"Purrrr,...munch, munch...."
'Looks like he's enjoying it at least.'
Goldfang purred like a machine while devouring the meal I had so graciously caught for both of us.
'You lazy kitty.'
I rolled my eyes at its behavior.
"Meow, meow..." The cat continued to complain and plead, wanting more and more of the meat I was roasting over the fire.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting it..." I took another skewer off the campfire and threw it to the beast. However, instead of devouring it like before, he refused, eyeing the piece I had specially prepared for myself with spices I found in the forest.
"Oh, you've got to be kitten me."
First, it was raw meat, as the kitty cat enjoyed the carcass until it saw me butchering the meat for myself. Then it was the cooked meat, when it saw me roasting the skewers over the campfire. And now, even that wasn't enough, as it was pleading for that skewer that I had dazzled in spice.
Each time, I was surprised by its audacity, each time I was impressed by its hunger, each time I gave in to the cat's antics as I refined its palate.
"Meow, meow..." Goldfang saw I was no longer giving in to its demands, causing it to throw a fit, tugging at my leg with its paws, pleading for just a morsel of that skewer.
'Chee,' I clicked my tongue at its behavior. Gone was the mighty Goldfang renowned for its strength and deadliness, now replaced by a fat cat that requested to be pampered every second of the day.
"Maybe I'll call you Garfield, huh?"
"Meoooooww, meooooowww..." Despite not knowing the meaning of the name, it seemed the kitty could somehow pick up on the disrespect to its name, letting out long screams of agony, trying to convince me to change it to something else.
"No." This time, I was steadfast in my refusal. "You're Garfield."
"Moooooooewww...!" Goldfang put its paw over its head, pretending to faint, acting like a damsel in distress, berated by the evil demon king.
"You're too much, I swear..." I shook my head.
"I've spoiled you too much," I was indignant at its behavior. "You know I don't accept someone associated with me acting like this. What will people say about me..."
Again, my Martial Mirage skill activated seemingly on its own, as I could picture my sister pleading with me with her puppy dog eyes to buy her some candy...
A shiver ran up my spine as the surroundings chilled.
'She continues to haunt me even in this other world.'
I shuddered.
"Screw this goddamn skill."
Although I had learned to activate it on command, it seemed I was still far from mastering its true usage, as it sometimes activated on its own.
'I wonder what's the limit...hmmm—'
"AH!" I could practically feel the light bulb lighting up inside my head.
"If it could be that—"
"Meow?" I was cut off in my thoughts by a quiet and questioning roar from my companion, who seemed worried by my behavior.
Its body language conveyed distress, while its face showed care.
However, no matter the look of concern in its eyes, no matter the show of sympathy, I could still detect a hint of hunger masking behind that face...
"Yeah, yeah, I'll get you a piece..." I was going to give in again to its mischievousness, on account of being such a good boy, however, I thought of a better idea.
A small smile started taking over my face...
"but this time you'll have to work for it..."
[3rd Person POV]
[In the near future...]
"NEIGHHH!" The warhorse let out a cry, stopping in its tracks.
"What's wrong?" A young boy, looking no more than 14, exited his carriage, which was draped in gold.
However, unlike the excellence and sheer nobility that the carriage demanded, the boy was far from arrogant, defying the norm one would expect from the occupants of such a royal carriage.
"Nothing, my prince. It seems the warhorse has stopped for some reason. I'll take a look." The knight commander of the brigade placated the boy's concerns while going to investigate.
However, no matter the knight leader's commands, the horse stood steadfast, refusing to move a step forward.
'Hmmm...' He was clearly taken aback by this strange behavior, especially considering the pedigree of the warhorse.
"Your highness," the man again disturbed his liege's rest, despite wanting him to be at ease.
"What's the matter, Stubborn?" Instead of being angry at his battalion's chief for disturbing him after a long journey, the boy looked at the man with concern evident in his eyes.
It was a long journey, but more than that...
It was an important one.
"I think we should turn back," he did not mince words, getting straight to the point.
"As you know, my prince, this is a warhorse given personally by the Queen for this meeting..." the knight commander explained clearly to the prince his thought process, hoping the prince would continue to learn and grow by his side.
"The great Queen herself has personally ridden this into battles using this warhorse, and when facing Barluth's treachery, it has not failed her...but just now..."
"It stopped."
The knight commander's piercing gaze left no room for disagreement. And even if the prince could overturn this decision, why would he disregard the advice of his trusted confidant, who had much more experience than him?
"We must turn back. There's something wrong with this excursion. I will take report it to the Queen myself, please, my prince,"
"Turn back."
Some of the less experienced recruits of the 200-man battalion were confused. After all, never in their wildest dreams would they have thought they would hear those words from the Dauntless Sword of the Empire.
"I am sure of my decision. As the knight commander of your highness's army, my greatest duty is your safety, my liege."
The man who had killed his way to the top in war, eventually accumulating enough credit to reach the position of one of the vice commanders of the Kingdom of Alkavia, was turning back?
The man hailed as a great war hero, the man personally appointed by the Queen to teach and nurture her beloved younger brother, was choosing to escape?
Although the men in arms were torn by his words, with the newer recruits not understanding his decision, while the ones with experience knew to trust their commander's senses, the followed his command.
