There were more people coming to see Pepper perform this morning than yesterday. Sheth and his parents didn't come, but Dya
a is coming. She stood looking at him with her hands on her hips. The cloth on her chest reminded him of a bandage, and combined with her short hair, she looked a bit like a boy from the front if you didn't look closely. She didn't smile or wave or do anything when she got there, but he was busy and maybe that's why.
The sun was warmer than it had been all winter, so warm that he took off his shirt, even though there was melting snow everywhere. The exercise had made him sweat, so spring must have finally arrived.
Jump, stab, kick. Punch, squat, block. Over and over again, a little different each time. He was glad it was easy to remember because everyone looking at him made him nervous and he didn't want to mess up. Even though he spent weeks with them, he still felt like a stranger. He is one of them.
Midway through, Deanna came up to him with a subtle half-smile. She stood a little ahead of him and took the lead.
Pepper didn't even know she knew the exercises, but she did, and as far as he could tell, she was doing everything right. When he fell behind a bit because she distracted him, she slowed down until he caught up, then led him through the muddy section, not slipping at all on the gravel.
When they reached one of the jumps, she jumped higher than herself, higher than he thought a person could jump. He laughed and coughed in surprise, and she turned around, gave him a sly look, and said, "Not high enough? I'm not really trying."
He had to watch carefully, but she seemed like she was just joking with him, not like she could actually jump higher than that. There was something twinkling in her eyes, and her subtle half-smile seemed genuine. He wanted to say something interesting, but nothing came to mind, so he said, "Not high at all!"
She gave him a look as if to say "Oh, really? I'll show you!" and then jumped higher. This time, she did a backward roll in mid-air and landed on her feet. "It's your turn," she said, gesturing with one hand.
"I do not know what to do!"
"You can't jump?" All you have to do is push off the ground and lift both feet at the same time. "
"No, I can't jump that high. I'm just a tool!"
"Then let's keep walking," she said. She continued practicing and he was soon behind her.
He thought about how she hadn't come to him over the past few days, even though she had visited a few times and her parents had let her in. She slept far away from the camp and spent most of her time outside, and he didn't want to travel too far to find her. This made the last few days even more lonely than usual because he knew she was around but not talking to him. The Night Man didn't speak to him either. So what does he think now? Is he not so alone anymore? This makes him happy and uncomfortable at the same time.
As he followed her through the rest of the exercise, Pepper's body was bursting with energy like never before. He'd been worried about Deanna, whether she was going to leave, or continue to ignore him, or whatever. But she didn't leave, and she was nice to him this morning. It feels good to have friends again. Maybe too good, like eating too much food after being hungry for a long time.
After eating, Pepper was out of breath and exhausted; Deanna loved running faster than before and using bigger, more difficult moves. But on impulse, he jumped forward and hugged her waist. She held him back, gently smoothed his hair, and flicked one of his ears. It stung a little, but he didn't mind. He felt warm all over, and not just from the sun.
"Thank you for practicing with me," he said, because he didn't know what else to say.
"I think tomorrow, I'm going to make you do all of this right. I don't think your feet move right once."
Although her voice was friendly, what she said made him feel ashamed, especially in front of so many people. Her words struck him to the core and left scars. Before his eyes watered, he looked at the ground, wrapped his tail around his ankle, and turned away.
"Wait, wait, Pepper. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Gods, I really offended you, didn't I? No, come on, turn around. I didn't say it right. Listen. You Did all the right moves, just like your daddy taught you. But you still have a lot to learn, because there's a difference between a punch and a fist." To emphasize the point, she punched Pepper in the air. He felt a puff of air hit his ear hairs. The wind blowing against his eyes did not stop them from crying.
"How many people do you know who can kick down a tree? Aren't women weaker than men? So why can I do it and they can't?"
Pepper looked around at the crowd, who were now looking at them with more interest than before. Especially Farat, the war leader. He was always watching, usually while grinding something. But now, the big devil's hand didn't move at all, because he noticed.
"I don't know," he said.
"You're too old to learn everything, but I still have a lot to teach you."
"Maybe later." Pepper said. He looked at her for a moment, seeing her frustrated expression, maybe anger, maybe annoyance, maybe something else; he wasn't sure. He wasn't good at it, not like Flower. But when he turned away, she looked unhappy.
He picked up his shirt and put it on as he walked, a little faster than usual, to find breakfast. Not all demons eat in the morning, Natuk sometimes eats bread or dried meat, sometimes not. But a normal meal wouldn't start until after noon, and Pepper knew that if he couldn't find anything to eat, he would be hungry by then.
If he was still a slave, or he lived in a place where no one knew about him, he could steal something and no one would know. But they all knew how cunning he was, and if something was missing for whatever reason, Natuk would come and ask him. So far he hadn't taken anything given to him, but Tesvan and some of his friends had caught a bunch of fish and hung them up to dry, and if Pepper was going to steal anything, it would be this. He could smell it from every corner of the camp. But they knew—they probably counted them.
He wished it was colder because now all the snow had melted and all the paths were muddy and no one could walk on them, which meant they had to make another path and those paths were muddy as well. It hadn't been cold enough to freeze last night, and now he was trudging between the tents, making a slimy sound with every step he took no matter where he went. This is stupid. Why couldn't he have been caught by someone who built roads with stones like the Raphaelians? These probably wouldn't have been stained all the time. The rain may have washed the roads clean instead of making the situation worse.
Nattuk must have heard him, for before Pepper opened the tent flap, the old devil said, "Put your shoes outside, little Blacktail."
