The runic symbols flashed, transforming into recognizable letters, forming a single sentence, that, for the current Lucien, went unnoticed for he was completely out of commission, lying unconsciously in the undergrowth, at the base of the wide trunk of an oak tree.

However, there was another existence, barely hanging by the thread, for he had spent almost all of his stored energy, going as far as consuming new mass in an attempt to save his host and ensure both of their survival.

Still, maybe due to the whims of fate, even in this tragic outcome, both could rest easy, knowing that the feat they have accomplished together had ensured that a symbiotic relationship was created, even if their current synchronization was very low…

---

The sound of a light twig snapping traveled across the thicket, alerting several nearby critters to an incoming threat. A pair of squirrels raised their heads towards the abrupt noise that rang out. They perked their heads towards the source for a couple more seconds before their small, black bead-like eyes spotted the large body of a hound, looking directly at them from a distance.

Instantly, realizing the meaning behind the arrival of such a canine creature, they turned around and scurried towards the nearest tree. After all, the high branches provided a relative safety from that fearsome monster, although it wouldn\'t save them from the flashing stick of its bipedal owner.

Not too far behind the dark, short-furred hound, a man covered in a long coat and baggy, camouflage-colored jeans with a pair of dark brown boots stepped out from the bushes. A knitted cap warmed the top of his head and protected his ears from the cold.

He held a single-barrel shotgun in his hands, he whistled to grab the attention of his canine partner.

"Roxy, what did you spot? Show it to me!" He ordered the dog.

Listening and understanding to her master\'s words the dog barked motioning for her master to follow and rushed towards the spot where the pair of small mammals, the squirrels escaped towards the top of the tree.

With her nose, she pointed towards the branches at the sky as she sat down at the base of the tree. Her eyes fixated upon an area covered by the leaves.

"What is it?" The man arriving behind his friend and partner followed where she was pointing at. He raised his weapon, aiming at the leaf-covered part of the canopy.

A few seconds later, the leaves rustled, and the two frightened critters rushed out, escaping even higher, away from this reaper of the forest animals.

The man obviously had ample time to shoot, but such a game wouldn\'t have been enough, it would have only been a waste of bullets. He frowned as he spotted the small, worthless animals, lowering his aim.

Clicking his tongue, he verbally showcased his dissatisfaction.

"Roxy, those are just some critters! You know we need something bigger! The hunting season is ending soon, and we need something worthwhile to survive the winter! Come on, girl, you can do much better than that!" He urged his companion, as he stepped back, and scratched his already balding head over the knitted wool cap.

As Roxy barked once saying that she understood her master\'s order, her eyes scanned the thick undergrowth once again whilst her sensitive ears and noses continued to find a scent or any noise to chase after.

Suddenly, a strange, yet distinct smell reached her nose, her body jerked, as it stood up in attention, alerting her master in the process.

"What is it, girl? What could have startled you this much? Go on, show it to me!"

Giving an understanding bark to her master, Roxy bolted forward, jumping in the thicket of bushes and leaves, towards the source of a strange, yet familiar type of smell. What her sensitive nose picked up wasn\'t any sort of game, yet it was something that was equally as important…

Not too far behind, the elderly hunter followed along, towing behind his girl, trusting her honed senses. Meanwhile, he held his trigger finger at the ready, unsure of what could Roxy sense that alerted her to this extent. Usually, the girl wasn\'t this agitated, she could keep her cool even if she would sense a potential enemy, a predator.

The dog was speeding through the undergrowth at a lighting pace, leaving her master far behind. Still, just to make sure he wouldn\'t be lost trying to tug along and follow her, Roxy\'s barks ensured the safe route for the elder huntsman.

Not too long, he arrived at the spot where his canine friend kept barking, standing guard over something at the base of a large oak tree.

"What is it, girl, what did you find?" He asked, whilst stepping out from the bushes. However, as soon as he stepped closer, he froze. In front of his trusted friend and hunting partner, the body of a boy could be seen. The little fella was laying head-first on the ground, still, hopefully just unconscious and not worse. His weak and scrawny body was full of scratches and marks of various kinds of damage. On top, only ragged remains of what was once a linen shirt could be seen, bloodied and dirty. What was strangest, is that his right hand looked distinctly different than the rest of his body, the tone of his skin which was pale-light was several shades darker there. However, what grabbed his attention was that at the base of his right shoulder there was a visible scalding, a sort of perforation running along in a straight line around the top of his arm.

"Just what on the Earth has happened here?!" He exclaimed with a confused look, rubbing his unshaven, silver chin. "Roxy! What trouble did you bring upon us this time! You know that…" He was about to berate his canine friend but stopped mid-way of his speech and heaved a long sigh instead when he saw the sad look on her face.

"Eh, don\'t worry about it, you did what was right, after all…" He waved his hand in a dismissive manner, stepping next to Roxy.

Placing his rifle to the side, leaning it against the same tree, he crouched down, putting his fingers on top of the boy\'s left wrist, trying to sense if he had any pulse. A few seconds later he sighed with relief: he could sense a faint but working heart!

"He is just unconscious…" He felt relieved that he didn\'t walk into a crime scene at the very least. "What should I do with you boy, hmm?" He asked the rhetorical question, scratching the top of his head.

"I don\'t have a phone with me… But I can\'t just leave you here… Gosh darn it! Come, let me bring you home! Martha will nurse you back to health in a jiffy!" He reached below the body of the boy, flipping him over. Seeing that his front was in the same, battered condition as his back, the aged man frowned, before picking up the boy into a princess carry whilst standing up.

"Grab the gun, girl, and let\'s go back to the truck! We are done for the day!" He spoke, not waiting for any response before he was already crossing through the same path as he came. Not too far behind him, a very clever black female hound was following after his master with a shotgun held tightly in her jaws.

---

"George, you good-for-nothing, what did you do this time?!" An angered exclamation of a middle-aged woman could be heard reaching outside a small, simplistic-looking cottage. A dark red, run-down pickup truck was stationed outside the house, its driver was already under pressure, being berated for a crime he didn\'t commit. He was innocent this time, on the contrary, he saved a soul! He should be thanked, not yelled at!

Still, he didn\'t dare to voice his complaint for he would be signing up for a punishment equaling a death penalty.

"Martha…Dear..." He meekly responded, squealing a response.

However, the healthy-looking motherly-shaped middle-aged woman didn\'t seem to be keen on listening to the man. Not yet at least.

"Don\'t you dare Martha dear me, George!" Standing in front of a couch where the still unconscious boy was laid down, she turned around to look at this worthless husband of hers.

"You go out to catch something which could allow us to safely survive through the next couple of months, and instead of doing that, you cause an accident and run through this poor, innocent soul?! What happened to you?!" She yelled, jumping to pretty far-fetched and dire conclusions.

"What?! I-I did not do anything like that!" Hearing what he was charged with, the elderly huntsman, George hurriedly denied the accusation. "I found the boy in the forest, laying over a pile of leaves just like this. I wasn\'t sure what to do… I had no phone with me, and I couldn\'t just leave him there… I\'m not that heartless, woman!"

Skeptical of the truth behind his words, the elderly woman, Martha turned towards Roxy for affirmation.

As if understanding the meaning behind her stare, the black canine nodded and barked once.

"I see… It seems you are not lying at the very least. Still, the next few months will be hard without anything to sell…" Martha sighed, turning around to look at the still unconscious boy. Looking at him, her hard expression softened, a gentle warmth expressed itself.

"Oh, you poor unlucky child… Don\'t you worry, no matter what horrors could have happened to you, you are in safe hands now… I will nurse you back to health!"