Chương 61: Chapter 57

Sobelle managed to pull the wagon until she and Chael needed to make camp for the night. She let go and stretched, groaning as her joints popped away the tension that pulled a wagon for several hours built up. She jumped in place and twisted her body in ways that no human could, she felt like a new person when she was done.

"I've prepared the fire." Chael gestured at the crackling flame in front of her.

"Thank you." Orange light casts a soft glow on Sobelle's face as she sat at the edge of the fire.

"I didn't think that it was possible for me to carry a wagon for hours— what are you doing?"

"Sitting next to you." Chael grinned. She made herself comfortable and gently tugged on the edge of her dress. Her legs came up to her chest as she rested her head on her knees. She pouted.

"I think that it's unfair you didn't want to sit next to me, I feel like you're leaving me out."

"Well I'm not." Sobelle grabbed a stick and poked at the fire. She pushed the firewood deeper into the flames.

"I just thought it'd be more comfortable if we had some space between us."

"I'm not comfortable, though." Chael inched closer to Sobelle. She moved until their shoulders pressed against each other, "I wanna feel your warmth."

"The fire is pretty warm." Sobelle pointed out. The stick was thrown into the flames, left to serve as a fuel that'd keep the fire going for at least a few more seconds.

"I don't see why you need me when I—" Sobelle stopped talking when she heard Chael sigh. She turned and saw that the girl had raised her eyebrows and looked like she had already grown impatient with Sobelle. Chael reached forward and grabbed Sobelle's jaw, she licked her lips.

"Are you dull?" She asked, voice full of want and irritation.

"I'm asking you to keep me warm and yet you're here, saying that the fire can do that. Do you want me to splash some water over it so that we'd be forced to share body heat? Is that what you want?"

"I don't understand—" Sobelle was cut off when Chael kissed her.

"Does that make things easier for you?" Chael pulled back and looked at Sobelle expectantly. Their eyes met and locked in place for what felt like eternity before Sobelle pulled back.

"What? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you didn't." Sobelle shook her head. She looked at the fire and huffed. Her heart hammered at her chest and the beating was so loud it reached her ears but... She just wasn't in the mood for anything.

"I'm sorry, but I need to go. I'm going to hunt for some food for us. Maybe set up some traps so that we have a meal come morning."

"... Right. Of course. You do that, I'll pitch the tent." Chael sounded so disappointed and hearing her shattered voice broke Sobelle's heart.

"Good luck with the hunt."

"Thank you." Sobelle did not turn back. She couldn't. Grass parted before her and Sobelle inhaled a lungful of fresh air. This was the cure she needed to forget about the choking scent of fire mixed with Chael's nauseating warmth. The thought of staying by that wagon for long periods of time made Sobelle want to gag, she couldn't stomach the thought of Chael easily pushing aside the decisions she made in the village.

It was like none of them ever happened, and she just expected Sobelle to join her in whatever delusions she tried to make reality. Simply put, Sobelle felt that it was unfair that Chael got to pretend that nothing happened. She committed a sin, and Sobelle wanted her to experience some kind of retribution for it. Even if it meant Sobelle had to hurt herself too. Because rejecting Chael did break her heart. It did. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving Chael like that, yet she had to.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

'It's better than letting her think I would always stay by her side, even after she hurt me. I won't let her think I can be easily pushed around.' Sobelle lowered herself to the ground and got ready to make a snare trap. She uncoiled the rope on her waste and tied it to a stick she hammered into the ground with a rock. There was no bait, as she felt the need for one was unnecessary given that a field of grass as large as this one would have animals that never encountered humans before.

Making them less wary of traps.

"If she wanted to pick me, then she should have stayed by my side." That was how relationships worked didn't it? If a husband and wife were to ever get together, that meant they had to stay by each other's side even as people turned against them.

"... Not that she's my wife." Why did she think Chael was her wife? That made no sense. Chael and her weren't in that kind of relationship, and women couldn't get married to each other in the first place! No community would allow such a blasphemous communion. Not one. Sobelle ignored the pang of disappointment she felt from thinking about that and picked up her spear.

She had an idea when it came to the weapon's enchantment; and that was to throw it and see whether or not the blessing could affect the accuracy of her throw. She had never once thrown a spear at an object before, let alone an animal, but Sobelle felt that she'd hit her target anyway. That was what her gut told her.

'Where can I find prey?..' Sobelle slowly made her way to the deeper parts of the field. She was aware that the more she strayed from the path, the higher the chances of her encountering animals. This included the apex predators of the grasslands. Really, it would have been fine to stray from areas touched by humans if it wasn't for the raptors that roamed this field. They were reptilians roughly the height of a child and the length of a wolf.

While raptors weren't dangerous on their own, what made these things the apexes of grassland wasn't their individual strength. Rather, it was their ability to coordinate as a massive pack. They were better than Goblins even, which was saying a lot. But unlike Goblins, raptors could be threatened. If they deemed their prey as far too dangerous to be worth the hunt, they would quietly turn away and find something else to eat. Sobelle disappeared into the tall grass.

The plant life had grown wildly in these areas from the lack of cutting, they were far taller than the average man, and Sobelle fared no better. Her body mixed with the greenery. Sobelle's head turned violently to her left. She heard something there just now, a shrill cry. Similar to that of a bird. Then a sound that imitated a gecko's followed. There were raptors around here, and they were coordinating for a hunt. Whether or not she was being targeted was unknown, but Sobelle felt she wasn't this pack's quarry.

The echoing sound of a gecko's cry filled the air once more, it sounded like a man choking on air. It was also close. Her spear was ready, so if something were to come on to her, she'd kill them before they would even realize what happened. Sobelle got ready for a fight that never came, as nothing attacked her even after she spent several heartbeats waiting for them to emerge. Instead, the field went silent and she was free to roam the tall grass once more. Had the raptors succeeded in their hunt? Maybe.

Sobelle needed to be quick in ending her own. She ran, uncaring of the sound she made. If it attracted a pack, then she'd greet them without hesitation and turn them into dinner. She was done with being patient and fearful of these animals. Sobelle stepped on something and she looked down to see a snake. Her eyes widened before her vision narrowed, she brought her spear down and struck the thing on the head. She lifted it and checked for fangs.

'Poisonous.' She didn't throw it away, it could be eaten after all. The next time Sobelle encountered something was when she spotted a sleeping herd of grazers in the distance. She crept close to them while ensuring that the bull that watched over the sleeping herd did not spot her. She readied to throw her spear once Sobelle felt she was close enough to land a hit. Slowly, Sobelle pulled her arm back. And then she waited for [Flow State] to activate.

She whipped her arm forward and let go of the spear's handle in that same instant. The spear arrowed through the air, spinning as it did so. The bull noticed it too late and the spear struck the neck of a sleeping calf before it could alert the others. Grass got disturbed as the herd moved in unison to avoid the hunter. And Sobelle let them. She had already succeeded and all that was left was to collect her kill. Her prey was desperately trying to get up and run with the others when she got to it.

Sobelle ended its misery by grabbing her axe and cleaving its head.