Hell Forests: RTX 4000 Planet: Pinwheel Galaxy
Shishiro Botan & Tokoyami Towa
" So, why are your people gonna helping us again?" Towa asked, walking slowly after Botan swift movements of n the dense forests that barely having any sunlight shine
through the thickness above their heads.
" Like you said, those people that come to this meeting are here to take our lands and resources. As an apex predator of this planet
. My lion clan will not tolerate.
If I could convinces them to listen to me, of course!" Lioness said.
" Why do they hate you so much? Because you are leaving them behind?" Towa asked, waving at the mosquitoes that trying to bite her exposed arms, legs and even midriff.
These creatures are as big as her little fingers.
" I am a traitor." Botan said, shaking the memory away as she is leading Towa deep into the dark forest.
"It's her fault!" Big brother yelled, pointing his finger at Botan's tearful face. " Our mom dies because of her!"
" Well, at least I got a new toy!" Towa changed the subject after a long silence, stroking her new bullpup shotgun that being picked from the dead mercenary's arms during
the last night.
Botan giving her a slight smile as they recalled the event…
…
" Keltec KSG! We are lucky after all!" Towa exclaimed, picking up the gun from dead hyena mercenaries and quickly putting her magic shotgun ammo insides.
The empty Remington 870 is being throws away to the nearby bushes.
" Stubby model make it easier to carrying this gun around, while reducing the chances of sticking the barrel in the forests area.
Great gun to use in the wild. And, looks at the red dot sight.
So stylish!" Towa concluded, waving her gun around.
" Why does alien carrying human's gun around, though?" Botan asking for the logic in this crappy situation.
" Probably the same ways European travelers selling their low quality weapons to the natives people they trade with. Some aliens probably contacting with human species for
a while and selling their low-tech gunpowder weapons toward even more primitive species.
But it is not a good thing thought, evolution track will be shaking like crazy if that happens.
I mean, just imagine what will happen if we sell M-16 to the Zulu warrior before European will come!"
" Whatever, let's moving first! I don't want to wait for the rest of them to realize what's happening and running after us." Botan concluded, keeping her opinion that the M-16
probably failed by dirt and become nothing but useless decorated item with herself.
Because she don't want to being called Kalashnikov's puppet by her friend just because she likes his gun model more.
…
After walking in silence for a while. Towa raising her speed to be able to match Botan's.
"What's that?" She asked, pointing at the group of chubby squirrels that are jumping around the tree with fantastic movement.
Their cheeks seem to be filling with something.
" Matsurisu. A messenger of God. Or our legend says that. Anyways, it is not dangerous. Just a small animal that collecting their fat in the cheek, see?" Botan pointing at one
squirrel who yawned, showing that its mouth is empty despite looks like it is chewing something before.
" They loves eating seeds. But the ground is a dangerous place. So, these creatures always moving in groups." Lioness explained, pointing at the plants that having its corn-
like flowers growing from the ground, waiting for matsurisu to come and takes it.
Some squirrels start moving toward cornfield and munching on their food. But one corn suddenly being pulled in the ground as the white fox with corn-like tail bursting from
the ground and biting into one of the poor matsurisu. Swallowing its whole body.
" Those are Korn ( mixing of こんこん kon{Japanese fox sound} and corn) They are some kind of fox that evolving their tail to be similar with matsurisu's food. In order to lure
them closer and easier to catch." Botan continued.
Towa looking at her feet with uncertainty. " Will there be anything here that want to devouring me?"
" Lot of things. So, let's not grabbed their attention, okay?" Lioness chuckled.
…
Moving deeper inside the forest, Towa feeling even more uncomfortable. " Are you sure we came to the right path?" She asked.
Botan snorted. " There's no such a thing as path in this forest. Or at least not the one that you would recognize. I am looking for the Hunter signs.
They probably see us right now but not wanting to show up yet."
" What kind of sign?" Towa asked, looking at something on the branches.
"Animal parts or skull. Laying where it is easily to see, that was like 'f**k off' in our language." Botan said.
