'Damn, if we can't find food soon we are going are going to starve today' Pipin said frustrated, up the trees scouring the woods hopes of finding meat.
'oh wel we can always eat appels' he added
'I would rather die,' bokser interrupted
'are you sure you don't see anything up there' asked, covering his eyes for the sunlight.
'Why don't you come up and check for yourself'
'And fall again by breaking the branch? No way!' he said. Boksers belly rumbled, making unusual moves '''maaan I'm so hungry, if I don't eat, I might eat you tonight'
Pipin's eyes widened, he climbed back down, making his last big jump when there weren't any offshoots to jump down upon.
'I did see something! we need to hurry follow me'
'you know I was kidding about eating you right' bokser said. Jumping over the bushes, rushing over the undergrowth, Pipin would run further to the south of their camp, Boksen far behind, trying to get Pippins attention.
Boksen's body fat would wildly jiggle, his man breast flapping in all the directions, he was sweating water buckets. When he heard a loud scream two minutes ahead of them, he yelled one more time for an answer: 'What are we heading towards'
Pipin completely stopped, holding his arm out, signaling to Bokser to do the same, then pointed forward. One-hundred meters ahead of them there was a catlike creature feasting on a goblin. The beast was huge, as long as a car and was just as big as the boys. It's teeth were razor sharp, of which it had many stick out it's mouth, it's fur was black, ears triangle shaped, pointing in different directions.
The goblin it was feasting on was already unconsious, eyes open, no pupils showing. The beast had already eaten his arm, but Pipin saw that the goblin's neck was safe.
Pipin backed up to Bokser whispering in his ear 'What do you think?'
'That right there, is going to be our food tonight.' Bokser replied, already having his wooden club resting in his arms, he licked his lips. Pipin following, pulled two short spear sticks from his back.
Bokser let out a loud roar, the beast quickly noticing his presence would jump infront of the goblin, roaring back, it's growl sending tremors down Boksers back. 'When the time is right' Bokser said. 'When the time is right' Pipin replied. Bokser slowly walked up to the beast, it doing the same. When they were face to face the beast who walked on four legs stood up on two, being triple the size of Bokser, it shadow blocking all sunlight.
Like a meteorite it would strike down on the earth, it's claw aimed towards Bokser, taking a step back he dodged it answering with a smash towards the beast face. The beast lowered itself, dodging the smash and slashing Boksers belly, three red claw marks appearing.
The beast it's back legs collapsing, Pipin having stabbed it when it stood up. Bokser swung his club in a grand way toward the beast its head, when his club got slapped out of his hand by the beast it's paw.
It jumped on him, bitting towards his neck, Bokser only being to protect it by forcing his arm in the beast his mouth, bitting and bitting his flesh off, blood leaking on Boksers face. Pipin who was next to all this happening took his last spear and stabbed the beast his neck.
But the beast kept going, completely ignoring Pipin 'It was too shallow' he thought. The beast was moving to wildly for him to grab his weapon and try again. He looked towards Bokser, his arms bones starting to show, using his other arm to punch the beast. Pipin tried pushing the beast of of him, that did not work, the beast was to heavy.
That's when he noticed the club lying in the distance, he ran to it 'Don't worry Bokser! that arm will keep being used for the rest of your life'. When he grabbed it he tried rushing back when the weight slowed him down, bringing a sudden stop to his sprint. Now walking towards the two, he had to watch Boksers scream in pain, giving his all not to be eaten.
When Pipin stood over the two he winded up the club, hitting the spear like a hammer a nail. The beast collapsing, Bokser climbed from underneath cursing hard, his arm still being held by what seemed thick rope, bloody rope. 'You think this still can be used!?' he asked with a sarcastic tone, clearly holding back tears
'Give it some time I guess' pipin said while rubbing dirt on Boksers wound.
Bokser pulling the beast by the tail and Piping carried the uncounsious goblin in his arms into the camp. All the goblin's watched I'm awe. 'There is no way you guys killed that' was things they heard from behind.
Kara stood behind them, curiously looking at the beast. 'yes we did,' Bokser said while showing his arm, proving the validity of a fight 'and we are going to show the bosses'
'let me see' Kara said. She took his arm making him grunt a little in pain and she examined, 'come by later, I will put some gangu on it' Bokser agreed.
'That goblin, why don't you pass him to me, maybe he can be saved' She said, bitting her lip when she saw the missing arm.
everyone started making clothes for them selves, making some kind of a skirt from leaves to hide their privates. A few got creative and with mud made tattoo shapes on their body. These were all things they learned and copied from their fierce leader.
The where on the same spot for three weeks now, so Jaren also started learning them how to make huts in which they could sleep. Made from branches, covered with mud, and an open hole that made the entrances.
The boys walked to the middle of the camp to were the campfire was. The two bosses sitting cross legged facing eatchothers, when they noticed the dragging noise from the beast. Bokser and Pipin made an awkward bow only standing back straight when they were told to.
