I Like This Dream!

Ian heard the thunder, and his body bent by the firewood paused, squinting his eyes and looking up. The sky was clear, and the warm sunlight penetrated the dense canopy, leaving little golden lights in the forest.

Is it going to rain? He thought so and quickened his pace. The thunderstorm season has passed, the weather is slowly getting cooler, but sudden thunderstorms have not disappeared. It is dangerous to be soaked outside, especially for sinners like them who live in the forest. Every year, there are people who can't get sick after catching a cold.

The thunder grew closer.

There was no sound of raindrops falling on the leaves, and there was no smell of rain in the air. Ian stopped and listened, his expression becoming more solemn.

If it's not going to rain, where does the thunder come from? To the residents of Thebes's borders, this was nothing less than a roaring alarm. Deep in the forest live thunder monkeys. Groups of these strange beasts are enough to destroy any small settlement in their path. Ian threw down the firewood and ran. He heard the subtle vibrations under the thunder.

His choice was wise, and soon the voice was clearly audible. It was the trampling sound of countless footsteps staggeredly trampling fallen leaves and weeds, as if hundreds of creatures were migrating at high speed, shaking the entire forest. A group of rabbits scurried past the feet and rushed forward past Ian. Were they driven away by the Thunder Monkey? Ian didn't know, he ran faster and faster, not daring to look back, and finally ran home before being kicked out.

"Uncle Mike! Aunt Amy!" he shouted breathlessly, "Run!"

The settlements of criminals in the forest are very small and dotted in the forest to prevent them from being hunted down in one fell swoop. Since his father's death, there have only been three families living here in Ian's area, all of whom are now in the house. When they stuck their heads out of the window to take a look, their expressions suddenly changed and they rushed out within a few seconds holding the package.

As criminals who were ready to be moved at any time, their houses were as simple as stables, and their important belongings were placed in packages that were easy to carry. Ian quickly grabbed the backpack containing clothes, dry food and his parents' relics, and ran out of the cabin as fast as he could. His door was facing the direction he was running from. When he looked outside, he felt that his legs were weak and he could hardly run.

A kind of monkey about the size of a puppy, covered in yellow fur, they would look inconspicuous, if they weren't wrapped with arcs of electricity. A dense group of monkeys hang on the trees, and the flashing arcs on their bodies connect to form a daunting spider web. Ian immediately understood why survivors who had never encountered a pack of Thunder Monkeys head-on. How could a single and weak person escape from this deadly trap?

He gritted his teeth and ran wildly, their hut collapsing into ruins behind him. The sound of wind kept ringing in my ears, and there was the sound of branches shaking like maggots on my tarsal bones. Ian had never run so fast in his life. Not long after, another trace of people appeared in front of him. They actually ran to another small settlement. "Run!" Uncle Mike, who ran the fastest, shouted, and the shouts of reminders merged into one.

New people continued to join, and homes continued to be destroyed. Ian gradually felt exhausted. He could only hear his own violent breathing like a bellows, and the sound of dead branches and leaves under his feet became louder and louder. Wait, this is not the sound of dead branches being stepped on underfoot! Ian's pupils shrank and he stumbled to the ground in distraction. He looked back with great fear. A few steps above his head, a group of monkeys had already covered the branches.

So close, he could even see their fierce faces, and their yellow and sharp teeth bared out of their mouths, indicating that the diet of these monkeys included meat. Ian couldn't move and could only watch with wide eyes as the monkeys rushed towards him...

Then passed over his head.

Ian couldn't believe what was happening. The Thunder Monkey was the most bully and fearful of the strong. Even if it wasn't hungry, it would playfully tear the lone person into pieces. How could they let him go? Aren't they here to hunt? Ian stared blankly at the monkeys that passed over his head one after another, and suddenly felt that their grinning expressions were not threatening, but rather frightening.

A terrifying thought arose in Ian's mind: What if these thunder monkeys were not chasing something, but running away?

He could no longer run, so he struggled to stand up due to his survival instinct, dragging his sprained leg up the tree. He found a vine at a height of one person and held on tightly to prevent himself from falling.

This action saved his life.

The Thunder Monkeys were not the first animals to escape, nor were they the last. Ian saw countless animals running past his feet on the tree, like a rushing river. If he was still below, he would have been trampled to pieces. There are various types of them. Although they are not as strong as during the beast tide season, together they are already an irresistible and terrifying force for Ian. This group of terrifying animals gathered together, completely ignoring their natural enemies, and tried their best to escape like criminals being chased by thunder monkeys.

God, Ian thought desperately, is this year's beast tide ahead of schedule? Or has a more terrifying alien beast leader appeared?

At this moment Ian suddenly saw a person.

