Chapter 447 ( Strange Creatures - II )

"Jackalope, Jackalope" - Kyōka muttered as she pondered future possibilities with that little creature on his team.

The Jackalope was an extremely rare creature, and hearing about it in this world, was a miracle in itself.

"And why couldn't I eat the rabbit?" - Menchi asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Because it would bring you bad luck for life" - answered Kyōka as she folded her arms - "Or so say the legends I've been told."

Menchi was silent as she shot a skeptical glance at her traveling companion.

"There are many stories about the Jackalope, so I wouldn't know which of them all is true, although they all agree on some things" - Cloud said calmly as he shook his head.

"It's a pity, I wanted to try what that creature tasted like" - muttered Menchi while sighing regretfully. She wasn't one of those people who believed in that kind of superstitions, but it was better to be safe than sorry, more so with unknown creatures - "Anyway, we'd better continue with our conversation."

"What's the other strange beast?" - Kyoko asked after calming down after hearing about the Jackalope.

"It's a fox" - replied Menchi.

"A fox?" - Cloud asked as he raised an eyebrow - "A fox bear?"

"A fox tabby?" - Kyōka asked with a slight interest because she had read that that was quite an interesting dangerous beast.

"A badger fox?" - Kyoko asked curiously.

"No" - denied Menchi as she looked at the trio - "Just fox."

". . ." - the trio was silent because they didn't expect this answer, more so when species from the normal world were extremely rare in this dimension.

"I guess that's why it's such a rare creature" - Cloud muttered as the others nodded.

"I know, I missed it too when I heard it, the problem is that just like the Jackalope, this one doesn't show up that often" - added Menchi while shaking his head.

"A simple fox?" - Cloud asked skeptically, after all, it was almost impossible for an animal like that to survive in this world, in fact, the only living exponents of normal animals, were the ones inside animal sanctuaries.

"Exactly, or at least that's what that little guy shows" - Menchi replied with uncertainty, after all, she didn't believe that a simple fox could survive in such a dangerous place either.

"Are you saying it's possible that it's a species that transforms?" - Cloud asked as he raised an eyebrow - "Delusion perhaps?"

"One of our contacts to narrow down the number of applicants for the hunter's test, is a family of [Magical Beasts]" - Menchi replied calmly - "They can take human form with utmost ease."

"[Magical Beasts]" - Cloud muttered, only to shake his head with an amused expression on his face, after all, he was practically one of them.

"Is something wrong?" - Menchi asked as she noticed Cloud's expression.

"No, it's nothing" - Cloud replied with a smile - "I just find it interesting to hear about creatures that can take human form."

Menchi looked at the blond with surprise, only to notice how Kyōka let out a laugh and Kyoko shook her head - "Did I say something funny?"

"No, it's just that it's hard to explain" - Kyoko answered while shaking her head.

"We'd better get back to the main topic" - Cloud said as he noticed that they had said too much and saw how Menchi seemed to be sniffing something - "Is there anything else we need to know about the area?"

"Nothing, I already briefed them on everything I had to tell them" - replied Menchi as he folded his arms - "Well, I think it's a good time for me to go prepare something to eat."

"OK" - nodded Cloud as he remained silent - "What do you guys think?"

"The Jackalope is practically confirmed, as for the fox, I have my doubts if it's really a common fox" - answered Kyōka while frowning.

"I think the same" - replied Kyoko while summoning Starly and stroking his plumage - "After reading all those books, I've come to the conclusion that it's impossible for a creature as simple as a fox, to survive in a place with so many predators unless he has a special power, which would quickly put him out of the fox category and turn him into a kitsune"

"A Kitsune" - Cloud muttered as he began to recall information about those creatures - "Fox spirits with mystical powers that seek to prank humans, have control over fire, illusions, among other abilities that vary depending on the subject."

"I'm pretty sure that fox is a Kitsune" - Kyoko said while adjusting her glasses - "All the clues point to this."

"Now the question is, how many tails does it have?" - Cloud muttered as he squinted his eyes, though after thinking about the level of the world they were in, he didn't think it possible that the Kitsune, if it was one, would have more than 3 tails.

"Possibly it's a puppy" - Kyōka replied calmly - "Possibly an anomaly in this world."

"Or maybe we're overthinking" - said Cloud as he started to think - "Anyway, for now we'd better not break our heads so much thinking about all the possibilities when it's possible that they're just unsubstantiated rumors."

"That's also a possibility" - Kyōka nodded as she shook her head.

Cloud watched in the direction of the door as an amused expression appeared on his face, though his two companions didn't notice because they were minding their own business.

* * * * *

"Kitsune, fox spirits," Menchi muttered after hearing the trio's conversation from the doorway.

She hadn't left, in fact, she had only excused herself so she could see if the trio was going to talk about anything important, or reveal any secrets about their abilities, only to hear about the possible identities of the two strange creatures that had been sighted at their destination - "Why do they have this kind of information?"

Menchi was indeed curious to know about this, after all, they seemed to have knowledge that the Association did not possess, but at the same time they seemed to be ignorant with everything else.

"Are they perhaps from an area unknown to us?" - Menchi muttered as she began to think about the possibilities, only to shake her head as she saw that she was getting nowhere with her deductions, at least not with the little information she had - "Anyway, I have a whole trip to be able to find out more about them, and about their place of origin."

Menchi again shook her head before going to the train's kitchen so she could prepare something with her own hands, a habit she had had since she was a child.

"Who are you people?" - Menchi asked herself before shaking her head, only to focus on the food she was preparing.

* * * * *

Four days had passed since the group had left the Hunter's Association.

They were currently disembarking from a vessel that had brought them to their destination, an island that 90% of its ecosystem was a lush jungle.

"Finally!" - Kyōka exclaimed as she jumped onto the dock while looking around excitedly - "God that was boring being on that ship for a whole day without being able to do anything!"

"It's good to see that she's finally cheering up" - said Menchi while giving a blank look to Kyōka, who seemed to be a child that they finally let out of her room after being punished.

"Sorry, she has childish moments" - said Kyoko with embarrassment.

"Don't worry, it's interesting to know about this new side of her" - replied Menchi calmly.

"Again I apologize" - replied Kyoko while ducking her head.

Kyōka was normally not in this childish manner, but this was because she had her mind occupied with her training and goals, but now that she was on the ship and the captain had told her not to make any sudden movements that would damage the ship, she could do nothing but stand by the group without making a move.

"Not that I can blame her" - Menchi said as she shook her head - "I behave this way too most of the time I get on a boat because they won't let me get into their galley."

"So this is the place" - Cloud said as he looked around curiously - "It doesn't seem as dangerous a place as you say, but there are times when appearances can be deceiving."

"That I can assure you" - Menchi snorted as she narrowed her eyes - "The team in charge of investigating this place, ended up missing, when we sent the second team, we found the decomposed corpses of the men, and the woman in the group was raped multiple times before she died from lack of rest, or at least that's what the forensics said"

Kyoko shivered when she heard this while Kyōka just thundered her knuckles with a cold smile on her face.

--

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