[CHAPTER 17.2: THE BEAR]
"My lord!" Satria panted hard, he stopped for a few seconds to catch his breath.
"What is it, Satria?" Gaharu sheathed his curved sword and turned to look at the young soldier. Servants came to serve Gaharu his beverage. The lord was busy the whole evening strengthening his fighting skills when Satria suddenly came running to the training field.
"My lord... You are not going to believe this," Satria who was still panting, spoke, "a letter... From the Moro."
Gaharu's eyes widened as he read the letter that Satria had handed to him. His clawed fingers tore apart the letter made from manok skin. His chest was heaving as his breathing turned gruff.
"My lord..." Satria called out nervously.
"Prepare my chariot," Gaharu commanded, "I am going out."
*****
Bella's jaw dropped open when Raneki showed her the bark scroll. She blinked hard several times, not understanding what it was that the bear was trying to show her.
"I don't get it." She said, tilting her head to look at Raneki and immediately felt like spraining her neck. He was too damn tall!
"This is an old scroll, left by our ancestors. There is a prophecy that foretells a being from another world will some day come. And this scroll was about you, that being from another world." Raneki's husky voice sounded.
Again this absurdity about an old prophecy...
"I am from another world, but whether or not the prophecy was referring to me, I don't think so. I can't even read these weird characters!" Bella shoved back the bark scroll to Raneki.
"You people should stop thinking about the past and should start planning for the future. How long should you stay like this, killing each other just for lands?" She said again.
"We, the Ang tribe never kill for lands. So does the Zov. The Zov is only defending what is theirs. We are protecting the weaker clans whose lands were confiscated by the Ra and the Moro tribes, and have no other place to go to." Raneki explained. He then turned to gaze down at Bella, bending down slightly so that he could see her face,
"How would you know this was not for you, when you have not even tried to understand it?"
"How can you be sure that this was meant for me?" Bella questioned back.
The corners of Raneki's lips curved into a vapid smile,
"Why don't you try to figure it out yourself? Bella."
*****
As she sat down on a huge stone stool, she stared down at the scroll in her grasp. What am I going to do with this?
Bella glanced around the garden. The air was starting to get colder and she could see her own breath.
Tayen told her before that it would snow very soon. She had been in the beastmen world for six months now, which means, very soon the land would be covered in ice and snow.
Bella ran her palm against the furry coat she was wearing, wondering how everyone in Ra was doing. What will happen to both Ra and Moro tribes if they learned about her being in Ang's main? Are they going to fight with each other?
No, Tayen would try to avoid that. He was still recovering from his latest wound from the manok hunt. But what about Gaharu?
"What is on your mind?" A soft manly voice sounded that broke the silence around her.
Bella looked up to find Garuda casting a huge shadow on her, blocking the light from the setting sun.
"A lot. I find it still hard to process everything about this place."
"What is bothering you?" He asked as he too, sat down on the stone tool next to her. His large pair of wings would move a little when he wanted to sit down.
Bella stared at his magnificent wings a few seconds before returning her focus to his face.
"Can you teach me how to read these weird characters?" Bella showed Garuda the scroll.
Garuda, not knowing what that was, reached out his hand to take the scroll from Bella.
He took a while to read what was written on it before turning his face to Bella,
"Do you want me to read it out for you, or do you want to learn and read it yourself?" He asked.
"I think I should learn how to read it."
"Alright then. I shall teach you."
*****
Early morning, Bella entered the meeting room where Garuda was already waiting on a wooden chair by the big table. He gestured to her to sit next to him.
It was only half a day, Bella could already recognize a lot of the beastmen's writings. It wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. In fact, their writings were much simpler to learn than Chinese characters. Although it was strange, she felt rather proud of herself, thinking that she was probably a genius or something, to be able to learn their writings this fast.
"Would you like to stop for a while?" Garuda asked when he noticed Bella was yawning.
"Yeah... My encephalon has a lot to process, it's tired."
He chuckled, although he was wondering what she was talking about. Surely, she must meant that she was tired after all that learning. Garuda placed a hand on her head and gently stroked the back of her head, as though she was a child.
"You did good." He said with a smile on his face. His pupils dilated as he stared at her closely. Her black eyes were sparkly, like stars in the night sky. Her lashes were thick, long and curvy, they made her almond shaped eyes appear bigger and pretty. Her lips were perfectly defined cupid's bow round lips, alluring reddish in color, and appeared softly smooth.
