Carefully, the finger of the native painted another line on the cloth in front of him. When it was finished, it became clear that it was supposed to be the tail of a mighty bison... which has been hurled upwards by a mighty punch of a blonde girl with two pigtails.
Next to that image, various other animals were shown, all in a state of being subdued or incapacitated. They included another bison, a bear and some deer.
And in all of the pictures, the mighty hunter that had struck the beast was a girl with pale skin and either blue or blonde hair. There was even a small, black cat that was clinging to the back of the bear in panic.
Ami watched with interest as the native man finished his painting.
"I wish we could take this with us to show the others," she said. "And to keep it as a memento of our big hunt..."
"Yeah, those guys were pretty amazed when they saw our hunting tactics," Usagi giggled.
Just then, she saw that someone was approaching them. It was the tall, muscular boy who had been sitting next to them the previous evening.
He smiled at them and raised his hand in greeting. A little insecure, the two girls imitated his movements.
The chief was stepping next to the young warrior. He had a proud grin on his face as he patted the boy on his back. He pointed at himself, then at the boy, and then he took the boy's right hand and the hands of the two girls. He then put them together.
The young man seemed to be embarrassed, but he continued to smile at them.
After releasing the hands of the confused Gauls, the chief once again patted the boy's back and left. The boy shrugged, raised his hand to say goodbye and followed him.
"What was that all about?" Usagi asked in confusion.
"I'm not too sure..." Ami replied. "But I think that was his son, and he's happy that he likes us..."
"I think I now know what the confrontation with the other girls was all about," Luna sighed. "And also why he made such a big fuss over our arrival... he wants you two to be his son's fiancees."
Ami blushed heavily, while Usagi freaked out. "W-w-what? Fiancees? Both of us? I mean..." She blushed as well and fiddled with her thumbs. "He's a cute guy and all, but... we hardly know each other. And besides... they're all nice to us and everything, but... I'd prefer going home soon."
"Yes, definitely!" Ami nodded sharply. "Perhaps we should leave tonight... it would be hard to explain the reasons to them..."
Luna sneered at them. "Oh, are you in suuuch a hurry that you don't even want do get to know your new fiance better?"
Ami turned as red as a tomato. Usagi fumed. "Sh-shut up..."
At night, two shapes were silently sneaking around the tipis of the natives. They were, of course, Ami and Usagi with Luna, who had agreed to leave the camp unnoticed.
Unfortunately, one of the natives was sitting in their way, guarding the camp.
Trying very hard not to make any noise, they tiptoed past him, behind the tipis.
But then Usagi stepped on a wooden twig that was lying on the ground.
CRACK!
Instantly, the guard was jumping to his feet, taking his spear and looking around the bushes.
By now, Luna was certain they would get caught, but Usagi had an idea...
She put her hands next to her mouth and shouted: "Gobblegobblegobble!"
The guard seemed to relax. Satisfied, he put down his weapon and sat down on the ground.
Ami stared at her friend. "Usagi, that was ingenious..." she whispered.
Usagi tried very hard not to grin with pride.
"Grrrrroooowwwllll..."
"SANGO, MAKE THAT STUPID CAT STOP!"
"Hey now, leave her alone!"
As the sun was rising, the silhouette of an impressive ship was gliding through the ocean's waters. Attached to its front was a wooden, scary-looking dragon head that was looming menacingly over the waves.
And directly behind that dragon head, on the ship's bow, the massive form of a giant cat was standing, looking straight ahead into the direction the boat was going.
A young woman with a black pony-tail stepped next to the big cat and petted her head. She was dressed in a fur coat and metal armor. "What's wrong, Kirara? Did you smell something?"
"Now what should that overgrown bag of fleas have smelt out here?" a young, white-haired man grumbled as he stepped next to the girl. He was similarly dressed as her, but also had a necklace of pearls hanging around his neck. "There's nothing here... nothing but water. If you ask me, we should go back home and forget about this stupid idea..."
"Well, Kagome said she wants to go on a little further..."
"Bah! That girl is dimwitted, I tell you! If we keep going like this, we will reach the end of the world and fall off. This journey is a complete joke, as all of her ideas are..."
