Chapter 342 - The Outside World

As expected, the villagers were discontent with a stranger being brought in, even if he was unarmed and unconscious. But one look from Master Claude turned those glares into bows of respect. The people had chosen their leader, and all it took was a single gesture to assure them that he had a plan in mind.

It took an hour for the man to regain consciousness. When he did, he tossed around in a panic. The unfamiliar surroundings put him on guard, especially when Ludmila and Wolfy, the only name it would accept, were standing there.

“W-Where am I?” he finally said, a blanket bunched up against him like it would offer some protection.

“My village. You are a guest, so act accordingly.”

Ludmila’s eyes were stern, judging for any flaw in his character. Her hand was clutching the handle of a sheathed knife, almost if waiting for an excuse to strike. But then, Wolfy crept over and nudged him with its head, a friendly gesture unexpected of a wild animal.

“I suppose that Wolfy says hello. There is nothing to fear if you behave.” Ludmila finally took her hand off her weapon, sighing. She could sense that the man before her was no fiercer than a stray, lost puppy. Perhaps, that was why even Wolfy took pity on him.

Ludmila turned to leave the tent they were in, to let the others know that he was awake.

“Wait, I’m Kazan. I’m grateful that you have spared me. Could I please ask for your name?”

“Ludmila.”

He needed nothing else for now. Not until she knew more of his motives. She left Wolfy to guard him.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Days passed. Kazan meekly accepted the food and care given to him. And when asked to work for it, he complied. Though his arms were thin, he forced himself into labor, almost as if he was used to pushing beyond his means. His vacant stare into the distance kept piquing Ludmila’s interest.

“If you don’t watch where you’re swinging, you will hurt someone.”

Kazan looked around with the axe in hand, seeing Ludmila watch him chop wood. He brought it down in a practiced motion, not needing to see where it landed. The wood split perfectly in half.

“It’s okay. I’m used to doing manual labor. There aren’t many options where I lived. It’s either do or starve. I don’t mind at all. Same tasks, different place.”

“Even if you are chained up?”

Kazan looked at his left foot, where a metal shackle was. He merely shrugged at it.

“I have fresh air, a place to sleep, and a full stomach. It’s more than I could ask for, being sold into slavery.”

“But you are a man of the city. I heard from Master that slavery of their own citizens is outlawed.”

Kazan shook his head, pain evident in his eyes.

“That does not mean that people don’t do it anyways. Families in debt, starving, with no option but to sacrifice someone to the rich. It’s purposefully set up that way to keep the public ignorant while those that have everything find loopholes.”

Ludmila was surprised. She thought that every foreigner was the same – wallowing in their riches, carelessly sampling evils, and taking what wasn’t theirs. She suddenly doubted what she believed before. Her view had been rather black and white, eager to jump to conclusions and act instead.

Wolfy trotted over and seemed to smile at Kazan, who reached down and petted it. Even a wolf could sense the right and wrong of their actions.

“If you hate it so much there, then why do you keep looking off into the distance?”

Kazan’s face dropped. He looked off to the side and fumbled with his mouth. Ludmila could tell that he was formulating lies on his tongue. It was the same face as Master Claude when he didn’t wish to burden others.

“You have nothing to lose in revealing your desires.”

“I see… The thing is… I have family there, but they sold me off, so I don’t even know if they would want me back.”

Ludmila immediately pounced on the topic, her eyes firm and convincing.

“Family is not something you should undermine! Of course, they would want you back! We know, that sometimes losing someone is necessary. It is the way of life. But that does not mean we will forget! We live with hard decisions and push forward in their names!”

Kazan let out a stiff chuckle. “If only that were true… It doesn’t matter anyways. I’m a prisoner here. I’m already counting on my blessings for being alive still.”

Something stirred from within Ludmila. Whenever topics of family were brought up, she would feel a distant pain, even though she was surrounded by the warmth and comfort of others. She didn’t understand why – why it felt so stuffy, like she was being coddled.

A patch of fur brushed by her leg, making her look down. Wolfy butted its head into her, while pawing at the chain linked to Kazan’s foot. Just then, Ludmila had a thought. She dashed to the Master’s tent, with a single purpose in mind.

Seeing Claude and his wives in a circle, sharing a few drinks, Ludmila swallowed and brought forth her courage.

“Master! Tell me if I’m correct, but Kazan is my prey, is he not?”

Surprised, Claude cocked his head at her, thinking for a moment before speaking.

“Well, you were the one that found him. According to the traditions of our hunters, they who are the first to bring a foe down possesses that right.”

That was all Ludmila needed to hear.

“Then, as the owner of that hunt, allow me to do what I wish with him. Please, let me bring him back to his family!”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ludmila watched as villagers loaded supplies onto a snow-drawn cart. Still in disbelief that she had gotten permission, she turned to look at Kazan, a free man thanks to her. A throaty sneeze made her look back toward Wolfy, who had a harness around it to draw the cart. It gave an excited howl, like it couldn’t wait to move out on an adventure.

