The melodious sound of birds singing could be heard through the woods, the sun's rays curtained down between the treetops as the lush greenery could be seen everywhere. The forest was beautiful during the day and also quite peaceful. Thought danger was still prevalent, it was far less dangerous during the day than at night. Ordinary beasts were nothing compared to that of night crawlers.
The sound of running water could be heard through the woods. An adolescent boy with mid-length red hair stood within the shallow part of the river, brows creased in concentration as he stared at the fish. In his hand, he held a wooden spear as he extended his arm halfway out, waiting for the right time to strike. He held his breath as fish swam in front of him.
As the fish swam into range, he extended his arm and released the spear in one smooth movement, aiming for the fish and piercing its head. Content with his catch, he returned to the river bank where he had a basket which already held three carp, each about five pounds, the larger on in his hand making the fourth was about ten pounds.
Luckily, the basket had straps, so he was able to carry them on his back. Donning the basket, his lean muscles became prominent. He is stronger than he looks, this became even more apparent as he leisurely made his way to the village.
On his way back, he picked a few herbs that would be useful for pregnant women. He plans to trade the fish for food. A few days ago, he had heard that the wife of one of the men in the village had been craving fish since becoming pregnant. No one in the village sold fish.
Everything was bought from the Hunter who regularly came to the village to sell his prey, but recently, there were no signs of him. Most of the villages preferred to stay away from the forest due to the dangers, so the husband was evidently unwilling to risk venturing in to catch fish, especially since he lacked the skill set required to do so.
From what he heard, they were the richest people in the village, being that they were related to the village head. They were also said to be a kind couple, surely they would give him something. If they don't, I’ll just have to find someone else. He thought as he hummed a tune on his way back, trying to amuse himself.
The gods must be smiling upon him today, he was sure of it. That couple was quite generous, they gave him a basket filled with cheese wedges, bread, smoked meat and four boiled eggs. They even gave him a pouch with money 14S and 200C. He was thankful that old man Harish’s had left the village; otherwise he would starve again today or maybe even for the week.
He happily made his way back to the barn, and contentedly ate the boiled eggs and smoked meat before placing the basket to the side of his makeshift hay bed, saving the cheese and bread for later. Lounging for a while, he rubbed his stomach, sighing. He didn't want to leave the barn, but he knew he had to. He didn’t want his little angel to cry because of him. Grudgingly, he made up his mind and left.
As he approached the house, he heard the sound of people talking. Ohh, so, she hooked another one. He thought of eavesdropping on their conversation. Inside the house, a middle age woman was being held in the arms of a middle-aged man, her head and hands resting on the man's chest as he wrapped his hands around her waist, his chin resting on her head. They were like lovers meeting in secret, afraid of being caught but unwilling to let go of each other. Their eyes closed as if trying to cherish the moment.
“Anya, come with me, I can give you the life you've always wanted.” The man spoke in a persuasive tone.
The woman opened her eyes as an emotion flashed within their depths, “I can't, we must stop. Thomas…. He knows. Creed knows about us.” She raised her head, looking into the man's now opened eyes.
Determined eyes stared at her, “All the reason to come with me. I won’t leave you here.”
“What about the children,” She looked down, body trembling seemingly conflicted, “how can I leave them here? I'm their mother!” Within the depths of those unseen eyes flashed irritation.
The boy outside heard this and released a low chuckled. You couldn't care less about us. When your husband's not around, you're either out frolicking with other men or neglecting your children to gamble and flaunt to your friends. What a loving mother you are. He shook his head, sighing.
He was startled why the sound of someone clearing their throat turning behind him, he saw his father looking at him with his hooded eyes. Oh no, why did I have to get caught? Frozen in place, he was not sure what to do. Father is unusually calm. That's not good. He trembled, heart sinking.
The eyes of the man in front of him simply flashed with annoyance as he looked upon the boy. “Go and help your mother, I'll deal with you later.” he spoke before walking behind the house.
The boy's irritation was apparent as he clenched his fists and knocked on the door. Voices inside ceased and footsteps could be heard approaching the wooden door.
“Who is it?” A delicate voice asked.
Thomas, be ready to meet your maker. There's going to be another body to clean up and more meat on the table, mother. He thought maliciously.
“It's me, father will be back soon.” The boy spoke, knowing full well that he had already returned. As the door opened, he made sure not to let his emotions show on his face.
“Why are you back?” Anya spoke with clear displeasure in her voice.
The boy smiled, Sorry, I was not eaten by monsters or abducted by slavers. “It's almost time for me to run errands.”
“Oh…go find your siblings, they went into the woods to play.” Unable to find fault in him, she simply spoke a command.
She turned to the man who had just come beside her, removing the hand still placed on her hips, she smiled, “I’m sorry darling, we'll have to finish this another time.”
“It's fine.” he spoke, leaning down, he kissed her lips passionately, unwilling to part.
She moaned before pushing him away, whispering, “I’ll miss you.”
You certainly will. But you’ll still have some…pieces of him within you. The boy who had become invisible watched with a look of hostility.
Feeling this, Thomas looked at the boy, unsettled. He shook his head before quickly leaving. “We will discuss this another time. ”
Seeing that the boy had yet to leave, she was annoyed. “Why are you still he, go get your siblings.”
“Yes, mother.” He gritted his teeth, making his way to the forest with brisk steps. He could still hear the curses that spilled from her mouth.
As he approached he saw his bothers laughing among each other, his heart dropped watching the leave the forest alone. Where is Lilia. He panicked, rushing pass them. He knew they wouldn’t tell him where she was if he asked. The fasted solution would be to search for her himself.
As he passed by, he heard Melvyn’s voice, “You should get lost in the woods too, Dytee.” The two boy's laughter grew quieter as he ran forward.
Comments (1)
See all