Mina heard some snorting followed by the faint padding of hoofbeats on the still damp forest floor.

After a few whispered words, a loud neigh resounded before the horses galloped away.

From her peripheral vision, she saw the bandit's camp clear up except for her potential right hand.

Out of this world instinct. Check.

Mina's ear perked up, moving from side to side. Her whiskers stiffened and moved outwards. She looked towards the direction of the approaching footsteps.

Out of the darkness, she saw the shadow of a man wearing a sedge hat and two cloaked men trailed behind.

At the moment, a faint light descended on the forest, allowing her to see better. Her focus remained on the man heading the group whose eyes were concealed. He walked in long strides almost without making a sound, each gait precise but relaxed.

From the cover of darkness, Mina knew she was barely visible and she continued to view the man with curiosity. His heels hit the ground first and she observed his lip raise slightly on one side.

With the appearance of this new man, her head popped out of her cover to get a better look before the man got too close.

Clad in a black robe and trousers, the man would look like an apparition if he appeared before someone. Mina greeted the man with a high pitched meow.

The cloaked men bent their head slightly in her direction but the man with the conical hat was not distracted in any way. He continued on his way towards the bandit chief, walking past her.

She was ... ignored. Completely ignored.

She tried to make her way closer to the two men. Spotting a tree close to the vicinity she climbed up to get a better view. She wasn't much of a tree climbing expert but show found it easier to do in a cat's body.

Finding the best vantage point, she sat up, finding the most comfortable position.

She noticed his hand resting an object on his side. Her eyes widened as she yawned.

'I'll need popcorns for this scene.'

She assessed the bandit chief and the sedge hat man. Bandit chief had his feet planted firmly on the ground slightly apart, one foot placed slightly behind him, shoulders pulled back. His chin jutted upwards, his hands sitting on his side. His lips moved slightly.

"Jadon"

A few feet from him, sedge hat man stopped, raising his hand slightly. The cloaked men stayed behind, almost unrecognizable in the cover behind the trees. She saw his hat tilt towards the chief bandit, his eyes locked on the man in the clearing.

"Commandant"

Keeping her eyes on the scene below, she saw bandit chief sucked in some air, his lips moving slightly. Before he could say anything, sedge hat man continued.

"Hand her over."

"You must be mistaken. I am no commandant," the bandit chief retorted in a wry tone,the hand concealed by his shadow tightened into a fist.

The man was eyeing the bandit chief, his stare completely on the man whose eyes were also focused on him. After engaging the bandit chief in a staring contest earlier, she knew how intense his gaze could be.

Anyone who came between these two, human or animal, would sizzle. A slight movement caught her eye. There was a rapidly moving object moving along the lines between the two.

Narrowing her eyes, she saw a plump, grey mouse blindly weaving its way, burrowing on the ground, oblivious to its surroundings.

'Tarou. You stupid mouse. Are you blind?'

The men, still locked gazes, observing each other, waiting to pound at any moment. Meanwhile, the mouse sat right in the middle of the battlefield, chomping on something.

Mina's paw landed on her temples. Her head moving from left to right. Emitting a drawn-out meow, she focused on the mouse between two men ready to pounce on each other.

A happy mouse continued to feast on food, filling up his stomach without a care about what's about to happen.

"Bring the princess back." The commanding tone repeated, emphasizing every word.

"Again," the bandit chief retorted in a hard tone, "you must be mistaken."

Maintaining his stance, the man declared in a stoic tone.

"Make no mistake, I'm merely informing you as a courtesy."

Glancing at the concealed men, he communicated orders with a nod. The sound of departing footsteps followed. Two men were left sizing up each other in the clearing under the early morning sky. The bandit chief had a discernible flush. One hand reached for the sword on his belt. Becoming completely unsheathed, the blade hissed.

The man with the sedge hat remained calm. He maintained his stance as the bandit chief was about to attack him.

But Mina's focus was on the startled mouse with its cheeks bunched with food. He was running in the wrong direction!

'Drat!'

Bunching up her body, she gathered enough energy to parachute down the tree. On her descent, she couldn't help but berate herself.

'I'm a stupid, stupid cat!'