Behind three mountains and two rivers, two bounty hunters, Kairo and Arubi, are traveling to Waslan City to pick a bounty. Their empty stomach pushes them forward, but they may hit a roadblock in the desert inside the bandits' lair.
Wacky adventure...
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Snow fell above the lush forest, dressing everything around a wooden cottage in white. Smoke floated toward the sky from the chimney, melting any frozen tear trying to land on the wide roof. The setting sun hid behind the thick clouds that were promising a thick blanket on the ground.
Inside the cottage, an old man sat in a rocking chair next to a small fireplace. While stroking his long beard, his gentle eyes, hidden beneath fluffy eyebrows, glanced at the small group of children as they sat on a warm rug near the fireplace. The flames flickered with a quiet sputtering, accompanied by spectacle of moving shadows.
Big cuckoo-clock ticked seconds away as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, making the space for moon and stars to shine. The children shifted on their spots, and the covers around them rustled.
The old man took out his pipe, and as he puffed, smoke drifted toward the wooden ceiling. One child with cat ears tugged at the patchwork blanket over his lap. A small smile crept onto the man's face as he caressed the child's hair, making the boy purr.
"I know," the man said. "I promised you a bedtime story."
"Yay!" cheered a four-year-old girl with cat eyes and fangs. Her short whiskers twitched as her pink nose sucked in the aroma of burning wood. Her tiny fists tightened, crumpling the blanket over her legs, and her tail tapped the ground.
The old man's chest rumbled as he laughed, for the children's smiles filled him with energy. Their puppy eyes would move a mountain, he thought. Once he calmed himself, he stroked his beard. "Very well."
The group widened their eyes and twitched their cat ears, moving forward to not miss a single word. A short log in the fireplace crackled, and the flames towered higher for a second, casting a soft glow on the group. None of them were human like he was. Every child had something cat-like to them. From ears and fur to yellow eyes with slit pupils, but none were fully feline.
The old man puffed from his pipe before starting to tell a story, "In a faraway land, called... how did it go again?" He tilted his head backward like it could help him to remember. "Well, it doesn't matter now. Spring came, bringing new beginnings and a story for everybody..."
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