Jilton tried to cover his bruises, but the fabric had ripped a few weeks ago, leaving his arms exposed. He only hoped that Jared, his father, wouldn't notice. But when the man looked at him and immediately at his arms, he tensed.
That smile, homely and wholesome, flickered away like a dying light.
"What happened to ye?"
Jilton shifted, hiding the herb satchel, "I fell."
He couldn't lie and, technically, it wasn't one. He did fall… but he also got kicked in the ribs and ridiculed for picking mint.
Jared's eyes travelled down to his neck, then his ankles, "did you tumble as well? You got bruises everywhere."
He said nothing and dropped the school bag, filled with sweet nothings, "sort of, yeah."
Those eyes lingered on the bad bruise, the one that they gave last week and began to bleed again. Did Jared buy the story? Probably. The marks weren't THAT bad. But Jilton clenched his teeth, feeling his eyes on his back, and was relieved to hear that Suri was home. His room was right on top, in the attic where the window overlooked the grazing cows and where Jared kept some of the hunting tupperware. The home was rustic and small, with only four rooms including the attic and dining room. Hanging kitchen utensils clanged together as he opened the door and Suri emerged from the room both she and Mother shared. She still wore her healing outfit.
"Makers Above, what happened to you?" She spat. "You got trampled by the cows again?"
He walked past her, but Suri pulled him back easily, despite being shorter and weaker.
"You need to get those fixed up. Go to your room and ill use the rest of the materials I have."
She worked in the Main district under internship as a nurse and healer, despite only being fourteen, a year younger than Jilton. She also had dull brown eyes, like both their mother and father, and brown brown hair. He wished he had the energy to envy her ability to enter a higher institution, or have both eyes the same colour, or be half as popular or half as decent looking. Beauty in Central Taru was that of tanned skin and blue eyes, and although the children of the pastures mostly avoided this, everyone had tanned skin. Jilton couldn't tan for the world, even in those long summer days that he spent hoarding wheat in the huts, sweating like a sodding buffoon.
But he couldn't envy her. He didn't even deserve to feel ingratitude.
"It doesn't hurt that bad."
"What happened?"
He bit his lip.
"Answer me, idiot."
"Suri, don't talk to your brother that way," Tianna emerged from the attic, carrying his dirty clothes. "Your room was a mess, Jilton.
"S-sorry."
"Go unfold your new clothes now. Supper's ready at 6."
He climbed up those stairs leading to his room, a cracked and creaky place above the house. The floorboards were loose and in the corner was a fire place that didn't light, a window that hushed open at night and a bed with only one sheet. Still, he had his own room, unlike Suri who shared with their mother, or Jared who slept in the hut. He shut the door, then knelt to the place below the bed and pulled out a box. More so, a suitcase he found once. Inside was all the herbs he collected. Most had rotted away, leaving a sour and dead smell, while the others persisted and scented like honey dew and ash.
He didn't know half their names, but when time allowed, he went to the book chambers and quickly searched for their pictures. The yellow ones were called sunflowers, which grew in summer and always faced the great yellow ball in the sky. Aego was a thin succulent that produced pollen that tasted like paper and became a snack when compressed. His favourite was the glowing flower he found a few months ago. It still illuminated now, but he couldn't find anything in the books about it. It smelled nice and, when Jilton felt overwhelmed, he came to his room, under the covers, and held the flower. Sometimes they went nicely in herbal 'potions', which was just his way of mixing things up. But Jilton was determined to believe that the mixtures he made, well, made a difference, even if it was more on the healing side.
He deposited the mint and pushed the box underneath the bed again, hiding it under the darkness. No one knew about the suitcase, not even his mother. They knew he liked plants, herbs, and all sorts of vegetation, and took an obvious keen liking in the gardens out back. But if Jared knew just how far his passion for simple 'weeds' grew, he'd never hear the end of it.
Because boys are supposed to be strong, not playing with plants.
And he dreaded thinking what Jared would do, if he ever found out about his son's passion.
A knock came and, before he could stand up, the door chimed open. Being as fragile as everything was, the entire attic shook.
"Suri!"
She stepped in, tossing her hair to the side, "why are you on the floor? What on Izaraath are you doing?"
He said nothing, shaking a bit, and sat down as she pulled out the aid kit and medicine. He tried not looking her in the eye, for only she knew the truth about his bruises, and shook her head slowly.
"You really should say something, you know," she said, dapping the yellow antiseptic on the cut.
He said nothing.
"If you don't, they might kill you."
Again, nothing.
She applied the roll of cloth, then tightened it, "if you want, I'll go down there and give those fools a little chat. They aren't as buff as they look… and Jared would be proud to hear you killed someone."
He bit his lip, embarrassed. She was right; they weren't buff, or big, and Cathel was even shorter than him. But why couldn't he fight back? Why was it so sodding hard?
Luckily, Suri was tired herself and said nothing more on the matter. The rest of the septic was applied and she used the last plaster on his arm. Of course, Jilton would tear it off before he saw Reagan, otherwise he'd go telling the other boys and they'd try their luck again.
"Suppers ready. Come down when you have an excuse to tell Jared," she said, stepping away and down the steps. It was more of a ladder leading to his room, but slanted and extremely dangerous to climb. At least, if they were to get robbed, the con man couldn't possibly get to his room.
Then again, a robber had no business stealing from a hunters house anyway.
