Chapter Nineteen

Kenny stared at the scenery in front of him. Pieces of bread were being handed out to the kids one after another. As the coachman of the Young Master, it was his duty to make sure the Young Lord arrives safely to his destination. Meddling with the matters of rations was not part of his task, but he could not help but wonder why the Young Master was giving their share of food to these assailants. After all, just a few moments ago, these group tried robbing them.

He started feeding the starving residents in the town. And now, he's feeding these kids. The Young Master a few months ago would have never done this.

Kenny was sure that he was not the only one perplexed by this sudden development. The guards were obviously baffled too.

"So, you're telling us that the entire village was attacked by a serpent monster?" said the Young Master. Kenny perked up his ears as he attentively listened. "The village somehow managed to fend it off, but it destroyed the storage of food, leaving everyone hungry during the entire winter."

Arthus, the leader of the kids, bobbed his head. He was a bit younger than the Young Master, probably ten or eleven years old. His black hair covered half his face, his lips constantly moving as he chewed the bread given to him. After swallowing, he said, "Yes. All the kids are fine. The adults gave most of the food to us, you see." He was close to sobbing. "We can't even hunt during the winter. The red berries would have been our last resort, but the serpent monster made that place its lair. Those that tried to get close got eaten by the damn bastard. We've been eating bugs and worms these past few weeks. Just a bit more and the entire village'll die of hunger."

Kenny was reminded of Blackstone Town. Before the Young Master started feeding the residents, it was common to see people digging through the ground in search of worms and insects to eat during winter.

The Young Master looked up. The sun seeped through the canopies of leaves above.

"I have a rough idea of the situation," said Lark. "But no matter how harsh the current situation is, do you think it's the right thing to assault other people just to survive? Self-defense is one thing, but for this case – it's an entirely different matter."

"We know," said Arthus. The other kids were crestfallen. "But it doesn't matter anymore. You can call us devils, demons. But we need to save the village no matter what."

Lark sighed. "Clark, how much rations do we have left?"

The Head of the Guards checked the carts. "Just enough for a day's journey, Young Master."

"That wouldn't even be enough to feed half the villagers." Lark clicked his tongue. He looked at the thickets. "I saw a wild boar before. Since winter's just ended, it should be possible to hunt some animals in the forest."

Clark tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean, Young Mas—"

"—We're going on a hunt." Lark stood up. He ignored the bewildered stares of the kids around him. "Those villagers, these kids — they're not really our responsibility. But don't you think it'll be too cruel to simply let them die?"

Lark raised his voice. "All guards, spread out and search for any edible food nearby. If you spot an animal, kill it. We'll go to the village and help the dying villagers."

"We're feeding an entire village?" croaked the Head of the Guards. He sounded exasperated just from the idea alone.

"That's an order," said Lark. "Go."

Although obviously reluctant, the guards started spreading out while carrying their weapons with them. Lark turned to the kids. "You guys are helping too. After you finish eating, help my guards in procuring food. Those weapons of yours – point them at the animals instead. Hunt. Eat. Survive. You're capable of that, no?"

The kids clenched their fists and nodded.

Lark said to Arthus. "And you. Tell me where the village is."

***

Valak's stomach growled. How long had they been searching the forest for food? All of the food stocked in the basement were eaten by the abhorrent monster that attacked their village more than a month ago, just right when it was middle of the winter, when it was close to impossible to hunt through the forest. To make matters worse, the area where the red berries grew had become the lair of the giant serpent.

Now that winter had ended, they hoped to catch a prey or two and revive the village, but to no avail. For some reason, there were no animals nearby. Valak conjectured that this was probably due to the giant serpent.

"Damn it," he snarled. "If only there's a way to kill that monster."

The red berries that grew near their village were edible plants that grew throughout all seasons. Before the giant serpent appeared, their village did not worry about hunger during winter, since those plants were readily accessible.

