Limits

When we were about 3 weeks worth of travel on foot, away from the Horesplain Village. We encountered a small mountain range in the forest. This was the first time I saw mountains and probably it was Shelly's first time as well. I wanted to explore the mountain range, different environments meant different animals as well as different herbs that I could use to create all sorts of medicine or poison.

While we traveled up, towards one of the mountain peaks. We encountered some wild animals living there. Not only bears but also something that looked like a hairy deer. It's horns were pointy and had a white coat of fur. It could jump very high and climb the mountain rocks without much difficulty. These animals were peaceful by nature, and when we got closer, they wouldn't attack.

The furry animals were also interested in Shelly, they probably never saw a turtle and so, some of them were watching with curiosity. The animals were wary about me. They must've seen humans and probably hunters killed those animals for food.

Although they were wary at the beginning, after some time and after watching my behaviour as well as the way I took care of the animal companion that I had with me. They got closer as their curiosity got the better of them. They tried to interact with Shelly and to some extend it seemed that they achieved some kind of interaction.

Shelly interacted with the animals for couple of minutes and then turned around towards me pointing to my bag. Shelly then draw a square on the ground while placing some dots. I was confused and asked "What is it that you want Shelly?" to which shelly started drawing more. I finally figured out that Shelly wanted for me to take out a map. I rummaged through my bag and took out a map, I then unfolded it and placed it on the ground for Shelly.

Shelly and the other animal that looked like furry deer started to look at the map and communicate again. I was baffled by this sight and though 'Can animals read maps?'. After a while Shelly looked at me and pointed at the map. There was a small dot on the map with the name Limestone Village.

I looked back at Shelly and said "I don't understand. You want to go to that village? But I promised Nick I wouldn't visit any settlements before I can master my skills". To which Shelly shook its head and started drawing something with its claw. I looked at what Shelly was drawing and was again confused. Shelly drawn a vial or small bottle with some smoke coming out of it. I thought about it and asked "Do you want to buy medicine there?".

Shelly got a bit frustrated because I didn't understand and pointed at my bag, then at the vial it drawn. I took out the vial from my bag and gave it to Shelly. Shelly took its calw and placed it inside the vial, then pointed at the smoke on the drawing.

I finally figured it out and said "You want the poison that I used to destroy the Horseplain Village?" Shelly nodded it's head and I asked "Why?" to which Shelly again started to draw something on the ground. After a while, I saw some crude buildings that seemed to be on fire. Shelly then pointed at the drawing of the village and then at the map. I said to Shelly "You want me to destroy this village?" To which Shelly again nodded in confirmation.

I was confused and thought 'Why the hell does Shelly want to destroy a village, it's not like they did anything to us'. I asked Shelly again "Why do you want to do this. We never been to this village". Shelly pointed at the animals that were now flocking around us and drawn on the ground a crude sword. Shelly pointed at the sword and then at the animals.

I said "So you want to destroy a village because these animals were hunted?". I thought 'What the hell? I'm not going to destroy a village because some animals were hunted. Am I supposed to destroy all villages because they hunt animals. In that case, I would have to kill myself as well!'.

I looked at Shelly a bit angry and said "I'm not going to destroy a village because they hunted some of the animals!". Shelly looked at me as if it was wronged and shook it's head. It then tried to show me something else. It pointed at the animals again and at the map. Then drawn something on the ground.

I looked at the drawing and it was pile of valuables just like the one Shelly collected in the Horseplain Village. I thought about it for a while and then came to realise something. I asked Shelly "Did the animals ask you to do it and if we do it then we will get some rewards?" to which Shelly became happy and nodded it's head vigorously.

I said to Shelly "But still, killing a whole village? Just for some rewards. Also why are these animals so bent to destroy the whole village?". Shelly didn't respond to me immediately, it instead communicate with the animals and then the weird deer came closer and tugged on my pants.

Shelly pointed at the weird deer and then at me while walking after it. I said "Alright, I will follow". We followed the animals for about 20 minutes when we arrived at a cave inside one of the mountains. The weird deer that pulled on my pants turned around and again "talked" with Shelly.

Shelly pointed at me and then again at the deer in the meaning for me to follow it. I went inside the cave with the weird deer. The cave was not deep and some of the light still arrived at the more distant part of it. When we arrived at almost the end of the cave, the weird deer pointed at a corner and stood in place looking sad.

I went to that corner and noticed something was there. When I finally focused my vision on it, I noticed that it was a small furry deer that was laying there. Then I realised that something was wrong. The furry deer was disfigured, It had a large scar on it's head, only two limbs and no horns. It's fur was not while like the others but a mix of white, black, red and even yellow. The furry deer opened its eyes and I could see that they were red.

When the furry deer saw me, it screamed and cried as if I wanted to slaughter it. The other furry deer that I followed inside the cave, came over and pulled on my pants signaling for me to leave. I went out of the cave quite disturbed.

Outside the cave, I looked at Shelly and said "So that is why you want me to destroy that village? Because they do this kind of stuff to animals?" to which Shelly nodded its head seriously. I looked around me and saw loads of furry deer animals gathering around us, probably they wanted to know my answer.

I was not uncompassionate. When it came to hunting, it was law of nature but to actually do these kind of things to animal, for it to suffer and leave it in agony was wrong. I said out loud so that every animal could hear me "I shall do what you asked. Bare in mind, I will take the rewards as well". The animals around us seemed to be happy and excited and so I said to Shelly "I will need the herbs for that poison, when I create about 10-15 vials, we will got there and get rid of this village". Shelly nodded its head and we went out to gather herbs.