Jaren stood up looking them directly in the eyes as if he saw all their sins. His dark skin, taller height only adding to his intimidation. 'Did you kill that Koufax' he asked
' You already have a name for it?' Bokser asked
'Bleux and me saw one last week but didn't kill it'
'we tried to of course, but it ran away before we could' bleux added, still sitting.
'but did you, did you kill it?' Jaren asked again, his tone deepening.
'yes we did... bos' Bokser said, asking himself if he did anything wrong, asking if he really did kill it. Jaren would let out a loud laugh, catching everyone's attention.
'you know what this means right'
bokser said he didn't
'you killed the biggest creature out of all of us'
a fact both Bokser and Pipin did not see coming. After Jaren congratulated the boys he invited them to eat.
'You can tell us how you did it at when we feast'
It was five p.m. when they usually would start sparing. Almost instinctually all the goblin's would take their sparing partner and started wrestling. Jaren stopped them, he was standing on rock, towering over the goblin.
'we have been doing this for a while, instead of sparring this day, I want to start a tournament' the crowd suddenly murmuring , the word 'tournament' flying around everywhere, a word unknown to them.
Jaren silenced them.
'each one of you will fight eatchothers in groups while the ones who get beaten can not compete anymore' he further explained what a tournament was. Then he spread his arms out in a grand gesture.
'Only those who want to compete can. The four who survive until the last round, each one of them, gets to be a leader of an eight man squad' the crowd went silent, and then erupted into loud cheer.
Jaren told the extras that later when would be back, the tournament would start. 'but boss' Bokser asked when Jaren jumped from the rock, 'I am to wounded to participate' he showed his almost eaten arm with dirt rubbed on it.
Jaren looked down on Bokser 'a wound shouldn't stop you to win, I believe in you' he said as he laid his arm on Boksers shoulder.
Almost immidiatly he ran towards Kara, ready to take her up on her deal
Later Bleux approached Jaren as he was writing on a rock with burned wood, his skin just as black as it. Bleux asked what he was doing as he did not know what writing was, Jaren explained.
'Why do you want to start a tournament right now, the other two show much potential, but with those wound I doubt they can do anything' Bleux asked, not so smoothly transitioning the conversation.
'We just need to know who the strongest are right now'
'why?'
'Because we need to go further north. You feel it to right, the extreme hunger in your stomach, the air trying to guide you past that river'
'yes I feel it too, but I am willing to wait if that allows us to develop more'
Jaren turned to Bleux, a sad smile on his face, he asked him to follow him 'there is a reason why we did not cross the river and went further north' he said while looking for the most shallow part of the river and crossing it
On the other side where darkness ruled, their senses tingeling, telling them there is danger. They walked across bones and bones of creatures already dead, walking past a dead spiky, jumper and a Koufax and more. The trees had countless slashes on them. Enough of them had already broken in two, the splinters poking out
Bleux noticed the big paw marks he was walking on, trice as big as his feet.
'whatever this creature is, it stands in the way.' Jaren rubbed his hand over a tree with three claw marks over it, his face showed a stoic seriousness. 'every night, I can feel it, his eyes piercing my back, one day it wil come when it doesn't have anything to eat anymore on this side'
He turned back to bleux looking him dead in the eye, not even responding to the roar in the background that was making the ground tremble. 'We need to be strong enough before it arrives.'
Back at the camp, Jaren got the tournament started, thirty two of the thirty four would participate, the two who stayed out where Kara and Lena, who instead of fighting liked tending to wounds, and had a patient to take care of. With a little stick he would draw a circle in the dirt. He got on the huge rock, calling the goblins to line up. 'Magie and Shokan'
So he would call out everyone to come in the circle and fight 'Bow to eatchothers before you get started' Jaren added, in a way to start tradition.
'Bokser and Jun'
When Bokser got called forward, he did it with confidence, his club in his left arm instead of his right, and on his right he had gangu smeared over his wound. A sticky thick green substance that would make you heal faster. But he wasn't there yet, the pain still scattered throughout his arm.
The fight against the other goblin was easy. The other goblin had a spear and attacked with a flurry of attacks, bokser stopped the stabbing by grabbing the spear with his weak hand, finishing it quickly with a club to his head.
Piping went similar, dodging all attacks and knocking his attacker out with his elbow.
Only two other participants stood out, but for different reasons. One was Eli, a female, who instead of using a spear or sticks, would clobber on her opponent with rocks in her hand. Smashing the face in of poor Nagy.
The other was one goblin who got beaten in the first ten seconds of the fight, not even standing a change he would bow to the boss and run away crying. Unlike the others who got beaten, he didn't get a sign of respect, the others laughed as he ran of.
'who is that Cycle?' Jaren asked
'Gooba,' Cycle laughed after giving Jaren a bow 'that stupid goblin can't do anything, not even hunt, it only got to this point alive by our input. He always falls behind while we are jogging, you've met him before boss' Cycle then fell down holding his stomach, laughing in unison with the others 'hes that guy's who's ass your always beating!'
While this was happening Bleux checked on the new patient who he heard about. Who's eyes where already open.