*chirp* *chirp*
A pair of young sparrows smoothly glided across the sky as they joyfully flew around each other.
The early morning sun had barely risen up over the horizon, but its warm light enshrouded the small mountain and gradually began to wake the inhabitants of the forest.
Numerous predators stealthily prowled the forest in their search for easy prey, while they kept clear of the predators even larger than them.
The hunt never ended.
Meanwhile, deep within a small mountain surrounded by large trees, there were several tiny figures sleeping peacefully next to a tranquil lake.
It was perplexing how none of the nearby predators chose to hunt these tiny figures, as clearly, they were the easiest targets nearby. Without stopping to hesitate, the hungry predators all left the sleeping figures alone.
*snore*
A small baby yellow monkey was sleeping on the ground with its arms and legs spread wide, as it let out a series of loud snores into the air. Next to this small yellow lump of fur was a similarly sized tiny jaguar. This baby feline was also slumbering blissfully, and it would subconsciously let out frequent purrs of contentment while miniature bolts of lightning would flicker across its golden fur.
*thwak*
Suddenly, the baby monkey’s foot accidently smacked against the jaguar cub’s face, and the little feline instantly let out an abrupt yelp as bolts of golden lightning surged around it.
Realizing that it was just its beast friend twitching in its sleep, the jaguar cub soon calmed down and moved to a new location several feet away from the little monkey.
However, just as the small jaguar was about to close its eyes, it felt the ground beneath it quivering ever so slightly.
*thud*
*thud*
“Meow?”
Slowly lifting its tiny head from its paws, the jaguar cub curiously gazed into the distance, trying to figure out the source of the mini quakes.
“MEW!”
When it saw a humanoid figure with a ma.s.sive protrusion on its back steadily approaching their area, the jaguar cub swiftly turned around and cried out in alarm to wake its sleeping friends.
“grr…”
The large bear cub groaned in annoyance as it lazily lifted up its head to see what the commotion was about, while the sleeping baby chicks on its back immediately crashed onto the ground.
“Chirp!”
One of the little birds angrily complained and furiously pecked the thick fur of the bear cub in retaliation.
Within seconds, the clutter of drowsy and half-awake baby beasts gathered around the edge of the giant tree, as they nervously observed the mysterious figure sluggishly approaching them.
As the mysterious figure slowly neared them, the baby beasts realized that the figure was actually just a human with an enormous rock tied to his back. Drops of sweat poured off the human’s skin and soaked into the ground, while numerous veins bulged all across his muscular body.
“HAAAH!”
*thud*
“HAAH!”
*thud*
With his entire body trembling under the tremendous weight of the mountain rock, Calron continued to take one step at a time as he loudly bellowed out into the air.
“Only… a few more… steps… ”
Calron painfully gritted his teeth when he saw that the cl.u.s.ter of the baby beasts were only a few more feet away from him.
Realizing that the stranger was actually the human boy they all knew, the little beasts all let out an exasperated sigh, while some trudged back to the lake to resume their sleep. For the past few weeks, the human boy had been constantly coming to their home early in the mornings and making them train with him.
Initially, the little beasts were all excited about playing with the human, but the boy only seemed to train early in the morning, which forced them to wake up early as well.
Around this time every morning, all the excluded poisonous beasts would shoot smug glances at the others, as they made exaggerated snoring sounds and gloated over their extra sleep.
“Gaga?”
The little monkey groggily questioned the jaguar cub, as it gently rubbed its eyes.
“Mew mew!”
The baby lightning beast rapidly nodded its head in confirmation, as it excitedly hopped around.
Unlike the others, even if it was early in the morning, the little jaguar loved playing with the human. The baby monkey also liked playing with the human due to fact that the human boy would later hunt breakfast for those who had trained with him.
“Gagaga!”
The little monkey eagerly cried out, as a thin line of drool seeped out from the corner of its mouth.
Yesterday, the human boy had caught a gigantic fish and refused to share it with the monkey, as the little beast had ignored the human boy and did not wake up to train.
This morning, the gluttonous monkey was determined to train with the human so it would get to eat a tasty meal. Recently, the human had gotten a lot faster and even without using that flashy technique, he could now catch up to the agile baby monkey.
“ARRGGHH!”
Once Calron arrived in front of the baby beasts, his arms slightly quivered as he slowly raised the enormous rock from his back and unceremoniously dumped it to the side.
*crack*
A part of the ground instantly cracked open under the heavy weight of the giant rock, while the nearby baby beasts all stared in astonishment towards the boy.
“Pheww, that was heavier than I expected… now, who is ready for some training?”
Calron cheerfully inquired, as he swept his eyes around him. Calron let out a dissatisfied grunt when he saw that only five of the creatures were standing awake before him, including the jaguar cub and the annoying monkey.
“Well, then I guess the others will not get to eat the delicious meat that I prepared for them today… ”
Calron stated while shaking his head in mock disappointment.
“Caw?”
A white-feathered eagle perched on a nearby tree sounded out a greeting, as it hopped down to the ground. Soon, several little beasts slowly arrived in front of Calron with their eyes shining in antic.i.p.ation of the delicious reward.
“Works every time.”
Calron victoriously muttered under breath as he prepared to face off against his tiny beast friends.
“Charge!”
*splash*
“Teacher, their teeth and their attacks no longer hurt me or pierce my skin. I think I’m ready for the third stage of the Thunder-Bird technique.”
Calron quietly said, as he rinsed off the sweat from his face using the water from the lake.
“That technique does not require you to do any special training, kid. Once your physical body is strong enough, you will be able to activate it.”
The Voice stated as it materialized next to its student.
“Hmm, Teacher, can you tell me more about it? I’m still confused as to how I will be able to activate it when I don’t even know a thing about it.”
Calron asked, while turning around and gazing at the little beasts devouring the roasted carca.s.s of the elk that he had hunted earlier.
“Patience, boy, patience. Now, onto more important matters! Did I suddenly get fatter or is it just the lake distorting my handsome image?”
The Voice inquired as it struck several exaggerated poses in front of the lake.
“Teacher, I think it’s finally time that we leave this small forest.”
Calron sighed, and began walking back towards the baby beasts. He knew he would not get anything out of his Teacher, so it was best to simply wait until the Voice was ready to disclose the information.
“Yes, we should prepare to leave here soon… I know you’re going to miss them.”
The Voice gently whispered as it caught up to Calron.
“Yeah, I’ll probably miss these little brats… even that annoying one.”
Calron laughed, as he saw the baby monkey s.n.a.t.c.h away a roasted piece of meat from the bear cub’s mouth and run off with it.
He did not know why, but he felt a sense of longing whenever he looked at the tiny beasts playing together.
“It’s because they are a family…”
The Voice softly said as it read through Calron’s mind.
Being alone in the wild, and separated from everyone he knew, Calron longed to find a place where he belonged.
He longed for a family.
“I guess I was just never meant for that kind of stuff.”
Calron let out a sad smile as he walked further ahead.
“You never know what the future has in store for you, kid. But, as long as my soul exists in this mortal realm, I will never let you be alone… ”
The Voice silently promised as it disintegrated into a cloud of dark smoke.