Tee flapped its prized wings, and the mini-dragon energetically took off to the skies. The boar chased after the two of them, kicking up a dust storm in his wake.
Lacey was mumbling under her breath about “that wouldn’t work” and “not that either,” apparently deep in thought. She didn’t notice the trio. But Wayne did.
“You sure they’re okay?” Wayne asked with folded arms as he watched the three monsters run into the distance.
∗ ∗ ∗
The trio ran and flew over fields and mountains.
Tee knew the approximate direction and distance and therefore took the lead when they first set out, but the mini-dragon surprisingly kept up with its fast pace. At this speed, I can keep going just a little farther, the trio thought to themselves as they zipped forward as fast as the wind.
The boar’s threatening roar made the lesser monsters scatter and go away. Although he had once been captured by Brooks, he was a veteran fighter.
They would reach their destination soon. In order to locate the “important thing,” Tee and the mini-dragon dropped their altitude and plunged into the forest.
Oo-eek-eek-eek-eek...
As soon as they did, a creepy chattering echoed through the forest.
There was a little bit of sunlight filtering in through the dense tree growth, but it was still dim enough to make one forget that it was the middle of the day. The oo-eek-oo-eek voices came from the right, left, up, and down, bouncing from every direction as they jeered at the trio.
Confronted with the bizarre chatters, the mini-dragon made a pathetic “pyuru pyuru” cry and cowered. It had said that it had dropped the “important thing” after being attacked by monsters. These must have been the ones.
“KYEWWW!”
Hey, you guys! Tee shouted at the voices coming from who-knows-where.
“Oo-eek-eek...” The response just rubbed it the wrong way.
Suddenly, the forest moved. The coiling ivy and tree branches intertwined in complex ways to create a “ceiling” that closed off the forest from the sky and “walls” that prevented travel. In no time at all, the trio was trapped within the forest.
Tee was shocked at how the forest itself had moved as if it were alive.
“Oo-eek-eek-eek...” A single monster slowly appeared before the stunned trio, walking on four legs. “OO-EEEEEEK!!!”
Of course, it was a monkey. But this species had sharp, vicious claws and was even more devious than regular monkeys. This was a monster known as a caper monkey.
They were always seen in groups and worked as a team. It was said that wherever there was one, there were twenty. Judging by the way the mini-dragon was trembling with chattering teeth, there was no doubt that this was what had attacked it.
“Oo-eek-eek-eeeeeeeeek eek-eek! Oon-eek-eek-eek!”
“Kwoo?! Kwuuuuuuhhh!”
“Grr-oink!”
“Pyuu-ee...”
As this is unintelligible, what they said is explained below.
“Hey, hey, you guys stink! You reek of human stench! The kind I hate the most! You’re monsters and yet you’ve got human stench clinging to you. It’s an insult to all monsters! I’ll make you regret coming here!” the caper monkey bickered.
“I don’t give a cheep if you hate us!” Tee flared up.
The boar joined in. “Yeah, yeah!”
“Please don’t fight...” the mini-dragon whimpered.
From this point onward, all their speech is translated to prevent confusion.
“Humans chased us caper monkeys out of our habitats. We hate ’em more than anything. So we can’t stand monsters that reek of human stench!”
“Sorry to hear that, but we don’t have anything to do with the humans who wronged you. Quit lashing out at everything.”
Tee bore its own grudge against humans, but it had Lacey to credit for its birth. If not for her, Tee’s parent would have eventually died alone in a locked room. It couldn’t easily let go of its hate, but it didn’t believe that all humans were evil.
“It’s got a point. Although I was prepared for death when that beefy guy got me,” the boar agreed, then recalled what had happened with Brooks. He’d been one step away from becoming Brooks’s dinner. “But that was because I wasn’t strong enough. I fought and lost. That’s just how things are. I highly sympathize with you losing your habitat. It’s unfortunate. But that’s no reason for you to bully this child.”
“Yeah! You guys stole the mini-dragon’s ‘important thing,’ didn’t you?! Give it back right now!”
Grr-oink grr-oink, kwee kwee. They were steaming mad.
The mini-dragon made a “pyuu-ee” sound and looked at Tee and the boar with sparkling eyes. It was captivated by these monsters who were getting angry on its behalf.
“Huh? ‘Important thing’? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The caper monkey casually denied Tee’s claim and laughed. He shook his butt in their direction to taunt them.
It had a cute, bright red butt, but more importantly, a shoulder bag that was too small for him was slung across his back.
“Th-That’s m-m-m-m-my baaaaaag!”
“What are you talking about? This is my bag. Don’t accuse people—well, monsters—at random.”
“It’s not random! That’s definitely got my scent on it!” The mini-dragon flapped its wings, extremely upset.
The caper monkey sneered when it saw this and grinned. “Wrong. I just picked up something that fell on the ground. I’m the head of the cunning caper monkeys. I’ve heard how the mini-dragon species let humans boss them around and how they work for some ridiculous ‘postal service’ thing. All tamed monsters are my enemy, but your kind is the worst. I can’t stand you even existing! Your luck ran out when you came through our territory!”
“Guys!” the caper monkey shouted at the forest. The whole area instantly rustled and moved. Tee’s trio shivered as they looked at their surroundings. Dozens, no, a hundred monsters with glowing eyes stared down from the tree branches at the trio.