VS The Black Cellien, Part 2

"There it is! The bus!" Yelled out Serval running ahead of the group.

The group had rushed towards the bus. No sooner had Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey and African Wild Dog got on, the doors and windows have automatically closed. Not only that, but where there were openings with no windows or walls installed, shutters have closed. In an instant, the bus became tightly sealed.

"Whoa, this is amazing! How does it work?"

[Activating emergency shutter mode. Guests are advised to brace for impact.]

Serval was interested in the unusual state the bus was in. Meanwhile, to calm her raised heartbeat, Kaban brought her hand to her chest and took a deep breath. It wasn't just from running, but also from her terrible hunch, making her heart beat wildly.

"Wait hold on! I have to go help Brown Bear-san or she'll be in trouble! Could you open the door for me?"

Having laid African Wild Dog on the bed made by Prairie and Beaver, Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey confusedly drew towards Boss. However Boss showed no reaction, only playing the unsettling sounds.

"No can do. Boss only speaks to Kaban-chan."

"―Lucky-san. It seems like Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey wants to get out. Could you open the door for her for just a moment."

Seeing Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey's anxiousness, Kaban decided to lend her a hand. Nevertheless, Boss was stubborn.

[This I cannot do. It is currently very dangerous outside. This is for the event that something bad happens while the door is open.]

"Even then… I still have to go help Brown Bear-san…!"

Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey had clenched her hand around her magical anti-cellien staff. Seeing her in such a state, Serval called out to Boss despite knowing that it wouldn't answer.

"Come on, Boss. Don't be a meanie and open the door. Golden Snub-Nosed monkey looks pitiful. She's worried for Brown Bear―"

And then it happened.

As soon as an earth shaking shockwave with a "BANG!" occurred, the bus' windows and shutters were trembling. The entire bus was shaking as if it was running over a bad road.

"MYA!"

Overseeing things while instinctively covering her ears, Serval saw Kaban propping herself on a wall looking out the window.

"This is―" Witnessing the spectacle unfolding before her eyes, her voice got stuck in her throat.

A black tsunami. A black tidal wave of Sandstar Raw has swallowed the entire forest in an instant. It was approaching the bus with an overwhelming force.

"WHOOOOAAA!"

In a flash the entire bus was engulfed in black Sandstar. Inside the bus it suddenly became pitch-black.

"What's happening!? What is this!?"

"Brown Bear-san…"

[Ah, ah, aah]

Everyone inside the car displayed a different reaction. While thanks to the shutters and windows, Sandstar Raw could not get inside the bus, the blast was so powerful, everyone was worried if the bus wouldn't be blown away.

…

Not knowing when the Sandstar Raw storm would pass, Kaban looked outside the window for the second time.

"―…!?"

She couldn't believe her eyes. Within the sweeping Sandstar Raw she saw what looked like a person's silhouette.

(A Friend!? …Though, that it's standing normally in the storm―)

While various thoughts were forming in Kaban's head, an electric sound came out of the stiffened Boss.

"Huh!? Kaban-Chan! It seems like Boss is gonna do that thing again!"

"...Ah! Huh!? Right now!?"

Kaban, who was glued to the window, gave a delayed response to the sudden call and confusedly turned her head. Probably because of the dark surroundings, Mirai's form could be seen more clearly than usual.

"Wh-What's going on…!?"

Ignoring Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey's raised voiced, Mirai on the screen spoke.

[Absolutely terrible. That would be the only way I can describe it…]

Seeing Mirai's uncharacteristically serious expression, Serval raised her eyebrows.

"What's happening!? Mirai-san is… making a scary face."

Taking a deep sigh, Mirai continued.

[Were they waiting for the moment when there weren't any guests due the the park's closure caused by cellien outbreaks…? There are… poachers invading the park.]

"Poa… cheres?"

Hearing an unfamiliar word, Serval repeated it. She turned her towards the others to see if they would explain it to her, but Kaban and Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey shook their heads.

[While there's believed to be only one invader, our entire personnel has quickly mobilized to catch them. …We already have to deal with cellien outbreaks, so this is absolutely terrible. The threats towards our Friends are multiplying. …This might even be worse than that…]

[Mirai-saan, what's a poacher?]

[Wha!? Serval-san!? We-Were you listening!?]

While she didn't appear in the recording, a familiar voice asked Mirai a question. It was the other Serval they saw in the Lodge, whose figure Kaban had recalled.

[I mean, you're making an uncharacteristically scary face. It's been bothering me.]

[...Poacher is a person who kills animals for their own greed. They're considerably more dangerous than celliens. Serval-san, if you come across an unfamiliar person, you must absolutely not come close to them!]

"A person who kills… animals."

Devastated by these words, a chill ran through Kaban's back. She reflexively looked at Serval. Being too absorbed in Mirai's speech, she didn't notice the eyes on her.

[Huh!? A-Are there really that scary people out there…? People, who are not kind like you and the others?]

[...Some people… A really small number of people have this dreadful side to them. ―Serval-san, are you growing to despise humans?]

[...No. The bad people are those poachers, right? I'm not gonna hate people like you or the others!]

[Fufu… Thanks. But seriously, be careful. We will find that poacher before any harm comes to our Friends!]

Boss became silent and Mirai's figure had disappeared. It became dark inside the bus once again.

"I didn't really get it… But those poachers are quite scary..."

"She said that they kill animals… In that regard they might be more dangerous than celliens."

Kaban, who understood that other people just like her can threaten animals, could only give out a vague answer and as if to avoid it, she returned to looking out the window. The shadow that she saw just before Mirai's message had disappeared to who knows where.

(It was just my imagination… Right?...)

The black storm outside was steadily coming to an end.

Hello, this is PoGu. The third chapter is now behind us. In total, there are 75 chapters to this work + 3 side-chapters. Also, I've decided to put the Lucky Beast's and recordings' dialogues in square brackets.

Anyway, since FF doesn't like any kind of link anywhere, I'll instead leave directions on how to find the original work.

First method is to search for "「けもの」の本能" and find the link that leads you to a Japanese site called "kakuyomu".

Alternatively, you can go to the kakuyomu site and add "/works/1177354054882921926" to the domain.