"Um, Inuyasha..."
"What?"
Sango raised her finger and pointed behind him. Inuyasha turned around... and saw the female, black-haired captain of the ship standing there, a snarl on her pretty face.
"Um... Kagome, I..."
"SIT!!"
WHAM!
Cracks appeared in the wood of the deck as Inuyasha smashed down by Kagome's command.
Sango winced. "You know, I told you the ship won't withstand much more strikes of Inuyasha's hard head..."
"Ah, the jerk had it coming," Kagome grumbled and stepped up next to her friend Sango and her pet Kirara. "That'll teach him to question my plans..."
"But seriously, Kagome... do you really believe that there is land in this direction? We've been at sea for nearly a month now and didn't find anything."
"I just know there is something more out there, somewhere behind the horizon," the captain of the viking ship insistet. "Let's search one more day, if we haven't found anything by then, we can go home, I promise!"
"Umm... okay! Whatever you say!"
"And I still say this is ridiculous," Inuyasha grumbled as he got up to his feet. He turned around to face the crew. "Don't you all agree? Let's go home before it's too late!"
Various murmurs of approval were rising among the crew. Kagome got angry, but also nervous. She couldn't do much if the crew decided to conspire against her... A mutiny was the last thing she needed.
"Growl! Meooow!"
Gritting his teeth, Inuyasha turned back around to face Sango. "I swear, I'll kill that cat if it continues to..."
"That's strange," Sango murmured. "Normally, she would only act like this when we're near... land."
"Look! Oh, look over there!" Kagome shouted in excitement.
Inuyasha and Sango looked over the ship's rail with gaping mouths. In the distance, they could see the coast of a big, unknown continent...
"Well, I'll be damned..." the white-haired viking muttered. "She was right after all..."
Usagi and Ami had managed to get out of the forest and reached the coast. However, they couldn't find the cliff where they had abandoned their wrecked boat. Instead, they were now standing on a small island in the middle of a grand bay.
Ami peered out on the open sea. "A ship..." she exclaimed.
Usagi looked as well. "Romans? Egyptians? Phoenicians?"
"Only one way to find out. We'll have to signal them to come over..."
Usagi nodded. "Yeah, or else our dear 'daddy-in-law' and his friends will be here to pick us up..."
They made a big pile of rocks and Ami climbed on its top, carrying a burning torch which she raised high above her head. In her other hand, she was clutching a small bundle of things they took with them from the native camp...
Luna looked up at the imposing figure of Ami, while the torch was burning brightly. "Strange... she muttered. "Somehow, when looking at her like that... it seems to be a sign of liberty..."
Kagome let out a gasp. "Land! With human beings! Quick, go for it..."
Sango smirked while the other crew members continued to row. "You know, you never seem to surprise me, Kagome... Just imagine how everyone at home will react, if we tell them of our discovery..."
Some time later, the female captain and several of her crew members were standing in front of Usagi and Ami, looking at them with content faces.
Ami smiled and stepped forward. "Thank goodness! I thought we'd be stranded out here for eternity. Please, could you take us with you in your boat?"
Kagome blinked. Then, she turned around to her friends. "Um, what did she say?"
"I dunno," Miroku shrugged. "I don't think I've heard this language before... although, I have to say... it does sound familiar."
Usagi groaned. "Aaahh, dang... They don't understand us..."
"Well, perhaps we can make ourselves understood in some other kind of way?" Ami wondered.
"Lemme take care of this..." Inuyasha mumbled and stepped in front of his captain. He gestured at the two girls, then at the boat. "You... come... with us? Understand?"
They just stared at him blankly.
Sango snickered. "Somehow, I doubt that they understood you..."
Meanwhile, Kirara had approached Luna and sniffed her curiously.
Luna felt a little nervous when facing the enormous cat, but she relaxed after realizing Kirara didn't mean her any harm.
"Mrrrooowwllll?" the big cat growled curiously.
Luna blinked. "Meow! Mew mew meoooww!"
"Meow? Grrrr... Meow meoooww!"
"You understand her?" Usagi gasped. "What did she say?"
