"A camouflage Kitty?" the bandit asked, glancing at the Guardian Angel over his shoulder.
"Yes," Angel answered. "Its true form resembles a cat. However, its whiskers have special effects that allow it to blend in with its surroundings. It is often found in the deeper parts of the forest due to its ability."
With an ability like this, it would be hard to detect such a thing.
Sabastian's gaze never strayed from the area between the trees. "What is it doing here?"
I squinted my eyes in the direction of the alpha's gaze. However, there was nothing more than bushes and leaves.
Angel stared down the path the teddy bears ran off in. "Despite this beast's extraordinary ability, it targets smaller creatures. For one those, Ourse Peluche. A delicacy to them. They often travel in groups and can mold themselves together to form bigger creatures. If consumed in that state, the creature gets more energy which lasts longer. It takes this kind of energy to use camouflage. Thus, the reason why these Ourse Peluche are hunted by the Camouflage Kitty."
Poor creatures. No wonder the teddy bears acted the way they did. They were just victims.
"In other words, the cat is here because of the Ourse Peluches," Sabastian summarized Angels' explanation.
"Yes," Angel agreed.
"Well," Sabastian started stripping his clothes. One by one he handed them to Angel. "It sounds like this pussycat has gotten out of hand. It needs a guy like me to tame it."
Oh, good Lord, why did such terms sound so naughty? It would be because he was stripping while he said it.
Angel hugged his clothes. "Be careful. The Camouflage Kitty is hard to defeat. Its whiskers are not just used for helping it to conceal itself but it helps with attacks. Those things are as sharp as a sword and can be adjusted in length. Those lengths can reach up to twenty-five meters away. Whatever you do, don't get pierced by one of those things."
Sabastian flashed her a smile. "Sure, thing. I'll be extra careful." He looked at the bandit. "Stay here and keep them safe."
With that, he took off running. The bandit nodded and kept his stance.
Angel folded the clothes she received. "Why does that sound like he's just teasing me?"
Because he was.
Sabastian leaped in the air and transformed into his wolf before his feet hit the ground. He didn't stay still as he launched at something. A large blast and a sharp cry of the Kitty filled the forest.
"I can't see anything," I whined. "Why does it look like Sabastian can see the Kitty?"
I hoped he could.
The alpha was fighting something but all I saw was space. To my poor brain, he was battling the air. If it weren't for the mewls of the beast he was fighting, we would think he was crazy.
"He can," Angel explained. "Deity beings have the power to see through the beast's camouflage."
I watched Sabastian in awe. Being a God had so many great perks.
Sabastian dodged something. A bomb along with the vibration of the earth came after.
"We should put some distance between us and this fight," the bandit advised. "We can't see the opponent, so it's hard to dictate what is happening."
It was a good idea, but the mere thought of leaving Sabastian with something I couldn't see had me worried.
"We don't have to leave," I spoke out. "Angel can tell us where the beast is. We can watch the fight from here."
Angel's eyebrows dipped a little in her face. "We should adhere to Leo's suggestion. Whether I can see the beast or not, it's never good to stay near such a fight."
I knew that. What did she take me for? But, I couldn't leave Sabastian, either. Whether he liked me or not, he was Kyleon's brother. It would break his heart to know his brother died here. I could not sit by and allow that to happen. The Anderson brother deserved a chance to be together like they once thought they would.
Sabastian launched another attack. His sharp teeth bared. Strong jaws clenched into something. A nasty cat cry screeched through the air. We had to cover our ears from the hideous sound.
The bandit grabbed my arm. "We really need to vacant this area. Lord Sabastian can take care of himself. If we stay here, we might just hold him back, and it can cost him his life."
Once again, he spoke words of wisdom. I was well aware of these things, so why was it so hard to do the right thing?
This time when the bandit tugged my arm, I allowed him to drag me away. In all truth, the alpha was in a better position than we were. We were blinded to our enemy's presence. If it decided to come after us, we wouldn't have a clue. We were easy prey.
I just hoped Sabastian knew what he was doing. I would hate to be the one to relay the news to Kyleon that his brother was dead. Kyleon was a good man but all that goodness vanished when it came to his family. Especially his brother.
We managed to get a safe distance away from the battle against beasts. It sucked since the trees blocked our view of the fight. We had nothing else to do but sit and wait.
Angel rested on a log. "I know it's natural, but you shouldn't worry too much. Sabastian would not have put himself in the situation if he knew he couldn't handle it."
I didn't respond. There was not much to say. Yes, Sabastian would handle himself. If he was anything like his brother in combat, he was the least of my worries. The real problem was why I was this concerned about him. Surely, one kiss couldn't have got me smitten.
He was Kyleon's brother. Though twins, they were different men with distinct personalities. At the end of the day, Sabastian daydreamed of killing me. That for one should have made me feel as stable as the others.
The bandit should be more worried. If Sebastian died, he would be on his own. Angel wouldn't take responsibility for him and neither would I. He would have no choice but to go back to the bandits he betrayed. Or worse he would have to fend for himself. If that wasn't scary, nothing else was. Yet, he was calm about this.
Angel needed the alpha to recuse her Goddess. Without him, she had no other choice but to retreat from her plan, or worse, get Kyleon. However, she wouldn't be able to recruit him once he found out she caused the death of his brother. Hell, all she had to do was wait until the news got to him. Once it did, he would come for her. Angel or not, he wouldn't spare her life. Regardless, she was okay with Sabastian fighting that unseen kitty on his own.
So, what was different with me? Why did I have to be so worried? He was nothing to me. An enemy, if I placed a title to it. Yet, I was the most concerned out of everyone else.
A series of mewls echoed through the woods. I cringed every time. For every fifth count, the cry came alive. Until the forest went silent.
Anxiety flooded my system and sweat beaded my skin. I couldn't help but send up a quick prayer that the alpha was okay.
Before the last word in my prayer, a figure sauntered towards us. My heart jumped in my chest at a familiar sensation. Sabastian was back in his human form. The whiteness of his skin was covered with red. It was as if he went swimming in it. He wasn't alone, though.
He was dragging something behind him. It was the Camouflage Kitty. It was now visible to the ordinary eye. A large cat. Its notorious whiskers were gone. Bloodstains and holes were left. The animal was still breathing but barely.
Sabastian dropped the large paw he gripped. "Leo, he's all yours."
Angel got to her feet. "You're the one who is supposed to—"
Sabastian combed his fingers through his blood-stained hair. "Yeah, Yeah. I'm sharing. Didn't your God teach you that sharing is caring?"
The bandit strode over to the animal. It tried to move but failed. The ghost said nothing but stared into the eye of the beast. Like with the striped frog, the Camouflage Kitty slowly turned to powder and flew away with the wind. The bandit glowed for a slight second before turning back to us.
Angel rolled her eyes at Sabastian. "Why did you even have to get involved in such a fight? You could have just reaped its powers from the get-go."
What? Right, I forgot he was a descendant from the Goddess of Destruction. He had the capability to harvest the power from any species.
I couldn't believe this. Here I was being worried when he would have taken another route to solve this problem.
This was what I got for being nice.
Sabastian smirked. "Where's the fun in that?"