" Like that?" Demon girl pointed at the tree branches, where the small sheep headless body is being hang on the tree, blood dripping from its body.
" That's watamate, the most delicious animal in this universe.
Good when grilled." Botan said.
" I used to eat them too! Watame always serve them during the dinner…" Towa felt silence again, remembering the convenience life on the spaceship, where the food comes
in time and her chair can run on its own. Now, she has to walk every step and eating tinned food. Just to touch some f**king grasses!
Demon girl take her note that grasses are not something worth touching, until you grown them in the bedroom.
" But watamate are just food. I doubt that my lion tribe will hang them to scared us. It is probably a bait for bigger animal.
And since there's no foul smell yet, this sheep is just recently killed.
So, the butcher must be around here. But the problem is…"
"" Where's the animal they are trying to lure?"" Botan and Towa said at the same time as the ground around them suddenly shook.
" What?" Demon girl quickly hides behind lioness as she is speaking.
Botan quickly pulling her spear out of the pocket and swinging it to make the item grown bigger.
But lioness then sighed in reliefs when seeing the animal that walking out of the woods. It is a giant duck that as big as giraffe. Something that looks like a colorful cap on its
head.
" Shuba shuba. One of the biggest bird in this planet. Don't worry. Just stood still and everything should be fine.
It is more interested in plants than you or me." Botan gently patting Towa's shoulder in order to calm her down, as the giant duck biting into soft branches above their heads.
After watching the animal in silence for a while. They are going to move on as the duck suddenly noticing something before flying away.
" Did it see us?" Towa asked, still looking at the giant duck's flapping wings.
" I doubt that it would scared of something as small as us." Botan shook her head and turning behind to see a monster that looks like a mixing between deep-fired shrimp and
lion, the thing's size can compare with two vans attached together.
"Ebifrion, one of the biggest carnivores in this forest. We are screwed!" Botan exclaimed.
Towa turning her KSG shotgun toward the animal.
" Should I shoot or stood?" Demon girl asked.
" Swoop your ass, real quick!" Lioness is already running away.
" Hey! Wait for me too!" Towa yelled, quickly running after her.
Ebifrion roared and start crawling at them with and incredible speed for its size.
"Aren't your lion are apex predator of this forests or something? Do something!" Towa yelled, her face is being crashed against the bushes for a dozen of times.
" Do you know why we hunt in pack? To avoiding situation like this!" Botan shouted back, before using her invisible goggles and disappears within a second.
" Don't leave me alone!" Demon girl yelled in frustration.
Towa quickly slides under the fallen trees as the Ebifrion smashing its head, crashing the log away from the beast's ways.
" F**k you!" Towa shooting her gun at the beast's eyes, trying to blind it with her wind magic bullet.
Botan in invisible mode is climbing on the tree faster than any monkey as Ebifrion is still struggling to eat Towa. " Need a little help right here!" Towa shouted as the beast
suddenly vomit boiling oil at her, forcing demon girl to use her ice magic shotgun shells to blocked the attack.
Botan jumping from the tree with incredible speed and stabbing her spear through the monster's cheek. Make the thing twitching in pain.
" That's it!" Towa shake her fists.
But the Ebifrion is far from giving up. The monster roared and trying to bite into them again, ignoring the pain on its face.
Towa pumping her shotgun shells at the animal, but Ebifrion crispy flour blocking her bullet from actually hitting the target.
" I don't have any spear left." Botan said calmly, adding weight in their already desperate situation.
" Come on!" Towa swore as her shotgun is running out of ammo.
She quickly reloading as Botan is jumping on the monster's back and sinking her metallic claws deep inside it.
" Towa, look out!" Botan warned as the Ebifrion suddenly swinging is tail at the demon girl who still tossing bullet inside her gun.
" Oh sh-" Towa readying herself for the impact, but the monster shrimp-like tail suddenly being cut in half as the multiple Mambele( throwing knife) being thrown at it.
