When the bushes rustled, Nick couldn't help but fear the worst, even though he knew the Roaring Boar was dead. After all, there were other monster kings in the forest who might try to do what the boar couldn't.
That wasn't it.
Instead of anything dangerous or scary coming out, a familiar scene transpired.
Kai's furry butt was the first thing to poke out, and as suggested by him walking backward, he was dragging something. It was a tearful figure again, but Malak instead of the cat-like kid this time.
"P-please save me!" Malak pleaded for help as soon as he saw Nick. Nick didn't need to do anything. Kai was done with his task and trotted over to Nick. He plopped down and looked at Nick patiently.
Nick ignored Kai and looked at Malak, who was trying to restore his dignity by standing up and brushing off his clothes.
"Weren't you supposed to keep him away from here while Sosora and I talked to the humans?" Nick asked bluntly.
Malak patted his shirt and glanced around.
"They aren't here right now, are they? I consider my assignment completed to perfection. I distracted that vile bear cub long enough for you to have your conversation. Speaking of which, how did it go?" Malak asked curiously.
"Meh." Nick nodded his head to the side. "They wanted my heart. I didn't want to give it to them. They left."
Malak frowned.
"Literally or figuratively?"
"Both, apparently."
"How is that supposed to work?"
"Heck if I know." Nick shrugged with both palms up in the air.
"..."
"..."
With that out of the way, the two suddenly had nothing to talk about. An awkward silence hung in the air until Nick realized something.
"Have you met Kai before?" He asked. Malak hadn't been present during any of the Ursa family's other visits or when they made sausages. Sosora might have told him about it afterward, but Nick had a feeling that Sosora very well could have not mentioned the part where Kai was a bear or simply not talked that much about it.
"Kai?" Malak tilted his head, confirming Nick's suspicion.
Nick pointed at Kai.
"Malak, this is Kai, a member of the Ursa tribe. Kai, this is Malak, a member of the…Baldwin tribe?"
"Bawin, yes," Malak corrected while processing Nick's introduction of the bear cub.
"Right."
"Wait, what's a cub of the Ursa tribe doing here?" He asked worriedly.
"What about his parents?" Malak looked around in a slight panic.
Most tribes were protective of their younglings and children. The Ursa tribe was overprotective. They had a tendency to go overboard when it came to their children. It was one of the several reasons they weren't in much contact with the other tribes.
They had trouble trusting others.
If Kai's parents came and found Nick scratching Kai behind the ear, wouldn't they rip him to pieces or something? Malak was worried he would be caught in the crossfire and added to the pile of torn meat.
"They might be on the way, or they might have started to accept that Kai is out of their control. At least they know where he is."
"Are you saying Kai comes here often…?" Malak asked doubtfully.
Nick nodded.
"I was frying sausage one day with the door open. He snuck in, and I had to bait him out with one, but it backfired. Now he comes here almost every day, hoping for more."
"What about his parents…?" Malak asked again.
"They were understandably worried at first, but then they got to try sausag,e and now they're just understanding. We even made sausages from scratch together the other day. Sosora helped out."
Malak stared at Nick in shock.
He was an Outsider to Tiabe, who came from who knows where. He was strange, lived in a strange house, and said strange things every now and then. He had befriended a family from the Ursa tribe in a span of days. To top it all of, he had done it by charming their son by what Malak assumed was food.
"T-this sausage thing…?" He asked tentatively.
Nick's eyebrows rose. Another speculant. He smiled.
"I'll ask Sosora to invite you the next time we make them."
Malak nodded. He glanced around, suddenly realizing that it was getting late. There were still several hours left until the sun fully set, but Malak didn't want to be anywhere near the center of Tiabe by then.
"I best be going."
"Yeah. Thanks for your hard work, Malak." Nick waved him off with one hand while the other petted Kai.
"You don't mind this, do you?" He asked. Kai wasn't just a friendly bear cub. He was part of a species with intelligence and sentience on the same level as him. It felt strange just scratching his ears and stroking his fur like he would a dog.
Kai's blissfully closed eyes made Nick suspect that it was fine, but he wasn't sure.
Kai opened one eye and glanced at him when he stopped. He then looked intently at Nick's hand as if to make it move again by the power of his mind.
Nick's eyebrows rose again, and he chuckled lightly.
Wait right here for a moment, I have a better idea. Kai tilted his head curiously as Nick stood up and entered the house instead of continuing to stroke his fur. His head tilted further when Nick returned with a trinket that was slightly reminiscent of the fork he used when eating sausage. It was just in the other orientation with a lot more teeth.
It was a comb.
Nick wasn't sure if it would be enough to tackle the thick coat of fur of a bear, but Kai's fur had felt pretty smooth when he stroked it. It should work. If it didn't, he could take the brush he used to sweep the porch.
That's what Nick thought.
Less than fifteen minutes later, Kai had turned into a puddle on Nick's porch.