The Moon Goddess' Chosen

339 [Bonus chapter]Still gat it!!!

After promising to rescue the daughter of a man she’d never met before, the old woman made her way through the forest on the back of the large brown bear.

Unlike Katie, she’d had her abilities for years and had gotten used to using them only as though she was breathing. When she commanded the creatures of the wild, they moved in a more organised manner, paying attention to her every thought as if she was the queen of a hive.

However, achieving this level of mastery over the ability hadn’t been that easy for her. There had been many times when the creatures grew tired of her control and sought ways of silencing her. At other times, she felt the power was more a curse than it was a blessing.

That’s why it amazed her when she saw the wild chaos that swarmed the girl that had only recently obtained the power to speak to animals. Katie was unaware of the magnitude of power she possessed, but she also didn’t seem interested in having it. ‘A very odd girl indeed...’

“Something’s on your mind,” the bear’s voice hummed, sending familiar vibrations through its rich brown fur.

“Yes, something is on my mind. I was there that day you all invited her to the forest, remember? She is something else,” the woman explained.

“Yes, that she is. And yet I’m not sure she realises it yet,” the bear’s voice was more formal than she’d heard it when speaking to Katie, but it didn’t bother her. They were different people. She didn’t expect to receive the same treatment as the princess did.

The old woman chuckled to herself and set her mind back on the task at hand. Following the majestic eagle in the sky, the bear forged through the forest at a reasonable speed, prioritising the old woman’s safety over that of the girl they were going to save.

They finally came across a small cottage in the woods. The cottage was well-maintained, no doubt belonging to the hermit that had been made to dig a way to the hidden tunnels of the palace, “And I was so sure those tunnels would never be opened again,’ the old woman sighed.

.....

“Someone’s here,” the bear’s voice came, tensing the woman and wiping away her wandering thoughts.

“Of course, there is someone here. The girl we came to see,” she tried, half-hoping the bear was wrong about his observation. After all, the woman couldn’t see anyone from the distance they stopped to look at the cottage.

“No, there is someone else. I don’t think that girl would have a heartbeat this audible,” if the bear had the capability, he would be rolling his eyes at the implications in the woman’s words.

“And here I thought I was going to have it easy,” the woman groaned, dismounting and continuing on foot, keeping to the cover of the trees. ‘I’m thankful I smell like nature itself. Otherwise, this man would have been alerted already... that is if he’s a werewolf with a good nose.’

The woman closed her eyes and focused on the eagle in the sky, conveying a message that only he could hear. Soon enough, the eagle began to screech loudly.

The sound from the eagle being so close to the ground was almost unbearable for those with sensitive hearing. The bear took note of the woman’s idea and circled about the cottage, keeping out of the obvious line of sight for anyone that would come barging out the front door.

Just as expected, the inhabitant of the cottage unlocked the door and exited in search of the source of the noise. The man looked up into the air for the bird that was giving him a headache.

While he looked up, oblivious to the rest of the new occupants of his surroundings, another sound to his right suddenly caught his attention and sent a wave of terror deep into his bones.

The glare from the sunlight made it hard to see what was happening as he had to adjust, but the sound was distinct and terrifying. Any rogue would know what animal made that noise, “What’s a bear doing this close to the capital?” the man cursed.

A bear was coming his way and from the sound of its angry growls, it was out for blood. He reached for the door handle, but due to his temporary blindness and unfamiliarity with this specific door handle, he missed it and only stumbled further from the safety of the cottage he was trying to take shelter in.

Cursing loudly, he reached for the handle once more, this time more desperate than the last. His legs felt like they were made of jelly and the fear that gripped him only increased drastically, slowing him down even more.

The Voice of the Wild smirked, watching the bear tackle the confused man and knock him unconscious with one swipe of its mighty paw.

She emerged from the cover of the woods and approached the bear, almost skipping in excitement from the action she had just witnessed, “That was awesome. Exciting. Well done all of you. Looks like I still got it. Who said old people couldn’t fight? Haha... Take that, Lawbreaker.”

The bear... rolled its eyes, “You stood still and watched everything. You know what... You were awesome, my lady.”

“You bet I was. Don’t forget it. I’m unstoppable,” the woman boasted.

“I have not and will never forget it, my lady,” the bear dutifully replied. The woman, with assistance from the bear, got the man propped up against the cottage wall and tied him up with vines and rope they could find lying around.

When she was proud of their work, they walked into the cottage. It was as simple as it could get. With just enough to get the man and his daughter through the day.

However, after the ruffians had taken advantage of his abode, everything had been tossed this way and that. The old woman hefted the fallen table upright and set it in the centre of the room, wiping the beads of sweat that were already forming on her brow from the exertion.

Surveying the cottage, she searched for the item of her interest, the man’s daughter. A pigeon fluttered into the cottage, sensing the woman’s questioning mind and led her to another room which had the door wide open.