Red

I sigh, another night of this crap. Can't the pig do his dirty business himself? The years I have served him, you would think that he would give me some credit. Sadly there is nothing I can do about it. As I ramble through my brain of ominous thoughts a warm, sticky wetness comes upon my leg. I look down and my German Sheppard, Rufus, is licking my cut that still continues to bleed through the dull cloth from last night. I set down my long, slim sword that I had been cleaning furthermore petting him behind the ears. "Who's a good boy?" I question him; in response he barks loudly probably wakening my neighbors. A smile comes across my face for him, remembering how I got him as I look into his baby blue eyes.
It was around this time when the trees leaves turned blood red, and sunset orange. A man and his family came to my village with a dog about to give birth. He was traveling and stumbled onto our village like any other outsider does unless it was the weekly traders. Our village is deep in the forest so no trouble comes our way. The news spreads that he needed assistance with his dog. Bill a good friend of my mother told her and she didn’t hesitate to help. My mother was a strong, independent person. Also very beautiful to anyone that lays an eye on her. She had blood red hair with full lips and rosy cheeks, but pale, white skin that made her look a little abnormal. She was also a very gentle but can be easily angered person. She let him come into our house because she was the only healer in our whole village. I would help her on some occasions but I was never good at any of it. I would just hand her the stuff that she needed, or rap up wounds after she was done. But that was a long time ago.
When it was time for the puppies to come out I was delighted. I always thought births were amazing watching the mother suffer for something so small and fragile. I don't know why I thought it was, but seeing life being born right before my eyes it was beautiful. That's what I thought every time I was there to see one and I still thought the same as I watched the mother give birth. It was a struggle because the last two out of the four that made it out were tangled around the ability cord. We were able to take them both out by cutting open the mom’s stomach and her womb.
He looked a little small for a healthy dog, nothing was unusual about him except the brown stop over his eye. That was it, other than that, he was normal. I laid his soft body on the cold table as I take my breath into his. When they came out nether were able to breathing. The one my mother was trying to revive died but mine, after 2 minutes of trying to make him breath, started whimpering quietly. The child of 6 or 7, named Sinai, which sat with the family watching us work, came over and pet the dog’s head. She caught me off guard with a bear hug as tears came off her face onto my shirt. I didn't care if it got my shirt dirty for I was as grateful as her heart was.
After the births the family decided to stay for a while to refuel themselves and their animals. The dog wasn’t the only animal they had; they had two horses one as tall as a house with a coat as black as night and a small pony that has a gentle cream color. The small one, as I learned, was for the girl to ride on. As they stayed they pick up jobs here and there to pay for the rent at Bill’s place. He owns an Inn in our village and rarely has any costumers so he put in a bar with entertainment once a week.
As they worked I would keep an eye on their daughter, dawn till dusk was how long I would watch her. When they come home her father would be generous enough to tell me a few of his stories of adventures. He was an explorer and looked liked he worked a lot because he had a built figure with pepper salt hair that stood out as clear as day. He was starting to grow a beard on a particularly night that I will never forget, he was also exhausted from carry logs and building houses for us. It was right after he told Sinai and me a story involved working for the King of the Land that things started to turn upside down. I just had put Sinai into bed and stayed there until she was fast asleep. As I came out into the living area I could hear that my mother was in the kitchen area with Sinai’s mother cooking pies therefore laughing at something I didn’t get. The father wasn’t in the here were I last saw him, I decided to sit in a comfy chair for the mean time to wait for her to finish up.
I breathed in the fresh cooked strawberries and the smell of raw dough. The fire fills me with warmth but the warmth goes away as the father came into the room. My eyes were closed but as I opened them I could see something bother him. “What is it Old man?” I speak in a caution matter.
“What do you plan to do with your life besides helping your mother here and there?” It took him awhile to answer that but this question, it was unexpected for me.
It takes a minute to think about this unusual question. “I’ve never really thought of what I would do, but it wouldn’t be a bad life to live like my mother.”
“But” He keeps questioning,”Do you really think your mother is going to be there for you?” I knew she was going to die one way or another but not any time soon. She is too healthy and stubborn to die. He’s close enough to reach over not to far to touch my knee. It wasn’t the heartfelt touch of a friend or a family member but a dangerous stranger and something I can’t put my finger on. “I think you would do something much better than that, don’t you think?” Just before I could respond to this my mother seemed to over hear what our conversation was about and punched him right across the face. I was totally shocked; yes my mother can be a hot head, but nothing like this. I’ve never seen her like this.
“You keep your slimy hands off my daughter! You hear?” He nods slowly lifting his head and hanged it in sham as he rubbed his sore cheek.”Good.” She spits in his face, he does nothing except accept what he deserves. She grabs my wrist, yanks me off the couch, and leads me out the door. Before we leave out of the corner of my eye I see a knife on a small table nearby. I break away from my mother’s grip and grab the knife as I face the man that I thought was nice but now cruel. “You said that I would be better at something other than following my mother’s footsteps?” He nods not making eye contact with me. “Well your right Old man the thing I think I would be best at something else. It’s nothing you’re going to like though because it’s killing the people that do wrong to my family or anyone I care about.”
