43 Wesre Here! (1/2)

After leaving the manor, Mina stayed still inside the bag with Tarou. She knew how dangerous it could be for her to be seen by anyone, so she had no choice but to bear with her choice of conveyance. Tarou seems to be adapting well to all the jostling since she did not hear him complaining while sitting inside another pocket.

Nightmare seems to be traveling at top speed but the ride was smoother than the first time. Mina had no idea how long they have been traveling but she could sense that the change in the temperature. Feeling unusually hot, she decided to poke her head out of the bag and realized that they have covered quite a distance.

The sun's position indicated it was past noon and they were far outside the capital. Nightmare did not speak a word throughout the entire ride and Mina had no idea how to strike a conversation either.

Soon, it was nightfall and they had to rest somewhere. Nightmare found a spot close to a small stream. Mina took the opportunity to stretch after a long journey as the horse grazed close to the water source.

Out in the forest, Mina realized something and gazed longingly at the path where they came from.

”I miss my human servants!”

There were no humans close by to hand her some food. Mina couldn't help but wonder if the day had come to prey on smaller animals. Concentrating on her surroundings, she could sense small rodents, probably squirrels, close by.

Thinking about sinking her claws on a small creature and eating the carcass almost made her gag. It was too primitive and coarse. Detecting the attractive scent of different plants as the wind blew, she made up her mind reluctantly--tonight she would have to settle for a vegan meal.

After thinking about what to eat for dinner, Mina realized that Tarou is nowhere to be seen. Seeing no movement from the other pocket, Mina called out Tarou's name through a meow. A few seconds later, there was some shifting inside and a small head with bunched cheeks poked out. The mouse looked around until it saw her suspicious stare.

Tarou gave her a guilty look before disappearing back inside the pocket. Mina heard intense chomping and grinding. When the sound stopped, Tarou reappeared. After struggling to get out of the pocket, the mouse crawled on all fours while making its way to her. Mina took note of how Tarou's stomach hit the ground with each step.

Looking up to her with a docile look, Mina knew that the mouse has been on a binge again. Shaking her head, she couldn't help but reprimand Tarou with a hiss.

”You are eating again?”

Tarou couldn't hide his guilt and nodded slowly but his face lit up a moment later.

”Boss, there were provisions inside that bag. I couldn't help myself.” Tarou's squeak sounded polite on the surface but she knew he wanted to tell her it's not his fault that food was readily available.

Mina gave Tarou a look that conveyed her ill will towards him and his bulging stomach.

”This world is unfair,” the cat meowed to herself while looking for something edible.

*****

After resting for a few hours, the three unlikely travel companions were back on the road. In the cover of darkness, Mina did not feel the need to hide inside. With her head popping out of the bag, she could feel the cold air as Nightmare galloped towards their destination. Mina could hear Tarou's snoring and the sound of Nightmare's hooves as it hit the ground.