Trying not to sigh too loudly, Pepper bent down and unhooked his leather shoes. When he pulled his foot out, it was still stuck in the mud and was barely visible. He had nowhere to go, so he more or less just fell and fell through the crack of the tent door so he wouldn't get dirty.
Natuk grinned, but it was a friendly smile, not sarcastic. “I hate this time of year,” he said. I like the white snow in winter and the green in spring, but I don't like the brown and wet in between. "
The old devil was only wearing a loincloth, so he hadn't gone out today, and he didn't look like he planned to go out. He was sitting cross-legged next to the brazier. There was a plate on the brazier and he was cooking a thick piece of bread. Beside his wrinkled knees lay a small, stoppered jar that Pepper had not noticed before.
Pepper plopped down opposite him and inhaled the scent of bread. It was barley and oats again, not the wheat his father fed him, but it was always delicious, and the devil put salt in it. He didn't know where they got all the salt in the winter, but they knew it made it delicious.
“You know what I miss most about the days when we rode across the plains? A steady supply of butter. I really wish I could add some to my bread now. I also wish I had an apple. said the old devil. The man was friendly and kind again, no longer harsh or cold as he sometimes was. Pepper never knew, but now he always seemed suspicious when he was being nice.
"I'm glad I have bread," said Pepper.
"You always say the saddest things, you know?" Natuk said with a sigh.
Pepper frowned; that wasn't what he meant. He just said he was happy to have bread to eat, not that he didn't get enough food. But the result is wrong.
The two were awkward for a moment, then Natuk laughed again, less sincerely this time, and put the small jar on his lap. He pulled out the stopper, laid it diagonally across the bread, and poured enough honey to almost cover the entire loaf. "Take them all, if you want them. I already have one."
"Are you sure?" Pepper asked. Where did they get the honey? They must have kept it for a long time, heating it next to a brazier so it would pour out. How long has it been since he had sweets?
Before the old devil could answer, Pepper picked it up with both hands, even though it was so hot that it was almost impossible to hold it. Some honey trickled down the side and ran down his hand to his elbow, and for once he was glad that his hair hadn't grown back yet. He quickly licked the excess clean so it wouldn't fall to the floor.
"I didn't expect kittens to like honey so much," Natak said. He looked genuinely amused again. Somehow he was able to smile so hard that only the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes showed. He took another ball of dough, flattened it with his hands, and placed it on a plate ready to be cooked.
"I'm not a cat," Pepper said, and immediately regretted it. The old devil is well behaved, so he shouldn't be grumpy.
"Yes, you are a thunderbolt. But don't you think you are very cat-like?"
"I'm Pepper from the Wolves, not the Tigers or the Panthers. Or was before dad adopted me. So, not a cat. A wolf."
"If you insist, I think you do look a bit like a wolf."
Pepper didn't insist; he hadn't thought about it in a long time. Dad had never cared about this distinction, so he and Hua never talked about it. Now, it doesn't matter that they are basically old pagans. Dad probably didn't even remember they told him. Have they mentioned it to their mother? Probably not.
He stuffed bread and honey into his mouth. His first bite was so big he could barely bite it. All the honey was on his mouth and he couldn't taste it and then it became a bit dry. He was more careful with the next bite, the next one. He seemed to feel the warmth of the bread as it made its way into his stomach.
"Thank you for the honey," he said with his mouth still half full when he realized he had forgotten his manners.
"You're welcome, little guy. Eat it all." The old devil put his hands on his knees and stretched, then relaxed and watched Little Pepper eat.
The old demon just sat there looking at him, and Pepper tried not to look uncomfortable. He ate slowly, and soon his discomfort disappeared in the rich sweetness of the honey and the warmth of the dough.
It was all over and he could tell Natak had something to say because he hadn't moved and it was obvious now, so he said, "You want me to do something more, don't you?"
The old demon smiled widely, showing his teeth, which he still had despite his age, but only for a moment. "You're getting smarter!" Yes, that honey is a bribe. "
"Why don't you just ask me? Why do you think giving me honey would work? I'm not a little toolbox anymore," Pepper said. A bitter anger swirled inside him, but it was gentle, like fog. .
"If I want to give you honey, can I not give it to you?" This is my baby. Maybe I just want to see you enjoy something, my poor little black tail. "
"I'm not upset," Pepper replied, trying not to sound as malicious as he felt. "I am bored."
The old devil sighed and gave him a pitiful look. His black-and-white-spotted eyebrows were knitted together, and there were more wrinkles than usual around his horns. His mouth twitched between a smirk and a frown, and Pepper felt her heart flutter at the sight of such sincerity.
Natak lifted the lid of the brazier with a stick and stirred the coals. He said: "I don't want you to be so lonely. I want you to play with other children. Go hunting, harvest wood, pretend to be fanciful things. Be a child as you should be, even though you are about to leave childhood behind. But I can't give that to you. Friends in need. Do you know why? Why do you think that is?"
"Because of you..." Pepper said, but he had to stop and think. The elder is in charge so he can ask the parents to let him see the children. There were kids around - he'd seen enough tents and heard enough noises to know that. But they never went out, and no one let him in even if he asked.
Once, and only once, he sneaked into the tent after his parents had left and introduced himself. Two girls, one younger than him and one older than him, stared at him with their silver eyes and said nothing. They backed away and didn't answer until he was gone. He walked outside and heard them whispering fiercely, but he couldn't quite understand what they were saying.
But why? Why, really? He had thought it was just to show that he wasn't one of them and that he shouldn't start getting the wrong ideas. Or they just don't like him. That's how I feel. Finally, he replied: "I don't know."
"I'll tell you. That's because my Night Men are hobbled and they can't get past jealousy of what little they have left. Look at the fur on this tent. Do they look old?"
