To Save a World Ch. 06

"Ack" Trasnu protested. "The hell do you mean, you runt! Of course I'm back!" But he was grinning at her happily as well. "Scars looks pretty striking huh? I reckon it even looks mighty dashing. "

Serche and Aaron soon followed the small bundle of enthusiasm that was Lydia. The trio was obviously woken from slumber, and were dressed haphazardly.

"Ah, dear shaman! It's good I didn't have to see your lust-drunken state. I assume everything went well then? Wait no -- don't answer that, I already know. The three of you reek of it. Let go of me, you filthy thing!" The older man scolded Lydia playfully, "Its bad manners to hug proper gentlemen while smelling like depravity!"

"You're back!" Aaron exclaimed happily, still a little groggy from sleep. "It's been eight days! We've been getting worried. And your face... your shoulders..."

"And you," Trasnu responded, "Still smell. Dreadfully. Off to the river, you miscreants! Your scents offend this old, sensitive nose. Do it quick! We have a lot of things to do yet! If you're good, I'll even tell you the story of how I got these scars..."

So driven, the three shuffled off to bathe and wake themselves. After a while, they had discovered that Trasnu had prepared breakfast, but did not cook. "Ah, much better. Hurry, hurry!" Trasnu urged, handing them died fruits, nuts, and meat jerky. He himself was already chewing eagerly on trail fare. "Come, let's eat on the way! It's still quite a ways off."

"What is?" Aaron asked curiously, nibbling on his breakfast as they made their way out of their camp. They travelled south, following the flow of the river. Trasnu lead, the three fanned out behind him.

Trasnu looked back, grinning fiercely. "My loot. My spoils of war."

Lydia perked up, falling for his bait effortlessly. "Your what? " She gasped, her eyes wide in the way that it did when she was expecting a good story. Her gaze flicked wonderingly to the three short diagonal lines that started from Trasnu's right jaw and extended to just beside his nose.

Trasnu laughed at her adorable enthusiasm. "You'll see. I wanted to bring it closer to the camp, but I was delayed already as it is, so I decided to at least announce myself before you three start to mourn me."

"Ugh, we were really worried! It's been three days, you know! And you had that cursed wound and all."

Trasnu snorted. "And I suppose you drowned your sorrows with sex till Aaron's dick fell off?" He turned to Aaron, "How about it boy, is it still there?"

Lydia had the grace to look embarrassed, her cheeks tinged with color. "Hey! Not funny, you old dog." She scolded, punching the old man in the arm.

"She's right." Serche said seriously. "There's no way Aaron's dick would fall off that easily."

Trasnu stumbled on his path. The silence that slammed into the group was so thick that Serche regretted her whole existence in a matter of seconds. And then Trasnu guffawed. It wasn't just laughter -- it was pure, unadulterated glee. It set off Lydia, and then Aaron, and finally even Serche succumbed to the humor of the situation. They stopped their trek for a full five minutes, just laughing, and talking lightheartedly in between.

Eventually, Trasnu picked up the slack naturally, calling out for them to get a move on. "Ahh," He sighed happily. "Nothing like a good, free wilding to loosen someone up, huh?" Trasnu paused, realizing the possible double meaning of his words, and the group erupted into laughter once again. Shaking his head good naturedly, the older hunter led them in a straight path towards his goal.

It took the group quite a long time. They had left the camp early in the morning, and had arrived in around high noon. Aaron didn't mind all that much, though -- it was a welcome break. That, and the atmosphere of the group was definitely more at ease with the return of the hunter. When Trasnu finally stopped, he made a show of dusting himself before reaching out to theatrically sweep away the tangle of bushes that blocked their view of their destination. Aaron had a distinct feeling that the showman had planned for this particular angle of entry just so he could do a marvelous reveal -- but he wasn't complaining.

Aaron craned his neck to see past Trasnu's body, into the clearing -- and then he gasped. "Holy fucking shit." He exclaimed under his breath, unconsciously.

