When I started to think clearly, there were two questions that came out inside me.
The questions kept wriggling and sometimes distracted me, perhaps urging me to answer them immediately.
Even so, I couldn't do it.
There were several answers that crossed my mind, but none of them were satisfactory.
What do I think I should do to get them?
While thinking about it, I immersed myself in a black, empty world that showed nothing.
Much time passed, until the empty world finally began to fill with a little tickling light.
At one point, my body caught a signal from the warm air that blew.
"The ball of light has appeared again..." I opened my eyes, looking at a gap that showed dazzling light behind it.
Tidying up the cloth around my neck, lifting my body on the straw that was formed into a chair with a fairly wide base.
I looked at the other side of the empty chair.
There should have been something filling the gap, but it wasn't there at the moment.
"Ah, you're awake?"
Something quickly squeezed through the small gap that was slightly blocked by the roots and rolled in. I who saw it could only breathe a small sigh of relief.
"Please wake me up when you're out, I think something bad happened."
I walked over to him, picked up a few small, sharp pieces of iron and put them on my tightly tied belt.
The figure had a small physical appearance, with a body covered in black to grayish fur, a slightly short tail with fur blooming around it.
I also have more or less the same characteristics, those outside our territory call us a Cat Race. But at the same time they mention it, they also show a confused expression.
What does that mean?
Are we really part of the Cat Race? Or are we something different from that?
Many other questions were missed, I know it will take time to answer them all.
At least what we have to do right now doesn't change.
The pupils of the cat in front of me dilated slightly as he gave a mischievous smile.
"Sorry, you were really asleep, I couldn't do it."
The cat was named Alf.
Wearing a worn gray cloth around his neck.
"Ah, I'm sorry."
"It doesn't matter, we only get two hours of sleep a day, of course there's a limit to what can be endured. I should be the one apologizing, being the leader but letting everything fall apart like this." Alf threw a green apple at me.
His voice sounded joking but I couldn't take it like that.
"No, that's not true…"
I spun the apple in my hand, unable to continue what I wanted to say.
Why am I such a coward?
"Ah, I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that, saying it that way is just looking down on you guys who have already voted unanimously…how do I put it, huh…" Alf tilted his head up and closed his eyes.
He was really thinking hard to sweep away what just happened.
Seeing him like this really left me with no choice but to smile.
"Hm? Why are you smiling?"
"No, nothing." I quickly devoured the apple and looked away.
"No no, you were smiling just now, right? Why did you look away? Hey Besy, try to answer my question…" Alf got closer with his curious eyes.
It took a while to convince him and after that we started walking out of the room, walking down the stairs made of roots while seeing a tree with a very large size on one side and on the other side was a view where a very large forest was exposed with dozens of trees that also towered into the sky like sharp needles.
This very large tree is our home, also something that we really have to protect even if our lives are at stake.
Why do we have to protect it? Is something attacking it?
If I had to answer it, most of the creatures living in this forest are now trying to eliminate the tree we protect, for reasons that we currently do not really know.
…No, that is a bit incorrect.
As I looked at the large tree, I knew that what we were protecting was not something that was completely innocent. In fact, this tree was growing bigger even though the speed was quite slow, the problem was that everything around it was completely destroyed when it came into contact with this tree.
The ground was dead, trees were scattered, other animals were dying from drought. The only thing that grew was the tree and its roots.
With all that, it is only natural that the forest people try todestroy it.
But we still have to protect it, without any reason to give.
As if that was the only reason we were here at this moment.
Even Alf—
"So, what do you think about this?"
"Hm? Sorry, what was that about?"
Back on the surface, I realized that we were already at the bottom, walking into a small gap in the forest. Each step felt a little heavy because of the several pairs of eyes that seemed to be watching, but I seemed to be quite used to it by now.
"Ah, you didn't hear me this whole time? I've been explaining it all the way."
I raised an eyebrow, widening the corners of my mouth to face Alf who was staring at me with narrowed eyes.
"I'm so sorry, I was really drowning earlier."
"I've said it a few times before but Besy really does think too much. That's not a good thing, especially if you're the one doing it."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean you are more suited to taking direct action rather than thinking too much. I think it will only hinder you at the most important moments."
"Is that so…" I looked up at the sky, observing the moving clouds.
"Huh…" Alf sighed and continued.
"For the previous one, I intend to establish a relationship with one of the Beast Races of this forest to cooperate, I ask for your opinion on that as the first representative." Alf's pupils sharpened for a moment, as he looked up.
"Establishing a relationship with one of them, huh? The answer that came to my mind at first glance would be an immediate rejection, but Alf must have a plan, right?"
"That's it, it's been seven days since we gained consciousness but there are still so many things that are still unknown, this isn't something good for this situation. For that reason I was thinking of making an equivalent exchange with information about this forest as payment."
"Then what will we give in return? Looking at it from the other side, the only interesting thing that can be taken from us is probably the abilities we have."
Alf glanced at me and nodded.
"What do they want us to do?"
Even though I said it like that, some of the images were already there.
"They want us to take out the leader of one of the powerful Races that holds sway in this forest."
I nodded, confirming one of the possibilities that had come true.