As the village finally ceased to howl, the hunters who were sent out earlier by Torin soon coming back with a fresh kill, it was a good while before everyone had finally gone to sleep, resulting in me being the only one who was still awake.
‘Respect my butt...how dare they leave me in charge of keeping watch?!’ I complained to myself as I sat looking into the darker sections of the woods for any signs of danger.
Suddenly, a familiar but very unwanted vibration came from my collar. Great...and when I was in a sour-puss mood from earlier too? I already had a feeling some choice words might be said.
“What is it?” I said quietly as to not wake up anyone.
‘I see your wounds have healed nicely.’ Ibis hooted, her words starting a fire within me.
‘Perhaps those wounds will remind you to hold your tongue next time?’ She sighed.
A snarl finally left me; this is the final straw. Let her summon me to her cave and beat me once more, at least I'm saying what’s on my mind.
“So that was the plan wasn’t it? To give me scars to scare me into submission?” I growled, Ibis going quiet.
“Nice try but that won’t get you anywhere,” I said.
‘How dare you?!’ She hissed, the vibration getting even stronger. ‘I am your Magistra and most importantly a Guardian, do not-’
“Do not what? Talk back? Snarl or growl at you?”
Her hissing grew even louder.
‘Do not forget young spirit that I am the one who resurrected you.’
Ah...so that was the issue, she thought she had the edge on me. Whether she resurrected me or not, I wasn't about to be treated like some damn sheep.
“So that’s the issue.” I chuckled emptily before I shook my head, any remnants of a filter going out the window and into the garbage.
“...You’re the worst kind of person you know Ibis?” I said.
‘What?’
“You are!” I laughed.
“You’re the kind of person that does good things for others just so they’ll have no choice but to owe you something in return.”
The owl went silent, finally...she didn’t immediately give me a screech, hiss or a hoot back in that ridiculous arrogant voice she had. Of course, as it is with her, the moment was very short-lived.
'I don’t know what you had in your home-world my champion but in this world, Guardians are the gods...mortal or immortal, you are below us.'
Her words froze me, not because she said she was a god or anything, that much was clear right from the beginning.
But, it was her words...I knew she was arrogant and that of anyone who wasn’t her or another Guardian as ‘lower’ but this? This was absolutely frightening.
“God or not, you don’t treat people like crap.”
'You are my slave-'
“I’m my own person first bird.” I snarled immediately.
“And please, believe me, god or not, if you continue to go the route your taking...I’ll damn well make sure you learn firsthand of how good I am when it comes to killing birds like you.” I spat, the sudden stir of a nearby family making me go silent for a moment.
‘...Be wary of the midnight dangers.’ She simply said before my collar stopped vibrating, leaving me to my own thoughts.
Though I had no idea if her last words were either a threat or a small warning to what hid inside the darkness, I did feel extremely proud of myself nonetheless. I’ll continue to say it to her until the end of time, I may look like a dog but I refuse to be treated like one, I am no one’s slave and never will be!
She may have been the one to resurrect me but that was her choice alone, I owed her no favors but simply my gratitude.
‘God...if only I forget some stuff, maybe then she wouldn’t have the edge on me.’ I thought with a tired sigh as I let my body fall onto the ground, concluding my midnight watch over the village for the night.
Once dawn had arrived, the village was quick to start packing her their stuff while I was left feeling tired and annoyed just like I would when I was about to head off to school.
“I didn’t even get enough sleep.” I yawned as I put my paws over my ears, the feeling of someone suddenly dumping water over me making me jump up and look around frantically.
“It’s time to wake up!” Torin laughed wickedly as he looked down at me, my eyes narrowing dangerously as I shook myself.
“Darn it, Torin, it’s like I’m not even your darn leader!” I huffed, Torin, giving me a pat on the head as his golden eyes showed nothing but amusement.
“You may be the Lady of the village but you’re still nothing more than a hound to me.” He joked as he walked off, a grin slowly creeping onto my face as I trotted after him.
Once the entire village had packed up their stuff once more, we were finally off once again with Koko at the very front leading everyone.
‘God...even now as a dog I wish I didn’t skip gym class.’ I panted as I forced myself to keep running, the beautiful scenery around me somewhat distracting me from the tired, slightly burning feeling in my paws.
To open beautiful fields where its grasses danced along with the wind, the sight of majestic pristine wild horses rushing out of our way as the sounds of their strong, thunderous hoof-steps gave me a sense of freedom while their beautiful manes made me feel even wilder and freer than before! To even the sight of creatures unlike the common four-winged birds soaring up in the air. This was life! And the sudden sound of Koko letting out a howl only made the situation even better.
“What is it?” I panted as I forced myself to quicken my pace a little so I could run alongside him.
“We are close,” Koko said before my paws quickly launched me into the air as I leaped over a rushing stream.
“The scent of the ancient fire and the scouts are beginning to hit my nose.” He continued as he let out another deep howl, the pack suddenly picking up the pace as we soon rushed into a more open forest.
