Shi Lang sat down quietly, skinning the dead deer in front of him while the Tiger rested at a side, gazing at him. After the young human was done cleaning the fur, he cut open the belly of the beast to clear up the internal organs. The boy did not say anything and silently prepared to cook the vension meat.
He collected some twigs from the surroundings and using a method of wood rubbing, he ignited a spark. The method was one of the most primitive means to get fire in the woods with no other tool. Shi Lang also wanted to pick up some herbs but the data was falsified and he did not know if it would be poisonous.
The tiger spoke as the vension meat was slowly being roasted, “Will you not add any condiments to the food?”
Shi Lang shook his head and replied, “I have no knowledge about the herbs inside these forests. If I ended up adding a poisonous one, then it will be bad.”
The tiger nodded twice and said, “Charlotte said something similar back in those days. Haha, you remind me of her.”
Shi Lang replied, “May I ask you a few questions now?” his voice was calm. By now, the fear of the unknown had washed out of his mind. He recalled how in the world of cultivation animals being able to speak telepathically were not a rarity, and scolded himself for being too scared to even ask what he wanted to.
The tiger nodded while its gaze rested upon the slowly cooking meat. Shi Lang asked, “What are you?”
“You can call me a Wise Beast or Sapientia. The term we use here in our language. Now, you will ask my name and other details. Well, I am called, Zyra. It was Charlotte who named me. I was a few weeks old when she found me inside the woods abandoned. She took care of me for a few years before she left. She taught me how to hunt and other things.” replied the tiger.
Shi Lang nodded, “I happen to know General Charlotte Knight. She has been a mentor to me a few months ago, and her daughter is my fiancee.” his voice was warm when he mentioned Amelia.
The tiger asked, “I do not know what you mean by her daughter and fiancee. I do understand the term mentor though. Charlotte was like that to me as well.”
Shi Lang smiled and said, “A daughter is a term used for a girl offspring. And fiance means a companion.”
The tiger nodded and said in a soft tone, “I did not expect Charlotte to have an offspring. Will you tell me about her?”
How was Shi Lang to say no, so he told Zysha about how he met Amelia and a lot more things. The tiger enjoyed his voice, the boy had a good nick for telling stories. After Shi Lang was done, he asked, “Why are you able to communicate with me using a language of humans?”
Zysha raised her body on her front limbs and said, “I had no idea why I was able to communicate, however, I was not the only one who could. In the clans or flocks of beasts on this planet, once in a while they give birth to someone like me. Someone who is apt in the things that normal beasts could not do or understand.
When animals do not understand something, they abandon it. Unlike, humans, you get curious for things that you do not understand. Charlotte told me, that their are people who would like to cut me into pieces and study the reason of why I am different from the others. Thus, we decided to not just settle at the term mutation.”
Shi Lang nodded as he heard all this. The reason was clear, Charlotte did not want Zysha to be stuffed inside a laboratory and be treated like a specimen. Althought Terrans did prefer to establish a better connection with intelligent species, but if the intelligent species were a minority, they would not hold back in slaughtering them or keeping them under strict restraint to control the planet.
Thinking about it this way the youngster understood something and used his communicator to delete the footage he recorded earlier from the storage of his suit. A crackling noise attracted his attention and Shi Lang came out of his trance. He said, “The food is ready.”
With that said, the youngster divided the meat, he only took a quarter of it and the rest was given to the big cat. While eating Shi Lang asked, “Can you tell me how you fulfil your need for water?”
Zysha replied with a perfect voice in his mind, “There is a small lake ten kilometers away from here. Would you like me to guide you there?”
Shi Lang thought about it and said, “Well, I would not mind that. Because, you can help me mind a few rules while moving forward.”
The beast did not reply as she was busy gnawing at the meal in front of her. Shi Lang did not say much as well, he continued eating the meat. After he was done eating, the youngster waited till the beast finished eating and the two began to traverse the forest. On the way, Shi Lang asked, “Zysha, earlier you mentioned that the predators of the world try to kill each other so that they can also gain wisdom? What do you mean by that?”
Zysha replied, “Oh that, I do not know, but it is a sort of instinct for us. After we digest the meat of a mutated beast, our own intelligence grows and we become stronger. That Ironhorn stag you killed today, it was a beast as intelligent as me, but it had not hunted for a few weeks after it came across its original herd, and tried to hunt, the chief of the herd bested it in battle, leaving it to die with wounds, but the deer healed up and on the verge of starvation it was blinded and could not use its’ brain.
Also, you will see a few changes in me soon, you will understand what I mean then.”
Shi Lang nodded and the two creatures, moved through the forest silently. Every half an hour Shi Lang would check the communicator to see what the satellite scan. The positions of the other people was not close to him and this was a good thing. It turned out that he was the only Terran within a twenty kilometer radius.
The sun was falling down and the two moved quickly, however, it still took them a couple of hours before they reached the shore. Shi Lang could hear a subtle sound of water flowing, however, on the way he had noticed something even more surprising, Zysha had grow half a meter in size, and her eyes have became slightly more spiritual.
Suddenly the beast said, “In the life of ten years, I had eaten a lot of Sapientia. And just now was the last hunt of my life.” as she sighed mentally.
Shi Lang asked, “What do you mean?”
“There is a limit to how much one can hunt and consume. If I ever eat another Sapientia after this, then I will die.” said the big cat.
“How do you even know that?” asked the youngster in surprise. Ever since he had arrived on this planet he has been given too many surprises.
The beast said, “This is an instinct we have, you will not understand.” her tone revealed a tint of dissatisfaction.
Shi Lang was again surprised to see such a reaction. The temperament of the tiger had changed all of a sudden. Earlier, he telepathy sounded very monotonous, only her gestures were human like. This was the change and growth in her wisdom, being able to project emotions in her telepathic speech, this was a really intelligent.
After the two people arrived at the banks of the lake, Shi Lang asked, “How often can a Sapientia be found here?”
Zysha replied, “Ummm, well we are not grains on of sand on a beach. However, we are not those endangered ones either. However, the survival rate of Sapientias is lower than that of a normal beast. You see the normal animals of the forest can sense that you are not normal at birth, so they abandon you. Then as a weakling the laws of the forest consume you. Either another Sapientia or just your fate.”
Shi Lang nodded at this. The logic and explanation was simple. He asked, “Since you cannot consume anymore Sapientia, why do you not come along with me?”
The tiger was surprised, Zysha did not allow this boy to say something like this. She chuckled and asked, “Are you in your right mind, boy? How will you take me in? Even your mentor back in the day was unable to get me inside. You know?”
Shi Lang smirked and said, “General Charlotte Knight, well she is not me, and I am not a stick to the rules kind of guy all the time. Sometimes it is okay to take a break. So, what say?”