Re:Zero FF Beatrice Heart Crossing

Chapter 17: Finding Trees in a Forest

A warm breeze passed Subaru while he sat in the land dragon drawn cart softly rumbling along the trail towards the village. As the outline of the castle grew smaller with each passing moment, Subaru gently touched his neck where Beatrice had caressed him before. A bright smile crossed his face as he reminisced and the time passed quickly before the rooftops of the village came into view. Exiting the cart, Subaru stretched his arms above his head while a yawn escaped from his mouth.

???: "Not a good sign when the help Niki sends is both late and yawning."

The sound of a small voice startled Subaru and he frantically looked around for the source. Unable to determine the origin, Subaru shrugged and began to thank the land dragon while offering the beast scraps from his lunch.

???: "Hmm, Niki said the small one was rude, but she didn't say anything about you..."

This time, the source of the voice lightly kicked Subaru's ankle. Slightly shocked, the boy looked down to find a small cat boy staring back at him. The small boy had gray hair and his ears poked out from behind a worn newsboy cap. Subaru thought that the boy must be an entire foot shorter than Niki, but couldn't place his age. He wore a canvas tunic and cloth pants with sandals similar to the outfit provided for Subaru during his stay. However, Subaru noted that the articles appeared to have several patches and signs of restoration from overuse. As he evaluated the cat boy, the land dragon earnestly began to lick Subaru across his face. Subaru stumbled away from the dragon and began wiping his face as he spoke.

Subaru: "Blech! Geez! Woah there boy! I'll miss you too. Anyway, so... kid, did Niki tell you to meet me here or what? You seem like you know me. I'm looking for the lumbercat."

???: "Hmm, you are indeed rude. Fine, follow me to the lumber yard this way."

The small cat boy spoke in a flat tone as he abruptly strode forward leaving Subaru behind.

Subaru: "Ehh! Hold up!"

Subaru ran to catch up to the cat boy who seemed to not acknowledge his presence. The boy's golden eyes looked to be preoccupied in thought as they held an aloof appearance. Even so, the boy deftly weaved around the village houses and down a narrow path into the forest with Subaru in tow. After a few minutes, the forest opened into a clearing and loud industrial sounds filled the air. As the sun cleared from his eyes, Subaru gazed around the clearing and saw piles of sawn logs and a small river running through the forest. Near the head of the river at the edge of the clearing there was a large water wheel attached to a mill. As Subaru stared as if awestruck, the cat boy spoke out to him.

???: "Well, as you can see we have all the means to process lumber. All that remains is for you to assist in cutting down some trees. You needed a stall, right?"

Subaru: "H-huh? Well... It looks like we may need a small stage now..."

???: "Hmm, three then."

Subaru: "Three what?"

???: "Trees. You'll need three trees for a job that size. There's a clearing a ways up the river that has perfect trees."

Subaru quizzically made eye contact with the boy as he tried to assess the identity of the child.

Subaru: "Okay, you aren't as cute as you think you are. Are you the lumbercat's son? What was his name... Ri-Ricar-Ricardo! Are you related to him?"

???: "In a way, yes."

As Subaru was about to berate the boy for his sarcastic attitude, a group of cat people approached him. Seeing that the group was of adults who worked at the lumberyard, Subaru folded his arms and awaited what he thought would be a swift punishment for his unruly guide.