WORLD OF BEASTS: A Girl For The Beasts

The Journey

Chapter 014: The Journey

"Kak Halvir, stop!" Anindira suddenly cried out. "Poh-pohan—let me pick some!"

"What?"

"Those, the poh-pohan leaves..."

Anindira whined softly as she pointed toward a cluster of shrubs not far from where they were standing.

"What leaves are you trying to gather now?!"

"Come on, Kak Halvir, these are delicious. Don't look at them like that!"

Halvir snorted.

"This makes me even more convinced that you're a herbivore."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

Anindira looked at him in confusion, clearly not understanding what he meant.

"Forget it!" Halvir waved a hand dismissively. "As long as it makes you happy, do whatever you want. As long as it doesn't put you in danger..."

"Don't worry!" Anindira replied with a bright smile. "I know exactly which plants are edible and which aren't. I'm pretty confident about that."

"Yeah, yeah... suit yourself..."

Halvir sounded indifferent, but his eyes never stopped following Anindira's every movement. Secretly, from behind, he smiled faintly at how unique the woman who had accompanied him for the past month truly was.

After gathering the poh-pohan leaves, they continued their journey.

"We'll rest here!" Halvir called out after finding a place he considered safe.

ZRET!

A single swift s***h severed a hanging tree root. Clear water immediately flowed from the hollow inside.

Anindira hurried over and drank from it, relief spreading across her face.

"Thank you... it tastes so refreshing."

"I'll prepare a fire to roast the meat."

"Okay!" Anindira answered cheerfully.

That word—okay—was obviously not part of the Beast World's language. However, after spending more than a month traveling together, Halvir had gradually become accustomed to the foreign vocabulary that often slipped from Anindira's lips. Little by little, they had learned to understand each other—not through words, but through tone and expression.

"The tears in your clothes have increased again..."

"Kak Halvir, don't make that gloomy face!" Anindira quickly interrupted, as if trying to cut off his sympathy. "With your sharp sense of smell, I'm actually more worried about my body odor. I haven't properly bathed in weeks."

"It doesn't bother me. You always clean yourself with whatever the forest provides. Your scent isn't bad—for someone who hasn't bathed."

"Kak... did you really have to be that honest?!"

Anindira's pride as a modern girl was instantly wounded.

"You're so insensitive!" she grumbled. "At least just say, 'You don't smell, so don't worry.' Why explain at length that there actually is a smell coming from me?!"

"Once again, you're speaking a language I don't understand," Halvir replied flatly. "But I know you're upset. Did something I said make you angry?"

"Yes. A lot of things!"

Anindira answered in words Halvir still couldn't understand. Even so, he could now distinguish the differences—real anger, mild annoyance, or simple complaining.

"This journey should be difficult for you," Halvir said after a while. "You're a woman. But so far, there haven't been any major problems. You know a lot about nature. That makes you quite capable of taking care of yourself."

"I have my grandmother to thank for that," Anindira replied more quietly. "She's a botanist. I learned a lot from her..."

"You're fortunate," Halvir said. "That way, the wilderness isn't completely hostile toward you."

"Hehehe... without Kak Halvir, I wouldn't have survived."

Anindira smiled softly.

"Even though almost everything here resembles my original world, there are some things that no longer exist there—except as fossils. You're an exception too, Kak Halvir. I don't know whether your kind went extinct... or never existed at all."

"Of course I'm one of a kind," Halvir answered proudly. "How could you expect there to be many like me?"

"That's not what I meant..." Anindira shook her head. "The supernatural things you do—in my world—don't exist at all."

Halvir did not understand the word supernatural. But he chose not to ask. Just like many other unfamiliar words that frequently appeared in Anindira's speech, he believed their meanings would eventually reveal themselves.

Hehehe...

"What now?" Halvir asked, puzzled when he saw Anindira smiling to herself. "What's making you grin like that?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing..." Anindira scratched her cheek. "I'm just happy. If Kak Halvir hadn't patiently taught me little by little, we'd probably still be communicating through ridiculous gestures."

"Only you were ridiculous. I wasn't."

"Kak Halvir?! You're bullying me again..."

"Which part of that was bullying?"

Their journey—whether serious or ridiculous—was always accompanied by conversations like these. And without realizing it, the distance between two different worlds was slowly growing smaller.

It had already been two months since Anindira and Halvir first met.

Long enough to survive together in an unfriendly forest, yet still far too short to truly understand each other's language. Even so, basic vocabulary had begun to settle in Anindira's mind. She was no longer relying solely on hand gestures and facial expressions. For simple things, she could now speak—or at least try to.

Anindira had also learned that their journey was still far from over.

Very far.

Their final destination was Halvir's hometown.

At first, Anindira had felt awkward every time Halvir carried her. Her body would stiffen, and her thoughts would fill with embarrassment. But time and necessity gradually wore those feelings away. She knew that insisting on walking by herself would only slow everything down. Not only because she had no footwear, but because no matter how hard she tried, her pace would never compare to Halvir's.