Luna sighed. "I'm not too sure... She speaks with a heavy Norse accent... but I think she said they want us to come with them."
Usagi grinned. "Well, then what are we waiting for? That's exactly what we want, right?"
Kagome, not having understood the conversation between the two strangers and their cat, seemed to have come to a decision. "Let's introduce ourselves to them... perhaps then they will have more trust."
"Good idea," Sango nodded.
Kagome pointed at herself. "I am... Kagome! Kagome the Black-haired! Got it?"
The two girls looked at each other, then nodded. The blonde one imitated Kagome's actions. "Usagi." The blue one followed quickly: "Ami."
Inuyasha stepped forward. "Inuyasha... the Stubborn!"
Sango smiled. "I'm Sango the Agile."
The man wearing purple robes grinned at the girls. "I am Miroku the Lecherous..."
A few hours later, the boat was gone, and the two Gauls with them.
A single canoe reached the island, and some of the natives were stepping out.
A handsome, pig-tailed man walked to the small pile of rocks in the middle of the island. There, he saw a burnt out torch and a small bundle.
Kneeling down, Pig-Tailed-Horse picked up the bundle and unwrapped it. Inside, he found the painting of the two foreign girls which had been made after their hunt.
He smiled as he looked at the group picture, where the blue-haired, the blonde and their black cat were standing next to each other, in front of their prey, and grinning proudly.
He stood up, looked at the sea and smiled.
Clutching the painting to his chest, he raised his right hand... to bid the two strange but cute girls farewell. He then went back to his father and friends, and they returned to the camp.
He would never forget them...
Finally, after a long journey, the viking ship arrived at its destination harbor, after navigating through the thick fog banks of the northern ocean.
"We did it," Kagome cheerfully exclaimed. "We're back home!"
Usagi and Ami watched as the ship was landing at a long pier of the viking village that was lying in the middle of the Scandinavian fjord. The small huts were coated with a blanket of snow, and it was very cold.
Usagi shivered. "We're really lucky they gave us warm coats... it's freezing here."
"I wonder how we can make them understand our situation," Ami pondered. "While it is nice that they have seemingly invited us to stay at their village, we still have to catch some fish and bring it home to our village back in Gaul..."
Kagome listened to the conversation of the two 'natives of the New World' - of course she couldn't understand a single word - and grinned. "I'll bet they're impressed with our village... I can guess they just live in tents, back where they come from."
"Let's just hope they're really as friendly as they make us believe..." Inuyasha grumbled.
Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha... do you have to mistrust any person you meet?"
"Well, what do we know about them?" the white-haired viking huffed. "Nothing, right? Maybe they're just spies and only came with us to see if they can easily conquer our land."
"Inuyasha, stop being such a worrywart..."
Suddenly, she saw someone coming through the snow flurry... and gasped.
"Now what's wrong?"
Kagome gulped. "It's... it's our leader..."
Inuyasha felt uneasy as well as he recognized the imposing figure of their chief... Gleaming eyes, a fang-toothed smile...
...and when they disembarked, his head just reached up to their knees.
Shippo the Terrible, the feared viking leader, snarled at the crew of his biggest ship.
"Well..." he grumbled in his high-pitched voice. "Well, well, well... Captain Kagome... I see you're back, finally..."
Smiling nervously, Kagome raised a hand. "G-greetings, chief... it's good to see you again!"
"I wish I could say the same thing about you!" Shippo snapped back. "While the rest of our men are out on sea, attacking merchant ships and marauding villages, you just take my biggest ship and our best crew to make a small cruise..."
Kagome cringed under the harsh words of her diminutive leader, but stood her ground. "Shippo... while I'm sorry I just took the boat without informing you, I have outstanding news to tell you: We made an amazing discovery! We found, after sailing many sea miles eastwards, an unknown continent... an entire New World!"
"A... New World?"
She nodded. "A New World!"
But Shippo the Terrible wasn't convinced that easily. "And do you have any proof for that? Because I won't rely on anything just because you and your crew tell me so."
"Hey, what's the problem?" Inuyasha grumbled. "We've all been there and saw it... even though I was kinda sceptical at first... but she is right! There IS a brand new world out there, just waiting to be plundered and ravaged..."
