"Fuck! we've been walking and walking for hours! You sure you don't need your eyes checked?"
"I swear Milady! I have seen it!"
With visible poutful mood, Ishnaia walks with Alister behind as to whereabout of the little beastkin he said he saw. The woods were more visible now as the sun finally reaches the high sky. Ishnaia continues her ranting,
"I guess you just raised my hopes up so that I can be by your side always. I know you do!"
"I am serious Lady Ishnaia! You know I will not make a fool of you!"
"Of course, I do! That's unprincely if you do!"
"W-well yes…But-"
"Apology Accepted." Ishnaia cuts him out with a relaxed voice, "I know you're a serious guy."
"…" Alister blushed again and turned his face away from Ishnaia. In a silence that ensues that moment, something in the bushes then moves from afar. Alister saw and heard this. He stops from his tracks and turned his head to Ishnaia, whereas Ishnaia also stops and turned hers to him. Alister whispers,
"Hear that?"
"What?"
"Shh!" Alister quickly raised his left index finger to his lips and pointed its location with that said finger. Ishnaia follows it by her eyesight and returned to Alister, then, both nodded together. Alister treaded carefully, however, Ishnaia ran as fast as she can towards it and likely ripped the bushes open with both of her hands. She grinningly declared,
"Heeeeere's-"
"UWAAAAAAH!"
"UWAAAAAAH!"
Ishnaia and someone (or something) who is in the bushes screamed in unison. The leaves above the trees rustled as birds flew away from the nest from the sudden noise.
***
A loud sound echoed through the woods which made Reonne and Bear stopped their tracks. Reonne then speaks to Bear,
"Hear That?"
"Definitely."
"Yeah? I knew we're on the right track! Finally! This awful quest will finally end!"
Bear's ears seemingly shook by that last sentence and speaks in a reprimanding tone,
"Awful? All quests are awful to you if it didn't involve women! Don't tell me I did not notice that!"
"Fine, fine," Reonne nonchalantly says and ranted, "it's not that I want you to comment on whatever I say to be honest! Look, I don't understand why do we have to left our horses with those Erons' soldiers?"
"To focus more on tracking!"
"To focus more on tracking!"
Together, they loudly said. Reonne guessed correctly from line-to-line what bear said and even copied his actions, which made Bear a little annoyed at the peskiness of this young tracker. Reonne quickly followed it with a retort, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Either way, the time is now that we kill that killer arsonist!"
"Don't be hasty. There are still monsters around, and we do not know if he is our man."
"Monsters?" Reonne mockingly sneered, "There are few to no monster around here! In truth, there is no challenge in this quest, only irritation, like when shooing the fly that irks your ears."
"You do not know that. Sometimes, something can really surprise you, if, you are not prepared for it!"
"I get it Bear! you don't need to-" Reonne stops when he turn his eyes to his companion; and there, he just noticed Bear ceased walking and was looking sideway downwards away from him. He cannot help but squint and ask,
"What's wrong?"
Bear turns his eyes on him, "Did you felt that?"
"felt what?"
***
"Are you fine!?"
Alister roared with worry after that sudden loud scream, Alister then quickly pace his way to Ishnaia. And then, Ishnaia murmured,
"It…"
"Huh?" Alister intoned with confusion. Then, Ishnaia raised something from the bushes,
"It's a baby boy!" She said with excitement and declaration as she raises It. And that 'it' was a beastkin cub; a white one with a doglike brown face and long ears. Its appearance is akin to that of a beagle breed of a dog, and there in the arms of Ishnaia, he struggled to get away like his life depends on it. But Ishnaia doesn't care and did not let this chance get away as she hangs him up higher in her arms.
"Eeeeeek!" the cub panicked…
… but Ishnaia found this cute.
"Awwww, so cuuuuute!" she bellows and hugged the cub tightly into her chest as she rubs her face to him.
"Ueeeee!"
Alister closed his eyes and sighs as he wiped his sweat of worry from his forehead. It is a good thing that there is nothing to worry about. Then, he remembered why he was chasing this cub in the first place.
"Milady…"
Ishnaia continues to hug the cub tightly. She was unresponsive. Then, he calls her again with what he think she'll notice right away,
"…Lady Ishnaia! Lady Ishnaia!"
"Hm?" She finally noticed. He succeeded.
"Please," Alister requested, "let him go. You are suffocating the little one."
"Ah!" Ishnaia widen her eyes, "Sorry!" and realized it as she put down the cub with care. However, the moment the cub finally was released from the monstrous grasp, he tries to quickly dash away from them.
