Chapter 3 Gift For Sister

Toward evening, the students dispersed. Not many students came to class. Only a few students seemed to be concentrating on their lessons until they started skipping more classes during the day. It's still three in the afternoon. Lyra and I left the city gates and walked through the forest.

I'm used to entering the Ankila Forest. Lyra came with me to hunt animals in the forest. Not the mythical creatures that usually inhabit the forests of Zone Zero, or the demonic mythical creatures that only appear in dark and foggy places. The forest of Zone Zero is quite distant and separate from the forest of Ankila, located in the Northern Valley, the border near Horace's kingdom.

Lyra did not return to the North Valley. The girl accompanied me to the forest. On the other hand, I was running out of money, the money my father earned from the mine was not enough to pay the electricity. If it is not paid immediately, even if it is a week late, it will definitely be cut off unilaterally. I just told my mother that I would be late coming home because I was practicing spirit magic powers in the academy.

Today is August 20th. Of course I remember this date, it's really stuck in my head. Today is the birthday of my favorite little sister. Gisella, my sister, is annoying, but I love her very much. I want to give her something for her birthday.

There were only 25 silver and 1 bronze in my jacket pocket. Walking through the city, I accidentally saw an animal, the animal's appearance was not very cute, especially I really hate furry animals that like to hiss.

The animal's fur was thick and pure white, its long whiskers twitched, and it made a hissing sound when I passed a shop selling live hunting animals. Those little eyes are like a good scout.

I don't like those annoying animals, because I've seen them. Gisella has such an animal and takes good care of it. Unfortunately, the animal died when it was caught in a trap in the forest. I was happy that the animal was dead and no one bothered me anymore.

But I felt sorry for my sister. Gisella shut herself up all day, mourning the death of that stupid animal. I was very angry with Gisella's attitude, too much to mourn the death of that stupid animal.

"Zeo understands me better when I'm lonely. He's also the one who always accompanies me."

"Stupid! Cry for that useless animal." I shouted no less loudly than Gisella.

"That's because you hate him. You don't know how much I love Zeo." Gisella continued to defend the stupid animal that was obviously dead.

"I'm your older brother. Of course I love you more than that stupid animal."

"Don't call Zeo a stupid animal!" Gisella hissed. His eyes were sharp, full of anger and sadness.

My mouth didn't speak, my arms crossed over my chest. I stared at my little sister. This animal is stupid, I don't like it at all.

"I found him in the forest. Zeo was very unlucky, he lost his father, his mother and his siblings. What if that had happened to me or you?"

The little girl's black eyes stared blankly, tears still streaming down her beautiful, pure white face. There was a strange feeling in my sister's eyes. I'm like a very cruel person.

I'm a heartless person, just because I don't like these animals. My mind cleared, I thought back to when Gisella came home with her muddy clothes and the furry animal in her arms.

This animal is very unhappy. The animal's fur is untidy, falling out, dirty and shabby. The first time Gisella brought the animal, I didn't hate it, it was very good at catching mice, which were always running around in our small house.

At first I didn't really mind the pet staying at home, but it reached its peak when I brought home two fish that I had caught in the Hob. The Hob was actually just an unused warehouse that belonged to a rich man who lived in the Hill Valley area. An unused warehouse was turned into a Hob, a black market whose location is known only to hunters, sellers, or those who wish to exchange their goods for other goods.

While it is very illegal, the existence of the Hob actually helps the residents of Hill Valley who are in desperate need of food and other necessities. You can't necessarily get it in town, the price in the town market is very high.

I caught two big fish, the result of catching two fat squirrels in the forest. I'm still not very good at archery, but Lyra is very good at making animal traps.

Happy to get two fairly large fish, I kept the two fish in the kitchen for my mother to cook right away. I didn't expect that I would hate that animal that day, that stupid animal took the fish my mother wanted to cook. Only the bones and the head were left, while nothing was left of the other fish.

Gisella and I had a big fight, and I almost wanted to throw the stupid animal back into the forest, but I didn't. Although I was very angry, my heart was still hot. I decided to give in rather than fight with Gisella again.

Since then, the death of Zeo the orange cat has taken away the joy of my beloved little brother. Gisella still looks good, sometimes it always bothers me. But behind her mask of lies, I always saw Gisella mourning Zeo's death. Sad and dark without my knowledge.

Today is his birthday, I decided to work hard to get a cat with soft and dense white fur that looks miserable in a narrow cage.

I spent an hour hunting in the forest, catching the animals that were most interesting to those in the Hob. One of them is a white rabbit with pink markings, a rare animal.

I've prepared my arrows and bow, concentrated, focused on the prey in front of me. My hands were still shaking, frozen, and I didn't dare to kill the poor animal. The arrow missed, only hitting a branch, causing the unique rabbit to be shocked and run away.

Exhale slowly. I was disappointed and angry with myself, very angry. Father will definitely start giving me pearls of wisdom, advising me until I'm tired.

"Don't worry, Morgan. I'm here, of course I can make a noose," Lyra said and patted my back. That girl with the braided hair can always make me smile.

Lyra took the trapping equipment she always carried in her small bag. With her small, very dexterous hands, Lyra set traps around the places where white rabbits with pink spots always passed.

We waited for an hour in the bushes. My face grew pale from waiting so long, and the rabbit never came.

"Should we look somewhere else?" I suggested. I'm getting impatient.

"Wait a minute, Morgan. I've set a trap where the rabbit always passes. Look..." Lyra pointed in another direction. Sure enough, two white rabbits with pink spots walked past the trap Lyra had set.

Two white rabbits with pink spots, both feet bound with rope. The two animals panicked and tried to run away, but the rope trap prevented the cute animal from escaping. I felt a little bit in love with this cute and poor animal, remembering Gisella's beloved cat who had accidentally found Zeo in a forest full of hunting traps.

Lyra and I approached the two white rabbits with pink spots and put the white animals into the bag I had brought. Hurry to the Hob at the edge of town. I'd like to exchange these rabbits for a poor cat in the Hob.

Towards evening, the sky slowly darkened, the lights in the city dimmed. The noise of old vehicles and the smell of smoke from old vehicles driving back and forth in the middle of the road.

A rectangular warehouse, black and smelly everywhere. Hob, the black market, is always busy with visitors, not the city market, which is only open at certain times, only in the morning and afternoon, and only on certain days the city market is open.

Hob is open every day, even at night there is still a busy atmosphere. The former warehouse that became the Hob is located not too far from the capital, covered by thick trees and bushes. There are only two ways in and out. We entered through the front door, from a small path.

As soon as you enter the Hob, the crowd is as loud as a night market. Different kinds of goods are sold in the Hob.

My feet stepped forward, looking for a small shop that sold wild game. The Hob is very spacious. My eyes darted here and there to see how busy people were. There was an old man with a black beard that I knew, and he greeted me. "Hey Morgan. Where's your dad?"

"Dad's not hunting, he's at the mine. Mr. Robert." The black-bearded old man and his friends were drinking wine, of course I saw a pile of coins and cards they were playing with. They were gambling. Father could have been one of them, with a terrible look on his face. But Father is different from them, Father is a man who is responsible for his little family.

I found her, a fat woman with a face covered in acne. Mary the pimple.

"You again. Why did you come here?" The pimply woman's face scrunched up when I came.

"I want to take that white furry animal," I said, pointing to the poor white cat in the small black cage.