Kenny stared at the scene in front of him. Pieces of bread were being handed out to the kids one after another. As the coachman, it was his duty to make sure the young lord arrived safely at his destination. Meddling with the rations was not part of his task, but he could not help but wonder why the young master was giving their share of food to these assailants. After all, just a few moments ago, this group had tried to rob them.

He fed the starving residents in the town. And now, he’s feeding these kids. A few months ago the young master would never have done this.

Kenny was sure he wasn’t the only one perplexed by this sudden development. The guards seemed baffled too.

“So, you’re telling us that the entire village was attacked by a serpent monster?” said the young master. Kenny perked up his ears and listened. “The village managed to fend it off, but it destroyed the storage of food, leaving everyone hungry for the winter.”

Arthus, the leader of the kids, nodded. He was younger than the young master, maybe ten or eleven years old. His black hair covered half his face, his lips constantly moving as he chewed his bread. After swallowing, he said, “Yes. All the kids are fine. The adults gave most of the food to us, you see.” He was close to sobbing. “We can’t even hunt during the winter. The red berries would have been our last resort, but the serpent monster made that place its lair. Those that tried to get close were eaten by the damn bastard. We’ve been eating bugs and worms these past few weeks. Just a little longer and the whole village will die of hunger.”

Kenny was reminded of Blackstone Town. Before the young master started feeding the residents, many people tried digging through the ground in search of worms and insects to eat during winter.

The young master looked up. The sun seeped through the canopy of leaves above.

“I have a rough idea of the situation,” said Lark. “But no matter how harsh the current situation is, do you think it’s the right thing to assault other people just to survive? Self-defense is one thing, but this is an entirely different matter.”

“We know,” said Arthus. The other kids were crestfallen. “But it doesn’t matter anymore. You can call us devils, demons. But we need to save the village no matter what.”

Lark sighed. “Clarkson, how much rations do we have left?”

The Head of the Guards checked the carts. “Just enough for a day’s journey, Young Master.”

“That wouldn’t even be enough to feed half the villagers.” Lark clicked his tongue. He looked at the thickets. “I saw a wild boar before. Since winter’s just ended, it should be possible to hunt some animals in the forest.”

Clarkson tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean, Young Master?”

“We’re going on a hunt.” Lark stood up. He ignored the bewildered stares of the kids around him. “Those villagers, these kids—they’re not really our responsibility. But don’t you think it would be cruel to simply let them die?”

Lark raised his voice. “Guards, spread out and search for any edible food nearby. If you spot an animal, kill it. We’ll go to the village and help the dying villagers.”

“We’re feeding an entire village?” croaked the Head of the Guards. He sounded exhausted by the idea alone.

“That’s an order,” said Lark. “Go.”

Although reluctant, the guards spread out, carrying their weapons. Lark turned to the kids. “You guys are helping, too. After you finish eating, help my guards in procuring food. Those weapons of yours—point them at the animals instead. Hunt. Eat. Survive. You’re capable of that, no?”

The kids clenched their fists and nodded.

Lark said to Arthus, “And you. Tell me where the village is.”

***

Valak’s stomach growled. How long had they been searching the forest for food? All of the food stocked in the basement had been eaten by the abhorrent monster that attacked their village more than a month ago. They had been stripped of their stores right in the middle of winter, when it was close to impossible to hunt in the forest. To make matters worse, the area where the red berries grew had become the lair of the giant serpent.

Now that winter had ended, the villagers hoped to hunt some creatures and revive the village. Thus far it had been to no avail. There were no animals nearby. Valak guessed the giant serpent was driving them away.

“Damn it,” he snarled. “If only there was a way to kill that monster.”

The red berries that grew near their village were edible and grew through all seasons. Before the giant serpent appeared, their village did not worry about hunger during winter. The berries had been readily accessible.

“Forget it,” said Artemas, his twin brother. The two of them were identical: brown bushy beards, long sunken faces and fierce blue eyes.

