Soft Growl - 68
"Gruaa…"
This time, the Goherb didn't dare to roar as loudly anymore.
Juro looked down at the Goherb and stared at it for a moment before smiling, seemingly having something in mind.
…
After a while, the three finally finished digging. Around the same time, Juro returned.
Marc quickly noticed him and looked up. "Oh! Teacher Juro! We just finished digging."
Juro smiled as he approached them. "Ooo, nice deep hole. Alright, alright, my turn to do something now."
He walked past them and made his way over to the horse lying on the ground.
Juro crouched down and gently slid his hands underneath the horse's body. He slowly stood up, lifting the horse from the ground with ease before carefully turning around and making his way toward the hole they had dug.
As Juro carried the horse past him, Greg stared at its body, the weight in his heart still heavy.
When Juro reached the grave, he slowly crouched down. Mana flowed from his palms, forming around the horse's body and supporting it as he carefully lowered it into the grave.
The horse was now comfortably placed inside.
Marc looked around for a moment before spotting some flowers on the ground. He quickly moved over and picked four purplish flowers before walking back to Greg.
"Here, Mister Greg."
Greg looked down at Marc and took the flowers from his hands. He stared at them for a few seconds before looking back at the horse.
A soft smile eventually appeared on his face.
"Lets all say goodbye."
He handed one flower to each of the three.
Marc happily accepted his, as did Bell and Juro.
For a moment, everything was quiet.
The sunlight filtered through the trees while the leaves gently swayed above them, creating a peaceful stillness around the four of them.
Bell was the first to place his flower inside the grave, beside the horse.
Then Juro.
Then Marc.
And lastly, Greg.
Afterward, they began to bury the horse.
..
When they finished, Greg remained standing there, staring down at the spot where they had buried it. The guilt in his heart still hadn't completely disappeared.
Meanwhile, Juro motioned for Marc to come with him for a moment, and the two walked away, leaving only Bell and Greg behind.
For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.
Then Bell spoke in a gentle tone.
"You must be feeling guilty, but your horse must be feeling happy and proud."
Greg's eyes lightly widened.
Bell continued, "He did what he wanted and got what he wanted. And it was to keep you safe."
Those last words slowly began to ease the heaviness in Greg's heart. With tears in his eyes, Greg suddenly pulled Bell into a hug.
Bell was caught by surprise. He could have easily pulled himself away, but he didn't.
Instead, Bell simply smiled softly and accepted the hug.
…
Then suddenly, a shadowy figure stood behind Greg.
The figure grew larger and larger as it approached.
Bell looked up and sighed.
Greg noticed the sudden shadow cast over them and slowly turned to look.
His face went completely blank.
A huge seven-foot-tall creature was standing right in front of him. Greg froze for a moment, but the fear quickly took over as he turned around, grabbed Bell, and carried him away as fast as he could.
"he's strong," Bell internally commented.
"We gotta find Marc, quick!" Greg exclaimed while panting.
Before he could get any farther, a voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
"Mister Greg! Look up!"
Greg quickly stopped and turned back toward the creature, only to look upward and find Marc and Juro sitting comfortably on top of its back.
"Waaaat?!" Greg exclaimed, his face filled with shock.
Marc smiled brightly and waved down at him. "Mister Greg, look! We're riding on a creature!"
"Oh goodness…" Greg muttered as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Marc and Juro then jumped down from the creature's back, and Marc quickly ran toward Greg, still looking incredibly excited.
"Mister Greg, isn't this so cool????? This big creature is so kind!" Marc exclaimed, pointing toward the Goherb.
Greg slowly looked at the creature. Its face carried an annoyed and irritated expression as it stared back at him.
"Ohoh… kind…"
Juro laughed before roughly patting the creature's body. "Lets use this creature for now to carry the wagon. You'll need to head to a village, right? Well, we'll come along with you."
"Whaat… this creature is gonna carry my wagon?" Greg asked hesitantly. He turned toward the kids, and Marc was already enthusiastically nodding while Bell simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Oh boy… I mean, if you all say so, then I'll be fine with it. But would the creature be fine with it, though?" Greg asked, looking toward the Goherb with concern.
The Goherb let out a low growl.
