I Built a Divine Zoo in Another World

Chapter 140: Remaining Rat (2)

The little eagle had been circling ever since the battle ended. Her incredibly sharp eyes, capable of spotting prey from miles away, immediately caught the unusual movement among the ashes.

While everyone silently celebrated the victory, while the soldiers gathered their weapons and the warriors began walking back home, Astra remained alert. Her hunter’s instincts, refined through generations of evolution, had detected something everyone else had missed.

She dove.

’Fwoosh!’

The sound of the air being sliced by her wings was almost inaudible, a whisper that vanished into the wind. Her descent was swift, precise, and calculated. Her talons extended, ready to seize.

The rat did not even have time to react. One moment it was running, the next it was suspended in the air, firmly trapped in the bird’s talons. The little animal’s paws flailed desperately, trying to find something to grab onto.

The eagle’s talons secured its tiny body before it could reach the vegetation. The grip was firm, but not crushing.

Astra knew exactly how much strength to use to keep her prey secure without hurting it.

The little creature struggled desperately. Its body twisted, its paws flailed frantically, and its eyes were wide with panic.

It squealed. The sound was high-pitched and shrill, filled with fear and anger. It did not want to be captured. It did not want to be taken back to those humans.

It bit at empty air. Its jaws snapped shut with force but found nothing but the wind. It tried to twist around, tried to reach the talons holding it, but its body was too small and its position too awkward.

It tried to escape. Every movement was a desperate attempt to free itself, to fall back to the ground, to disappear among the ruins. But Astra’s talons were firm, secure, and relentless.

Useless.

Astra immediately returned to the sky. Her wings beat powerfully, lifting her rapidly above the crater, above the trees, above everything else. The wind pressed against her body, but she held her course, her eyes fixed on the group moving away.

A few seconds later...

Lukas heard the familiar beating of wings.

The sound was familiar, comforting, something he had learned to recognize in the days since Astra had joined them. The rhythmic flapping, the whisper of air being cut, the slight turbulence that preceded her landing.

He looked up.

"Astra?"

The name left his lips almost automatically, a question already carrying the expectation of an answer.

The bird landed gently on his shoulder. Her talons carefully gripped the fabric of his clothing, maintaining her balance as she settled into her usual spot.

Then she opened her talons.

"Hey..."

The little rat dropped straight into his arms. The fall was short, only a few inches, but the animal was still disoriented, still trying to understand what had happened.

Lukas almost dropped it in surprise. His arms moved instinctively, trying to catch the tiny body that had fallen into his hands. He had not been prepared for that, nor had he expected Astra to be carrying something.

"What was that?"

The rat immediately tried to flee. Its tiny body writhed between the boy’s hands, searching for an opening, a gap, anything that would allow it to escape.

Its paws pushed against Lukas’s fingers, its head frantically turning in search of an escape route.

Trying to bite his fingers. The creature’s jaws opened and closed repeatedly, trying to reach Lukas’s skin, trying to inflict enough pain to make him let go. Its small, sharp teeth scraped against the boy’s hand but failed to break the skin.

Lukas held it more firmly. His fingers closed around the rat’s body, not tightly enough to hurt it, but firmly enough to keep it from escaping.

"Easy..."

The word was soft, reassuring, an attempt to calm the creature struggling against him. But the rat showed no intention of calming down. Its heart pounded so fast that Lukas could feel the vibration through its fur, and its breathing was short and frantic.

The creature remained extremely agitated. Its eyes were wide, its muscles tense, its entire body prepared to fight or flee. Every instinct it possessed screamed that it was in danger, that it had to escape.

It was different from the other rats. Much smaller. Lighter. Its body lacked the muscular mass of the Royal Guards, nor did it possess the natural armor of the monsters that had fought in the battle. It was an ordinary animal, fragile and vulnerable.

Its heart beat so rapidly that Lukas could feel it through the fur. Tiny pulses against his palm, fast and uneven, like those of a frightened bird.

Then he noticed something.

"Hm?"

His attention was drawn to a detail that had gone unnoticed at first. Something on the creature’s forehead, something that glowed faintly beneath the sunlight.

He gently brushed away some of the soot clinging to the creature’s forehead. His fingers moved carefully, removing the grime that covered the rat’s skin. The soot was thick and sticky, and he had to apply a bit of force to clear it away.

A thin golden line appeared. The mark was subtle, almost invisible at first glance, but once revealed, it was impossible to ignore. It shone with a soft, steady light, as though it possessed its own source of energy.

It looked like a tiny scar. Or perhaps a crack. The line stretched vertically between the rat’s eyes, straight and flawless, as though drawn by a precise hand.

It was beautiful. Very different from any natural marking he had ever seen. There was no fur around it, nor any sign of injury. It seemed to emit a faint amount of light, a golden glow that pulsed in a slow, steady rhythm.

"You found a different rat, Astra?"

The little eagle tilted her head slightly, as if confirming it. Her eyes gleamed with an intelligence that surpassed that of an ordinary bird, and the movement was deliberate, purposeful.

Lukas smiled. It was a genuine, warm smile, filled with gratitude toward the companion he had found.

"Good job."

He gently stroked her feathers. His fingers ran over the top of her head, smoothing her soft plumage, feeling the warmth of her body beneath his touch.

Astra closed her eyes for a moment, clearly pleased. A soft sound of contentment escaped her throat, and she tilted her head to better enjoy Lukas’s touch.

Meanwhile...

The little rat began struggling again.

The brief truce had ended. The creature, which had remained still for a moment while Lukas examined its mark, now writhed with renewed vigor. Its paws moved frantically, searching for any opportunity to escape.

It desperately tried to break free. Every fiber of its being was focused on a single goal. Freedom. It did not want to be there, did not want to be examined, did not want to be kept captive.

Lukas simply sighed. It was a tired sound, but not an irritated one. He had been through so much that the struggle of a tiny rat no longer managed to shake him.

"You’re quite the little fighter..."