'If only my brain worked like a hard drive.'
And to be fair, in a way, it already did - with the array, the weaves, and the notifications, it was like having a video game wired into my brain. There was no DELETE button, though. That horrible memory? That was one to stay - one more to add to my collection of nightmares.
Shaking off a shudder, and with the dying cries of three people still echoing in my mind, I tore my eyes away from the distant moss piles full of blooming flowers, now turned white, and scanned the clearing.
The air hung heavy, silenced by Esu’s display of power. None dared to move or speak, myself included. In fact, the clearing may seem almost like a place of tranquillity right now, but beneath that serene facade was a boiling cauldron of emotions waiting to explode and turn this clearing into a bloodbath at any moment.
At first, Esu’s slow, deliberate growls made it seem like he was in no rush, almost as if he would let the intruders grow old and die before making a move. Every rumble and word came with purpose, fitting my idea of him as a wise, ancient creature. He didn’t attack, only listened. That all changed with the thought-fuddler. His response to people's stupid, perhaps instinctive decision wasn’t measured or wise - it was savage. Without so much as a blink, he turned three unlucky fools into fertilizer in one of the most horrific ways I had ever seen.
And no matter how I looked at it, sooner or later, others would meet such a fate in their battles with adult mossbears.
Some, like my potential mate, put their faith in raw strength, while others, like the fire-wielder, seemed to have made peace with the idea of dying, smiling like death was an old friend he had invited for tea - calm on the outside, at least. Then there were the calm and sharp-minded, like the sword-wielding female, her focus all business despite being saddled with a piss-poor pack leader. And, of course, the "We are fucked!" group. They couldn’t keep still, their eyes darting from Esu to their feet, then to the moss beneath them. Their weapons shook in white-knuckled grips, the leather squealing under the strain.
And there I was, not sure where I fit in all this. I was a bit of everything. Scared out of my wits being this close to a massive, powerful beast. Lost about the cub thing. Glad death wasn’t breathing down my neck, but already dreading my upcoming training session with the mossbears.
‘Mossbears!’ Of course one could not forget the mossbears themselves, especially the adults, getting sick of waiting. Every breath made them more restless, their claws twitching for action. Esu, as usual, wasn’t in a hurry. He just stood there, dragging out the moment, like it didn’t matter a lick.
Calling it nerve-wracking didn’t even come close.
This place felt like a boiling pot about to spill over. Tension hung thick in the air, so real it might as well have been smoke choking my lungs. Time dragged - each heartbeat stretched to a lifetime, sweat sliding down my neck slow as a knife carving into flesh. Torture.
Who would break first? Someone would. That much was certain. Would the mossbears defy their pack leader and make a move? Or maybe one of the remaining humans would be stupid enough to try their luck at escaping - although I had my doubts about that.
Who would be first, if any? Who will be so stupid? Would the adult mossbears dare to go against their pack leader and attack? Will another human try to escape? Honestly, I believed it would be Esu, that he would speak up before anything happened.
Wrong. So wrong.
When my ears twitched at the voice cutting through the silence of the clearing, it belonged to none other than the young male, Tate.
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"Sir, Esu. Sir, I...?" The human stuttered, biting his tongue as he broke the silence no one else dared to.
I couldn’t help it this time - I facepalmed. Or, well, facetailed, since it was Sage’s doing the work. A light, soft swat, with the tip of my tail peeking out from underneath me, leaving the faint smell of apples in its wake.
- You were poisoned
'How could I forget him?' Though it seemed I wasn’t the only one who had. My potential mate stood there, clearly struck by his... courage. The fire-wielder, on the other hand, was barely containing a grin, shaking his head, clearly amused by the whole thing. NNeither of them seemed eager to stop the young fool - and I couldn’t really blame them. It was his mistake to make, and now he had to face it, just like the rest of us.
"Sir," he stammered again, addressing Esu. "Y-You said I could leave the forest. Could I... leave now?"
?Truly... dull... mind. Brave... heart," Esu muttered with what could not be described as anything but a smirk, with quite a bit of amusement. "Yes... you... are... free... to... go... human."
"T-Thank you, Esu, sir," the young male blurted out, scrambling to his feet, though he froze when his eyes landed on the trail winding through the woods. "C-Can I take one of the Scalehoofs?"
A heavy sigh slipped from my lips - I couldn’t help it. Every single one of those animals raised their heads, their eyes locked onto me, full of silent pleading. Though they wisely stayed silent, what was on their hearts was clear as day to me. They didn’t say a word, but their hearts screamed the same message: they all wanted to be chosen. They wanted to be the one Esu picked, desperate to leave this place. And they wanted me to be the one to tell him.
For herd animals, they sure were selfish. Still, I couldn’t blame them. Self-preservation ran deep. That’s why I found the nerve to speak up to the beast towering over me. If I refused to help them and they lived through this... well, I didn’t even want to think about what I would have had to listen to from them. And God forbid the other scalehoofs in Castiana should hear that I didn't even try to do anything.
?G-Great Esu, could you…could you let all the animals go with him??
The stupid animals’ eyes on me grew sharper, followed by the weight of Esu’s gaze. 'Shit! I should have kept my mouth shut. This wasn't worth it.’ Too late for regrets, though.
?Why... should... I?? There was no hint in his growl that he didn't feel like doing so, if anything there was curiosity.
?I promised them help,? I growled back, reluctant to say more. ?They see me... as a Lady.?
As the word left my tongue, the whole hill that was Esu trembled with a slow, rumbling chuckle. 'Was I really that foolish? Damn it, I knew the whole Lady thing was bullshit!' But once more, I’d been dead wrong.
?I... heard... about... a... Lady... in... my... woods... stealing... nuts. You... cub??
Shocked, my eyes immediately shot to his antlers, where squirrels were running around. Was it them? The ones I had battled for nuts with and eventually struck an accord with? Seeing me, Esu laughed again.
?Every... squirrel... in... woods... has... been... warned... to... beware... of... you…, Nuts-Stealing… Lady.?
'What? The little bastards.' Hearing that those nut-eating rats from back then were running around the woods, warning the other squirrels, I couldn't help but lower my ears and whine. "I'm so sorry, Great Esu. I didn't mean to make a disturbance in your forest."
?You... did... not. They... gossip... every... day. Not... wrong... they... were..., though. You... got... the... making... of... Lady.?
'Bloody hell. He saw me as one, too - he knew what it meant.' And it didn’t seem to impress him much. Or rather, being a Lady was nothing to wag your tail over. Thankfully, I never did. Still, a hundred questions were stuck in my throat. Esu didn’t let me voice them, though.
"Very... well, human," he spoke to the young human male. "Take... all... of... the... animals... with... you. The... cub's... pack... may... go... too."
'The cub's pack? Okay, shit… that required a little explanation,' and I quickly gave it to my potential mate through the human tool. "Damn, girl,you're a better dealmaker than the Imperials. All right, I'll tell them," he said, clearly very impressed - and glad. With Vara and Elira gone, he would only have me to worry about.