"Where is he!?" Ahuli screamed in rage, "He should have been here!"
It didn't take seven hours for the tribe to reach the cave, it took them 2 days because of some idiotic prophesy the shamans made. As soon as Sera reached the tribe with the news, Ahuli immediately gave the orders to mobilise the tribesmen.
Skah was against this and wanted the tribesmen to take time and prepare accordingly. After all, the abyssal arachnid wasn't any normal beast, many had lost their lives while fighting against those foul creatures. Skah sounded very convincing, but this time the tribe decided to listen to Ahuli instead. They were about to set out when the shamans appeared to block their way.
***
Two days ago...
"Okun's wrath would fall on anyone who dares to leave their homes for the next two days!"
The shamans roared in unison and that was enough to trick the tribesmen into heading back into their homes. This wasn't surprising at all considering how much they preached the shamans. Everyone who was getting ready to leave, backed out immediately.
"If Okun wants, no harm will come to the young child." The shaman told them and everyone made their peace with that.
"Yeah, Okun will protect the brave boy. I'll pray for no harm to be done to the boy."
"The chieftain must be shattered inside... that is if anything were to happen to his youngest son. He might have been a deadbeat but I was seeing some changes in him recently."
The crowd started murmuring as they started heading back to the stable to put the beasts back. Ahuli and Sera were the only ones who were still willing to leave because they knew if they didn't leave now, Zok and Taheton would die at the hands of the arachnid. None of them gave a crap about Taheton but it was important to save Zok at all costs.
He had no experience in hunting and was well... useless. But that didn't mean he should be abandoned just because the shamans had a prophecy. But no one from the tribe was willing to listen to them anymore after the shamans had made Okun's will clear. They were not to interfere in the business. Everything was left with Okun and that was all.
But in Ahuli's eyes, the shamans were behaving strangely. Everything, since this cave appeared, had been different. First, the shamans refused to check the cave out like they always did. Then they urged to send Zok, who had with almost negligible knowledge to do anything with hunting. And finally, now that they knew what was inside the cave and that Zok required help, the shamans were stopping them from doing so?
This made the behaviour of shamans even more suspicious. Sera tried to protest against the decision, but Ahuli silenced her. He knew nothing good will come out of it if they were to argue with the shamans. In fact, if they protested now, they would most probably be forced to spend time under house arrest and then they won't be able to help Zok either way.
Thus Ahuli did the intelligent thing and accepted his fate. Sera followed his lead and acted as if she was upset and helpless to do anything about it at the same time. Their only hope to save Zok was to act when no one was alert and would be the time right before the sunset.
The tribesmen took turns protecting the tribe and patrolling along the boundaries. This happened during the night and the day. But the guards were the laziest right around the sunrise because the ones who had been on guard duty in the night usually got sleepy by then, just like the ones who were about to switch with them and start the morning duty.
The next problem was getting inside the enclosure and getting out with their partner wolves without ringing any alarms. However, Ahuli already had a plan to take care of this problem as well. The old man Suhi would help them as he loved Ahuli too much to deny him the request. Thus with the help of Suhi, they would get into the stables and leave before anyone noticed anything.
Ahuli informed Sera about his plan during the dinner after agreeing with the details, they went their separate ways. Ahuli did not sleep through the night, but since he was used to the guard duties, it wasn't too hard for him. He jumped out of the window and slowly made his way to the stables without being seen by the guards. He waited for Sera to show up but she never did. Ahuli did not have the time to wonder why she didn't. Every moment was precious for him and for Zok.
"Master... master..." Ahuli knocked on the doors to the stable but he froze the moment the doors were opened.
There he saw Sera, with around 50 other tribesmen including Skah and Suhi. Someone had overheard them planning to leave in the morning and was worried they would anger Okun so they told everyone about it. Thus, as soon as Sera arrived there she was taken in, followed by Ahuli.
"Place them both under house arrest for two days. Let them out only when we start preparing to leave." Skah told his underlings without even looking at Ahuli.
***
Back to the present...
The tribe had finally arrived at the cave and neither Taheton nor Zok nor their wolves were anywhere to be seen. In fact, nothing was there apart from two dried blood spots. Two blood spots and the lack of monster carcass only pointed towards one thing. Taheton and Zok were dead and the monsters were now freely walking out in the wilderness.
The news hit Ahuli and Sera as if a Tulak had run him over. Skah reached out to his son and placed his hands on his shoulder. But Ahuli was having none of it and slapped his hands away, while Sera tried her best to hide her tears.
"I told you, he will die out here! But you didn't listen to me!" Ahuli mumbled as everyone watched him in shock.
His voice was normal, but there was something in the way he said it that sent shivers down their spine. Especially through the spine of the two shamans that were accompanying them on a secret mission... to confirm the death of Zok. Which they were sure of now.
But the thing that was worrying them now was Ahuli. No one had anticipated he would have such a reaction after finding out his deadbeat brother was dead. In fact, Skah had told them, he might get a bit sad but Ahuli wouldn't do anything rash, which did not look to be happening.
The shamans had thought he hated Zok as much as Skah did. At least that was what they were told by Skah. But they were wrong and now they had to make sure he never found out that the Shamans indeed got Zok killed. Or else... things might not turn up so good for them. Especially when all of this was done as a favour to Skah.