Chương 38: Call Me Ancestor

Long after his guests left, Tarou continued to think about what the elder told him. He tried to make sense of everything but he couldn't come up with any logical conclusion.

'It's impossible!'

'How can I still be alive for 10 years?'

Mice like him rarely live for three human years. No one has heard of a mouse who lived for four years.

Ten...ten years!

'This...it couldn't be possible!'

'How could ten years pass without him knowing.'

Tarou tried to remember as far back as he could. His earliest memories were of Wifey who had the gentlest look on her face. They lived in a small nook inside a house in the village. He could even remember seeing baby mice who were constantly messing up their small home.

Tarou winced at a bitter memory of how hard it was to steal food then. The granaries and storerooms were emptied out. Humans were rationing food. Even mice found it almost impossible to find something edible. When the villagers had nothing to farm, fish, or forage, they resorted to eating almost anything including locusts and mice. It was a terrible time.

Wifey reminded him constantly to steer clear of humans when the food shortage became so severe that humans hunted mice for food. Stealing between mice camps were also common. As one of the weakest and slowest mice, he was always the one who stayed behind to guard any food they have left. Walking down memory lane reminded him of the last day he saw Wifey.

It was an ordinary day. As usual, she reminded him to be careful of humans, even of children. That day he couldn't resist leaving their home when he caught the scent of something delicious. He almost ran into a human but he found a hiding place. He remembered running, running, and more running. It took him hours to find the exit.

When he finally returned to their home, he was extra cautious. He tried to stay away from humans as much as possible. It was also during that day that the princess arrived. The princess seems to have been from a country with an abundance of food and grain. All the servants praised her beauty and the Kingdom of Covin where she came from. Best of all, the entire village was festive and one of the largest manors prepared a sumptuous feast. He was so happy when he caught a whiff of various dishes. He tried to eavesdrop on different conversations to know what's happening. He was very excited to tell Wifey about it but she was not home yet.

When he went to visit the storerooms and the granary that day, everything was filled to the brim. He even caught the scent of apples, Wifey's favorite fruit!

Unfortunately, stashing food in their home inside the house would be too risky. Humans were all over the place.

Instead of heading home with his haul, he tried to look for a tree nook just outside the village where he could store food. After finding a place that would serve his needs, he headed back home to tell his family that they would no longer starve but something happened.

Tarou could still remember the raging fire that enveloped the village that day. Everything disappeared almost instantly. Nothing remained but ashes.

When he snapped out of his daze, he found himself staring at the pile of grains in front of him. He felt another wave of nostalgia but he shoved the sad memories aside and focused on the present. He should focus on what he just learned from the elder.

The elder mouse knew nothing of the drought. The elder's father or grandfather never experienced it too.

If the drought happened 10 human years ago, he should be about 400 mouse years ahead of this time. This means that the family he knew would be long dead by now. Maybe, maybe it's time to accept that the Wifey in his memory no longer exists in this world.

Kaia and Aure should kowtow to him. Even the elder should show him respect!

'How about Boss?' the little voice in his mind hinted. Soon after, Tarou started daydreaming on how to tell a certain black cat that he is 400 years his junior. It was actually 10 human years but 400 years sounded more intimidating.

***

"Tarou!"

"Taaaarouuuu!!!!"

Mina called out urgently. Given the lack of response, she crouched down to see if Tarou was at home. When she looked inside the small nook, she saw the mouse grooming himself absentmindedly. Tarou's furrowed eyebrows made it clear that something was troubling him.

"TAAAARROOUUUUU!!!!"

Mina couldn't help but call out louder to catch Tarou's attention. Tarou almost lost his balance when he heard the cat's impatient call. Seeing the cat, Tarou absentmindedly strolled out of the nook.

If Mina opened her mouth, she could eat up the small mouse without any effort. But this time, Tarou didn't seem threatened of the cat's sharp fangs or deadly claws. He simply walked out fully expecting the cat to give him enough space to exit the tree.

Mina couldn't help but notice the change in Tarou's attitude.

'This underling is becoming bolder than ever. He doesn't even feel afraid of becoming my next meal.'

Tarou looked up to her eyes before gazing at the dirt under his paws, Tarou seems to be stalling. The mouse looked up to her again and instead of looking back down, he looked left and right. Tarou eventually asked her to crouch down before speaking in hushed squeaks.

"Boss if you woke up 400 years later, how would you feel?"

Mina looked at Tarou as if he was demented.

'What was this mouse trying to get at?' She couldn't reply right away. Tarou walked back and forth while waiting for her answer.

'Is this mouse seriously thinking what it would be like if he traveled into the future?' Mina wondered while studying the restless mouse. 'Where would he get that idea?'

Mina had never seen Tarou look as serious as he did now.

'What was going on in this mouse's mind?'

"Why would you think it's possible to wake up 400 years later and still be alive?" Mina asked while trying to gauge Tarou's reaction. The unexpected question made her wonder about another possibility.

'Did something unusual happened to this mouse too?'

Maybe she was not the only one with secrets. She was from the future, she was certain of that. If she traveled back to the past, maybe it's possible for a mouse to travel 400 years into the future.

This time, Mina was the one who wanted to pace back and forth while waiting for what Tarou had to say but she kept her cool. She couldn't betray her own emotions.

Tarou hesitated before communicating in disturbed squeaks while looking up to her.

"Because I am. Boss, call me ancestor."

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