Before I completely lost consciousness, I heard the voice of a girl I knew.
"Oh goodness, the poor little puppy." She said in a worried tone.
The world finally went dark after that.
After a moment, I regained consciousness, but it was very difficult to open my eyes.
I kept my eyes closed and paid attention to the sounds around me, then I felt someone stroking my head. And the floor...
Wait, no?! A bed? The texture was soft!
"Sis Ange, where did you find this magical creature?" Said a woman with a gentle voice.
"Ange?!"
"Sis Ange is here?!" I thought to myself.
The girl who was stroking me began to speak to me in a soft whisper.
"Hey, I know you're already awake."
Of course I didn't open my eyes. I was too exhausted — I truly couldn't manage even something as simple as opening them.
My stomach suddenly growled loudly, startling the girl and Sis Ange a little.
Then they both laughed after hearing it.
"Goodness, it turns out she's just hungry." Said the girl who was stroking me.
After that, the girl asked Sis Ange.
"Sis... Do you know what magical animals usually eat?"
Sis Ange began to think about it.
"Miss, I actually have a friend who is a summoner. They feed magical creatures with very expensive magic stones."
The girl chimed in.
"Magic stones, huh."
Then she remembered that she had magic stones.
"I remember having some, and I think I left them at villa number 7. Sis Ange, could you go get them?"
Sis Ange gave a small laugh.
"Of course, Miss Charlotte, it would be my honor to carry out your request."
Sis Ange closed the door and went to retrieve the mana stones — at least, that was what I heard.
I tensed slightly and went quiet upon hearing that name.
It was a name I hadn't heard in a long time, though Charlotte wasn't exactly a rare name — especially among noble families.
I had to look at her and check properly once I had eaten the mana stone!
The girl then spoke to me.
"I'm so sorry, I truly had no idea you were hungry, little puppy." She then stroked my wings...
Wait?!
I have wings?!
The girl stroked my wings and my head so gently that I began to feel a little drowsy.
"Truly, after I cleaned all that mud off you, your fur is absolutely radiant." Said the girl in a gentle tone.
I yawned.
"Oh my~ you're still exhausted, aren't you? That's perfectly normal — you're still a baby, so it's completely fine."
"But~ if you fall asleep, you won't be able to eat your food, you know." Said the girl as she lifted me up into the air.
Alright, I would stay awake.
For the sake of becoming human again!
Sis Ange then opened the door. She had finally returned, carrying the magic stones for me.
"Miss, I'm back!"
I felt the girl walk toward Sis Ange.
"Thank you, Sis Ange." Said the girl as she took the magic stones.
The girl then fed me a magic stone.
"Here you go, little puppy~ time to eat~."
I ate the magic stone little by little because of my dry throat.
I had half-expected it to be hard, but it was actually quite soft!
It felt like eating a jelly candy.
Was this grape flavor? It was absolutely delicious! I practically melted from it.
Grrrrr.
I was far too comfortable, and before I knew it, I was purring on the girl's lap.
"Now you have your energy back, don't you, little puppy? Can you open your eyes? Because I've heard that the eyes of magical creatures are incredibly beautiful."
I tried to open my heavy eyes and looked up at the girl's face.
The girl...
Blonde hair was a common enough color, but yellow eyes with pupils shaped like sun patterns...
It was really you...
Charlotte...
Without thinking, I made a gloomy expression that made her worried.
"Are you alright? Your face looks like you're sad." Said Charlotte as she stroked my face.
I looked around the room.
And I saw...
I wasn't lying on a soft bed — I was lying on Charlotte's thigh. I was truly sorry, Charlotte!
Wait!
That meant she had also bathed me!
Oh, my dignity had been shattered into pieces. I didn't know what emotion I was supposed to feel.
Charlotte then looked over at me.
"Are you alright?"
I then noticed that there was a mirror in the room. I jumped from Charlotte's thigh down to the floor.
But the moment I landed, the cold floor made me go weak, and I couldn't stand up anymore.
Charlotte then lifted me up.
"What on earth is wrong with you? You're not fully recovered yet, you know."
I know that, Char...
I was just very embarrassed. I felt as though I had sullied you, Char...
I truly felt terrible about it.
"Come on, eat some more, little puppy~." Charlotte fed me another magic stone.
"Alright, Char. For now, I'll just go along with it." I thought to myself as I chewed on the magic stone she had given me.
Well, it really was better for me to rest first. My body still felt weak.
After that, they gave me injections of medicine and nutrients to speed up my recovery. On the first day I was still weak. By the second day I had started to be able to stand for longer on my four tiny legs. On the third day I let out a long howl — though, well, not exactly a fearsome one — because it seemed I truly was still a baby in wolf form.
And on the fourth day, it appeared that magical creatures had a fast recovery rate. On top of that, Charlotte and Sis Ange had been giving me plenty of delicious magic stones, so I could now run. In this form I could run for longer than I ever could as a human.
That same day I also saw my body reflected in the mirror.
They were right...
My fur was black with a texture as soft as clouds, my eyes were round and gleaming, my mouth was shaped like a W, my tail swayed constantly, my ears had pink inner sides, and my wings were black like a crow's.
Overall, I felt like I was looking at a winged black pompom — and yet that was my own reflection.
I touched the mirror with one of my front paws.
"There's no way that's me?!" I thought in disbelief.
I fell into a daze.
Thinking — what should I do?
How was I supposed to become human again?
And once I became human, would I be able to leave Charlotte again?
Charlotte suddenly called out to me.
"Puppy, come play with me~."
I yipped and ran toward her.
"Woof! Woof!"
Charlotte threw a round disc in my direction, and my instincts told me to catch it.
I leapt and bit down on the disc, then brought it back to Charlotte.
Wait?!
Why did I just do that?!
I fell into a daze once again.
Why?
My body had moved on its own!
After that, Charlotte and Sis Ange examined me.
Sis Ange spread out my wings, and Charlotte combed through my fur.
Then Sis Ange measured my wings and checked every single feather — to see whether there were any remaining injuries or abnormalities — and said,
"She is ready to start learning how to fly, Miss."
"Really?!" Asked Charlotte with excitement.
"Hmm, I'm not sure why she ended up lost. By now she should be inside the rift, learning how to fly with her mother near the nest." Said Sis Ange.
"So, we need to return her to her nest, don't we?" Asked Charlotte in a sad tone.
Wait?! I'm going to be sent back there?! No!
I squirmed, startling both Char and Sis Ange at once.
"Little puppy, what's the matter?" Asked Charlotte.
I shook my head and made an angry face.
GRRRRRR
NO! I AM NOT GOING BACK TO THAT PLACE EVER AGAIN!
Charlotte gently hugged me.
"You still want to play with us?"
Ugh...
My face fell.
Sis Ange then had an idea.
"How about we teach her to fly ourselves? Miss, don't you also have wings?"
Charlotte only just realized it.
"You're right, I have wings too!" She then leaned down toward my face.
"So, what do you think? Would you like me to teach you how to fly?" She said with a faint smile.
I nodded my head as a sign of agreement, and they both received it with joy.
Training would begin tomorrow, and for now I would rest while adjusting to this body.
To Be Continued