Let’s think. How was Arinya’s relationship with Kaelor? I don’t expect it to be good but...
"Arinya, where are you going?" He asked, not with a hard or harsh tone but something mild and in-between.
This didn’t seem like a forced interrogation, but a genuine question.
"Well, I..."
I can’t think of anything and his expression doesn’t tell me much either.
"I forgot something outside. I’ll be back soon." I said, somehow shrugging out of his hold and fleeing from the village.
For someone as strong as Kaelor, it would’ve been impossible for me to slip out of his hold, so I guess he let me go intentionally.
Why? I still wonder.
Arinya’s memory isn’t flashing or telling me about him, so I can only help but wonder: What happened between those two?
I searched through Arinya’s memory as I instinctively followed the path that came to me.
I could feel I was getting closer.
The bushes, the trees, the kind of umbrella leaves that were sticking out of plants... I could feel it.
The lake was somewhere around here. I just need to push a little further.
But I got hungry again.
I ate at Taruna’s place too. I only ate fruits because nothing was appetizing about meat that was completely raw inside and still dripping with blood.
But the fruits hardly fill me up. Should I catch a fish later? Fish is one thing I’m sure of that I can eat without any seasoning. I just need fire, but I don’t know how to set a fire either.
Ugh. I feel so useless, even with my 21st-century knowledge. I should ask my father how to set a fire later.
I saw a tree. It wasn’t that pomegranate tree but the fruits looked edible. Yellow round fruits. Don’t tell me it was a round-shaped banana.
Well, I decided to climb.
Though I’ve never climbed a tree before, I’d say I did fairly well with rock climbing. Only... I ended up falling to my death while climbing a cliff and ended up here.
I swallowed hard.
Let’s look at it on the bright side and use Arinya’s muscle memory to climb.
I thought it would be just like going one step at a time but to my surprise, my body leaped up and I ended up at the top before I even realized it.
Stunned, I looked down. Did I just... Jump up like a monkey?
And what was with this super-light body?
I didn’t realize but but Arinya’s body is so flexible and mobile. It would’ve been such a waste of her talent if she she stayed home and become a soft princess.
Well, this works fine.
I began to eat the fruit and thankfully, it wasn’t a round banana. Though, it did taste a little sour.
It was great. I ate a few more until I began to hear a few violent birds chirping at me. They were the size of an eagle, I tell you. But they had long beaks, like those of a vulture. It was a species I had never heard of before.
But nothing’s in the norm when you’re in a beast world.
I looked at them, wondering who was picking their feathers when I saw that atop this very tree, not where the fruits grew but the very top, was a bird nest I had failed to take note of.
And they saw me as a threat.
"Oops. I’ll get out of your hair now." I said and hopped down, landing with no issue. I was as light as a feather.
Gosh, I could get used to this. But not now.
Let’s find that lake first. I’m starting to feel uncomfortable in my own body and a lot of the fruit water had spilled all over my hands.
I began searching again.
I pushed the leaves in front of me, my bare feet stepping on sticks and making crunching sounds as I walked without care for what would happen if I stepped on a thorny branch.
Somehow, I had forgotten that this was the wild and that there were wild animals lurking everywhere.
It wouldn’t be strange if I were suddenly attacked, but let’s hope for the best.
And then, as I finally pushed past the curtain of thick leaves, I came across an open space where a beautiful blue lake rested.
Ah, that blue looked like a shard that had fallen straight from the sky.
There was a cliff with growing weeds beside it, and water was slowly streaming down. If the flow were slightly stronger, it would’ve passed as a proper waterfall.
But anyway, the lake was as beautiful as it was in Arinya’s memory so I was positive this was the one.
"Gosh, I can finally take a bath," I grumbled and then looked around first to make sure no one was here.
Since I didn’t see or notice anyone, I decided to enjoy the lake.
It was in such a hidden location that others probably didn’t know about. The tribe got water from a different lake source, so I could take a bath without worrying that someone would suddenly come and find me.
I took off my bra top, my skirt, and slowly dipped my leg into the water.
"Cold," I whispered but it wasn’t unpleasant.
How was it that beastmen didn’t take baths?
I mean, yes, they were a breed of cats, but how could they hate bathing so much? Taruna even called it unnecessary, like it was a nuisance.
It was a miracle that they didn’t stink even after all the things they do, especially the males. They go out hunting and come back with a dirty body, and all they do is lick their skin to get any dirt off or wipe a bit with soaked leather.
How unhygienic.
From today on, I will make sure to bathe at least once a day.
I walked in deeper until my body was submerged by the water, up to my chest and then I let out a satisfied sigh.
"Haaa,"
This is what I’m talking about.