I throw the knife in the air and as it comes down I catch it by the handle and fling it at him. Everyone including my mother gasps at what I had done, but the man just stays still and slowly pulls the knife from the couch only an inch away from him. He looks down at as if it was something fascinating. “Yes” he says slowly, “I suppose you would be good at that.” On cue she drags me out of the house. For the rest of the walk to our house we’re both silent. I didn’t know what to say so I just thought of what I said. Did I really want to do that? Kill people? I guess it’s a cruel thing to say but it just feels right coming from my mouth, it’s something that I need to do. After that I was still able watching Sinai for a while but not as long as I had before. She had no clue what happened on that night, I was kind of glad she didn’t know. A week went by totalizing their stay for over a month and it was time for them to leave. As one last gratitude for their stay we helped them load everything up, even though my mother wasn’t too fond of the idea.
Everything was ready for them but before they left Sinai came over to me and gave me something rapped in a small red cloth. The thing was moving and as I untangled it, a little head popped out with a brown spot over his left eye. It started whimpering so I gentle started to rub its head to soothe him, I look up to see her smiling, “It’s for you and all that you’ve done for us.” I wrapped my arms around her small body and whispering into her ear, “Thank you, and thank you so much.” She grabs my shoulders and makes me see eye to eye to her. She says, “I promise to see you soon Red. I’ll never forget you.” I put my free hand on her shoulder and say, “Same here. I promise.” From that day on I never saw her again some days I try to think how she is and what she is doing with her life. Then it would follow the questioning to how I wanted to kill people and why it felt so right.
It was something I questioned myself every day until I actually did start too. I knock from the front door interrupts my thoughts, Rufus rushes up to it and start to bark rapidly. I push aside my courageous dog and open the door just enough to not let him escape. I tall broad man, around my age of 18, with brown coffee bean hair stands in my door way. I let him come in and right away Rufus is the first to get him before I have a chance. He stumbles onto the hard floor with a thud, “Red…Red! Can you please get him off of me!” says Allen. He has been my best friend since, well since forever.
“And why should I, what is he doing wrong besides licking you to death? You are a strong hearted man, take him off yourself.” He never liked dogs but with Rufus he always seems to put that aside for me. “Give me one good reason why I should do as you wish.” He stumbles upon his words for the dog continues to muffle his mouth with his licks, but I made it out clearly as he spoke, “Because I have an assignment for us.” At that I whistle at Rufus, he responds by not licking him anymore, I make a click with my tongue and he gets off of him. I’ve train Rufus to do certain things in the quietest most decent manor too so he can be of help to our assignments. Allen sits up and wipes his face with his sleeve. I toss him a towel from of my chair I was using to wipe the sweat I had on me last night.
He takes it though and just wipes himself off. “You have my attention now what is it.” He shakes his head tosses the towel across the room and holds his hand out to me with a jerk smile. I don’t smile back and whistle twice, the look on Allen face, now that puts a smile on my face. Rufus attacks him with another wave of licks to the face. It takes him a while to give up and tell me what is going on. I whistle and click my tongue to get him of Allen again. He gets up stiffly and walks over to wash his face, then pulls of his shirt to reveal scars all down his back. I can see that there was a fresh pair still bleeding on his right shoulder. I sigh, and mutter his name in a disapproving way. “A group of men tried to steal some of our food, there was no time to put on my gear so I fought them with only a sword, Red. Nothing to get anguished about.” I still mutter my thoughts under my breath. I grab a clean towel with some herbs to place on it.
The herbs help the wound a lot by quickening its healing and getting it not infected but there is always a price to pay. That’s extreme pain for at least five minutes straight and I know that he doesn’t like it even if he knows it’s good for him. I sneak it in my pocket and go to the water where he is at and get the towel wet. I start cleaning the back then I take the fine herbs and gently crush them in my hand. I scatter them all over the towel; Allen seems to sense what I’m doing and goes to stop me. I’m too quick for him and place it on his back. He screams out in pain and slams his fists on the counter. He tries to pull me off instead I jump on top of him to keep it on him. He is strong so he is carrying me everywhere around the house trying to pull me off.
Just then Bill of all people comes into the house with a bag all of food from my garden. “So Red I got us some beans and potatoes….” He didn’t get to finish because Allen then accidently runs into him knocking the food to the ground, we weirdly pile upon one another. The five minutes are up and he no longer feels the pain. Bill sits up from where he is and mutters, “Stupid kids” as he goes to clean up the mess. Allen is catching his breath laying flat down on his stomach. While I’m sitting on his hips still putting pressure to his cuts. “You know,” Allen speaks still a little breathless,” this is a bad position to be in especially with you on top.” I roll my eyes and get off him.
“You know if you weren’t always getting yourself into fights recklessly you wouldn’t have to go anywhere near those herbs.” I go and start to help pick up the food on the ground. Bill got the good stuff too; red beans, potatoes, spinach, and asparaguses. Of course Allen being himself says the most ignorant thing, “Well now I can’t do that the ladies always fall for the handsome hero’s.” Thankfully Bill was there to smack him in the head and say, “That’s only in fairy tales, boy. “ I chuckle at the words fairy tales, what a silly thing to believe in.