smiled his reply.
“What we had, Harmack and his men took,” Steven explained. “We were only able to get about half our stuff back. And that was thanks to you.”
“Oh?”
“Well, you made a pretty big scene when you came upon us, announcing yourself and all. After that, they seemed more interested in killing you than dealing with us. So as soon as you and Harmack got into it, Laurin and I grabbed what we could and just ran into the trees.”
“They never followed you?”
Steven shrugged his shoulders. “Might have, but we ran for a long time. I guess they figured you were more fun than we were. I’m sorry we didn’t stay and help.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. If you had, they would have killed you. But I am glad that you came back to help me.”
“Well,” Steven said sheepishly. “That was really Laurin’s doings. I wanted to keep going, but she insisted on coming back to see if you were still alive. We waited for some time and when we did come back, they had all left and it was just you tied to that tree.”
Conner glanced at Laurin, who was struggling to pick up her feet as she walked. Then he looked around at the trees and the cover that they offered. “Maybe we should call it a day. Make a nice fire, catch a nice fat rabbit.”
“Rabbit sounds nice,” Steven said. “But we have no bow.”
“Trust me,” Conner said with a wide smile. “I know a much easier way. I’ve spent much of my life in the forest, and catching rabbit is my specialty. You two get comfortable and rest. And start a nice fire because there’ll be meat for dinner!”
Borrowing the necessary supplies from Steven, Conner turned into the forest, rejuvenated at being able to be productive and find food for their dinner.
Most of his time was spent finding the right place. Game trails for the larger animals were easy to spot. They tended to be well worn and packed. Locating a path frequented by smaller animals was something that was difficult, but not impossible. Through his time alone in the forests of Darkenwood, he learned to pick out the tell-tale signs of a path left by the small animals of the forest. As he slowly walked, his eyes scanned the forest floor for the signs and once his trained eye saw the path, he began to lay out his plan.
He dropped to a knee, which caused a burning pain in his chest. The pain had subsided enough that he had forgotten about the wound. But the moment he leaned over, the sharp pain surprised him and caused him to let out an audible gasp. He hoped it was not loud enough to scare away any small game that was nearby.
It also brought back the anger that had built up inside of him. It was more than just being hurt; they had humiliated him. He knew it was his own fault for being overly aggressive and confident that his own skills were better than anyone else’s. It wasn’t that they were more skilled than he was, it was that they knew how to fight. Master Goshin had taught him how to swing a sword, defend himself in combat, and attack in combat. But the elbow to the face was a harsh lesson in the difference between fighting and combat. A lesson that if he didn’t remember, he knew would come back to haunt him.
His mind had drifted so far from his task, that he wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting on the ground. He stood, stretching out his stiff knees, and walked slowly along the barely noticeable path. It wound its way through the underbrush in almost a straight line, probably towards a small watering hole or a
“What we had, Harmack and his men took,” Steven explained. “We were only able to get about half our stuff back. And that was thanks to you.”
“Oh?”
“Well, you made a pretty big scene when you came upon us, announcing yourself and all. After that, they seemed more interested in killing you than dealing with us. So as soon as you and Harmack got into it, Laurin and I grabbed what we could and just ran into the trees.”
“They never followed you?”
Steven shrugged his shoulders. “Might have, but we ran for a long time. I guess they figured you were more fun than we were. I’m sorry we didn’t stay and help.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. If you had, they would have killed you. But I am glad that you came back to help me.”
“Well,” Steven said sheepishly. “That was really Laurin’s doings. I wanted to keep going, but she insisted on coming back to see if you were still alive. We waited for some time and when we did come back, they had all left and it was just you tied to that tree.”
Conner glanced at Laurin, who was struggling to pick up her feet as she walked. Then he looked around at the trees and the cover that they offered. “Maybe we should call it a day. Make a nice fire, catch a nice fat rabbit.”
“Rabbit sounds nice,” Steven said. “But we have no bow.”
“Trust me,” Conner said with a wide smile. “I know a much easier way. I’ve spent much of my life in the forest, and catching rabbit is my specialty. You two get comfortable and rest. And start a nice fire because there’ll be meat for dinner!”
Borrowing the necessary supplies from Steven, Conner turned into the forest, rejuvenated at being able to be productive and find food for their dinner.
Most of his time was spent finding the right place. Game trails for the larger animals were easy to spot. They tended to be well worn and packed. Locating a path frequented by smaller animals was something that was difficult, but not impossible. Through his time alone in the forests of Darkenwood, he learned to pick out the tell-tale signs of a path left by the small animals of the forest. As he slowly walked, his eyes scanned the forest floor for the signs and once his trained eye saw the path, he began to lay out his plan.
He dropped to a knee, which caused a burning pain in his chest. The pain had subsided enough that he had forgotten about the wound. But the moment he leaned over, the sharp pain surprised him and caused him to let out an audible gasp. He hoped it was not loud enough to scare away any small game that was nearby.
It also brought back the anger that had built up inside of him. It was more than just being hurt; they had humiliated him. He knew it was his own fault for being overly aggressive and confident that his own skills were better than anyone else’s. It wasn’t that they were more skilled than he was, it was that they knew how to fight. Master Goshin had taught him how to swing a sword, defend himself in combat, and attack in combat. But the elbow to the face was a harsh lesson in the difference between fighting and combat. A lesson that if he didn’t remember, he knew would come back to haunt him.
His mind had drifted so far from his task, that he wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting on the ground. He stood, stretching out his stiff knees, and walked slowly along the barely noticeable path. It wound its way through the underbrush in almost a straight line, probably towards a small watering hole or a
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