I stood up, shaking dry needles off my pants. Cloudy was sitting by the fire, poking the embers with a look of profound sorrow.

  "Why so blue?" I asked.

  She didn't even turn.

  "What’s it to you?"

  "Just curious. They say the taste of food depends directly on the cook's mood. If you're angry, the meat will be bitter."

  "I AM NOT YOUR COOK!" she shrieked.

  In that same second, she materialized behind my back, aiming a kick right at my tailbone. But I was already three meters to the left. The shadow of her strike merely sliced through empty air. She stopped and looked at her hands with unhidden resentment.

  What a garbage vessel... she hissed. It’s going to take so long to develop it.

  "Alright," I patted my stomach. "What’s for dinner tonight?"

  "You aren't eating," she cut me off and marched decisively into the depths of the forest.

  I, naturally, trailed along after her. I walked a few paces back, whistling some stupid tune.

  "Why are you following me?!" she snapped, turning around.

  "I’m not following you. I’m just doing my own thing."

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  She veered sharply to the left. Without breaking my rhythm, I followed her.

  "YOU ARE FOLLOWING ME!"

  "You're mistaken. It’s just that you happen to be going exactly where I’m going. Coincidence."

  She sped up. I did too. I don't know why, but seeing her almost vent steam from her ears out of anger was my best source of entertainment.

  Suddenly, long ears flickered in the grass. A rabbit. I already reached out to grab it by the scruff, but the little beast simply vanished.

  "Hey!"

  Cloudy stood ahead, triumphantly clutching the killed prey.

  "That was my rabbit!" I protested.

  "First come, first served," she smirked.

  Oh, really? Well, watch this.

  I narrowed my eyes. A couple of hundred meters away, behind thick thickets, I felt movement. A deer. A big one.

  POP.

  I was right in front of it. One short strike, the crunch of a spine—and I was back by the fire, dropping the carcass at her feet.

  "HA-HA! Mine’s bigger. One to one, Cloudy."

  She froze. Her eyes flared white.

  POP.

  She vanished for only a second. When she returned, the carcass of a bear was hanging from her shoulder. She slammed it onto the ground with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust, and stepped victoriously onto the bear.

  "Weakling," she tossed back, looking down at me.

  Something snapped in me. Competing with the Demon of Oblivion in hunting? Challenge accepted.

  I glared at her, feeling the competitive itch.

  POP.

  I materialized in front of a snake den. A deep crevice in the rocks, teeming with scaly vermin.

  BOOM!

  A short burst of flame to stun them. I started grabbing them by the armful. One, two, ten... I gathered about thirty of them, tied them into one writhing knot, and teleported back to the clearing.

  "Alright, look at this!" I roared, proudly hoisting my "catch." "Who’s the—"

  I cut myself off.

  The clearing was empty. The bear carcass lay in the grass, but there wasn't a trace of Cloudy.

  "Hey!" I looked around. "What do you mean? Where are you? Did you... leave?"

  I stood in the middle of the forest, loaded down with thirty dead snakes, feeling like the biggest idiot in history.

  "She ditched me..." I muttered.

  "She just up and left. Didn't even stay to hear how cool I am."

  With a sigh, I tossed the snakes into a pile. How annoying. First she feeds me, then she leaves me all alone in the woods.