Chapter 91 - CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN

Ahh... I want to go back to being just an average hound in the woods, only worried about what my next meal would be, were to sleep next, and how to annoy my brother.

Because if I had remembered how annoying human interaction could be I may have changed my mind before coming "back" to society, even more now, looking from the outside, with the perspective of an animal; which makes me realized that, damn, humans like to complicate things, even the simplest ones.

Like greeting, for example.

"Good evening Sister Isa, is being a while hasn't it? What a lovely day for a walk isn't it? If you like I wouldn't mind if you want a ride…" The man says with a smile, but that grin looks more like a distortion of his face than a kind gesture, like a fox smiling before stealing your chicks; showing its teeth for the excitement of the hunt.

Yeah, something like that…

"It is quite a beautiful day indeed, and if it won't trouble you I will accept your kind offer." Isa says in a soft polite tone that makes me sick of the stomach from only hearing it, the fakeness dripping like venom from each sweet word he articulates from there on.

"Of course not Sister Isa, it will be a 'pleasure' to have you with us. Please come on in."

The one driving the carriage was actually a man, and that makes me stare a little too long at him, earning a smile as our eyes meet and I look down as I was supposed to do as a 'servant'.

"Don't worry milady, no men are allowed in here." He says, making me want to check him out once to look for a pair of b.r.e.a.s.ts; which of course I already knew weren't there.

"But you are…" I say, lowing my voice so I would sound shy and fragile, not as if I was trying to hide my male voice away.

"I'm a eunuch, milady, all men are alow to enter there are."

My face pales as I say an "oh" that he takes for being embarrassed, and not from thinking about the pain it would have been to have… to have that fella… simply, simply cut out…

You know what, better not even think about it.

The ride goes smooth for a while, the only sound being the rocking of the carriage, the hooves of the horse hitting the ground at a steady pace, beyond the wooden wheels hitting the ground.

As the carriage is open at the front, meant to carry baggage instead of people, we could see the back of the eunuch's head as he guides the horse up the hill.

"I heard you were traveling. " He starts, almost sounding curious. " I bet you saved a lot of people." His voice was steady, but somehow it made me think that he was mocking Isa. " You even managed to find someone to serve you. Reckon it must have been a profiting journey."

"It has been inspiring, for sure." Isa replies in a vague way. " But there are still many others out there in need of help, I'm just sad that I'm an unable help all of them, I'm only one person after all..." It almost seems like a pre-made answer, as if Isa had been asked that many times before.

"I see..." The eunuch says, not amused by the answer. "But I'm glad now that this meeting can bring us all together again like this, so you'll have all the time in the world to tell me more about your adventures later on." Is it me or this guy is trying too hard to get information out of Isa?

Uhm...

And one more thing…

"Meeting you say?" Asks Isa in an almost naive tone of voice, but I could see him clenching his hands on his lap, not happy for being baited like this; and for not knowing about this meeting.

All could turn into a battle of wits in the world of men.

Sigh, you know when I find something that annoys me in the woods there are usually two ways to deal with it; by killing or avoiding.

I guess humans are one of the few creatures who would force themselves to have such rascals in their lives and live alongside such annoying things.

Well humanoids in general, but humans were worst, because they weren't honest.

It is funny how I used to be a human, but now as a hound I struggle to comprehend how humans think; or rather, now that I'm going into search "pristine" church I'm starting to realize how incompatible I have become too human logic.

Before I could even notice I overthink my way through this journey, letting them talk about whatever until we finally reach the place, to annoyed to pay any more attention to what they were saying.

As we were getting closer the number of people around us increase, the only men around having the same weird smile on their faces, always present, sending shivers down my back, their heads and whole body shaved until there was no hair left on their bodies; and that included the eyebrows.

Guess that was part of what intrigued me about them, how I could not read their expressions correctly.

Oh well.

Beyond them wearing white vests, the women were a total contrast; at least the few I saw outside, wearing different clothes for different categories and hierarchy levels, or so says Isa beside me.

The carriage stops under a wide stone stair that goes up into the woods, surrounded by the forest and covered from the sun by an arch of spring trees that embraced each other's branches, making a green and flourish tunnel.

Beyond the many flowers over our heads with different colors, from white to yellow and purple, there was a carpet of petals over the steps, making that I did not even feel the time pass, distracted as I was, as we kept climbing up until we finally reach the top.

The place was astonishing, and it was impossible not to look. The first thing we see come to view, framed by the sun, was a huge statue of a woman, but this one did not seem like the ones in the city; fist, it had a lot more details, the clothes fl.u.s.tering on the wind as if not made of stone but from a thin layer of cloth.

Beyond that was the long hair in the wind, each strand seemly made with care by skillful hands, so much that I could almost make out thin strands of hair in between.

But the most different part, beyond all that care, were the clothes that this woman is using; some type of Asian vest, similar to a kimono with long sleeves as well as a strap of cloth continuing in the middle until the knee, having underneath puffy pants on.

And, on her hands, is a long lance pointing down, the tip almost making me believe the sharpness of the rock.

I barely managed to read a few words that are written underneath the statue before we finish climbing up the stairs.

'A tribute for the Goddess of Magic, the first to enlighten humankind.'

Well, that doesn't seem ominous at all… I think before dreading what awaits me on top of these stairs.

I could only hope that it would be a very quick visit to this place.