Tread Lightly – Among Monsters And Men

I sleep soundly. Warm and cozy. Full and satiated. Like I am wrapped in the warm embrace of my mother. For the first time in a long, long time. I feel shaking and worried voices reach me, though, trying to wake me up. And I groggily open my eyes slowly to the sounds.

A young woman's voice comes to me first.

“Get another towel! He’s burning up!” 

With a hint of arrogance, a young man's voice joins in.

“I thought you said he was hypothermic?” 

The woman's voice returns.

“He was! I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Another, third voice, this one a male, seemingly a bit dull, notices my wakefulness.

“Uh, guys. He’s awake.”

The whole area comes into view as I fully wake up. In front of me are three young adults similar in age to me with two children behind them. It feels and looks like we’re moving, the wagon I’m on is cluttered and has a high top with a sheet canvas that covers the roof.

I feel multiple gazes turn to me while I lay on the floor of the moving wagon. The tall young man who noticed me waking up asks me a question.

“Uh, what’s your name?”

The girl slaps his arm in obvious annoyance.

“He just woke up Leonard. Give him a second.”

I try to sit up to respond but my body still feels weak. So, instead of repositioning myself, I just slam back into the bottom of the small wagon.

The one with glasses now speaks.

“Careful there. It normally takes weeks for one to recover from that kind of starvation.”

I get frustrated with my situation. Just days ago, I was moving over forty miles an hour while spurred on by Ether, now I can’t even sit up. So, I just answer the dull one’s question as my voice comes out dry and rough.

“Wyatt.”

The girl claps, clearly happy with my ability to speak.

“Good. Good. So, your name is Wyatt. I’m Elizabeth, this one here with the muscles is Leonard, the one with the glasses is Earl, and the two little ones are Lonnie and Esther. Where are you from, Wyatt? We’re refugees from Luadner.”

I answer again. This time my voice is a little less rough.

“Area around Elderfield.”

The dull one, Leonard, speaks up in surprise. “

God damn, Wyatt. That’s far. You must’ve been traveling non-stop for a month on foot, no?”

I don’t explain in detail and instead, just respond grimly.

“Yeah, something like that.”

It stays silent for a moment until the girl delivers some good news.

“Well Wyatt, we’ve been heading northeast for about a day now with you in tow. I’m glad you're awake. The creek we’ve been heading towards is probably only about an hour away, right Earl?”

The young man with glasses nods. “Yeah, it should be nearby.”

That sounds wonderful. I haven’t properly cleaned myself in at least a week or two. Maybe more. I have no idea how long I trekked through the forest for. I should stick with these people for a bit. Try and use their mobility to treat my Ether saturation problem. I–

The one with the glasses interrupts my thoughts, curious about something.

“So, Wyatt… What were you doing in the Andreis Forest all alone? Is it not super dangerous? We’ve steered clear of entering it entirely.”

I should open up a little. These people seem pretty nice. And the cheerful Elizabeth easily makes me feel just a little bit better. It’s at this time I notice that most of my hunger is gone. I look down, and I am still deathly thin, but some of my muscle has returned and I am wearing a shirt. While looking down, I speak.

“I am a Hunter. Was going through the forest to reach Silvia with my teacher before we were ambushed. He didn’t make it. And can I ask a question? Why am I not hungry anymore?”

Leonard, the kid with muscles exclaims, surprised by me being a Hunter. He is interrupted partway through by Elizabeth.

“Woah, you're a Hunter? I thought they didn’t recruit anyone unless they were eighteen and that training takes years. Do you have any special powers? Like can you–”

“Slow down Leonard. He’s sick, malnourished, and hurt. Let him be your saloon attraction later. I fed you while you were out, Wyatt. You literally ate an entire wolf over the past day while asleep. Or at least the edible parts of it. So, I’d hope you're not still starving.”

They fed me an entire wolf? How did I eat that much? Where did it all go? Doesn’t matter. I’m sure it’s some Ether or artifact shenanigans. I thank Elizabeth for her kindness.

“Thank you, I’ll make it up to you guys somehow.”

Earl, the one with glasses, snorts.

“You better. We only have a single day left of food now because of you.”

Elizabeth jabs him with her elbow.

“Don’t say that! It’s rude.”

Earl counters as if he's always right.

“It’s true.”

Elizabeth huffs back at him.

“Why does only what’s true matter to you? Can’t you just be kind for once?”

I speak up to stop their arguing.

“Hey! I’ll go and hunt for some food then. That’s what I am, after all, a Hunter. I can kill both the normal and the abnormal. You guys don’t have to fight each other over this.”

Earl looks at me from my head to my toes, then back again.

“How are you going to do that? You’re basically paralyzed and don’t think I didn’t hear or see your madness from before. What’s to say that won’t come back?”

That's… pretty fair. I can barely move, how will I get them food? I need my pack. Maybe the Bloody Palm is recharged. If it can heal me again, then I can move. But, that just returns back to the hunger problem as I’m pretty sure that’s what made me almost starve to death in just a few days. Whatever, I’ll cross that bridge when I reach it.

