First encounter

("La la la~ La la la~ I'm a brave little dog"), I hummed in my head while happily running along. So far, everything had gone smoothly—no encounters with any ferocious beasts. The trees ahead were growing sparser, which meant I was probably close to leaving the forest. "######!!" Suddenly, I heard someone shouting from the right. I couldn't understand her language or what she was saying—it sounded like a cry for help. I immediately dashed toward the sound and saw three wolf-like beasts with horns surrounding a human girl. Finally, I'd met a human! But I hadn't expected it to be under these circumstances. What should I do? There was no way I could take on three beasts, but if I did nothing, the girl would surely become their meal. No, there was no time to hesitate. I rushed in front of the girl without a second thought and barked at the beasts: "Woof woof! Woof!" As expected, the three creatures weren't afraid of me. They formed a circle around us, closing in step by step. A fierce battle was inevitable. Fine—if it meant sacrificing myself to give the girl a chance to escape, so be it. Though my heart was pounding with fear and my legs were trembling, I stood my ground without retreating. Suddenly, the one in front lunged at me. I quickly dodged and slammed into its belly with all my might. Whether it was a miracle or some hidden strength, the beast flew backward and crashed into a tree with a loud thud. The other two attacked me at the same time, but I pulled off the same trick—dodging left and right to avoid their bites, then seizing their openings to ram them hard. They, too, fell to the ground, unable to get up. ("Am I really this strong? No, this stamina is leagues beyond what I had yesterday. If I faced yesterday's monster now, I could probably take it down. What's going on? How did I improve so fast?") While pondering this, I turned to look at the girl behind me. She seemed captivated by my bravery. She walked over, patted my head, and said, "###." Too bad I couldn't understand the language of this strange world, though it was probably something like thanks.As I mulled things over, I studied the girl. She had a single braid, and her clothes had a medieval vibe—a beige floral dress with an apron tied around it, likely work clothes. She was pretty cute. Just then, an adult approached, calling out. It seemed to be her father. The father and daughter appeared to be talking about something. He hugged her, asking questions and checking her for injuries. Then the girl seemed to mention me, and both of their gazes shifted my way. They said something to me, but I couldn't understand a word. The girl picked me up and started lecturing her father. He scratched his head and nodded. Then she carried me to a nearby farm cart, pulled by a horse-like creature with gray-blue skin. Her father took the reins in front, and the cart set off. It looked like I'd been adopted by the girl. Well, I was unfamiliar with this place and its people, so finding a safe spot to settle for now wasn't a bad idea.After a long ride, I spotted what looked like city walls in the distance, surrounded by scattered village houses. The cart stopped next to one of the homes—probably theirs. There was a fence in front and fields in the back, a typical farmer's household. The girl set me down on the ground, and I barked at her once. She patted my head, pointed at the house, and said, "#####." It probably meant we were home. Sigh—not only had I turned into a dog, but I couldn't understand this world's language either. Communication was going to be a real challenge, and I had no idea what to do next. The girl led me inside. The interior felt like something out of an anime—simple and clean, with a wooden table, oil lamp, and charcoal stove, giving off a cozy vibe. She took me to her room, located at the corner of the second floor. Inside, there was a desk, a wooden bed, and a bright window—everything was lovely. As a temporary shelter, this place was more than enough. Just then, the girl's mother seemed to return. The girl excitedly introduced me to her. Though I couldn't understand their conversation, her mother seemed to accept me too. Looks like I could stay after all.At dinner, the girl brought me a wooden bowl filled with something like creamy stew. It looked delicious, and I wolfed it down. It was my first proper meal here—I got so excited I forgot I was a dog. That night, her father made me a round basket bed, kind of like a cat bed. I tried lying in it—perfect size, soft, and comfy, a hundred times better than sleeping on the forest floor. This family was so kind to me. Meeting them was a stroke of luck. As I lay in the bed, I replayed the morning's events in my mind. The more I thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed. My speed and strength back then far surpassed what I'd had when I first arrived in this world. Could it be because of that bead? I remembered my body recovering after waking up—it seemed that bead wasn't ordinary. I'd have to figure out this communication issue somehow. Maybe I could treat it like learning a foreign language and try picking up this world's speech. With those thoughts swirling in my head, I gradually drifted off to sleep…