He worked out harder that morning, doing more than usual to overcome the insecurity that plagued him. He tried to move but couldn't. Until the kids can walk on their own unless he wants to hold them. Or pull them into the car, but he didn't. Or bury them, which might anger the magician who throws them into his lap.
After exercising and rinsing in the creek, he doesn't want to do anything meaningful, so he takes Pansy's knife and attempts to whet a naked woman with a piece of wood. He was never gifted for such a thing, but everyone starts somewhere.
The longer he did it, the more frustrated he became; he would get distracted, thinking about Della, thinking about his money, thinking about his vows, and then make a mistake. Then he has to cover it up, and the cycle repeats. The little penguins tried to observe him but couldn't get a good view from the bed and gave up after he didn't move to accommodate them. Every once in a while, he glanced over at them and saw them just lying there, staring lonely at the empty sky.
As he worked, the silence began to make him feel awkward, but he didn't know what to say. Of course, after saving their lives, he didn't need to entertain them anymore. He certainly wouldn't debase himself to small talk with children. Still, their little brows were furrowed with some deep concern, as if they were trying not to look at him because they were afraid of upsetting him, even though he told them he wasn't angry.
After accidentally slicing off the nipple of his carved ever-shrinking breast one last time, he sighed and threw it into the fire.
"What's going on?" asked the black man.
"Kid, this is not good at all."
"Oh," Kit said, looking disappointed.
Then, after another awkward silence, Androx decided he was being rude. "You guys look like you're thinking about something. What are you thinking about?"
"Just...a lot of things."
"Okay, tell me your names first. You come first." Androx said, pointing to the black one. He took a seat next to them and poked at the fire to see if the coals were still burning well.
"Pepper," he answered.
Pepper Androcks asked, blinking in surprise.
"Well, my real name is Peperuwan of the Wolf, but everyone calls me Peperuwan because I'm too young to use that name. It means antidote. Peperuwan knows," the boy explained. His voice sounded stronger than before, though still a little breathless and hoarse. Maybe that's what happened.
"So they call you Pepper? Are you kidding me because your hair is all black?" Androcks asked, amused.
"No, because it's short for Peperuwan. But it could also be because my fur is black. But I've never seen pepper. I thought peppers were red," Pepper said.
"Pepper is black, but you can only find it in the South, except in the big cities where there's a lot of trade. Do you know what it's for?" Androcks said.
"You put it in your food, I guess. It's on the meat and it's supposed to set your tongue on fire. My mom said that too. She didn't like it, so we never got it," Pepe said. Per replied.
"She probably can't afford it. It's expensive. Very expensive in some places. Being this far north, it's like eating gold." The boys seemed to get the stage director's cue as they looked to the side and licked Licking her lips, she imagined the taste of fire and gold mixed together. As if it was worth paying so much to give them a taste. Then, almost without a pause, Androcks added: "But I happened to have some in the cart. I mixed it with some broth and let you try it, if you'd like."
When they didn't agree immediately, he smiled at their hesitation and said, "It doesn't taste like fire. It's very good." They nodded in agreement.
"Where is your mother?" A
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okles asked. "do you know?"
"She's dead," Pepper said, looking away. His voice weakened again.
A
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Okles sighed. Of course she died. He thought for a moment whether he wanted to hear this story or not. But when he was young, in the throes of his father's suicide, Diokles heard a
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Everything okles has to say, it helps him a lot. Let him survive. He thought it would be unfair not to extend the same mercy to them. He asked calmly: "What happened to her?"
Pepper didn't answer immediately. The white cat stretched out his hand and held his hand tightly. Anchorex could tell that the little boy was having a hard time finding the right words, so he waited patiently. His voice was almost a whisper and finally the boy said: "Our village was on fire and everyone had to run out, but it was some stone men who did it and they caught the people who ran out. They caught me first and then My mother came to see me. She said that my father died in a fire and the roof fell from our house and hit him. Then they chained our feet and made us walk a long way and said we were slaves and they were going to sell us. , but then they ran out of food and couldn't feed me anymore, so they wanted to keep me for my mother to sell, so they tied me to a tree. My mother didn't want to leave me, so she pulled the chain hard, and they They started beating her and she resisted. She wounded one of them with her claws, so they stabbed her with their spears until she died. Then they untied my chains and beat me hard. Slap, I fell to the ground, told me to run away and never come back. I had to leave her and I bet she wasn't even buried."
Then the boy stopped talking and closed his eyes tightly. A
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Okles' heart was heavy, even though he knew the story would be terrible.
"Boy, this thing is heavy. For a little boy like you, this thing is really heavy," he said. Really, the world can be a mean place. Taking slaves from debt and war was one thing, but raiding simple villages, even those of barbarians, was another. Northerners are called savages for a reason.
"I wish I could see her and dad again, but I just don't want to die," the boy said, trying not to cry. Try really, really hard, hold your breath. Androx could see his little naked and fragile body trembling silently.
A
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Before okles could think of how to answer, the white one spoke: "My mother is still alive. And my father and my brothers and sisters. They don't want me anymore because I'm too weak." After hearing this , he also closed his eyes tightly, tears welling up. When he said the word "weak", it felt full of despair; it was too hard for Ankerex, who felt a lump in his throat and moistened his eyes.
The boy suddenly became excited, his voice high and trembling, and said: "I can't hunt, and I get sunburned easily because I'm so white. So they took me to the road and told me never to come back, and it would be even worse if I died." Okay. But I don’t want to die either!”