"Hey wait!"
"Little one!"
Together, they tried to catch up with the cub, who is running away with only its hind legs. Ishnaia found it amusing as she chase this cub, whereas this said cub ran and ran as far as much as possible from these two scary humes; until he stumbled from a tree root and fell down face front.
"EeK!"
Before he could get up, he turned his head back and saw that the two humes was literally behind him and caught up with him really quick.
"Woah! Slow down cub!" the scary woman roared,
"Are you alright!?" and the scary man kneeled by his side.
The cub was not as quick as he thought, and he cursed himself for not being so. Should he get up and dash further? Unlikely; for he felt like he sprained his knee. Therefore, In a verge of tears, his only choice was to plea from these-
"C-Corpse People! *hicc* Please… *hicc* don't eat me!"
"Corpse Pe-!? Oh…" Then Ishnaia suddenly connected the dots and realized that their blood-soaked clothes must have made the cub scared at them. She scrutinizes her clothes as of how bloodied she looks and concludes… she really needs a bath for change.
"Little one," Alister talks in a calm voice, "Tis' alright. You are safe."
"Yeah little one, we don't bite." Ishnaia said while her eyes still busy inspecting her own clothes.
Still in doubt, the cub held his tears in bay and says in a murmuring tone, "You…*sniff* you're not gonna eat me?"
"Yes, we are good guys, right milady?"
"Yeah, no use being afraid. Or!" Ishnaia turns her sight on the cub and grinned menacingly, raising her arms with her hands wide, her fingers moving restlessly as if she's going to grope, and says in a spooky tone, "wE're gOnNa EaT yOu!"
"Ueeeh!" The cub winces away
Alister glares at Ishnaia and says in censure, "Lady! Please don't do that! You're scaring him!"
"Ah!" Ishnaia stops scaring the cub and replied, still smiling and scratching the back of her neck, "My bad."
Alister, again, turns his eyes on the cub, "Tis' okay, do not worry. This big sister just loves to jest on people. Even I was scared of her before!"
"H-Hey!" Ishnaia poutingly voiced her complaint.
"S-so..." Hesitant, the cub said, "…y-you won't eat me?"
"Why would we? By the way, my name is Alister. This big sister is Lady Ishnaia."
"Heyo!" Ishnaia leaned to greet the cub in his face with a wave of a hand. "We only eat bad people, are you one of bad people?"
The cub shakes his head, "…N-no?"
"Good," Ishnaia straighten her pose up, her eyes looking down upon the cub, "then we, corpse people, won't eat you!"
"R-really?"
"Of course!"
"Did…did corpse people also not eat pop?"
"Pop?" Ishnaia squinted. Pop...sicle?
"Pop! My papa!" The cub smiles momentarily, but only to be down again, "I-I lost him… I just go little walk and he was gone. I'm finding pop, only to find…" The cub glances to Ishnaia, "C-Corpse people…"
Alister sighed, "Little one, we will never eat you alright? And so is you Pop. In truth, it is the other way! we will help you find your pop!"
"T-Truly!?" The cub's eyes brightened while Ishnaia rolled hers.
"That is right!" Alister nodded, "But will you also help us?"
"Sure!" The cub nods vigorously.
"Great!" Alister smiles, "We are also looking for someone. Mayhap you hath seen them."
"Is someone Corpse People friend?" The cub tilts his head.
"Yes." Alister nodded, "One is a Hume who is not quite as tall as other of his kind and- "
"Pft!" Ishnaia held her amusement, but Alister did not noticed it and continued,
"-another is a Beastkin with a blue fur, who looks wolfishly and tough. Little One, have you seen them together or just one of them?"
"Nuh-Uh" The cub shakes his head from side to side, "But Pop is big and also tough! Ms.Blumber says he looks like me when he was young!"
"I-I see…" Alister had his eyes downcast and rubs his chin. "At any rate, we have not learned your name yet. May you tell us your name perchance?"
"Pan!"
"Pan! What a nice name!"
"Hehe!" Pan smiled gleefully.
'What a very simple name!' Ishnaia thought.
"Since we are helping each other," Alister stood up and stretch his right arm to Pan, "Come one, let us find your pop. We cannot dawdle here too much, right?"
"Uhn!" Pan nodded while reaching Alister's arm to stand up. Alister then turns his head to Ishnaia and said, "Milady, we must away now to help this poor little one!"
Ishnaia sighed deeply with tired dejection and replied, "Fine…" 'As if I had a choice!' She wanted to say, but she put her tongue in place for this moment.