Zaiyoz

Chapter 13

I quickly got up and drew my sword at the same time. Just as the fierce red-eyed beast, a fagoor, jumped on me, I met it with a clean cut through its stomach. It growled in pain before it dropped to the leafy ground with a thud, dead. It was an adult one, I realized. It must have stood at least up to my waist with a round elongated and well-muscled body, brown zigzag stripe of its bluish coat, small round ears, long face, short nuzzle and sharp teeth. Its hairy long tail moved before it gave in to its demise.

Well, I guess I have food for the beasts in the forest for now. I dragged it to the darker part, away from where I wanted to rest, and let the other beasts have a feast on it.

But then I must have forgotten fagoor beasts were social animals. They were always a member of a pack and the worst was that it was always the weakest of them that attacked first.

“Danger,” Azajji whispered.

“Ho s**t!” I exclaimed to myself when more red eyes showed up from behind the trees and bushes. They were not the type to eat their own, so I was still the food they were longing to have a taste of.

I stepped back next to the fire while my horse was resting after eating. Glad that they were not fond of another beast, so I could say that my ride was safe. For now, at least. But if another beast would try to attack my precious horse, I would definitely save him. It wouldn’t be easy to find a ride in the middle of the forest!

I lunged my sword when two more fagoor attacked me from behind and the left side. Then three came after, leaping into the air. Their sharp paws threatened to scratch me, not only their sharp teeth.

“For deities’ sakes!” I mumbled as I cut through their neck, body or chest. Their green blood spurted, which didn’t spare my new shirt and pants! Well, what did I expect?

Their growls became louder, fiercer. They were not the type of beasts that would turn tail if they saw their comrades died. They were even more challenged.

“Ho-kay! Let’s get this over with!” I provoked the head of the pack after killing all of its fifteen members. He circled me, looking for a chance to get me.

My feet were wide apart and my knees were slightly bent, my heart racing from the adrenalin. I was perspiring from the effort and I had never felt more alert than now.

I gripped my sword tighter, ready for another action when the head of the fagoor lowered its front body. But then I was distracted by him that I hadn’t noticed its second fiercest in the group. It lunged from behind me, biting my leg. I groaned in pain, feeling the sharp teeth sink in my flesh. I gritted my teeth and cut its head. At the same time, the head of the pack rushed for my neck.

I bent backward before its open mouth could catch my neck. It landed on the ground behind me and was fast to recover and leaped into the air once more. I sidestepped while I struck it with my sword, cutting its body in half. It didn’t die right away, still crawling toward me and growling.

I walked toward it and slashed its neck. Its blood spurted right into my face, making me cuss and close my eyes. The foul smell of its blood was like rotten flesh it almost made me puke.

I turned to my right when I heard the oncoming pounding of hooves. Horses, I could guess. And I could very well guess whose horses those were.

I calmly took a bottle of water to wash my bloodied face when the horses stopped a meters away from me.

“Oh, my! You had a bloody battle here!” Bihlke exclaimed the obvious with a wide smile after jumping off her horse. “That one’s still biting you.” She pointed at the fagoor that was latched on my left leg.

I impaled its head through the eye and took it off my leg, making me hiss as some flesh was taken with its sharp teeth. I could only swear in my head because of the pain.

“Let me see that wound,” she offered, crouching. She was about to raise up my pant but I didn’t let her touch me, watching Bavid’s disapproving eyes while he secured the lead ropes of their horses next to mine.

“No, I can manage. Thanks,” I said coldly to her. I drank some water first.

But she was being persistent. She pulled up my pant leg to check the deep wound, grimacing upon seeing it. The blood was oozing and she looked up at Bavid.

“Can you give me the green bag, Bavid?”

He didn’t comment but did as requested. He tossed the said bag to her and she started to clean the wound while I just stood there staring down at her. Her hands were gentle but quick, until she bandaged my wound carefully. She used white powder, which she mixed with some drops of water and applied it on my afflicted skin and flesh.

“Any other wounds?” She looked up at me with inquiring and concerned gray-green eyes that looked luminescent at the moment.

“No, thank you.” I could already feel the soothing effect of the medicine she applied on my wound.

“I guess we can move to the other side and leave the carcasses here for other beasts as our offer to them,” she suggested, which I thought was more logical than to move the dead animals.

We could hear some more growls from other larger beasts in the forest.

“We have to set up our own territory then,” Bavid said and started to sprinkle some kind of black potion around us for a good ten-meter radius. “This will keep not only the beasts away from us but also the bad people and dark magicians.”

Well, I should’ve thought about potions. I could’ve bought them easily in a magic shop but since I didn’t want to use magic, maybe that was the reason why I didn’t. I could also cook up my own but then again, I didn’t want to use anything magical to live like a normal human being.

I set up my sleeping bag near the fire to rest. After that exhausting travel for many hours and fighting off a pack of fagoor, I was beat. It had been a long time since I exerted much effort other than running away from Sarangay. I guess I was out of shape. On other hand, I was thankful that Shamaro didn’t appear to assist me with my own battle a little while ago.

“Why are you smiling?” Bihlke curiously asked.

That was when I just noticed that my lips were upturned. I cleared my throat and projected my unfriendly face.

“Not talking with me again?” she said, sitting down next to where I lay.

I looked away and stared at the fire instead, which Bavid made. It reminded me of Livha. I sniffed, inhaling its welcoming smoke and the scent of the burning wood.

“I think you have to change your clothes first before you sleep and you’ll feel better and sleep better,” she added. “My brother has a spare if you want.”

My head whipped in her direction, with my eyes bulging and heart thumping wildly inside my chest.

She laughed at my reaction. “Why do you look like that?”

“H-he’s your brother?” My question was a mere whisper. I stole a glance at Bavid, who was taking his own sleeping bag from the luggage on the back of his horse. He was also busy taking off the other luggage off the other black horse that Bihlke used, so that it could rest well without any burden on its back, like my own horse.

She giggled at my question. “My twin brother, in fact. Why?”

“Your twin brother?” I couldn’t see their resemblance at all. Maybe except for their lips, which had the same shade of red.

“Let me guess, you thought Bavid and I were…” She laughed harder this time, slapping her own thigh. She found it very amusing indeed and I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and stupid. When she was done laughing, she spoke again. “Bavid takes after our late father, whereas I take after our late mother,” she revealed in a serious note.

“I’m sorry, you don’t have parents anymore,” I sincerely said.

She just nodded with a tight smile. “But he did get our mother’s lips, like me.” She smiled widely, touching her cherry lips.

“Yeah, I can see that now,” I said quietly, tearing off my eyes from those luscious lips.

She turned her head to address her brother. “Can you let him borrow a shirt, Bavid?”

“No, it’s not necessary. I have my own,” I said, getting up.

“I suggest you undress yourself behind a tree,” Bavid coldly expressed. “She’s going to watch you just so you know.”

“Bavid!” she exclaimed with a groan.

I could only snort at that, seeing her blush.

“You shouldn’t have told him!” she added though. “I could’ve seen his body!” She grinned at me without remorse. Still, her blush was evident.

Well, she was one weird girl. What did I expect?

I took a shirt from my own baggage and went around the tree to have a more private moment as suggested by Bavid. It was also a respect for the girl to not show my half-naked body.

“Hey, what’s that glowing thing on your chest?”

“Ho s**t!”