I Become the Baby Tiger in a Beast Taming World-Chapter 68: Hunting Surprises

Palm fronds and palm-life trees and thick lattices of vines above filter out much of the sun and keep the heat off my furry back while I have my nose to the ground, sniffing for prey. Although it’s not the prey that Niall expects. Or that Maartenwitz expects, for that matter.

Do not ask me how Maartenwitz got invited along on this outing, or why he and Niall are suddenly such besties. I suppose that beast taming is their life. That’s what they have in common.

"Step lively," Maartenwitz orders.

"Find a good one," Niall says. "A big beast, a splendid one, one that takes all four of you to bring down. Wouldn’t that be a triumph!"

[A big beast for this tiny halfling.] Demos puffs out his fur. [I like it.]

[Maybe we should think small?] Lobo is playing devil’s advocate. [After all, Gussie is proof that you don’t need the biggest beast. What do you think, Gussie?]

The parrot squawks, "Big beast!"

I have to admit, securing a big beast for Niall would be a triumph. And maybe it would even earn us all some extra XP. [Big beast it is. Sorry, Lobo.]

He woofs. [Guess it’s my turn to be outvoted.]

Demos can’t resist needling Gussie. [At least you don’t get your feathers in a twist.]

Bristling, Gussie flies on, scouting the ground and the low-hanging branches for a potential beast. [I’ve got something!]

I perk up, sniffing the air. All I get is something scaly and reptilian. [Snake?]

Gussie hovers by one of the trees. [Big one. Jungle python. Lurking in the trees.]

A python? A prey-crushing snake? Hmmm. Not the worst idea.

Lobo wags his tail. [We don’t have a snake. Pythons are powerful. But how do we flush him out?]

Gussie sounds like she’s just hit on a hot brainstorm. [Snakes and birds don’t really mix. Maybe I should try to drive him crazy? I can, you know.]

She says this in earnest, almost naively. Or tongue-in-cheek considering the clothes disaster she created earlier today.

Oh, System?

[Blaze! I was beginning to feel neglected.]

The System has somehow gotten sassier. And I really haven’t interacted with it today. Truthfully, I’ve missed it.

System? There are a few things that I need to figure out on my own. Sorry if I was silent.

[I’m here as a guide, not a crutch. Use me. Use me for wisdom.]

Okay, fair enough. Is a Jungle Python a good fit for Niall?

[Flying Jungle Python. Has the ability to crush its prey. Clever and cunning. A bit unwieldy for the halfling to handle, but he has proven himself adept at guiding fierce beasts. This particular python is young and inexperienced.]

What do you think of Gussie’s strategy?

[Some birds are surprisingly effective against snakes. Gussie’s knowledge of the jungle may be an advantage here. Her strategy is sound.]

I turn to Gussie. [You flush him out, and we’ll catch him.]

Meanwhile, Niall and Maartenwitz have been cheerfully debating whether or not it’s worthwhile to dress up for the Beast Taming Elimination Tournament. Maartenwitz says yes, and Niall is of the opinion that the beasts are the real stars. Tamer fashion is just a shiny distraction. From that subject, they turn back to debating the efficacies of their favorite clarity-producing herb.

Even engrossed in their conversation, they look up and spy Gussie weaving through the tree branches while the three of us stand at the foot of the tree in question, ready to catch the flying snake if it should come our way.

"Ho there, what are you all doing?"

Niall sounds intrigued. Because I can’t communicate with him telepathically, I nudge him and point my nose up toward the tree where the leaves hide what Gussie is up to.

"Oh ho! Found prey in the tree, have you?" Niall rubs my head, very pleased. "Well, then, carry on, all of you. Where has Gussie gotten to?"

Lobo points up at the tree with his nose, too.

Now Maartenwitz smells and sounds excited. "What sort of prey could they have spotted in the trees? Perhaps another bird?" He chuckles as if at some big joke.

Ha-ha, I get it. Because Gussie is a bird, it would be funny if our quarry was a bird as well. Clearly, Maartenwitz needs to work on his sense of humor. Although he gets points for trying.

Niall squints up into the leaves. "It could be anything. Another big cat, or a snake, or some arboreal creature. Even some kind of tarsier, even though they’re not big, and they’re, well, cute. But still, hunting in itself is a useful--"

Gussie’s panicked screech could kill plants.

[Gussie!]

