Deep in the woods

"Do you know those signs though?" I want this to be the last question that I will ask for another ten minutes, I hope it will.

"I don't know. But I feel like they were somewhere… As if I've seen them somewhere." Could it be actually related to Bog? His tribe was between the human kingdom and the elven kingdom so it could be. Is it a coincidence that we've met him? Or just something fate wanted.

"I hope it doesn't mean anything bad…" I looked down at the ground sadly.

"Well, we won't know until you will go further. If you will live so long to achieve or enter that path. We won't know until that very moment. So you also won't, you have your intentions probably but the goal may not be fully known." It's very complicated… What does he actually mean?

"So you are saying… That I myself won't know the intentions of my sword until I will accept it? Or what I don't understand." It's so weird, what does it mean?

"It means that you will learn once it will be time for you to do so." Why does it sound like words of some old sage? Or someone who doesn't know much and is just bragging without reason.

"That's some information!" I sarcastically jumped with fake energy and hit my knee. With no reason behind it actually.

"Don't be mad. I'm just saying what my master said. I also don't know everything about my sword, there is probably more than just revenge, the thing is I just don't know. It also made me mad at first." He stopped looking at the signs and walked to the boar, Marcus threw the knife to him and with the tool, he slowly started cutting another part of the slain beast. It was the front leg, with it in hand he approached the fire and put it on the flames. At the same moment, he took the other leg and handed it to Finn and Bog. They both looked at him with big eyes and dug in.

"Thanks!" The eating goblin said while eating and then I realized that his teeth were shaped more like small blades than typical human teeth. That surprised me since goblins seem very similar to humans with the big difference being the skin color and height.

The beautiful smell hangs inside of the stone room for longer because of another leg being cooked right now. The lovely smell…

"We should go hunt some more before we leave. We have the entire day but the longer we wait the harder it will be to take the bodies to the entrance. We need to do it as the general arrives, if we do it earlier we die. I don't know why it's like that but if we come when the general is there, we aren't allowed to fight anymore." Estel explained while looking at the food. "When I finish my meal I will go hunt something with Hayden. I need to go piss guys, I will be back." He then left the room, we all were sitting and the two 'newcomers' were still eating the cooked leg. Marcus looks at the fire, really bored and Matthew still snorting.

After around five minutes of just sitting Estel came back and sat right next to the fire and patiently waited for his food. This moment went on for quite some time since the food takes some time to cook. Another couple of minutes went by faster than normal because I got very excited about hunting. I shouldn't be happy about it but there is something that I want to learn. That is to ignore fear and fight.

When the food was ready he just took it out and started ferociously eating the piece of well cooked meat as if he hasn't eaten for a long time. Years even.

"Okay! Hayden, let's get going." Before we left off he licked his fingers and took one of the two spears with the second being frail. "I should actually prepare one more spear for it." We left the cave, the knife still in Estel's hand just to make another spear. We found a stick almost perfectly straight still covered in ice. He took it and started sharpening the edge of the stick to make a spear. He was done and after it, we went deep in the woods.

A spear in my hand and a spear in his hand. Prepared to go hunt a beast.

"Should we go to the tiger's body? Maybe it's still there." I asked him, this time not a question about something about me but all of us.

"We could but I really doubt it's still there." He answered he is right once again. It is slightly getting on my nerves that I ask questions with answers being so easy that I can answer them on my own.

"We should check anyway. Maybe we will be lucky." He shrugged and just followed what I said. We went in a straight line to the place we used to coordinate back then, the small open place with some signs on the trees. It was in a straight line from the entrance which is very convenient.

After some time we got to the small place with signs on the trees. It seemed a lot nicer than before since the freezing weather got a little better. It wasn't as cold as before in the evening.

"Which way was it?" Another dumb question but my memory isn't perfect so it's something that I should ask about since we've stopped there.

"I'm pretty sure it's straight from the cave, so we should just go further in the direction we went to just now." There were no more words needed, just walked the same path.

"How will we know that we are there though?" Why am I asking that? Of course, it's probably because of the leftover blood. Again, why did I ask?

"The blood probably didn't disappear yet. It should be there still soaking in the soil, it makes sense doesn't it?"

"It does…" We were talking while walking to the tiger's corpse. It of course makes sense… But I couldn't stop myself from asking since it left my mouth before this thought even appeared in my head.

"We should be there any minute now." He said out of nowhere emotionless. Voice almost like a blade cutting the wind. We started crouching, we don't want to be heard by anyone. It was very quiet. The wind blowing by our ears and then disappearing into the infinite void of air. My feet are struggling to hold the crouch but we have to go further, we have to either find the body or another beast.

"What if…" He stopped me mid sentence. He turned to my and with his pointing finger on his mouth indicating that I should be quiet. I went quiet.

He held his spear harder to the point where I heard his hand closing on the stick. I also did the same gripping it harder. What is going on? Are we going to fight? Or is someone here… I don't see nor hear anything.

Another couple of steps, my heart racing faster and faster from the uncertainty of what is going on. He sees something that I don't. Something that probably I won't ever see with such accuracy as he does. Nothing. Just his back and some trees around covering my entire field of view.

Sticks on the ground. We both are doing our best to avoid breaking them, stepping between two sticks or just making a long step to avoid a bunch of them. Everything, to keep us alive. To keep us away from the danger of sound. The danger that the sound could cause. Either men or beast. Both of them could scare me to death almost.

Stopped, I wasn't able to react at the same moment so I almost stumbled onto his feet. But I was still able to stop myself mid air. He ignored the fact and just went on, he just went further and I senselessly followed the elven lead. Step by step we were approaching something. I don't know what but even my bad senses were able to detect that thing. I don't know what thing or even if it's a thing… But something. Something terrifying that must be in front of us, made my entire body shiver.

We both got closer to something that inflicted that agonizing feeling onto both of us, with me being very afflicted by it. He stood up and leaned against a tree with his back, I didn't follow because of fear. His head went up in a very quick and short motion that showed me what to do. It told me to stand up. I very slowly started standing up, obeying his command. And once I did… I saw the thing that gave all of those negative emotions. Everything. The fear, the incredible fear. Anger, anger about me agreeing to that hunt. The thing in front of me...