“Can you give me my pack?”

Elizabeth nods and reaches over beside her to grab my backpack. Then she sets it down next to me.

“What ya need from it? I already used the rest of your bandages, sorry about that. I figured you’d rather me use them than die.”

I agree.

“Yeah, I do prefer that. I’m grabbing an artifact to help me recover. Maybe you guys should step back a bit.”

I see them look confused, not understanding what I said. Oh, of course, I’m stupid. They have no idea what Ether, artifacts, or Sigils are. I guess most normal people don’t. They just know what Hunters are and what they do. I try to clear any confusion in the air.

“It’s an object with supernatural powers. Don’t be shocked by its appearance. It will look quite… odd to say the least.”

Then, I dig into the bottom of my pack and pull out the Bloody Palm that is still wrapped in my old shirt. As I unwrap it in their view I hear a few gasps as some of them breathe in sharply. I do notice though, that Earl does not. It is a little bit less pale and dry than the last time I looked at it. So maybe it recovers its powers over time. Like I do with my own Ether. While showing it to them, I try to describe what little I know of its uses.

“This is the Bloody Palm. I got it from my teacher. It can help heal people in two ways, one by replacing lost blood using a thing called Ether, and the other, by increasing one’s natural regeneration. This natural regeneration also seems to make one very hungry though. To the point of starvation.”

I see them look both enamored and a little disgusted by the look and abilities of the item. And to prove my point about the hunger part, just holding the palm makes my hunger return and my stomach growl.

Elizabeth notices this and tries to help.

“So, that thing makes you hungry, but also helps you recover right? Do you think if we fed you our food you would recover enough to hunt?”

Earl gives her a glare, apparently not liking this idea of hers. But, I do take a moment to think about it. I have two separate issues right now. My acute Ether saturation keeps me from using Ether and at the same time severely weakens me. At the same time though, I am riddled with wounds and a physically weak body. It is possible that if my wounds heal and my hunger leaves, I would be capable enough to kill a deer, wolf, or bear for food.

The main issue is still my Ether, though. Without that, I will be limited to just ordinary wildlife, even with my daggers. I voice this to Elizabeth and the others.

“It is possible that it might allow me to recover enough to hunt. But my starvation and wounds are not my only issue. I’m suffering from the side effects of a powerful Hunter ability. It prevents me from using any other similar abilities and is constantly plaguing me similar to having Influenza and Smallpox at the same time. Until that is resolved, I may be unable to be of much help except for in small bursts.”

Elizabeth looks downcast after I explain my condition. But after a few movements of silence, as the wagon continues, she looks back up at me with determination.

“So, you’re saying there's a chance you will be recovered enough to help? And how long would the side effects from your ability take to go away?”

I try my best to be honest, but I’m not all too sure.

“Yeah. There is a chance. And the side effects could take anywhere from two weeks to never going away. Depends on how much time I have to treat myself.”

She nods and then turns behind herself starting to dig into a brown sack.

“Okay! We’ll feed you right up then.”

Earl and Leonard obviously don’t agree with this decision as they both yell at her to stop.

“What are you doing? We can waste the rest of our food?”

“Liz! Slow down. Don’t make a decision without us.”

I just watch as she explains without turning back.

“What if more wolves approach? Or if those insect things catch up? Who knows what else is around us? Wyatt, did you and your teacher kill whatever ambushed you?”

I answer truthfully, despite the complications of the situation and my wish that it did not occur that way.

“No, we were ambushed by a famous Outlaw. I barely got away with my life intact.”

She continues her rant, shutting down Earl and Leonard before they can speak.

“See? An Outlaw. We haven’t even heard of one of those being in the surrounding fifty miles for over a decade. Shit hit the fan guys, and we need someone to protect us. Better we go hungry than we go dead.”

Her reasoning makes sense, even to me, who would benefit from this outcome the most. Earl and Leonard both also see reason and begrudgingly agree. Then she pulls out the rest of the group's food and hands it to me.

“Eat up Wyatt. We’re gonna need your help soon. I can just feel it. I’m gonna go talk with the little ones at the front of the wagon now.”

I take the food and begin eating. Leonard follows Elizabeth to the front of the wagon as well, just barely fitting next to the two little ones and Elizabeth on the front seat. That just leaves Earl and me in the back. We sit in silence for a while as I chew, but eventually, he speaks up.

“What’s it like being a Hunter? I wanted to be one when I was little, but I’m too small and frail. My eyesight is far too bad too. My Pa said I’d never make it, and so did the retired Hunter we had in our town. So, instead, I grew up learning herbs and animals, hoping to be an alchemist with the help of that old Hunter. Ernest was a simple Trapper. He made me grow up just wanting to support the expansion westward in my own way.”

I pick up from his explanation that he knows about Sigils. Maybe he spent enough time with that old Hunter to pick up some information from him. Hell, he might even know more than me without the manual Edmund left behind. An alchemist could be very useful for my current situation. Maybe he could make me than detoxification elixir the manual spoke of.

