Wanted: Purrfect Cat Guy 43 We're Here!

Nightmare seems to be traveling at top speed but the ride was smoother than the first time. Mina had no idea how long they have been traveling but she could sense that the change in the temperature. Feeling unusually hot, she decided to poke her head out of the bag and realized that they have covered quite a distance.

The sun's position indicated it was past noon and they were far outside the capital. Nightmare did not speak a word throughout the entire ride and Mina had no idea how to strike a conversation either.

Soon, it was nightfall and they had to rest somewhere. Nightmare found a spot close to a small stream. Mina took the opportunity to stretch after a long journey as the horse grazed close to the water source.

Out in the forest, Mina realized something and gazed longingly at the path where they came from.

"I miss my human servants!"

There were no humans close by to hand her some food. Mina couldn't help but wonder if the day had come to prey on smaller animals. Concentrating on her surroundings, she could sense small rodents, probably squirrels, close by.

Thinking about sinking her claws on a small creature and eating the carca.s.s almost made her gag. It was too primitive and coa.r.s.e. Detecting the attractive scent of different plants as the wind blew, she made up her mind reluctantly--tonight she would have to settle for a vegan meal.

After thinking about what to eat for dinner, Mina realized that Tarou is nowhere to be seen. Seeing no movement from the other pocket, Mina called out Tarou's name through a meow. A few seconds later, there was some shifting inside and a small head with bunched cheeks poked out. The mouse looked around until it saw her suspicious stare.

Tarou gave her a guilty look before disappearing back inside the pocket. Mina heard intense chomping and grinding. When the sound stopped, Tarou reappeared. After struggling to get out of the pocket, the mouse crawled on all fours while making its way to her. Mina took note of how Tarou's stomach hit the ground with each step.

Looking up to her with a docile look, Mina knew that the mouse has been on a binge again. Shaking her head, she couldn't help but reprimand Tarou with a hiss.

"You are eating again?"

Tarou couldn't hide his guilt and nodded slowly but his face lit up a moment later.

"Boss, there were provisions inside that bag. I couldn't help myself." Tarou's squeak sounded polite on the surface but she knew he wanted to tell her it's not his fault that food was readily available.

Mina gave Tarou a look that conveyed her ill will towards him and his bulging stomach.

"This world is unfair," the cat meowed to herself while looking for something edible.

*****

After resting for a few hours, the three unlikely travel companions were back on the road. In the cover of darkness, Mina did not feel the need to hide inside. With her head popping out of the bag, she could feel the cold air as Nightmare galloped towards their destination. Mina could hear Tarou's snoring and the sound of Nightmare's hooves as it hit the ground.

"Nightmare," Mina meowed unable to suppress her curiosity, "do you always go this far on your own?"

The horse grunted but the noise didn't mean anything. After covering some distance, the horse slowed down to a walk and Mina finally heard his clipped reply, "It depends."

Mina felt the same feeling of unease as she digested Nightmare's answer. Someone seems to have laid everything out for her.

'Could it be the old man? The general? Barca?'

As she bounced the thoughts on her head, she slid back into the pouch and decided to call it a night.

***

When Mina opened her eyes, it was the early hours of dawn and Nightmare was making his way into the forest. She saw the familiar clearing as the horse pa.s.sed through the area. With Tarou's guidance, they eventually found the place where the time lapse happened.

Nothing looked unusual in the place Tarou indicated. In fact, it looked so similar to many areas in the forest that anyone could easily confuse it with another location. Before Mina could doubt Tarou's memory, the mouse squeaked to ask Nightmare to crouch down so he could descend.

"We're here! It's here!"

As if injected with chicken blood, Tarou quickly slid down the horse happily. When he reached the ground, he hightailed into the bushes close to an old hardy tree.

"Tarou?"

"Tarou?"

Mina called out when she detected no further movement under the thicket. Shortly after, Tarou's cheeky figure appeared out of a hollow log lying on the forest floor. The mouse carried a bunch of plants using his mouth.

"Boss all my favorite plants are inside this log. We really have to take some back home!" Tarou squeaked with excitement. After depositing the plants he gathered on the cat's feet, the mouse disappeared back into the log.

"Tarou, aren't you supposed to try to see if you can go back in time?" Mina released an irritated meow while looking at the rat. Looking at the log, Mina knew she was too big to fit inside. She could not drag Tarou back out and demand that he concentrate on the task.

"Boss! I remembered something!" Tarou squeaked as if he made a major breakthrough. Mina asked him to spill the beans right away thinking it was a crucial piece of information. The grey mouse popped back out while munching on a plant that he gazed at with adoration.

"This hiding place made a strong impression on me because it had the most delicious plants I have ever tried!"

Mina could only shake her head while studying Tarou who couldn't conceal his joy over rediscovering this place.