"Forget it," said Jalak, his twin brother. The two of them looked identical: brown, bushy beard. Long sunken face, and thick eyebrows. "We've lost Kurt and Manis already. It's impossible to kill that damn bastard."

The two of them were skin and bones, their clothes filled with dirt as they carried their bows on their backs. They used to be among the strongest hunters in the village, but more than a month of constant hunger reduced them to such state.

Still, when compared to the other people left in the village, they were in a fairly better shape. The guys back there could hardly move, and some were on the brink of death.

The twins were the only ones left capable of hunting right now. By each passing moment, the heavy weight of responsibility on their shoulders gradually increased. They knew that if they did not catch a prey, the other villagers would soon die.

"At least the kids are safe," Valak consoled himself. Along with the village Elder, he was the one who insisted that they should prioritize the children. Despite the shortage of food, they made sure that none of the kids die from hunger and cold during winter.

Before they went out to hunt, they strictly told the children to stay inside the village, since it was too dangerous to be in the forest with the giant serpent lurking around. They gave the task of overseeing the young ones to Arthus, the strongest kid in the group. While they were away, it was the task of the children to search for edible bugs and worms in the barks of nearby trees.

The twins heard rustling sounds. Immediately, they grabbed their bows and pointed the arrows at the source. They prayed to god that it was not the giant serpent. Otherwise, this very place would be their grave.

They held their breaths.

From the shrubberies, a rabbit appeared. Two of them.

The two could hardly contain their excitement. The rabbits looked left and right, sniffed at the air, and looked at them. After they locked eyes with the humans, they immediately scurried away, disappearing through the shadows of the trees.

The twins looked at each other and nodded. Although famished, they mustered their strengths and ran after their prey. Using their keens ears, they tracked the movement of the rabbits. Their every step was quick but silent.

When the rabbits stopped in their tracks, the twin hunters pointed arrows at the two. They were several dozen meters away from their targets. They released their grip and the arrows whizzed through the trees, hitting the rabbits at the same time, instantly killing it.

"Yes!" shouted Valak. They walked towards the dead rabbits, bent down and picked up the bodies. This was their first successful hunt several days after winter ended.

"Let's go back to the village," said Jalak. "Rabbit stew'll be good in this cold weather."

Valak was broadly grinning. He was holding the dead rabbits by the ears, blood dripping down their bellies.

They were about to return to their village when a hissing sound reverberated in the forest. The two of them stiffened as blood drained off their faces. They knew that sound very well. There was no doubt about it.

Using their keen sense of hearing, they realized that it was coming from their left. Looking through the shadows of the trees, they could see nothing but a sea of forest. But judging by the speed of that monster, it'll be only a matter of time before it reached this place.

"It's probably attracted to the scent of blood," said Jalak.

Valak gnashed his teeth. "Damn it. Should we return to the village?"

He was worried that they would be bringing the giant serpent with them if they headed back.

Jalak paused for a moment. He stared straight into his twin brother's eyes. "Listen, if we don't bring those meat back with us, the villagers will definitely die." He took out a small knife and made a large cut across his forearm. Blood dripped down to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Valak was baffled.

"I'll run to the opposite direction," said Jalak. "That monster prefers human meat. I'm sure of it. Once it starts chasing after me, use the opportunity to go back to the village."

"But—"

"—Listen, brother!" Jalak's voice was grim. "We have no time to argue about this! Just trust me on this one, okay? The life of everyone in the village is far more important than ours! Do you understand that?"

Valak wanted to refute this statement, but the determination within his twin's eyes made him shut his mouth regardless.

"Do you want Carina to die too?" Jalak said, almost whispering. "You've promised to marry her this year. A true hunter does not go back on his promise, Valak."

Valak swallowed the lump in his throat. "Don't die."

"I won't."

"Swear it. Swear on the God of the Forest."

Jalak sighed. "I swear on the name of God Gaia. I will survive."

Valak place the dead rabbits inside his bag. He nodded at his twin. "Then, see you at the village."