Ascension of the Primalist [A Tamer Class, LitRPG]

Seth jolted awake in panic among the dense bushes where he had hidden behind a large tree.

"Oh shit," he muttered, his gaze frantically scanning the sky to gauge how long he’d slept. The sun was still high, its light filtering through the fluttering leaves. Max two or three hours.

Luckily nothing attacked me during—Seth froze, realizing that something was on his thighs. It was heavy, warm and… breathing.

Slowly, he looked down.

Two long, gray-clawed paws and a large, wedged head rested on top of him. The direwolf pup?

Its black fur—short and wispy around its muzzle while thick and glossy around its neck—rippled gently with each passing breeze. A flicker of relief washed over Seth as he saw the beast's closed eyes.

An easy kill, he thought, quietly drawing his knife. One single thrust to its throat and he would gain another stone—one likely more valuable given the rarity of direwolves compared to other beasts. But just as he tightened his grip, ready to strike, he paused and took a closer look. The pup was curled up in a protective posture, as if it had been keeping watch over him while he slept.

Why?

Sure, he had saved it earlier, but that hadn't been his intention. If he hadn’t been injured, he would’ve killed it too. After a long moment, Seth sighed and slid back his blade into its sheath.

Keeping his hand on the hilt—just in case it wasn’t as friendly as he thought—he pushed aether into Identify’s grooves. About five seconds later, the familiar tingling sensation rose in his right eye. To Seth’s surprise, the pup remained asleep, blowing out soft breaths through its nostrils while lines of texts shimmered to life in the corner of his vision.