"Stop looking at me like that, Felix! You're making me sad." Orinthia growled, still locked in my arms.

"Huh?" I didn't really get her.

"You look like a sad Zorua who was separated from the pack. Now that Zorua wants love." She explained. I thought for a moment as I released my grip. She was right. I never felt unconditional love. All love from my parents seemed conditional. It was only Orinthia who accepted me without questioning anything, even when I presented myself in my most vulnerable state to her. She never demanded anything in return. Slowly, I let her go and collected myself.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did I make you upset?" Orinthia got up and pulled me into a hug, something I didn't expect her to do right now.

"Don't worry, Felix. I'll love you, always." She whispered in my ears.

"I love you, Orinthia." I whimpered in her chest.

Several minutes passed in the blink of an eye as we just sat there in silence, holding each other for comfort. We had each other. It was settled.

The night had many other remarkable events. I introduced Orinthia to our technology. She kept complaining about the light hurting her eyes. I couldn't disagree with her. The light felt unnatural to me just after spending a few days in the forest. It must be pretty uncomfortable for her. I offered to turn off the lights, but she refused that too.

I also showed her the video games I talked about a few days ago and they seemed to have thoroughly impressed her. I tried to teach her to play as well, but that didn't work out. Her claws weren't suitable for keyboards or gamepads, but she ended up enjoying watching me play. I also contacted a few friends in different parts of the world over the network, telling them that I was okay; but I will not be in touch with them for a while.

There were food in the fridge, but they were on the verge of becoming stale, so I decided to cook some simple meal consisting of rice and meat. Surprisingly, Orinthia liked it. However, I had to spoon-feed her the rice.

In the end, it was an enjoyable experience. I made a mental note of things I should take with me before leaving again, which was hopefully tomorrow. This place wasn't attracting me anymore. In fact, it was already starting to feel foreign. It probably had something to do with the absence of my parents.

Before going to bed, I decided to write another letter to my parents, this time a more truthful one.

"Dear Mom and Dad,

Please forgive me about changing my mind so often. I decided to quit my journey after leaving this town, realizing that it wasn't worth it. I returned home, but you weren't there, so I had no choice but to break in. If you're reading this letter, it means that you've returned home safe and sound. However, I don't know if I would be able to stay with you anymore. I've tasted the wilderness and it keeps calling me. I will stick around these parts instead of traveling the world, so please do no worry about me. If you want to get in touch with me, kindly leave a message at the post office. I am still not in the mood for talking to either of you directly.

Please forgive me.

Yours truly,

Felix."

I sighed as I set the letter on Dad's table, pressed down with a paperweight. Orinthia was looking at me curiously.

"Another letter for them. I thought I would let them know I was okay." I explained to her.

"Oh. I don't understand what those symbols mean." She said. I realized she didn't have any experience with our written language.

"Would you like to learn about them? It'll take some time." I smiled and offered.

She pondered for a moment before declining my offer, "I don't need them. After all, you can tell me if I need to know anything, right?"

"Right." I assured her.

There were a few moments of silence between us before she spoke again, "Hey, Felix?"

"Yeah, Rin?"

"Thank you for bringing me to your home. I'm grateful."

"Don't say that! It's no big deal!" I tried to protest.

"No, really, seeing everything here – it's so different. Why did you leave everything?"

"I told you, my mother told me to leave." I didn't like bringing it up again.

"Is that all? Tell me the truth." Orinthia leaned closer and placed her paws on my shoulder as she said those words.

We stared at each other for a few moments before I spoke,

"No, part of me always wanted to leave this place after I met you. You're always so nice to me. Part of me wanted to be with you."

I didn't even know how I managed to admit the truth to her. I tried to hide my face in shame by turning away. I heard her giggle,

"I knew it, Felix! I want to be with you too, until the end of time."

I realized that we had nothing to hide from each other anymore.