Chapter 14

"Since all of you are new to animal handling, we're going to start off small... with insects!"

After her parents had bid farewell and the formal introductions were over, the students were led outside to a forest that was on the estate.

Geez, when they had said small I thought they meant something like a mouse or a frog. But an insect? Just what on earth am I going to do with one of those?

The teacher proceeded to hand out tiny nets with the instructions to find an insect and make a partnership with it and return back to this spot in an hour's time. That sounded easy enough, but the hard part was bringing herself to go anywhere near insects. In her past life, she had a history with insects. Especially spiders. She hated those.

"Any questions?" Asked the teacher.

A boy raised his hand. "Um, how exactly do we make a partnership?"

"Well, that's for you to find out. You'll know it once it happens."

Seriously? Isn't the whole point of the school to teach us?

***

After the other children had split up and she tagged along with Finch who had also gained the favour of the sacred cat. Since Finch descended from the branch of bird families, he had been taught a special kind of whistle that attracted worms. Within a matter of minutes, he had summoned multiple worms out of the ground. She was kind of jealous. She wished she had some kind of special skill too... She decided to begin searching for her own insect but got carried away and became lost. Geez, this school... Letting young children go out by themselves in a forest by themselves? Yup, this institution was definitely a shoddy one...

"Typical of you to get lost."

"W-w-who's that talking?" She looked around frantically trying to pinpoint the source of the voice.

"Oh, it's you. I had almost forgotten you existed. She said facepalming. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Oh, you know, busy and such. Watching over all pets of the world isn't easy."

"I can imagine." She replied sarcastically. "So, why are you just showing up now?"

"Well, I heard a certain someone mention the term 'special skill' and I remembered that I forgot to explain something earlier."

"What do you mean?"

"How did you think you were able to understand Bernard when you were in pet heaven?"

"Um... because you let me?"

"No, it was because I bestowed a gift upon you and that gift was the ability to talk to animals!"

"What!? Really!?" For the first time in this life, she felt special.

"Go ahead, try talking to an animal."

She walked over to a flower patch where a bright green grasshopper laid upon a pink flower.

"Psst! Hey! You there! Grasshopper!"

"Ugh, what do you want? To trap me in a glass jar and stare at me all day like a specimen? Prod me and taunt me for your own entertainment?"

"Err no, I just wanted to see if you can understand me."

Wow, he was right, he really can understand me!

"Well if that's all you wanted, please run along now. I am currently busy sunbaking."

"O-okay." Gee what a rude grasshopper.

Hmm, maybe I could use this skill to my advantage... Oh, I know! I could convince a cricket to hide somewhere in that rude boy's bedroom and have it creak all night long, that way he'll get no sleep and his perfect complexion will be ruined with dark undereye bags! Or maybe I can befriend a wasp and have it continuously chase after him and sting him! That way he'll be too afraid to show his pretty boy face outside his palace ever again! Mwhaha that'll show him! As if put there by fate, she spotted a wasps nest nestled in the fork of a nearby tree. She rolled up her sleeves (an action which she soon regretted) and walked over there confidently. She had been given this special ability by a god, so of course she was going to use it. She knocked on the side of the nest as if it was a door which caused several wasps to fly out.

"Make a partnership with me and together we will conquer the world!" She announced boldly.

"What do you have to offer us? Not to mention that you just caused weeks worth of damage to our nest. How are you going to fix it?"

"Um, I don't know..." She picked up a leaf and placed it over the place she knocked, but the weight of the leaf caused the nest to continue to crumble further.

"Looks like we'll have to teach you a lesson."

Oh ho. She turned around and began running but her tiny legs were no match for the wasps.

"Ow ow ow ow." She cried as she was relentlessly stung.

*Sigh* "My dear Chinessa, as you'll soon learn, not all animals are friendly."

"Why didn't you say something beforehand!!!"

"Sometimes the best way for you to learn is to experience failure."

"You're such a mean god! Can you please make them stop chasing me!?"

"Fine."

Her eyes widened as hundreds of wasps became suspended in mid-air, frozen as if they had been trapped in ice. They then slowly turned around in perfect unison and returned to their nest as if nothing happened. Now that the wasps were taken care of, the only thing left to worry about was her stings.

"Across from you, you should find a beehive. Go over to it."

"What, are you going to get them to sting me too?"

"No, I'm not that cruel. Just do as I say."

She was a bit sceptical at first but obeyed. If she got stung, she was definitely quitting her job as his representative!

"Okay, I'm here, what next?"

Dripping on the sides, you should find a viscose yellow substance.

"You mean honey?"

"Is that what you mortals call it?"

Geez this god sure wasn't in touch with today's world. I guess that can happen to you after hanging out in a place like this for too long.

"Ahem. Moving on, take this 'honey' and apply it to your wasp bites."

"Won't that sting though?" She immediately regretted her accidental pun.

"Just do it!"

"Okay, okay, I'm doing it."

The GPS-like voice inside her head was starting to annoy her.

She gently took some of the honey and dabbed it onto her stings.

"WOAH!!"

The pain immediately resided and the redness around the stings disappeared, giving off the illusion that she was never stung in the first place. She remembered hearing something in her past life about the Egyptians using honey as a medicine but she never expected it to be this effective!

"You're not wrong in your assumptions. Honey used as a medicine isn't usually this effective, but thanks to this unique species of bee exclusive to this country and the properties of the pollen found in the Falora's native flowers, this 'honey' is much more suitable for use as medicine." The pet protector replied, reading her mind.

"Hey, you can't just go reading my mind like that! If you want this to be a successful work relationship, we have to set up boundaries!"

"Hmm, so do you prefer talking out loud to me and having everyone look at you like you're crazy?"

"W-w-well only in private! In public, you can read my mind ONLY if I initiate contact by calling you. You can absolutely NOT go reading my mind whenever you please, do you hear me!? If you do, I'll surely go on strike or have a protest!"

"Whatever you say, boss." He replied jokingly.

Sudden a single bee flew out of the hive.

"Have you seen our queen?"

"Your queen?"

"Yes, she has gone missing. Without her, we are lost as to what to do."

"I'm sorry, but I haven't seen her. Is there any other way I can help you?"

"Will you be our queen for now?"

***

"Come on kids! It's time for you to return and present your findings." Called the teacher. Then in came Chinessa holding an entire beehive. All of the other children squealed and retreated behind rocks and trees, preparing themselves for the stings that would never come.

"Don't worry everyone!" Chinessa said proudly holding the beehive above her head as if it was some kind of trophy. "I became friends with the bees and they promised that they won't sting anyone as long as no one harms them! They even recognise me as their queen now!"

The most shocked of all was the teacher. Never in all her years of teaching had anyone ever managed to make their first partnership with a bee, let alone an entire beehive on their first try! This girl was one to watch out for...