Louis approached the hunting grounds, as expected a gory scenario was settled, most deer had died quickly due to the arrows, but the ones that were too eager to scatter were barraged with javelin thrusts, leaving their insides out in the open. The ones still breathing were quickly put out of their misery by the other hunters.

  The stench was nauseating, spilled organs and blood on the ground.

  Louis approached him. “You alright, Cael?” He asked his friend. The only reply Caelen provided was a silent thumbs-up.

  Luckily, he had the tendency to be able to recover quickly, it came in handy considering his clumsiness, his body had adapted to recurring damage.

  Caelen looked to the side, all of those creatures now dead, his expression lightly frowned.

  He slowly stood up, being lifted by Louis' hand. A long silence covered them both.

  On their way back to camp, they stopped by the small tent they had set up earlier and gathered their lantern and knapsacks

  Caelen carried the bag of equipment, his leg no longer ached as badly anymore, his bruises weren't that severe.

  So, they walked away. Five minutes, Ten minutes, Twenty minutes. Finally, they reached the main camp of the hunting group

  The rest of the hunters had finished packing up their own tents and now hauled out the game they had collected, bringing a victorious smile to all the hunters, imagining all the gold they would make off it.

  Louis and Caelen collapsed into the snow, the cold seeping through their clothes in a strangely comforting way. They stayed like that in silence, breaths clouding the frosty air.

  After a minute, Caelen sat up and started tightening bandages around the cuts on his arms and forehead. The fabric darkened in places where wounds still seeped blood.

  Louis pushed himself to his feet. “I’ll help carry some of the game. You rest a bit. You do look… kind of rough.”

  Caelen snorted, tying some of the bandage’s knots. “Quite an understatement, isn't it?”

  Louis stepped away, then closing by he noticed someone farther ahead, gripping a buck by the hind legs and clumsily dragging it through the snow.

  She lightly grunted, her voice, he immediately recognized her.

  Asha.

  Her green cloak flared behind her with each pull. She paused to push loose black strands from her face, the faint crescent-shaped scar on her left cheek catching the morning light.

  He approached. “You need help with that?”.

  Asha drew a breath that fogged the air, taking more than a couple of seconds to answer, thinking. “It’s heavier than it looks.” She gave the deer a small tug as if to prove her point, then added, “But I can manage, it isn't like I haven't been hauling this for half an hour.” She let out a dry, sarcastic laugh.

  Louis hesitated. “…You sure?”

  She glanced at him, then back at the deer. For a moment it looked like she might refuse again. Instead, she nodded once.

  “Alright. Fine. Grab the upper legs.”

  He smiled, already lowering his hands to grab the other leg—

  “Louis.”

  The Captain’s voice cut cleanly across the clearing.

  Louis straightened immediately. Asha gave him a small, resigned look.

  “Go,” she murmured. “I'll manage, I know how persistent he is.”

  Louis stepped away, leaving her to let a faint sigh.

  Caelen, who had just finished wrapping the last of his bandages, noticed her struggle and walked over while flexing his freshly wrapped wrist.

  Asha struggled back with the buck, boots digging into the snow as the carcass refused hardly moved.

  Caelen walked over without a word at first, then bent to grab the hind legs opposite her.

  “Shift a little,” he muttered. “You’re dragging it crooked.”

  She shot him a look. “...” her lips parted but she didn’t quite manage to make a sound.

  He adjusted his grip and pulled. The weight surprised him; his shoulders tensed. “Since when did deer start eating rocks?”

  A faint huff left her nose despite herself.

  They dragged in silence for a few steps before he spoke again, more casually.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Been a while, Asha. Feels different with you keeping to yourself.”

  Her hands tightened on the legs. “You know what I did.”

  “I do.”

  She didn’t look at him. “Does he hate me?”

  Caelen snorted softly. “Louis? I don’t think he’s even capable of holding a grudge.”

  “That’s not funny.”

  “I’m not joking.” He shifted the buck again, jaw tightening at the strain. “He’s upset. Anyone would be. But hate? No. He doesn’t have it in him.”

  Her expression softened, but doubt lingered.

  “He’s been fine,” Caelen added. “A few pricks showed their colors. That’s all.”

  He gave the carcass another pull and grunted. “By the way, this thing’s ridiculous. If you dragged it all the way from the clearing alone, I’m officially offended.”

  She finally glanced at him properly.

  “I’m stronger than I look.”

  She flexed her arm in demonstration. Not exactly full of muscle but did seem defined at least.

  Caelen raised an eyebrow. “I can see that.”

  The two resumed dragging the deer while Louis stood stiffly in front of The Captain, trying not to glance over his shoulder.

