Chapter 149 Journey For Redemption Pt. 8

I walked a bit further and as I did I could see little critters scurrying here and there. Little rodents and the small night time predators that eat on them, I thought about catching them and packing them away just as a appetizer for the main course but something inside of me told me to wait until tomorrow after the system was taken away from me. That feeling was telling me to hold off on hunting this large bear like creature aswell but this one was meant for Gula and not for me.

I pushed forward and even had to jump along thick branches at times as the bush down below was just to thick to get through, I eventually could see the cave entrance and was not shocked to see as a good foot around the entance was just a graveyard or bleached bones mixed with fresh kills and some in between. I could see human and animal bones and bodies but what Interested me as I inched closer was a gigantic wing that still had some partial webbing that had to spanned 6 ft easily. It looked like a bat wing but at the end instead of one hook claw it looked more like a hand even with a thumb bone and in the center of the wing was a joint that would allow it to fold and move much like an arm of a human would.

I was to interested in this wing and what it could have been but I kept on task and kept moving closer to the cave entrance and I pressed against the mouth of the cave to see if I could hear anything coming from inside as I held my breath for a few moments. I knew what was inside but I wanted to be safe just and use my senses in case something had the ability to avoid my Detection ability.

The only thing I could hear was the deep guttural snoring of the beast from further within and I sighed in relief. I don't know why I was so amped up and anxious at the possibility of something else being inside the cave but then a bottle uncorked and memories of a dark cave and a shadow beast emerged and soon shivers of fear and cold swear started to run through my whole body. I did my best to shake it off and take deep breaths and slowly my nerves calmed down as I forced those memories back into the bastard bottle that they came from. I shook my shoulders and cracked my neck a few times before with a deep breath I turned and walked into the cave.

I could smell the blood in the air getting thicker and thicker as I walked deeper in and soon I came upon a large room with smooth walls in a large circular area and in the middle up on a raised platform area was a mass of brown fur and muscle that took up the entire thing. Just looking I would have to guess that from one end to the other had to of been 15 ft across, and just that was enough to make me give some serious thought about this.

I needed to lay some traps and do some serious prework before I started this fight...

"Who are you to disturb my sleep little dragon?" A deep voice rumbled throughout the cave and dust was seen coming down from the ceiling as it shook. I was frozen as I looked at the now moving mass as a huge bear face came into view with a jaw filled with yellow teeth that made me think they were still sharp enough to pierce even the toughest of dragon scale. It's eyes were the purest black but held a level of intelligence that was unseen in the creatures I fought.

"When you get to be my age little dragon, you pick up a few things. One such thing is indeed intelligence. Now back to my question while I'm still being a good host.... Why have you woken me up?" The massive mouth moved and a wave of sound moved the air itself as it came towards me. I held my head as my brain felt like it was experiencing being in a earthquake right at the center.

The bear then immediately held his hand up to his mouth and uttered an "oops!" as a magic circle that glowed brown was soon cast over it's throat and it started coughing.

"'Ahem','Ahem', There that's better, sorry bout that but that's just your fault for waking me up. If I don't regulate my voice than I could cause this whole cave and even more to collapse." A small, cute voice spoke through the bears huge mouth doing a complete 180 and making my brain melt with how bizarre it was. First was the huge and intimidating monstrosity that caused pain with just it's deep voice, than it used magic and out came a girly voice like some kind of anime girl! This was bullshit and way to much to handle right now!

I just stood there frozen still as the sheer audacity of reality to dare and throw something like this in my face. The bear then got a mean look in its eye and lightly flapped one paw at me.

"Hello? Are you still there? Did you die standing up? I'm sure my voice didn't kill you right away? Hmph I can hear your heart beating so I know your still alive you know! Don't ignore me!" The cute voice raised in pitch and sounded angry but all it did was make it sound even cuter but the visual of a huge bear waving its paw around in a tantrum was having a total opposite effect on me.

"I-I-I'm sorry... But... But what the fuck!!! How the Hell can you sound like that but look like this! Do you know how Cute your fucking voice sounds but how terrifying your body looks!?" I couldn't help but scream as my head just couldn't handle the pressure between the two conflicting things any longer.

The bear stopped waving its paw and looked at me than down at its body then back at me. "Oh, if that's the only problem." Then another circle appeared but this time it expanded to encompass the entirety of the bears body and slowly it scanned over it and the body dissipated almost like a liquid as it condensed down and soon what was standing there was a girl with coarse brown hair down to her back, her hands and feet were more mixed between bear paws and hands, She had thumbs and fingers and toes but her palms and her feet were more like padded paws and her nails were longer and curved to resemble her true claws.

She hopped down from the platform and fell for a good second then walked up to me. I looked down at her which meant she couldn't have been more than 6 ft tall. She had on what looked like a halloween cavewoman costume on, the over the shoulder and across the chest sash that covered the essentials type dress? It was even covered in her true forms fur aswell.