Dread fills me, and I can’t move. Gussie is probably in trouble. At least, she sounds like she is. The rustling of the leaves is violent, as if the leaves themselves are trying to scold Gussie for her audacity. Why did we ever think that bearding a lion in its den was a good idea? It’s an even worse idea when the lion is a thirty-foot python.

Lobo howls and clamps his claws on the tree bark, scaling the trunk. Finally, I break my own paralysis and climb after him. Demos follows.

Niall shouts, "Gussie, get out of there! The snake is not..."

WHUMP!

It feels like a rubbery brick hits me, and I’m flung backward onto the jungle floor. OOOOF. The wind is knocked out of me. Lying flat on my back with my feet in the air, I’m dazed.

Lobo and Demos groan. [What hit us?]

Enough lying around! I roll over onto my feet and stand up, surveying the scene.

A small blue-green python lies on top of Lobo and Demos. Not quite a thirty-footer. More like a baby python. Still an impressive length for a young snake.

I stagger over to the python and peer at it. Yellow eyes glower at me. The python hisses, its tongue flicking out.

Gussie glides down, squawking triumphantly. "Got you! I got you!"

Lobo can only manage a congratulatory woof. Demos growls, a breathless sound.

Niall claps his hands. "Not bad, all of you. That’ll do."

I hope he’s planning to thank us more fittingly after he learns why we went through such an ordeal. This is all for him, after all.

Demos growls at Niall’s faint praise. [I’ll ruin his clothes. I’ll scratch his eyes out.]

[Me first.] Lobo is equally peevish. [We didn’t need to do this. We could just have said no to the quest. And it turns out the snake isn’t that dangerous.]

Although I’m sympathetic, I don’t want to burst Gussie’s bubble. [Come on, can’t we all just grow up and appreciate what Gussie did here today?]

Lobo rolls over, shaking the python every which way. [GET THIS PYTHON OFF ME FIRST.]

The python’s coils shoot out and start to wrap around Lobo. [YOU disturbed me!]

Gussie squawks, "Shooting Stars, Blaze!"

Of course. Frantically, I summon up Shooting Stars, and make them fly toward the python so that they don’t start a fire in the jungle. Too late...some of them land on the undergrowth. A spark. A sizzle. Flames leap up around the snake and Lobo.

[FIRE! The python employs her coils to try and smother the flames. [Peridot to the rescue!]

A python named Peridot?

Lobo, not to be outdone, starts throwing dirt on the flames with his paws, and so do Demos and I. Niall and Maartenwitz pour water on it from their waterskins. Gussie comically flaps around the start of the fire, trying to blow the fire out and only fanning the flames. However, everyone else’s effort outweighs her unintentional good-hearted fail.

The fire dies out quickly. A faint smell of scorched vegetation lingers in the air. Leaves continue to drift down from the trees, the aftermath of Gussie’s tussle with Peridot. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Maartenwitz coughs. "Well, Niall, we simply cannot eat this python now."

Rumpled and with hair sticking up everywhere, Niall grins at Maartenwitz. "Roon, I knew there was a heart hidden behind that tablet and all those charts and lists."

[ROON?] I gaze at my friends, who are equally gobsmacked. [No one EVER calls Maartenwitz by his first name.]

Lobo woofs. [Not even his mother, probably.]

With a huff, Maartenwitz tries to conceal a blush. "Do not expect me to be sentimental now. I merely pointed out that this python helped us even after being hunted."

Peridot the python lifts her head and stares at Gussie. [I was just trying to find food, minding my own business. I wasn’t going to eat you. I don’t eat parrots. It’s a personal choice. I like rodents.]

Gussie beams. [I knew you were good. You’ll be perfect for the halfling there. Master Widdershins. He’s so nice. He’s a beast tamer. And he needs a beast.]

Lobo and Demos gaze at Peridot with grudging respect. Demos chooses to be generous. [She did help us. She’s perfect.]

Lobo woofs. [I’m in. She can be part of our pack.]

I purr, nuzzling Peridot’s slick scaly skin. [She’s got Niall’s spirit.]

Peridot’s serpentine body goes slack. [Primal Beast!]

The idea of being a tamed beast obviously never occurred to her, going about her business hunting rodents in the jungle. But we can be persuasive.

[I think we make a great team. What say you?] I nuzzle Peridot. [Will you bond with Niall?]