The Red Lands 1

by ForestRage

  A deer? No something LIKE a deer, but much bigger and WAY more aggressive!

  A large deer, with some of the biggest antlers he had ever seen, jumped through the underbrush and paused for a second. It then rushed towards him, seemingly with the intention to kill. When the animal paused, Chu noted its red frenzied eyes, and foaming mouth. Now, those panicked eyes were locked on him.

  What the hell?!

  'Why the heck are you trying to kill me? I haven't done anything to you.'

  'You should be happy that I am alive, who do you think has been contributing to controlling the wolf population, in these here part of the woods?'

  Like a last-minute slow-motion video, Chu saw the seemingly triumphant look, the deer gave him. He swore it was one of scorn, as it looked upon an obviously lesser being.

  So, this is what it feels to be a cockroach he thought. Imagine in one’s final moments, the adrenaline didn't produce the burst of power like in a manga, but suffered the protagonist through viewing his death in slow motion.

  "I was sure that all those fat and blood never came from any deer..."

  Those were Chu last words that flashed across his mind.

  As he watched the lowered antlers, move towards him he saw a dark shadow careening from the side.

  "EH?"

  Apparently, the deer realized it too, as its eyes that were focused on Chu glanced to the side. The eyes full of ferocity went from domination, to surprise, to amazement, then popping from fear.

  That was when the swinging log contacted its face. A sickening sound echoed out.

  Crunch!

  The deer's head, was sent twisting to the side with the impression seen, like a boxer receiving a right hook from an overwhelming opponent. The scene played out complete with spittle and flying teeth.

  The deer crashed to the ground, barely inches from him, twisting over in a spectacular wreckage, scattering the patches of snow, airborne.

  "Chu! Chu are you all right?!"

  The cries from above woke him up from his daze. He was still shaken, from that life and death experience. He felt so ashamed, that in that fight or flight moment he could only remain frozen in fear.

  "I... I am ok."

  He cautiously took out his machete, and held a spear in his other hand. The deer sprawled lying on the ground in an awkward manner. Having flipped, somersaulted and rolled, it lay spread-eagled on the ground with its feet spread out and its butt high up in the air.

  The beast neck, had twisted in an unnatural way.

  Remembering the difference in strength, Chu decided to be very cautious. Using the spear, he conducted Ming's trademark spear strike.

  One piercing stab up the butt later, Chu convinced himself the animal died. He didn’t think the animal could survive with a broken neck.

  "Holy crap, Chu I thought you were dead!"

  Chu looked up at Ming, the different emotions bubbling inside him. Never in both lives had someone saved him from certain death.

  That deer certainly had the intentions to skewer him, and toss him aside like trash.

  Of course, leave it to the idiot on the tree to ruin the mood.

  "Thank god for that deer Chu! If it didn't come along, then the log might have crushed, you. I released it by accident, but who would imagine eh? eh Chu?"

  "Why are you looking at me like that?"

  "Chu why would a deer be running to attack us?"

  Lucy's words were like a wake-up slap. The wild face full of froth pushed away the fear for a second.

  "Running..."

  The image of the deer as it jumped out of the underbrush returned to his mind.

  "Holy Crap!”

  'Was something more terrifying behind?'

  "Chu! I see... I see... something... big... ahh! a b.e.a.r..."

  Chu realized he would have no time to climb a tree to escape such a creature. He ran to the suspended log, now swaying slowly on the rope between the two trees. By the time he climbed up the log, and pulled himself up the rope--it appeared.

  Unlike the deer that jump over the undergrowth, the beast simply lumbered through, tearing it like paper.

  Strolling out, this beast had an aura of death reeking out from it. Large like a small pickup truck, this snow-white bear would have made a wonderful sight in a zoo. Out in the wild however, with no bars and protective barriers, this was simply a cold-blooded killing machine.

  The bear gaze around raising its head while sniffing the air. Under the fading light, the first thing it noticed was the boy in front, as he seemingly looked half suspended in the air. With a growl it moved the tank-like body forwards.

  Chu wasn't waiting. He had already scrambled up the rope, when the bear arrived below and raised itself on its back legs. With the paws extended, it measured a height of nearly nine to ten feet.

  The bulking forearms, swiped across with the accompanying vicious curved claws. In one strike, the claws sliced the rope like a knife cutting softened butter, causing the log to drop to the ground.

  By that time Chu was making use of the pumping adrenaline, to shimmy on that rope like a coconut climber. With the log weight now discarded, the branch securing the rope moved up as it lost the additional weight. This helped him to further swing higher.

  ROOAAARRRR!

  The beast circled below, roaring in frustration. Chu climbed up, and held on for dear life. He was thankful the bear didn't have the intelligence to bite the rope and tug it. If that happened, the branch or rope might break, placing him into danger.

