"Is everyone all set?" Alson asked the other two as he adjusted the sword in its sheath. He looked at Miwah who was eyeing her weapon up close. She held the weapon somewhat awkwardly, struggling with the weight as she glanced at the sharp sides of the blade. His eyes then jumped to Tamma who had just finished sealing the cap to her quiver. She carefully pulled the string on her bow, making sure it was properly taut.

"I'm ready," Tamma said. “What about you, Miwah?”

"Likewise. But I am worried about the quality of this sword." The seamstress held the weapon in one hand and let the flat side of the blade rest in her palm. "Seems to me that this has not been sharpened. Ever. Not to mention there is a bit of rust where the handle meets the edge."

Alson stepped closer and gave the weapon a swift glance. "Looks sharp to me. That's all that you really need in a sword, right?"

"I suppose." Miwah lowered her arm to her side, still clutching onto the weapon tightly. "It should fare well enough against smaller wildlife."

"Hopefully Tamma can take something out quick with that keen eye of hers," the guard said while smiling at the woman. "I'll never forget that head shot you made on the sycamore deer." He held up an invisible bow and pulled back an imaginary arrow while keeping one eye shut. "Went right through his skull. Poor critter crumpled like a mound of leaves!"

"The shot might have looked brutal, but it was a quick and painless kill. If we're lucky, I might be able to pull it off again. A sycamore deer would be an easy target that wouldn't put up too much of a fuss to take down. We might even be able to get back to Chaston within the hour."

"And then I'd be able to get back home on time!" Alson declared.

"Don't get your hopes up. We've still got a bit of a walk before we're back at Abbus Forest. And remember, it's all dependent on luck. I had managed to hunt a bit before Miwah and I came across that grizlewulf and I never came across one of those maggots. It’s definitely possible that it could be a long time before we come across an animal that has been infected. So prepare to be out all night if you have to."

"Is hunting really that hard? You just go in, shoot a couple of arrows and reap the rewards, right?" Alson began to twirl the tangled hair on the back of his head. “Sounds easy enough to me. I just thought nobody bothered hunting here in Farrowport because we get most the goods we need from trading.”

Tamma closed her eyes and shook her head. "No, no. There's so much more to it than just killing whatever you come across. There's a difference between slaughtering and hunting. What I do is an art. I need to be precise. Calculating. Cautious. I choose my targets very carefully and only kill what I absolutely need."

"I doubt the team they'll send in for the extermination effort will be as deliberate as you," Alson replied. Both him and Miwah watch the hunter's face turn sorrowful.

"Yeah. Now that you mention it, you're probably right." Tamma's confident posture shifted to one of disappointment. "They'll take out every bit of wildlife they can if it means making sure the Insectus stops spreading."

"It is a necessary sacrifice," Miwah said. "If the Insectus species is not stopped, then it is possible for them to spread to other regions."

"Doesn't make the fact any easier to bear."

"We'll just have to take it one step at a time then." Alson began to move in the direction of Abbus Forest. "Maybe if we don't find any of those things, it might mean that we have nothing to worry about. Could have been a fluke, right? Miwah said those bugs fell out to sea in the middle of a storm. The one you two saw could have latched on to her boat and got to the grizlewulf that way."

"That is rather wishful thinking," Miwah replied. She kept her sword angled downwards as she followed behind the guard. "I would have noticed if one of the maggots had attached to me. And I fell asleep on that boat. I am certain one would have infected me if I was dormant for all those hours. I even made sure that the boat was clear before falling asleep. The Insectus must be able to swim long distances and through turbulent conditions."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

The guard looked at Miwah with one raised eyebrow. “Sounds exactly like something that a person with an Insectus maggot inside them would say.”

Miwah remained irked. “I think I would know if I had a maggot the size the size of my hand had burrowed inside of me.”

“I was just making a joke, Miwah.”

“I did not find it funny.”

"I get it. You’re not much a ‘humor’ person. I’ll just chalk it up as cultural bias. But back to my original point about that grizlewulf being an exception. What if I'm right? How are we going to know when to stop hunting forest animals and just call it quits?"

"I think that's the worst part of it all, Alson," Tamma said somberly. "There's going to be that nagging feeling that they could always be on this island regardless if we find one or not."