Pepper turned and looked at the tent wall pointed by the old devil. He hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now that he looked closer, the wall was starting to crack, threads tearing the edges of the fur. The demons hid the fur inside and smeared grease on the outside to keep water out, but there was always a musty animal smell inside. He'd noticed it before, but hadn't thought about it.
“Building a house out of bricks, clay and mortar takes too long. We move too often. Where do we grow flax for linen? Or herd sheep for wool? No, we only get cloth through trade, not through trade. A lot of people wouldn't trade with us. But do you see that rabbit skin over there? Next to that grizzly bear? I've had that rabbit skin since I was Teshvan's age. Now, imagine someone putting It was cut and stolen. What does that do to my tent?"
Pepper stared thoughtfully at the small, uneven patch of gray in the middle of the mass of fur, imagining there was a hole there. If he wanted to fix it, he would have to find another one this big, or take a lot of tents apart and sew them back together. But that doesn't really work - all the fur is already stretched too tight. He had to patch it up with something else.
Looking around, there were plenty of furs and blankets available on the floor. Natak likes to cover the entire floor. It helps protect against the cold of the ground while they sleep, but not very well. It was better than nothing, or a tattered rat-gnawed blanket on the bare dirt, as the master had given him.
"Well, you'll have to make it up with another piece. But you have the ones on the floor to work with, so you can," Pepper replied.
The old devil nodded without a smile and said: "Yes, I like it. But if I take a hair off the floor, then there won't be a bare spot on the floor? Suppose this person comes back and steals the new one." What about the works? And then what?”
“You can keep making it up and maybe catch whoever took it,” Pepper said. He thinks he knows where things are going — everyone has to do their part, and people have to stay within their Placed where everyone is good at only one thing.
"Only temporary, little Blacktail. Only for so long. It takes time to hunt a rabbit, skin it, and save the floor, and in that time, there might be a hole in my tent. Time to replace Far longer than it takes to steal. I can steal in an instant, but can I replace it in an instant? Soon I have two holes, three holes, and soon I have no tent."
"But..." Pepper started, but then closed his mouth because he didn't know what to say.
"I remember when I was young, riding my last horse and dreaming of future glory. There will never be anything like it in the world, and if I put a different fur in its place, it will never It won't be the same. I'm old now - how about I hunt a new rabbit myself? If someone stole the fur I'd be sad but I could replace it and fix my tent. But what if What if they stole from me ten times, or twenty times? I could never keep up."
The old devil stopped talking and looked at Pepper, as if waiting for a response, but Pepper didn't know what to say. He could think of all kinds of things you could do - go somewhere else to make them stop stealing, or catch the person and make them stop. There are a lot of Nightfolk living here, so some may have been hunting and there should be plenty of fur. He felt he was missing the point, so he kept quiet.
"Suppose someone stole furs from my tent twenty times. Each time I had to go out hunting, skinning, healing, mending, and each time they came back to steal my stuff. After 20 times, what do you think? How would I feel about a stranger passing by who happened to look at my tent?
“The same goes for our people. Do you see that? We have become so few that those lost may never be replaced. Even in rich and peaceful lands, we may have become too few to survive. The aliens have stolen too many of our children, and every child is a missing patch in the tent. The cold wind blows over us, and we hide, trembling with fear.
Deanna found Sheth, but she told me she wouldn't be able to find her way back anytime soon. She doesn't know how to find her way. Your dad helped our Aditya save her little Yetu, but she never found us and I think she died.
"I can see what you're thinking, Blacktail. I can see the thoughts in your head. You're imagining new ways of hunting, or protection, or something like that. You're probably thinking: 'Why don't you just run away?' ?”But aren’t children more precious than fur? Where can we find alternatives?”
Hearing this, the old devil closed his mouth and stared at Pepper, as if he had just taught him a lesson. But that's stupid. Natak is right, Pepper has a lot of ideas. If you can't stop people from stealing, then why not live somewhere else? There's land out there somewhere. Just keep looking until you find it, or you find a weaker tribe than you and can capture them. If you keep losing kids like this...
You'll want to get them back. You have to do this. In his mind, the awareness was almost real. Human beings are not like animal skins. You can't replace them. No wonder they don’t leave! If there was any chance, if there was any chance, they would stay. After all, dad still had to come pick him up. Dad would never allow a hole in his tent.
You have to get people back because you can't replace them. If someone goes missing, there's always a hole.
Pepper knew this better than anyone—he was full of holes. His first little village, his first slain mum and dad, then his new family. As long as there is a chance to get it back, he will not give up easily. No one can give up like this.
How long will it take him to start a new family? Can he do it? And it will never be the same, even with new people. He was always aware of those he had lost.
Pepper's mouth was dry. No wonder the Night People were like this, not letting him get close or letting their children play. Always looking at him and each other. Always whispering to each other and monitoring everything. They lost too much, too many times. Of course they were afraid of him. How can they trust anyone? They have no Android to protect them.
He felt he could understand them now, especially Natuk, who was the father of the entire tribe. This may be the first time he truly understands someone other than Flower. But he looked up into Natuk's old, yellow, tearful eyes, and he understood. They are just like him.
He could imagine what was happening to them. A surprise attack, just like the one that took him away from the master last time. It was early in the morning, and half of the Night Men were still in bed. Armed men burst in from their hiding places and rushed out with any children they could catch. The Night Men, trying to muster a force strong enough to stop them, attempted to pursue them. Find one and get him back. Lose trace of the other. and another. Because they will run away in different directions, or there are enough of them that chasing them would be suicidal.
But the sense of loss, once they knew who was taken; it was the worst he could imagine. After all the horror and shock, the mourning goes on and on.
