20 - TEMPTING WOODS [VOL 02 - OUT AND ABOUT]

Tempting Woods, the name, as per popular belief, was solely given from the slaves’ perspective, for they had always seen the woods as their means to escape. Still and all, the creatures dwelling in those woods weren’t something regular humans could hope to intimidate, let alone defeat. The only hope the slaves had was that they could somehow get through those woods without getting seen. Till date, no one knew if any slave ever made it out of the woods and stepped in the world on the other side.

Currently, in the morning, Edgar and Fabby were resting outside a rather small cave tucked away in tall bushes, eating roasted meat of a boar that Edgar had caught and killed.

Though Edgar was right next to her, Fabby was feeling tense. After all, there were tall trees around her in the distance. And from high up in the trees, a few monkeys were looking right at them. “U-Uh, Eddie,” she scratched her jaw, while applying herbal paste on Edgar's bodily scars, “is it really okay to stay in this place?”

“You haven’t started eating yet, Fabs,” Edgar nudged her with his shoulder, while his eyes were on the boar meat, and he was continually chewing on it. “Eat while it’s hot!” It had been so long since he tasted such good meat, so he couldn’t control himself.

Fabby could only take a breath before nibbling on the meat. Though no salt and spices were sprinkled on the meat, she loved the taste. After all, how long had it been since she last ate boar or even any meat for that matter? Though there were times when some watchers offered her meat in secret, she had to refuse. Now, even though she initially felt bad for the boar, after she tasted a bit of its meat, she soon forgot about her surroundings without herself knowing. The taste sure hit her like a caravan.

Soon, Edgar finished eating his full and was rubbing his belly while leaning back against the boulder. “Python and worms don’t hold a candle to this boar.” He looked fully satisfied, further made evident with his burping. “Mm?” he looked up at the distant trees. The monkeys still had their eyes in his direction.

Every beast in the Tempting Woods was an omnivore or so they say, and these monkeys were no exception. If Edgar was weaker than them, they would have long attacked him, but they were rather careful after they saw him take care of a tough boar with bare hands. However, they were still waiting there for one reason. It was to eat the spoils after the humans would take their leave. Edgar realized that.

Even though so many monkeys were staring down at them, he wasn’t afraid in the least. Compared to the Valley of Vipers which had an air of inevitability to it, the Tempting Woods had air that made him breathe much better. Even though they were pretty much next to each other, the burdens both places put were worlds apart.

However, the only difference was that the Tempting Woods was a relatively bigger expanse compared to the valley, which was also why Edgar could freely stop, hunt, eat, and rest, without having to worry about getting tracked and cornered easily.

Having made quite some distance, about fifty five miles of carrying his sister on his back throughout the night, from the foothills of the Shushui mountain range, Edgar finally found this place where he could not only rest but also train himself and his sister.

Fabby was just looking at him most of the time and didn’t let him do any work, except when it came to carrying her around the woods. Even though it was Edgar who caught the boar, she was the one skinned and roasted it. She even prepared him a pillow by skillfully stitching leaves using roots. Given that she met him after a long time, she didn’t want him to work and just rest instead, even though she knew that it wasn’t fully possible given the situation. At least not until she was in a position to protect him from all forms of danger.

Soon, Edgar took out a brown marble-like object and put it in his sister’s palm, puzzling her for a second, but the next moment, her eyes slightly widened. “Is this what I think it is?”

“I think it gives the ability to manipulate the earth,” said Edgar, grinning. “Mother was a potter, and you’ve always looked up to her. So I thought you’d be interested in it.”

At this point, Fabby felt too emotional. She made a fist as memories flooded her mind. The reason her mother, Jaya, was a potter was because she was taught by her father, Pravash. So Fabby didn’t want to become a potter. Though many slaves chose pottery, she didn’t because she wanted to forget the past. However, she later regretted that decision. Just because she followed the same profession that his father used to do, it didn’t mean she was inspired by him. And with an ability to manipulate earth, there was much more she could do than just be a potter. The options she could choose were endless. Soon, the unease in her face was gone. She looked at Edgar with a loving expression. Though she wanted to thank him, she felt like thanking him would only devalue their bond. So she simply smiled.

Edgar, on the other hand, was having mixed feelings. He wasn’t sure if this brown core would cause Fabby to experience something similar like how his lightning core did, but he wanted to give it to her and let her decide if she wanted to take the risk. She was his elder sister, after all.

“You told me that you’d explain everything,” she couldn’t hide her urge to know. “What just happened?”

Edgar’s smile shrunk in size. He later explained everything, without leaving even the tiniest details, as much as he could remember. And whenever he talked about his fights with different beasts, Fabby’s heart pounded in her ears. Even though she knew that her brother lived through all those fights, she still feared for his life. After he was done, she just hugged him for a long time and silently cried and thanked God for keeping her brother alive. After all, without him, she had no one else to live for. And the same was true for Edgar.

About an hour later.

Edgar was now exercising a bit so that he could freely move again, given that he had eaten to his full not long ago.

His eyes then fell on the monkeys. He tossed a chunk of meat into the distance, and the whole troop of twenty odd monkeys fought for it. Edgar grinned. “Now then, let’s get to work!” He charged them, seemingly competing for the meat, totally taking the monkeys by surprise.

Kirreeekkk~~!!