"Listen, kid. whatever you're thinking of doing, don't. You're not as clever as you think you are, and I'm not as patient as I look."
Rony just smiled at his words.
"So you want to know the details, right?"
"Yes. I do want to know the details."
"About the kingdom?"
"Yes..."
"About my tribe?"
"...Yes."
"About my--"
"Can you just shut up!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Stupid brat, you can open your mouth to answer me. Just don't ramble."
"... Don't want to."
"..."
"..."
"Wanna get beaten up."
"Don't you have any shame to threaten a boy of 7? Aren't you an old grandpa!"
"..."
"Alright, old man," Rony said with a mischievous grin, his tail flicking with excitement. "If you can catch me, I'll spill everything you want to know."
The kid was radiating innocence, but there was a clever gleam in his eyes. On this rocky terrain, he had the home-field advantage.
If a mere human could catch someone as quick and agile as him, then the man was definitely not as ordinary as he looked. This little game would be a perfect test, without the risk of a direct fight where he might actually get hurt—or worse.
'He's just a puny human,'
Rony thought, sizing up Kaisen.
'I can outrun him easy. But if he's stronger than he looks...'
That was the big question hanging in the air. Rony figured that if Kaisen did turn out to be stronger, he could always feed him some bogus answers and slip away.
If the guy had any brains, he'd avoid coming to the tribe.
And if he did show up? Well, there were plenty of strong fighters in the village who could deal with one scrawny human. Or so Rony reasoned, with all the overconfidence of a kid who's never really had his ass handed to him.
Kaisen just shrugged. What could possibly go wrong? He'd get the answers he needed, and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he could catch the little furball.
Even if this kid was from the swift and nimble cat tribe, Kaisen was on a whole different level. This was going to be easy.
"Sure, kid. Whatever. Let's get started."
Kaisen didn't even bother to stretch or crack his knuckles, just stood there like a statue, which only served to fuel Rony's irritation.
"I'm not a kid! My name is Rony, and—start!"
Rony's correction was as swift as his movements—or so he thought.
But the moment he took off, Kaisen was already in front of him, a blur of speed that left the young cat-boy's eyes wide as saucers. Rony smacked right into Kaisen and bounced off him like a rubber ball, landing against a rock with an undignified yelp.
"So, I assume you're ready to talk now?"
Kaisen said, smirking as he casually grabbed Rony by the leg, dangling him in the air like a particularly unruly kitten. His sinister grin made Rony gulp, his bravado draining away in an instant.
"Drop my brother, you jerk!"
A sharp voice cut through the scene, and Kaisen turned to see Ronali, the little furball's older sister, stalking toward him. She was fuming, her eyes narrowed into a deadly glare that could have floored a lesser man.
If looks could kill, Kaisen would've been vaporized on the spot.