  “Excellent job as always, Louis.” He said with an earnest tone “I’ve seen your potential before. Today another reminder. You haven’t disappointed me yet. My offer still stands. “

  He placed a hand on his shoulder, offering him a faint smile. Something almost never seen on other occasions, for somebody like him, his smile wasn't so terrifying.

  Caelen stared back in the distance, he guessed he likely was trying to recruit him into his ‘special crew ' again.

  He reminisced Louis mentioning this offer to him once.

  The Captain was known for seeking hunters whose skills rose above the ordinary.

  But rumor claimed he was preparing a crew to embark in search of Maltheons, apparently to aid in the worsening ecosystem of the nearby pine forest.

  Against monsters like that, common hunters were useless, beasts capable of wielding magic aren’t exactly easy to take down.

  Tracking Maltheons was a colossal task: perilous, exhausting, and lethal. They rarely appear. Finding them could take months at a time. Yet the reward was tempting. Its death was said to restore balance to the land, without mentioning the gold they could make off its hide or other pieces of them.

  Maltheons did not arise often. When they did appear, entire herds vanished overnight.

  After the exchange with Louis, The Captain started moving towards him, he gave a look at him with a sense of disappointment. “Caelen…” His voice filled yet again with anger.

  Asha gave him a side-look then turned around, leaving Caelen with The Captain a faraway "Good luck” was heard from her as she waved her hand.

  . He mumbled, expecting yet another scolding. Despite having two years of experience with him, his concealing skills compromised their missions.

  Caelen had his eyes looking down. The captain spoke again.

  “Normally, I would dock your payment for this hunt” his voice lowered and deeper. “I have heard about your father’s situation, I shall let it pass this once, I do expect better performance the next time”.

  “When we return to town, meet me Tuesday afternoon at the bar for your pay as per usual.”

  He knew he needed the money, but for a split second, The Captain’s eyes showed softened; this instantly shifted the mood of Caelen`s, his blood boiled with anger.

  That felt the same way as the ones he received years ago.

  He remembered the day of his mother’s funeral, the empty casket laid beneath gray skies, snow gathering over the wooden lid as the priest spoke words that felt meaningless. Faces surrounded him, gossiping behind him, eyes soft with sympathy. He hated those eyes. They looked at him as if he were something fragile.

  Even now, that memory lingered like a needle under his skin, poking at him every movement, pity wasn’t something he felt comfort in.

  He clenched his jaw, forcing the thought away. “Thanks, Captain…” he muttered, voice low.

  He took a deep breath, taking a moment to let his anger calm down.

  The captain was turning back as he was suddenly stopped by Caelen`s shout “Wait!”

  “My father sent you a letter, I'm delivering it for him.”

  He brought his hand to his back, where he pulled a letter, wrinkled and slightly bent. The paper had barely managed to stay within his pocket.

  “I’m not sure of the contents of it.”

  The captain’s eyes seemed hesitant, as if he knew the words behind the paper. He grabbed it with a firm grip and promptly opened it. The color drained from his face. He took a step back, then another, almost as if backing down.

  “Hm...? Captain, is there something wrong with the letter?“

  “Caelen… “ His lips tightened, his eyes didn't have the same sharp gaze he always had, as if it had grown duller out of the blue, tinted with melancholy.

  “There’s nothing wrong. There’s a river nearby, so you wash up before we go back“

  “Okay...?”

  He found himself puzzled.

  .

  Whatever that letter contained, it had shaken the captain. His grip on it was too tight, and his eyes… They looked as though they’d seen a ghost.

  He decided to let the matter go. The Captain was, after all, a mysterious man, an old friend of his father. They both have never liked to talk about the past.

  After washing up his exterior clothes in the cold river, he wrung them dry as best as he could and placed them into his knapsack. Far in the distance he could hear they were finishing up packing the game

  Trailing back to the group, he carefully picked up nearby flowers, blue apacias and slightly yellowish quimtrails, these flowers blooming even amidst the harsh winter

  The hunters chatted, talking about what they would do with the money, a drunkard a fine wine bottle, a father a dress for their daughter, and aspiring warrior wished for a set of leather pauldrons.

  The gold they made normally was greater compared to other jobs in town. Meat was sold at fairly good price on the market, considering the current circumstances.

  Their expressions full of joy and expectant for the future, there in the back of the group, Caelen walked along, his face unchanging.

  He expressed to himself, looking back for a moment, the faint smell of the forest fading off his nose.

  It may have been a small gesture, however, for him it was respecting the sacrifice they had made.

  Death was something he never enjoyed celebrating, this firm belief was deeply ingrained in him, part of who he was.

  The harsh winter never brought anything good to people, even against the harshest environments, good things can come out of them.