The skies were slowly colored by the beautiful sun palette – the East promised a summer day with its deep red disc half-way squeezing out of the horizon. Every villager knew that if the sun disc upon showing was deep red – the day ahead would be awfully stuffy and hot.
Therefore, many people would stock up on water before leaving for the fieldwork. Moreover, old women would hurry and place hanging upside-down herbs in a shadowy place as the drying process might be disturbed by the strong sun rays during the day – and instead of dried plants, one would end up with burned ones.
Ah, wonders of the sun!
The men glanced over now and then; such beauty was hard to ignore. The skies were fading colors of red, pink, and orange whilst the land behind them was covered by a blueish mist that refused to let any skilled artist see what was beyond the elevated horizon.
Bave led the team and the men were separated by one free horse, forming a balanced column as it did not allow the weight-less horses to run faster since they could outrun these who had to carry. Now and then one could hear commanding words of 'deeh' or 'ehh' which made the animals run either faster or slow down.
Fresh air whipped the men's faces and its piercing sound was mixed with early-awoke cicadas that were chirping in the morning mist. Kal and Koh watched Bave's back who coordinated in the front. Somewhat the men thought, both of them, how young their captain was.
Although his body had developed a strong built, which was not surprising from the amount of work he had to do as a leading figure in the Association Bar, they often thought that he was too young to carry such a burden.
Besides, they also wondered what drove him to do so? His family was affluent, or at least better off than many other Balhkaran people. His father owned quite a lot of fields whilst his mother worked on her pastry business as everyone liked Tsana's banitsa rolls.
His sister, she also had her own business with traditional pottery. It was a well-known shop that distributed different decorative containers and kitchen utensils across the kingdom. Bave did not disappoint as a member of the Baht household.
He was a well-known name even beyond the kingdom. So, Kal and Koh often thought that if Bave stepped down from the Association – he wouldn't suffer much. He could always find a job or help the family business. Besides, he had quite a range of choices.
He could join his father in the fields or help his mother with her banicharnitsa or even partner-up with his sister to distribute pottery. These were good slots of choice as many villagers had only one business – often either agriculture-related or restaurants. It was rare for a household to have three different businesses.
The two hunters noticed Bave was slowly picking up the pace and both took a note from the vast fields ahead. There were at least four or five miles, just about eight kilometers, ahead that could allow the horses to go wild.
The three men excitedly yelled "DEEH!", and so did the horses follow with their best galloping. Kal, Koh, and Bave were having fun despite the unknown that awaited. However, they could not miss the feeling of galloping through the fields of Balhkara.
Green and yellow colors blurred into the distance as the sunflowers were baited by the beauty of the Sun. Across the bare grassy lands, there were sunflower fields with evergreen trees that barred them away from strong winds.
The nearby ocean often would bring disastrous winds during winter, so these trees were there to protect the fields and anyone who crossed them.
After a half of an hour galloping, the men finally saw into the distance the beginning of the forest. Bave gestured with the bridle pulled back, which was connected to the horse's strong neck, commanding by a loud 'EHH' sound to hint the horse that it had to slow down and eventually stop.
Kal and Koh did the same, as they agreed before departing that Bave had to rest before the last mile to entering the forest. Besides, the men needed to have their breakfast – the hangover from last night was not so bad but they felt awfully hungry.
Once the horses finally brought the galloping to an end, the three men hopped off to find a suitable place for rest. They tied the animals to a nearby tree and decided to camp there. Bave took off his luggage and was the first to rush and drink some water.
One who has never ridden a horse would not imagine it, but the whipping wind could quickly dry any saliva in one's mouth. Kal and Koh, on the other hand, began unpacking most necessary things as the rest would probably last just an hour or two – enough for them to eat and for Bave to rest.
It was still daytime, so they didn't have to switch horses as the plan was to ride the massive black ones during the night. These beasts were suitable for the dangers of the night.
"Whew, that felt amazing!", Kal stretched his back and positioned his palms on each side of his torso.
"Yeah, I agree. We don't get many chances to gallop on relatively even grounds.", Koh commented whilst carrying a big bag with water and food before dropping it onto the ground near the tree.