To be precise, two people. One of them was wearing a khaki robe. Ian's father said that he was a member of the church and he had to run immediately when he saw him. The other, wearing a hunting garb common to border soldiers, was flying with the former in his arms.

flight.

The man's legs were dangling in the air, reaching the same height as Ian in the tree. The girl in hunting attire put her hands under the armpits of the girl in khaki robe, holding her in her arms and floating her at a person's height, as surreal as a ghost. Ian closed his eyes forcefully, but the two people did not disappear.

"You're so heavy, Lydia." The girl in hunting clothes complained, "Shall I put you down?"

The girl in khaki robe nodded.

The ground is covered by the endless running tide of beasts, and the fallen leaves will be crushed into mud immediately. Where is the hunting suit girl going to put her? Is it also on a tree? Will you find me? Ian shifted uncomfortably in the tree, curling himself into the shade. Then he realized that his worries were completely unfounded.

The hunting girl didn't look for a clearing, she created one herself.

Ian didn't see what she did. It was like putting a ball of dough into a pan full of oil, and the crackling sound of frying sounded not far away. He saw a ray of silver light penetrate into the herd of beasts, and the rushing tide suddenly appeared blank, as if a huge stone was thrown into the river.

A deer suddenly raised its front hooves, neighing and ran to the side. The tide of beasts avoided a circle with self-awareness. In that circle, all the creatures fell to the ground, with steam rising from their bodies.

The two people flew over, the girl in yellow robe was placed on the ground, and the girl in hunting robe also fell down. She picked through the pile of dead animals, fished out a rabbit, and tossed it between her hands. "It's so hot," she said, tearing the rabbit apart with her bare hands. Like all creatures on the ground, this rabbit seemed to have been cooked for a long time and was already cooked.

Somehow, Ian retched in the burning aroma. He covered his mouth hard to prevent himself from making any sound.

The girl in the yellow robe took out her dagger and dismembered the rabbit neatly and neatly. This was not the skill of a hunter in treating his prey, but it gave the impression that he was disemboweling a human being. The girl in hunting attire tilted her head, with a languid look on her face. She flipped her fingers through the broken pieces with no interest. She closed her eyes and twisted a few pieces into her mouth.

After a while, she opened her eyes and shouted excitedly: "This is it!"

The girl in hunting clothes floated up. Without the girl in yellow robe, she took off very lightly. Ian saw that her clothes were bulging, and her light blond curly hair was dancing like a life, like a bird... No, that posture without a trace of fireworks was like a bubble, floating gently into the sky. Ian had to straighten his neck to see her. He saw the petite girl standing on the canopy of the tree, stretching out a finger and pointing into the distance.

Thunder, louder than ever heard before.

From such a height, Ian could not see what was happening in front of him. He could only see that the tide of animals rushing forward became viscous for a moment and then flowed back in an instant. The beasts in front ran backwards like crazy, while the beasts behind could not stop due to inertia, and the whole "river" boiled. The bison's curved horns flew away raccoons, and forest deer broke their necks on each other. Whether they were ordinary animals or exotic beasts, they all seemed to be thrown into a meat grinder.

Ian looked up at the initiator in shock. The girl was floating in mid-air. Her light golden hair under the sun seemed to be woven with light, shining transparently. Her face was hidden in the light, as bright as the rising sun and as frightening as thunder. There was only one mechanical thought left in Ian's mind, God, God...

There was an explosion from the front, followed by the sound of chopping iron tools and the sounds of people. The returning tide of beasts gained the upper hand, and soon all the beasts were running back. The girl in hunting attire slipped in again through the gap in the tree crown, her eyes searched among the beasts, and her raised fingers pointed gently among them. The gesture is as light as a naughty boy dabbing water, but something will fall to the ground with every drop. She frowned as she looked at the prey that was swallowed up by the tide of beasts, and began to swim toward the herd of beasts like a fish swimming in the air.

To onlookers it looked like suicide, but what happened was the exact opposite. Every time before landing, the girl raised her hand, and a pit with a diameter of several meters immediately appeared in the tide of beasts. The beasts around her shunned in fear, and she swam into the gap to pick up the slain prey—always a rabbit—tearing off a piece and putting it in her mouth, casually discarding the rest on the ground. The girl just walked through the herd of beasts, killing endlessly, causing the beasts that had been sorted out to become chaotic again.

Ian was shaking uncontrollably. He suspected that he had met a hunting banshee, and felt the fear of facing creatures higher up the food chain.

A wall of fire suddenly rose not far away, scattering the exhausted beasts from the center. The trees began to smoke, and several jets of water doused the forest fire before it ignited.

"Anna Sullivan!!"

shouted an angry voice. Ian was finally able to get rid of the fear that made him unable to think. He reluctantly poked his head in a certain direction and saw the general of the Border Army rushing out from the herd, surrounded by flames.