Truth to be told, Eiron really wanted to leave Bob there and keep looking at him while he was curling in pain.

But what could he do? A great revenge comes with a sense of not giving in to emotions and applying his well calculated plan to the end.

“Can…can you… Do you have something that can help me?” said Bob after realizing he wasn’t in a position to be his usual bossy self.

‘Stupid Bob’ Eiron thought ‘He isn’t even trying to go far away from the plants that potentially caused him pain.’

“Sure but I ain’t stupid enough to go there.” Eiron said after tapping his pouch.

“Just why… is it because of the other day?”

Eiron shrugged and said “Well not really, more like I don’t plan sleeping near you while they are toxic plants all around. I think you should come closer but that’s just a suggestion anyway.”

Bob came next to him and lay down with all the strength and courage he could mutter.

He didn’t actually want to give his stomach to the enemy but the situation asked for a change in attitude.

Eiron took out a random paste from his pouch and gave it to Bob. “Take it bro, I won’t touch you.”

After some self-conflict and inner contradiction, Bob decided to drink the paste and directly spitted it out.

“Did you plan to kill me?”

Eiron then remembered the saying: a dumb question for a dumb question and retorted “Who told you to eat it?”

Bob then applied the rest of the paste on his whole body and after a while he actually felt better till the pain and itching disappeared.

“Of course I am a fair guy. But that won’t be enough, you should use the paste every twenty-four hours for three days for the pain to completely disappear.” Eiron coldly said while pointing at Bob’s slightly discolored skin.

“And do you have more of…of that paste?” asked the traumatized Bob.

“Nope, but I’m familiar with the plants used.”

“I see and do you think you can help me find them?” Bob pledged.

Eiron started going away but suddenly stopped and said “At the first light tomorrow, meet me here and I hope for you that you won’t be late”.

“Y-Yes!”

That night, Eiron had a pleasant dream and slept for the longest ever.

After waking up, Eiron took a bath, helped his father and fed his hens. He then went in to the forest and found the poor Bob on the verge of depression.

The sky was clear, birds sang and the leaves whistled. An almost perfect scenery at a Bob close.

“What took you so long” Bob asked with watery eyes.

“You or my father? I think he never insulted me or beat me up for no da*n reason.”

“…”

Eiron was well prepared and drew all the plants he almost completely harvested on a sheet of paper and went looking for them with Bob.

It took them nearly half the day to look for them all in sufficient quantity and that was probably the longest half day Bob got to ever experience in his live.

Around 2 P.m., Bob was finally relieved when he took the paste around one hour before the last time.

During, their walk, Eiron got to know Bob a little better and realized wasn’t that bad of a kid. He was like him a sole child but still had both his mother and father. He passed most of his days hunting and logging while having only some few time to hang out with the ‘bros’.

Well, Eiron didn’t hate him too much but he hated him nonetheless. That’s why he still planned continuing on his path for revenge.

For the coming days, Eiron and Bob met in the forest while being able to harvest less and less plants almost giving Bob a heart attack but nevertheless, they did it and became quite good friends or so thought Bob.

Actually, the tread-softly Bob once touched were toxic plants inducing itchiness and pain but only for less than an hour and have no reappearing effects if not for the momentarily skin discoloration. The plants Eiron used as paste have no effect and Bob fell for a simple psychological trick.

Two days later while Eiron was watering his plants, Bob came and asked him to join him to a gathering with the guys.

After a lot of arguing, he finally agreed to go with Bob.

‘Second phase achieved’ muttered Eiron.

“Did you say something?”

“Maybe those plants also induced light hallucinations?” Eiron asked.

During the rest of the walk, Bob didn’t open his mouth anymore.

At Bob’s house

“Hey guys.”

“Ha-ha boss! What took you so long?” asked one of the ‘bros’.

“This is my new friend.” Bob said while gesturing at Eiron to come forth “Those who don’t like it come forth or take my punch forever.”

Eiron smiled while all the other boys didn’t say a single word. The gathering continued in an awkward mood but that was just a beginning.

Michael was proud that his son finally found friends while during the next gatherings, Eiron identified the most hot-tempered amongst the six (seven) bros and got closer and closer to Bob and some of the ‘bros’.

It happened a week later; Eiron got beaten by one of the boys ‘Jeff’ who had two cousins among the ‘bros’ because Eiron got close to his sister.

“You damn monster! After your mother raped your dad, now you want to try your way on my cousin!” said one of Jeff’s cousins while they joined him in his rampage.

“Do you think Bob will let this slide?” said the bruised Eiron with a smirk.

“F*cking Bob who cares about that traitor! Go and tell him that me and my ‘bros’ will form the ‘neo bros’ on our own if you don’t quit.” Jeff shouted in rage.

The bloody Eiron didn’t waste time to go and report the situation to Bob and the other ‘bros’.

“They want war? Here we come!” said Bob and thus started the ‘first bros war’.

Eiron was naturally excluded because he will become their obvious primary target … Truly great bros.

During the following weeks the two groups hindered themselves during their respective hunts, got into stupid argument and at multiple occasions fought. Most of them already forgot why they were fighting at some point and got deprived of exit and meeting by their parents for a while.

Meanwhile, all Eiron got to do was hunting less with the excuse of caring for his father’s health (Well, he actually did) and join the gatherings from time to time to not seem suspicious.

An almost three month long revenge but it was worth it. Thinking back then, the answer was quite simple: just let them fight for you.