Chapter 143. Forbidden Forest. Part 6. The Kitten.
Nagini stared with genuine amazement at the small grey kitten that emerged from the bushes. The kitten gave them a look of pure displeasure, as if they were uninvited guests who had dared to enter his territory. But at the same time, when the creature's gaze fell on the person, its expression shifted into something more complicated. The little one himself didn't understand where this strange sense of "closeness" came from. He didn't feel the same fury or anger as when some beast entered his territory. And the kitten couldn't stand people ever since one of them had almost trampled him and then burst into furious sneezing. He'd assumed the person was ill, so he hadn't taken revenge and simply left.
"Are you sure? He doesn't look like a scary monster." The reptile's eyes sparkled as she said this. She really wanted to cuddle this adorable creature with his annoyed little face. But remembering she had no hands and was herself a snake, she sighed sadly and lowered her head.
This little one is very dangerous. I don't know about a direct attack, but assassinating someone would be easy as pie for him. It might even be difficult for me to detect him if I were his target. He answered her mentally with a crooked smile, then spoke aloud.
"Don't be angry. It's just dangerous outside, so we decided to wait until morning here. But we'll leave right now, okay?"
"Mrrrow." He stretched an open paw forward, pads up, then extended a claw and pointed to the right.
"Pay and we can leave?" Smirking, he clarified.
The little one made a serious face and nodded. "No problem. Do you like fish?"
"Meow!" He instantly perked up and nodded again.
"All right." A small box with stasis charms materialized in his hand. In his other hand appeared a large steamed fish left over from New Year's.
As soon as the kitten saw it, he swallowed hard. He looked up at the man, pointed at the plate, then down, then at Severus, and finally to the right.
Severus could barely hold back his laughter at the little beast's behavior. He set the dish on the ground and backed away several meters. In the next instant, the magical creature teleported to the fish and began sniffing it.
"It's not poisoned. I'm not the kind of monster who would poison a kitten."
"Hmph!"
"All right, all right. Go ahead and check it. We're going. Enjoy your meal." He waved his hand at the little one and, without any fear, turned his back on him and headed toward the forest. He dragged the albino boar by its tail; the creature had passed out after catching sight of this small monster.
The little beast watched the man leave with that same complex gaze. He tried to distance himself from these feelings. After checking the fish for anything added, he finally began eating. He really liked it, much more than raw fish, meat, and fruits.
At the same time, after bringing his 'transport' back to consciousness, they continued on their way, though the boar had become a bit twitchy after so many shocks in this short day.
"I thought you'd try to tame him and take him home." The snake looked at him in confusion. For the first time, she wouldn't have minded getting a 'pet,' especially one so cute.
"I'd like to, but it will be a difficult task." He leaned his back against the spike on the boar's back and closed his eyes. "Much harder than with any of the others. Besides his distrust of people, he's very cautious, self-assured, and arrogant. This little one is unlikely to submit to anyone."
"How did you understand that?"
"From his eyes and his surface thoughts. Apparently he hasn't had to meet a Legilimens yet, so he didn't close his mind. Though he does have passive protection that prevented me from going deep. Even that was enough to understand his nature. That he wouldn't attack us, since he feared me and also wanted to part ways peacefully without unnecessary bloodshed." He answered calmly, opening his eyes slightly and looking to the right. He sluggishly raised his palm and created a transparent dome. The boar crashed into it with his snout.
In the next instant, a massive boulder hurtled toward the barrier. The pig squealed in fear. In the distance, where the object had come from, he noticed a gigantic troll striding toward them, clutching a tree branch.
Severus regarded the giant with mild surprise. These creatures typically didn't hunt during the day, but rather at night, when they had a chance to catch someone despite their sluggish speed. Sunlight negatively affected trolls, acting like a weakening potion.
He expanded his perception range to three hundred meters and sensed another one. But it wasn't moving and was most likely hiding in something like a cave. He couldn't sense it properly, as if something was blocking him.
"Apparently they underestimated the stupidity of these creatures."
The pig watched the troll's approach without any fear. He even looked at it with some indifference. After everything he had experienced, a monster like this seemed like nothing.
But when the grey-skinned giant, under four meters tall, was only a few dozen steps away and had already swung a tree branch with inarticulate but menacing growls, in the next instant its head flew off. A bright fountain of blood spurted from its neck. Then, swaying, the body fell to its knees and crashed to the ground with a thud.