"Grrrrr…"
Juro simply gave its body another rough pat. The growl suddenly softened, and the creature lowered its head.
"See? He's fine with it," Juro exclaimed with a smile.
"Ohoho…"
After a few minutes, Marc and Bell helped settle the ropes and belts onto the Goherb, connecting them to the wagon. However, because the creature was so large and wide, Greg couldn't sit normally where the wagon driver usually would.
Juro suggested that he climb onto the Goherb instead.
"It's fine. Grab onto its fur. The fur is really thick and strong, so it'll barely feel anything," Juro explained.
Greg hesitantly reached out and grabbed onto the creature's fur while Marc helped pull him up.
Once Greg finally reached the top, the wind subtly passed across his face, and for a brief moment, he was in awe of how high up he was. He then properly settled himself onto the Goherb, with Marc sitting behind him.
Greg turned around and looked down at Bell and Juro. "What about you two?"
Juro simply smiled. "I'm good. I feel like I needed a walk, so I'll just walk beside you."
"Same here," Bell replied.
Juro then looked toward Bell. "You sure you don't wanna ride a creature? It might be fun, y'know."
"Mehh," Bell casually responded before walking away.
Juro just smiled before looking back up at Marc.
"Marc, you keep an eye up there."
"Okay, Teacher Juro!" Marc exclaimed with a smile on his face.
Greg looked around, noticing that there were no reins to tell the Goherb to go. Before he could ask, Marc spoke up. "Just tap it, Mister Greg. It'll start moving."
Greg listened and gently tapped the Goherb's back. The creature slowly began to move forward, pulling the wagon along with it. Juro and Bell started walking beside them as well, with Juro casually resting his arms behind his head while Bell simply walked along without a care.
As they left the forest and entered the open field, a gentle breeze flowed past Greg as he looked ahead. The wide-open view and cool air felt strangely calming. Marc seemed to feel the same way, sitting behind Greg with a smile that had remained on his face the entire time.
While they continued walking, Juro suddenly spoke up. "Oh, by the way, Greg, don't let the creature go onto the path or road yet. Since it's a creature, it'll probably make it uncomfortable and uneasy."
Greg looked down at the Goherb and nodded before giving Juro a thumbs-up. "Got it."
They continued on their way, casually searching for the nearest village. After a while, Greg looked down at the Goherb beneath him. He gently brushed his hand through its thick fur before giving it a soft pat.
"I don't know why you're giving us a ride... but thank you," he softly said.
The Goherb, which had maintained an annoyed expression the entire time, simply let out a quiet growl before continuing forward with the exact same expression.
..
After some time had passed, Marc's stomach suddenly grumbled.
"Op..."
Greg chuckled. "I guess it's time for us to eat some lunch."
"Ehehe..." Marc replied while rubbing his stomach.
Greg lightly tapped the Goherb, and the creature soon came to a stop. Marc stretched his arms and legs before jumping down from its back. Greg, however, looked down and began thinking about how he was going to get down safely.
Marc noticed and quickly raised both hands. Mana flowed from them, immediately catching the Goherb's attention.
"Ehem."
Juro stood right beside the creature, giving it a strong glare.
The Goherb slowly lowered its head.
Bell: "(¬_¬)"
The mana Marc had released then began transforming into the shape of a short ladder. It quickly solidified, becoming a sturdy rock ladder beside the Goherb.
"Ohoho..." Greg exclaimed, looking at the ladder in surprise as he slowly climbed down from the creature.
Once he reached the ground, he looked toward Marc and gave him a thumbs-up. "Thank you, kiddo."
Marc dispersed the mana and smiled before returning the thumbs-up.
They then took a short walk around the area, searching for a suitable place to stop and have lunch.
After a while, they finally found a nice spot with several trees providing shade and a small pond nearby.
Greg walked toward the Goherb and looked up at the massive creature.
"Hmm... I wonder what this big boy eats," he wondered aloud.
"They eat meat. Almost always meat," Juro replied while standing beside him. He then turned toward Marc and Bell. "You two, go into the forest for a bit and prepare some stones and sticks. And if you find any creatures, make sure you capture one so that can be our food."
"Okay!" Marc exclaimed before heading into the forest with Bell.