At this the children lost all hope of composure and began to wail loudly and wildly, with tears filling their eyes. Well, Androx's guess was correct. Children were left to die in the wilderness. What a waste of a good boy. Damn waste. His heart was full of pain, and he whispered to himself: "Some people can't get children after trying for fifteen years, while others just throw their children aside like garbage."
He picked them up and hugged them tightly, breathing evenly to preserve his dignity. Two nine-year-old orphans, each with a more tragic story than the other. Perhaps even more painful than his; he was happy longer. A
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okles' father committed suicide when he was ten years old. There is more evil than good in the world, that's for sure.
They embraced him with a strength he hadn't expected. The boys cried and sniffed for longer than Androx expected, but eventually it turned into shuddering and sniffing, and then even the sound died away. At the same time, A
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Okles stroked their heads gently, stroking them like a cat. This seems to help. After a while, they were done.
A
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Okles put them back on the blanket, covered them again, and wiped their tears with his horn.
"My name is Flower, by the way," said the white one.
"Hua? Is that your real name?"
"They never told me my real name because they said I would never make money," the boy said. Androx wondered if Toolbox was going to cry again, but he didn't. The tears seemed to have run out. "That's because I'm not a good hunter. My prey can always see me. I haven't even caught a bird. Because of my fur. It's white, so I can't hide or sneak up on anything. When he's sick I couldn't even feed me and Pepper when I couldn't move."
Andrew thought for a moment. It's really hard for a child to blend into the shadows with hair like that and a tail hanging out. What kind of stupid savages judge a child's worth based solely on their ability to catch an animal? How tragically uncivilized. He said: "Well, you did catch me, so that's a big deal."
"me?"
"What, have you forgotten?" You jumped out of nowhere and bit my leg. See that? He pointed to the bandage on his thigh.
"I'm sorry, Master," Flower replied.
"Ha! Don't apologize." That's something to be proud of. Androx said, smiling genuinely and ruffling the little boy's hair. Flower looked confused.
A
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Okles stood up, put his hands on his hips, and said, "Have you ever seen anyone stronger than me?" Neither boy answered, obviously considering whether they had. Androx encouraged them: "In nine years I have never lost a test of strength. I once strangled a bull with my arms. I can jump over a man without touching him. I am the fastest runner in the Olympics." One of the sprinters. I could throw a spear so hard it took two men to pull it out of the target, and I always hit the target. Just the day before yesterday I killed six militants before breakfast. Who is stronger than Androx? Where is he and what is his name? Who is his father? Where is his capital?"
At this point he was almost yelling and making the most of it. Then he stopped and stood still for a moment. He pointed at Flower and said: "A skinny little boy beat me."
They didn't answer, but both smiled, their eyes sparkling. He could feel the atmosphere improving, thank the gods; emotional torture was not conducive to recovery. If Androcles met Euphemias after his death, he would have to thank him for teaching him how to brag.
Androx continued to strut, saying: "I have done hundreds of greater things than this. I have killed more men than you have ever seen in your life. Who dares to face me on the battlefield? Who dares to face me in a game?" Face me? Who among the gods’ creations dares to hunt down the mighty Androk?”
"Just me, I guess," Flower said, grabbing and grinning, showing his sharp teeth.
"I bet I can catch you too," Pepper said mischievously. How quickly children's moods change through the magician.
"Ha! We'll see. Two crafty guys are trying to bite me on the leg. That's all I need. I guess I'd better feed you, or you'll start getting ideas," said Androx and grinned mischievously.
"Hey, feed us!" Or start running! said the flower. Both boys chuckled.
Andrew sighed loudly, feigning defeat. "Okay, very good. I'm going to get some mead first. But tonight it's broth with pepper and flour." Give the flowers and peppers. he said, secretly amused. This was indeed funny. "You guys just relax." "
The little goats nodded, and Androx folded them into the blanket again and stroked their heads gently. They both laughed as they snapped at him with a mock growl. Yet they let him scratch his ears without complaint.
But when he stirred the soup, his good mood disappeared; despite the jokes, his heart was heavy. He knew he didn't have time to start taking care of the kids. He didn't want that at all. If only those kits were less helpless, or older, or Theodoric was a good businessman instead of a bandit. Or Della was there to help, or any of the dozen or so friends he'd loved in the military.
But now he knew the children's names and their stories, and he held them in his arms as they cried. He wasn't ready to bear such a burden just yet. Damn magician. God should have taken them to the farmhouse, not veterans like Androcks. Even if he was the kind of person to take care of kids, which he isn't, he doesn't have enough heart to take care of anyone new.
Thank the gods, the rest of the day was much calmer than the beginning. No tourists came, which struck Androx as odd, but that was all. The kids drank all the wine and that night he made pepper soup which they loved. He made sure to give them extra water to make up for the tears. As night fell, Anchorex cut himself a robe from yellow cloth, making sure he remembered the way he had made the robe for the kit.
At dusk, Androchus changed everyone's bandages, changing them, cleaning the wounds, and adding fresh ointment. Finally he made a nice bed of fresh grass for the three of them by the fire, for the ground had given him a hard time last night. He took a roll of soft cloth from the car and used it as pillows for the children, then wrapped them warmly. After getting ready to keep the fire burning all night, he climbed onto his traveling rug and lay there watching the sickening mist settle over the stars again and again until, at the mercy of the Dream Weaver, he finally fell asleep.
