"This is going to bruise," Leia said pursing her lips. "That too badly. Even with my poultice you will need a week for the bruise to fade away. You are incredibly lucky that the deer didn't gore you."
Duncan rested with his back to a tree as Leia administered her poultice to his body. His breathing was back to normal now, but the fiery pain in his side still continued.
It had been an hour since the hunt. Ren and others were processing the animals to be transported to the side. Duncan gave her small smile in reply causing Leia to bonk his head in displeasure.
"Don't do something foolish for the rest of the hunt. I advise you to stay back and let the others attack first. This time you were lucky. Next time you will not be so," Leia grumbled as she fiddled with her bag.
Duncan merely nodded in reply. Despite the pain in his body, Duncan only felt elation. Something about the fight brought him happiness. He didn't know what it was, but the feeling was something new to him. So, he savored it in his mind as he halfheartedly listened to Leia's nagging.
Initially he thought that it was his first successful hunt that gave him the giddy feeling. But, he soon discarded as he felt no emotion towards the downed deer when Ren had dragged it back. No, it was something else and he had a vague inkling of an idea as to what it was.
Duncan looked down and saw that he was still clutching his sword as if it was his lifeline. Something about holding the sword gave him an euphoric feeling. He didn't know what it was, but he knew the giddy feeling he felt was associated with not losing his sword when the deer had headbutted him.
Duncan wasn't sure why he felt that way. It was an instinct to be honest to not let go off his sword when the deer had headbutted him. Just like how he had acted when he downed the wolf, this time was the same when the deer headbutted him. His instincts always guided him to act in the right way when he was in life and death situation.
Duncan decided that he needed to think about it more when he returned to the city as this wasn't the right place to think about it. He was sure if he had let go off his sword, the deer would have run off. It might have been dead, but it would have also escaped before succumbing to its wounds.
So, in a way, Duncan's actions prevented it from happening. Just like when he had choked the wolf on an instinct the last time. He wasn't entirely sure about it, but he felt that this was something important that had never been exposed until he was in life and death situation.
So, he decided to study it more when he had more time.
Once the processing was done, Ren decided to end the hunt for the day and find a place a settle down in the night. Only Mo Hong looked put out by the decision, but no one cared about his whining as they were all pretty much exhausted at that point.
"This time our luck is good," Morgan said chugging his wine. "We were able to down three beasts within a day. I say we continue and see how much we can hunt by the end of the week."
"No," Ren shook his head negatively, "I think we should hunt for another day or two and see if we can bag another game. If so, then it is best we return early. If not, we can continue until the end of the week."
"Isn't hunting more beasts the better?" Duncan asked in confusion.
"Not necessarily," Qin Rong said shaking his head. "The more animals we hunt, the more load we have to carry. It will slow us down and even cause an accident. If we run into strong predators, then our load will become our burden."
While Duncan nodded in understanding, Mo Hong snorted in disagreement.
"We came here to hunt. Even if it is a predator we must hunt it," Mo Hong said righteously.
Leia snickered behind her hands causing Mo Hong to shoot her an angry look.
"Don't take this the wrong way, do you think you are some cultivator? You are acting like them without any consideration for your situation. That kind of arrogance can only found in them. Do you see Duncan's injury?" Leia asked Mo Hong, who merely squinted his eyes.
"That was caused by a single deer. And he is lucky that it wasn't the horns that made contact with his body. Even a single deer can kill us if we are not careful and you want us to hunt to a predator like a Mountain Tiger. Sorry, we don't have death wish," Leia said in a cold tone causing Mo Hong to shift his eyes.
"He is just week," Mo Hong mumbled halfheartedly.
"Say that to my face and I will punch your face into pulp," Duncan growled in reply causing Mo Hong to shoot him a venomous look.
"Guys, don't start insulting each other," Ren mediated in a calm tone. "And Mo Hong, if you are not satisfied with our approach you can finish this mission and find a new team with the same mindset as yours. We won't object that. But, when you are under my team I expect you to follow my orders."
Mo Hong held Ren's eyes for some time before letting out a snort. He once again left the gathering to return to his tent not giving any respect to others.
"That one is trouble," Qin Rong said in a grave tone.
"I will give him more work tomorrow. When he is tired, he won't complain much," Ren shrugged his shoulders not minding Mo Hong's attitude.
"Anyways, be careful," Qin Rong grumbled as he took a chug from his wineskin. "I don't want to end up dead because one guy was too arrogant to listen to sense."
"Don't worry, I will take care," Ren placated causing Qin Rong and others to nod.
The next day, Ren sent off Mo Hong with Logan to scout as they once more resumed their search for other animals to hunt. The day was peaceful and only by the end of the night that Logan returned with Mo Hong, who was looking dishelved.
"We found some tracks of boar. We will pick it up tomorrow and see if it is possible to track it down," Logan said as he settled in.
"A boar huh, then we will go with our usual method," Ren said nodding at the information.
"Do you want me to lead it into the trap as usual?" Logan asked in return.
"No one else is as fast as you. But, wait a second," Ren said looking thoughtful before turning towards Mo Hong. "You wanted to prove your strength right. Here is an opportunity. Do you think you will be able to lead the boar into the trap?"
Before Mo Hong could reply, Logan butted in.
"I am not sure if he is fast enough, Ren. It is a risk," Logan said causing Mo Hong to scowl.
"He is fast enough to keep up with you. So, his speed is not an issue. But, whether he will be calm enough to lead the boar to the trap is another matter," Qin Rong said shaking his head.
"I can do it," Mo Hong interjected loudly.
Ren paused as he looked at Mo Hong seriously for a minute. No one interrupted Ren as he made the decision. After taking stock of Mo Hong's determined look, Ren merely nodded.
"You will be the bait then," Ren said in a decisive tone causing Qin Rong and Logan to frown a little. But he recovered their expression soon enough.
"Logan will tell you what to do. Don't panic. Logan will follow you with his arrows to make sure nothing bad happens to you. You just need to lead the boar to the trap. If you are fast enough, it will be a piece of cake. But, remember to be cautious. If you feel winded, stop immediately and try to hold it off until Logan comes to help you," Ren said seriously.
Mo Hong looked as if he was going to object, but in the end he merely nodded in response.
Duncan somehow felt a bad feeling welling up in his stomach as he watched the interaction. He wondered if Mo Hong was really reliable to base the plan on him, but he held his tongue in lieu of his teammate's agreement.