His snowy fair complexion suddenly turned pinkish and he immediately retracted his hand.
"Hm?" Bella hummed softly when she saw the awkward look on his face.
"I've been wanting to ask," she leaned a little closer to him as her hand stretched out, "can I touch them?"
Garuda realized that she was referring to his wings, he was about to shake his head and reject her request when she already had her hand stroking one of his wings. His feathers were warm and hard but smooth to the touch.
It was ticklish and arousing at the same time, the way she stroked his wings. His clawed hand immediately caught her wrist. He felt slightly uncomfortable, yet he didn't hate it.
"Bella," he said, pulling her close towards himself, "that tickles."
Do not tease. I am a male, after all.
He couldn't say those to her. He didn't want the situation to be awkward between them.
"It does?" She asked, having no idea at all. Her big sparkly eyes stared back at him. Those innocent looking eyes made him sigh.
"How high can you fly?" Bella asked again.
Garuda's lips twisted into a smirk,
"Do you want to know?"
"Yes, please!"
Bella stood up immediately and jumped into Garuda's embrace, preparing herself for the flight. She giggled happily, and her adorable dimples appeared on both her cheeks. Garuda picked her up princess style and she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, feeling the rush of adrenaline when Garuda kicked the window open and jumped down from the castle.
"Fuck, fuck..."
Her legs curled up as she felt him dive down in high speed.
"Fuuuuck...!!" She shrieked when she realized he was going down too fast. He only flapped open his wings when they almost crashed to the ground.
Bella thought she had probably fainted for a few seconds because it took a few seconds for her to realize that they were already above the castle. It was a scary yet amazing experience. She felt the pressure on her chest when Garuda flew high into the sky. She wanted to touch the misty clouds but she didn't dare to loosen her arms that were around his neck. She could see his powerful flapping wings on his back, they were enormously sturdy and strong. She could feel the firmness in his arm and shoulder muscles each time he flapped his monstrous wings.
"That was fuckin' insane!!" Bella giggled in between her ragged breathing.
"You are just as loud as the first time I met you." Garuda chuckled along. He felt Bella's hand smacking his back.
Garuda took Bella for sightseeing, gliding across the clouds and soaring high with little apparent effort. Bella could see the forests and mountains below them. The setting sun felt warm and comfortable on her skin, the air was cold, it tightened her chest every time she sucked in a breath. The blue and orange sky was dreamy and magical, it was a sight she had never seen before. It was different from watching the sky from an airplane window.
She saw a castle down below, and noticed they had flown past the Moro's main and its territories. She thought of how convenient it was to have wings.
"Upfront is the Tiger Mountain, or what it was previously called, the Eagle Mountain. The tallest mountain in the land."
Bella turned her head to look in front when she heard Garuda's words. True enough, she could see the tallest mountain from afar. It would take her many days to get there if she walked on foot, probably weeks, but it probably takes Garuda less than three hours to reach there.
Winged beastmen have the advantage to wander around stalking other territories, surely they must know more than other tribes about other tribes.
"Do you often wander around to see what other tribes are up to?" She asked.
"No, ravens are the patrol officers. But ravens cannot fly this far so their patrol routes are within Zov territories. And I have my duties, I cannot just wander around."
Winged beastmen capabilities also depends on the size of their wings. Which means other winged beastmen couldn't fly as far and as high as Garuda.
Bella then turned to gaze at Garuda's side profile. Her face was so close to his, she could see how perfectly dewy his skin was. He seemed to be staring at the tiger mountain. When he felt her stare, his yellow orbs moved to gaze back at her. He immediately averted his eyes when they met with hers.
"What is it?" He asked, not looking back at her.
"You're the last of the eagle clan. What happened?" Although she already knew the story that Gaharu was the one who destroyed the eagle clan, she still asked. She wanted to know it from Garuda himself.
"Is it true that Gaharu..." She didn't finish her question.
"Do you want to see the waterfall?" Garuda asked, purposely avoiding the topic. His sexy lips curled up a naughty smirk.
Bella leaned closer as she tightened her hands around him, getting ready,
"Let's go... yaaaaarghhh...!!"
*****
"I am not here to fight!"
He was attacked as soon as he showed himself to his tribe's mortal enemy. It was a weapon he had never seen before in his whole life. Mihaje pulled out his twin swords.
The chief leader of Ra was smirking balefully at him, his hands were holding a strange looking weapon made of bamboo tube containing gunpowder and pellet projectile mounted on a spear which made a very loud explosion sound when it was fired. Gaharu fired his weapon at Mihaje again. That snake had managed to dodge the first shot.