"Now that we are more or less on equal footing. Why did you wake me up little dragon?" She asked with that goddam cute voice while she looked up at me.

"Uhhhhh? Ummm? To eat you?? I was going to offer you to the one who gave me power but then you started talking and then you turned into a cute girl and welll.... now I'm kinda rethinking this whole thing." I said honestly seeing as how even with her new form I could see as her tiny body is still packed with muscles brimming under the surface.

The bear girl looked at me with scrutinizing eyes for a bit longer before sighing and turning back to walk back to the platform.

"Just go, I don't feel like eating dragon for breakfast and you don't have enough meat on you to fill me up anyways."

"Wait! Why are you here? What are you? I've never seen a creature like you before, especially one that could speak and apparently read my mind like you did."

"I didn't read your mind but the expression you had on your face told me everything, I have been around for a very long time and like I said, I picked up a few things. I'm sorry I hurt you but I think it would be best if you go now before I get hungry."

"Hold on.... Please, I'm sorry if I upset you, but I could use your help, The Shadow Eaters are active again and I'm on a mission to gather strong people and train to kill them and drive them back to the mountain. I could use your help with that. I'm sure that if you want food I could get it for you, if you need something else than we could work that out aswell...." I wasn't really thinking past this point but seeing the power just her power possessed, well hell who wouldn't try and bring them over to their side.

"You would really feed me!!" The girl said as she turned and ran up to me and grabbed my hand with such intensity that I felt it crack a couple times. I winced slightly but covered it up and nodded.

"Ofcourse, I also have a son who is an amazing cook and can whip up the worlds best delicacies that I bet you have never tasted."

"Hmmm, I highly doubt that. I've tasted dishes that were borderline divine and were prepared by demi gods born from the gods of cooking and harvest. What can your son do that those people cannot?"

"Well, That I don't know but I'm sure that he can make you something you could enjoy. Honestly That was just an expression I wasn't being serious about it. I love his cooking and I'm sure you would to. But right now I'm on my way to a wedding and won't be heading back to my territory where he is for atleast another week, If you want I can drop by and pick you up on my way back if you want?"

"Where is this wedding being held? I live on the outskirts of the jungle and the land of that irritating bastard Necro who keeps coming by to visit every so often. If you keep going this way then you will end up in his territory and by then it will be to late..... Wait.... That's exactly where you're going! Your face says it all!"

"Ugh, Yea, so short version I fucked up and now my daughter is getting married to Necro. I am on my way there to talk to them and try and become a better person in the meantime hoping to avoid the same mistake again." Sadness flashed over my eyes as a brief reminder of what I did flashed in my mind.

"I see, well dammit, I really don't like that guy... But he does have good food.... Fuck. Let's go then, I'll come with you and then you can take me back to your territory afterwards to meet your son and eat his food from there. But don't try anything with me got it little dragon? I have lived more than a few of your ancestores lifetimes and I will not be wooed by some dragon fresh from his egg!"

"haha, ok, I will try not to pull any moves on you but to be fair you do look pretty cute like this and I can't help myself around pretty girls. But if you say no than it's a no, I'll make sure to have Romeo cook up a huge feast for you and even make sure to have him cook up his roasted boar and make up a batch of honey sap icecream for desert."

"Icecream? What's that?"

"Oh? Well you take milk and then you freeze using ice magic and than mix in some other ingredients. To be fair I don't know everything that happens but what you end up with at the end is a frozen delicacy that melts in your mouth and tastes like heaven. I could eat it all day long... Ooo, here I even brought some to eat but now is the perfect time." I open up a small space bubble but that freaks the bear girl as she jumps back and puts her hands up ready to attack.

"Hold on! This is just my magic! Here." I bring out a bowl that has a brownish substance in it that was frozen and smelt similar to honey. "This is the icecream that I was telling you about, here try some."

I scooped up some with the wooden spoon and offered it to her, she looked for a few seconds but when she saw it about to drip off the spoon because it was melting her eyes opened wide and she quickly clasped her mouth around the spoon and I could feel as her tongue lapped it up off the spoon and down her throat. I heard a small moan escape her as she tasted it which quickly was suppressed as she let go of the spoon and turned away from me.

"'Ahem', that was good, thank you. I would like more if that is ok?" She asks and ofcourse because I wanted to hear that sound more I obviously agree. It wasn't like I couldn't get more icecream later on.

"Here, have it all, I can just go get more when we get back. But right now I need to be getting back to my camp and I also need to go hunting for some more food. If you want you can come with me or stay here, But Either way I gotta go." I turn around and start to walk away but soon she jogs up and falls in line with me while handing me the now empty bowl.

"Thank you." She says and I nod as I place the bowl back in the bubble. So much for offering Gula a strong offering but I hope that she is ok with something else... I also am hoping Mara and Kitsoma are ok with me bringing a cute girl back to camp with me..... Ugh Kitsoma, why do you have to be right so often?