Chapter 36: Tremors
The tentacle monster was still asleep when he went to bed last night. So, when he woke up to something that could either be tremors or the movement of a tentacle moving things around, he assumed it was the tentacle.
A brief thought that it could be another earthquake flashed through his mind, but it soon disappeared. It was too muted and weak for it to be an earthquake.
He also realized that it wasn't the tentacle. If it was awake when he wasn't, it would either stay in the basement or reach up to his room.
No, this was something else. It was happening outside. With a worried frown, suspecting another monster king or Kai, Nick got dressed and quickly descended the stairs. He opened the door, not sure what to expect.
He was still surprised.
He saw Sosora. She was standing just below the porch with her back turned to the house. And in front of her was something Nick could only assume was a member of one of the other tribes of Tiabe.
But it was nowhere near the human-like appearance of the tribes that he had met so far. The Aer tribe had feathers here and there and could pop wings out from their backs. The Bawin tribe had bone-like growths on their hands and faces. The Ursa tribe were bears or big humans.
The creature in front of him looked like a giraffe made from living trees. It was a little smaller than ordinary giraffes, though. Sosora was a third or maybe as little as a fourth of its height.
"What's...What's going on?" Nick asked in confusion as the tree giraffe walked over his lawn.
"Oh, Nick! Good morning!" Sosora greeted him cheerily before skipping up the stairs to stand next to him.
"I remembered what we were talking about last night before I fell asleep. I figured why wait? So, I asked around, and Issa here was willing to help out with the restoration of your lawn at least. The other things you asked for, the sitting logs and the firewood..." Sosora trailed off as she thought about how to tell Nick. But she quickly decided there was no use beating around the bush.