章 35: Chapter 34: Depart

"M-Master James, don't, that's a wild animal!", Rose yelled out, trying to stop James from approaching the gray fox before the trio. Victor held Rose back with his hand, causing her unable to move. She could only remain behind as she saw James part from the two, slowly approaching the gray fox, sporting both interest and hesitation in his eyes. The gray fox also saw a determined look as James steadied himself, inching closer and closer.

"Don't yell and provoke it, Rose. We don't want anything sudden. Jimmy might be sick, but he isn't stupid. He knows what he's doing.", Victor uttered at Rose, halting her movements. She didn't expect Victor to say this.

Miles just remained still, even the slightest bit of movement would likely cause these three humans to run away. He just waited for James to get right beside him. Seeing the fox just sit in place, James steadied his breathing. His eyes remained on the golden-hued claws that were sticking out of his paws.

"You're like me, aren't you? A freak...", James uttered. He looked down, and saw his own fist. Miles looked at James, still not uttering a sound. To his surprise, James's claws started to extend outward a bit, revealing bone-like claws. He didn't feel any threatening presence as James did this, so his eyes remained with curiosity. James looked at his own claws, before shifting his gaze back to the fox's claws.

With his hand extended outward, Miles took this chance and stretched his head outward, startling James. He didn't expect the fox before him to take the initiative, only to feel the fur attached to the fox's head start ruffling inside the palm of his head.

"Yip.", Miles softly yipped, letting James pet his head.

"You...", James tried to utter, but couldn't find the words to do so. He just enjoyed the soft sensation of Miles's fur. It was both soft and coarse. It definitely was an odd sensation but it felt pleasantly nice. Seeing Miles not do anything more, James just enjoyed this sensation. Time seemed to have turned still, despite seeing the hired arms of the Howlett Estate start combing through the forest they were in. He could see lit lanterns dangle around in the far distance, faintly lighting up their area.

Seeing James remain silent as he enjoyed petting the gray fox before him, Miles took this time to review the couple of notifications that were sent his way. They came when he first encountered this trio, and a couple more came through after James successfully petted him.

[Ding! Host has encountered a character of origin, James Howlett. Level 2 -> 3. Gold Claws Level 10 -> 11.]

[Ding! Host has encountered a character of origin, Victor Logan. Level 3 -> 4. A new skill has been created, Tough As Nails.]

[Ding! Host has encountered a secondary character, Rose O'Hara. 100 Strength, 50 Agility, and 25 Endurance have been obtained.]

[Ding! Host has allowed a human to pet Host for the first time. Level 4 -> 5.]

[Ding! Host has allowed James Howlett to pet Host. Reputation with James Howlett has been unlocked.]

[Ding! James Howlett currently shows an interest in Host.]

Before the trio, they saw a faint golden hue suddenly wrap around the gray fox's body. They didn't know what this golden glow was, but they became startled by it, as did James.

"What in god's name...", Victor tried to say, not expecting this golden glow to appear on the gray fox's body. They didn't feel threatened by it. Quite the contrary. It almost felt...soothing? This change began to ease the tense atmosphere. Sadly that was short lived.

"Quickly, they shouldn't 'ave gotten far!", A voice yelled out from the far distance.

"I see a faint light over yonder. It must be 'em!", A second voice yelled out, causing the trio to get distracted.

Victor quickly snapped out of his stupor, and the golden light around the fox's body dimmed. James retracted his claws and ended his petting. It was short, but Miles enjoyed it. He didn't expect to gain three levels all of a sudden. The golden glow meant that he had leveled up!

Miles found it curious that these three could see the golden glow. He thought only he could see it, perhaps it was the Reputation function that allowed them to see it? He'd have to look into this further. For now, he only saw a new progress meter with James Howlett's name tagged on it. He hadn't unlocked Reputation for Victor or Rose yet. It only triggered after James petted his head.

Miles wondered if that was the trigger to unlocking Reputation. And moreso, those gains! He wanted to thump his tail in excitement, but he knew they were now being chased by the Howlett Estate. There wasn't a lot of time left. What brought his interest next, on the other hand, was Victor. Victor proceeded to look at the gray fox as the golden light dimmed. Miles's eyes shifted toward Victor. He didn't expect to hear such a question escape from his lips, causing MIles to momentarily pause.

