They said that 'A raven does not pick out another raven's eye' – that was to say, one did not attack their own. That was the golden rule at the Association of Hunters Bar.
Kal, Koh, and Bave expected any type of danger – from the wild beasts to bandits and even foreign hunters trying to steal the reward, but being attacked by your own? No way!
Bave refused to believe it. It had to be some deception or a type of strategy. Maybe... maybe some bandits managed to get their hands on the Association Bar logo and staged the scene?
It had to be a staged scene. The Association Bar had no reason to hunt them. Moreover, Bave's guild, The Concealers, had numerous deserved awards and rewards for their services.
It was unthinkable to think that anyone from the Association Bar would suggest, and even more, vote for hunting them down. Furthermore, Bave wasn't sure whether the attackers wanted to kill them or capture them, or possibly just delay them and nothing more?
The captain saw a riverbank ahead, he could not estimate whether it was safe to pass through, especially that they had three unridden horses that were hard to control.
He looked over his shoulder, Kal and Koh cautiously followed and tried to keep track of Bave whilst struggling to keep the horses in a column. The forest was growing ever so dark the deeper they galloped in.
Bave swung his sword and cut the rope that connected his horse to the column and pulled the bridle to make a turn.
"Keep going! Do not stop no matter what! I will catch up to you!", said in a hurry, the young leader passed by Kal and Koh who did not question the decision, nor did they look at their captain.
They saw the river bank and understood that it was unlikely for the enemy to attack in the waters from close-range but if the harras of horses happened to be stuck or fall victim to the waters, they would be definitely captured.
They sheathed their swords and prepared for the worst.
Kal took over and the vertical position of horses soon was reordered whilst the men paid close attention to the ropes as it was easy to get entangled in times of chaos.
The two hunters galloped into the river waters and it seemed to be deep enough to slow their horses down. Loud and commanding voices directed the animals how to act within waters and none of the hunters looked behind.
It was not a question of trust that their captain was okay, it was how their guild's philosophy was – keep going no matter what!
The pack was disturbed by the currents of the water, and Koh hopped off his horse which was the last from the column. His body soaked in the cold river up to his torso, his clothes grew heavier but the sturdy man aligned behind the pack of horses and kept pushing and rushing his own horse.
That way the animals were urged from behind and started pulling faster and faster. Kal, on the other hand, had to remain on his horse and direct the column.
It was a nerve-breaking situation. If just one horse broke from the pack, everything could go wrong. They could lose their means of transportation, they could end up injured from the disorientated horses, and even worse, they could get killed.
"Push!", Kal yelled to encourage his friend and not really scold although from aside it looked like both of them were angry. However, it was just how intense the situation was.
"I am pushing! Keep it straight! The left side looks deeper, don't go there!", Koh was observing from behind whilst Kal kept his eyes dead-set on the current of the water.
They had just a bit left before the first horse was to step up and lead the way onto the land.
"Who do you think you're talking to, boy!", Kal cracked a nervous smile, priding himself with his recently won award for best horse rider in the Association of Bars.
Therefore, he was second-in-command when it came to taking over, in case their captain could not lead.
"Ha! You show off!", Koh growled through laughter, pushing with his tired body. They had to keep the atmosphere running, somewhat, as the situation was disheartening.
Besides, Koh could feel his legs growing weaker from the intense muscle work under the water. Pushing a huge horse to urge a whole harras of stallions, it was not so easy as it sounded!
The first horse finally made contact with the land on the other side, it took them five minutes but if it sounded that it was not that long – it was actually a huge delay. In fact, it took only a second to get entrapped and killed, so five minutes was the time that they probably owned to Bave.
The shower of arrows had not tailed them which proved them right – the main target was their captain. However, that was not a reason for them to relax. It was very probable that close-range attackers could have been waiting for them to cross the river and begin the second wave of offense.
A few more pushes and Koh finally took the last horse out the water. His breathing was heavy and if it weren't for his soaked clothes, one would see the tremendous muscle-work that took place. He could feel his body sweating despite being in the water.
The hunter emerged out of the river grasp although unsteadily as his clothes and weapons felt stone-heavy. However, he did not want to delay the pack anymore, so he jumped up on his horse and both of them directed the harras north-east where they had to go originally to.
Of course, both of them were worried about Bave but their captain's command was to keep going. There was no way in hell they would disobey such a firm and important command. It was an absolute command.
"DEEH!", the men yelled in unison, urging the horses to resume galloping. Both of them were confused regarding what just happened but they could not afford the luxury of rationalizing right now.
Thanks to Bave, the trip continued just according to their plan. All that was left now, was to reunite with their captain – somewhere and somehow.