Chapter 78: Chapter 77 - The Horde.

Rustle. Rustle! RUSTLE! RUSTLE-RUSTLE!

Everyone froze as the sound of dozens—no, hundreds—of feet scurrying through the underbrush filled the air.

"You hear that?" Rufus asked while Jake, as silent as ever, raised his sword, his eyes sharpening.

Clara, on the other hand, rolled her eyes at Rufus’s question. "No, we’re just imagining synchronized rustling."

Jessy and Lio tensed, ready to act, walking closer to others.

Selena narrowed her eyes. "It doesn’t feel like an enemy..."

Then—

They appeared.

Squirrels.

Dozens of them.

No—hundreds.

Maybe even a full fuzzy battalion of squirrels poured out from the trees.

Red ones. Gray ones. Jet black ones with glowing green eyes. One was riding a turtle for some reason. Another had a flower crown.

Some were carrying acorns like they were holy relics.

The entire forest floor seemed to shift under their fluffy little feet as they surrounded the group.

Everyone stared, dumbfounded.

"... we’re being mobbed by squirrels," Jessy finally said, her expression strange.

She didn’t know whether to find the squirrel horde cute or intimidating.

"I think we’re being honored by squirrels," Rufus muttered in awe, only to be met by the dead gaze of everyone in the group.

It was as if they were asking, ’Are you being for real?’

But then, the squirrel that had been perched on Alex’s head this entire time suddenly leaped off, chittering furiously, and sprinted into the crowd.

The horde parted like reverent monks before a squirrel messiah.

Alex’s squirrel met another, slightly older squirrel—who was wearing a tiny leaf cape.

They nuzzled.

The whole group made tiny chirping sounds that could only be described as emotional squeaks of destiny.

It was... weirdly touching.

Then, the original squirrel climbed back up Alex’s leg, scurried up his arm, and resumed its throne on his shoulder with pride.

"...I think I just witnessed a reunion arc," Clara whispered.

But then, everyone noticed something.

How was the most talkative among them strangely silent right now?

Everyone turned toward Alex, who was strangely quiet, only to see his eyes shining weirdly.

He turned to the group with a completely serious expression.

"...They’ve come to honor us."

Everyone blinked, wondering if he had gone mad like Rufus.

"What?" Raven said, blood still drying on his coat.

He could heal his wounds instantly but for better impact, he was letting them heal slowly.

Alex nodded, hand over his chest, his expression still serious, unlike his usual self. "I understand them. Not all of it. But enough."

Raven blinked again. "...I have so many questions."

Clara leaned closer. "Wait. You can talk to squirrels now?"

"I feel their intent," Alex explained, as the squirrel on his shoulder dramatically posed against the moonlight. "This little guy—he left his clan long ago. Left behind his home to follow a calling he couldn’t explain."

"...His calling was your head?" Jessy asked.

Alex ignored her. "He’s been searching for ’those who would change the fate of the forest.’ His words, not mine. Sort of. Loosely translated through nut gestures."

"NUT GESTURES?!" Rufus nearly choked.

Alex nodded solemnly. "Apparently, one of their own was vaporized earlier. The squirrel who sneezed mid-air."

Everyone paused for a moment of silence.

Clara put a hand over her heart. "Feathers to heaven."

Selena sighed. "Tragic."

"The clan saw that attack as divine vengeance," Alex continued. "They believe we... or rather, Raven... was the instrument of justice."

Raven raised a brow. "I wasn’t trying to avenge a squirrel."

The squirrel on Alex’s shoulder looked at him.

Then slowly raised one paw.

And pointed at Raven.

Everyone turned to look.

"...Is it saluting me?" Raven asked, dumbfounded.

"Yup," Alex said proudly. "You’re now their hero. The Vengeful Wind. The Nut Avenger. The One Who Claws Fate."

Raven stared at him. "...That squirrel’s been spending too much time around you."

"I told him memes. He understands memes," Alex whispered like he’d passed on forbidden knowledge.

More squirrels began to gather around Raven, gently tossing acorns at his feet like offerings.

One squirrel even pulled out a tiny carved nut with Raven’s face etched on it.

"...That’s actually impressive craftsmanship," Jessy said, bending down to inspect it.

"They work fast," Alex said with a shrug.

Then, the squirrel began squeaking again. Urgently, this time.

Alex’s brow furrowed as he listened.

"They want to repay us," he said finally. "Especially since my little guy"—he pointed to his squirrel—"told them we’re searching for something."

Raven squinted. "He told them about the beast we are looking for?"

"He told them everything. The magic towers. The demons. The attack. Your unwashed coat. They know."

The squirrel on Alex’s shoulder raised its tail like a divine banner.

The entire horde squeaked in unison.

And then, without any warning, they began to move.

Dozens of squirrels fanned out into the trees like a coordinated military unit.

A few stopped and looked back, squeaking urgently at the group.

"They want us to follow," Alex translated.