With the trees nothing but a blur and the sounds of multiple pants along with laughing people behind me, it wasn’t long before I had started to catch the scent of the scouts along a strange, rainless thunderstorm type of smell starting to hit my nose. Rainless but smoky...it must’ve been the tree, it was a strong smell, even stronger than the goblins! But it wasn’t unpleasant in the slightest.
“We’re here.” I heard Torin say over the rushing wind as we suddenly exited out of the forest and onto an open clearing that lasted for miles and miles around. Exactly the way Koko had described it except for a large cliff in the distance and some approaching scouts.
“Thank god we’re finally here! I could’ve sworn I was about to pass out at any moment.” I joked as I stopped, the pack doing the same before I had turned towards them.
“Alright, everyone! Follow Koko and Torin to the lake and unpack, I’ll go and scout out the surrounding area for a little.” I said, the pack saying a ‘Yes Beta’ in unison before I started to walk off but not before Kal came forward to stop me.
“My Lady, don’t you need a few people to go with you? Remember what happened-” '
“I’m fine Kal.” I chuckled.
“Besides, there are fields for miles and miles around, not much can sneak up on me before I hear or smell them.” I grinned before quickly trotting off.
As I walked across the plains, my paws making a beeline towards the cliff, it wasn’t long before why Koko had said the tree burns blue. It was something straight out of the bible, the tree had fire surrounding it but it wasn’t burning it in the slightest!
In fact...I dare say it was helping it in a way. Its leaves were greener than the healthiest grass and its branches held every type of fruit imaginable, it was a strange but nonetheless beautiful tree.
“Woah...” I gasped in awe as I continued to slowly approach the tree, the sounds of its crackling giving a strange sense of peace to me...at least before I saw what was inside the tree’s flames.
12 cloaks and...a body, a fully intact one at that!
“What the heck?!” I barked as I inched forward a little more, narrowing my eyes a little to get a better look at the person.
His eyes were closed peacefully as if he were asleep while a single, glowing red gunslinger’s gun rested at his side but...even though guns should’ve never been real in this world, that wasn’t the strangest thing about the man. It was his looks, he was human but at the same, he wasn’t. The man had four black lines across his cheeks that reminded me of whiskers, a pair of sharp black ears on top of his head that resembled some sort of big cat, sharp curved claws on each hand and a long thick black tail that rested in his lap gently. This world indeed held strange things about it...but this?
Even for this world, this was beyond unusual. A man who was human but also an animal at the same exact time, it made wonder ever so slightly how he would act if he were awake.
“I see you found the Panther.” Said a sudden voice, causing me to immediately jump back from the tree.
“Koko- Wait, this is the Panther you were talking about?” I gasped before confusion immediately hit me.
Panther? This was what they called a panther? It’s just a guy who has animal-like features!
“Indeed.” He nodded.
“Does your homeland not have Daemoniums?” Koko said with a slightly tilted head before I shook my head slowly.
“No...I don’t even know what a ‘Daemonium’ is Koko.”
He narrowed his eyes slightly before he lowered his head and sighed.
“Your homeland is quite nice then. Daemoniums are nothing but a curse upon these lands.” He said with a snarl, giving the body in the tree a dirty look before he went to the edge of the cliff and sat down.
“Why?”
“Because they are Beta, Daemoniums, be it Incubi or Beast, they are evil,” Koko said, causing me to tilt my head.
‘They can’t be that bad if he doesn’t have a legitimate reason for hating them.’ I thought, deciding to leave the conversation where it was before I turned to face the plains.
With the sounds of the flames crackling behind us, a gentle breeze blowing through my fur and the sight of the pack settling down at the lake not too far ahead, it didn’t take much for me to suddenly make a silent vow to myself. I was tired, tired of remembering my old life and constantly having regret and pain immediately filling my heart and mind afterward. I wanted to forget everything about that life and though a part of me was screaming to keep my memories, it didn’t take much for the other side to convince me to think otherwise.
This world...it was enough for me, though it could never truly be my old home where I had movie theaters, video games, my true family and my friends. It was still good nonetheless! I had new friends by the plenty who all treated me well despite all me knowing them for not very long, a village that was not just a responsibility but a new family who cared about me and I with them and a stronger body that contained magic!
This world? This world was my new home now and, though I would never really forget the memories of my old one, it was still better to hide them away and embrace the new and make even better memories.
‘I’m tired of remembering you.’ I thought to myself as I let out a sigh and closed my eyes, the sudden feeling of my body warming up making me smile lightly.
‘I have something new now and...I’m actually ready to embrace it all.’ I continued to think before I suddenly heard a small gasp from beside me, my eyes opening to see Koko looking above me where a small, glowing white ball floated.
As the ball continued to float above my head for a few more moments, it had suddenly darted in the direction of the tree before it had ‘forced’ its way inside the flames where it took place next to the man.
“What in the-”
“Ah, don’t be concerned about it!” I grinned before I got onto my paws and stretched. I feel strangely alive...as if a heavy bag of bricks has finally been taken off my shoulders.
“C’mon! Let’s get back to the village eh? People gonna be wondering where we are.” I snickered before I trotted off, Koko chuckling before he followed after me.
This is my home now...its where I belong and to my family and friend back on Earth? Don’t worry about me! I’m in the safest hands I could’ve ever been in.
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