"You're a kid with a head full of ideas. Did anyone tell you that?"
Pepper glanced up and then away, worried that she might appear sarcastic. But that’s silly to say—everyone’s head is full of ideas. Unless Natook meant that he was full of serious thoughts, like a smart guy, because that's probably true.
Natak turned over the second piece of flatbread and it looked like it was ready. He poured a large spoonful of honey on it and handed it to Chili. "I'm sure a boy like you can handle two."
Pepper wasn't hungry anymore, but he wasn't about to turn down something so delicious and rare. He took a big bite, so big that he couldn't speak. The saltiness in the bread brings out all the flavors and the honey tastes sweeter than before. When he was eating, his eyes always rested on the small piece of gray rabbit fur. He hadn't thought about it at all, really; just looked at it. Until he realized what he was doing. Then he started thinking about it.
When he finally finished eating, his mind was clearing and his stomach felt like it was going to explode. Natak said: "Now, little black tail, are you ready to know the purpose of the bribe?"
"Yeah," Pepper said, nervously licking the last bits of honey from her palm. Natak didn't look like he was going to ask anything dangerous or strange, but...
Natak nodded and said: "I have a question. A great mystery, and I hope you can help me solve it. Awaken all your ingenuity. Are you ready?"
Pepper nodded.
"Very good. This is a three-pronged problem. The first problem is: the alien Leatherfaces have captured some of our children, and we want to bring them back, but we don't know where they are being held." The old devil's demeanor became more serious and his speech became calmer. "If we don't get them back, the Night People may very well cease to exist. Our tribe will perish. This is part one."
"Okay," Pepper said, not sure how to respond. There are about five hundred Night Men left. How many do you need? You can find them all, but
"The second part is they're turning them into berserkers. It's not a quick process, if we get them as quickly as possible, many of them will recover, but every day will do more and more damage to them until they are destroyed , cannot be saved. We don’t have time to sneak around the king’s territory looking for them. We have to find them as quickly as possible.”
"What's going on? How do you make them berserkers?" Pepper asked. He thought he already knew the answer, because being stuck in a black hole underground for too long would break anyone, but maybe Natuk would. Say something else.
A trace of darkness flashed across the old devil's face, and he hesitated. He even lowered his horns and glared at Pepper, but he hadn't grown enough to face Pepper. he answered. "The part you see, the confinement, was just the first step. I'm the only one in our tribe who still knows the whole process. King Lugubelenus and I are probably the only ones who know, but he may have told The prince and several of his advisors. This is a closely guarded secret, as the berserkers are so powerful. I hope this knowledge dies with me and I will not share it."
"Oh," Pepper said, feeling uncomfortable. He began to imagine what else they would do to a child to break their heart and make them so strong, but he forced himself to let go of the thought. He listened with wide eyes and rapt attention.
"The third thing is that your father Androx knows where our children are. Fortunately, he is coming. Unfortunately, he will be angry and you seem to think he will kill us. Is that so? ?”
"Oh, well, he probably won't try. I could go see him first, and then we'd leave, and he might not leave. I don't think he'd come to duel you all if he didn't have to."
"I admit, at first, I didn't believe a thing you told me about him. Who would believe a story like this? But Deanna is a woman who gives orders, and it's hard to deny that she told us everything you said. It's true. She claimed he could kill us all if he wanted to. Before, I just humored you and humored you, but now I guess I have to be careful."
A wave of passionate indignation washed over Pepper and he said, "I didn't lie."
"Who told a lie? You are a child and I judge you as I would a child. But as it stands. That's the problem, so listen. Our children are captives. We must find them as soon as possible. You The Father is coming and He knows where they are. So how do we get Him to show us? That's the question. Do you think He would guide us if we asked Him? Natuk said, though from the sound of his voice, He probably already guessed the answer.
Pepper leaned back and thought about it. When Dad showed up, it didn't occur to him that there was anything else to do. Just left. But the Night People really want their children back, so it's a good question.
Dad doesn't like Night People at all, so why would he want more Night People? But he likes Shay, maybe she could ask. But would Dad really return to the king's domain to save those he wished dead? No. And the Night Man didn't have gold, at least not enough to bribe him. Slaves are worth a lot of money, so maybe... no, that doesn't work. Dad will never accept a demon slave because they sleep in your house and he doesn't trust them. And they may need all the adults to support the children.
Maybe Pepper could tell how they took care of him and explain that they weren't bad people, just scared, and they weren't like in Dad's stories. But no matter what Pepper said, Dad probably still wanted to fight them. The bad stories in Dad Stories are so bad that it doesn't matter if some of them are good. He would say: "You don't let a pack of wolves go because you like one wolf pup."
No, Dad's only concern is what belongs to him - his family, his people, his city, his father, his honor, his oaths...
Although Dad did say that he always spoke first, which was mostly true. Dad would speak first if he could. It just never worked out. Pepper didn't see it anyway. He always ends up having to fight. Dad is probably the only person in the world who is worse at talking than he is.
"What we're asking of him is dangerous. He'll have to lead a small group of us back to the king's lands. That could take weeks, and he'll be hunted. He'll risk being killed, so
Pepper interjected: "They couldn't kill him. It wasn't going to happen. But he didn't want to take the whole family away, so he had to leave us somewhere, and I don't think he would have done that."
"Either way, it's a risk. What can we give your dad that he'll accept? We don't have gold or silver, or any wealth." "We could catch some Leatherface and give him slaves, but he might not want to feed them Them. If he wants it, he can take it for himself. In this camp, we only have one thing he might accept in exchange. Can you guess what it is?"
"Fur?" Pepper asked.
"No."
