Lament of the Slave

Chapter 134: Do Mossbears Like Honey?

When the mighty northern eagle fell to the ground, the soil beneath my feet shook so hard that I had trouble standing. Not that it matters that much. The first thing I did was jump into a ditch to escape the flying debris, so a few massive tremors weren't that big a deal.

However, what I felt now through my bare feet was a constant shaking of the forest floor that even resonated in the trunk of the tree by which I stopped and leaned my hand against.

If I didn't know it was caused by the stomping of dozens of mossbears running towards us, it would be nerve-wracking. Standing back home like this and feeling the same thing, I'd throw myself under the table, fearing for my life. In fact, any sane Eleadenian would have felt the same fear at the thought of the charging beasts. But not me.

They would surely call me crazy for the joy and relief I felt when mossbears finally showed up. It even brought tears of pure joy to my eyes. Nuts, I know. And a week ago, I would have thought the same shit of myself. Not now. All I could think of was, finally. Any hard feelings I had towards them about their tardiness and unwillingness to show up early were gone.

And how did I even know it was them and not an actual earthquake or some kind of eagle's or Deckard's skills? Though my big fluffy ears were not yet fully healed, I could hear them from the woods, their huffing and puffing as they made their way here. Their reckless and cumbersome forging of a path through the thickets of the woods was in stark contrast to the eagle's silent dive from the heights of the sky.

Quickly realizing I stood there like an idiot, in the eagle's sights, and in the mossbears' way, I stepped out of their path to the shelter of the tree and pressed my back against the trunk.

Stupid move if the eagle was still trying to kill me. Luckily, like me, the feathery beast sensed the arrival of the denizens of these woods and redirected all its efforts to get rid of Deckard and reach the tree canopy as quickly as possible. This little weasel named Korra Grey, for whom the beast bore senseless resentment, was suddenly at the edge of its bird mind.

"Are you trying to run away, you cowardly weasel?!" I shouted in a growl at the top of my lungs.

Was it a smart move to piss the beast off furthermore when I stood exposed to its attacks like an idiot? Absolutely not. Was it worth it? Yes, it was! When I got struck by its presence, carrying pure wrath, I felt great satisfaction.

Sadly, my taunt hadn't brought the result I was hoping for the most. The northern eagle didn't stop to attack me. A somewhat masochistic wish, you might say. And no, it wasn't my thing, just the only way I could think of to delay its escape. All I got from the eagle was a bloodthirsty look and screech so loud it made my ears twitch in pain. Not for a moment did this feathered beast halt in its rather desperate efforts to gain altitude as fast as it could while Deckard struggled to stop it from reaching the treetops.

With every meter the beast rose above the ruined forest floor, my heart clenched with worry that the mossbears would not make it more and more. In my mind, I was pushing the rushing furry moss-covered beasts onward, knowing full well what a futile effort it was; that it would not hasten their step.

"I can't keep that bastard down!" Deckard informed me, the strain evident in his voice.

"Can't you use that sick move you did before?"

"Not unless I want to cripple myself."

Not surprising, I mean that he couldn't repeat that demigod-like move. I'd have to be blind not to see that it took an enormous toll on him.

"How far?" He asked about the mossbears, giving me pause. Wasn't he the one who had a far more reaching perception than me?

Whatever, it didn't matter. What mattered was that those fuzzy, moss-covered giant bears made it in time.