“We’ve lost Kurt and Manis already. It’s impossible to kill that damn serpent.”

The two of them were so thin their filthy clothes were almost falling off as they carried their bows on their backs. The twins used to be among the strongest hunters in the village, but more than a month of constant hunger had reduced them to such a decrepit state.

Still, compared to the other people left in the village, they were doing slightly better. The rest in the village could hardly move; some were on the brink of death.

The twins were the only ones left capable of hunting. With each passing moment, the heavy weight of responsibility on their shoulders increased. They knew if they did not catch any prey, the other villagers would soon die.

“At least the kids are safe,” Valak said to console himself. Along with the village elder, he was the one who insisted they should prioritize the children. Despite the shortage of food, they made sure that none of the kids would die from hunger and cold during the winter.

Before they went out to hunt, the twins instructed the children to stay inside the village. It was too dangerous to be in the forest with the giant serpent lurking around. They gave the task of overseeing the young ones to Arthus, the strongest kid in the group. While they were away, the children were to search for edible bugs and worms in the bark of nearby trees.

The twins heard rustling sounds. They grabbed their bows and pointed the arrows at the source. They prayed to God it wasn’t the giant serpent. Otherwise, this very place would be their grave.

Each held his breath.

From the bushes, two rabbits appeared.

The two men could hardly contain their excitement. The rabbits looked left and right, sniffed the air, and looked at them. When they spotted the humans, they darted away, disappearing into the shadows of the trees.

The twins looked at each other and nodded. Although famished, they mustered their strength and ran after their prey. Using their keen hearing, they tracked the rabbits’ movements. Each step was quick and silent.

When the rabbits stopped in their tracks, the twin hunters aimed their arrows. They were still several dozen meters away from their targets. The hunters released their grip and the arrows whizzed through the trees, hitting the rabbits at the same time and killing them instantly.

“Yes!” shouted Valak. They walked to the dead rabbits and picked up the bodies. This was their first successful hunt since winter ended.

“Let’s go back to the village,” said Artemas. “Rabbit stew’ll be good in this cold weather.” Valak grinned broadly. He held the dead rabbits by the ears, blood dripping down their bellies.

They were about to return to their village when a hissing noise reverberated in the forest. The two men stiffened; blood drained from their faces. They knew that sound very well.

The hissing was coming from their left. Looking through the shadows of the trees, they could see only a sea of forest. Judging by the speed of the monster, it would be only moments before it reached them.

“It’s probably attracted to the scent of blood,” whispered Artemas.

Valak gnashed his teeth. “Damn it. Should we return to the village?”

He was worried they would be bringing the giant serpent with them if they headed back.

Artemas paused for a moment. He stared straight into his twin brother’s eyes. “If we don’t bring this meat back with us, our friends will definitely die.” He took out a small knife and made a large cut across his forearm. Blood dripped to the ground.

“What are you doing?” Valak was baffled.

“I’ll run in the opposite direction,” said Artemas. “That monster prefers human meat. I’m sure of it. Once it starts chasing after me, use the opportunity to take the meat back to the village.”

“But—”

“Listen, brother!” Artemas’ voice was grim but firm. “We have no time to argue about this. Just trust me on this one, okay? The life of everyone in the village is far more important than ours. We can save many more people than just ourselves. Do you understand that?”

Valak wanted to refute this statement, but the determination in his brother’s eyes made him shut his mouth without responding.

“Do you want Carina to die too?” Artemas said, almost whispering. “You’ve promised to marry her this year. A true hunter does not go back on his promise, Valak.”

Valak swallowed the lump in his throat. “Don’t die.”

“I won’t.”

“Swear it. Swear on the God of the Forest.”

Artemas sighed. “I swear on the name of God Gaia. I will survive.”

Valak placed the dead rabbits inside his bag. He nodded at his brother. “Then, see you at the village.”