"Oh," Pepper said. "I."
"Correct. You are the only person he values here. What do you think he would do if we blackmailed you?"
Pepper felt something dark and scary twisting inside her. His mouth was dry as he answered. "When Dad got really angry, things would catch fire around him and people would fall and sometimes die from it. If you were far enough away you wouldn't fall, but it still scared you, Don’t dare do anything, so all of you might fall or run away, except me.”
"Because you'll be locked up?"
"No, because I could bear it. Me, Flower, and Mom. Flower and I had to fall down because... it was too much, but we didn't die and we were fine after death. If necessary, I'll do it next time Can stand up. I'm much stronger now than I was before. Flower can too. Gabby can't, but—"
"Androx's anger will directly kill a warrior, but not a few little boys?" Natuk asked with a slightly raised eyebrow and a smile.
Little Pepper was sure that the old devil was just joking when he said this, and it was not true, although it was difficult for Natuk to say this. But it still made him angry, and he said: "Yes, because we are the sons of Androcles. And you are not."
There was a long silence, and this time, Pepper met Natuk's gaze, and he refused to look away, or even blink often. The old demon's watery, dark gray eyes stared at him long enough for Pepper to start to get nervous, worried that he would look away first.
Natak's gaze softened, but he didn't look away, nor did he take Pepper's eyes away for a moment. He said: "Son, you are indeed cunning. But your father is just a man and your brother is just a boy. You are no different from anyone else. No-"
"You listen to the flowers singing first," said Little Pepper.
Fortunately, the old demon looked away first, because Pepper's eyes were starting to water from staring for so long, and he was worried they would drip and Natook would think he was crying.
Natak sighed and looked into the brazier, then poked the embers in the brazier with a stick to make them hotter. "Your father certainly didn't teach you to be humble."
"Thank you," Pepper said, trying not to laugh.
The old devil snorted and grinned, showing his sharp yellow teeth. Natak must have loved the joke, because he even looked more energetic - he sat up straighter and his arms had more energy than before.
Pepper always thought the old devil was going to say something, but he didn't. "I'll find a way to get dad to help you." He smoothed the fur on his tail, stood up, then picked up a crumb from his shirt and ate it.
"So, do you want us to be saved?" Natuk asked. He didn't look at the pepper, he just looked at the brazier.
Pepper paused awkwardly and thought for a moment. He's just saying it because it seems like the right thing to say, and he's really trying to think of something, but if he says yes, is he promising something? Is he swearing? He'll help if he can, Because they are like him, but
"Go to Farah and tell him I want you to get a knife. Then go to Pearl and tell her I want to see her. Tell Deanna too. Will you do it?"
"Who is Per?"
"Ask Farat where to find her. You know who Farat is, right?"
"Yes. Why did you give me a knife?"
"In case you need to stab an alien creature. You're cunning, aren't you? Find Per and Deanna, get a knife and come back."
Pepper didn't know what to say, so he just nodded and slipped out of the tent door, being careful not to open the door too wide to avoid letting in the cold air. He walked out into the bright morning, almost as bright as when there was snow everywhere. He had to cover his eyes with his hands to see where it was dry and where it was muddy until he was halfway to the training ground.
As Natuk said, his mind was full of all kinds of ideas. Why does he need a knife? Of course he should have one; Dad once gave him a flower knife. Pepper accidentally cut Gabby a bit, so Dad put them in the bottom of the car and that was the last anyone saw them. He understands better now, so it doesn't matter if he gets one.
But most demons looked at him, as if they thought he was going to steal something, even if he was just sitting somewhere. Farad, this great war leader, except staring at him nothing. But if he has a knife, he can do all kinds of things, such as carving wood. He can try hunting. If he finds a rabbit or a bird, he can secretly approach. Now he has a knife, and he can remove the skin and meat by himself.
He has another thing to consider. He hoped that the night of the night was safe and sound, so that their children would return safely. But how much do he want to do this? What risks are he willing to take for them? They are not the old Buddha of Dad, nor the walker. If he was asked, he would choose his family instead of them. But if Dad and him do not help them, who will help them? No matter what he thinks, it is difficult to make a decision.
When he arrived at the training ground, there was no one, and even Diana did not have it. She might have nowhere to go.
He sighed, looked around, and didn't know where to look at the next step. The sun is warmer than yesterday, especially on his black hair. Even its tail feels like being hot by the sun. He stood there for a while, tried to immerse himself in the sun, raised his hands, straightened his tail, and stretched his waist. This hurts his stomach because he eats too much.
Peroper was nervous about Fara, especially for him, so he was a little relieved because the man was gone. During this time, they rarely said a word, although the tall demon seemed to have been trying to monitor him. He talked a lot with Teslawan, and Teslawan was a little devil bitten when he was arrested. Tesvan may still want to kill him. At least he doesn't have to walk around with a big bandage. Perper didn't dare to approach him, see if he had scars.
He held his breath, walked into the woods around the camp, and was determined to go around outside until he found a person who knew his name. He might talk to him. If nothing else, he can try to call Xie Si's parents again, although it has been several days, they still do not let him go in. He silently walked from one shadow to another shadow, and inhale his existence more and more deeper, so no one could see him. It feels like he has been practicing more and more recently, but how can he test it? No one has seen him except Natak.
In addition, anyone can hide behind these pine trees. The branches have been dragged to the ground. As long as someone follows or slipped in from the trunk, no one will see it. Only footprints.
Therefore, he practiced without leaving footprints and stepped on rocks or plants as much as possible. The melting snow left a lot of mud, but it also exposed other things for him to step on. Sometimes he has to jump over ...
After a while, he glanced at the camp again, but no one came out. Did they hunt again?
