"There's definitely something nearby..." Uko grumbled, gripping her wooden club nervously.
And then something jumped out of the bushes... right NEXT to them!
A massive, black shape flew against Uko's big body and knocked her down the hill on which top they were standing. Uko couldn't stop as she rolled down the hill, cursing all the while.
And then the massive creature turned around to face Ranma.
It was a bear... but the biggest bear Ranma had ever seen. It fur was a shining black, and the sharp claws at the end of its paws were shimmering in the sunlight.
Standing on its hind legs, Ranma wondered if it would be even bigger than Uko... but he had no time to ponder about this, as the black bear let out a massive bellow and attacked him with both paws at once.
Not able to deflect such an attack with the sword, Ranma dodged it and tried striking the beast's front legs. But the black blade got entangled within the fuzzy fur of the bear... Ranma clearly had to practice using a sword in battle some more.
Hitting Ranma on the chest, the massive animal pushed him backwards, on his behind. The beast raised its paws to attack its opponent with a devastating blow, and Ranma cringed...
But then the bear stopped its attack and blinked.
"Now that's strange," he said in a gruff voice. "You look like a black one... but you don't smell like one. Should I eat you or not?"
"You... you really shouldn't eat me," Ranma quickly spoke up. "I'd taste really bad... besides, that armor would be in the way, right?"
The bear seemed to think about that. "Ah, that tiny bit of metal... that will easily be removed..." He grinned, showing his gleaming teeth. "I think I will eat you after all... that will be a nice snack!"
But before he could do anything else, a heavy club smacked into the side of his head, throwing him away.
Ranma watched with relief as Uko faced the furry colossus. Now he could see: The two giants were actually the same height.
"Leave him alone!" she shouted. "You're still hunting within my hunting grounds? Well, at least stay clear of my friends, okay?"
The bear snarled as he recovered from the troll-girls blow. "Your hunting grounds?" he roared. "The last time I checked, this hill was part of MY hunting grounds... and since when do you team up with black knights?"
"Because he is no black knight," Uko replied. "You should learn to ask first, and pounce later."
Ranma got confused. "You, um... You two seem to know each other...?"
Uko nodded. To the bear, she said: "Leave him alone, Ryger... Bad enough you steal all of my prey."
"Your prey," the bear snorted. "The only prey I ever hunter was my own prey... And it's his own fault, you know? What was he thinking... dressing like a black one?"
"Now could you two stop that for a moment?" Ranma yelled. To Uko, he said: "Say, is it much further until we reach Tokoi?"
"Actually, yeah!" his green-skinned companion nodded. "It will take us at least three more days..."
"Three days! Hah!" Ryger interrupted. "Only if you take the longer route. I know a special shortcut, where it will only take you one more day."
"Really?" Ranma was intrigued, even if that bear had just wanted to eat him, several moments ago.
"Now wait a minute," Uko interfered. "I know which way he means. And it's way too dangerous. Ekana's troops will very likely use that route to reach the capital. We should go this way!" And she grabbed Ranma's arm.
"Nonsense!" the bear grumbled. "Boy, if you want a real guide, ditch that dumb troll and come with me... It will be much faster that way!" And he grabbed Ranma's other arm.
For a while, the two giants pulled forth and back, using Ranma as a tightrope in a very primal case of tug-of-war. Poor Ranma was hanging freely in the air, between the two colossal rivals, flailing his legs around wildly.
"Hey, stop that! Lemme go! Lemme go!"
Uko and Ryger obeyed... and Ranma plummeted down to the ground.
He groaned and shook his head. "You know, I'm starting to realize that Ekana must have an easy time when two friends like you act like that."
"Friends?" the bear angrily growled. "With that girl? You wanna insult me? And what's that about Ekana having it easy? Just wait until I'm laying my paws on that bitch."
"She would barely feel your tiny little pads," Uko grumbled.
"Say that to my face, troll-girl!" Ryger snarled.
"Okay, okay, I got it already!" Ranma shouted. Then he turned to face Ryger. "Where is that damned shortcut of yours?"
"We have to go through my cave," the bear replied meekly. "Over there!" And he pointed down the hills.
Uko groaned. "You still have the worst sense of direction, you big furball... Of course it's THAT way!" And she pointed in the opposite direction.
"You serious?" Ryger asked in amazement. "I could have sworn..."
"Trust me," Uko sighed as she lead the way. "If you want to reach his cave, we have to go this way."
Well, if that bear was the Ja'an counterpart from who Ranma believed it to be, it would really be worthwhile for him to listen to Uko's advice...
Still, he couldn't help but shake his head when they continued their way, and the bear and troll still were prattling with each other. That could be a really interesting journey...
Read the comments on this episode
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Fri, 03 Nov 2006 12:53)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.