The sun shone and hit the man in the face, he spun around on the bed and tried to fall asleep again but eventually gave up. He put on white socks, a brown tunic, and tight leather boots, and put them on with a smile. He cleaned the remnants of dry mud with his sleeve until they became immaculate. He then put leather armor and a bow and quiver on his back. He stared into the half-broken mirror, touched his unshaven chin with his hand, straightened his dark brown hair, and scratched his head with great force. >I cannot stop scratching my head since yesterday. Lice must have gotten into my hair. I drank too much yesterday.

"Good morning, sweetheart." he said in the most beautiful voice to his beautiful Marija.

"Good morning to you too, Bogdan. I didn't think you'd be awake already, but you really shouldn't have scared me like that. "

He grabbed her waist with both hands and started tickling her. She started laughing and resisting so abruptly that she almost threw the pot off the fireplace. She started pushing his hands, but he wouldn't budge. She laughed to stop, that they were going to wake up Dalibor, but he still didn't stop. They both started laughing and Marija somehow managed to get out and said as she could barely catch her breath:

"My soup will burn, you dumb turky."

"Don't worry about it, I don't care when and what breakfast is like, all I care about is you cooked it."

She looked him in the eye and her expression changed drastically and she said in a worried voice:

"Honey, you look awful. Please sit down and rest. You haven't slept much, have you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I feel great. So when it's breakfast, I'm starving."

"You are really awful at it, I've been with you too long to know when you're lying, but we'll have it your way. Breakfast will be over soon, so can you set the table."

Bogdan put two bowls and two spoons on the table and sat down and waited for breakfast, and not long after Mary poured the soup. She sat down and they started eating. After they finished, Mary said very seriously:

"Okay Bogdan now I want you to be honest with me, I know the whole village is in big shit. I see that you are under a lot of stress and that you are hiding it from everyone. So please let me help you, don't get mad. "

Bogdan got up and came up to her and kissed her forehead and said:

"Woman, I told you before that the only thing that makes me stressed when you two are in trouble, so it doesn't work for me. We're all trying to finish this shit we're in now, so don't worry. You know that no beast will kill me. "

"I know all this, but more and more you don't come home in the evening until early in the morning. Yesterday I was waiting for you until late at night, but you were not there and then the bell rang. I really worried about you. Just tell me what are you doing out so late? ”

Bogdan sighed and said:

"You know very well that other hunters and I have discussions in the evening and that sometimes takes time."

"And it drinks well along the way." Mary rubbed her chin angrily.

"There's that, too, but you have to expect that with the boys. Since we're on that topic, they're waiting for me, so I'd have to go."

"Can you at least stay home today, get some rest?"

"When this is all over, only then will I be able to rest."

Having said that, he kissed Maria and Dalibor again and went outside. He walked on dry mud, the lifeless wind blowing lightly and carrying all sorts of scents. He looked at the huts around the village from the old and damaged ones to those that could easily be mistaken for ruins. Behind the hut one could see a wooden wall, in fact it is a lot to call it a wall. It had more holes than it covered, it was all torn and destroyed, there were attempts to fix it with some old boards but it didn't cover it that much. >We have to patch it up somehow, all we need to do is get something into the fields.< There was crying, moaning and even singing from which he could not understand a single word, and everyone in the village spoke the same language. The smell that entered his nostrils was so beautiful that he wanted to plug his nose and vomit what he had just eaten. From pee, vomit, sweat, shit to blood, intestines and rotting meat. > What does this smell like? It never smelled like this. What is this, my Gods? Oh my. This must come from the entrance.< Suddenly he stopped and stared at the floor. He could feel the snails rising from his back and entering his mouth. He started running a full sprint to enter the village. > Gods please tell me I think too much again, I beg you from the bottom of my soul.

“Oh, thank Gods! Bogdan, you came at the perfect time, I'm just planning to pick you up. " A man with a thick black beard, short hair who wore a blue tunic and some pieces of leather armor said.

