Episode 56 The Hunter and the Hunted (2)

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Vikir was speechless on the wolfs back.

Aiyen, riding in front of him, glanced up and down the length of his back, watching him closely.

Did it hurt?

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Are you angry?

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Aiyen turns his head all the way back to look at Bikir.

To which Bikir only replies bluntly.

Look ahead.

The wolf Aiyen was driving caught on a root and lurched once.

Aiyen quickly jerked his head back to the front and drove the wolf on.

All the while, he kept glancing back to see if Vikir was bothering him.

At this point, it was hard to tell who was master and who was slave.

Eventually, as the roots disappeared and a wide open plain emerged, Aiyen slowed the wolf.

He turned back to Vikir, still on the wolfs back, and spoke.

I had no choice. Ahun is a small, relentless creature, and this was the only way to stop him from retaliating.

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Why arent you talking, huh?

At his masters continued prodding, Bikir replied tersely.

It hurts.

And it did. The inside of his mouth is covered in crusts of blood, and it hurts just to open it.

Then. Aiyens body flinched for a moment.

She slowly turned her head to look at Vikir.

Does it hurt a lot?

Aiyen looked at Vikirs neck.

The white skin was smeared with red marks from the dog collar.

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Aiyen stared at the mark for a moment.

Then she bent her head toward Vikir and ran her tongue across the scar on his neck.

Vikir jerked his head back in disgust, and Aiyen, for a moment, realizing what she had done, backed away in anger.

Vikir frowned.

Do barbarians normally lick each others wounds?

Animals of the dog family do.

Balaks warriors are friendly with wolves, so this behavior may be commonplace.

But Vikir was a civilized man, and it was awkward.

Besides, licking the wound with your tongue is dangerous, as it leaves room for infection.

So Bikir was prepared to firmly refuse if Aiyen tried to lick the wound on his neck again.

However.

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Aiyen doesnt say anything, just tilts her head.

For some reason, the tips of his pointed ears were colored bright red.

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Like all Balak warriors, Aiyen was basically a simple person.

Her spirits were quickly lifted when Vikir returned to his usual behavior, save for being less talkative due to his illness.

Now in a better mood, Aiyen offered Bikir a gift to apologize for her earlier slap.

Is there anything you want from me, anything I can do for you thats within my power, just tell me one thing.

Bikir didnt hesitate to answer.

Teach me how to shoot a bow.

a. Bow.

I wondered if he had something else on his mind. The answer came back a little muffled.

Aiyen looked a little disappointed at Bikirs immediate response.

Yeah. Bow is good. Bow.

Aiyen mumbled for a moment, then a wry smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Good. Since were out hunting, Ill teach you how to shoot a bow, too. Youre probably better with a bow than a sword anyway.

With that, Aiyen moved behind Vikir and hugged him tightly against his chest.

Aiyens body pressed tightly against his, the weight of it straining Vikirs spine.

Bikir grunted through the pain.

Do I have to learn in this position?

Its best to learn everything with your body. Do you have a problem with that?

It was hard for Bikir, with his broken body, to resist.

Then. Aiyen pulled out a spare bow and placed it in Vikirs hand.

The unfamiliar feel of it in his hand brought back memories for a moment.

Vikir was quite proficient with a bow, as part of the education of the young hounds of Ironblood Baskerville was an introduction to armory.

And the swordsmen of the Age of Destruction actually knew how to use almost every other weapon to some degree, not just swords.

Vikir had already mastered the basics of archery.

A minor, so to speak.

But not enough to go out and show off.

Before his regression, hed been pretty good with a bow, but not to the point where he could actually use it in combat.

At best, he could take down small game that could be cleaned and eaten immediately.

But here in Balak, where all the people are masters of the art of archery, he might be able to reach new heights.

Is it the desire to take down the big game?

Aiyen had been clinging to Bikir since the beginning, eagerly teaching him archery.

Well need the help of a wolf pup for this hunt.

Aiyen was eager for this hunt.

Balaks 300 members need at least 200 kilograms of game to survive the day.

Whats more, the warriors recent hunting performance has been poor, and there are many people in the tribe who are starving.