A small head was found out of the tent by the stream, and Perper was not sure if he had seen anyone in the tent. The devil child looks about the same as Pipper, but it can't be seen from here. He may be a boy because he has short hair; many women also have short hair, but not most. Most people make hair braids like mothers.
The child was looking around, maybe curious, or eager — he was too far away and could not see clearly. If the child peek out of the tent like that, maybe his parents are gone? Maybe he can tell Perpoper in which tent to live? Or what he wants, such as he wants to soak in water but no one protects him.
He came out of the woods, Popper's heart pounded, because he was suddenly afraid to see what the boy was doing. What if he ignored him like other children at that time? Or if his parents were inside, what would they do if they were angry?
The boy's eyes stared at him, and Perper realized that he forgot to hide it. He was standing outdoors, sunny. When the boy waved his hand to call him past, his heart almost stopped beating. Perper didn't move, and the child waved anxiously and looked around to ensure that no one saw it.
Popper glanced at behind him and wanted to make sure, but it was stupid because he knew that there were no one behind, and the boy was staring at him.
He nodded, and the boy hid in the tent again. Perper once again concealed his existence and hid all his strength, climbing very low in the open space. Now he is more worried about what noisy things are stepping on instead of leaving footprints. There are footprints everywhere, most of them are deeply mud, but if anyone hear or discover him, they may ask him what he is doing instead of not letting him see what the boy wants.
The sun shines in his back through his heavy wool shirt, as warm as his ears and tails. He couldn't avoid the sun. But this not only did not make him feel good, but made him even more nervous. Exposure is like the sun just shines on him. He became more and more focused on absorbing his existence and hiding, so that it was difficult to keep his eyes open. He walked closer and closer, trying to say as much as possible.
A sound surprised him -on the other side of the tent he had approached quietly, he stepped on the gravel with footsteps. A panic almost disrupted his attention because he was outdoors.
He stopped moving so quietly, rushed forward to squat next to the tent, and then stared forward to see who came.
At this moment, the little peppers almost hit some people, and they were about to open the tent's door. The first is a man who has been on the age. His black and white hair is mottled, and his arms are distorted by old injuries. Perper has seen him several times, and he is far away from the camp and guards on the road. The second is a young woman. For a demon, she is too young. Maybe she has not grown up completely, although she has a long corner and holds a child in her arms. Perper was not sure if he had seen her before.
He didn't have time to think, so he climbed in as much as possible from the young woman as much as possible. He stayed behind her, and when she sat down, he shrank to the edge of the fur tent as much as possible, without brushing it or letting it move. He breathed softly and steadily, hiding his existence. When he realized that he had just slipped into a tent with an adult night person who might not want him to stay there, panic hovering in his heart, but he pushed it away and continued to concentrate on hiding.
There are no other people in the tent, only two devils and the little devil. The boy seeing the little pepper was gone. Unless he is hidden, maybe hidden under the blanket? But it doesn't look big enough. Can he hide like a small pepper? Perper has never had a chance to see if he can find that others are doing this.
"Will he come?" The young woman asked.
Peroper faced him back, and could not see the child she hugged tightly, and could only see her small feet on both sides of her stomach. However, this child may be smaller than Xie Si.
The sentinel said, "Yes, he will come at any time. I asked Travat to run to catch him as soon as possible. Farate also, there is Jeg. Maybe Teswan, if he is not busy."
"What about Natalc?" The young woman asked, throwing her tail out of her, holding the child on her knees. What the child said, but it was a baby language, and Perper didn't understand.
"Farate will decide in the future," the sentinel said.
"Is Faraat the boss now?" She asked, her voice was calm and nervous.
"No, but there is a contradiction between them. I will explain it in the future." The sentinel put some new charcoal into the flat copper flames, blowing. "I have a hundred things to ask you. I can't wait."
"I have a hundred things to say, dad. I have waited too long," said the young woman. "I want you to hold Yetu, but he will take him away as soon as he gets here."
Perper is not sure if he should look directly at anyone. Even if he hid, would the light of his yellow eyes reflected would be noticed? One day he needed to test with Frace. However, when he glanced at it, saw the sentinel wipe away the tears on his cheeks, and laughed so painful, his fear began to be replaced by guilt.
When he realized what happened -the woman had gone, and now returned to her family, and the sense of guilt was quickly replaced by anger. Or something like that. This is a return home, a reunion. This is the second time he has to watch a movie that is not suitable for him. His inner anger felt dirty in the brewing, just as he shouldn't have that feeling, but he did have it. He did it.
He realized that if the woman's husband came, he would look at her when he came in. If he jumped to her and gave her a hug, they might fall on Pipper. The little pepper crawled inch in inches in the tent, sucking his existence, and then sitting in the place he thought that no one would come. He looked for the missing boy, but he couldn't find him everywhere. But he may be in one of them. Two of them are big enough. But it was a bad place to hide, because they hid the food inside.
The young woman's father looked down at the little boy, and said with a sharp voice that everyone would have when talking to the child: "You are already a big boy now! Do you remember me, yetu? Do you remember your grandpa? "
The child looked at Grandpa for a while, then snorted gently, and buried his head on his mother's shoulder. The young woman smiled sorry, but Grandpa didn't look so sad.
But then he asked worriedly: "He ... right?"
The young woman paused for a while, then opened her mouth and closed it. She nodded.
Grandpa looked down, but the angle must be, so that his horns would not point. "I am very happy," he said. His voice was hoarse and narrow. When he was quiet again, Pieper saw his shoulders trembling and sobbing silently. The young woman climbed across the flames, holding him with one arm, and holding the little boy in the other arm.
