If you stop for a second to think, silence is just the absence of noise. A noise that can calm you down or indicate the beginning of the disturbance. If you keep your eyes closed and only listen to the silence for a second, you will be able to detect the beating of the forest and how the seeing moves the leaves of the trees, as the squirrels hit the nuts against the trunks, as the ants drag the grains through the ground and the chewing of the grass in the mouth of a perfect copy of Qilin.
-I got it. -said the long-haired boy who had been listening to the forest for a long time.
The other man had been reclining in the shade for a while, practically asleep on the roots. He wore old hunting clothes, thick and old leather, exposing half chest on the side. His hair was dark in drag and pulled up in a high ponytail so it would not bother him. Short beard but little groomed. You could distinguish a large scar that ran from the shoulder to below the forearm in the area of the body discovered. But nevertheless, his eyes of an orange tone like the sunset was what more called the attention of this man. He seemed a barbarian.
-Finally brother. -Said the man with orange eyes. He stretched his arms from side to side and cleared his throat as he had fallen asleep from waiting.
Next to him, on the floor, was a perfectly carved bow with Nordic symbols and arrows with feathers of different birds. He took it with him, putting it on his back, leaving the bowstring just in the area that still covered his clothes.
-And well What we have? - said the orange-eyed man approaching his brother.
-It's a Qilin. I would say one ton more or less. It's about twelve miles from here in that direction. - I assure the long-haired brother looking in the direction where I had heard him.
He looked completely different from his brother. His clothes were much lighter, barely covered by a linen shirt that fit perfectly to his body, and slightly opened by a pair of buttons that showed a copper medallion hanging from his chest. His dark mahogany hair, dishevelled, hung down to shoulder height. His beard was shorter and more trim than his brother's, with a thin layer above and below his lip. However, his eyes were a clear green that looked like you could see through them.
- Very good, Little Brother. Time to hunt For a Qilin they will pay us well and the old man will not have to complain for a long time. "He put his hands on his knees to push himself up and stand up. His brother did not take long to follow in his footsteps. She picked up a threadbare cloth that hung from her purse and tied it in her right hand as if it were a bandage. - The first one who arrives there without alerting the beast wins, and whoever loses. He smiled mischievously. - Pay for tonight's beer.
-Sounds really good. Would you cheat again like the last time? -said the green-eyed brother, carrying a large sack on his back which, judging by the noise, seemed full of metal weapons.
-Ah ... When did I cheat? -He answered offended, but by the time his brother went to answer, he had already run in the direction of the beast.
He only had time to take his weapon from the ground and run after his brother which took him a few seconds ahead.
Both ran through the forest, avoiding every tree that stood in their way. They ran at an abnormal speed to be human, or at least that seemed. They barely reached their goal in a couple of minutes, being the green-eyed brother who would win the race.
-As an always little brother,- said the orange-eyed shoulder, trying to catch his breath. - You're still the fastest of our two.
-Don't doubt it. And by the way, Did you just cheat again? -said satisfied with his victory after all but his brother didn't answer just laugh about it- Well, how do you want to do it?
- Do you still have the roots of Carambul? I will attract it to me to weaken it, you take care of the trap.
The green-eyed brother brought his hand to the back where his belt was, there were six small test tubes each with different contents. I take one of them blindly but knowing full well what it contained.
-Here. Give me fifteen minutes to fix the terrain.
His brother nodded taking the test tube in his hand and putting it in his clothes. Then he turned to the tree that had the largest trunk and began to climb until he could reach the most solid branch. He sat there and watched closely as, less than half a mile away, the Qilin was grazing peacefully. The pupils of his eyes opened and closed as if they were adapting to the focus of sight, with it he had the ability to be able to observe even the smallest detail at a great distance and seem to be right in front of his eyes.