"You...You can understand us, can't you?", Victor asked hesitantly. He paused before he decided ask the deciding question.

"Yip.", Miles tried to answer, but only yipped. Victor's eyes turned wide. He knew a fox was before him, so it was obvious the fox would let out a cute yip in response, but what surprised him was that the gray fox nodded their head, acting as if he had truly understood Victor's question.

'There's no turning back now. The less suspicion I raise now, the better. it's best to be upfront about these things. I'm going to be entangled with these boys one way or another, and it's better if I stay close by. It should help me get situated with the future X-Men too. There might be a time where I have to decide to go with Victor or James if the two can't stay together in the future though...', Miles pondered as surprise remained in Victor's eyes.

Unfortunately, that was also short lived. Victor too was surprised seeing the fox actually respond to Victor's words. Did this fox truly understand them? As he thought that, James and Victor saw the fox's ears twitch. Miles himself started to feel super itchy all around his body. His Danger Sense skill triggered, signaling that danger was fast approaching. Miles found it funny with him feeling like this. It was very similar to Spiderman's spider sense, but a lot less intuitive. It only warned Miles that danger was fastly approaching. At least for now.

Seeing as there was no time left, Miles's gaze looked at the approaching lanterns coming from the distance back to Victor and James.

"Yip!", Miles yipped at the two, only to quickly part ways. Seeing the gray fox suddenly crouch and dash forward some feet, he suddenly stopped. Miles then moved his tail around. It wasn't a taunting gesture, but more along the lines of telling the trio to follow him. James raised his eyebrows seeing Miles move his tail back and forth. His eyes also turned wide after realizing what Victor had just asked the fox. Could the fox really truly understand them?

"Is this creature telling us to follow it?", James concluded, seeing the fox now in the distance. It halted its movement, as if it was patiently waiting for the trio to chase after it.

"Shit. They could easily track us if we take the train out of town, so this might be our only option. Are you really wanting to follow this beast, Jimmy?", Victor cursed as he watched James recollect himself. He tightened his robe. It was a shame he didn't have other clothes. Once things settled down, James might sneak back inside the estate to get his stuff. But for now, he had to make do with this.

"You're joking, Master James. There's no way we should follow a wild animal. Let's go down the hill. I'm sure we can outrun the guards. There's still some distance between us.", Rose replied, trying to persuade Victor. James looked at Rose seriously. His eyes showed clear denial of Rose's suggestion.

"I don't know. It's a hard feeling to describe, but this is the most comfortable I have felt in a long time. I need to find out why!", James decisively answered. Even Victor became surprised as he didn't see James behave like this very often. The scary feeling he was feeling earlier was long gone. His eyes were showing clarity now.

"I will follow you this one time, Jimmy. But if it reaches the point where our lives are at risk, we will flee this town per the maid's suggestion. Do I make myself clear, Jimmy?", Victor asked in a serious voice.

"Yes, brother. It is sad we cannot return home, but we cannot stay where we currently are either. Let's go!", James said. He started to run as fast as his legs could. He was just a boy, but the adrenaline of his mutant powers awakening started to course through his body. The trees began to pass by quickly.

Victor knew both he and James could run much faster than Rose. James had already reached Miles's side as Victor hadn't started to run yet. Instead, Victor turned toward Rose.

"Don't make me regret this.", Victor said to Rose, before he knelt down, and motioned his hands to his back. He signaled Rose to climb onto it.

"Master Victor...", Rose uttered. She remained hesitant, as the so-called Dog had once attacked her when they were younger. She knew Victor liked her, but she could only put those feelings past her, realizing the present danger at hand. Steeling herself, she climbed onto Victor's back, and Victor let his mutant powers run rampant inside his body. He didn't brandish his claws, but his stamina and energy skyrocketed, quickly catching up to James.

Just like that, both Victor and James had reached the gray fox's side, and they swiftly departed into the darkness of the night, leaving behind the Howlett Estate...