Perper almost got up to slip out because it was not what he wanted. This made him feel angry and disgusting, and he didn't want to stay here.
But before he spoke, he heard the footsteps of someone running around. In a moment, a young man rushed out of the door of the tent door and shouted, "Edia!"
This is a friend of Tesvan, a young man who has never heard of his name. The young man almost rushed to the young woman. Soon, the little family hugged each other and cried openly. Looking at all of this, the heart of the little peppers hurts. No matter how hard he wants to focus on hiding, his eyes are still full of tears, part of the sympathy, and part of the regret. He slowly wiped his cheeks, but his tears kept flowing out of his eyes, and then the fear came back again, fearing that he would stop hiding because of accidents. enter.
He suddenly realized who he knew who the young woman was. Natuk mentioned her name, a woman who went to pick up the child never returned. ETIYA. That may be the woman who helped the stone once. However, Dad saved a child.
Perper decided that he could wait and listen to what she was going to say, although he was so disturbing to come here. She has contact with his dad, and he wants to know where she has been. months.
Soon after, Farad appeared in the entry. This tall demon had to bend forward, so as not to poke his corner to the ceiling of the tent, which made him look like a monster shrouded everyone. He was wearing his leather armor and covered with black and gray evil patterns. But he still laughed. Perper had never seen him laugh before, but it was a sincere smile. He had wrinkles slightly around his eyes and did not work at all. There are two knives on his belt with one on each side. Will Farate give him one of them?
"It seems I am disturbing you," the war leader said, sitting next to the brazier. His voice was strange and relaxed.
"Yes, but we will forgive you." The sentinel said.
Etiya gave her little Yetu to the young husband. The child looks uncertain, but does not complain or cry. After a while, the child seemed to think of him and hugged tightly on his neck. The husband hugged him with a smile, then put the child on his leg and hugged him with both hands.
When everyone sat well, Farate said, "I only have a few questions to ask, and then I leave." I will keep silent for a while, so you have time to be alone. I think we will fire for you tonight. "
Etia nodded and said, "Thank you. I really need to rest."
"I believe. My first question was where did you find him? What did you look like? Did you find someone else?"
The young woman said: "I did not find him until I got into the snow. This was purely luck. I happened to see a lot of smoke that came out of fire. I thought I was near a village. I know the king's soldiers were here. One area, so I hope I can hear something, and I need food. If I can find a place, I want to rest warmly.
"I found ... I'm sorry, I wondered where to start with. They ..." Edia said. She looked uncomfortable and moved in her seat. The more she looked at her, the younger she seemed younger. How old is she? Dya
A's age? "I'm sorry, I haven't spoken for too long, I'm not used to it."
"This is good. Take your time," Farad said. Perper couldn't see if he looked impatient. It was sitting motionlessly, his tail was on his shoulders, and his hands crossed on his legs.
After a while, Etiia said: "They cleaned up this land, almost as big as our camp. It was a fire everywhere. I don’t know where they got these woods because they did not remove the surroundings. Forest. They have these flat stones and cannot be raised. Too heavy, the three of us can't lift it. They are as big as horses and are all over the field. It is about thirty or forty years old. Maybe more. A whole team of leather people looked at the fire pile, carried wood, and kept the heat of the embers. In the rest of the day, I kept watching them and waiting for the opportunity to go in to see what it was. I don't know.
"After the night fell, a knight came in. He summoned some leather faces to follow him, and the rest left in the other direction. When I was sure that no one around me, I walked in and looked around. The fire is warm, and the ground is not even cold. But the rocks are not hot enough, they cannot cook on it, and there is no pot or spittoon on the stove.
"It didn't take long for me to find a movement. I looked at it. I saw a child sitting on a stone and was too far away. I couldn’t see who it was. I was startled. Get up and run away without thinking. When I approached, he looked like turning around, jumping behind the rock, and disappearing from my sight.
"When I arrived there, he had gone. He just-" Atia stopped talking and looked around. She looked upset, but in addition, Perper could see nothing. "Sorry, it's all weird. You won't believe me. You must think I am losing reason."
The young man smiled embarrassedly and said, "No one thinks so. Continue to move forward." Paper thought he must be friendly and comfortable, but did not do well.
Etia glanced at him, either pain or gratitude, and then continued. "When I rushed there, the boy had nowhere to find. He had nowhere to go. He just disappeared. I think I must collapse. All of this is too much, I am about to get out of control. I really do Yes. I stared at the rock for a while, and then sat down on it. I thought Yetu heard it because he started screaming. I heard it. I heard him screaming under the rock.
"No, at first I thought he was in it, or his shadow. But I knew it was him. I just knew. I heard his voice, and I knew. I tried to dig it out, but the ground was too hard I have no tools, so I ran around and wanted to find a tool, but I found nothing. I did n’t find anything. So I went back and tried to move the stone myself. I know I can’t do it, but I don’t think at all. After. I have to rescue him anyway, then ... "
Perper felt that he could not explain it correctly, not because he felt sad because he could not explain it correctly. She looked around in frustration, and her hand and tail kept moving.
After a short and embarrassing silence, Farate asked: "How did you get him out?"
"I don't. In the name of the god of dusk, you will never believe it. I don't even ... I can't ..." I can't ... "
Farate said softly: "It's okay, dear Atia. Tell us your story. The evidence of your words is on his leg."
Yes, the little pepper thought. He wanted to remember the names of all of them, so he tried to remember.
"That boy, I don't know what he is. But I know I saw him. I don't know what, he told me where is Yeru. He must be part of the next thing, I just don’t know that it is a soul. , Still from the illusion of Kalisher. I just don't know. "
Palthos! Think of pepper. It must be like this! According to my mother, Patos may be any kind of child, so he must be it
The room was silent. Silence of pain. All night people widened their eyes and looked at each other. No one breathe.