Jilton left the room ten minutes later, to the sound of wild bawling beneath. Tianna served brown rice and pig meat, which was Jared's favourite, so of course he'd be in a good mood.
He must have already forgotten about Jilton's accident.
And when he sat down, the table was full of chatter. Everyone wanted to hear about Suri's lessons in the healing district, Suri's travel in the city and Suri's everything. It wasn't easy to get into nursing school, but she was exceptional from the beginning and, if time allowed, she'd be working and earning more money than both of Tianna and Jared combined.
While Jilton would be a hunter, like his father. Skimming fur and burning meat. And even the chances for THAT was slim, considering his condition.
The window on the side gave view to the pastures, where the cows grazed peacefully. Ahead of this was the forest, and way beyond were the mountains surrounding the city. Mountains and forests. Wild creatures and evil men. Those were what surrounded Central Taru. It stopped their progression and limited trade. They weren't established close to any other empire aside those closer to the ocean routes, and travellers were disbanded quicker than a flickering light.
Sometimes travellers would pass through, but if the wild beasts didn't kill them, then the city's prejudice would.
And ahead, even further than the mountains, loomed a white coat. It devoured the mountain side and was travelling over the forest, ever so slowly.
Heavy clouds.
"Jilton dear, what did you do at school today?" Tianna asked, focusing her attention on him.
He looked between Suri and Jared, then down to his legs, "...nothing important."
"Oh come now. You shan't say that. Nothing important at all?"
"Why the sod are we sending you to that bastard school then?" Jared muttered, chewing hard on the fatty part of the meat.
"They learn astronomy and geometry," Suri said, "it is NOT a waste of time."
Jared snorted, "he needs none of that to become a hunter."
"Well, even if that is the case," Tianna comforted, "he still has friends at the school. Right, Jilton? You wouldn't want to leave your friends behind?"
"I, uh…"
"The boy has never brought any of the others over to the home," Jared said. "What, boy? Are you embarrassed of our home now?"
"No no, it's not that! I just…"
"Oh hush," Tianna said quickly, "the other boys come from the pastures as well. Their homes are like ours."
"Well then, don't tell me the boy has no friends now."
Jilton bit his tongue. He has one friend. One friend called Reagan. But Reagan was like the others; rude, crude, and a big prick.
Before he could confess the truth, Suri interjected.
"I see him with his friends everyday," she said, not looking them in the eye, "when i'm walking back home. He's always playing with those tanned boys by the cliff."
Jared nodded, as if impressed. That, or having his expectations met, "Good. Makers alone knows what makes a boy lonely, especially around your age."
Jilton was relieved to see that the conversation shifted as Tianna turned to the window and spied the overhanging clouds, just as he had.
"Seems like a storm's approaching."
"Always one around these times," Jared said, "they bring out the nymphs." Then his eyes flicked, as if remembering something vital. "Jilton, my boy, you don't have school tomorrow?"
"I do…"
"Skip it."
"He shan't skip school, Jared," Tianna persisted.
"Alright then. Come straight home after your lessons. Me and you have to go to the forest."
Jilton nearly choked on his pork.
"Oh, the bounty, yes?" Tianna probed. "Getting one head will help pay for our petty debts."
"The forest?" He finally managed to say. "W-why are we going there?"
Father didn't seem surprised that Jilton hadn't known, but winced just thinking about the event, "there, near the outskirts of the forest is where the kingdom gets its supply of birch wood. There's been an attack on one of the villagers. Nymph got him while he was out that night checking the supply, and the family woke up seeing the bastard being eaten alive. Pissing horrible sight it was."
His stomach just churned thinking about it.
Nymphs.
The Taru forest was known as one of the deadliest places in the region, all because of those damned creatures. Their wholesome names would suggest different, but those wild animals were anything but cute. Because of creatures like these, most of the world was uninhabited by humanoids ( advanced creatures that walked on two legs, aside from witches ) and ruled by their primitive counterparts.
Because of creatures like this, trade was stunted and chaos ruined any place where humans didn't wholly exist.
That and, well, The Storm.
But now, he was going to go to the forest and…kill one? For some BOUNTY??
Jilton was awestruck.
"Terrible sight indeed," Tianna mused, "but the kingdom is offering a lot of money on killing one of those beasts, even if it isn't the same one."
"They can't expect to get the same bloody creature that killed Ollga. They all look the same. As ugly as a cows-"
"Jared."
He stopped himself. "Well, the bounty's plenty. Enough to help us repay our…creditors. But we need to bring in a head to prove the murder. My boy, what do you say?"
As surprised as he was, Jilton knew the decision was inevitable, no matter how much he persisted. Being a soon-to-be hunter, the choice had to come someday, and his fathers eyes weighed down on him.
He felt his judgement in those dull brown eyes.
An expectation he had no choice but to live up to.
He couldn't let him down.
So, quickly, he nodded and looked back down to his plate, even when his chest ached from fear. Jared banged the table and bellowed in laughter. It cut sharp.
"I tell you, my boy, this will be the most thrilling thing you and I have ever done. It'll be damn right better than hunting a deer, I tell you. And the smell of blood," he smiled, "you won't forget it."
Jilton doubted he would and looked out the window again.
The clouds were heavy, thick, and dusty. And even though they brought chaos, he found comfort in looking at it. Maybe it was because those clouds could potentially spoil their outing to the forest by causing rain, or maybe it distracted him from the overzealous talk of his father, who spoke of blood and murder right then.
Maybe the reason was something else entirely.
Maybe…