4★ Wildfang

Fire Wildfang

A demi-human Astromon, small in stature but quick-footed and muscular enough to hold its own in a fight. Its largely feral nature makes it difficult for a Wildfang to adjust to human society.

Despite their seemingly human appearance, Fenrises are distinctly bestial, and are known to jump up on dinner tables and run on all fours.

Taking a Fenrir to an outdoor market is like taking a child to a candy store; take your eye off them for one second, and they’ll somehow have stuffed their faces with all manner of food, yet deny everything when confronted about it.

“I guess I was an idiot to think your super evolution meant I could leave you at home by yourself. Look at this mess. Let’s go over all the things you ruined. The carpet? Torn to shreds. My shoes? Chewed up into three separate pieces. My books? All knocked to the ground. I still don’t understand why you love jumping off high platforms like the desk. The super evolution certainly made you stronger, which means you’re more able to wreak havoc here. Did the evolution also make you more feral? Because that’s what it feels like. It would’ve been great if it had made you better-behaved and fit for society, although I guess it would have been weird if you suddenly became docile and obedient like some sort of puppy… Anyway, I’ll prepare your favorite food for dinner today, so just let go of my shoe. I’ve got nothing left to wear…”

“You’ve really outdone yourself this time. I woke up this morning and, as soon as I opened my bedroom door, I was greeted by one of the most shocking sights I’ve ever witnessed. Chunks of meat everywhere. I was worried for a second that you might’ve stolen them from somewhere, but judging from your appearance, it’s clear you were out hunting. I’m very grateful that you’ve finally recognized me as your owner and did all this as a sign of appreciation for the things I’ve done for you, but… what am I supposed to do with all of this?! It’s clear you’re just going to be the one who ends up eating it! I guess I’ll worry about cleaning up later. For now, I’ll just be thankful for the gesture. Thanks. Want me to get you something? Maybe a cat tower? Or would it be a wolf tower…? You’re so big now, a tower for you would have to be huge… I’ll need to get some quotes on pricing…”

Water Wildfang

Diary of a Wildfang Owner, Day 8: “For being so small, the little rascal is awfully aggressive. I got caught up with work and ended up feeding her a bit late, and she bared her fangs at me. I hatched her, and yet I’m the one having walk on eggshells…”

Diary of a Wildfang Owner, Day 56: “It’s been a long time that I’ve had her, and yet she still seems to only recognize me as ‘the food-giver.’ Still, she seems to be slowly warming up… When I get up in the morning, she’s normally sleeping by my bed.”

Diary of a Wildfang Owner, Day 108: “I’ve been taking her traveling with me lately, although mostly on day trips. Her curiosity sometimes makes it tiring to follow her, but when I see that sparkle in her eyes, it gives me the strength to keep going. Yesterday, we went to the beach for the first time, and her reaction was just priceless. Moments like that make it all worth it, even if 10 seconds later she got all filthy in the ocean water.”

“I took her today to a large marketplace for the first time. She walked around all wide-eyed, curious and wanting to touch everything. Luckily, she kept her paws to herself after I gave her a warning. We were having a good time looking around until she suddenly stopped. In front of her was a wolf trapped in a cage. She stretched forward her hand and barked, as though trying to communicate with a kindred spirit. Her eyes burned with rage when the shopkeeper told her not to get too close. I’m pretty sure the only reason she didn’t attack the owner was because I was there. She’s certainly not the naive kid she used to be. I sighed and started negotiating with the shopkeeper. As soon as we let the wolf out of its cage, they both wagged their tails in excitement and ran off together into the market. I had to chase after them.”

“Once we were out of the marketplace, the two ran around and around in a large field while I sat atop a hill and watched. What I saw was the joy of freedom. It made me think that maybe, as her master, I was her cage. She was strong enough to run around fields all she wanted, get her own food, and meet new companions. If she wants to be free, shouldn’t I give that to her? She doesn’t really need me to be with her. Lost in thought, I hadn’t noticed that she had come and was lying at my side. Down on the field, the other wolf was looking up at us. Then, as if to say goodbye, it spun in a circle once and ran into the forest. My wolf came back to me. I guess she does need me after all. Just like I need her. I got up and started to walk. Then she started to chase me.”

Wood Wildfang

“It was not long ago that I heard the rumors of a small wolf girl wandering the forest. After talking to the forest ranger and lumberjacks, I got the feeling they were going to do something rash out of fear, so I came into the forest and have been looking for the girl for the last two days. I just found her.”

– Journal Entry No. 2, Astromon Rights Activist

“She seems to be a humanoid Astromon, but is severely lacking any social skills. My guess is she hatched in the wild. I tried to tempt her to come over by offering some food, but to no avail. As soon as I started to move toward her, she darted off. No wonder she’s given the ranger such a headache.”

– Journal Entry No. 5, Astromon Rights Activist

“It’s been a long time since I met the little wolf girl. In the winter, I took her a blanket to hopefully keep her warm, and in the summer I left a large block of ice near her cave that she ended up licking until it was gone. She seems to be finally getting used to me, and now I can almost get close to her. I’ve quite enjoyed our interactions.”

