The Red Lands

The moon had risen high in the overhead sky when the shadow of a wolf approached the tree.

Chu sat on a low branch with Lucy standing on a thick one just above him while stretching her legs from a cramp. She spotted the movement in the shadows first and notified them with a tap of her nearby spear.

Ming sat on a high branch of the closest tree beside them. His fingers rested across the slip knot of the rope that held the tension of the swinging log trap.

The wolf made a quick search of the area, similar to their previous adversary. The sniffing and shifting head below around the locations of the pellets informed Chu that the creature may have eaten the pellets. He discovered a serious flaw in his hunting practice, in that he could never tell in the darkness if the animals ate the bait or simply ignored them.

Making some noise as he climbed down to the lowest branch caused the wolf to become startled at the proximity of an unknown appearance. On discovering and noticing the source, the beast snarled and lunged towards the tree, pawing while snapping its drooling jaws. Safe above from the periodic leaps, Chu held a branch with one hand while collecting the spear sent down by the girl.

"Get ready, Ming!"

Chu shouted and constantly baited the wolf with his spear.

After a few minutes, the wolf seems ready to leave. Chu baited it again and even dangled his feet down from the branch. Although the wolf lunged after the scrawny offering, it soon became disinterested.

Chu stabbed at it a few times while enticing it by pretending to fall. His attempts with the wooden spear only served to anger the beast. Given his location, along with his poor body condition, he portrayed the image of a victim rather than a hunter. Maybe because of his acting, or the hope of the wild animal that this idiot might lose its footing, the wolf circled.

Not long after, the unseen saliva spraying from its snapping jaws changed to foam. Stumbling like a drunkard from a tavern. The beast tottered and struggled to walk, much less continue its assaults.

At first, Chu stood in doubt, fearing the cunning beast attempted to use his own tactic against him. If that proved the case and he fell for it, that shame, even in death, would be unbearable. After seeing the wolf continuing to sway, he convinced himself.

It deserved an award for such a stellar performance if it conducted an act.

"Lucy, keep an eye out for us. Ming, we are going down."

Chu took a good look around the area before jumping down.

Before winter, the majority of the wolves frequenting the lumber camps held the status of loners. Only after the snow covers the ground would the true wolf packs in the forest venture out of the forest and roam around the grasslands. These packs tormented unlucky travellers on the roads, isolated farmers and their animals, to brazenly performing nightly raids across the villages.

On hearing the rustle of the crunching leaves, the wolf rushed but stumbled halfway. Chu moved as a seasoned veteran of watching countless nature documentaries. This, along with the recent heroic kill, had him envisioning himself as a hunter.

Unfortunately, the scene showed a different story to the spectator and lookout up in the tree.

Lucy tried to tear away her blue eyes from the scene to perform her task, but her pupils refused to comply. Her jaw, hidden beneath her wrapped scarf, unhinged at the sight below.

The scrawny figure trembled while struggling to hold the crooked, wooden, tree-branch spear horizontal.

The oscillations of the stick and the body shook together as it rushed towards the lying wolf. The would-be spear poked the wolf in the side, when clearly the owner aimed for the head. The boy jumped around the tottering beast while launching his hopscotched style of attacks.

With the arrival of the other boy, Lucy's jaw dropped further.

Ming joined in the fray, speeding in with his spear toward the back leg of the besieged wolf. The beast shifted unconsciously to the side in its unpredictable dance. Ming missed his quarry completely, stumbling face-first into the ground. Jumping up, he waved to Lucy while spitting out a mouthful of soil and leaves.

From her vantage point, Lucy figured the only skill her would-be companions possessed lay in their ability to circle the creature, confusing and disorienting it further as the poison spread.

Ming finally launched a successful strike that pierced its belly. This hunter was actually aiming at the ass. With a howl, the wolf switched enemies, allowing Chu to waste no time in attacking. With blood boiling and flowing, it was like an epic battle between stoned adversaries.

Under this combined assault, the wolf finally ended up receiving a fatal wound and died. Chu and Ming quickly climbed up the trees to their previous positions. Only when they were safe did they breathe easily.

Lucy was shocked at how the two boys could take down a grown wolf. It was even more impressive since they obviously had no idea how to fight. She had mixed feelings when Ming 'tested' the creature to confirm its death by stabbing it where the sun didn't shine.

In her mind, the trill of success eventually won over the mask of shame.

Like their first kill, the morning came quickly, especially since this fight started late into the night. On hearing the sounds of the woodsmen starting their activities, they took time to investigate the surroundings before jumping down. Chu and Ming quickly organized everything they needed to leave. Once they were ready, Lucy, who stood keeping watch, joined them.

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The three stumbled and hastily made their way to the forest edge. Hiding the spears, they once again sneakily headed to the Trading post. Only when they hid the carcass in the same spot near the Trading Post did they sigh in relief and in unison.

"Holy crap Chu did you see that! I was better this time. My skill probably ranks among those seasoned hunters."

"I know, right? Did you see my first attack? I struck the neck."

Either without shame or completely ignorant of how they looked from a third person's view, the two began to boast.

Lucy, usually quiet in nature, couldn't contain herself while listening to the exaggerations of the night.

"Better my foot, you guys are lucky to be alive. Any more sober, and that wolf could have killed you."

The one to douse the cold water was Lucy. She had a good view of the 'epic battle'.

The two boys clammed up on hearing her comments.

Chu stroked his chin,

"We need to figure out how to deal with our weak point in fighting. I was impressed that it didn't take so long for the wolf to be poisoned. Three of the new pellets are strong."

Chu was contemplating making some more of these mushroom poisons.

