38 Testing Grounds Part 3

I took a deep breath and touched the globe, a warm feeling washed over my body. I closed my eyes due to the relaxing atmosphere and as I opened them again, I realised I was in another world.

I was surrounded by open plains, with mountains way off into the distance. The grass was knee high, the sky was painted in purple tones and although it was bright, I couldn't make out a sun in the atmosphere.

A smell of dirt entered my nostrils reminding me of a farm I had visited on a school trip back on earth.

I inhaled slightly to take in the sites and sounds; unconsciously I ran my hands through the grass as I took a few steps forward.

" Welcome to the testing ground," said the fresh voice of the Ent I had previously heard.

[ This place feels so real! ]

" What do I have to do here? " I said out loud as I could not see the Ent, I merely shouted it into the wind.

" There is a being somewhere around here that is the avatar of your magic, and you are to find it and tame it. You may not be able to die in this place, but you will feel hunger, tire, feel pain and can even experience a pseudo-death. Should you die, your test will be considered a failure. Good luck young seedling. There is no time limit. Be prepared to stay here a very long time. " replied the Ent.

"A long time?! Just how long?" I said out loud to the wind.

I waited for a response, but the only thing I had heard was the rustling of the wind through the leaves and grasses.

[ Why didn't teacher tell me anything?! ]

I thought about what I should do, I didn't have any wilderness experience but seeing nothing that even looked like a hut, I sighed. How was I going to live here and for how long? Although the scenery was beautiful… I honestly wondered if I would starve to death.

I saw a rather long rock just across from me and decided to sit and think about it. Before I took my next step forward, I heard a very familiar voice.

" Meowster where are we?" Kibble's voice echoed in my head before a figure appeared from an amalgamation of some specks of light and landed near me.

What appeared before me was not exactly a cat though. It was a young boy a little shorter than me. He had cat ears, freckles, red and black hair and a tail. Although his features were slightly different from my own, if I hadn't known better I would have thought he was my younger brother.

Looking closer, however, I also noticed some of the same features that Cupid had. I took a step back in shock. He was wearing black training pants with no shirt and what looked like a necklace made out of teeth. His wrists had tribal tattoo markings on them.

" Oh? A soulscape! How funny meowster! How did you end up here? I was just napping then, I felt your soul shift, I got worried so I came to check! " The boy who spoke like Kibbles said.

" What do you mean? Of course it's me!" Kibbles said.

He went to take a step forward but fell over.

" OUCH! What just happened?! Why can't I walk?!" Kibbled said surprised.

He must have realised why I had been so shocked. He looked at his hands and then his feet and touched his head before shouting.

" Why… Why am I so ugly!? Ahhh my precious fur!! What did you do to me?! What is this place?! " Kibbles said as he glared at me.

" I.. didn't do anything. You just appeared looking human." Was all I could say in response.

" MEWOSTER CUPID! CAN YOU HEAR ME, WHY AM I SO UGLY?! ' Kibbles yelled into the wind.

" ooh Ooh Ooh! " a sound of what appeared to monkeys came from the east. I looked over to see the rustling of leaves in the treetops.

" Kibbles this isn't the time for your complaining we gotta move!" I said sternly, listening to the calls.

I rushed over to Kibbles grabbed his arm and started running in the opposite direction of the movement.

{ Kibbles Profile has become available 500 DD to unlock }

The system's voice echoed in my head.

[ WAAAT?! ]

I shook my head and kept running trying my best to help the boy who was behind me struggling to walk. I dragged his arm as we ran faster and faster.

Behind us were these small monkeys that seemed to swarm through the grass like sharks in the water. They had half skull markings on their face and rows of sharp teeth, and they were black all over besides the white skull on their little faces.

[ This isn't good! ]

We ran through the plain, dodging the rocks on the ground before we came to another forest area. The size of this place hadn't hit me until just now. Kibbles behind me was puffing a little and I too was getting exhausted.

We heard after a little while the sounds of running water.

" Kibbles that's it! This way!" I said puffing.

" Meeeowwssttterrrr" Kibbles said complaining after being dragged for twenty minutes.

As we ran through the trees we finally got to what looked like a raging river, I looked behind us to see that the monkeys had cornered us.

[ Raging river in front and evil spirit beasts behind us. It is not looking good! ]

" Meowter what do we do?! " Kibbles said looking at the scenario in front of us.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

" RWARRRRRRRRR!" The call of a massive beast came from behind us. The world felt like it was shifting and I had trouble holding my ground.

The entire area shook as birds flew from the trees and the monkeys quietened down.

[ Even they are scared... Just what is it? ]

I looked over across the river and my heart sunk.

A massive spirit beast had knocked over the trees in its wake. It looked like the commotion had annoyed it. The spirit beast looked like a giant tiger, however, instead of fur it was covered in leaves. Its big red eyes focused on me as it licked its lips. It's sharp teeth and claws were dripping with a purple sludge.

It roared again before it stepped back a few steps and charged.

It was going to jump across the river!

My heart began to beat unsteadily as I looked over at the monkeys then back at the massive spirit beast.

[ Not good… not good! We have to jump! ]

I looked at Kibbles who was shaking.

" Do you trust me? " I said as calmly as I could.

Kibbles only nodded in response.

I held his hand as tight as I could before I pulled him into the river.

The massive spirit beast jumped across the river and had just made it over, it took one glance at Kibbles and me before rushing after the monkeys.

One was torn in half and hanging between the beasts maws as I tried my best to keep Kibbles and my head above the water.

The current was fierce. I felt something crash against me removing the oxygen from my lungs. I sucked in a huge breath as I tried not to drown. The force of the water was too much, however. It knocked me under several times.

A twig had slashed against my face like a knife.

My nose and chest began to burn due to the amount of water I had inhaled. The last thing I remembered was pulling Kibbles as close to me as I could, before passing out. The waves were knocking me to and fro.

I awakened sometime later, the only thing I could do was groan. My gag reflex began to work full force as I began to cough up what felt like litres of water.

Everything began to hurt as I gasped for breath, I felt like I was suffocating.

{ Abrupt mission: Find Kibbles! | Reward 30 DD }

The system's voice rung in my head as I took gasps of air and continued to cough. After a few minutes, I could finally open my eyes and my breathing became more normal.

Due to the labour, my chest had put me through; my eyes were watery. Through blurred vision, I found myself on a river bank. There was the sounds one would typically expect, the tweets of far-off birds, some roars as well as the splashing of a calm stream.

I tried my best to sit up and look around.

It looked like I had gone quite a distance from where Kibbles and I had jumped in, although I really couldn't tell.

I wanted to call for Kibbles as I couldn't see him anywhere, but knowing the monkies racket had called upon that walking death machine, I decided against it.

Half my body was still in the river, although the water had calmed down to a trickle. I forced myself up grunting in the process.

As I stood, a dizzy feeling entered my brain, so I unintentionally fell back down.

I was tired, hungry, injured and Kibbles was missing. Everything that could have gone wrong, had gone wrong. I held myself to stop myself from shivering, and I calmed my breaths.

I sat for a few minutes by a rock on the side of the river bank, continually checking around me to make sure that no predator had spotted me.

After being sure, I sighed in relief. I looked down at the ground and began to seriously think of what to do next.

[ It is time to think of a plan ]