I carefully contemplate the creature in search of some kind of weakness where it could strike the first blow. No doubt it was a magnificent beast: its body was large and wide, could easily double the size of a forest bear, but its fur was the difference with a bear, it was a dark blue tone that could easily be confused with the sky of a moonlit night. The two front legs were like those of a giant bird, with its great claws digging into the ground, but the hind legs were like those of a dog, it surely helped him reach great speeds. The most striking and dangerous of a Qilin without a doubt was the tail: long and slender, divided into two parts a thicker and another finer, ending in a point which was full of feathers of beautiful colours that simulated the sunset. However, what struck him most was the horns of a deer that came out of his head, as he could see them slightly chipped as they would have received great damage. His intuition told him that was the weak point.
He looked at his brother who was on the ground placing ropes between bushes and trees. I try to get his attention by throwing a branch of the tree until his brother looked back. Then I imitate some horns on his head to tell his brother that there is where they should take the dress.
A few minutes passed until the two were finally ready to start their manoeuvre but still too far away for a clean shot. The brother with the orange eyes took out of his pocket the bottle that his brother had given him with the roots of Carambul. He took them in his hand and rubbed them against the branch, then raised them to his lips and blew lightly, for a second it seemed as if a slight spark was coming out of his mouth and setting the roots on fire. These burned for a few minutes, leaving a very characteristic smell in the air, which soon caught the attention of the beast, which began to walk in the direction of the brothers. When at last the beast came close enough to be fired, I put an arrow on its bow and pointed at the beast in search of the right moment.
I breathe deeply, lowering the pulsations and being able to concentrate his gaze from the tip of the arrow to the exact place where his eyes looked as if he were observing a small invisible line from one end to the other. And then, he released.
The arrow struck the right thigh of the beast. This one cry by the pain and was forced to leave its tranquillity in the grass to run of the danger. But what he did not know was that where he went, it was where the brothers had set the trap.
The beast deviated from the route between tree and tree so he had to throw more arrows, this time to the ground, to scare the beast and redirect it back to the path he wanted. The beast spread in a panic running from one side to another, but at the same time imposed fear because it broke the trunks of trees in its path, and the strength of its tail slit the wood as if it were a blade. The animals and birds nearby fled alerted by the cries of the beast and even so she went straight to her destination.
The other brother waited patiently for the frightened creature to approach his little hiding place. By then, the jump and the grip of a horn carrying with a force on human towards the ground. This forced the animal to drag its body toward the ground, which caused it to trip and fly its entire body forward until it hit the trunk of the tree. By then the body of the beast had split in two and he held the horn in his hands. No doubt he was much weaker than they thought. I throw the horn to the ground and run to release the rope that held the net which fell on the beast.
The archer, under a jump from the branch of that tree and watched the beast which struggled to leave the network. His back leg was stained with blood from the wound and he could only think that he would have to wash the skin later if he wanted to take advantage of it.
-Kain, are you still have the Grandpa's knife? -said the brother of the dragons without taking his eyes from the beast.
-Yes, but it's in the bag give me a second. - answered Kain.
-Never mind. -He said. He approached the head of the beast and grabbed the horn that was still forcing her to immobilize the head. It growled desperately, but by then, he had sunk his hand into the beast's throat and by then there was only silence. - It was just in case I could avoid staining my hand.
I take my hand from the animal's throat and the blood stops as if from a fountain towards the ground. She shook her hand trying to get rid of the blood that had stained her to the fabric she wore from the bandage on her hand.
-Ey Eliot! - Kain advised his brother to give him one of the rags he had worn all day as a belt for his pants.
-Well, that considered a little brother. - he joked to his brother. He washed his hands with the cloth and looked back at the beast. - It would be better if we hurry to grab it. The sunset is approaching and if a Niïm sees us with him we will have problems.
-Seem right.- replied Kain, removing the ropes that surrounded the beast.- Besides, I'd like to charge me that beer now that we're not that far from the town.
Eliot gave a small laugh, but that was to say, it was true, he had lost the race.
-Well, let's finish this as soon as possible and go to the tavern.