Bave, on the other hand, was quiet and listened to his friends whilst getting a spot ready for his catnap. The less he talked, the more time he could have to rest. Since conversations with his teammates could last for hours and he did not want to start any – else, he would not rest.
Kal and Koh knew and so did not bother him, the young man really needed to rest. If the leader of any kind – even amongst animals, was unfit to lead in any dangerous situation – that could result in a complete disaster.
Therefore, Kal and Koh actually preferred to enjoy the early hours of the noon on their own rather than have Bave stay up and chatter with them.
The hunters finally adjusted next to the tree – Kal and Koh faced each other whilst unpacking some food their wives packed from the night before.
Such sweet women, they thought! Not only did they cleaned the house, put the kids to sleep, and cooked lots of delicious food but even stayed up until late to wait for their husbands.
Men in Balhkara were known for their tremendous respect towards women, in fact, many of their ancient rituals and festivals rather glorified the existence of a woman than of a man.
On the other hand, women in Balhkara could pride themselves with the masculine presence that protected these lands and cared for their future. Despite all the hardships that the kingdom went through, the spirit of the country had hardly changed from the Tulo times.
They still treasured equally so the feminine and masculine existence.
Whilst Bave was napping, and it did not take long for him to drift off, Kal and Koh munched on a bunch of delicious food. Both of them missed Balhkaran traditional cuisine; after so long they could taste something homemade – they could taste the love.
The men snacked and snacked before they decided Bave had completely fallen asleep, so a bit of chatting would not wake him up.
"Do you think that we will really find the Nominalia?", Koh was still munching his bite through but could not resist asking Kal for his opinion.
"I don't know…", Kal swallowed down and looked into the distant forest.
"To tell you the truth, I didn't even imagine this book was still around. Wasn't there a rumor that it had burned along with important documents during the 'Palace Accident'?"
"Yeah…I remember that one. Then again, how much can you trust anything that comes from the current ruling class?", Koh shrugged and fiddled with his bitten piece of home-baked bread.
"I know that Bave is rarely wrong but I am worried that it could be a trap."
Kal and Koh knew that Bave had a lot of enemies. After all, there were such who envied his rank and success, there were such that also despised him for ruining conspiracies and black-market deals.
He was like a dangerous dog that could sniff out any secret and danger. Their last mission, for example, was a success because Bave was a step ahead in his strategy and they managed to retrieve a lot of antiquities which were trafficked outside Vlarik – a neighboring kingdom.
"Yeah, I could see that. Bave is not really liked.", Koh nodded and brought the bread to his lips for another bite.
"Besides, we are not under the protection of the Association Bar. I don't know what might happen but we cannot stop other hunters from attacking us as this is a private mission."
"Ha! Let them attack us! And better not be the Resti team! These annoying bunch of brats!", Kal quickly grew hostile as he quite disliked anyone from the Resti guild. They were known for using underhanded methods in carrying out a mission.
"Shhhh! Don't yell, you will wake him up! You know his hearing sense is unmatchable.", Koh worried that they were too loud and Bave wouldn't manage to rest.
"Ah right…", Kal swallowed his anger and started chuckling.
"Remember when he couldn't fall asleep in one of the guesthouses that we stayed at? I couldn't hear it myself but he, ahahahah…"
"Ahahaha! Right! What it was…", Koh was trying to remember Bave's exact words from that night.
"'Can't they keep it down when adoring…'", Kal began the quote and Koh joined him quick enough, "'…adoring each other!!'"
"'Adoring', ahahahaha!", Koh repeated the keyword and bent forth in his muffled way of laughing.
Their captain was quite reserved for a hunter captain since hunters, in general, were known for the profanity. He would never say insulting words or curse – so when he was annoyed at a couple that was indulging each other for the night, Bave could not help but grumble.
Yet, he couldn't even say the word "fucking" when it was most appropriate.
The conversation finally ceased and the men slowly started to pack their stuff as they did not want to do it at the last minute. It was better to have Bave wake-up and depart than having him wait for them to pack.
Time was essential - it could be an ally and it could be a foe.