"Lady Ruru? Is she talking about the same Ruru?" I thought, then I spoke, "So that snotty brat finally took some time off fer me,eh?"
I moved to the other door of the room, and as I opened it, sunlight fell on my face. It was the first time I had seen sun in this world. The two moons still glowed faintly in the sky. I thought days never dawned here.
I was at a balcony. I walked to the railing and looked down, realizing I was standing in a towering castle in the middle of a grand city. The streets were completely crowded with thousands of people looking up at me. The moment I reached the railing, the people's cheer filled the entire city.
"Happy birthday, Lord Jambavan!" they shouted.
It wasn't just people with beast-like appearances that were present, there were humans as well.
I waved my hand at them and then, clearing my throat, I shouted, "Ehem ehem—Thank ya all fer yar damn wishes. Today's gonna be a grand feast till midnight, so let the world know how we of the Jambavan tribe celebrates."
The crowd roared in response,
"Long live Lord Jambavan!," they sang in unison.
After waving for a few seconds, I turned and moved back inside.
"Is it alright ta celebrate in times like these," Varena asked as she took off my coat from behind.
"That's more o' the reason fer this feast. If we show any weakness now, folks'll become restless," I replied in a serious tone.
With a little knock, a voice came from the door,
"Lord Jambavan, lady Ruru has arrived and requesting for your presence."
"Alright, I am coming," I said opening the door.
"Ughhh, you are gross," she said, putting down her tea with disgust and spoke further,
"By the way, you turned one hundred and thirty-two today. How much longer are you going to live, old fossil?"
"Like yer the one to talk. You ain't no young as well—only a year or two younger than me," I replied, throwing the booger into her tea.
A sudden punch landed on my face as she snapped, "I am five years younger than you, bastard."
"Aghh, yer broke my nose. Yer lookin' fer a fight or somethin'? I'm always ready," I muttered, holding my nose with one hand while clutching the other into a fist.
"Oy Jambavan, who's that kid?" Ruru asked, pointing at Vani who was staring at her through the gap between the stair railing.
"Hehe~! That's mah lovely daughter. Ain't she adorable?" I boasted, grinning with pride.
She didn't respond. After a little pause, I spoke again,
"Oy snotty brat! Why ain't ya sayin' somethin'?"
I turned and looked—she wasn't on the sofa.
"What's your name, cutie?" Ruru asked, already sitting on her knees beside Vani.
Huh! When did she reach there? I startled from her sudden movement.
Meanwhile,Vani stood up and, in a straight posture, announced in a sharp voice,
"Ah'm the daughter o' the God o' Strength and the princess o' the Jambavan tribe. Mah name's Vani Jambavan."
"Oy Jambavan! How-how could a brute like you have a daughter this beautiful," Ruru gasped, raising Vani in her arms.
"Hehehe~! Because she carries mah genes," I replied, my nose getting longer with a sense of achievement.
"Hah! Do you even realize how contradicting you sound right now?" she scoffed, then turning to Vani, she asked, "Do you know who I am, Vani?"
"Yeah, I know. Yer the God o' Protection and leader o' the Antlers tribe, snotty brat Ruru."
Ruru gently put her down and with a warm voice, she asked, "Did your father tell you about me?"
"Va-Vani, you ain't be answering that!" I stammered, my voice carrying a hint of fear.
"Yeah, papa told me that amongst the four Beast Gods, you throw the most tantrums and always cry fer every little thing," Vani replied, tapping her head with her finger, recalling what her father said.
"Oh, is that so?" Ruru replied calmly.
"I should get out o' here," I mumbled, taking secretive steps outside.
But as I was moving, my stomach hit something.
It was Ruru's head. She stood in front of me, her body pulsating with energy.
"Oy snotty brat, you shouldn't take a kid's word fer real," I muttered, softly touching her shoulders.
"You–you bastard! How–how could you! You ruined my image in Vani's mind," Ruru grumbled, her voice beginning to crack.
"When did—awaaaa...—when did I throw a tantrum?" Ruru sniffed, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Oh my god! She looks so cute right now. You muscle-head Jambavan, how could you make her cry? I just want to hug her right now," I growled inside my mind.
"Yer throwin' a tantrum right now," the words left my lips as I muttered, scratching my head.
"This stupid mouth of mine. Why can't I control it," I screamed inside from the frustration.
"Oii snotty brat, I wanna ask what's exactly the reason of yer comin' here. I ain't believe you visit after all these years only to wish me b'ddy," I spoke, trying to change the topic.
"Yeah, I do have—sniff...—have another purpose of my visit," she replied, clearing her tears and continued, "Queen Gumiho has summoned us."