80 Chapter 80 - Encounters
Third Person’s POV (12 yrs. and 8 months old)
“What is your purpose here, ‘human’?” asked directly the alpha. So the human’s are here, just as the King said, the alpha thought.
They should really pay attention to what is happening within the valley even though certain places are prohibited of them to explore.
“Oh, uh, I am hunting for food?” he replied. Intriguing, the alpha thought, he didn’t think it would be quite that.
“Why are you hunting for food human?” asked the alpha.
“So that I could bring it back to my friends for us to eat.” If this wolf was a person, Ken could swear that they would have their eyebrow perked up by now, for it was the feeling that he felt.
“And you’re eating that?” pointed the alpha with his muzzle. Ken looked at the boar’s parts -meat- and back at the alpha.
“Yes, I’ll be cooking it for us to eat.” he said. Having unrecognized the word ‘cooking’ the alpha paid it no mind and continued to ponder.
Another long silence befell the two.
“Uh, is there anything the matter sir? Wolf?” The alpha’s stare hardened, making Ken shy out.
“Do not call me wolf human, I am an Alpha.” ‘This human has interesting sides to him.’ The alpha thought.
“Ye-yes alpha.” said Ken bowing to the Alpha. “Would you be so kind to let me go?” he asked.
“Hmmm, go ahead, as long as you don’t bother me and my pack.” replied the alpha and turned around to head back to his pack. Ken smiled and bowed again, about to go and find more food when he abruptly remembered that he knows nothing about food in these parts.
Sure he knows some herbs and plants that are edible, but wouldn’t it be much easier for him if he was taught of the consumables here? Plus, he really wants some vegetables, he doesn’t know why but he just wants some.
“Excuse me.” said Ken, the alpha turned to look at him. “Umm, can I ask for help in foraging for herbs and other edible plants?” the alpha stared at him confused.
“What do you mean foraging and edible?” he asked.
“Oh, uh, I meant collecting and can be consumed plants.” Ken replied. The alpha nodded at him.
“I suppose I can help you with that.” Ken smiled, and so, he was helped by the pack of wolves to collect some herbs and plants that are edible along with the help of the deers from the other side of the river.
Surprisingly the two were considered friends and allies, Ken didn’t expect this since in his past life wolves hunt deers for food, maybe not on this one. At first he was shy and flustered as he was fawned over by both groups as he was showered by praises and thanks due to earlier.
He was even more surprised as the herd of deers traversed the river above the water, and later found out that they were able to do it due to their mental capacity. Both groups were on the side were the pack of wolves were.
‘They’re like psychics!’ Ken exclaimed in his mind as he stared in awe as the wolves were able to do it too, except for the pups.
‘It seems they’ve evolved.’ said White. Ken nodded slowly, still mesmerized.
After an hour, Ken was able to collect enough food for his group and bid farewell to the pack and herd, but not before defeating five more huge boars and offered two to the pack, as well as he had foraged a lot of edible plants for the herd.
He said that it was thanks for helping him out. He used the accessory storage space for the amount of food he had collected, when he remembered that he had one. He bid the group farewell some more and proceed back to where his group was.
Upon arriving his friends were still sleeping with Syla looking over them. He then proceeded to make a mini kitchen made out of clay, and the knives were made out of ice magic and enchanted so that they won’t melt away.
Ken looked for branches and had chopped down one dried tree, but replaced it with a new one as he planted a seed beside it, for firewood. And there he made barbeque skewers, along with vegetables to the side, and salads.
Good thing that some of the vegetables here are similar to the ones back on earth, only a little mutilated and harsh to harvest or collect as some of it fought him first before he got to harvest.
But nonetheless he was happy he could take care of his companions, it was nearing late afternoon and his food menu was perfect for the occasion, he even found some spices along with sauce, the sauce was found accidentally as he had crushed a black berry with his hands and splashed its content all over his face, again.
Slowly his friends and the adults of the group were stirring awake, Ken had already prepared a table made out of the lumber he chopped and used nature magic with manual input to look like a lavishing wooden table in the middle of the flower field and plates made out of clay.
And they were shiny, with makeshift spoon and fork. Syla was not spared by the delicious aroma as she went and took a look at the rows of barbeque Ken made, about a hundred or so, he knows the appetite of his friends so this should suffice.
Syla’s mouth watered at the meat before her, and Ken chuckled at her display of hunger, which made her embarrassed. Ken invited her to sit near the table for he would be serving the food in a minute.
Syla gratefully obliged.
Ken’s group one by one awoke from the aroma and slowly walked to the table in a trance, Trunk and Coralia along with Granarados whom were still slowly coming to their senses did not know what to do and just dived head first for the vegetables on the plates, still in their beast form.
The group stared at them wide eyed and when they realized what they were doing, they immediately stopped and retreated to the corner of the table, embarrassed of their actions.
The group just laughed it off and gradually the embarrassment faded off and the group was able to have a hearty meal, chatters and laughter could be heard as the last bits of rays soon fell upon the sky, as if completely forgetting what transpired earlier.
The group packed up and decided to head to the place where the herd of nature deers resided, to both reassure them that the group is well and had completed their mission for the day. On the way, Ken was happily leading the group.
Flin was talking beside Allen, and when he took a glance at Ken, everything from earlier came crashing down on him, he abruptly stopped, so too did Allen. He felt Flin’s fear despite the initial happiness from earlier. He approached Flin.
“What’s wrong, are you okay?” Flin looked at him, cold sweat started to form on his forehead.
“I-I thought I had died.” Allen understood what he meant.
“I thought so too.” Flin looked at him, then back at Ken, then he recalled the memory of witnessing how Allen was stabbed in the stomach, he recalled the blood trickling down the wound before everything went black.
“A-are you not afraid?” Flin asked. Allen nodded.
“I am, Ken is the most powerful person I know, and we’ve witnessed first-hand how he could cause such destruction in his wake, and that was the first time for me too to be able to feel the looming of death.” Allen looked at Ken’s back condescendingly.
“Th-then why are you not…” Flin’s eyes darted back and forth from Ken and Allen.
“Doing anything? That’s because I trust Ken, and I know he has an explanation as to why that kind of thing happened.” said Allen, in between solemn and doubt.
“Why don’t you doubt him?” Flin asked this time calmly as his chaotic thoughts were sorted out. Allen looked at Ken who was laughing along with his other friends, they did not notice that they had caught up to the group.
“I don’t know, and I know that what I’m about to say would be considered biased but, years of talking and experiencing so many things with Ken made me -in his terms- solidify my belief in the guy.” Flin stared at him wide-eyed.
“Just like he said, no one hurts people for any reason, only through spite, jealousy, rage and anger, but if a person decided to hurt someone dear to them for the purpose of growth, then wouldn’t it be more acceptable to give them a chance to redeem themselves?” Allen added.
Flin did not know, or understand Allen’s words, but somehow, someway, he knew deep inside him that he understood what Allen meant. He stared at Ken and wondered how much this person must be to them to have so much trust that they could offer.
“To tell you honestly I had also doubted what transpired earlier, but after preparing us food and taking care of us like we’re someone precious to him, made the doubts go away.” said Allen.
“It’s okay to doubt a person, you just need to ask or clarify some things out to answer the questions in your mind.” he added. This time Flin didn’t need to voice out his thoughts for he too understood if not a lot, about what Allen meant by those words.
For he too had doubts of himself.
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