The Goblin Nation 14 The Tutors

In the cold, foggy morning, Sun and Smoke were discussing strategies for their first hunt. Due to their injuries, they were strategizing ways to prevent themselves from getting more injured. Stick could barely hold anything with his broken hands, Sun's back still aches from getting thrown around, and Smoke's eyes still irritates, making it hard to see. Rock was the only that left the fight unscathed despite facing a 'conqueror.'

One of their ideas was to dig up a ditch and place pointy sticks facing upward. They would chase the deer, guiding it to the ditch. Once the deer falls, they then begin to attack it from above. The deer won't be able to run away or fight back, keeping the brothers from harm, but getting the deer to the ditch may be impossible. There are only four of them. Depending on how fast the deer is compared to them, it could easily get through between the gaps of their formation. They'll need to find something to aid them on their hunt. Something that could give them control over a large area, forcing the deer to follow a set path to the hole.

Rock and Stick were getting ready to leave. The two put on their coat, fur hat, gloves, and shoes. They were about to leave when they noticed Sun and Smoke still sitting on the floor, lost in thought. "Sun, Smoke, shouldn't we be heading out now?" Rock asked.

"Oh, right." Both responded at the same time.

"Didn't you two wake up earlier than us? Don't tell me you spend all that time just sitting there thinking about the hunt."

"We have to make sure this hunt will be successful," Sun said while clapping his hands together. "We can't just wrestle a deer to the ground." Smoke hands him his coat.

"Why not?"

Sun paused before grabbing his coat. "Well first, we have to catch it before you could wrestle the deer. Second, most of us are injured. And third, we need to kill our prey as quickly as possible."

"Alright, good enough reason, I guess."

Before leaving, brothers blocked their doors with wooden planks leaning against the door and piles of broken crates and barrels. The brothers left for the building their mothers are being held at. They were held in a cottage with a tent hoist up above it, acting as a roof because the building's original roof was gone. There was a hole in the middle to let the smoke out from the fireplace. The barn was being reinforced to prevent another group of rogue goblins from breaking in and raping the women without the chief's permission. The brothers wanted to talk to their mothers before heading out.

Sun's mother was in the back, inside a makeshift room with tables as walls. She was far from the fireplace, which concerned Sun. He walked to Flute to ask her. "Excuse me, Flute. Why is my mom in the back?"

"She want to be in back. Don't know why."

Sun was suspicious, but Flute has never done anything that would lead him to believe that she would harm his mother. He took her words and didn't ask any further. Sun entered the room and saw her mother leaning against the wall with her hands behind her back. She looked wary at first, but when she noticed it was only Sun, her body relax for just a tiny bit. "Hey, mom. How are you doing?" She grunted and nodded her head. The side effects have yet to disappear; her throat remains still hurts when she attempts to talk.

Her so-called room was small and cramped. Sun could barely fit himself inside despite his short stature. The walls of the room were filled with strange symbols. Sun wondered if this was her people's written language, or if her sanity has crumbled to the point of writing odd shapes and letters for comfort. He hopes it is the former. However, that will be unideal for Sun. "Mom, look what I found at the house we were staying." Sun took out the diary his brothers were reading last night from his bag. He brought the bag with him to carry supplies for the hunt. He hopes that reading it may help her condition. Of course, he plans to make a happy ending at the end.

He sat close to her to show her the pages. She tilted her head as she stared at the content. Sun began to read the diary, and her mother listened intently. "Dear diary. Today daddy bought me you at the farmer's market. I was so excited that once I got home, I took my pencil and start," Suddenly, Sun's mother grabbed the book off his hands and put it closer to her face. Her eyes rocked back and forth as she read the page. She looked at the symbols on the wall in a daze. Sun slowly reached for the book, but she noticed and placed it on her chest in a defensive post. "Sorry, mom. I just. Are you ok?"

She nodded back, and her body relaxed again. She pointed at the book and then on to her. Sun realized what she meant. "You want to keep the book?" She nodded while hugging the book. Her eyes fixated on Sun and had a glossy reflection. She looked like a puppy begging for a treat. "Well, ok. Just don't do anything crazy ok? And if anything happens, ask Flute. The boys and I are going hunting. I'll see if I can come back before the sun sets, but if not. We'll come back tomorrow."

The brothers left after talking to their mothers. The caretakers were still feeding them that purple stuff, just in low doses. The brothers reached the small hill north of the village. There was a small temple ruin where the chief and his retainers were. Once at the top, the brothers looked at the scenery of the village. Straight to the south lies the field and the shed where Stick and Smoke met Cloud and his men. To the east was their cottage far from any other buildings. Close by their cottage was the building that is housing the slaves and their mothers. And to the west, a wall made of sticks, planks, and logs that separates the tribe and the forest. A gate with a small tower allowed goblins to enter and exit to and from the forest.

Sun found it strange that the sun raised on the western side. But maybe its because that was the east and he got his directions wrong. But the temple behind typically aligned west-east. That's always been the case, at least for the house worships from his past life.

Before he could finish his thoughts someone called out to them, "Are you children ready?" Behind them was Cloud.

"Ready as we'll ever be!" The brothers said in unison.

"Good! Come, I have a lot to talk about." They followed Cloud inside. The hall was filled to brim with weapons in all manner. Spears, clubs, arrows, and bows decorated the floor and on the walls. Cloud turned around and opened his arms. "All of these weapons you see here are free to use by the hunters of our tribe! Every able goblin must hunt at least once a week. You can take anything here."

Rock raised his hands. "Can we keep the weapons."

"No. After hunting, you give back the weapon you took from here to the goblins guarding the western gate along with your game."

"So, we don't keep what we hunted?" Smoke said.

"No, you can keep 'em. But you must give a big portion of your game to the guards. Those portions will be smoked and kept in the building with the red roof. Goblins will go there to get their ration for the winter." Cloud then guided the goblins to a small table at the end of the hall. On the table were four spears, two bows, two quivers filled with four arrows each, and four water pouches. "These will be your weapons for the hunt, newly made by me."

"Do they need new weapons? New weapons waste on halflings." Leaning at the front door was another goblin wearing a pointy helmet painted red at the very tip.

"Halflings that Tama and his followers," Cloud responded with a cold tone.

"So? Salacity knows they lucky. Tama too h.o.r.n.y. Tama can't fight right." He walked towards them while tilting his head every word he says. "Salacity see them no strong. Salacity see them as halflings." Stick reached over the table slowly to the spear. As Salacity gets closer, his body started to look bigger and bigger to the brothers, as if towering over them despite having the same height as them.

Cloud stepped in front of the goblins. "Enough, Salacity. Leave them alone." He says while his legs were shaking. No, his whole body was shaking. Fear has overtaken Cloud's body. But Cloud knows that Salacity can't do anything against him. Chief finds him too valuable to lose. Salacity knows this as well. Salacity's face was a finger away from Cloud's face. His eyes seemed to have petrified Cloud in place. Stick was about to lunge at Salacity, but Smoke blocked him with his arm. The brothers can't risk getting into a fight right now.

Salacity backed off and giggled to himself then turned to the brothers. "Well, halflings. Time to hunt. Salacity guide you to gate. There Salacity show how use the bow. And no worry, Cloud." He placed his hands on top of Cloud shoulder. "Salacity will no do nothing bad."

Salacity leads the front as Cloud, and the brothers followed. Stick looked at Cloud with pity in his eyes.