The Strawberries' Fortune

The push from the explosions was enough to guarantee Zayobi’s flight over the castle town had continued well beyond the city’s border. While not marked with structures, she passed the exact line of trees serving as entrance to the forest.

Just gotta wait for a tall enough tree, then come out and grab my dear coachman. I will need it if I want the luxury of staying longer. The most time consuming tasks were always getting here and returning, can’t miss out on breakfast after all.

Zayobi did just as she visualized, catching her chakram and climbing down.

She held out the round piece of metal, before a crimson lava-like liquid emerged from her red skin and covered the chakram.

It seemed to melt into the air as the liquid dispersed.

I guess unless made intentionally against it, even weapons made by a Divine Creation can be taken and absorbed by weaker Flame Souls.

This red substance made by her own body appeared again, now from her palm. A moment later it formed a cubic shape, melting away to reveal a picnic basket whose handle was grasped in her hand.

Strawberries here I come!

Though Zayobi couldn’t see the sunrise from between the trees, with it too beginning its journey, she marched into the forest.

Oh I almost forgot.

She released another cubic object, smaller than the basket, in her free arm.

An object one would never imagine an heir to the throne would hold: A shoe shine block.

The princess squatted and firmly brushed her rugged yet elegant shoes, throughout which the block emitted a vermilion light.

She took it back in as she thought: Mom was all in about me studying how Spiritual Arts mix with architecture to result in things like the soundproof walls of our private rooms. She and dad would never guess I learned that Art just to apply the noise absorption to my shoes.

Zayobi beamed a smile, finally starting the hunt for the strawberries.

***

Everything went as planned.

Foraging wasn’t a skill taught to the Ashraha princesses, nor did Flame Souls venture to uncharted territories often enough to find themselves in situations where one would earn such wisdom.

One might beg to differ strawberries were not as vexing to sort and recognize as the amount of deadly mushrooms real adventurers could be perplexed by.

And of course, princess Zayobi mentally charted the locations of the fruits she sought after so already. This was by no means a new field of study, and well, nor was she hungry enough to look for anything but the delicacy that brought her here.

In all honesty, luck made her trips much simpler than how others would imagine such a story of a princess escaping her castle to hunt for food not served in her kingdom. And that luck also made it so the strawberries would welcome her in almost every direction.

However...

After collecting enough to fill a quarter of her basket, a bit lower than the fruit she was just grasping...

I’m sure I didn’t reach this part of the forest today, I’m not going in circles. The strawberries here are still-

She froze.

There’s no way those footprints are mine, I wouldn’t leave any of them unharvested. I mistook a print in the dirt for my own from how similar it is.

Without hesitation, Zayobi ducked on all fours inside the bushes.

Even without my clothes I’d still be all red, but hiding here and hoping the many strawberries could make me blend in is my best option for now. The sun is not high enough to hit me and make my skin reflect it, plus the forest is abundant with shadows.

Of course, she didn’t forget to hide her basket with her.

Do I waste time covering my tracks from now on, or have faith that whoever is in the Hallowed Forest before five in the morning is not as attentive as me? Should I just wait as a puddle?

Before she could reach a decisive conclusion, she heard:

Rustle.

It was loud enough to discern the direction.

Rustle.

Only one set of footsteps, seemingly backtracking whence they came.

Rustle.

Zayobi waited for the steps to pass her hiding spot, and jumped out.

For a few moments, she thought this might’ve been the biggest mistake of her life.

A boy looking the same age, wearing a set of exploration clothes akin to her own red blazer, yet for this person it was clear that the clothes had actually served the purpose of defending against twigs or plants.

The dirt alone could prove this was his first time in a forest, not that Zayobi’s first venture was as disastrous compared to his appearance.

What mattered most in his look, though...

With a near-pale skin and blue hair, the boy had two ears like that of a wolf, and a single tail all the same color. Everything about him other than his skin was bright blue.

...He’s from Mizrakah!

She met his blue eyes.

“Are you here to kill me?”