After thinking for a moment about the prospect of him being an alchemist, or at least a learning one, I explain what my past few weeks have been like. Generally. I leave out most of the gory details.

“It’s rough. Hard on the mind, body, and spirit. Full of blood, guts, and death. I’ve seen more people and creatures die in the past week than all my life combined.”

He stays silent for a moment pondering as we listen to the soft conversation at the front of the wagon. Then he speaks up after finishing his thoughts.

“So, would you rather not be one?”

I can kind of see where this is going. Or at least maybe. Does he want my Sigil? I don’t know. And it doesn’t really matter, for I do enjoy being a Hunter. I hate what it’s done to me currently, but the most fun I’ve ever had is tied between sparring with Edmund and racing after him through the forest at full speed. I respond honestly to his question.

“No, I enjoy it. I enjoy the adrenaline. I enjoy the fun of improving oneself. I just wish less had to die for me to enjoy those things.”

“I see.”

He just responds simply as he pulls out a book and begins reading it.

Silence then once again pervades the back of the wagon. I eat for a while longer. There is so much food. Enough for six to eat four times. I try to eat it all. The Bloody Palm that rests on my leg forces my body to run in overdrive trying to digest and restore my body.

Eventually, though, my jaw grows tired of eating, and I speak back to Earl who is reading as I think of an idea. To put this idea into action, I grab the stack of notes that Edmund left me.

“You said you wanted to be a Hunter right? Well, I can try and make that happen. You just first have to read through the Hunter Manuals.”

He looks surprised because of my sudden proposal and asks for confirmation.

“Are you serious? Do you know how much those are worth? And how could you make me a Hunter?”

I didn’t know the manuals are worth a lot, but it does make sense due to how valuable the information within is. I confirm that I am serious, but add a stipulation as I cannot allow these notes to get destroyed or lost. I haven’t even finished reading all fifty or so pages. I reach out my hand as I offer the terms of the deal.

“Yes. You can read through these. I’ll explain more about how I’ll help you be a Hunter once you read through the first few pages of the manuals. Two rules though, whenever you are done reading, and I don’t care when, you put the pages back into my pack. And you will help create my elixir and potions to help rid me of illness and wounds? We got a deal?”

Joy lights up in his eyes. The first time I’d seen any aspect of happiness in this academic man. He leans forwards and sharks my hand.

“We have a deal. I’ll do my best, Wyatt, thank you for giving me this chance. I’ll memorize these pages within a week.”

Memorize them in a week? Shock definitely shines on my face. I haven’t even read a tenth of these yet, and I’ve had them for at least two. I don’t need to tell him that, however. I’ll just ask him if I need any information from them.

Kills two birds with one stone. Makes me not have to read all of those damned words, and I get the information anyway.

Our discussion gets stopped halfway through as I go to tell him a bit more, trying to weasel in the fact I may not be an actually licensed hunter. However, I am compelled to keep that part to myself due to the energetic children at the front of the wagon yelling something about water as the wagon comes to a stop.

Earl understands though. He looks at me and offers a hand.

“Seems like we made it to the creek? Want me to help you up?”

I nod and clasp hands with him as he grunts and struggles to help me up, obviously much weaker than I was before my starvation. Seems as though Earl has warmed up to me now after I offered to fulfill his childhood dreams. I’d probably do the same, to be honest. I take a few steps with Earl before I pause in relief.

Standing now, I notice a huge difference even just compared to an hour or so earlier. My body feels much lighter and I am able to move. It’s not easy, but I still can. The involuntary hunger from the Bloody Palm seems to do work. Returning me to a state where I can walk with just a little bit of help from Earl when, less than a day ago, I was basically in a coma.

Together we walked to the creek. It’s a quaint little thing. Just big enough to support some small fish, frogs, and maybe a bobcat or two that are hidden from view. The children are already playing in it as Earl and I approach.

Water splashes and the cerulean sky is reflected on the man-made waves. Laughter rings throughout the air originating from both the children and Elizabeth. I tell Earl to go over to them as I stumble over to the water on the side. While spending the greater half of an hour cleaning and wiping myself down with flowing creek water, I watch the little group I chanced upon enjoy themselves.

Even Earl, the know-it-all is playing in the water, laughing. I just sit on the shore and watch. Not because I don’t feel invited, but because I feel like I’d ruin it. Their fun. It seems to be something I’m quite good at. Ruining things.

Elizabeth offers for me to join them, but I decline. I use the excuse to watch out for danger to keep myself at arm's length from the rest of them. I wonder for a moment if I have ever truly had a moment like that. The innocent joy.

Because ever since I gained my Sigil, my childhood memories have been vastly different. Coming in and out with things that threaten my very knowledge of who I am. What I am.

So, I just sit watching and thinking.

Eventually, without anything unexpected happening, except for Lonnie getting a fish stuck in his pants, we head back to the wagon.