The strange looking weapon in Gaharu's hands exploded as a propellant, and an ore pellet flew at Mihaje at a speed that could not be described with words.
Clang!
Mihaje held his swords in a cross to shield himself from the iron ore pellet. The pellet hit his swords and made a loud clashing sound.
"Wait! I am here regarding Bella!"
Gaharu's eyes widened when Mihaje mentioned Bella's name. He drew in a long breath before lowering the weapon in his hands.
Mihaje's breath was muffled under his mask as he too, lowered his swords.
"I am not here to fight you. Bella was taken by the Zov. A soldier of mine stated that the eagle had taken her."
Eagle... Garuda?
"You Moro scums said you would keep her safe, and yet you let this happen?!" Gaharu lifted the weapon in his hands again and aimed at Mihaje.
"Wait...!"
Gaharu was very enraged. The fact that he let that treacherous snake breathing right in front of him was already his limit. He didn't want to hear anything more from that red haired. He put the pellet in and fired the shot at Mihaje. But Mihaje was fast enough to parry the racing pellet with his sword. In a blink of an eye, Mihaje had charged towards Gaharu and swung both his swords in a cross outward motion, severing the strange weapon in Gaharu's hands.
Gaharu immediately unsheathed his curved sword and swung it towards Mihaje. Their swords clashed as Mihaje used his twin swords to block Gaharu's attack.
The sound of their blades clinking echoed throughout the opened field of fairly flat grass . Mihaje had requested to meet at the Rhino's Grassland, located between two vast forests, a territory that was taken from the Moro by the Ra. Mihaje had come alone, requesting Gaharu to come alone as well. He was well aware that there was no development being made in that area yet, so Mihaje figured that the place was a safe place to meet.
Gaharu was quite surprised by Mihaje's amazing fighting skills. He had only heard of Tayen's unbeatable general, but had not witnessed it himself. The Moro's general was indeed surprisingly impressive. Gaharu was obviously taller and bigger, but Mihaje moved in a tremendously high speed that Gaharu had never seen before. That snake also had an endless stamina. Even after battling for a length of time with Gaharu, he didn't even pant. Under the full moonlight, the mask he was wearing and the color of his gleaming eyes made him look menacing and dangerous.
Gaharu waved his left hand, sending raging flames from his palm towards Mihaje. Mihaje's eyes widened when the flames almost burnt his face. He made a quick spin to avoid the fire. His flame retardant armor protected his skin from getting serious burn, but the heat from it still stung him.
Mihaje had heard all about Gaharu's flame ability and his monstrous strength. But this was the first time he encountered it. The huge curved sword in Gaharu's hand was made of pure steel, which was a lot heavier than bronze swords. Every swing was terrifyingly powerful and could have easily chopped him into half if he was not fast enough to dodge.
Gaharu charged at him, swinging his sword but Mihaje managed to make a spin to avoid it. Gaharu then threw a direct front kick at Mihaje and the Moro general blocked his kick using his forearms before leaping backwards in a beautifully performed back spin. That kick could have killed him if he hadn't reacted in time.
"I did not come here to fight you!" Mihaje said again, trying to convince Gaharu.
But the enraged tiger refused to listen. He aimed his sword at Mihaje, the snake used his twin swords to block the tiger's attack. Gaharu launched a side punch with his left hand and almost hit Mihaje. Then again, Mihaje was fast enough to avoid his attack. Gaharu grunted. This snake is unquestionably worthy of an opponent! Gaharu's lips subconsciously twisted into a smirk.
Mihaje gulped silently. That punch was frightening. It was fast and heavy, like a huge stone hammer. If he was hit, it would definitely crush his face skull.
"I defied the order from my lord and came to see you alone. I came not to fight, but to cooperate."
"And what makes you think I would listen?"
Their swords continued to clash endlessly. Mihaje was still trying to resolve the matter with discussion. He chose to trust Bella. She would not have stayed by Gaharu's side for so long if he was really cruel, without pity or compassion. Mihaje believed that Gaharu was not as savage and ferocious as Lord Tayen. Mihaje leaped backwards, away from Gaharu,
"I came here for Bella's sake."
Gaharu raised an eyebrow when Mihaje shoved his twin swords back to the harness on his back, indicating that he was not going to fight anymore. Gaharu threw a nasty smirk at him before charging full speed towards the snake.
