The water splashed violently as Bral finally managed to wrap his arms around the panicked pig. The creature squealed and wriggled, trying to escape, but Bral held tight, his grip firm despite the awkwardness of holding the slippery animal.
"Gotcha," Bral muttered through gritted teeth as he secured his grip. The pig's struggles lessened, but now he had a bigger problem—getting out of the lake.
Looking around, Bral spotted a large, mossy rock protruding from the water a few feet away. Kicking his legs, he pushed himself toward it, the resistance of the pig slowing him down. After what felt like an eternity, he reached the rock and clung to it, stopping his momentum.
"Amukelo!" he shouted. "Give me something to grab!"
Amukelo, who had been running alongside the shore, froze for a moment. Panic flashed across his face as he glanced around, his mind racing. In his rush, he drew his sheathed sword and extended it toward Bral.
Bral looked at him, his face flat and unimpressed. "Are you for real right now?"
Amukelo blinked, realizing what he did. "Oh… right!" He fumbled to put his sword back in its belt and scanned the shoreline for something better. His eyes landed on a sturdy branch jutting from the ground a few feet away. He grabbed it, testing its strength, and then ran back to the water's edge.
"Here!" Amukelo shouted, extending the branch toward Bral.
Bral shifted his grip on the pig, stretching one hand out to grab the branch. "Hold tight!" he called as he wrapped his fingers around the wood. Amukelo dug his heels into the soft ground and pulled with all his strength. The branch creaked under the strain, but it held firm as Bral used it to haul himself and the pig closer to shore.
With a final heave, Bral scrambled onto dry land, collapsing onto his back with the pig still squirming in his arms. He gasped for breath, his chest heaving as water dripped from his soaked clothes.
"I told you," Bral said between breaths, glaring up at Amukelo, "to be quiet."
Amukelo extended a hand to help him up, a sheepish expression on his face. "My mistake. I didn't expect a plant to grab my leg like that."
Bral grabbed his hand, letting Amukelo pull him to his feet. "Well, next time, expect everything," Bral said, shaking his head. He adjusted his grip on the pig, making sure it couldn't escape again. "Come on, let's get this one back before anything else happens."
The walk back to the farm was slower this time. Bral's soaked clothes clung to his body, and every step squelched loudly against the dirt path. Amukelo, still feeling a little guilty, stayed quiet for most of the walk, occasionally glancing at Bral and the pig with a mix of embarrassment and relief.
When they arrived at the farm, they found the others were near the pen. Idin leaned against the fence, looking slightly tired but unscathed, while Bao and Pao stood nearby with a single pig tied to a makeshift rope leash.
"Finally," Bral called out, his voice laced with mockery. "We've already caught two pigs, and this is all you've got? One?"
Bao raised an eyebrow, her sharp eyes scanning him from head to toe. "Why are you so wet?" she asked flatly, but she had slight concern in her voice.
Bral puffed out his chest, grinning despite the water dripping from his hair. "Because I'm doing the hard work! Unlike some people."
Bao tilted her head slightly, her voice cold. "Disgusting…"
Bral threw his arms in the air, exasperated. "What is disgusting?! You should try working harder instead of criticizing me for actually doing your job!"
Bao didn't even bother to look at him again. She turned on her heel, her voice as calm as ever. "Next time, try to do your job better."
Pao, standing beside her sister, offered Bral a polite smile before following Bao. "Good luck on the next ones," she said softly, her tone kind but distant.
As the girls walked away, Idin approached Bral and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a knowing look. "I feel you, brother," he said with a sympathetic grin before he, too, joined the sisters.
Bral opened his mouth as if to say something, then thought better of it. He let out a long sigh, running a hand through his wet hair before turning to Amukelo. "Let's go," he said. "We've got more pigs to catch."
Amukelo nodded, falling into step beside him. "You think Bao really meant all that?"
Bral snorted, a faint smirk returning to his face. "She always means it, but don't let it fool you. That's just her way of saying, 'Good job, Bral. You're amazing, Bral.'"
Amukelo raised an eyebrow, but he couldn't help smiling a little. "If you say so."
"I do," Bral said confidently. Then, with a dramatic sweep of his arm, he gestured toward the forest. "Come on, rookie. Let's show them how it's done."