Your life will be easier if you make your mark here.

At Aiyens words, Vikir nodded.

Just then.

!

Aiyens wolf, Baqira, suddenly stopped running.

It had spotted its prey.

Aiyen bent down and grabbed a handful of dirt from where Vakira was sniffing.

A mixture of rotting sawdust and fallen leaves, moss and sand.

The soil was slightly damp, and it smelled pungent and rancid.

Aiyen said with conviction.

It must be oxbane.

Vikir knew the creature Aiyen spoke of.

<Oxbear>.

Danger Rating: A

Size: 5 meters

Found in: Ridge 7, Red and Black Mountains

-A very large bear with two huge horns.

A carnivorous bear, the strongest terrestrial predator, and a perfect killing machine, it is considered the strongest and pinnacle of the Red and Black Mountains 7th Ridge ecosystem.

It has few natural enemies other than its own kind.

The bear carries two water buffalo horns on its head.

Its entire body is covered in thick muscle, fat, and bristly fur.

A monster I had encountered many times before during my training within the clan.

However, the ones roaming around here now must possess a different level of strength and life force than the ones that were captured in the cages inside the clan, waiting to be killed.

This must be their territory from here on out.

Aiyen turned his head to follow the direction of the scent.

Oxbears deliberately sprayed their poisonous urine to discourage prey and warn rivals.

The scent would have sent any lesser predator running for cover, but not Aiyen, the hunting leader of the younger Balak.

Vikir, too, had the calm demeanor of the worn and tattered hound he had been before his regression.

Aiyen smirked at the sight.

Not scary?

Not really.

Its good to see youve got some balls for a kid from the Empire. An Oxbear is a threat to even the most seasoned of Balak hunters.

Aiyen seemed to like Vikirs demeanor all the more.

Soon, Aiyen and Vikir were facing the wind, tracking the scent.

Aiyen stalked his prey with animal instincts.

Sometimes he could smell it better than Vakira, the wolf.

Vikir, too, was skilled at tracking, but only when it came to fleeing humans.

Good chance.

Vikir looked over his shoulder at Aiyens seasoned demon tracking skills.

And then.

It wasnt long before they spotted their target at the top of a rolling hillside lined with tall bushes and short shrubs.

I see a large oxbear making its way through the undergrowth.

Two fiercely curved horns, fur far thicker and denser than Id ever known, flesh and muscle clinging together in an impossibly tight knit mass.

The oxbear, which appeared to be very old, stood about eight meters tall, larger than any oxbear Vikir had seen before his regression.

Thats enough to raise my risk rating.

When Vikir muttered that, he was done talking.

Its hard to go toe-to-toe with a creature of that size.

It would have been better to back off now and move on to other prey.

But Aiyen didnt back down.

Lets go after it.

She clung to Bikirs side.

Bikir pushed through the faint pain.

A beast of that size will be hard to deal with. Apparently hes unusually strong for an oxbear.

Fool. Who said wed catch him?

Vikir looked puzzled at Aiyens comment.

She replied with a smirk.

If theres a sow bear, theres no shortage of bulls. Look.

Before she could finish, a response came from beyond the thicket.

Another oxbear had approached the original oxbear.

Apparently, the giant oxbear that Vikir and Aiyen had first spotted was a female.

The new male oxbear was relatively small.

It was barely over four meters tall at best, and must have weighed nearly twice as much.

Could she be in heat?

As she moves her massive body, the male oxbear sneaks up on her and sniffs her fur.

Then he starts nuzzling her chest and back.

Okay, thats the real prey.

Aiyen grinned and pressed Vikirs chest and back against the bush.

Vikir watched the grooming of the male and female oxbears and felt the strength of Aiyens grip on his arms.

Passasac

Hidden in the bushes, Aiyens body pressed closer to Vikirs.

Humid, hot breath brushed against his earlobe, crushing it.

The skin of every inch of her body, toned and soft, pressed against Vikirs back.

The pounding of her heart against his back makes him tense up like an archer.

Naturally, Bikir could only think one thought.

Thats a lot of weight.