10. Mile's First Operation
The night wind in the Dark Cloud Forest blew bitterly cold, accompanied by the sound of strange howls. The trees here weren't made of chewy pink chewing gum. Instead, they were made of scaly black wood, their trunks twisted and winding. The smell of rusted iron grew sharper in the air.
Mile pulled her shoulder bag close and walked slowly across the thick, dim cloud-soil. Miu, inside her bag, was fully awake now, his eyes wide as he stared into the forest's darkness, his ears twitching with vigilance.
"It's so cold, huh, Miu?" Mile whispered, her breath forming a thin mist. "But don't worry. Based on my analysis, if there's a tree with thick foliage over there, there has to be shelter underneath it!"
Miu let out a low growl. "Meooow," he said uncertainly.
Beyond the thin mist, Mile discovered an old, weathered building. It was the abandoned Cloud Tea Shop, left neglected for years. Its roof was made of a giant dried fruit shell, sturdy enough to withstand the night wind.
Mile crept inside through a creaking wooden door. "Excuse me ... Detective Mile would like to sleep here for a little while ...."
Ssshhh!
Suddenly, a giant black shadow rose from the dark corner of the room. The creature was as tall as a palace pillar, its body made of rotten wood covered in sharp spikes. Two eyes glowed a fierce, blazing red in the dim night.
"WHO DARES DISTURB MY SLEEEEP?!" the voice roared. It echoed so loudly that clouds of wood dust flew through the air.
Miu immediately burrowed deep inside Mile's bag, terrified and trembling violently.
But instead of screaming or running away, Mile stood frozen for a moment, then slowly raised her crystal magnifying glass. Her sensitivity to the sound of the creature's voice made her notice something strange.
"Wait a second!" Mile called confidently, taking one step forward. "Those red eyes of yours aren't red because you're evil and want to eat me! You're ... crying, aren't you?!"
The giant creature's eyes widened in shock. The red glow in them blinked frantically. "W-what?! No! I'm a terrifying forest monster! I can eat a chatty little kid like you!"
"Liar!" Mile cut in, acting like a know-it-all as she pointed her magnifying glass at the giant's right foot. "Look at that! There's a rusty iron spike stuck in your big toe! You're crying because it hurts, aren't you?!"
The giant wooden creature looked down at his foot, then slowly sat down on the floor with a loud THUD. His frightening face suddenly crumpled sadly in the corner.
"Waaaaah! It hurts so bad! I just wanted to pull out this spike, but my hands can't do it. My fingers are too big!" he wailed in a shrill voice that wasn't scary at all.
His name was Bram, a Border Guard Wood Ogre who was, at heart, a coward.
Mile grinned widely. Swiftly, she pulled a softening-steam sprayer and a homemade copper pair of tweezers from her bag. "Don't worry! Detective Mile is here to help!"
In five minutes, with patience and precision, Mile managed to soften the wood around Bram's toe and pull out the iron spike.
"Ow ... ow! Sniff!"
"Sheesh ... Pop! Phew! There we go ...."
Bram breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes glistening with emotion. "Thank you, little human! In return, you and your potato cat can spend the night at my old shop."
Mile puffed out her chest proudly. Miu crawled out of the bag and immediately began purring beside Bram's friendly wooden fireplace.
However, just as Mile was about to lie down on a pile of dried leaves, a powerful tremor rippled through the shop's floor. A silver glow that Mile knew all too well split through the forest's darkness from the sky above the ruined building.
"Bram! Is there another scary monster?!" Mile whispered in panic.
Bram peeked through a gap in the roof, his wooden face suddenly turning deathly pale. "Not a monster ... It's the Palace Fairy Hunting Squad! And its leader ... has enormous silver wings!"
Mile's eyes flew wide, her heart pounding rapidly. Mama Dari had successfully tracked her all the way to the Dark Cloud Forest, and that was very, very bad.