I rubbed my eyes and stumbled to a stop. My stomach growled for the eighth time and I could tell the mala was also hungry.

Few stunted trees gathered on this mountain side. Nothing of great gathering but it was plenty for her to acquire a few broken branches or twigs. She should be able to get firewood, even if she was blind.

“Gather firewood,” I ordered.

Mala looked at me and then nodded. She glued her eyes to the ground and began picking up every twig and broken branch. I couldn’t help laughing at the level of focus she put on such a simple task but I had a task as well. I found a strong boulder blocking the sun, dug out the ground around it, and then began cutting the flank into strips. She came back with the firewood and I quickly built up a small fire.

We ate in silence and I noticed right away she was out of water. With the way she was eye-hawking my waterskin which was still half full.

So sad.

“We should link up with the others. Definitely, my people.” Mala started this again. “With numbers, we will be safer and can make a better plan.”

The twang of bows made me shoot up. I turned south and saw several figures in fancy clothes were dashing away. Swerving under arrows that stabbed into the hardpack hill. The arrows' tails flickered as if wind was furiously rampaging.

The other side, there were more than forty men in bizarre plate armor. They were rapidly firing arrows back to back and the fleeing flatlanders were being cut down one at a time.

“We need to do something to help them!” Mala grabbed my shoulder.

I shook her off and picked up my stuff. Running away wasn’t something I would have done under normal circumstances. After all, I could have lower myself down and most people wouldn’t have seen me but--

They were attacking from hundreds of logs away from people running not in a straight line. Yes, it was up a hill but other than a few unsteady rocks, which did nothing to stop a true warrior. It wasn’t something I could do and if I couldn’t do it. It meant the enemy was far stronger than myself.

While I was far ahead of them, I decided to keep my advantage. I fled like a mutt being whipped.

My feet tapped the larger rocks and like a bunny, I bounced from one to another. Crossing large swathes of land without any notion of slowing or tripping to get around uneven ground. This mala was right behind me, panting like an overused horse. I wanted to laugh but the ten men rushing towards us made me flee with even greater haste.

Up ahead of me was a ravine that wasn't an easy cross but close to the bottom was a cave system that swept upward. Without any hesitation, I dropped down the cliff face, punched out with my scabbard, and slowed to a crawl. My scabbard ended up stuck in the cliff wall.

Mala followed but without that little incite, yet, I stuck my sword into the wall to catch her.

“Jebem ti srecu,” I hissed through clenched teeth. ‘Such bad luck.’

“Jebem mu misa,” she replied in a sobbing voice.

‘You already did it, why are you crying like a guilty child! Come on now,’ I yelled internally.

Sighing, I threw her onto a ledge and worked my scabbard free before landing on it myself. With a quick look around, I began climbing down. Lucky me, we weren’t that far from a fallen tree and could quickly cross over. Plus the ledge would hide us going down. As long as their perceptions weren't as great as my fathers but I doubt it.

Hunter's ability allowed us to have animal-like senses. Flatlanders use something entirely different to gain the strengths of the immortal gods.

Bouncing pebbles shot past me and I looked up but only saw the rock ledge overcasting me. I waited with a baited breath to see if they would come down. Silence echoed for a minute and even Mala ahead of me held quietness like a long lost lover.

A few minutes later, a few voices sounded and they moved away from the cliff face. Mala breath came like a torrent of rain but I ignored the slip up.

We continued down to the log and crossed over to the other side. Traversing another long section of almost sheer face to reach a cave hidden by shadows and vines covering. I pushed them open and motioned for her to get her narrow ass inside.

“What about the others,” she asked, ducking inside and blocking the passage. “We really can’t let them die. It will just make it harder for us to survive.”

I pushed her aside and watched her stumble into the cave wall. Without any ounce of sympathy in my broken heart, I rushed down the cave. Diving down a left tunnel that would eventually lead to a secret stash of supplies or so I hoped.

This time, I didn’t hear her footsteps follow me but it was fine with me. She obviously could not tell the differences between people she could contend with and those that she couldn’t. Trying to help her friends was going to find her captured and enemies did not treat women with the same level of respect people afforded her in the same village.

The deeper down the rough tunnel, the darker it got. To the point that I needed to circulate chi through my eyes just to see contours of the cave system. A side split that was barely enough for an adult hunter to fit through appeared on my right and then I passed it. I slowed down and backtrack. Hands on the walls, I felt my way back to the crack and slipped it. A longer march with my body turned to the side and then it opened up to a bed of moss covering the ceiling. It cast down greenish light that reflected off the small river. A four huts sat on the empty land and three slender boats leaned up against the cave wall.

Not a single sign of foot traffic, I couldn't help but sigh.

I went into the second hut and found neatly organized boxes and shelves full of little bags of seasons. Snatching a black leather bag off a hook, I began packing; a bed roll, thin blanket, four pairs of summer clothes, two water skins, and a bundle of seasoning. I rushed out and moved one of the boats down to the river and climbed in. Moments after sitting down and organizing my equipment, did the sounds of heavy panting and urgent footsteps echo through the cave.

Nobody would have found this without a bright light or knowing it was there before. Even I ran past it and I knew what to look for.

Feeling frustrated created a seastorm inside of me but I unhook the oars. Paddling with a newfound sense of urgency that I lacked a moment ago. The dark maul was just about to devour me when I caught sight of some old friends mixed with the flatlanders. Blood and dirt mixed in with sweat on their faces, yet, they seemed a little too chaotic.

“I thought you said nobody would come here?” Someone yelled.

“Who the hell are you talking to?” The sound of boat scraping against the stone floor resounded through the cave. “He’s probably a hunter who had the foresight to escape to the same place as us. If you want to argue, then stay on the bank, and wait for the Hontorians to come kill you.”

“It’s Vanja. We came in before you guys.” That traitorous mala will definitely give me up if caught. Glad she isn’t with me now.

“The small dark skin?”

“Watch your mouth, flatlander!”

I didn’t hear a reply but I remembered the voice. If they made it out, I would definitely repay him for commenting on my build. Not everybody can be a big hunter. Some of us have to settle with being a small hunter but small doesn’t mean weak.

It didn’t take long before a torch lit up the narrow cave and I could see the faces of those who managed to survive.

We rode in silence.