– Journal Entry No. 153, Astromon Rights Activist

“Beneath the forest trees blanketed in snow, I didn’t notice the huge Astromon lying in wait. I rushed to protect my little wolf, but my arm got badly hurt in the process. In some ways, the fact that we were too caught up in each other’s company to notice the Astromon meant we were close, which should have made me happy, but at what cost? I couldn’t get up, and while my wolf began to frantically look around the area, I passed out from the pain. When I awoke, there was a huge pile of herbs next to me. I didn’t really know what that meant, so I just stared at the wolf, when suddenly she started crushing the herbs with her claws and putting them on top of a large leaf. Then she pointed to my arm. She’d made medicine for me. It made me so happy, I almost forgot my pain. It turns out my little wolf and I were much closer than I’d thought.”

– From Master Bluestar’s travel journal

“The herbs helped ease the pain and made my fever go down, but I still wasn’t able to move very well. My little wolf made several more trips around the forest to bring back more herbs. When I winced in pain, she came and lay next to me, as though to take a part of it upon herself. I was about to pet her head when she started to growl and walked out in front of me. The Astromon that had attacked me was back. It let out a loud roar, and I could see the malice in its eyes. It had missed out on catching its prey once, but it wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. The wolf wasn’t about to stand down, though, and as I saw her rise to her full stature, she was large and majestic. I realized I probably shouldn’t call her ‘little’ anymore. With her huge, sharp claws, Fenrir was ready to make short work of anyone or anything that wanted to hurt me.”

– From Master Bluestar’s travel journal

Light Wildfang

A wise man once said the most useful item one can carry is a towel, and never has it been more true than for any master who has owned a Wildfang and discovered their fondness for licking faces.

One of the joys of owning a Fenris is the heat it provides when cuddling next to its master at night. Whether the bed is a single or a king-size, a Fenris’s favorite place is next to, or on top of, its master, both in the cold of winter and the scorching hot summer.

Having learned somewhat of human manners when communicating, Fenrirs enjoy getting uncomfortably close to their masters so they can maintain eye contact while speaking, and often need to be told that nose contact means they’re too close.

“Today was finally the day I was going to get her to stop licking my face. I covered my cheeks in a sour drink. I was afraid she’d pick up on the smell and run away, but it seems her excitement to see me distracted even her sense of smell, and as soon as I opened the door she ran over and started to lick my face before letting out an indescribable yelp and running into the closet to hide. She still hasn’t come out. Am I in the wrong here? I just wanted to protect my face from slobber…”

“As a final resort, I bought a large bed. It was special-made, and I doubt there’s a larger bed in all of Latecia. Then on the bed, I put a pillow that was made to look like me, fully dressed in my clothes, hoping that she would lick the pillow instead of me. But of course, it was all for nothing. She’ll play with the pillow and kick it around, but when we sleep, she always comes to me. I’m going to have nightmares of that tail… It’s always the first thing I see in the morning. Why are you laughing? I’m serious!”

Dark Wildfang

This Astromon can sometimes be fussy, but there’s a way to always know whether she’s happy or sad: Look at her ears and tail. When she’s discouraged, her ears slump, and when she’s in a good mood, her tail wags quickly back and forth.

Masters who try to play catch with a Fenris will often be met with a tepid and even disdainful look. Wise masters know, however, that the easiest way to assuage such feelings is to simply throw a ball and watch their Fenris sprint off after it excitedly.

Defeat in the Astromon League can sometimes be crushing to an Astromon, especially to those whose masters frequently win. It is not uncommon for a Fenrir’s ears to slump after a particularly discouraging loss, with their masters unable to console them. In such instances, there is a simple solution to get a Fenrir’s tail wagging again: Food.

After countless battles, we finally made it to the Champions division. Heh heh heh! I’m strong enough at this point that maybe this was inevitable, but I’m still happy about it. I’m a little sad that Master’s reaction has been underwhelming, though. Shouldn’t he have come running over and given me a high-five, or clapped for me while crying tears of joy or something? I can’t just ask him to do that stuff, but it would be nice if he did it…

“Hey, Master, is there anything you want to say?”

“Oh, congrats on making it to the Champions division. I’ve actually got a little something for you.”

“For me? A present?! I bet it’s something huge, right?”

“Ta-da! The latest and greatest flying disc set!”

“That’s it…? You really think I’d be happy over that?”

“Well, your tail sure is wagging up a storm…”

We’re finally at the last battle. If we win this one, we’ll be the champions of the Astromon League, something every master and Astromon hopes to become. My heart is beating a million times a minute, and I can’t shake my nervousness. I’m trying to keep cool and composed, though, to balance the anxiety that’s written all over my master’s face. I’ve never said this very bluntly, but I could only make it this far because of my master. I’ve fought tooth and nail for us to get here. Maybe it’s time to express how I feel…

“Whoa, are you scared, Master?”

“Is it that obvious? My heart’s about ready to leap out of my chest.” “Such an amateur! I’m so ready for this. I’ll take down our opponent with no problem and be back before you know it.”

“You’re really in a league all your own. I’m glad I can rely on you.”

“…”

“Fenrir?”

“…It’s nothing. Go sit over there and watch as I win!”