"DID I ASK FOR YOUR OPINION?" Shippo bellowed... as loud as he could with his tiny voice.
Kagome gestured backwards. "You want proof? I'll show you proof!"
Just then, Usagi and Ami appeared next to them, as Sango and Miroku lead them off the viking's ship.
"Excuse us..." Ami said in Gaul. "But could you please give us a ship so we can get back home?"
But Shippo didn't understand her. "Who are those girls?" he wanted to know. "What did they say?"
Kagome beamed with pride. "Those... are natives of the New World, Shippo! They are the proof that I said the truth. Sadly, we can't understand them... they must speak a primitive language..."
Shippo thought about it. "All right, come with me," he ordered. "You will tell me every single detail of your journey!"
"Of course," Kagome nodded. "Miroku is our scholar... he will tell you everything..." She then looked around. "Miroku?"
The purple-robed viking was standing a short distance away from them, chatting with two giggling girls that were looking out of a window.
"Missed me, girls?" he grinned. "Must be because of my undeniable good looks... But yeah, I missed you too..."
"MIROKU!!" Shippo yelled. "Quit flirting and get over here!"
Miroku cringed. "Yes, chief..."
In Shippo's big and warm hut, Miroku was telling him the story of their journey, while Usagi, Ami and Luna were warming up at the fireplace.
"...and that's all," Miroku finished his tale.
"Amazing," Shippo murmured. "Of course, we have to prepare a bigger expedition soon... We need more ships and more men... So we can carry all the stuff we'll find out there." He grinned. "Yes, that's exactly what my daddy would have done... Tell the inhabitants of the land how lucky they are that they can be of service... and then take everything you can while they still try to befriend you." He grinned. "Yes, I like that..."
"How about preparing a big meal for our two guests?" Kagome suggested with a smirk. "Maybe they can assist us... they can tell their friends how nice we treated them, so they would see us as friends."
Shippo shook his head. "No, no, no... I don't like to give people the wrong impression of myself..." He grinned. "I prefer to see them running in panic as we ravage their villages and enslave their people... But I must say, a big meal is a good idea. We have to celebrate your big discovery, after all. And afterwards, we can sacrifice them to the gods. That's an honor they can't possibly reject..."
And Shippo cackled maliciously...
Usagi looked back at the snickering form of the viking's tiny leader and smiled. "I wonder what he's laughing about? Oh well, perhaps they told him some joke..."
That evening, a big festival was being held in the village hall of the vikings. All villagers were laughing, eating, drinking and dancing, while Ami, Luna and Usagi were sitting at the grand table, near Shippo and Kagome.
"We should be careful," Luna murmured. "I have a bad feeling about this... and we have to go home soon..."
"Aaaah, don't worry so much, Luna..." Usagi grinned while biting into a leg of pork roast. "Those guys are so nice to us... Let's have fun tonight!"
Just then, a young man came near them, carrying a big pot of wine. He poured some into their mugs.
Usagi smiled. "Thank you!"
The dark-haired man nearly dropped the pot. "You... you are Gauls??"
Just then, the viking's leader's voice shouted loudly, in the viking's language: "WHAT? Come here, servant!"
"Y-y-yes, master..." the nervous lad answered in the Norse tongue.
Shippo grabbed the boy's collar and shook him hardly. "Why do you understand the language of the natives of the New World?"
"T-t-the New World?" the Gaul slave stammered. "Pardon me, but... those are Gauls like me..."
"NO WAY!" Kagome yelled and slammed down her mug on the table. "That slave has to be lying! Those two girls are residents of the New World, I know it!"
"THE NEW WORLD?" Shippo yelled back, even louder. "Just made a small trip to Gaul, huh? Took a look at the handsome boys of Lutetia, right?"
Kagome snarled furiously. She drew her short sword and grabbed the poor Gaul boy by his sleeve. "Admit you're lying, or you'll be sorry," she growled.
The boy sweated in fear, sure that this would be his end...
THWACK!
...when suddenly, the female viking captain was flying through the entire room, slamming against the opposite wall and dangling down from the prongs of the stag-head that was attached to that wall.