In front of him was a generous mound of meat. Literal meat. It was like a slaughterhouse upped and laid all of their goods into this small clearing in the middle of nowhere. There were several whole pieces of skinned and dried venison, boar, and some quartered red meat that he wouldn't have been able to identify if not for it's fur coat laying right next to it.

"Is that a bear?" Lydia exclaimed, eyes huge. "It's massive! "

"Isn't it?" Trasnu said proudly. "Right tough bastard to kill. That was what gave me this scar as we were falling down fifty feet from a giant tree that I climbed while half dead."

"Whoa whoa whoa" Aaron couldn't help himself. "Hold the hell up. Start from the beginning, will you?"

Trasnu laughed delightedly, eager to finally tell the story that everyone could see he was bursting to perform. "Very well, since you young'uns are so insistent. But first, let's get all of these squared off -- it's a long way back to camp so we'll talk along the way."

The trek back should have been harder, laden as they were with all of Trasnu's bountiful spoils. Yet it passed by quickly, for they had Trasnu's story to listen to. Lydia determinedly ohh-ed and ahh-ed at the appropriate times, keeping half of her attention on the road and half on the story telling Rakan. Trasnu even forgot to be strict about their manner of passing, so engrossed was he with telling his own story, and so the group trampled the forest floor with little regard for stealth and subtlety. It was refreshing.

And what a story it was. By the time the group reached the camp, Aaron and Lydia gazed at Trasnu with childish wonder, while Serche had a look in her eyes that could even be approximated as respect.

"And that's" Trasnu huffed, setting down his load in the great hall. "How I got there scars. T'was the bear's sign of farewell, his badge of respect for a worthy enemy."

"That's amazing!" Lydia enthused. The group set all their burdens down, the simple log table in the hall overflowed with meats in various cuts and bundles. Aaron hurried off to get a drink of water from a clay pot, gulping it down thirstily.

"And how much of those is actually true, old dog?" Serche tested good-naturedly.

Trasnu grinned at her, while he gestured at the expansive bearskin. "The proof's in the pie. The fruit cake. The pudding -- whatever dessert that was supposed to be."

"Well, I suppose." Serche gazed at the hide. It was huge. The whole thing, expanded on its full width and length, could fit the four of them easily if they lay shoulder to shoulder. And as far as she could tell, there was no sign of rot or damage that would indicate that the creature was already dead when Trasnu harvested the skin.

She shook her head in wonder. Fifty feet, half-dead from severe injuries and only half-sane from his battlerage. Trasnu was a terrifying madman.

"Speaking of stories!" Lydia exclaimed, an eager grin splitting her face. "You weren't the only one with stuff to tell. We were busy too!"

The hunter wrinkled his nose. "I can tell. Please have mercy and spare me the sordid details of your youthful rutting."

"Wha -- That's not it, you stupid old dog!" Lydia stuttered, embarrassed. "Serche's wilding only lasted for five days, so after that she wasn't as eager anymore." Then she paused. "Well, she still was. But at least she could already talk, then."

"Wait!" Serche panicked. "Please don't mention such things so casually --"

"Anyway, we did work! Real work! Come with me, and be amazed!" Lydia pulled on Trasnu's arm. Looking around, the Rakan hunter noticed that the rest of the group were all too eager to follow the young woman. No matter how reserved she'd like to act, Trasnu could tell that even Serche was practically bouncing with enthusiasm. Lydia led him to a well-worn path to the river, his curiosity mounting with each step.

Finally, Trasnu parted the final obstacle and emerged at the river bank. What he saw halted his steps and made his eyes go round. He whistled, long and disbelieving.

"Wow, that's certainly something." He said.

"Isn't it?" Lydia enthused, eagerly coming up beside him. "We call it Paradise Lost."

* * *

And there you have it! What do you guys think? What is this thing called the Paradise Lost, and when in the ever-loving heck are they going to get out of that stupid jungle anyway?

Feedback and ratings always appreciated!