9 Chapter 009: A Mother and Her Children
"Oh, by the way, I almost forgot something important." Maou ran past me and lifted something huge. "I caught this wild boar earlier."
I looked at Maou in disbelief. He held up a wild black fur boar that was ten times his size with ease. Also, wild boars were vicious and immensely strong creatures that could even knock down trees, meaning he was strong enough to kill one by hand.
"How did you...?"
"I killed it by hand. Impressive, right?" Maou grinned happily at his achievement, dropping the boar to the ground and slapping at its dead body. "Shelly, Do you have something to slice and dice this big boy?"
"Give me a second, let me just search my bag." I opened the bag, fondling my hand around. "I'm sure I have my knives in here somewhere."
"Ah! Here it is." My hands finally found what I was looking for.
I pulled out a small pouch, in this pouch I kept all my knives and daggers.
"Here you go." I handed a long and sharp knife to Maou. "Be careful not to cut yourself."
"Thanks." Maou held the knife in his hand, menacingly standing close to the wild boar.
"Wait! Do you have to gut it here?" I interrupted, not wanting to see the show of gore and spraying of blood that would take place.
"Oh yeah! I wouldn't want the smell of wild boar guts spoiling my meal." Maou stabbed the knife into the boar's head and lifted it with both hands above his head.
"I'll be right back. Try not to die this time." Maou sprinted off carrying a wild boar ten times his size with zero effort or strain. "Don't move!"
So much had just happened within less than a day. All my friends got slaughtered in front of my eyes, this energetic, weird and horn-headed boy appeared when I first almost died and now once more, I was almost drowned by a disgusting fish monster.
I would question the universe if my misfortune could get any worse than this?, but I dare not challenge it any further.
"Haaaaaa!" I sighed long and slowly, plopping myself on the grass and closing my eyes. "I hardly started and I've burnt out already.
Some slightly overcast white puffy clouds unhurriedly flew by, hiding the sun and its rays. A peaceful puff of wind blew across the trees and grass, rustling the leaves and swaying the grass back and forth in a smooth motion.
Only the subtle sounds of the grass and leaves shifting about from the little breeze could be heard, It was peaceful indeed. So much so, I didn't even notice when I drifted off into sleep.
"Slurp! Slurp! Slurp! Slurp!" I felt something slimy lick my face.
Half-awake, I weakly push away whatever was licking me and felt some small horns.
"Maou stop. I'm too tired to play with you."
"Slurp! Slurp! Slurp! Slurp!" I felt something slimy lick my face again, but this time it felt like three tongues and had bad breath.
"Maou, stop whatever it is you're doing to me?" Confused, I sat up rubbing the drowsiness from my eyes so I could better see.
"Squeal! Squeal! Squeal!"
Standing right next to me were three cute and small baby boars. Two of them had stripes of different shades of brown on their fur. The other one had black fur similar to the huge boar Maou killed. They all had two little teeth sticking out the side of their mouth like horns, beautiful pearl-like brown eyes and a cute tiny tail.
"Baby boars! So adorable!" I patted the heads of all four baby boars and tickled their bellies. They liked the belly rubs, rolling over onto their backs, giggling and wiggling. This was a level of adorableness and cuteness I needed right now after all my recent sufferings.
"Hmm! Hm! Hmm! Hm!" They rubbed their little boar heads up against me. I could feel their small, soft, furry bodies against my arms.
"Huff! Grunt! Huff! Grunt!"
"What's that noise?!" I frantically started looking around worriedly. "Please, don't do this to me now."
I could hear the aggressive and heavy breathing sounds of something in the forest getting closer and louder.
"HUFF! GRUNT! HUFF! GRUNT! HUFF! GRUNT!"
The sound kept getting closer and louder. I pulled the baby boars closer to me to protect them.
From behind the trees nearby, a massive boar with stripes of different shades of brown on its thick fur came out. It had two long and big teeth sticking out the sides of its mouth like horns. Its eyes were pearl-like brown and red with blood.
It spotted me and the baby boars. It was extremely furious. With its every breath, you could see slight steam leaving it's huge flaring nostrils and kicking the dirt beneath its feet ready to charge at us.
"Run! Run! Run! Run! It's gonna kill us." Hurriedly getting up to my feet, I clutched the baby boars, holding them with both arms across my chest sprinting for dear life.
"Dum! Dum! Dum! Grunt!" The boar charged at us hurriedly and with the intent to kill, rather, devour us.
"Help! Help! Help!" I was sprinting through the forest, moving in-between trees, hopping over tree roots and stones trying not to fall.
The enraged boar was chasing close behind us, bulldozing the trees in its path, howling and breathing loudly.
Using the trees as cover while I ran, barely slowed down the boar's bulldozing speed. The baby boars were shrieking in fear and I grew increasingly more tired running at full tilt.
"Shriek! Shriek! Shriek!" The baby boars cried out in fear.
"Don't worry. It's okay, I'll get us to safety." I tried reassuring them and myself.
There were fewer trees the further I ran and the boar was getting closer and closer.
"No! No! No! No! Please don't do this now."
The thing I feared was there in front of me. I stopped at the bottom of a low cliff wall where the trees ended. Meaning I had nowhere to run to now.
I stood there panting, completely exhausted from all the running. There was nowhere left to run anymore and even if there was I couldn't muster the strength to keep running.
"This is it. Once again, this is how I die. Hah! Can I please just get a break for once?"
I leaned against the wall, slowly falling to my buttocks depleted of energy and the baby boars trembling and hugging on to me tightly in fear.
"GRUNT! GRUNT! GRUNT!"
I could see the trees being knocked over and the boar charging at me. Its stomps shook the ground and steam leave its breath.
Sitting there and accepting my fate, I hugged and kissed the baby boars to comfort them.
"I told you to try and not die and not even an hour later you're already in a predicament." Maou appeared standing in between me and the charging boar. "How unlucky can you be?"
I was startled at Maou's sudden appearance.
"What are you doing?! Get out the way before it kills you too!"
"Oh, ye of little faith."
Maou cracked his knuckles and charged at the boar.
"SLAM!"
Maou grabbed the horns of the charging boar, putting the brakes on its speed greatly. Maou was being pushed back with dust clouds forming around him but quickly he completely halted the motion of the boar.
Maou lifted the boar off its legs slowly and held the boar in the air above his head staring in its face with a murderous bloodthirsty look in his eyes.
The boar that was furious before, calmed down and was shaking in fear.
"Good! You've calmed down." Maou gently put the boar back on the ground.
Maou turned looking back at me grinning and I just sat there astounded at what I just saw. Who was this weird child?
"Wait a second! So that's why?" Maou facepalmed and sighed loudly. "Those baby boars in your arms are her children. You stole a mother boar's children and almost got yourself killed again."
"Wait! Really?! You're kidding me."
The three baby boars jumped out my arms and ran to their mother. They all left peacefully.
I was shocked to hear this. I thought I was protecting the baby boars from danger but instead I was running away with a mother's children. I felt so stupid right now. If only I had just drowned earlier this wouldn't have happened. I'm the bad guy in this situation.
Maou stared at me with the most pitiful look I have ever seen. "It's either you're stupid or you just like near-death experiences."
"I'm sorry. Please don't look at me like that. It won't happen again, I swear." I felt embarrassment unimaginable. For the first time in my life, I wanted to die willingly.
