Walking the Route

California State Route 2 runs through the Angeles National Forest. Henry left the highway at some point and entered the forest. He drove until the car could go no further, at which point he stopped.

Barbara, who got out of the car with Henry, put her trunk on the hood and picked out camping essentials to put into another small backpack.

She couldn't possibly drag her suitcase around in the forest. Besides, not everything inside was useful; the unused items could be left in Henry's car.

Henry had already packed his things before getting on the train, so all he had to do was put his gear and backpack on his shoulder.

After everything was ready, Henry opened the back door and helped Kitty out. Because Barbara was there, Henry didn't immediately unchain Kitty; he kept her by the hand.

However, stepping on mud instead of the cold cement floor still excited Kitty the Tiger. She kept circling around the chains, even rolling around on the ground a few times, almost finding a place to frolic in the mud.

Unfortunately, even with the chain long enough, it still restricted Kitty's movement. She couldn't pull the Kryptonian Krypton holding onto the other end of the chain.

Each time the chain was pulled taut, it would glance back, then lower its head and walk in another direction, towards an area where the chain could Panasonic.

Even a tiger under the eaves has no choice but to bow its head.

Before setting off, Henry did something that Barbara couldn't understand. He took off his shoes, tied the shoelaces of his left and right shoes together, and hung them around his neck.

Noticing the girl's surprised expression, Henry chuckled, "When I'm outdoors, I love the feeling of my feet on the ground. That's why I never wear shoes."

"In that case, you're just like Kitty," Barbara said with a sweet smile. As she spoke, she mustered her courage and tried to approach the Tiger, imitating Henry by petting its head.

However, Kitty's awkward retreat made Barbara hesitant to go any further. She just stood there, forcing a smile. Then she changed the subject, asking, "Which way should we go? Where should we camp?"

"Let's keep walking and find a place with water. This is my first time here, but according to the map, if we head due north, there's a small stream not far away. Let's go there and see if it's suitable for camping."

Places like the Angeles National Forest, while not located in urban areas with road atlases, generally have access to military-style maps, though less precise contour maps that typically include river and road markings.

The most difficult part of using this type of map is locating your own position. It's not like being on a city street where street names and house numbers make it easy to find your way.

Barbara Morse, the trainee agent, had certainly been trained in relevant wilderness survival skills, but she didn't want to flaunt them at this time.

But things were different for Henry. The map he mentioned was just an excuse; in fact, the nearest sound of flowing water he heard was to the north. It wasn't a long walk, only about a kilometer or two.

But Henry's statement led Barbara to believe that he had been prepared, and she accepted it without question.

Henry hadn't prepared a map beforehand, but he brought it out now to make it look like a map, since he hadn't expected Barbara to come along.

However, his confidence in having everything under control was not feigned. With his advanced sense of direction and the ability to use his flight speed for reconnaissance when necessary, getting lost was impossible.

There's no need to tell Barbara about these things.

Anyway, with the two of them and the tiger ready, Henry locked the car door and headed towards the sound of flowing water he heard.

This wasn't the first time Kitty had left that concrete cage and ventured into the unrestrained world.

Although it was said to be unrestrained, in the past, we only moved within a certain area and were not able to fully explore the world.

If it runs too far, the Krypton two-legged creature will whistle to call it back. If it doesn't obediently return, the creature will personally come and drag it back.

That feeling of being suspended in mid-air, flying at a height from which one cannot land safely, is terrifying. In the beginning, Kitty was scared to death more than once.

This time, however, they rode in a car, enjoying the breeze as they drove into the forest. Then they moved on foot, unlike before when they were confined to an invisible area. Kitty felt it was very different, and the tiger became much more excited.

It would be even better What If...? it weren't chained up.

The forests of North America are not like the rainforests of South America, where layers of vegetation grow so densely that even large animals cannot move easily through them. Even people have to use machetes to cut a path through them to get around.

Perhaps due to its high latitude, the trees in North America forests are not as densely packed together.

For Kitty, who had just been weaned and taken away from her mother tiger, everything was new and interesting.

Especially in Sheephole Valley, which is a desert area, mostly soil and rocks, this area is a forest, making the ecology much richer, and there are many things I've never seen before.

So Kitty was excitedly running and jumping around, looking and sniffing everywhere, keeping herself incredibly busy.

Especially in North America, where Tiger are not native animals, many animals, upon seeing a tiger for the first time, would curiously remain in place, gazing at Kitty from afar.

However, the prestige of apex predators is still considerable. Even wild animals that have never seen Tiger will run away without hesitation as soon as they smell the scent of a predator.

It was as if the order of the food chain was etched into their DNA. This made Kitty was trying to get closer to her new friends, lower her head in frustration.

For Kitty, who never lacks food and whose fresh meat is even delivered to her, her hunting instincts seem to have been forgotten. When she sees other animals that can run and jump, she only wants to play with them and has no intention of eating them.

However, don't assume that Kitty's affectionate behavior is harmless to other animals. BB, the core robot in Henry's household that has undergone countless upgrades, is the best person to answer this question.

Just ask yourself, how many creatures can withstand such kindness—a slap from a claw or a bite from a tiger's teeth?

Along the way, Kitty always explored this unfamiliar world at the edge of the extended chain. Compared to the Tiger's curiosity, Barbara stayed close to Henry, not daring to stray even a step away.

It's unclear whether her attitude was an attempt to get closer to Henry, thus trying to use her feminine charm, or simply because she was intimidated by Kitty and dared not stray too far from Henry lest her master be unable to stop her.

Finally, the sound of the babbling brook reached Barbara's ears, and the woods seemed to have gained a bit of coolness.