In just two hours Bave managed to fix the wood-shed although he had to use an old method of connecting the wooden blocks which did not require a single hammered nail. Even though the method was more time-consuming, he did not want to wake anyone up with the loud drums of the hammer.
He wanted to clean the basement as well but he was tight on time and unfortunately, he could do only that much. Once he fixed the shelter for woods, he ordered the columns of heavy chunks to spare his father from lifting such weight.
His eyes kept following the movements of the stars as it was the only way to tell the time. People from Balhkara were well-taught how to read the stars although no one could compare to the great knowledge Tulo had about the skies.
Some even claimed that a well-educated Tulo leader could even read his fate in the stars. Bave always looked up, wondering what his fate was like. However, sometimes he was grateful he lacked such knowledge.
He couldn't imagine what would feel like to learn, in such a way, that the passing of the night could possibly be one's last before his death. That quickly made him wonder whether Tuge, the last King, saw his destiny. If he did, Bave thought, then why did he let it be?
That made him believe that it probably was some fabricated story about Tulo, one of these crafty old women probably tried to patch up the lacking information about the clan. Probably.
Once the brightest star moved to the west, he knew it was time to get moving. The Crescent was soon to set and the dawn approached. He paced to the outside stone sink, twisting the faucet open to wash his sweating nape and clean the tiredness away with cold water.
He had another long day ahead and has not slept for more than forty-eight hours. He could afford it though, the first few miles away from Udeos were peaceful fields. No danger was anticipated through there; they could stop before entering the forest, so he could catnap. It was a sound plan.
Small droplets dripped from the contours of his jawline; a heavy sigh escaped his strong chest. He had a plan for how to reach Luse in just two days, and he had faith in his teammates' abilities. However, pass the forest – he did not know what to expect.
If other hunters also planned to head for Luse, it was very probable that there would hunters from foreign lands and even bandits trailing them. Without the Association of Hunters Bar protection, any team would be vulnerable.
Contracts with the Association gave exclusive protection to any hunter but private missions were dangerous – therefore, not many wanted to do it and yet when did it, the payment would often be seen as 'worth it'.
Bave began preparing for the trip. He picked the hidden key from under the clay vase and went to his bedroom to change clothes. It was unsuitable for him to wear the Association Bar's uniform if they were on their own.
Besides, he needed something less stiff. The uniform was too fancy for his taste, not to mention the golden crest on the clothing back which made him draw attention wherever he went.
Such golden emblem was assigned only to the best of hunter captains in the world – only four such existed from the Association Bar's establishment until now.
He tightened the robes and strings, attached his sword belt, and packed his bag with weapons and water. Of course, he did not miss to pack his mother's homemade banitsa.
Such a dish was hard to resist, at least hard for Bave to resist. The young hunter made his way to the horse-house where his family kept two black and three white horses. He rubbed his chin as looked from side to side, wondering which to pick.
The horse he used to come to Balhkara was resting, there was no way for him to use a tired horse. So he thought, he'd take one white and one black – white for during the day and black for during the night, good to camouflage and avoid drawing unnecessary attention.
He had also instructed Kal and Koh to do the same – each one of them needed two horses. One of the horses would be free from the weight and run along whilst the other would carry them and their baggage. That way, they could switch horses.
Even though both horses would run at equal speed, the weight-less horse would be less tired to carry a few additional miles. It was a gamble whether it would work or not, but they could not afford much time spent on rest.
Just before the first rays of the sun peaked from the horizon and the roosters crowed, Bave made it to an old cave where their meeting place was planned to be. From the narrowed pathway, he could see both Kal and Koh waiting for him.
As instructed, the males also had brought along two horses each – one white and one black. They brightened up, seeing their captain in casual clothing. It was rare to wear anything else but the Association Bar's uniform.
They also had picked similar clothing, worn-out but loose. It would at least offer some comfort for their tired bodies.
The morning was chilly and from the far, they could hear villages waking up as the murmur of people clustered enough to carry the liveliness of the land far into the fields. Upon approaching, Kal and Koh could see that Bave had not slept.
His complexion was still pale and his eyes were tired, glistening from the need for rest. However, they did not worry nor nag him.
Through the years they have spent together, Bave had proven not only once that he could carry on during stressful and tiresome missions, so that was quite common to see their teammate pull an all-nighter or two.
"Good morning!", greeted Bave which boosted the men up on their feet from the sitting position they had taken for the last ten minutes.
"Not sure we can greet the same. Did you even sleep?", Koh shook his head.
"Yeah, the young boy thinks he can pull it off. You gotta rest before we enter the forest.", Kal adopted his parent-like demeanor.
Bave chuckled and gestured with a hand to beckon them to get on their horses,
"I will rest in a few hours, let's get going before people start occupying the pathways."
The three hunters took control of the horses, making sure the weight-less ones would be well connected to the small harras of horses.
It took them around five minutes to set off to the north-east, the first destination was Shimeo – a major city exactly half-way before one would reach Luse.