An adventure this certainly would be. Ludmila had never gone past these forests. She had never experienced the world. Yet, it only took a homesick boy to convince her otherwise. How strange fate was.

Within the hour, wind brushed against Ludmila and Kazan’s faces. The cart that they rode flew across the pearly hills, the tracks that they made its only disturbance. Ludmila turned back and saw the forest growing smaller and smaller behind her. A hint of regret tickled her spine, but she pinched herself to rid it.

Kazan’s voice was somber and brief. He did not know what to expect from a family that had cast him aside once. And even if he did return, what would he say? He was slow to guide the way, his mind constantly elsewhere.

Ludmila tried to goad him away from such fruitless worry, asking him what he had done in the past. She received stories of a time when farmlands were rich, marketplaces were joyous, and the smiles of his parents and younger sister. But then, his tone darkened. It was obvious that he recalled leaving them at that moment.

“…And then… we could no longer pay off our debts. No harvests to sell, no more sheep or cows to provide wool and milk. Paying with meat only gave us another week or two. When the collectors came, they offered the only option that could put food in all of our mouths.”

Ludmila heard a long, drawn-out sigh, the storyteller melancholic at the sole path that was left for him. She saw a man that greatly contrasted her, who had many options but chose only to pursue one.

“Ship the boy out and pick up arms. We will have him take so that you all can have.” Kazan took out a knife, given to him by Ludmila, and stared at his reflection. “I was never told that taking another life would be so hard. Maybe that’s why they gave me a gun and sent me into danger. So that I would be forced to choose the only option to live.”

Master Claude had always told her that life was precious, as well as opportunities one was given. Few people were blessed with the swiftness of Ludmila’s legs, so naturally, she became a hunter. But now she started to wonder.

‘Was being a hunter just easy for her, or was it her own desire?’

That was a question that she could no longer answer. Saving her prey, rather than killing it, had a dramatic effect. Like the breeze that brushed off her body, she felt a similar air of freedom as when she ran. Perhaps, she had grown too accustomed to a single feeling while ignoring others, holding onto just that and nothing else.

“We’re approaching.”

Kazan’s statement brought Ludmila’s focus forward. She spied a lonely ranch in the distance. The pristine, snow-covered grounds made it look barren and dead. A home that was unlike hers, where foot traffic trampled the ground into distinct paths and the slightest bit of green poked up from around the buildings.

“That’s odd. There is no smoke in the chimney.”

Fire was a source of life. People gathered around its warmth to feel alive against the cold. Even Ludmila found it odd to be absent, despite the strange dwelling before her.

“Hurry, I feel something may be off.”

Wolfy responded with a bark, kicking its legs up double-time. It was a wonder how it understood their worries. But then again, Ludmila knew that they could smell fear, and Kazan was dripping in it.

As they got closer, it was easy to see that there had been a struggle. The untouched snow had suddenly turned into a stampede of footsteps, much more than a single dwelling would invite. Ludmila could tell that it was not just the same people running back and forth, as the imprints left distinct tells.

Kazan didn’t even wait for Wolfy to slow down before leaping off the cart and sprinting toward the front door. She watched as he barreled the rest of the way and disappeared into the house. Before she could get down and give Wolfy a gentle rub for its work, Kazan dove outside once again, tripping over his own feet and tumbling into the snow.

He lifted himself up, huffing and puffing, but unclear whether it was due to panic or his ungraceful exit.

“Dad… Mom… Ana… they took them! They are gone!”

Like the instinct of a beast in the forest, Ludmila suddenly dropped into a surveyor’s pose. Wolfy sniffed the air, turning its head like it was tracing some imaginary opponent. They were already on the lookout for those that had intruded upon this space.

“Kazan, get back on the cart. We will find them!”

“I-I…”

Seeing that the man was useless at the moment, Ludmila broke out of her stance and zipped right up to him. In a flash, she had him by the collar and delivered a strike across his cheeks.

“Get a move on! If you want any hope of finding them, then we must act now! The tracks are still fresh. The sun has not melted the edges of the snow that have been thrown up. They must be close by!”

“You, you can track them?” Kazan looked up with a hint of hope in his eyes.

“Who do you think I am? Ludmila the Wild! The best hunter of our village! Neither deer nor tiger can compete with the swiftness of my legs! If a scent exists, then I will undoubtedly catch up!”

As if on cue, Wolfy howled at the sky, its snout pointing to the direction of the escapees. Ludmila brought out a knife and nicked her finger. Grabbing Kazan’s hand and turning his palm up, she drew a symbol in blood upon it.

“This is my vow to you. I will find them. Your family is now my family.”