Chapter 28 Ellie's Rescue Mission
It was a dim cave with water dripping from above, and a fire pit inside where a dozen people crowded, all respectfully gazing at the person in front.
In the flickering firelight, the person's shadow kept changing, with a pair of pointed protrusions above the shadow.
Ellie, a fox-like beast person, was the leader of this group of beast people, their spiritual pillar.
She was tired and hungry, having only eaten once in the past five or six days since her good friend and team member, Mila, went out to find food, leaving Ellie in a bad mood.
Ellie touched her stomach, suppressing her hunger. She had forgotten how long it had been since she had a full meal. Was it a year ago? Or two years ago?
The only time she had a full meal was a day she remembered vividly, three years ago in the harsh winter. On that day, she searched for food in the snow, her hands nearly numb from the cold, digging through the snow in hopes of finding wild berries or roots.
However, with a meter-thick layer of snow, she couldn't move it. She was stuck, two-thirds buried in the snow, her height of only five feet, making her look like a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, though she was actually sixteen that year.
Just when Ellie thought she was going to die, her body was suddenly lifted. She would always remember that delicate and beautiful face and those trembling cat ears.
Mila embraced her warmly, carrying her carefully to a tree hollow where they spent their happiest days.
Every day, they nibbled on nuts stored by Mila in autumn, drank melted snow, and occasionally had a bit of dried meat that Mila 'borrowed' from somewhere.
Later, the two became inseparable, one a cat-like beast person and the other a fox-like beast person.
Ellie was the behind-the-scenes strategist, always patching up the flaws in Mila's plans. Though they often went hungry, they were happy.
But two years ago, when Mila brought back a young beast person, everything slowly changed. Their team grew from two to three, four... and now eighteen people.
Hunger always accompanied them, with over a dozen mouths to feed. Mila and Ellie worried about food every day.
Every time Mila went out to 'borrow' things, she returned with injuries. Though the injuries became fewer over time, in the past year, Mila rarely got hurt, indicating her growing strength.
Ellie was troubled. Her intelligence made her the leader of the group, while Mila's prowess made her the second in command.
Six days ago, Mila went out again to find food, repeating the same words to Ellie as she always did.
"Ellie, if I don't come back one day, take them south. The winters there are not as harsh; at least they can survive on roots and wild berries. Never trust humans; they are too deceitful and cunning. Once captured as slaves, everything is over."
Ellie had memorized these words backward, as Mila always said them with great seriousness. Ellie was actually two years older than Mila.
Perhaps years of malnutrition had slowed Ellie's growth. Even now, she was still five feet tall, looking thin and small, like a girl who never grew up.
Ellie always earnestly agreed, never taking those words to heart because she believed Mila would return.
But now, six days had passed with no word from Mila, an unprecedented situation as Mila always returned within two days at the latest.
Ellie's mind was filled with dark thoughts. Had Mila been captured by nobles? Was she going to be hanged? Or sold as a slave?
No, Ellie shouted in her mind, it couldn't be true. Mila was the most skilled warrior she had ever seen, stronger by several times than those noble knights. She couldn't have been captured.
After six days, Ellie grew more anxious. Without Mila, she had no sense of security. Even with food, she found it hard to swallow without Mila.
She pondered whether to go south. Mila believed she would take the beast people south, but she didn't want to. The south without Mila was colder than the winter here.
"Ellie, do we really have to go south?"
A male voice spoke up, belonging to a bull-like beast person with horns.
Coming out of her reverie, Ellie looked at the small boy in front of her. He was Gabriel, the young beast person Mila had brought back years ago, now fifteen years old.
Typically, beast people of Gabriel's age would be over six feet tall, powerful warriors. But Gabriel was short and thin; even though he was strong, he was still hungry.
Seeing Ellie silent, Gabriel anxiously exclaimed, "Ellie, let's not go south. I heard the humans there hate us, and they capture beast people as slaves on sight."
"And Mila hasn't returned. I miss her."
Since being saved by Mila and Ellie, Gabriel had always regarded them as lifesavers and treated them like elder sisters, willing to sacrifice anything, even his life. Now, with Mila gone for six days, he was worried.
"Gabriel, we're not going south. We're going to find Mila. She's waiting for us to rescue her," Ellie said, her face lighting up with a pure smile.
"Yes! We're going to save Mila."
"Mila went to the territory of Eldoria six days ago. Everyone, pack up; we'll leave at night and should reach there in a day or two."