The guard lowered his head. He kicked a stone off the path and watched it bounce into the nearby grass. "Shucks. This might be a serious mess we've gotten ourselves into."

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

An hour's walk found the trio in front of the edge of Abbus Forest by the same entrance where Tamma had led Miwah out of and towards Farrowport. All three stared into an open section of trees, listening to the rustling of the leaves. With the canopy thick enough to obscure most of the sunlight from above, the forest floor was covered in darkness with splotches of yellow light.

"Haven't been here in a long time," Alson muttered. "Not since we were kids."

"I remember those days. Playing tag in the forest at the age was a really bad idea," Tamma said with a mixture of laughter.

"Good thing my parents never found out."

"My parents weren't around." Tamma then shrugged her shoulders. "So... you know."

"Right. My bad."

"No worries."

"Is this close to where you had slain the grizlewulf?"

"It attacked us a bit deeper into the forest," Miwah answered. "I remember having to go through a long walk once we had slain it."

"So more walking then?" The guard then shrugged his shoulders.

Tamma stepped over some down branches and into the darkness of the forest. "Unless we find another infected animal, then it seems like more walking is our only option." She then ducked underneath some high branches, making them rustle. Miwah entered next with Yalch floating next to her head. Alson hesitated, adjusting the thick fabric that covered his armor.

"Don't go so fast you two. This armor is a lot heavier than it looks!" Alson jaunted forward, clumsily crushing the branches that Tamma and Miwah both so carefully avoided. The hunter turned her head behind her, placing one finger across her sealed lips.

"Try to keep quiet! That's one of the most important elements of hunting for prey. If you're too loud, you'll scare them away."

“Or worse. Alert an infected animal to our presence,” Miwah added.

"It's going to be hard for me to stay quiet when I've got all this armor on."

"Just keep at a distance then. If I don't get a clean shot, you can come in and finish off the target. Otherwise, try your best to keep quiet."

Alson grunted as he carefully adjusted his chainmail. His eyes scanned the trees from left to right, frantically looking for anything that moved. "If I'm not going to help with hunting then what did you need me for?"

"In case we get attacked," Miwah replied as she lifted her sword in front of her. "The grizlewulf came after us. If we have another encounter like that, having someone else to back us up gives a better chance at surviving."

"Not to mention we've got Cutthroats coming after us."

"Cutthroats?" Alson exclaimed. "You're telling me that we have to deal with those lunatics too? I thought they just roughed people up in the middle of town! Now they're expanding out here into the forest? What are they up to this time?"

"Revenge," Miwah stated.

"And we don't know for a fact that they're in Abbus Forest at the moment. It's just a possibility. Let's just say that we didn't have the most amicable of encounters the last time we met," Tamma said.

"Seeing as how I'm tagging along, I'd like to know what I'm getting myself into. Your friend here said that the Cutthroats were out looking for revenge. What I want to know is for what exactly. If they're looking to only rob us, I could live with that seeing as how I don't have a coin on me. But if one of you did something to make them want to start living up to their namesake, I think it's best if you give me the details now."

There was a short silence. Tamma stood still, looking at Miwah. "You want to tell him?" she said quietly.

Miwah then turned to face the guard. "I killed their snake."

Alson froze, his mouth opening wide and his eyes growing. "You...you did what?"

"Killed Pierce."

"Narrita's best friend? You just...killed him?"

"How many times must I repeat myself?"

"That's an important detail! I know you two mentioned having a bit of trouble with the Cutthroats, but I didn't know that you killed one of them! They're not going to let you two get away with that!"

"Do you not think we understand this? The situation called for it. It was either Pierce or us. I did what I had to do."

Alson squinched his face as he put both of his hands through his unruly hair. "If they see me with you two, then they'll put me on their list too!"

"Then it's a good thing we're in the middle of the Forest with me," Tamma said as she pointed towards herself with her thumb. "Nobody knows this area better than I do. If the Cutthroats come in here, they're going to have hard time getting out. Not to mention they might have to contend with some angry grizlewulfs."

"That makes me feel so much better," Alson grunted. "Cutthroats and grizlewulfs. Two things every member of the Farrowport Guard doesn't want to deal with."