Rufus blinked. "Are... we really going to follow squirrels?"

"Weren’t you the one who understood them first?" Jessy scoffed. "Now you are scared?"

Clara smirked. "To be honest, though, after today, I’ll follow a tap-dancing goose if it helps."

Selena finally spoke up. "If they can help us track the beasts, we don’t have time to question methods."

"I have so many questions," Raven muttered, limping forward, as there wasn’t anything like this in the plot.

Alex was never supposed to awaken a power that could help him understand a squirrel.

This was all going off-track.

But, well, things had been going off-track for some time, so he sighed, knowing he couldn’t control how things went.

The group began following the squirrel scouts through the forest.

Lio hesitated... then followed quietly.

He was still processing everything: the blood, the assassination—which he didn’t even know was fake—the not-fake pain, and now... a forest-wide squirrel uprising.

Alex’s squirrel squeaked again.

Raven narrowed his eyes. "What’d he say now?"

Alex grinned. "He says... ’The fate of the world rests in paws now.’"

Raven pinched the bridge of his nose.

"...We’re doomed."

....................

Later...

The moon rose higher, casting a soft glow over the now peaceful forest clearing.

The squirrels had moved with frightening efficiency—before the group could even sit, little paws were already piling fruits, nuts, and roasted roots in organized sections as if they were running a five-star forest buffet.

Clara eyed a perfectly arranged platter of honey-glazed mushrooms and wild berries. "Okay, how the hell do squirrels roast food?"

Alex shrugged, biting into a nut that had been filled with some forest jelly. "Squirrel secrets."

Selena sipped from a carved wooden cup filled with some kind of warm herbal tea a squirrel had handed her.

She raised an eyebrow. "This is actually... good?"

Jessy lay back on the soft moss that had been flattened into beds. "I’ve been to banquets less organized than this."

Jake, as quiet as ever, was also nodding at the service of the squirrels.

It was strangely peaceful.

Even Siris, who had been strangely out of the fights and everything else, was enjoying this peace.

No one knew why, but she hadn’t fought when they were attacked.

Yes, she knew they weren’t enemies like others did, but that didn’t mean she had to step aside.

But she did.

No one knew that she didn’t fight precisely because they weren’t enemies, as she didn’t know how to hold back.

If she had fought, some people would’ve died.

Meanwhile, Raven sat cross-legged a little away from the others, blood drying on his coat and skin, his expression unreadable.

He hadn’t even touched the squirrel buffet.

The dried blood on his jaw made him reconsider whether he should eat like this.

Eventually, he decided to go wash up.

"I’m going to wash up," he muttered, standing slowly.

But then, he noticed something.

"Hey," he called out to everyone, frowning. "Where’s my footrest?"

Lio was missing.

No one had noticed his absence as they were busy with the squirrels, but now, they did.

"Did he run away or something?" Rufus asked, making Jessy hum thoughtfully.

"It’s possible," she said. "No one likes being a footrest."

Raven, however, ignored them, knowing they didn’t mean it.

Just then, Clara spoke.

"Look for him on the way. He must be around."

Raven nodded, moving toward the forest, hoping to find a stream or lake, but then—

—One squirrel stepped forward from the shadows, dressed in what could only be described as... a commando outfit.

Strips of leaf camo covered its tiny body, and it wore a walnut shell helmet.

Tiny stripes of berry juice were smeared under its eyes like war paint.

Everyone paused.

Even Alex blinked. "That’s... oh. That’s Commander Nibbles."

Raven stared at the squirrel. "...What?"

"He’s from the Recon Corps," Alex said in complete seriousness. "He’ll guide you."

Commander Nibbles gave a sharp salute, then spun on his heels and darted into the underbrush.

Raven sighed, too tired to argue with fate at this point, and followed. "If I die, avenge me," he called back.

"We’ll send squirrels," Clara said.

The rest of the group laughed lightly, the tension finally starting to bleed away.

....................

Deeper into the woods, the sounds of the group faded behind him.

Commander Nibbles darted ahead through moonlit patches and thick ferns with silent precision, leading Raven to a quiet stream nestled between boulders, where the water sparkled unnaturally, clearly touched by some forest magic.

Raven knelt beside the stream, splashing water onto his face and watching the blood trail down. "Finally, some damn peace," he muttered.

Then—

Rustle.

A chill passed through the clearing.

The commando squirrel immediately raised its tiny paw in warning, eyes narrowing.

Rustle. Rustle.

Raven groaned, wiping his face. "Oh, come on. What now?"

He stood up slowly, every muscle tense, dripping water down his shirtless chest as the breeze carried the scent of moss and something else...

He narrowed his eyes, scanning the darkness beyond the trees.

Even Commander Nibbles crouched behind a rock, paw trembling slightly, looking more like a plush soldier facing Armageddon.

"...Please don’t be demon squirrels," Raven muttered, fists tightening.

Because after today?

That wouldn’t even be the weirdest thing.

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