Those blades cutting the animal's crispy armor opened and showing the soft flesh inside as the metallic spear being thrown at it, piercing through the animal internal organ.
Ebifrion roared in desperately attempts for the last time as the big spear suddenly falling from the tree above its head and stabbing through Ebifrion's skull, instantly killing it.
" The heck just happened?" Towa asked, seeing nobody around them. Except from the Ebifrion's twitching carcass.
" You are late, brother. Perhaps you really grown older?" Botan chuckled as she is talking with the spear on Ebifrion's head.
" I have no sister." The deep voice suddenly said, making Towa winced as the spear on Ebifrion's head suddenly pulling itself out.
Demon girl blinks and then she suddenly sees the muscular lion man standing on the monster's head, pulling the black mask off to showing his cruel face.
And then they suddenly being surrounded.
Empty tree branches and forest around them suddenly filled with lion man and woman who taking their mask off, everybody is armed with spear or throwing knifes.
" Should I shake hand with anyone?" Towa asked, looking nervous.
" Stay low profile, dropping that gun, if you must." Botan warned as multiple laser sight is being aimed at Towa's face.
" Well? When in Rome, do as Roman do!" Demon girl dropping her shotgun on the wet forest floor.
The big lion man jumping on the ground and looking at Botan, spear in hands.
" So, you are here. Bringing outsider in our territory. Why are you hating us so much, Shishiro?" His hair is black, and his skin is obviously darker than Botan's.
Lioness looking straight into his eyes. " I am not here to do anything against you. Just to warning!"
The lion man sneered. " We already knows about those spaceship in La Lion city. You see me and our SSRB aren't you?
We will send them intruder scattering away, like what we did in the past."
" This time is different, Nero. They are here to slicing this planet among themselves and get rid of you. And this time they will not stop." Botan explained.
" Don't you dare saying my name! If it is not you, our mother would be alive, and probably father too. He can never recover from the loss of her life."
" Big bro, I…"
" Stop calling me brother! You are not my kin, not even member of our pride. Just a child my mother adopted!" Nero snarled.
" Hey edgelord-" Towa is going to says something, but every lion tribesmen around her suddenly roared, stopping her word.
" I knows" Botan said softly, remembering the past as if it was today…
… she has no memory of herself when younger, but Mama always told her that she is coming from the white mountains, where everyone skin is brighter, and their silver hair
is good for camouflage there.
But they are so rare, and everybody want their beautiful hair. They are being hunted and all is gone, except from one baby in the small, empty cave.
"That's you, Botan." Her mother said with a gentle voice, brushing her newly teenager daughter's beautiful hair. But almost useless for the Hunter in rain forests like this.
" We were going there to checking on the new land, to see if it suits our living or not. That's the place we find you, our little princess."
" Will I be able to hunt like Daddy?" Botan asked, her dad is the great hunter who can hunt every animal in this jungle.
" Wait until you get older. When you can hunt with invisible mask." Her mother said.
Botan sighed, knowing the rules of their clan well. Invisible masked and spacefaring technologies will come only when you proved that you are worthy enough to hunting by
your own.
But except from small animal which can be trapped. Botan almost never be able to be hunting anything on her own.
Even if she is cutting her hair short and trying to covering her body with mud. Perhaps she could ask big bro Nero-
No! Lion girl shook her head. Asking for someone help is not what adult do. She must hunt and proving her worthy, by herself.
…
That night when everybody is sleeping. Botan sneaking away in the forest, carrying nothing but stone spear.
She jumps under the moonlight, hopefully that the dark sky will cover her white body.
After a while Botan finally see her prey, they are four of young Buffalo man that are not much older than her, all of them are looking tipsy and drunk. Botan sighed in reliefs,
she used to eat them and knows that these people are worthy prey for the Hunter like her, especially if she could kill one of them alone…
Lion girl is too young to understand that in a full moon night like this. Will be a time for Buffalo tribesmen and other plant eater civilizations to haves a party and mating
Ritual, while the Hunter clans will sleep and wait for another time to hunt, tradition and harmony make them different from mindless beast after all.