The head, battle fury still etched on its face, landed right in front of the boar's hooves. The boar recoiled sharply, not wanting to dirty its fur. After recovering from the shock and going pale again, Severus looked at the monster's corpse. On it sat the kitten, licking its paw. Nearby lay the empty plate.
As soon as the little one finished, it pointed with its paw at the dead monster, then at itself, then at the smirking Severus, and then from him to the completely licked clean plate.
"For saving us, you want another fish?"
"Meow!" The little beast nodded affirmatively.
"All right." Severus jumped off the boar's back and headed toward it.
The kitten suddenly grew wary as it saw the person walking toward it. Yet it didn't retreat. It looked into his eyes with confidence, hiding its nervousness behind that brave front, and slightly extended its claws, ready to attack at any second if it noticed something wrong.
"Don't worry. I already said I'm not a monster. How could I harm such a tiny one?"
"Meow!" It meowed unkindly. Who would like being called "tiny"?
"All right, all right." He finally stopped before the kitten, smiling gently as he reached out and took the empty plate. Another plate appeared in his other hand, this time holding a battered fish fillet that also hadn't been touched. He set it down before the small creature. "Sorry, but this is the last one. I don't have any other fish dishes. But I do have a proposal. Will you hear me out?" The kitten nodded, sniffing the dish again while keeping a close eye on the person standing an arm's length away, right in front of the troll's corpse. Though he sensed no threat from him, people couldn't be trusted. "Will you come with me? I promise to feed you three times a day with delicious fish, and I won't restrict you. If you don't like something, you can return to the forest at any time. What do you think? I'll be staying at the school nearby for about another year. I'm sure you know about it. Escaping will be easy as pie for you, especially with your skills." Hearing praise directed at him, the kitten straightened and tilted his head, as if considering the proposal. He really liked the fish. The person standing before him wasn't like the others. Though the snake's gleaming eyes, fixed on him without wavering, were a bit unsettling, he sensed no aggression from her, but something else. The little one didn't understand this, since no one had ever looked at him this way. "All right, think about it for now. I'll be here another two days and leave in the morning. I don't think finding me will be difficult for you. And by the way, did you see anything strange here?"
He meowed, nodding and grinning as he pointed at the fish. Then he finally let go and burst out laughing. He really liked this kitten's personality. Nagini, watching the whole exchange, felt the same way. The boar sensed the tension had lifted and that no fight was coming, so it settled down but kept its distance. Once, while in a nearby clearing, it had seen this little beast drive off one of the most dangerous creatures in the forest while playing. That was the source of its fear of both that place and the creature.
"All right, deal." Reflexively, he reached out to pet him. But the kitten recoiled sharply and bared his claws. "Sorry. I just wanted to pet you," the Archmage apologized, embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't understand why the gesture felt so natural, as if he had done it before. But this was definitely their first meeting. Could it be that during my rebirth, I didn't retain all my memories? Though in my memory, there are no dark moments up to age forty-seven. But I'm seeing this creature for the first time. Ugh. How I hate moments like this, when you simply don't understand anything and have nothing to hold on to. He sighed in disappointment, watching the kitten, who had calmed down after the Archmage's impulse and returned to eating. "Nelly."
In the next instant, the house-elf materialized next to him. At the sight of her, the little one became even more wary.
"What can I do for Master?" she asked courteously in a slightly squeaky voice, bowing without falling to her knees as before. Severus nodded approvingly.
"Go to any restaurant and order plenty of fish. Don't worry about the cost." The moment the tiny one heard this, his eyes lit up. Though he didn't understand what "ordering" meant, the words "lots of fish" immediately delighted him, and he purred contentedly.
"Yes, Master." She vanished. Severus turned his attention back to the little beast.
"Once you've eaten, we should go. Show me all the most interesting places you know. For each one, I'll give you a fish. Agreed?" He held out his hand to the kitten. The kitten stared at his open palm in confusion. "If you agree, put your paw on it."
Again, the little one fixed him with a serious look, searching the wizard's eyes for hidden hostility. But try as he might, he found none. His instincts told him this person wouldn't harm him. That puzzled him. He didn't understand what was happening to him.
Trusting him anyway, he approached the palm and pressed his paw against it, all while fixing Severus with what he clearly thought was a menacing stare.
"Glad we could find common ground. Finish eating, and let's go." He offered a gentle smile and rose, returning to check on the boar. The kitten was still working through his second breakfast, keeping his wary gaze fixed on him.
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