Rudolf walked back and forth on the side of the Dark forest as if he was worried about something. Although he had said that Kara's aunt would survive and successfully run her first hunt, she couldn't deny that the anxiety and worry for her sister were always there.
"Why is Kara so long? I waited for him for almost half an hour, but he didn't come," Rudolf said worriedly.
While Rudolf was waiting for Kara's aunt, Volka stared at the Jotun elder from a distance on the tree. Since Rudolf's disappointment was vented on him, Volka seemed to take a break from his duties as a Dark ranger at this time. Volka felt self-aware and preferred to be alone on the phone while waiting for Arthur's arrival. At first, Volka felt that this painful situation would not last long. However, his confidence grew when Rudolf did not tell him about the Jotun tradition that would be carried out again. Rudolf also spoke to him about anything about this or his duty to guard the forest. Because the traditions carried out by the Jotuns have never been carried out without the intervention of Volka in it.
One of the things that caused Rudolf to worry more about Kara's aunt was that his gaze could not see far toward the village of Tanee because it was covered in thick snow. So, he couldn't guess what had happened in the village.
"Rudolf!"
A moment later, Rudolf was startled by someone yelling his name from behind. None other than someone is Kara's aunt.
"Kara?! You made it?" asked Rudolf with a smile that began to appear on his face. He began to feel a sense of relief when he saw Kara's aunt holding a woman who looked unconscious on her shoulders.
"We'd better go back to Howa's cave at this time! Hurry up!" cried aunt Kara in a hurry.
Arriving at Howa's cave, several Jotuns help Kara by taking her game woman to another room. Meanwhile, Rudolf continues to hunt down Kara's aunt with questions as if he can't wait to listen to his sister's story.
"Mother!! I miss you!" the son of aunt Kara said. He ran as fast as he could, as if he had forgotten that he was recovering. But, when his steps approached the mother, he also jumped deep into her lap.
"Oh, my son... I miss you too!" retorted Aunt Kara as she kissed her son on the forehead and cheek.
However, amidst the excitement of meeting the mother, the child's smile slowly faded when he saw something. He fingered his mother's face, which had blood stains still wet until the stains stuck to her tiny fingers.
"Mother, what is this? Is Mom hurt like me?" the child asked in surprise and shock for fear of his mother being hurt by others.
"Kara, is it true that you were injured?" asked Rudolf curiously.
"Ah, this. When running in the woods and hitting a sharp branch, this is a scratch wound. This is nothing," Kara's aunt replied in favor of her son and Rudolf's question.
Rudolf nodded while a long O. He saw his sister's whole body, which was minimally bruised. However, he also realized something else that he hadn't noticed before. That is the palm of Aunt Kara's hand, which is neatly bandaged with a cloth that seems torn from human clothes.
"The palm of your hand... why is it bandaged like that? The blood is still puffing up until I can see it," Rudolf asked again.
"I-I haven't told you this. But later, I will tell you after the child sleeps, huh? But, first, I need to clean up this already dirty body of mine," aunt Kara replied.
Aunt Kara went to the waterfall near Howa mountain to clean up. At the same time, Rudolf looked happy but still confused by Kara's aunt's attitude, which seemed to shy away from questions. His face was not as cheerful as when he was before going hunting.
While waiting for Kara's aunt, Rudolf still remembered the bandage that covered his sister's wound in silence. Where can he get a human suit to use as a wound cover? Ah, it might just be from his captive shirt. It's not that Rudolf overdoes it to overthink such a trivial matter, but if one of them, the Jotuns, is injured, usually none will treat it with a bandage. Instead, they will clean the wound and leave it alone until it heals on its own. Unless the internal injuries or the degree of pain are serious, then it is certain that the Jotuns will ask Mauree for help to heal him. At least those were some of the questions Rudolf had in mind.
After almost half an hour of waiting, Kara's aunt never came to Rudolf. So finally, out of curiosity, Rudolf searched for his sister's whereabouts to ask for an explanation for the story that Kara's aunt had not told. Rudolf walked around the cave until he met Kara's aunt, who appeared to be playing with her son.
"Kara, I've been waiting for you since then, but you didn't come around. So where did you go?" asked Rudolf with a frown on their forehead.
"Ah, I almost forgot. After cleaning the body, my son asked me to accompany him to play. Perhaps, he missed me. Until I forgot that we were going to talk," Kara's aunt replied with a small smile.
"I don't know how much love my family has for me so that you bring salvation to me. But, in the beginning, I did find it difficult. What's more, now Tanee village is tightening their guard by installing iron wire fences on the border of our forest and Tanee village," said Kara's aunt, who started telling the story.
"Barbed wire? So, what is the cause of why your hand was injured?" asked Rudolf.
"Yes, that's right. And I didn't notice it until I saw my blood dripping on the white snow. Of that, I took the initiative to cover my wound with a cloth tear that I accidentally found in the village of Tanee. If I hadn't done so and let my wounds continue to bleed, Emmett's would have tailed me here, seeing the drops of my blood that made a trail for them. Ah, there was one more thing, at first I caught the woman with her daughter, but the child bit my hand until it escaped my grip at that time," said Kara's aunt.
"Ah, you're right. You're amazing, Kara. It was unthinkable to me. But, I think one woman is enough to celebrate the success of your first hunt," Rudolf praised, making Kara's aunt feel even more proud of herself.
"Then, what about your captives? Was there any resistance from the villagers when you kidnapped her?" asked Rudolf again. he was very curious about this because his sister looked very relaxed and didn't have any burden.
"You're crazy? Of course, they fought back. They even caught me when I caught the woman. However, I tried to avoid their attacks and quickly brought them home. I admit that the terrain I'm hitting is not easy. The snow was hefty and hindered my steps from running. However, I can handle it well. And as usual, they didn't dare to follow the Jotuns into the forest. Hahaha, they are still helpless humans," Kara's aunt said.
Rudolf and Kara's aunt laughed together, laughing at the weak humans. Meanwhile, Mauree kept his eyes on their movements from a distance without trying to get to the two.
"Ah, Rudolf. Is it possible that Arthur will come back? Because you can't keep going like this. You have to rise and return to being the Rudolf you used to be, who is committed and vicious to humans," Kara's aunt suggested.
"I don't know, and I'm getting tired of waiting for that kid of mine. Better, we discuss this next time, huh? Go see Maure so that your injury can be healed faster."
"No, Rudolf. This kind of wound will not last long. I can treat it myself. I can also confirm that those humans will not trace my traces. They are too weak to fight us," Kara's aunt replied as she went to see her son, who was playing.
Meanwhile, in the village of Tanee, Apsel sits pensively in front of his house. He looked in any direction with a moist eye and a face that looked very sad.
"Apsel, are you ok?" asked one of his neighbors.
"My wife is missing, kidnapped by Jotuns, and you're asking if I'm ok? Tsk!" retorted Apsel, both annoyed and sad. His tone sounded quivering, as if unable to contain his sadness anymore.
"I mean, is there anything I can do to help you? I also feel sad about your wife's passing. Therefore, I intend to help as much as possible," retorted the man sitting beside Apsel, putting his arm around his shoulders.
"There's nothing you need to do. I'm sure Mr. Emmett will help me," said Apsel. He also stood up and entered his house at a brisk pace. He even closed the door of his house with a half-slamming.
Soon, Emmett came over and walked up to the man sitting in front of Apsel's house.
"Si-sir, please sit down, sir," the man greeted nervously.
"Leave him alone. This won't last long. He will also get used to living without a wife like me," Emmett told the man.