With that, the two headed back into the trees, the sun starting to dip lower in the sky as their quest continued.
As the sun dipped lower on the horizon, casting the forest in warm hues of orange and gold, Bral and Amukelo emerged from the trees with their final pig in tow. The animal squealed and squirmed, but Bral held it firmly, clearly having learned from their earlier struggles.
Back at the farm, Idin, Bao, and Pao were already waiting near the pen. The pigs they'd caught throughout the day wandered inside, snuffling around in the dirt. The farmer stood by the fence, his weathered face breaking into a relieved smile as he counted the animals.
"That's all of them," Bral announced, depositing his pig into the pen. "Five from us, three from them. That makes over ten, right?"
"Ten and then some!" the farmer said, clearly delighted. "Thank you very much for your work. I was worried it'd take me weeks to get them back, but now I can focus on breeding them."
As promised, the farmer handed over a pouch of coins, which Bral quickly pocketed with a grin. Then the farmer added a smaller pouch. "And here's the extra for the bonus pigs," he said. "Having more makes breeding a lot easier."
"That's great to hear," Bral replied, clapping the farmer on the shoulder. "Glad we could help."
As the group turned to leave, Bral paused, looking over his shoulder with a mock-serious expression. "Hey, old man, next time… remember to close the fence, huh?"
The farmer chuckled, shaking his head. "I will, I will."
The group waved him goodbye, leaving the farm behind as they started down the dirt road back to town.
As they walked, Bral broke the silence, his tone playful. "So… can someone explain to me how, with three of you working together, you only managed to catch three pigs? We caught five, and there were only two of us."
Bao, walking slightly ahead, turned her head just enough to give him a withering look. "That's none of your business," she said.
Amukelo snickered, and Bral raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. Just curious."
Idin, clearly more tired than the rest of them, moved closer to Bral and whispered, "Next time, you can work with them. I'm done."
Bral raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What happened?"
Idin sighed, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the girls weren't paying attention. Then, in a low voice, he said, "You don't know how bad it was. When we tried to catch a pig, instead of working together, they started arguing. At one point, a pig ran right at Pao, and instead of grabbing it, she cast a fireball."
Bral froze, trying to stifle his laughter. "A fireball? On a pig?"
Idin nodded, his expression dead serious. "It was fine, though, because the pig dodged and ran off. But it didn't stop there. Bao was worse."
"Worse?" Bral asked, his grin widening.
Idin groaned. "I told her to run after a pig. She said, 'Don't worry, I got it,' and then she shot it... With an arrow... It dropped dead right there."
That was it for Bral. He burst into laughter, clutching his stomach as he stumbled forward. The sound draw Bao's attention. She turned, her sharp gaze locking onto him. "What's so funny?" she demanded.
Still laughing, Bral managed to choke out, "You. You're what's funny. But don't worry, Bao. You've got this!" He dissolved into another fit of laughter.
Bao's cheeks flushed a deep red. Without a word, she reached for her bow, nocking an arrow with alarming speed. Amukelo, sensing trouble, took a cautious step back.
"Yo, chill, chill!" Bral said, his laughter dying instantly as he held his hands up defensively. "It's just a joke!"
Bao narrowed her eyes, and for a moment, it seemed like she might actually fire. Instead, she released the arrow deliberately, sending it whistling between Bral's legs before it buried itself harmlessly in the dirt behind him.
Bral flinched, his voice rising an octave. "Okay! Okay! Message received!"
Amukelo couldn't hold back his laughter any longer, doubling over as he tried to catch his breath. "That was close," he said between gasps, looking at Bral's stunned expression.
Bao's eyes snapped to Amukelo. She raised her bow again, pointing it squarely at him. "Something funny, rookie?" she asked, her voice cool and threatening.
Amukelo straightened up immediately, raising his hands. "Nope. Nothing at all. Didn't say a word."
Bao held his gaze for a moment before lowering her bow with a huff. "That's what I thought."
The group fell into an awkward silence for a few moments before Pao, who had been quietly observing the entire exchange, let out a soft laugh. Her smile was gentle, and she didn't seem bothered by the chaos around her. "You're all ridiculous," she said lightly.