It has been about five days since we left to sell our produce to town, I've been traveling with my father a-and a childhood friend of mine along with other hunters.

“Amon eyes on the road”

“R-right!”

She said with a teasing grin on her face.

A girl with short chestnut colored hair leaned on my shoulder, arms wrapped around mine. I feel two soft things pressed against my arm as her sweet scent drifts to my nose, if I focused hard enough I can even feel her heartbeat. Which was fast or is that mine?

We were seated at the front of our wagon, at the back of the line of three wagons heading home. I see dad stealing glances from the wagon in front of us beside Partus the head hunter of our village.

Let’s list off how I ended up in this situation.

After selling our produce and the other hunters buying what they needed we decided to return home.

We were resting in an open space a little ways from the market we used to park while loading up.

Beron my ever annoying brother whispered something to dad, dad nodded and went to the head hunter Partus and talked to him about something. Partus nodded and called out to Sara, she looked at her father and then at my old man and nodded as well.

Ohh she’s coming towards me? Wonder what they need.

“heya, Amon, dad told me that mr. Biro will be riding on our wagon to hang out with my dad…. A-and um uh”

She was blushing and kept glancing at me, holding down her clothes hands clenched pulling it a little lower along with her collar, leading to more of her skin visible. By the gods she’s adorable.

I couldn’t help but blush and looked away, I was already on the drivers seat and well when talking to her I was kind of looking down. From above I couldn’t help looking at her two bountiful chest. I feel guilty all right.

Looking behind her I saw my dad and Mr. Parus giving me thumbs ups, Papo was admiring his new bow, too absorbed by it to care.

“A-and I didn’t want to travel with a lot of guys! And I don’t want you to travel alone either…” her voice became softer and softer on the end there but I heard her damn it!

I was so happy I could die.

“W-would you have me?” she asked giving me while looking up, giving me her best puppy dog eyes.

“Yes.”

She was shocked at first when I answered fast, honestly so was I but I can’t falter now. What’s done is done. This is Beron and mom's fault!

“really?!” she exclaimed, not waiting for an answer she climbed up and seated next to me like it was the most natural thing in the world.

My god does she smell good! A sweet fragrance wafted, she was so close I could smell her. Oh shit! Can she smell me too? I hope I don’t smell bad.

I looked behind us, seeing Beron grinning at us. ‘Thank you’ were the words I could never freely say to him, it just felt like I would lose and I didn’t know why. Probably because of his smug look.

“Everyone set?!”

The chief's eldest son asked, he drives the third wagon. We only had 3 wagons, there was safety in numbers so we usually travel in groups. Our journey here felt safe since we were traveling with two soldiers. Beron and another from our village.

Right now the front wagon has four village hunters (three women, one man) and the chief’s son, followed by my dad, the head hunter, his son Papo and another hunter using the second wagon. Last was just me and Sara.

“Yeah!” we all responded.

I looked behind me again to wave good bye to Beron as he waved back at us, Sara was waving too.

“Give me cute nieces and nephews!!!” Beron shouted

What the hell is he shouting, have he no shame?

When I looked at Sara our eyes met and we looked away. Her face was red and I was guessing so was mine. I feel my face burning.

The horse pulled wagons slowly crept forward. Then I hit a rock rocking the wagon.

“Eeeep!” Sara let out a cute squeak and grabbed my arm.

“Hey, you be careful! Sara don’t let go of his arm or you might fall off! Hehehe”

Came the warning from the other hunter with dad or more like teasing.

That all happened yesterday and now for some reason the shame that Sara felt was gone as she starts to enjoy leaning her head on my shoulders and holding unto my arm. Her being closer meant I can smell her clearly and the two soft breasts that is pressing against me and jiggles when we hit rocks or bumps on the road.

It was hard trying to hide it from her. hey if a girl you like is so close to you and is physically touching you, your body would react a certain way. I’m just normal! Nothing wrong with it okay? Okay.

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We were drawing closer and closer to our home and then..

“Stop!” the front wagon ordered.

“I wonder what’s happening?” Sara asked looking up at me

“I don’t know”

“I don’t like this”

Sara said as she lets go of me, I honestly felt a little sad about it. I pulled the reigns to stop our wagon.

The front wagon has four hunters each having [Sight enhancement] or the better [Keen sight] they would spot trouble from far away.

The head hunter and the other hunter with him both have a high level [Keen sight] both being able to see at a minimum five kilometers away.

Everyone got off their wagons including us. One of the female hunters came running towards us looking worst for ware.

“T-the town has been attacked…” she told us with a pained expression.

“Wait, wait… what? Vanessa this isn’t a nice joke!”

“A-amon I-I am not kidding.” She replied stammering.

“Wha? M-my my… brother.. mom…” Ciro and mom were left in the village.

“What… happened to them?”

“W-we still don’t know. I only saw signs of the attack a-and a few b-bodies. Bwegh.” Vanessa soon threw up, probably remembering the sight of corpses littering the village.

Sara went and rubbed Vanessa’s back, waiting for her to calm down and was offered water to drink.

I looked forward and saw my dad being restrained by Mr. Partus and the other hunter Karn.

Another female hunter came to us.

“We sent Kasyo to scout the town right now, we still don’t know if they’re still there or not. So let us wait until he returns.” Sara and I nodded.

