much of a handful this ginger cat could be. As if sensing them talking about her, Noel the ginger cat deftly jumped up onto the wagon and lay next to the old lady. The old lady began to pet Noel, who began to let out a loud purring.

After a moment, the old lady nodded.

"I see . . . I see."

Alden had an inkling as to what was going on but decided to ask anyway.

"Is she talking to you?"

"Yes, but to think she talked to you only after just knowing you . . . it took me months to gain her trust . . . but, If Noel trusts you, then I cannot complain."

The old lady seemed annoyed for a second but instantly got over herself. Then, she turned to Alden while extending her hand.

"Oh, how could I forget! My name is Uano."

Alden shook her hand and responded in kind.

"My name is Alden, its nice to meet you."

Maybe being a monster isn't that bad . . . Alden thought to himself.

Uano had been traveling on her wagon when Noel left her after giving a simple emotion.

I sense someone . . . warm.

Uano watched as that ginger cat Noel disappeared into the undergrowth with confusion.

Someone who's warm? Perhaps . . .

Noel loved to feed on flames, maybe someone had started a forest fire, or had a bomb fire going. She was a mysterious spirit beast that Uano had met many dozens of years ago . . . but that was a tale for another time. Uano was used to Noel disappearing whenever she wanted, as she was quite fickle. She wasn't Uano's pet in any sense, but she often came back after a few days of who knows what. Uano prided herself on befriending such a freedom-loving creature, however, Uano was quite surprised when Noel returned with a red-haired red-eyed boy only an inch shorter than her.

He had sharp, handsome features and a square jaw. It was obvious he would grow up into quite the looker, but something was wrong. The boy refused to meet her eyes and kept fidgeting like he was scared. At first, Uano thought he was scared of her, but that didn't seem right. He was a strong, young boy. He shouldn't fear an old lady . . . unless those eyes were sharp and could see Uano's spirit force, but that was doubtful.

Uano took her eyes off of that red-haired boy and looked at Noel laying beside her. She was unusually tired like she had just eaten a big meal . . . but the level of fire that would be required to feed this beast was on the level of a whole city burning. Noel often went without eating, as she preferred not to become a natural disaster. It was rare for her to glow in such a manner. Uano then looked at the red-haired boy and thought to herself.

Perhaps? but I thought they died out long ago . . .

To confirm her suspicions, she asked Noel to share her memories. Sure enough, Noel had fed upon the boy's Spirit energy, which had an innate affinity for fire.

Rovert, my old friend . . . it seems you were right.