Duae
Six months later.
It's been six months since I dropped Gora in the forests. At first, I thought she was bound to die here. But after watching the princess for months, I realized how wrong I was. The first few days were rough for the little girl.
The first day she woke up, she was tossed out of a tree. Bitten by a poisonous snake and chased by a group of boars. Gora survived, however, rather spectacle, I might add. As surprising as that was, what was more surprising was how she survived the night.
Instead of sleeping on the forest floor, Gora built a shelter in the trees. I don't know who taught her that. Maybe she read it in a book or something. Regardless it was a brilliant idea. If the princess had slept on the ground that night, she would have been hounded by the predators.
The day after proved to be even more challenging than the last for the little princess. She went out the next day to find food and water In which she succeeded in accomplishing. She also took a swim in the raging river. The current swept Gora miles away. I figured she was a goner. Most animals don't survive being swept away by the current of the river. They all would panic and exhaust their bodies. Then they would drown. Gora surprised me again when she stayed calm and rode the raging river.
Gora was able to survive yet again, making it out of the water. Unfortunately, she had been bitten by the paralyzing leaches. The animal was deadly. The leeches were known for paralyzing their prey, then drowning them so that they could suck all the blood out of them. The princess fought the paralyzing venom as long as she could but collapsed. I watched her sit up against a tree, sword drawn. Gora's eyes never stopped moving, scanning every inch of the forest. It felt strange watching her. Maybe it was pitty or pride. I did train the girl for quite a while. So, I could be called her teacher of sorts.
I decided to let her rest in peace. I swiftly dealt with any animal that looked like they were getting close to Gora. I told myself that it was out of love for my sister. That's the only reason I agreed to do the king's plan in the first place. I wanted to free my sister of her burden of watching over Gora. I figured it was the least I could do for Mog. After what I did to her, I should be dead. I was lucky to be alive. If not for the king, I would have died days ago.
Mog had almost killed me on the spot when she saw the black crown. Gorro was the one to suggest I use it. The minute I saw the object, I knew my days were numbered. Mog would never let me live after seeing it. I knew this, and yet I still followed through with the plan. I knew it was a chance to free Mog. Nova had made my sister promise to protect her mixed-breed offspring, and my sister accepted. Humans were weak and conniving creatures. I simply loathe them. Before I was the guardian of Esha, there were plenty of dumb humans. That tried to slay me, even though I had done nothing to invite such action. Before then, I hadn't even seen a human. It didn't matter to them, I was a beast, and that's all that mattered.
I wished my sister hadn't agreed to such a crazy promise, even if Nova was the one that saved her. Nova wasn't an evil human, but that's because she was an exception to the rule. Her people grew up around beast and coexisted with them. But she was still a conniving human. Nova was making my sister devote her life to her half-breed daughter. I knew Gora would be the same, so I hated the girl before she was even born. Something strange happens, though, after training the princess and watching her in the forest. I had come to like the girl, especially after seeing how she handled the wolves on the second night.
There was a group of six wolves that attacked that night. Instead of running, little Gora stood her ground. She killed without mercy like a veteran warrior. I was again amazed at her swordsmanship. It was the reason I demanded that Gorro force her to learn it. Gora was a prodigy when it came to the sword. I had known this after only watching her once. The way she wielded her sword was like a person who had trained for years. Even when her form was sloppy, it would only take a few more tries, and she would have the move down. I was amazed at her talent.
AHHHHHH!!
I still remember Gora's might roar after killing the alpha wolf. As a beast, I could feel the feeling behind it. It was a statement to all in the forests that she had arrived. After that night, Gora trained vigorously. She used her element to strengthen her body every day for months. The princess never once skipped a day.
On top of that, she had begun to hunt, but not like before. This time Gora hunts always ended in a kill. Over the months of this constant routine, The little girl had become unrecognizable. Now her straight black hair was more like a mane of a beast. Her muscles grew quite big for her size, giving her a manlier appearance.
After six months, Gora had carved out a small kingdom in the forest. She also increased her layer by one, which shocked me. Most children take up to a year to progress to another layer. Gora had done it in half that time, and something told me she was just getting started. I feared how powerful the child would become. So, much so that I thought about killing her here and now. I knew if she were allowed to grow any further, she'd become a real threat to the Esha. (I couldn't let that happen.) I thought while looking at Gora. All of a sudden, a rogue thought emerged in my head. It was my older sister's thoughts leaking into my mind.
("If Gora doesn't return to Esha, then you shouldn't return either. For your own safety.") Mog stated in my head. I understood her words loud and clear. I would continue to watch the girl from afar, but I wouldn't interfere anymore, even if her life were in danger. It hurt me that I wouldn't be allowed to return to my homeland, but I had already come to terms with my death six months ago.
"I will let fate run it's course." I said as I watched Gora from afar. She was prepared to head to the mountains where her mother was born. She was in for one hell of a shock. The deep she travels in the forest, the more beast she finds. Right now, the princess was in a pretty tamed area of the beast forest. Although she had surprised me by lasting this long, I doubted she survived the trip to the mountain.