Vili tucked the white bear cub inside his shirt, making sure it wouldn’t fall out before walking out of the stone cave.
He glanced back at the corpses of the brown bear and the tiger. Before long, predators drawn by the irresistible scent of blood would arrive and make a meal of them. This was the law of the jungle: the strong prey on the weak.
Vili sighed and ran toward the edge of the forest.
On the way home, Vili also hunted a few wild rabbits, which would provide the family with plenty of meat for the next few days.
When Vili got home, only Vilia was there. Since Vili had become a Hunter, their family’s circumstances had improved, so the six-year-old Vilia no longer had to go out and pick Sweet Fruits. She spent most of her time at home learning chores or sneaking out to play with the other children.
"Vili, you’re back so early! Father and Mother aren’t home yet."
Vilia’s hands were covered in grease, and she was chewing on something vigorously.
The white bread at home was all gone, but Vilia wasn’t sad about it. Their meat supply had been unusually abundant lately, so whenever she had nothing to do, she would grab a piece of cured meat to stuff in her mouth.
"You brought back more rabbits!"
Vilia’s eyes lit up.
"I also brought this back."
As Vili spoke, he pulled the white bear cub from his shirt. On the way, he had specifically kept the cub’s head near the opening of his shirt to ensure it could breathe properly.
"What’s this...?"
Vilia stared at the fluffy white ball, her face a mask of curiosity and confusion. After a long moment, it dawned on her. "Is this a bear cub? And a white one?!"
Vilia had never seen a white bear cub before, nor had she even heard of one.
Ignoring her greasy fingers, she snatched the white bear cub from Vili’s hands. Her eyes shone; she seemed absolutely captivated by it.
Vilia had once gone into town with her father to sell Sweet Fruits. Back then, she had seen a Hunter selling bear cubs—brown bear cubs, which were nowhere near as cute as the white one in her hands.
After being taken from Vili and held by Vilia, the white bear cub began to struggle. The comforting feeling of being near Vili was gone, replaced by an unfamiliar scent that made the cub very uneasy.
Vilia paid no mind to the cub’s struggling in her arms. After playing with it for a while, she looked at Vili reluctantly. "Vili, are you going to sell it?"
Vili shook his head. "No, I’m going to tame it."
’It’s a mutated species. I can’t just sell it off.’
"That’s great!"
Vilia was thrilled. The thought of having a white bear in their home was so exciting she could barely contain herself.
Vilia paced around the room hugging the white bear cub. Suddenly, she stopped and turned to Vili. "We need to give him a name!"
Hearing this, Vili nodded in agreement.
"Let’s call him Daisier!"
Vilia held the white bear cub up to her face.
"It’s a male," Vili reminded her.
"What a pity..." Vilia’s brow furrowed. "Then what should we call him?"
Vili also fell into thought. The little guy deserved a decent name.
Suddenly, Vili remembered the white, giant bear from a game in his past life, known as the Thunder Demigod of the Freljord.
It had endured the baptism of countless blades and guns, symbolizing the fighting spirit of the Freljord. It could control lightning and storms, striking fear into the hearts of its enemies.
Its name was Volibear, but it also had another title: the Thunder’s Roar.
"I’ve got it."
Vili finally made a decision. "His name will be Volibear. We can call him Wally for short."
"Wally?"
Vilia repeated the name under her breath, a brilliant smile spreading across her face. She was very happy with this name.
"Wally, remember this! From this day forward, I, Vilia Ferren, am the master you will serve for the rest of your life!"
Vilia declared this to the white bear cub, Wally, with a solemn expression, not caring in the slightest whether he could understand her.
Vilia didn’t get a response from Wally, but she did get a sharp smack on the back of the head from Vili. "Wally is my pet! He has nothing to do with you!"
"I disagree!"
Vilia chose to protest.
"Objection overruled." Vili easily took Wally back from Vilia’s hands. "But, if you behave, I’ll grant you the privilege of feeding Wally."
Vilia pouted but ultimately chose to compromise.
’Being Wally’s master isn’t important. What’s important is that he can be my playmate.’
"Now take a rabbit over to Aunt Shana’s house and trade it for some milk. It’ll be Wally’s food."
Vili possessed the knowledge of a Junior Beast Tamer and knew it was time for Wally to eat.
Wally was only recently born and could only consume liquids. But the goat their family owned was a billy goat and couldn’t produce milk, so he had to send Vilia to Aunt Shana’s to trade for some.
"Okay! I’ll go right now!"
Vilia quickly slipped into the role of Wally’s wet nurse and shot out the door.
"Wally, I hope you’ll grow up to be as strong as the one from the Freljord," Vili murmured softly.
For the next two days, Vili didn’t go out hunting. Instead, he built a small den for Wally and taught Vilia in detail how to feed him. Vilia learned with extreme diligence.
When Lake and Mrs. Shaven learned that Vili planned to raise a bear cub, they were both very surprised, but they chose to respect Vili’s decision.
In the past, the family could never have afforded to feed a bear cub. But now, Vili was an outstanding hunter. Aside from the initial trouble of feeding it milk, Vili could later hunt meat for Wally, or even take Wally into the forest to forage for himself.
Morse Forest was, after all, a boundless treasure trove of resources.
During these two days, Wally had also opened his eyes. They were dark and bright, with a hint of deep blue in the depths of his pupils. This made Vili wonder if he really was a Thunderous Giant Bear. After all, a world that might have the Extraordinary Powers his big brother Sopps spoke of—powers like those of a Knight—could have anything.
"In a few more days, he’ll be able to try walking."
Vili and Vilia squatted in front of Wally’s den, talking in low voices.
Vilia’s gaze toward Wally was full of affection; she had completely become his nanny.
"Is anyone home?"
Just as the two were watching Wally, a familiar voice suddenly called out from outside their home.
It was Kuer. He must have brought news from his big brother Sopps.
"Coming!"
Before Vili could move, Lake and Mrs. Shaven had already rushed to the door.