That's the reason why not a single one of them is ready when Botan is jumping from the tree branches and stabbing one of them with her spear.
The attack lands on the biggest Buffalo man's shoulder who is wearing a shiny leather armor and crown of flowers on his horn. The blade could pierce through it, but not deep
enough to create anything more than a flesh wound as the Buffalo man punching lion girl down with his massive fist.
After drunkenly shouts, four of them decided that this must be a young blood warrior who never learn about tradition, and has no rights to be kept alive for breaking a taboo
like this.
So, they lift Botan's body and forcing her on the ground, trying to cut her head off and bring it back as a gifted for some girl in the village, to showing how badass they are.
As three of them pushing lion girl body to stay still, the leader who wearing armor lifts his axe and probably cutting her head off, if Botan's mom didn't rush in and clawing his
face.
She noticed that her daughter is missing and calling everyone in the tribe to spread and looking for Botan, but she is the only one who can actually smell her daughter scent,
since they are always together and be the first ones to help.
Botan's mother fight very well, but four Buffalo man is too much for one lioness to win alone. After slamming her against the ground for a few times. The leader finally raising
his axe and swings.
Lioness has time to hope that her daughter wasn't looking as she is being decapitate.
After finishing, the buffalo leader throwing her head toward one of his henchmen to bring it back to the villages while he and two of his friends will finishes the last lion.
But alcohol make him slower, and Botan is ready right now. The rage, sorrows, frustration and instincts to survived making her body move faster as she dodged Buffalo man's
attack before slicing his throat open with her broken spearhead, making the leader of Buffalo man choking on his own blood and falling on the ground.
The two Buffalo man is going to finishes her right there but Botan's father and big brother jumping on them and biting their throat, breaking their neck within a few seconds
as the leader of Buffalo man is dying slowly from the wound Botan cause.
…
The terrible night has ended, but the damaged has been done.
The Buffalo man Botan kills happen to be a son of Buffalo clan's king.
He swore for vengeance and impaling Botan's mother head on the totem at the border of his lands, said that he will let her rot there until Lion king bring the one who kills his
son's head to him.
Botan's father counter by impaling head of Buffalo's king's son at the middle of their living place. Said that he will let the head rot there until his wife head is being brought
back to his people.
There are constant raids against those two tribesmen from time to time. And even Great War where the Buffalo man being driven inside the uninhabitable valley, but the lion
king is also dies fighting this war too, leading to Botan's big brother to rule as a new king.
One day when Botan is locking herself inside the cabinet, the same ways she always did after her mother funeral. Nero suddenly burst into her room and throwing a Hunter
mask with a white flower mark on it, along with Hunter spear in front of her.
" This is our mother hunting gear. She always wanted you to keep it."
He said without looking at her.
" Brother… I." Botan whined.
" I don't have sister like you." He said flatly, the word itself is hurting more than kicking from Buffalo warrior.
" You already hunt the big game. Now be a Hunter, or leaves. I don't care either way. But we won't feeding you for free." He then walked away, leaving Botan to be crying
with herself and the memory of her mother.
….
Many years have passed
Botan hiding behinds the bushes as she is watching groups of blue hair, long ears beings that keep wondering around. She has become part of the pride now even if her
brother still refuses to be talking with her, Botan learns how to hunt alone and living on her own. Not contacting with the pride members until necessary.
So, people mockingly call her lone lion. But she couldn't careless, when living alone, nobody could hurt you except from yourself.
But today is a special circumstance. Group of spaceships parking here, and lion man have a tradition that, everything from the sky is always bad.
They have to kills or get rid of this sky people as soon as possible, or they will come back more and devouring this land for their own.
Botan joining this hunt too as part of the pride. She is waiting for them to separate and taking them out one by one. As her brother ordered them all to do.
" Where's the lion? I want to see them!" One blue hair girl asking her mother as they are holding each other arms, not noticing the Hunter that waiting not too far away.