Usagi pulled back her fist. "Leave that Gaulic hunk alone, you big meanie!"
And then all hell broke loose.
Kagome's crewmen were furious about what happened to her and attacked Ami and Usagi, while the other vikings were glad that there was some action at the party and tussled with each other, while Shippo seemed to go berserk and hit everyone that came too close to him.
Mugs and jars flew through the air, and one viking woman even slammed an entire barrel of wine down on her husband's head.
But while most of the vikings were fighting just for fun, Usagi and Ami were fighting for their lives. Ami quickly had realized that this northern tribe wasn't as harmless as they believed and quickly drank a sip of her magic potion.
After slamming down Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku on one of the wooden benches, Ami hurled it across the whole room.
Then she grabbed the arm of the Gaulic slave and pulled him with her. "Usagi, quick! We have to go!"
"C-c-coming!" the menhir delivery girl shouted, yelping as she ducked under yet another thrown mug.
Following Luna, who had just ran ahead of them, they left the hall and headed for the harbor.
"Quick, this way," the man shouted. "My boat must still be over there..."
"Who are you anyway?" Usagi asked.
"My name is Mamoruchibix," he said. "But just call me Mamoru... I'm a fisherman. A few days ago, I was unlucky enough to get caught by the vikings. They forced me to stay and serve them as their slave... They're terrible, I tell you, and I believe they wanted to sacrifice you to their gods."
"Those vikings are crazy..." Usagi mumbled as they followed Mamoru as he stepped into his small fishing boat that was floating next to the harbor's catwalk.
"Everything is fine," the black-haired fisherman then said. "Even my fishing net is still here."
Ami helped him steer the boat out of the harbor and away from the Norse coast. "That's great news... Say, can you do us a favor, Mamoru? We have a certain problem, you know..."
Back in the village hall, the fight was over. Most of the vikings were either knocked out, unconscious because of the alcohol or just too tired to fight anymore.
Shippo looked around the room. "The Gauls? Where are the Gauls?" he shouted.
He ran outside, followed by Kagome... but it was too late. Coming to a stop at the harbor, they could see the small fishing boat of Mamoru, as it vanished in the distance.
Shippo glared angrily at Kagome, who looked very uncomfortable.
"SNEAKY LITTLE RASCAL!" he then yelled. "What was that about some New World? Ha! Ha! Ha! And to think I almost believed you!" He then grinned and punched her leg playfully. "But, I will let you off the hook this time. My, that was quite a party, eh? It was a long time since I had that much fun!"
Still grinning, he walked back to the village. "And the next time you decide to pull such a prank, warn me in time, got it?"
Kagome stayed behind at the catwalk, sighing as she looked into the distance. Somewhere out there was the New World she had discovered, she knew it.
"But... can I be a discoverer or not?" she asked Kirara who was gently nudging her hand with her head.
"KAGOME, YOU COMING?" Shippo's voice echoed through the snow.
And Kagome followed Kirara back to the village hall. "To be or not to be, that's the question here..."
The next morning...
Minako, who had been practicing at the beach with her new harp, was excitedly jumping up and down. "They're back! They're back!"
Shortly after, the small fishing boat of Mamoru was landing, and Usagi, Ami and Luna disembarked, while Haruka helped Mamoru to unload the many fishes they had caught on their trip back to Gaul.
"Well, you've certainly taken your time," Rei said in a grumbling voice.
Usagi giggled. "Sorry, Rei... we got sidetracked."
The female druid then grinned. "Well, as long as you're back... Hey, Haruka! What do you say? That's some fresh fish, huh?"
The blonde woman took a sniff. "Well, okay, it looks fine... But, it just doesn't have that typical smell of my quality goods..." Michiru threw her an angry glare.
"Just where have you been all that time?" Setsuna asked the two girls.
"Oh, over there..." Ami smiled and vaguely gestured over the ocean.
"Yeah," Luna nodded. "Over there, on some kind of island..."
"And island with many gobblegobbles," Usagi grinned.
Setsuna thought about that and stared over the sea. "Over there... on some island... I see..."