Perper suddenly aware that he said loudly! He didn't even realize that he was doing this, but he whispered without thinking. He took his breath hard to hide his strength.
They started to look around the tent, and now they are scared. Their gaze has passed a dozen times on him. He looked at the ground, but he could feel his eyes staring at him. No one said anything. No one saw him.
"Did you hear it?" Etia asked, almost whispering.
The sentry nodded, and he nodded. "I think it's the person in the tent next door. Please continue. What happened?"
A frosty giant with blood and anger appearing in a few steps. Suddenly, I don't know where to come from, and walk towards me. I didn't see him until he could catch my horns. I thought he was here to kill me. I don't know how to describe him, it's too big. He cannot be alone. No one in the tribe cannot be so tall and strong. I screamed, revealing my paws, ready to fight my last battle, but he didn't care. He just ignored it.
"I don't remember what he said to me, but I remember he was not afraid of me at all. He walked straight to the stone and lifted it up. What. I grabbed the leaf map from the tree and thanked him. I ran away. I was so scared that I didn't dare to do anything. I just ran. I don't remember where we slept that night.
"The next morning, I returned to the field with my footprint, but there was a leather face. Then I realized that they kept all our children there. It is under the stones to prevent us from stealing them. I don't know how many people can be lifted to move it, but I can't move it at all. Even if we try to launch a raid ... "
Hearing this news, night people seemed sad. They lowered their heads and didn't look at anything. Perper can imagine what they are thinking -the small assault team that he stolen from the alien people will not have much luck in such a strict place. If you need ten people or two people to move a stone Horse, so how many children can they save before they were driven away?
Farate looked up and asked, "Can you find it again?" Is this field? "
"I can easily find it from Wangbao or the long East Road. However, you have to take me back."
He asked, "Why did you find him waiting for so long?" We all thought you were dead. "
Even small peppers can hear the pain of this young man trying to hide. This reminds him of the night that the night is like him -lost, lonely, and miss his family. They are like a group of orphans.
In fact, now he thinks about it, maybe what he sees is that Patus is summoning him in, not a devil child. Patus wants him to hear these. God is still guarding everyone! The idea spreads in his heart, just like the fire that burned after a day in the snow.
In fact, does the night of night protect them? They mentioned Kalisher, saying that he was the ancestor of their tribe, but he had never seen someone sacrificed. He had to ask Natak.
Etia has been thinking about how to answer her husband's question. Finally, she said, "I'm not sure if I can find the way back in the snow. I leave in autumn, and now everything is different. I didn't even try it. I didn't even try it. After. I found a place to sleep, close to a village, where I can steal enough food to maintain life, I think it is best to wait. I am sorry. I miss you, I want to come back. Yes. But I ... "
"You are so scared, you will be frozen to death," the sentinel came over to save her. this is correct. You are here, Yeru is here, this is the most important thing. "
Farate suddenly stood up and said, "I think this is what I need now. You let me think a lot. Please, Coma, let these two be alone. He has no wife for half a year. The 17 -year -old is unbearable for people. We go to find Jeg and tell her not to see us for the time being. "
The sentry stood up, with a naughty smile on his face, Perper tried his best to remember his name.
"Wait," Edia said. "I haven't finished it yet. There is another thing. You must know some things. This is why I came back before the snow disappeared."
Farate turned around and focused his attention on the young woman. "I am listening."
"A slave uprising occurred in the king's auditorium. A slave from the south killed everyone at a banquet to kill everyone, including the prince. The child is fled. The king convened eight troops and slowly tightened all the roads. All. Except for the deep wilderness, there was nowhere to go. "
Koma's chin fell, and his body froze. Farat stunned twice before saying, "How do you know?"
"I also heard a whistle myself. I have been hiding near a fortress. They ..., the slaves are walking east. To us. The possibility of them go to this road is very small, but Farate, he killed the prince. The prince. No one said that the king's army would go to catch him. We have to go. You need to know. "
Koma said: "I can't believe someone really killed that monster. Does this information describe the slaves?"
"I only know that the southerners have long and dark hair and many muscles, and Skytha
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With pure white fur and the most pale skin. They may be trying to liberate other slaves. "
For a while, the crow was silent in the tent. Farat's eyebrows frowned, and he stared at the ground and fell into thought. Koma looked scared and kept staring at the curtain of the tent.
Atia said: "I came when I heard the news. I'm sorry."
Farat raised his head, Peroper felt helplessly seeing his face. "No, you have nothing to sorry. What you do is heroic. This is a terrible news, that's all."
Koma said, "Fara, it sounds like Android, isn't it?"
Farat closed his eyes, lowered his head, and fell into thought. He threw a thin and dark tail from his shoulders and hit the side of the tent, maybe accidentally. He blinked, raised his head, and suddenly thought of an idea. "Etia, are those news mentioned the king's mad soldier?"
She said, "Oh, sorry! How can I forget to say? Yes. He brought them out. Everyone."
The war leader whispered to himself, and Perper felt that he perceived his fear from the face. "Everyone?" How could he control so many people? "
Grandpa Koma said: "I suspect that Nutuk can still win one of them, let alone twenty or thirty. Fara, we must--" We must-- "
"You are right." Fara interrupted him. "If the king smells our smell, we will be overwhelmed by the whole army. We have no choice, we have to move. We will go up immediately."
"What about kittens?"
"We told Natak that he wondered our conversation and said he was going to save his father, but we couldn't catch him. Find him, kill him, and temporarily hide his body in the snow."
