Reincarnated into my favorite videogame

Nari leaned against a tree, her mind swirling with thoughts about the strange new achievement she had unlocked and the updates to the game. "An update? How could they even update a game like this?" she thought, her brow furrowing in disbelief. "I never imagined this world would change... But then again, I never thought Tiffany would kill me either."

She looked down at Valerie, who gazed back at her with wide, admiring red eyes, hanging on every movement and word of her master. Valerie, the wolf-turned-girl, seemed so loyal and innocent, yet there was an undeniable power lurking beneath her small frame. Nari found it hard to reconcile the fact that Valerie had just recently been a deadly wolf, one that could have killed her easily.

"Alright, Valerie, let's—"

Suddenly, Valerie's expression changed. Her eyes widened, and her posture became alert, almost animalistic.

"Master," Valerie whispered, her voice soft but sharp, "I sense others. They are close... about 23 feet away."

Nari's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively pulled Valerie closer. She quickly muttered a spell, casting invisibility over the two of them. "Stay quiet," Nari whispered as she gently grabbed Valerie's arm and pulled her behind a nearby tree. Together, they tiptoed into the shadows, Nari holding her breath as they hid.

Nari peeked out cautiously and saw them—her old group. The ones she thought she'd never see again. They were walking toward the exact spot where she and Valerie had been standing just moments before. "Of course it's them," she thought grimly.

James, the group's self-proclaimed leader, knelt by the ground, his hand brushing over a scorched patch of dirt. His voice broke the silence. "What on earth happened here?" he muttered, examining the ground carefully.

Nari shrank back, hoping against hope that they wouldn't find her. She glanced over at Valerie, who stood completely still, her dark eyes glinting like a predator stalking prey. "Please don't do anything," Nari silently willed her.

But then Leo, ever-watchful, started scanning the area. Nari cursed under her breath and ducked back behind the tree before he could spot her. Her breath came quicker, her thoughts racing. "Leo always had a knack for sniffing things out..."

Leo's voice rang out, confirming her worst fear. "We're being watched," he said, his eyes narrowing as he slowly turned in her direction.

Nari's pulse quickened. She had to act fast. She couldn't let them find her, not now. She gestured for Valerie to follow her, moving slowly to slip away before Leo could pinpoint her exact location. They had almost made it—almost—when Nari's foot came down on the worst possible enemy in a forest.

A twig snapped beneath her foot.

"Really? A twig?" Nari thought, her face heating with frustration. She bit her lip to hold back a groan.

From behind her, she heard Sarah's voice cut through the silence. "Someone's over there!" Sarah hissed, drawing her sword with a sharp metallic sound that made Nari's skin crawl.

"Poop," Nari whispered under her breath. She could practically feel Sarah's cold gaze scanning the area.

Valerie, sensing the danger, tugged at Nari's sleeve. "Shall I destroy them for you, Master?" she asked innocently, her voice barely audible.

Nari's eyes widened in panic. "N-no! Don't do that. Just... be quiet," she whispered urgently, shaking her head at Valerie's unsettlingly casual suggestion. The last thing she needed was a magical massacre on her hands. She wasn't even sure what Valerie was capable of yet, and she didn't want to find out in such a situation.

Nari's heart thudded in her chest as she watched from behind the tree, holding her breath. The group was getting closer. Too close.

"Leo, go check it out," Henry said with a lazy wave of his hand. "You're not scared of anyone or anything, right?" His voice had an edge of teasing, but there was a serious undertone to his command.

Leo rolled his eyes, clearly not amused. "Sure, fine," he muttered, but there was something about his posture that suggested he wasn't going to take this lightly. He approached Nari's hiding spot with cautious steps, his eyes flicking through the trees.

Nari tensed, her mind racing for a way out. If Leo found her, would he turn her in? Would he give her away to the group? Or would he—

Leo's eyes landed on hers.

For a split second, both of them froze. His expression was one of shock, but only for a moment. Then, surprisingly, a smile crept onto his face, and Nari could feel the tension in the air change.

"No need to worry, guys," Leo called over his shoulder, still looking straight at Nari. "Just a squirrel."

Nari blinked at him in disbelief. A squirrel?

"Squirrels are deadly, you know," Ryan, the hulking man of the group, called out from behind, his voice trembling slightly. He was a massive guy, yet the mere mention of animals always seemed to unnerve him.

Leo chuckled and shook his head. "Let's keep going," Sarah said, clearly unimpressed with the whole detour. She sheathed her sword with a flourish and turned to walk deeper into the forest.

Nari breathed a silent sigh of relief as Leo turned and started to follow them. Just before he left, though, he glanced back at her with that same smile and whispered, "Cute squirrel." Then, with a final wink, he was gone.

Nari slumped against the tree, letting out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Cute squirrel?" she muttered to herself. "He's never going to let me live that down."

Valerie tilted her head curiously. "Master, why did that human call you a squirrel?" she asked, her innocent tone breaking the tension of the moment.

Nari shook her head, unable to suppress a small laugh despite the situation. "It's a long story, Valerie," she said, patting the girl on the head. "Let's just say... it's complicated."

As the group disappeared into the forest, Nari stood up and brushed the dirt from her cloak. She felt her heart rate start to slow as the adrenaline began to fade. But there was no time to dwell on it. Her old group was still out there, and they were looking for something—or someone. Nari wasn't sure if they were hunting her or something else, but either way, she needed to stay ahead of them.

Valerie tugged at Nari's sleeve again. "Master, they're gone now. What shall we do next?"

Nari paused for a moment, her mind still buzzing from the encounter. She glanced back at the place where her old group had stood, wondering what might have happened if Leo hadn't covered for her.

But she couldn't afford to dwell on that now. She had more important things to worry about.

"Come on, Valerie," Nari said, her voice firm as she began walking deeper into the forest. 

As they moved through the dense trees, Nari's thoughts wandered back to the new achievement she had unlocked. "Animal Collector," the message had said. But what did that even mean? Was Valerie just the first of many creatures she could tame?

Nari absentmindedly opened her menu and began scrolling through her new updates. To her surprise, there was now a section dedicated entirely to the creatures she had tamed. The two names in the list: Iris and Valerie.

She selected Iris first. The information that popped up was surprisingly detailed. Iris's stats and abilities were displayed, but there was something else too—a timer counting down. Nari squinted at the screen.

"Time until form shift: 1 day, 2 hours."

Nari's heart skipped a beat. "Tomorrow" she whispered to herself. That meant Iris would be able to switch between her fox form and her human form soon. This was new—something the game had never had before.

Her fingers hovered over Valerie's name next. She tapped it, curious to see what the game had to say about the wolf-girl who was now following her so loyally. A brief description popped up:

"Valerie: Tamed Wolf Spirit. Form: Human. Loyalty: 100%. Powers: Unlocked."

Nari raised an eyebrow. "Powers unlocked?" she murmured. She'd have to investigate that more later. For now, she had a forest to navigate and new challenges to face.

With Valerie by her side and the mystery of the new game update lingering in her mind, Nari set off on her next adventure, wondering what the world would throw at her next.