Chapter 14
Wendy P.O.V.
After the meeting with the mayor of Onibus, we're making our way down one of the main roads, hoping to find the other group of bandits, until Kuma stops, her nose raised to the air.
I stop as well and raise my nose to try and find what she's smelling but I can't pick anything up and frown.
"Kuma?"
She either doesn't hear my question or ignores it because she shifts and takes off through the brush, leaving Carla to pick me up and fly after her.
As we fly over the trees I can just barely make out a tan cat with black spots racing through the trees and when Carla goes lower I pick up the smell of burnt mountain earth that can only be Kuma's scent.
"Wendy, do you see her? I lost track of her."
I tilt my head at Carla's question and immediately point to my right.
"Over that way, Carla, I can smell her."
She changes direction and puts on a speed boost when we see Kuma slowing down.
"Carla, drop me next to her."
"Are you sure that's what you want to do, child?"
I roll my eyes. "Yes, Carla, I'm sure." I feel Carla's paws leave the back of my shirt, and before I know it I'm falling through the air.
Reacting quickly, I use the air around me to slow my fall and by the time I land next to Kuma, it doesn't even look like I fell from a hundred feet in the air.
Kuma flicks her tail in acknowledgement but doesn't shift while her eyes stay focused on what's up ahead of us.
The 'what' being a camp with several tents put up.
On logs around the fire sit ten men, and thrown behind them are enough beer bottles to make even Cana proud, or possibly disgusted, it's never possible for me to tell when it comes to the drunkard.
I duck when a bottle hits a tree three feet from us and I can make out a rumbling coming from Kuma as I turn my head to see her watching me with worry.
I give her a small smile to let her know I'm alright before kneeling and peeling back some leaves of the bush in front of me to watch the group.
"Wendy, stay here."
My head jerks around at the sound of her voice to see her already shifting from her human form into what looks like a ferret.
She looks back at me one more time before jogging through the bush and into the camp. She slips through the camp, avoiding detection by hiding in between empty bottles, behind the logs, and once or twice slipping into tent openings before reaching her destination—the large black tent on the other side of the clearing.
Quietly, she slips inside and a few minutes later a red fox walks out with a brown satchel hanging from her mouth.
She locks eyes with me and when one of the bandits yell, I immediately know what she wants me to do.
I stand up and walk into the clearing, Carla copying my movements on my left. To distract the men from Kuma, Carla states, "I don't see why ten grown idiots need to take care of one small fox."
The group turns to Carla and Kuma takes off, disappearing into the clearing before reappearing a minute later as a panther and without the brown satchel.
She yowls and the group turn their heads to her before turning to me when one yells, "Where did you come from?"
I smirk. "We're here to take out some bandits, seems we didn't have to look far."
Slowly, their fear fades away and one of them jumps at me. I move to the side and avoid his grasp before turning to the others.
"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!"
The spell hits them head on and most get knocked out, but a few stand back up.
They've apparently forgotten about my friends, because while they're trying to get at me, Kuma and Carla take them out.
Before you ask the reason why the A/N is lacking is because I'm not done, I have a surprise for y'all.