Vol.1/Chapter 4: Experience

This ringing is seriously messing up with my mind. It sounds like church bells but more melancholic and scary. As I was contemplating while walking, Alder, the leader of the group, snapped me out of my trance.

"Yo, you good?", Alder questioned me, "You look entranced for a moment there."

"I'm fine, maybe I just need some more rest.", I chuckled

"Maybe he's worried that someone will happen to our family.", Theo joined the conversation and teased me.

"Whatever the reason, I need the full focus in this mission. Some died even before arriving to the hunting grounds. I'm here to reassure everyone to come back alive.", Alder explained to me.

"Yes sir. We'll try our best.", Me and Theo replied

We arrived to the River Sharpturn. This is where Tyla, Theo's adoptive sister, went and made the anklets.

Gushing water with fallen logs almost made the river like a death pit. This made Theo look at me as if he was predicted something. Even the mightiest of warriors really can't fight the power of nature, unless of course you got magic.

At the far end of the riverside, there's a sturdy wooden bridge, connected through Redwood Logs, thick fiber and boulders. Alder explained that for 20 years, this bridge witnessed different groups hunt for the meat.

"Ten years ago, one part of this bridge collapsed. This took 3 lives of warriors. That's why when you arrive at the start, please pay your respects on the grave besides them.", He commanded the group.

I noticed a grey slate of limestone, carved with the names of the fallen wolves. Even though their body were never found, the wolves did respect them and made the tradition to regard them.

Their names were Xander, Benson and Volt. Volt was just 19 years old when he died.

Each and everyone of the wolves, and me, knelt in front of the grave, wishing us goodluck and thriving abundance of resources.

We made to the starting line of the bridge. In my speculations, the bridge was sturdy enough to hold 5 full grown sized wolves, but Alder said to go three at a time to maintain the solidity of the bridge.

The pack started to walk as Alder led the first group to the bridge. They safely cross the bridge as if it was nothing. And then out of nowhere, I was reminded that there were 16 of us. That means, one of the wolf must stay behind and cross alone.

I looked through and fro. Every wolf has their respective group except me.

Alder looked at me and said, "Yo Luca, cross the bridge alone. I know you can do this."

With the smugness of the command and our history from childhood, I know Alder did this to bully me again as I'm the only human in this group.

"I can go with Luca. It's better to have one than not at all, am I right?" Theo requested to Alder.

"No. Do you wanna break tradition? Go with your group.", Alder sternly and annoyingly replied.

"But two is less than three. I know that this will not change any solidity of the bridge." Theo continues to appeal.

"Cross with your group.", Alder angrily looks at him.

"Tss. Still stubborn as ever. Don't worry, Luca. You'll be fine, and when we are back, I'll report this to my Dad.", Theo grins and whispered to me.

I just nodded and agreed while I look at him crossing towards the end with his group. In the end, Theo waved at me and visually told me that everything's alright.

It's my turn. If I misplaced my foot, slid in a wood or break a piece, the deathly rush of water below will break my bones surely. I need to be careful.

I dried up my footwear, and then carefully stepped on the first piece. The bridge rocked just as slowly as a baby in a crib. I'm sure I'll be fine.

Step by step, I'm gaining courage as the whisk of the water deafen the whole surrounding. This in turn let me focus, at least until the strange bell sound rang again halfway through.

This time, it rang three times.

Ring, Ring, Ring!

I covered my ear with one of my hand and tried to get off the annoying sound on my head. While slowly lifting up my head, I saw how one strand of the fiber was breaking up due to its wetness.

Does this sound have any meaning at all?

I grabbed the almost breaking fiber and hasten my movement, finally crossing the bridge. I was gasping, catching my breath, and then Alder pat me on my back.

"I know you can do this. HAHAHAHA!", Alder laughs off awkwardly as I look at him with irritation. "We should continue onward to the Redwoods."

"Not before we repair the bridge.", I notified the group. "One of the fiber holding the bridge was so wet, it almost broke."

The group was surprised that I held my ground in the bridge. They quickly gathered the necessary resources from the nearby trees, repaired the part of the strand, added more fiber, test run it and confirmed that it's ok to cross again even with the meat we are supposed to gather.

This experience was rather almost deadly but surprisingly fun. And not to mention that the sound rings more vigorously when the strand almost broke.

Is it just a coincidence? Or I may just have a newfound power?

In any ways, this is now the time to enter the sprawling Redwoods full of gigantic trees and unreasonably dangerous animals. I better be ready.