Mihaje pursed his lips tight, his hands clenched into tight fists as he watched the sword in Gaharu's hand aiming for his neck. He shut his eyelids close.
Gaharu realized Mihaje wasn't going to dodge his attack this time. He stopped right before the blade of his sword cut Mihaje's neck.
"Do you have a death wish?" Gaharu growled warningly.
Mihaje's heart almost stopped. He gambled his very life in this meeting with an enemy.
"You will need me, Gaharu. I am far more useful than you can imagine."
*****
"Bella, would you like to join me for a drink?"
Borius showed up by her door and invited her for a drink. His silver irises seemed glowing that he looked like a magical creature who disguised himself in a man-like form.
"Sure."
Borius let out a charming smile when Bella agreed. His handsome face was charming, and when he smiled, a pair of long incisors appeared in his set of sparkly white teeth. He had a fluffy silver white tail that swayed slowly behind him.
They sat on the stone bench in the garden, the full moonlight reflected its light in Borius's silver eyes and it made them appear illuminating. The burning torches around the garden made the whole place heavenly, some night flowers in the garden exuded sensual fragrance.
Borius poured the wine on one goblet and handed it to Bella, before pouring another one for himself. Bella watched as he took a sip of his wine and stared at the moon.
She had heard of him. Borius, the wolf, chief leader of the Zov tribe. The beastman who protected the hawk and the raven clans. She thought that he might look a little more fierce-- he's a wolf, duh. However, he doesn't. He looked very young and friendly. Somehow, it reminded her of the character Jack Frost from the animation Rise of the Guardians. Perhaps it was because of his silver eyes and hair, and his snowy complexion. He was in his armor, and he had silver white fur ornamental shoulder pieces. Bella sat beside him, her eyes would occasionally narrowed over to the wolf tail behind him. She had an urge to touch his fluffy tail, but restrained herself from doing so. It was similar to sexual harassment, she thought, touching someone's tail. Since it was considered part of the buttocks.
Whenever there was a breeze blowing, Bella could smell the faint smell of fresh liquor from him. He had probably been drinking even before he asked her to join him.
"So, beastmen do not exist in the world you lived in?" Borius asked, turning his head to look at her.
Bella shook her head. She explained to him that tigers, eagles, snakes, bears, and wolves were just animals in her world. There was no such thing as beastmen that had human-like form and could shapeshift into beasts. She also talked about the transportation and communication devices in her world, where everything uses machinery and advanced technology.
Borius bent down slightly, resting his chin on his palm and his elbow on his thigh, listening to Bella's talk with his eyes sparkled in amusement. He occasionally sipped on his liquor.
"What is a bird?" He suddenly asked.
"Bird? Birds are... Eagles, hawks, and ravens are called birds. Animals with feathered wings."
"I see. You said metal birds, just now."
"Oh, airplanes are like gigantic metal birds that carry people around. Another kind of transportation."
"Humans built such a thing? So, humans can fly even if you do not have wings?" Borius rubbed his chin, as if he had an invisible beard.
Bella sniffed the goblet in her hands. The aroma was a little different from the bland wine she drank yesterday. It smelled of berries and fresh dew. She took a sip of it. It was sweet and sour, and it felt hot when it entered her throat.
"Smooth, is it not?" Borius grinned, "My own recipe."
"Shut up," Bella wiped the corner of her mouth with her thumb, "Seriously?"
Borius frowned as he tilted his head, not understanding why Bella suddenly told him to shut up.
"You do not like it?" He asked.
"I like it. It's good. In fact, it's the best I've ever tasted so far."
He smiled when Bella chugged on her wine.
"You should not drink like that, you will get drunk easily."
Bella burped after emptying her goblet. The fact that she was tipsy already made her giggle like a little child.
"You are a funny one." Borius shook his head slightly and continued sipping his wine.
"You know... You look... a lot younger than me."
"I am a lot older than I look," Borius chuckled, "do not be fooled by my gorgeous facade."
Bella chortled. Yeah, Garuda told me you're over forty. You're practically an old man. Borius's snowy fair cheeks appeared reddish, probably because of the liquor. He leaned forward, bending down slightly as his forefinger and thumb gently pinched Bella's chin,
"I am quite fond of you, Bella," he said, leaning close to sniff the side of her face and jaw, "in a way I cannot describe."
He pulled away from her just so he could stare into her eyes,
"I do not mean that I want you. It is simply that I feel like I have known you when I just met you yesterday. It is strange. Have we met before?"
*****