"For a woman, your stamina is impressive, Anindira."

Anindira looked up.

There was a brief pause before she answered, as though weighing his words.

"Really? Thank you. But I'm sure I'm still far behind the women in your village, Kak Halvir."

"No," Halvir replied firmly without hesitation. "You're very tough. You're different from most women I know."

"Kak Halvir is just trying to make me feel better."

"What for? You're not sad..."

The corner of Anindira's lips twitched. She felt an irritation she didn't fully understand—not anger, but more like stumbling over honesty that was too straightforward.

"Kak Halvir, do you always talk like this?!"

"Eum."

That short answer made Anindira snort softly.

"Even if you don't worship or praise people, at least soften your words. If you stay like this, women will be afraid of you... it'll be hard for you to get a girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?!"

Halvir frowned.

The word was clearly unfamiliar to him. As usual, he chose not to ask.

"There are already plenty of women who are afraid of me," he said flatly. "So I already knew that without you telling me."

Anindira raised an eyebrow.

There were many things she wanted to say, but in the end she remained silent. She simply thought to herself that a man like Halvir was actually far too precious to be misunderstood merely because of the way he spoke.

You're actually kind...

Even if you're not good with sweet words, that's exactly what makes you special to me.

Halvir glanced at her briefly. He didn't know what Anindira was thinking, but he could sense that she was quietly reaching some kind of conclusion.

"You're exceptionally resilient for a woman alone in the forest," Halvir said after a while.

His voice was softer now, and his gaze gentler.

"I don't know about other women. But you... I think you're strong."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts.

"I've met many women. From what I've seen, they're almost always weak and spoiled. They complain, sulk easily, and can be quite troublesome..."

Anindira did not interrupt.

She simply looked at him and listened.

This time, Halvir wasn't speaking as if issuing instructions. His words weren't fragmented or rushed. It was as though he was opening up about something he rarely spoke of.

"I know not all women are like that," he continued. "Like... two women I know very well. You're different from most other women. You're a little like Zia—mischievous and talkative. You know, not many women can spend a long time with me comfortably besides Ezra and Zia..."

Halvir stopped.

Anindira hugged her raised knees, one leg folded beneath her. She turned toward Halvir, who was now smiling gently.

"Like them, you always look straight into my eyes. There's no fear in your eyes. And I'm certain it's genuine. You truly see me as I am..."

Every so often, Halvir brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen across Anindira's forehead. His movements were slow, almost hesitant, yet full of care.

"I know you're tired. Very tired. Even though I don't understand your words, I know you don't complain. You're not spoiled like most women..."

He continued in a calm, low voice.

"You're mischievous like Zia. But you're also as calm as Ezra. I don't know your language, but I know when you're annoyed and when you're uncomfortable. Even so, you endure it. You keep smiling. I like everything I've seen about you... including the way your eyes look at me with sincerity."

Anindira's face grew warm.

She was surprised, yet she couldn't hide her smile.

Beneath the light of the full moon, Halvir smiled—beautiful, like a living painting. She had lost count of how many times she had seen that smile since they met, and her heart still reacted the same way every time.

Several minutes passed without words.

Only gazes.

Only breaths.

Only feelings quietly settling between them.

Then a cold wind arrived.

Its gusts were sharper among the treetops.

Anindira shivered unconsciously. Her shoulders trembled, and her fingers tightened around her knees.

Halvir stood and moved behind her.

Anindira was startled, her body tensing for a moment.

But Halvir's hand stopped her gently—not forcing, only reassuring.

He sat behind Anindira and drew her into his lap.

His broad chest rested against her back, enveloping her small body in natural warmth.

There was no hidden intention.

Only protection.

And somehow, Anindira could feel it.

She did not resist.

Her body gradually relaxed, sinking into Halvir's warmth. Their heartbeats no longer raced. They simply existed side by side, moving in harmony with the whispering night wind flowing through the leaves.

There, atop the tree, two different worlds once again found a meeting point—

without sharing the same language,

yet with hearts that were slowly beginning to understand each other.

Cultural Note: The Meaning of “Kak/Kakak”

Kak/Kakak — An Indonesian term of address used for someone older, respected, or considered close. It can literally mean “older brother/sister,” but it is also commonly used for non-relatives as a sign of respect, familiarity, or affection.

Indonesian has several respectful forms of address, such as Kak/Kakak, Pak/Bapak, and Bu/Ibu, each carrying different nuances. Pak/Bapak and Bu/Ibu are generally used for people who are significantly older, authority figures, or those in a more formal relationship, similar to addressing someone as “Mr.,” “Sir,” “Mrs.,” or “Ma’am.”

Unlike Pak/Bapak and Bu/Ibu, Kak/Kakak expresses respect while maintaining a sense of closeness. It is often used for someone older who feels approachable, familiar, or like an older sibling figure rather than a parent or formal authority.

In this story, Anindira uses Kak because she sees these individuals as respected older companions. The term reflects familiarity and emotional closeness, not a family relationship.