‹ Prequel: The Hunter Version 1
Status: Unfortunately, my laptop is not functioning. This story is on hold until I can get my files back from the old laptop.
The Hunter
Homewrecker
“Ben!”
Ben startled awake to find Toby's face hovering over his. Ben flinched, blinded for a moment by bright sunlight while Toby helped him sit up.
“What are you doing way out here?” Toby asked worriedly, his face pale and covered in sweat.
Ben explained what had happened and earned a heavy sigh from Toby. The night before, while Toby had been cooking, Ben had told him about the bush creature. Toby had suggested that perhaps Ben had simply startled it, or maybe it was some sort of wild man and Ben had stumbled into his territory. He had then told Ben not to worry about it.
“So you just stayed here after it left? What if that buck had come back?!” Toby yowled, more worried about the animal than the bush-thing.
Ben wanted to protest, but he had nothing else to say. It had been stupid to just lay down and go to sleep, but he had not had the strength to stand. Ben rolled over and stood, wandering gloomily over to the stream. His throat and stomach hurt from having been sick, so he drank some water in hopes of feeling at least a bit better. It helped.
“Well, what are we going to do now, then?” Toby asked with a sigh.
“Eat some more food?” Ben suggested, vowing silently not to eat as much as he had the night prior.
“Sounds like a plan.” Toby grinned and the two of them began to set off back for their camp.
Just a few feet from the camp, however, Ben spotted movement and threw his arm up to stop Toby. Toby shot him a glare, but pulled back anyway. A man was ransacking their camp, though it seemed he had not found their food yet. Puffing his chest out with anger, Toby began to stride forward again, taking a deep breath to call out. Ben had a better idea and yanked Toby backward.
“There's no way we can take him on if it comes to a fight!” Ben hissed.
“We can't just let him do this! This is our home!!” Toby snapped back.
The man suddenly stood up and looked directly at them. He reached for a bow Ben had not seen earlier and notched an arrow to it.
“Get down!” Ben yelped, shoving his friend to the ground as the man fired the arrow.
The arrow hit right where Toby's head had been a moment before. The two boys wasted no more time bickering and fled. There were no sounds of pursuit, but neither wanted to risk getting badly injured or worse. As they ran, Ben's arm smacked against the trunk of a tree and scraped some skin away. He gave a hiss of pain and Toby stopped to see what had happened.
“You have got to be more careful!” Toby growled at Ben after they were sure the man had not followed.
“Oh, I'm the one who needs to be more careful? Who almost just got himself killed?” Ben snapped back, annoyed, clutching at his throbbing arm.
“I didn't think he would shoot at us!”
Ben fell silent, not wanting to fight over something so stupid. His anger shimmered down into annoyance, but Toby, who refused to look at Ben, still seemed mad. Ben frowned at Toby before he turned his attention to the wound on his arm. It was not deep, but it stung and was bleeding slightly. He wondered what he would do if it became infected, but at there was no way he could treat it properly. They did not have some much as a scrap of clean cloth or medical supplies.
“What do we do now? Do we risk going back or risk setting up a new camp?” Toby asked after several minutes had passed.
Ben grabbed the bandanna around his neck and pulled it up over his hair before giving a shrug. Toby was always the one who made he decisions about the camp, it seemed. Ben had not had any issues with that previously, and he had no opinion on the choices Toby had given him.
They decided to wait awhile and then head back to the camp. When they returned, both of them were relieved to find the man seemed to be long gone...but so was the life raft and the fish. Cursing the man loudly, Toby began to pace, so Ben heaved a heavy sigh and sat down. He covered his face with his hands for a moment, letting his thoughts wander freely in his mind. After a time, he got back to his feet and left the camp to begin gathering up large branches to make a new shelter with. Ben had some faint memories of how to make shelters from branches and vine, so he decided to test them out.
Ben startled awake to find Toby's face hovering over his. Ben flinched, blinded for a moment by bright sunlight while Toby helped him sit up.
“What are you doing way out here?” Toby asked worriedly, his face pale and covered in sweat.
Ben explained what had happened and earned a heavy sigh from Toby. The night before, while Toby had been cooking, Ben had told him about the bush creature. Toby had suggested that perhaps Ben had simply startled it, or maybe it was some sort of wild man and Ben had stumbled into his territory. He had then told Ben not to worry about it.
“So you just stayed here after it left? What if that buck had come back?!” Toby yowled, more worried about the animal than the bush-thing.
Ben wanted to protest, but he had nothing else to say. It had been stupid to just lay down and go to sleep, but he had not had the strength to stand. Ben rolled over and stood, wandering gloomily over to the stream. His throat and stomach hurt from having been sick, so he drank some water in hopes of feeling at least a bit better. It helped.
“Well, what are we going to do now, then?” Toby asked with a sigh.
“Eat some more food?” Ben suggested, vowing silently not to eat as much as he had the night prior.
“Sounds like a plan.” Toby grinned and the two of them began to set off back for their camp.
Just a few feet from the camp, however, Ben spotted movement and threw his arm up to stop Toby. Toby shot him a glare, but pulled back anyway. A man was ransacking their camp, though it seemed he had not found their food yet. Puffing his chest out with anger, Toby began to stride forward again, taking a deep breath to call out. Ben had a better idea and yanked Toby backward.
“There's no way we can take him on if it comes to a fight!” Ben hissed.
“We can't just let him do this! This is our home!!” Toby snapped back.
The man suddenly stood up and looked directly at them. He reached for a bow Ben had not seen earlier and notched an arrow to it.
“Get down!” Ben yelped, shoving his friend to the ground as the man fired the arrow.
The arrow hit right where Toby's head had been a moment before. The two boys wasted no more time bickering and fled. There were no sounds of pursuit, but neither wanted to risk getting badly injured or worse. As they ran, Ben's arm smacked against the trunk of a tree and scraped some skin away. He gave a hiss of pain and Toby stopped to see what had happened.
“You have got to be more careful!” Toby growled at Ben after they were sure the man had not followed.
“Oh, I'm the one who needs to be more careful? Who almost just got himself killed?” Ben snapped back, annoyed, clutching at his throbbing arm.
“I didn't think he would shoot at us!”
Ben fell silent, not wanting to fight over something so stupid. His anger shimmered down into annoyance, but Toby, who refused to look at Ben, still seemed mad. Ben frowned at Toby before he turned his attention to the wound on his arm. It was not deep, but it stung and was bleeding slightly. He wondered what he would do if it became infected, but at there was no way he could treat it properly. They did not have some much as a scrap of clean cloth or medical supplies.
“What do we do now? Do we risk going back or risk setting up a new camp?” Toby asked after several minutes had passed.
Ben grabbed the bandanna around his neck and pulled it up over his hair before giving a shrug. Toby was always the one who made he decisions about the camp, it seemed. Ben had not had any issues with that previously, and he had no opinion on the choices Toby had given him.
They decided to wait awhile and then head back to the camp. When they returned, both of them were relieved to find the man seemed to be long gone...but so was the life raft and the fish. Cursing the man loudly, Toby began to pace, so Ben heaved a heavy sigh and sat down. He covered his face with his hands for a moment, letting his thoughts wander freely in his mind. After a time, he got back to his feet and left the camp to begin gathering up large branches to make a new shelter with. Ben had some faint memories of how to make shelters from branches and vine, so he decided to test them out.