" We will talk to their leaders first, not sure if those lions still remember their ally contract with ice elf like us." Her mother said, gently stroking her daughter's head.
Botan has no idea what the hell they were talking about. All she needs to do is killing them. But as she moves closer. The girl suddenly whistling and calling for matsurisu on
the trees to come at her.
Was she a Hunter? Luring her prey for an easy catch? Botan wonders.
But then the girl picking some seeds from her pocket and giving them to those squirrels. She smiles as they are taking a mouthful of food and let her touch them gently.
What? Botan couldn't understand. In a world where all is killed or be killed. Giving your prey food like this is absurd. She suddenly feels interested enough to not attacking
right now and watching in silence as the girl who bring called ' Lamy' by her mother feeding those squirrels as waves as they start retreating.
Maybe she just wanted to befriend them? This is new kind of concept, and suddenly Botan's head starting to hurt. If they are being friend with each other instead of hunting
and eating, there will be no killing. Botan wouldn't being taught to kills and her mother would still alive…
Lion girl shook her head. This is too much, she has to shows herself, to asking them how can they survive without killing each other-
A movement on the branches above couples of elves make Botan forget how to breath. It was Nero, he probably wondered by she is not attacking these two yet.
The spear appeared silently in lion man's arm as he is raising it, aiming to pierce both of them at the same time…
Botan throwing her own spear to blocking Nero's spear midair.
Lion man roared in frustration as he is jumping down to attacked, but Botan also jumping, cancelling her invisibility as they clashed, falling on the muddy ground and striking
each other with full force as those two elves running away.
Nero slamming Botan against the ground before stomping on her back. " You are nothing but my disappointment, sis." He is stabbing spear beside Botan's head, picking her
mother mask up before walking away without looking back, and then everything went black.
…
When Botan is waking up again, she is sitting in someone's spaceship. As she struggled. Those people explained themselves as surviving ice elves.
Some of the tribes that used to be ally with the lion man tribe.
They are here for the rumor that some of lion man are still alive and offered their friendship.
However, their experience with Botan and her brother makes them realized that this land doesn't welcome them. So, they decided to keep on journeying.
However, Lamy, one of ice elf insist that they should check on ' the girl who save me and my mom' first. So they are flying back and see injured Botan laying on the forest
floor .
Before deciding to take her in and healing her wounds.
" Do you want me to sending you back?" Elf asked, pointing at Botan's belonging that they are carrying along with her, but lion girl shook her head.
" They didn't welcome me, just like you."
" Welcome to the world of an outcast, then." Elder Elf laughed.
…
Along with them, Botan has an amazing journey. She uses her skills to live as a headhunter or mercenaries for a while, also befriended with the elf girl who kinda save her
life, Yukihana Lamy.
They almost never separated since that day, even when Botan said that she want to live on her own, Lamy is still insists on following her around even after they've moving to
the Milky Way galaxy…
…
And now Lamy is being taken away, because of Botan stubbornness.
" It's true that I am not part of your pride anymore, but here me out! Those sky people will come back for sure. Some of them can be negotiated. If we talked-"
"There will be no talking! Leave this place or I will put you two's heads on the branches!" Lion king roared.
" He's got the point, you know?" Towa added.
" No!" Botan clenched her fist. " My friend couldn't wait any longer! They will sold her and your land alike. Why can't you understand?" She yelled at her brother's face.
" Showing your true color, huh?" I always know you are nothing but self-centered arsehole !" Nero sneered.
" You leaves me no choice, big brother." Botan said, making up her minds.
" I will challenge you for the leadership of this pride. If I win, you and everyone must follow my order."
Every lion warrior around them turning their weapons toward Botan, but Nero waved his hands to make them stops.
" Seriously, Botan? Is that all you can think of?" He chuckled.
" I have rights . Our parents never denied me." Botan hissed.
Nero looking at the treetop for a moment.
" Have at it, then!" Lion man snarled.