"Huh? What do you mean by three? Didn't you say thirteen?"

"EH?"

"You said thirteen, so I put thirteen. When I checked this morning, it seems like the wolf ate it all. Poor fella must have been hungry."

Chu stared at the idiot who posed in his philosophical stance. The posture that made him look like a sage. Or at least what Ming considered, which made himself look smart.

Smack smack smack.

After venting on Ming's face with a few well-deserved slaps, Chu made his way to the Trading Post. This time, some hunters were haggling over prices. Chu remained in the back listening to them. From the conversations, he understood that the majority of hunters and adventurers scoured the forest to the north. This gave the professionals more chances to run into the beast coming down from the north.

Hunting in the south side of the woodsman area had less probability of running into hunters. But it also meant that the beast would be scarce.

When the customers from before left, Chu hailed Griz.

"Hey, Mr Griz, I got a wolf to sell."

Griz had long noticed the scrawny-looking kid who gave him a good impression.

"Morning. What do you want today?"

"Morning. I got a gray wolf to sell, it hasn't turned white yet. I take it the price is six silvers from the conversations before. Deal."

Griz just shrugged. This kid left no room for negotiation and just jumped at the price.

"That's only for a quality pelt, you know."

"Oh, the one I got is in pristine condition. I also overheard that a white wolf sells for twelve silvers, but I won't grudge you. You won that battle. I'll just take the six silvers and throw in a bunch of those rag clothes and two sewing kits with four extra thread reels."

"You got guts, kid, two-thread reels."

"Deal. Let me fetch the wolf."

This time, an extra kid popped up when the boy returned. Griz glanced a few times while inspecting the wolf. Just like before, the fur was free from large holes and cuts that were normal with hunters. It looked like it was killed with a spear, which was strange. Hunters usually carried axes or swords. These could be used for other work, like cutting branches, and were a more versatile weapon. He looked at the new kid, completely covered in a rag wrapping like a mummy.

"Hey kid, you recruiting or something. Every time you come here, your numbers keep growing."

"No, business is slow. Need to build some foundation before I expand again."

Chu shrugged and slipped out a casual statement. Griz gave a sigh and completed his inspection of the wolf. His mind hovered on the boy, though. This one was hard to read; he had never encountered a kid like this.

Understanding how to secure a solid foundation by finding the best help was usually the first rookie mistake in any profession. Only by experience would those who had been bitten by some form of betrayal would know this was important.

"OK, good quality. Let's go into the shop to square off."

"Ok, pleasure doing business. Ming, Lucy grab as many of those rag clothes as you can carry. Choose the better ones. Meet you back at the shack."

Chu issued an order and followed Griz. The bear-like man didn't mind since those clothes were gotten for free from the city. They were sold in batches to the villagers for bedding and stuffing. Older ones were used at the trading post as cloth rags.

Chu collected his earnings and bought some more supplies at the Trading Post. After some inquiries, he then left.

When Chu returned, he found his shack seemed to shrink. With the three of them plus their new belongings, the stick shack was running out of room.

"Hey, move over, I need to boil some water."

"Quit pushing me."

"Chu. I'm hungry and tired. Feeeeeed me"

Under that bickering, they finally ate a late breakfast. Lucy then left them to sleep, staggering her drowsy self back to her own shack. Chu told her to let her friends wake her in the afternoon. He wanted the three of them to make a trip into the forest to bring out a load of firewood each, for their own use.

Lucy didn't press them for money. She had realized that those two had some bigger plan. As long as she gained enough to take care of herself and her friends, she was happy. Seeing her roommates with smiles on her return, instead of the usual worry, was a comfort. Since moving to the slums, this was the first time she had slept well.

It was late evening when the three ran to the forest to hustle firewood for their own use in the slums. For a shack to actually be stocked with firewood was a luxury in the slums. This was because the residents were too busy working to make ends meet. A load of firewood was a step closer to earning money to feed themselves. Most survived on heating coal and charcoal. One extra log was enough for this when returning with their bundles to sell.

"Hey, hurry up. I want to leave with the villagers. You remember what happened last time we left late?"

Memories of the child being dragged away by a wolf returned to Ming. He rushed about in a frenzy, stacking the firewood while Lucy and Chu finished tying a bundle with tree bark. Without the poison and their makeshift spears, they were just like a free buffet for a hungry man. Any wolf could have them for a snack.

"That's enough for now, let's go. Hurry, we need to make it back before the rest of the people from the slums."

The last thing Chu wanted was for everyone to know that they had this much firewood in their possession. With winter on their doorstep, many people would kill for this simple item. Villagers were even known during hard times to gang up and forcefully break apart slum residents' houses.

In a world where might was right, such actions were tolerated. Unfortunate souls had to brave the elements and find a new home or wait for death. Given this thinking, it was logical that the weak children pay the price first.

"Stack them on the side. I'm off to the trading post well to take a bath. Lucy, bring your friends with you before dark. We need to discuss our next step."

After finishing their job, Chu dragged Ming to the Trading Post to take a bath. He went into the village and deposited the two coppers before returning to the shack. Ming was starting the fire from the coals when Lucy returned. She banged on the door and waited outside. Only when Chu told her to enter did she do so.

"These are my friends, Dyna and Sakura."

The two girls Lucy brought were probably barely seven. Cast away by their family because of poverty or a newborn boy child. Chu slowly started to understand the social workings of these rural villages. Ming closed the door as the five of them sat around the fire.

This was beginning to be the classic case of creating something from near nothing. According to his literary knowledge, it would lead to them soaring the skies, or to an epic crash and burn.

Chu felt he was going to have an endless headache.