222 Leech Tree

"Please Please!!"

"Please what?!"

"Think of something else! Have you thought the scar that something like that will leave in your cute little sister's heart!!! She suffered enough already!!"

"Don't talk about yourself in third person… it's weird… and remember that you used to eat dirt when you were little. This is not even close as disgusting as that…"

"Hey! I was four, I didn't know what I was doing!!! And you promised to never mention that again on my thirteenth birthday!!"

"Sorry, my bad…If you have a suggestion believe me… I will be delighted to accept it… leaving this place through THAT place doesn't feel nice for me either… so any idea?"

"…"

"B*tthole it is then… let's go I think that the storm is getting near."

"Don't say it… just call it a second portal or something…Do you think we are going to stink when we go out?"

"Yes, but because of the beast blood that's on us and the sweat from being fighting half-day. From what I have seen so far, the exit it's going to just be another portal for us to go through like the one we came from. I don't think we will be any more stinky than before…"

*sigh*

Hope finally surrendered to her fate as we started to walk along the mountain base.

"Let's just leave this place and forget it forever…"

…

The passage was wide enough for both of us to go side by side without problems. The tall mountains stood at each side while I was fully alert looking for any sign of danger…

What we found at the end of the passage left us flabbergasted…

"Spencer… is this place a dead end?"

In front of us, instead of a desolate prairie as before, in the distance, a giant lake could be seen… completely frozen… a weird smell went into my nostrils as I tried to understand what was going on…

There was also another Incoming storm, the lake wasn't the only place with water, there were little pools everywhere, and most of them were also frozen with some exceptions in the distance… where something white and red stood up in the almost empty place.

"Hope do you know how cows digestion works?"

"… I read it in one of the books that you made me look at, why?"

I nodded, this was one of the greatest advantages that eidetic memory had. I had a level in zoology, but I had focused most of my knowledge in snakes and some other reptiles, so even if a have some understanding, and know about the cows having four stomachs, I have no idea what the job of each of the cow's stomachs is… or even if they have different functions…

"Tell me the short version of what does each one of the stomachs does."

"Sure, when the cow eats, sometimes it just swallows the food, the first stomach had the job of breaking or crushing the food."

As I heard that I remembered that crushing sensation when we entered through that portal, was that related to the first stomach function? Does each of the stomachs had a particular version of the normal function too?

"On the second one the food it's mixed with saliva to form cud, that is the stuff that you always see the chewing. The third one is in charge of drying it, it absorbs water, and the last one is in charge of the absorption of the nutrients."

I nodded…

"So this should be the second stomach…"

…if the crushing force was the first one then these pools aren't water but saliva… from what she said the second stomach also has a connection with the mouth, and that would explain why the place is also frozen.

"Then those pools are… this is so gross!! You should have let me die!"

"Hey, it's not so bad, want me to remind you where the dirt you liked to eat came from?"

"STOP WITH THAT!!"

I didn't respond her this time… I looked as if I was thinking about something.

"If that area was frozen and there is another portal that means that the cow's butt should be that way."

I said pointing the area where we should go next. I started walking right away, and Hope followed without letting it go.

"Hey! We are having a conversation here! Don't ignore me!"

"Sure what you want to talk about?"

… No retaliation?

"You!!... used to pee your bed!"

"The only time that might have happened I was so little that I was wearing diapers so you will have to do something better."

"I…"

She looked at me and made a victory smile.

"…know where you used to hide your porn."

"I know where YOU used to hide yours…"

…

"I didn't have porn!!"

"Yeah sure… as if you really would have a "science stuff" folder in your intercom."

I was holding back my laugh when I saw her confused face… there was no "science stuff" folder, but I sounded so sure about it that she even doubted it herself. I think that my charisma might have something to do with it too.

There were rules in fighting your sister, the main one is to never give her an advantage or leverage against you. And if she has something don't let her notice…

The constant banter had nothing to do with me wanting to bully her or something like that… okay, maybe a little… who doesn't find some fun in annoying his brother or sisters, but at least that's not the primary purpose of doing it.

Even if we aren't acting like it we are in a dire situation, we were eaten by a giant and powerful beast, and right now are trapped on a collapsing pocket dimension… the constant banter and jokes help by keeping both of us relaxed, and to be honest I missed joking around with Hope… while she was thinking about it, I added the last strike.

"Don't worry I won't tell anyone about your weird tastes…"

She looked back at me slightly blushed. Her thoughts were easy to read right now.

'What did I put in there!?"

…

As we got away from the storm the landscape had some changes, the red and white stuff that we could see from far away were actually trees.

While Hope was trying hard to remember some stuff from before the meteor shower, I was focused on the forest that appeared in front of us…

Red leaves, and white trunks and branches, it wasn't the kind of tree that you would usually see out there, but it wasn't the color what made me focus on them.

My sixth sense was telling me that there was something else to these trees, something dangerous. Even if it was dangerous, I had to keep moving into the forest and doing it without understanding the danger of the trees would be a mistake.

The aura view gave me a new understanding of them, but it confused me at the same time…

The trees had weird-looking auras as if they had an unusual number of powers mixed in them or something like that.

When I recalled the third stomach it made sense, they absorb the saliva mixed with… whatever the cow eats. The water absorption area…

"Be careful with these trees."

Hope who was looking at the trees with curiosity moved back a little.

"What are they?"

"I think that they are the water absorption part of the cow's stomachs. Give me a second I want to try something… if I don't take my finger out of it as soon as I touch it, kick my hand or something…"

"Gladly…"

I can't believe she is thinking about revenge for making fun of her at this moment…

I slowly approached the tree and care of not making any mistakes I got ready to put the finger on a leaf.

I felt it.

As I touched the leaf I I couldn't take it out. Before I could even try to get my finger out of by force, a force made my whole arm move upwards. As I asked as soon as she noticed that I didn't try to take my finger back, she kicked it.

I looked at the finger and found an area with the same appearance as if a leech sucked my blood there.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah thank you. Don't get near the trees they are like leeches so as soon as they touch you, they will try to suck your blood…"