"Can you tell me what the fuck happened here, Goran?" Bogdan said anxiously, looking everywhere just not at the remains.

"Boss, it's not wise to talk about it here, we'll all discuss it together in the bar. I really need something bad. ” Goran said, rolling his eyes.

“You speak well, call everyone and we will meet there, but don't drink! That's the order. "

Goran nodded and started running. He approached another hunter and started yelling at a group of people:

“Come on people there is nothing to see here! We have everything under control, we will tend for the deceased, you don't need to watch that! ”

You have the black devil all under control! What happened here ?! The gods are punishing us! How did this happen ?! What kind of monster did that to those poor boys ?! We want answers! This and many other things could be heard from the villagers and they did not stop.

"I beg you to calm down!"

The villagers did not listen and continued to shout and swear at them. Bogdan exhaled and looked up at the sky, they really started to tire him, so he yelled from all heels:

“SHUT UP”

When he yelled they all fell silent in a second. Bogdan calmed down and said:

"I know this is all terrible for you now, but we will solve everything. When did I lie to you or say I would do something I didn't do later? ”

Everyone looked at each other, waiting for someone to say something first or answer his question, but no one said anything.

"You see, believe me and go away from here."

The villagers whispered something to each other and little by little everyone went their separate ways. Bogdan and the man next to him passed out almost at the same time and the man who had only thick brown eyebrows and wore the same as Goran turned to him and said:

"Captain, you saved me. I didn't know what to do with them."

"Nothing Obrvko (nickname similar to eyebrows) , sometimes you just have to yell."

“Ah, thanks for the advice. I'll remember that. "

"Okay then, will you help Dejan and me collect-" when he started to finish the sentence, the wave came back and barely managed to stop him from breaking the dam. "Stjepan?"

"Of course, we don't really have a choice. We can't leave him like this. "

Bogdan nodded to Obrvko and they headed towards Dejan. They saw him carrying what seemed to be part of Stjepan’s fist and put it on a pile, on some cloth.

"So here we are, sorry to keep you waiting. I couldn’t drive them away sooner. " Obrvko said

"Thanks to Almighty Svarog for coming, my stomach has reached my mouth, and I have nothing more to vomit." Dejan said, holding on under the neck.

"If you feel bad, go to the meeting place, and Obrvko and I will, how can I say this?" … .. Pick up Stjepan. ” Bogdan said.

“If I'm sick! If I'm BAD! I joined the hunters to feed and save the village from the beast, not to pick up parts of friends around the village as dishes around the house when my mother-in-law came to visit me! We will pick him up and give him a real funeral! ”

The two of them were not at all surprised by this reaction, because they felt the same way. So they all continued to pick up together. They slowly picked up the remnants of the beard with the remnants of a yellowish beard on them, the hand still holding the sword, the crushed eyes to parts of the liver, intestines, bones…No one said anything just sometimes went to the side and threw up what he had inside and kept working, everyone at least went at least twice until they were convinced that nothing was left. Everyone now breathing hard wrapped them both in cloth and took them each to their hut to their families to mourn. He hadn't had to bring this kind of news to his families in a long time, but it was as he remembered, Mirela’s and Cvita's facial expression gave him total despair and he could feel his heart begin to leak blood like tears of grief. They got out and started walking through the center of the village towards the largest hut, breathing no easier even with heavier and frowning faces, they went to the Sleeping Wolf inn. They went inside and saw a couple of people laughing and drinking while others slept on the tables drunk, the smell of alcohol and the sounds of incomprehensible singing and especially quarreling. The innkeeper was cleaning the mugs and talking to a guest. He had a long blond beard, thick and shaggy eyebrows and short hair. He was a little plump and wore a black apron over a blue tunic. He saw them and pointed to the back door. They thanked him and went behind. There were already three people in the room sitting around a large table and the two were yelling and arguing with each other. It looked like a fight was going to break out every second, while the last one just stared at them and somehow failed to enter the conversation, holding a mug in his hands.