After all, there are few things in this world that should be trusted more than a warrior's gut instinct.
"We need to tur—"
"We can't, Stubborn," the boy spoke with resolve, trying desperately to hide the pain behind his decision.
He trusted his commander, he trusted his friend, and most of all he trusted his teacher, however, he too had duties that he was bound by.
"It is your duty as the head of my knights' guard to ensure my safety, however, it is my duty as the prince for the people to engage in this discussion, no matter the risk."
"Yes, my liege." The commander neither refused nor agreed with the prince's words, instead taking them as law, teaching his recruits firsthand how to receive their leader's orders.
Even here, the knight commander continued in his teachings, refusing to waste a moment to better the soldiers under his command.
'They look the part, but they need more training.' The knight commander lamented in his head about not having enough time to train the recruits before going on this excursion.
However, despite his many misgivings, he would not argue with his prince...well, at least not in the open...
"I understand. However, I will ride with you in the carriage to ensure your safety. I hope that is acceptable." This time, despite phrasing it like that, the student could tell that his master wasn't asking but telling.
"Yes."
They talked in whispers, not letting the sound escape, their carriage empty of any prying ears.
"We need to turn back, Michael. I'm serious. I'll pick you up myself if I have to." Gone was the respectable knight commander, instead changing to his second favorite position, as the royal tutor of the prince.
"Do you have any idea how your sister will treat me if I so much as let a scratch get on you?" Although the knight commander was on the younger side considering the height of his position in the Kingdom's army, he could feel himself aging by the second at the task given to him by her majesty herself.
'That devil of a woman,' he shivered remembering that face of ire when she 'warned' him about keeping her brother safe, despite throwing him into the jungle herself.
'It must have been a difficult decision, for the Queen to choose the Kingdom's future over her familial concerns..., especially considering her personality,...I'm honestly surprised she let Michael out of the Castle, much less the Kingdom.'
It was a tale as old as time, an older sister wanting to protect her younger brother's innocence, while knowing full well that he would have to grow up eventually.
The knight commander was one of the few people who knew, about the 'tug-of-war' that was going on behind the castle walls.
'Well it'd be better to call it a shoving match more so than anything.'
There was the young Prince, praised for his charm, earning the hearts of the people.
There was his sister, Princess Serena, the middle child, praised most for her beauty and intellect, earning the Kingdom's officials' trust.
And above them all, was her...
The oldest of the three pillars of Alkavia, the current ruler of the Kingdom, known for both her leadership and wisdom, but most of all, respected for her bravery in battle...
The Valkyrie of the Empire's army, leading it long before her coronation as Queen by the hand of her father himself, which were shaking with pride.
The very definition of fire...
The Red Queen.
'Azuleth.'
However, despite thier strengths, none of them wanted to be king.
"What are you talking about, teacher? My sister's an angel."
The knight commander broke out of his train of thought at the boy's words, feeling the blood vessel on his head almost about to explode from the sheer stupidity of the boy's statements.
No matter how much he tried to explain, no matter how much he directed, the 'so-called' perfect student who would soak up knowledge like a sponge just wouldn't budge on this one topic, despite being pretty flexible on any other.
"Sigh," the knight commander let out a sign of resignation, refusing to argue once more with someone who would just refuse to hear it.
"Regardless, my prince, we are leav—" his body tensed up reflexively, as he rushed out of the carriage, latching onto the prince as he did so.
His brain shouted at him to run, to flee, to escape with the prince in hand.
He trusted his gut immensely, as it had saved him countless times from the jaws of death.
Despite making the resolution to abandon his brigade, to run away by himself while carrying the prince, to carry the burden of that sin for the rest of his life, he stopped.
He knew, in that second, that using the soldiers as meat puppets would be a fruitless endeavor.
He was like the warhorse, frozen, now realizing that a confrontation was inevitable as he instantly recognized the shine reflecting off of his opponent's fur.
'A Goldfang,' the great knight commander of the Empire, the man feared by the surrounding nations as the leader for the next generation of commanders gritted his teeth.
There was an old saying in the Kingdom about Goldfangs, "It is said that the color of their fur represents their speed, blinding like the sun, while having a reach matching its rays."
It was a myth he had never wanted to test, much less be the one to prove true.
He could feel it, the veil of death hanging around the beast's body, which radiated strength.
'It surpasses the tales,' he grasped his sword, ready for martyrdom, directing his second in command to take the Prince and run with just a gaze of his eyes.
"Stop, stop, stop!!!" Both of the combatants were broken out of their staredown moments before the inevitable by the panting voice of a girl.
In response, the Goldfang let out an annoyed huff, now lying facedown on the ground as if bored and asleep.
"The fuck?" All of his prior experiences could not compare to his current surprise, even his meeting with the Goldfang out of the blue could not break past his concentration.
But the sheer shock of a Goldfang following orders...
It shook his worldview.
The knight commander could see it, the figure of a girl making its way out in the clearing...
It was with a person they were expecting to see, their meeting with them being the whole reason for this excursion to begin with.
A diplomatic discussion with the residents of the forest.
They were known for their harmony with nature, but never would he have expected to see one petting and giving chin scratches to such a legendary beast.
'Is that really a Dryad?'