Journey 1

Chapter 18: Journey 1

In the vast forest, Houssem continued his exploration with the goal of expanding his knowledge of the creatures of this strange world. After finishing the study of the "Book of Primitive Energy," he decided to use his time to explore this mysterious environment. The forest was a natural masterpiece; its trees were arranged in a stunning artistic order, and the sound of birds chirping wove cheerful melodies, while the scent of flowers filled the air like a velvety perfume that enveloped the surroundings.

"Hey, what a beautiful place!" Houssem said, admiring the enchanting scene, a light sigh escaping his chest, as if the beauty of nature had relieved him of heavy thoughts.

He looked left and right, exploring every corner he stepped into. He was trying to spot the animals living in this forest. Houssem, who had been an animal lover since his childhood, found himself lost in nostalgia for his old dream of raising pets, a dream that his mother's fears of him abandoning his studies had thwarted. So, after finishing his studies, he had planned to build a barn and start raising the animals he loved. But, unfortunately, he had been transported to this world before he could realize that dream.

"It doesn't matter, if I didn't achieve this goal on Earth, hmph, I will achieve it here, starting from this very moment!!" Houssem said excitedly.

He had entered the depths of the forest, about 2 kilometers in, and began encountering unique creatures, like the two-horned rabbit, which was the first creature Houssem tried to approach.

Houssem approached the horned rabbit and said, "Hello, you little one." He raised his hand to pet it, but the rabbit's response wasn't kind—it butted him with its sharp horn.

Houssem realized the rabbit's goal and jumped back, avoiding the attack, then began scolding it: "Hey, why did you do that? I didn't do anything to you!"

The rabbit didn't understand and ignored him, running off on its way.

"Tsk! Cheap rabbit, if I ever run into you again, I'll make you into grilled rabbit!" Houssem said angrily.

"Alright, no need to get angry, Houssem, we can tame another one," he said, calming himself, and continued his journey.

As he progressed through the forest, he encountered many creatures, most of them predatory or venomous. Sometimes he witnessed hunting scenes, like a bear catching a deer or a snake capturing a bird, so he didn't want to interfere with nature's affairs and preferred to avoid them.

After several hours, while walking among the dense trees, Houssem noticed some subtle movement between the grass. He stopped and looked carefully, and before him appeared a small creature—a black cat, but not just any ordinary cat. Its fur was as black as the darkness of a moonless night, giving it a mysterious aura, as though it were a piece of shadow that had detached from the night and moved in broad daylight. The sunlight reflected off its golden eyes, making them appear like rare jewels, sparkling with an enchanting gleam that drew attention and piqued curiosity.

Despite its small size and simple appearance, it seemed to carry an enigmatic dignity that challenged his perception. Every movement it made was calm and coordinated, as if it moved with royal confidence. A conflicting feeling washed over him, a mix of tranquility and attraction, as though its presence radiated a soothing charm that subtly rearranged his thoughts without him even realizing it.

"What's this little one?" he whispered to himself, captivated by its beauty and the mystery it held, which seemed to conceal something far beyond just a simple creature.

"Hey, just a cat, what could it be other than that?" Houssem said indifferently and continued what he was doing.

"Come here, little one!"

The cat looked at him with curiosity, as if saying, "What's wrong with you?"

Houssem moved closer to pick it up, but it jumped away with astonishing agility, leaving Houssem in a state of astonishment. He laughed lightly and said, "Oh, what a jump! I think I've fallen in love with you!" Houssem said in a playful tone.

Then he suddenly stopped and said to himself, "Ah… ahem… I forgot I'm in a story. Someone must be watching and saying, what the hell is going on? Ahem, sorry, dear viewer." Houssem stood up proudly and said in a deep voice, "Hey, little cat, come here, I have something nice for you."

Houssem pulled out a small piece of meat from his bag.

The cat looked at him with curiosity, then shook its head as if saying, "What's this?"

"Hah, you didn't like it? What do you want then?" Houssem said, confused.

"Well, you're a little cat, you should be drinking milk instead of frozen meat. Alright, wait here," Houssem said after realizing the matter, then hurried off searching around.

While searching for a solution, he spotted an amazing deer in the distance, strolling with its newborn fawn. The deer was the size of a horse, majestic like a crowned queen, though it didn't wear a crown. It stood still and elegantly, with the golden sunlight reflecting off its shiny fur, giving it an unparalleled royal presence. Its antlers were intricately tangled like a piece of natural art, symbolizing wisdom and greatness. Next to it stood its fawn, gazing at it in admiration, as if it were the protector and guide in this mysterious world.

The forest itself seemed to bow in respect to this deer, as the ground was adorned with golden sunlight scattered through the leaves of the tall trees. The entire scene radiated majesty and grace, as if the deer was the queen of the forest, an embodiment of balanced strength and quiet beauty.

Houssem murmured softly: "This deer is magnificent! Its wonderful shape makes me want to bring it to me as well!" Houssem said in admiration.

He thought for a moment...

"Alright, it's settled! But I need to tame it first." Houssem said to himself, then began slowly approaching the deer and its fawn.

The distance between them was still quite far, but he managed to reduce it until it was about 20 meters. As he got closer, he felt something strange in the air, as the mother deer began to sense his presence, but she didn't appear worried, instead, she stood calmly gazing. However, Houssem didn't realize the situation yet, and continued approaching while hiding among the grass.

Suddenly...

Barking!

"Hah? A dog?" Houssem was surprised, thinking the sound was coming from a puppy or a small dog, but he didn't care and continued approaching.

As he got closer, the barking sound grew louder.

"Damn! Stupid dog! Why has its sound gotten so close? I hope my plans don't fail!" Houssem said, confused.

When he reached a distance of 4 meters from the deer and its fawn, he stopped and stared at them in silence, but soon the silence was broken by the barking sound again. Houssem was shocked to see that the sound wasn't coming from a dog, but from the beautiful deer! He stood still, stunned, and said, "What the hell? A deer barking?!"

The deer stared at him firmly, as if warning him not to come any closer.

Houssem didn't know what to do, so he just stood there, staring at the deer without moving.

"Oh!" Suddenly, an odd idea crossed his mind. He thought to himself, "I remember that male deer make sounds during mating season to attract females. Maybe I can try that to show my strength." Houssem said foolishly.

"Hey, why am I saying that? I'm not stupid, I'm actually very smart… S-M-A-R-T!" he said while looking at the sky.

He took a deep breath and made a faint roar, but the deer looked at him with clear disdain, as if saying, "What is this stupidity?"

When Houssem saw her reaction, he had no choice but to feel embarrassed by his situation. But he composed himself at the last moment and said, "Alright, alright! I get it, I was wrong! How could stupid animals understand what I mean? I am the civilized human!" Houssem said with narcissism.

But the deer didn't easily accept this and responded sharply: "Hey, you idiot! Who are you calling stupid animals?"

"Ah… what the hell? A talking deer?!" Houssem screamed in shock.

To be continued...