We were sitting around a small campfire we had set up to cook some dinner. The day after we left the Lying Lily we had run across a boar foraging that did not like us in his territory. Thanks to Betsy being a massive and powerful ox she took care of the animal before it could hurt me, the all powerful cultivator.

  In one town we passed through, I found a butcher and gave him most of the meat for free as long as he gave me a couple of juicy pork chops in exchange. We hung around the village for a while and waited and just relaxed.

  Thanks to the stuff I had in my truck converting when I came to this world, I had some spices. I had rubbed some oil on the pork chops and then seasoned them with some garlic, paprika, dehydrated onion, salt and some crushed, cracked black pepper. I was drooling waiting for them to be cooked.

  I was leaning back on my palms with my legs outstretched as I watched the night sky. The fire crackled beside me and I took in the night air. It was still warm, so I wasn’t wearing my outer robes. Just the loose-fitting pants and inner cloth. The fire gave soft sizzling pops as the fat from the chops dripped down and I looked over to watch it.

  Betsy was standing next to me, and even she was salivating watching the grill. I looked over at her with a cocked brow and wasn’t too sure how I felt about an ox wanting to eat pork. It wasn’t another ox, so it wasn’t weird, right? Pigs were known carnivores as well, anyway. I shrugged and laughed a little.

  “Sure thing girl, we’ll hook you up with a chop too,” I said with a laugh.

  Before I realized it a sizable chicken came running from the woods nearby towards our fire. The bird was so fast with its wings flapping that neither I nor Betsy could stop the thing from running across the makeshift grill I had made and ran off with one of the chops.

  “What the fuck?!” I yelled and jumped to my feet.

  Betsy was faster though. The ox charged off towards the flutter of feathers and clucks with me running behind them both. Betsy bellowed and lowered her head as she charged the chicken ready to gore it for stealing their food.

  Surprisingly, the chicken could stay just ahead of the lightning spirited beast, and I wondered what the three of us looked like to anyone who was riding past. A chicken with a pork chop bigger than its head, an ox ready to gore, and a cultivator with a dad bod chasing them all down.

  Finally, Betsy could get the chicken. One of the long thick horns the ox had could strike. I was expecting to have some chicken to grill tomorrow night for dinner but Betsy was knocked away just before the strike.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  I blinked and came to a sliding stop at what I could only imagine looked like something out of a Scooby-Doo cartoon and I yelled. “What the fuck!” for the second time that night.

  Betsy gave a mighty bellow that shook the trees and set off heavy wings flapping in the distance as the chicken turned to face us both. Its eyes were vibrant blue with soft white swirls through them. It dug at the dirt like a bull would before a charge and flapped its wings mightily. I was expecting the small bird to charge us but I could feel the aura of the world bend to the bird's command.

  I didn’t have to be a cultivator to realize what was happening. This bird was also a spirit beast and if Betsy was powerful, this one was beyond even her. The wind was kicking up and in only a minute I was thrown on my ass. Betsy gave another loud bellow and then also wound up on her side besides me.

  “What, is this chicken an immortal?” I yelled at Betsy over the winds as I grabbed the grass trying to hang on.

  The wind was picking up and since Betsy didn’t have a way to hang on her massive form started to roll in the ground. I tried to reach out for her to grab her. I may not have had magical powers like normal cultivators but I knew I was strong, I’d be able to hold her. Well, normally I’d be able to if it wasn’t for the hurricane strength winds trying to blow me away.

  Once I let go though I was pushed back a little and I grabbed back to the dirt. I was scared where I’d end up with the strength of the wind the chicken was commanding. Betsy I’d be able to find, we had a link that let me know where she always was. So, if she ended up too far away I could grab the cart and haul it myself and find her. She was definitely a lot more sturdy than I was.

  “Betsyyyyy!” I yelled through the wind as she flew away back toward our camp.

  A loud cluck came from the chicken as it stared at me. I could see the hate in its eyes as I was still there hanging on to the ground. I had even been able to move towards it a little. That was my pork chop dammit, and I wasn’t going to lose it to a damn jumped up chicken.

  My eyes went wide when the chicken stopped flapping and clucked quickly and madly. I had just climbed to my feet when the chicken darted towards me. I raised my hands in defense and in a wave of sharpened feathers and talons I was knocked back and sent towards the ground. Before I landed the winds kicked up once more and I was sent hurtling through the opening in the woods towards our camp as well.

  Betsy bellowed softly when I landed on the hard ground with a loud thud and then skidded a few times till I came to rest just below her. Her massive head looked down at me and I could sense her frowning. I groaned and climbed to my feet, the wind now a thing of the past since the chicken had gotten away.

  “Well, at least we have the one… NOOOOO!” I looked down at the now charred and burnt pork chop that was left on the grill.

  “Mrrr,” Betsy bellowed and walked over and snatched it up in her jaws before she crunched through the char.

  All I could do was sigh and shake my head before I walked over and climbed into my bunk in the wagon. “Guess I’m just having travel rations again.”

  APRIL FOOLS.

  Maikeru and Betsy ain’t getting jacked by an all powerful chicken, c’mon.

  As of this posting there's a bunch more chapters and bonus stuff on the

  Hiroshi, Tale of a Sumotori

  You can also buy the entire pre-published version on Patreon and get the published copy once it's ready.

  There's also a to help me get Hiroshi self-published and we've hit most of my stretch goals already. :D