19 Bedeviled (1/2)

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Tarou trailed behind Boss who looked for his human translator. He was reluctant to surrender his treasure but he had to. Between a paper meal and a real one, he clearly wanted the tastier meal.

'Boss, wait up!'

Tarou could only shake his head while looking at Boss who looked docile in front of the human. Right after receiving the letter, the man did not even give Boss a pat as a sign of gratitude.

'Boss may have claws, but I have never seen a more ignorant cat in my life. He should have been firmer with the human, after all, we are doing them a favor!'

Remembering all the struggles he went through earlier and how he begrudgingly handed the letter over to Boss, he was in a sour mood.

'I risked my life for that letter!'

Tarou's tail wagged while staring at the direction of Boss and the human. When he found his way towards the clearing, he caught the scent of something sweet close to the rocks.

'This part of the forest has a lot of plants.'

'Meat can wait, right?'

'I surrendered the treasured meal to have something more nutritious. Snacking on fresh plants is simply irresistible!'

Tarou just had two bites of an irresistible plant when he heard a swishing sound and a tall and imposing figure entered the tent closest to his foraging ground.

'It's the general!' Tarou quickly retreated back to the shadows, expecting Boss to trail after the man. But he did not detect the familiar scent of the cat. Preening over to take a closer look through the tent's small opening, Tarou saw the general come closer to the princess.

'I'm too far. What are they doing?'

Tarou stealthily found a better spot to hear them but it was impossible to see clearly from his position.

'This is rich!'

'Boss, I'll find out your human's weakness! Maybe you will change your mind. I don't trust him.'

Tarou strained to hear movements inside the tent.

”Where...who...” the gentle voice of the princess sprang with wonder followed by a shuffling sound. ”This...letter” the voice resumed after a long pause.

A strong gust of wind blew at the moment and Tarou couldn't help but feel frustrated hearing only snippets.

Eventually, Tarou heard shifting clothes and labored breathing. One body fell on the ground followed by another and there was some movement on the ground. Hushed tones laced with tension followed but it almost impossible to eavesdrop. The princess spoke in whispers and the general made almost no sound --and he couldn't help but gnaw on one paw.

Tarou couldn't remember how many minutes have passed but he stood rooted on the spot while waiting for someone to say something.

”No one should know about this,” the general's dominant voice splintered the agonizing silence. Tarou's head was instantly up, intent on hearing every word while sneaking closer to the tent.

”As you wish,” the princess conceded reluctantly in a voice devoid of its usual arrogant flair. When the general left the tent, Tarou could vaguely hear ”for the sake of the Kingdom of Covin” before a series of stomps and muffled screams. After a while, the princess quieted down but Tarou remained curious.

While making his way towards Boss, Tarou continued to mull over the conversation between the princess and the general. He heard about Covin from mice who came by the village. All those brothers agree on one thing --the place is not fit for a mouse, more so for a human. After hearing the intriguing exchange, he wanted to consult Boss. His greedy stomach wanted a piece of rabbit meat too.

Sniffing, Tarou finally caught the delicious scent of food.Right now, his main goal is to urge Boss to grab the reward for surrendering the letter. But before he could get close to the cat, he noticed the presence of a man who smelled like lemongrass.