Unexpected Fate

Inner Demons

Unexpected Fate

Chapter 38: Inner Demons

Upon exiting the portal, Bardock and Goku emerged in a dense, yet familiar forest—its red and brown leaved trees towering overhead. The cursed warrior honestly didn't like the idea of being in a forest similar to the one his mother died in, but he decided to not voice his complaints about leaving. Goku on the other hand looked around the area that they appeared in for the first time. In a way, it reminded him of the woods he grew up in back on Earth and did not bother him in the slightest.

"Well, we're here," Vegeta mumbled. "We should go ahead and setup camp for the night since it will be dark soon."

"Sounds reasonable," Bardock confirmed. He noticed that Goku was still taking in his surroundings. Being raised mostly on Earth, Bardock knew the youngest of their group was probably trying to take it all in at the moment. The added gravity didn't seem to bother the Goku in the slightest since he had trained in settings far higher than that of his birth world. "Kakarrot, let's get some food."

This jarred the younger man out of his musings. "Oh, right." The Earth-raised Saiya-jin seemed lost and the cursed warrior knew he would need to make sure his son did not get in over his head during their stay on the planet. "What kind of food can we find here?"

"There's a herd of erik not far from here... maybe some soltus if you fancy something similar to what you are used to eating..." Bardock noted the confused expression on the younger man's face.

"What kind of animals are those?" Goku questioned. Bardock had to mentally remind himself that neither himself nor Turnipa went over the types of animals that live on this world since it had been wiped out.

"Well, erik is a type of deer common in these parts, but they're not the lanky type you're used to hunting," Bardock explained while leading his son through the forest. "Soltus is a type of fish that is usually a medium-sized creature, but it would take more than just one to settle in our stomachs."

"Mmm... which is easier to hunt?" Goku questioned.

"Erik," Bardock confirmed. "Not only that, but it tastes rather good after cooking it. The soltus has a mild flavor, and it would take longer to catch what we need."

"I'm fine with hunting erik if that's what you want to do taristo," Goku reasoned.

"Good, let's go ahead and find some then."

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Dragging their kills back to the make-shift campsite, Bardock instructed his son on the proper methods of cooking the meat. The fire crackled as they waited for the meat to be thoroughly cooked. By this point, it was getting dark since the second and larger sun had dipped below the horizon.

"While you two were hunting, I managed to find something for us to sleep on for the night," Vegeta stated. Goku noted that their sleeping arrangements were a stringy assortment of thin vines and leaves that were raised slightly from the ground in a hammock-type fashion.

"Good choice," Bardock approved. Goku looked the sleeping arrangements over and wondered if they could truly sleep well on it. He had slept on practically any surface imaginable and wondered if he would chance sleeping on the bare earth instead.

"Once we eat, we should get some rest," Vegeta stated. "We have a long journey ahead of us if we are to get to Catsar."

"Sounds reasonable," Bardock agreed with his prince.

The smell of food cooking over the roaring fire made their stomachs growl and soon, they were tearing in the meat of the kill. Goku, who had a leg of meat, was enthralled over the taste.