The female hunter returned to the first wagon, she was barely holding her anger in. We all had families there, this was supposed to be a short trip to sell our goods, buy equipment for the hunters and other tools for the village people who couldn’t come with us.

Sara looked at me with a pained expression, she was comforting a bawling Vanessa. Vanessa herself lived with her little sister along with her parents, this was her first time going to town after turning sixteen. She was given extra money to spend as a birthday gift.

“Uwaaah, M-mila! Hu hu… mother *sniff father!” Vanessa continued crying under Sara's embrace, she was holding a new doll with a red dress and golden locks for hair.

Mila, Vanessa’s younger sister was still eight and from time to time would play with Ciro and Papo along with the other kids.

Sara's mom had died giving birth to Papo, she was very sickly to begin with, that being the reason for Sara and Papo's age gap. That was also why Mr. Partus was overly protective of them, bringing both to town. They were everything he had left.

I was barely holding my feelings down, but seeing my father in distraught and Sara's presence kept me from exploding like my father did.

I looked at Sara then to Vanessa and back to Sara, silently asking if she will be okay, she nodded and I left her to go to my father.

“Amanda! Ciro! I'm back! Partus let go of me!!!” dad's shouting was so loud I didn’t doubt it would reach our home.

It took everything Partus had and the other hunter Karn to subdue father, they were still trying not to hurt him after all. Dad is a farmer, the hard work of plowing the fields, lifting water and feeds for the animals, and carrying fertilizers made him stronger than most.

“Amon! Help me, we need to go find your mother and brother!!” dad shouted, his eyes bloodshot red.

“Dad, we still need to wait for Kasyo to say it’s safe-“

“Safe?! We were attacked by bandits and you still want to wait until it’s safe?!” my dad got a burst of energy and was able to shake Karn's grip and grabbed my collar.

“Your mother and brother could be endangered and your worried about us?!”

Then as if timed, my savior Kasyo returned looking tired and stressed. He reported to the chief’s son first, then came to us.

“They’re no longer there or in the immediate vicinity to launch an ambush, it’s safe but-”

He was cut off when my dad made a mad dash towards our home. I followed after him no longer able to hide my own worry. We ran our fastest ever, I thought my legs would have given up on me, we reach our home seeming untouched from the outside. I grimaced, there was a foul stench in the air, I was fearing for the worst and so was dad.

None of us wanted to open the door ourselves, frozen with fear I stood there for what seemed like hours.

My father was sitting on the floor, unresponsive, eyes dazed not focusing on anything. His quiet murmurs that grew a little louder snapped me back to my senses.

After a while I was able to collect my courage and slowly reached for the door, preparing myself for the worst.

The door squeaked as I slowly opened it and the foul stench resting in the house burst out from the door's opening. A gruesome smell assaulted my senses and I vomited on the spot.

Shaking, I tried steeling my resolve again, I stood on my shaking legs which threatens to fall by the most gentle of breezes. Pushing the door in further, the interior of our home was a mess.

The first thing I saw was a man dead on a pool of dried blood a knife near his body, he was wearing leather armor but it was filthy and damaged here and there, his face was not among those he knows who live in the village he must have been a bandit.

I wasn’t prepared to see what was ahead. My mother sprawled on the ground, arms and legs twisted in angles it never should and she was missing her thumbs and big toes… her body was hardly recognizable it was battered, bite marks from a dog could be seen and scratch marks as well.

Losing strength in my legs I dropped down.

My stomach was empty at this point after vomiting all it’s content and nothing but stomach acid threatens to come out now.

Partus and Karn along with Papo came after us, worried. Karn stretched his hand to stop Papo from entering after knowing what the smell was and chose to wait outside along with my father.

“That’s fourteen… and twenty-one. Lad can you get up?” Partus asked me, he probably knew I wasn’t alright so he never asked me that.

I just stared at him, not knowing how to answer.

“Go get clothes for your mother, I'll… haah… I'll clean up here.”

He grabbed my arm and pulled me up.

“Just go get the clothes.”

Given purpose I nodded and went upstairs to pick up my mothers clothing. I was moving mechanically not sure what else to do other than to get my mom’s clothes. The room was a mess, among it, I saw a small wooden box, its contents spilled.

A preserved flower, a shiny rock, a twig ring, a smooth rock and other things people would call junk.

It was her treasure trove.

I couldn’t help the tears streaming down, the ring Beron gave, the flower I have given her that time we had a picnic long before Ciro was born.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

“Are you worried about them that much Biro?”

“I can’t help it Partus. Haaah, you and I know why Beron came back.”

Two men at the driver’s seat chatted, one with long chestnut colored hair tied to a bun. Dark, green, sharp looking eyes used to peer through great distances and prey alike was steadily looking ahead while driving the wagon. Body built not to have too much muscles to be lighter, but not weak, he is the head hunter Partus of a small village near the great forest.

The other a man with a stern appearance, dark brown hair with a few white strands scattered around, cut short and neat. Eyes the color of sapphire, had a more gentle look compared to his companion. His body built through hard labor around the farm had a more muscular appearance. He owns one of the few farms in the village and a childhood friend of the village head hunter.

Beron, second son of Biro, and Warren a young soldier son of one of the village hunter's, once reported to the village chief along with a select few of the village hunters about the growing threat of a band of brigands running amok.