17 Drunk Chick?

With all senses engaged, Mina could hear the shuffling movement in the grass followed by a plop. The movements were unusual and the resulting sound even more so.

Mina listened to the sound from beyond the trees. She could barely see anything from her position. The movement continued and Mina could see a silhouette.

'A chick?'

Mina couldn't see the approaching figure properly, but the animal seems to have a beak albeit an oversized one. Based on its size, this creature seems to be a plump chick.

As for how the animal acted, Mina could only place one paw on her head.

With every step, the unidentified creature plopped on the grass causing an unusual sound. A few seconds later, the animal would get up to take another step before diving back to the grass.

What made Mina even more surprised was the fact that this creature actually covered some distance by traveling in such a peculiar manner.

'A drunk chick?'

Mina tried to call out to the creature with a soft meow but all she heard was another plop on the grass. Finally, the creature came close enough to be illuminated by the light from the fire.

'Oh, it's not a beak.'

Seeing well enough from her vantage point, Mina saw something fluffy with ears and whiskers. What looked like a beak was actually something else.

Mina meowed but there was no response. The animal appeared oblivious to its surroundings.

Getting more curious, Mina came closer. Before the animal plopped on the grass for the hundredth time, Mina approached and braced the fall.

Looking down, she saw a familiar pair of eyes.

'I should have known.'

Mina meowed, expecting the animal to respond. The animal looked at up her with a blank stare. With another meow, Mina tried to get a reaction out of the dazed mouse.

"Hey! Tarou! What's are you carrying?"

After another failed attempt to get the mouse to respond, Mina shook the mouse who was rocking back and forth, apparently simulating the plopping motion. But instead of getting his head out of the fog, Tarou bared his sharp teeth and attacked Mina's leg.

Mina growled. The pain was so sudden that she instinctively slapped the mouse with a clawed paw. She heard a pained yelp and quickly went over the mouse to check on his condition.

When the mouse detected her approach, he looked at Mina with fearful eyes while hiding something behind him. Mina ignored his actions and quickly scanned the animal before her. She sighed in relief when she saw that he was unharmed.

Mina focused her gaze back on the mouse, who was now looking at her with eyes full of uncertainty.

"Boss?" the mouse called out in a hesitant squeak.

Mina meowed back in acknowledgment.

'Finally.'

"Boss!!! Boss!!!"

The mouse squeaked enthusiastically while holding on to Mina's paw.

"Horrible experience! I almost got run over by that...that horse!"Tarou squeaked while pointing at the young bandit's horse. In a vexed voice, the mouse continued his rant.

"That animal hates me! That horse planned on stomping me to death since morning. I'm so fortunate for having quick reflexes!"

Mina was about to ask what happened to Tarou, but she couldn't get a word in as the mouse gave an account of what happened to him.

"It was horrible! I slipped into a bandit's bag for cover and I fell asleep. When I woke up, I heard clashing swords and horses neighing in fear. It was so dark I couldn't see a thing."

'Even if it's light out you can't see a thing,' Mina replied sarcastically in her mind. Without minding Mina's amused reaction, Tarou proceeded with his tale.

"I slipped out of my hiding place and caught a delectable scent. I almost got stepped on while searching for this beefy meal," the mouse shared with glee while raising a triangle-shaped item that she mistook for a beak.

'You only think about food!' Mina thought while looking at the animated mouse.

"I made my way back inside the bandit's bag quickly but before I could slip inside, the horse suddenly started running. The journey was..."

"Horrible!" Mina interrupted. "What happened then?" she asked, more interested in the ambush than on Tarou's daring tale about scavenging for food. The mouse answered eagerly.

"I had to hang on for hours! That boy is the worst driver! And that horse! He is my nemesis!" Tarou rambled on but Mina's attention was focused on the mouse's "beefy" dinner.

Mina asked about the details of the ambush but Tarou couldn't remember anything helpful. The mouse waved the stolen item back and forth while retelling his story for the second time and Mina couldn't help but pay attention to the moving object.

"Wait!" Mina interjected. "That doesn't look like food," she exclaimed while pointing at the item on Tarou's hand.

"Huh?" the mouse asked with a puzzled look before placing the item close to his nose, "Boss, this smells like dried beef." Tarou licked the edge and looked at Mina, "Tastes like one too."

Mina made her way towards the questionable item and sniffed. "This... this has the scent of food but it looks like paper."

"I don't care about appearances Boss. Sometimes we have to make do." Tarou schooled her in a serious voice. Blinking, the mouse seems to have realized something and magnanimously added, "I can share."

"Eating paper? Tarou! That's disgusting!" Mina blurted almost automatically.

"After everything that happened today, I need nourishment. Paper or not, I have to gnaw on something."

Mina ignored the mouse and snatched the item so she could examine it closely.

"This looks like a letter! Quick! Tarou, what does the letter say?"

Tarou stared at the letter for a while before glancing up at Mina with round, confused eyes.

"I have no idea."

"You...can't you? Forget it, you can't even see properly."

The mouse nodded in relief.

"Okay, I'll do it," Mina offered before giving the folded piece of paper a thorough inspection.

"Boss?" Tarou called out when Mina continued to stare at the letter without saying anything for several minutes.

"I can't see when I'm too near, I need to back away a bit."

But even after finding the best distance and lighting, Mina remained motionless. All the characters resembled squiggles and she had no idea those symbols mean.

"What does it say?" Tarou eagerly inquired.

This time, it was Mina's turn to stare at the mouse with a blank look. In a resigned voice, Mina revealed her conclusion.

"I'll need a translator."

Tarou's gaze landed on the horse who peered at them curiously. Realizing the direction of Tarou's train of thought, Mina quickly clarified her point.

"A human translator."