May Peace Grace Us

Chapter 61: First time in the Forest

Aila packed her necessities as completely as she could possible. As there is no space supernaturalist joining them on this trip out, it is impossible for them to get out there empty-handedly. Although they have practiced bringing bags for necessities as a norm, the difference between bringing a whole warehouse and a small box is way too big to see.

“Was everything all set now?” Aila asked as the other ten people gathered at the northern gates. The north was where the mountains were in their geography and the lake was on the west side of their base. As she was planning to give her small team a practical experience, she decided that the mountain outskirts were the best place to start.

The group of ten replied that they were ready. They had with them a moderate-sized mountain bag that was so full of their supplies. From what she could see, they were well-equipped enough. Only Bella is missing for them to get going.

Speak of the devil and they shall come, Bella doning outfit in rather thin winter clothes(—well compared to what Aila was wearing), came with a slightly smaller bag than the rest of them. In her hand was a small sword that Aila was not sure where her friend had got herself off. She was sure that one was not among the minimum luggage they had brought with them when they first arrived at the base.

Seeing the pointed and wondering eyes of Aila on her sword, Bella only smiled at Aila. She mouthed a few words about her explanation of her weapon’s origin later. The timing was not right for them to discuss them, especially since they are in public.

No longer putting her mind on the sword, Aila commanded everyone to depart from the base. The patrolmen on the walls opened the gates for them. When they are outside the gates, they then give them a military salute that was popularized by Felix during his training of them.

Aila and her companions did not see their salutes and continued moving forward to the deceiving land of white. Their few miles of walking were smooth save for stumbling over some iced zombies in the snow. As they are completely unmoving, they simply harvest their crystals before leaving the area safely.

Only when they arrived at the foot of the mountain did things start to be different. It was obvious that the mountain was full of life somehow. They could hear the rustles of the winter resistant trees as well as some activities of the now changed wildlife it supports.

“We’re here,” Aila said as she called for a halt. “The moment we step in there, everything is a whole new battlefield for you guys. A word of advice: never be arrogant in your enemies’ territory.”

The group only solemnly nodded at Aila’s words as they heard a clear cry of some animal deep in the mountains. It sounded like those wolves in movies and documentaries. But it was also different on some pitches, it was more like a roar or something of an undoubtedly huge beast.

“A tiger? I did not know this place houses some tigers here.” Bella, who had experienced a lot in the later parts of the apocalypse, was familiar with its cry. “Are any of your family aware of them nesting here?”

“There was a report of runaway tigers a long time ago in the nearest city zoo. Maybe those tigers originated from those runaways.” Aila said as she recalled a certain news about this incident. There was a huge panic over the said incident and everyone was clamoring as to where the tigers had gone.

As far as Aila could remember, the whole thing was full of controversies and conspiracies. In the forums, it was stated that the tigers might have been stolen instead of running away. They noted that there were no signs of the huge animals forcing their way out nor were there marks of them truly escaping. A dubious part of this was that the CCTVs did not catch the breakout at all to prove the tigers’ running away.

Personally, Aila was leaning more on the side of those in the forums than on the official statement on the matter. The tigers were stolen and, from the looks of it, the thieves were not able to get any profits for them with these creatures living and appearing there. Tigers are, after all, a rare creature in this part of the country. Releasing them in the wild is not an option at all if they want to be a little ‘kind’ to a foreign species. Ecology does quite some wacky things when a new species is suddenly introduced to the local community.

Aila estimates that the tigers in these mountains are just starting to adapt to the change of climate all of these days. Winter here is normally characterized by colder winds and colder temperatures. Rarely does snow fall in the area. So roaring out like that was just showing off their irritability of the changes. Currently, they don’t need to worry about them for now.

“This just means more trouble.” Bella clicked her tongue before turning to the now pale-faced group behind her. “Listen up, when we enter this forest I want you all to be alert and wary of your surroundings. Reptiles are not a concern this winter if any of you are afraid of snakes, so rest assured about that one. Unless you accidentally wake one from its deep slumber, they are not a concern. But other animals are threats I am sure you don’t want to unnecessarily engage in.”

Bella looked at each of the faces of the people in front of her. Letting out some of her killing intent, she deliberately scares them to let them know a taste of death. Although she was the most vicious of all hyenas, she understood that these people were necessary for them to have a place called home. She does not want a repeat of the lonely and desperate way of living they lived in her previous life. Although it granted them freedom to do what they wanted to do, it also came with a greater price for them. Bella simply did not want to feel the dread and emptiness again without a place to call a home.

“Most of all, after we get there, we cannot guarantee anyone’s life at all.” Bella spoke gravely.

“Like the time we let you get used to dealing with zombies, all we can do is to provide a room for growth.” Aila piped in as she saw hesitation and fear in some. “Whether you live or die here, it will not make much difference in the long run. The mutant animals are sure to be our enemies later. This mountain is their home and when their food is scarce or something unusual happens here, the first place they will wreak havoc with is the very base we are in.”

Aila gave them some time to digest the information before leading them in. Whether they had grievances due to their frank words, like she said, it will not matter in the long run. Fear is what kills people the most and cowardice is what cripples them. None of them has a choice if they want to live, so she and Bella simply go in without caring if they follow or not.

Besides, most of them are smart people. Aila trusts them to know what is best for them.

Not looking back to see who followed them in, Aila judges that all of them have stepped into the mountain forest. She did not stop herself from making a smile as she vigilantly observed her surroundings. There are plenty of animals for them to take on from what she observed.

“Well, no predators on sight, right?” Bella confirmed that they did not plan to get the difficult one this time around. “I saw a pair of rabbits and some squirrels here and there. They will make a good start if you’re okay with this arrangement.”

“That would be fine.” Aila thought that the targets Bella had identified were indeed the best practice for their newbies. Knowing that Bella was more eager than her in regards to this, Aila just let Bella take charge of everything. Instead, she lets herself be a guard just in case there will be some unexpected predators coming over.

As Bella took pleasure in teaching their trainees, Aila was observing the plants and the changes in them. She was not scared of the changes as she was fully aware that it would take time for them to make things dangerous for them. But it is not a lie that she is curious about the early evolution of plants now. She did not write much about their evolution before and she did not have the luxury to observe them before in her past life.

Her writings did not cover this part of the story as it was more focused on the city side. After all, where can you find a large patch of green in the jungle of concrete walls? It is not a joke that cities are urbanized in exchange for the pitiful ecosystem that once existed there. Not to mention ridiculous ordinances that forbid the already small number of trees to be completely restricted. Therefore, even if in her past life she had an interest in regards to this subject, she really had no way of realizing it.

She only knew of the horrors the plants would later give years later when some survivors told them tales of it. And when she finally saw the mutated plants, most of them were already in their most dangerous forms. She really cannot study them closely as she was more focused on killing them and staying alive.

Aila simply found herself feeling like a child whenever she got the chance to not mind her past. Being curious was a common characteristic among all hyenas and was something they all relished in indulging. Though she was more of the cat type and not like those truth finding curious as Travis and Jerome was, her finding interest in this is not a surprising thing at all.

So she kneeled on one knee as she caressed a small patch of grass that was stubbornly trying to survive under the thick pile of snow. Observing its leaves and whatever changes it might undergo. Unexpectedly, she found that its blades were now so sharp that when she experimentally used a handkerchief to pull them out, the fabric was pierced and torn. Truly a wonder to marvel at.

Next, she approaches the bushes to see their changes too. But when she was getting near it, she noticed something weird in a particular bush. Her vigilance just couldn’t help rising as she took a close look at the bush.