  As sure as a light bulb getting hot when on, he was that close to pissing himself.

  Swoosh! Swoosh!

  Two wooden spears rained down from above, one bouncing of the top of the beast head.

  With a thunk, it simply bounced like a ball falling on a hard ground.

  While silently being shocked at the bear's defense, Chu still called out.

  "Lucy stop!"

  Chu was hoping that the bear would grow tire of them, and then leave with the deer carcass. Unfortunately, Lucy's heroics, further aggravated it at the wrong time.

  The response to the attacker was a frontal assault. This beast could not be compared to the ones he knew. In front of this animal, a polar bear would be like a cub. Like a tank it had no fear on the battlefield.

  Finding the source of the attacks, it then tumbled over and began to climb the tree. What was scary was that it was moving that big body faster than Chu could hope to climb.

  Hugging the tree trunk, it ascended at a constant pace, with the muscles bulging and similarly flexing from the limbs.

  Lucy was not idle but climbing toward the tree top. The trees in the forest were tall, and this one crossed over sixty feet in height. Lucy paused at the top, when she slowly wormed onto a thick branch. She hugged and crawled across it, until she arrived at the edge.

  "Come and get me you beast!"

  She goaded.

  The bear eventually made its way up, and without a second thought climbed onto the branch, and crawled towards her. It didn't need to reach very far to slap her down the tree.

  Snap!

  Who would think, that when the bear balanced all its weight onto the branch, that stout, thick branch would simply break of. When the branch and bear together, started to prove that the laws of gravity existed in this world, Lucy was left hanging onto a rope tied onto the higher branch.

  As the bear crashed down, it experienced the same slow-motion thoughts as Chu had before.

  'How come that thick branch broke? That never happened before, branched were supposed to bend and be supple!

  Why did that girl suddenly start floating on air? Was she a big bird?

  And why are there no branches beneath that one to break my fall? What kind of tree grows like this!

  Oh... look the deer, haa seems like he was suckered also by these little bastards...why does that next tree reek of piss?'

  Thud!

  With the fall on the ground, the bear suffered the consequences of a fall
. With broken bones puncturing its vital organs, it moaned and whimpered until its last breath.

  A powerhouse such as this, is capable of rampaging across a village and being near unstoppable. Even a small fall, would not cause it major damage. As a beast that had experience hunting in a forest, it could easily break its fall from grabbing the lower branches.

  This time was different. Not only was the solid looking branch deceptively weak, due to the cuts from before by Lucy. But even all nearby branches under it, had been cleared away to prevent any cushioning from a fall.

  A bear this size also had one weakness. Its size and weight from a fall that high would work against it. No matter the protective fur and steel like muscles, the shock from the fall did some major damage.

  An hour after the last moans were uttered, three children descended unto the ground. With the forest in darkness, only the rising moon provided a light source.

  In tacit understanding, the three rushed away and hid where they could see the bear at a distance. If it only grunted, they would not hesitate to run to the slums.

  "What do we do, is it alive?"

  "Can we still kill it, even injured that thing is like a suit of armor. Our spears are like matchsticks in front of that."

  "Holy hell Lucy, that was so amazing, you were so cool!"

  "Lucy that was the bravest thing in the world. But Ming why do you smell like piss?"

  Even though they had trimmed the branches below and made the trap branch. It took courage to act as the bait, when in the face of such enormous and fierce-some foe. Chu knew that he could never have done what Lucy did. This valuable experience, nearly cost him his life.

  And it was not one-time staring at death, but twice!

  The branch had been carefully weakened, by cutting below. There was also a cut at the top. This was for the branch to completely break off from the tree, than for it to simply swing back into the tree.

  Breaking completely off, meant no chance of reaching the trunk to slow the fall. With all the branches underneath cut away, there was nothing to prevent a free fall to the ground.

  "Do you guys think we can drag that deer?"

  Chu broke the silence between them.

  Chapter 13

  It all boils down to how you sell it

  Ming was fifteen, Chu and Lucy were twelve. In the past few days, they had developed from malnourished children to scrawny kids. Their lifestyle always revolved around hard work, specializing in lifting heavy loads.

  “Chu, you smoking some bush?”

  Ming asked.

  In front of this solid mass of flesh and bones, lifting a paw would be considered a success. Dragging either of these carcasses, compared to the three of them pulling a freight truck—with a full cargo. Chu twisted his mouth, while glancing at the similar contorted faces.

  With about two tons of meat in total, maybe more, transport to the Trading Post proved impossible. Not even considering the task to construct a sled to handle one of the beasts, working alone in the forest might lead to disaster.

  Without a cart having large wheels to navigate over the bumps and tree roots, trying to drag the beast proved impossible.

  "Chu even if you whip us, I don't think we can carry that load. Look at that deer, we would need a thick branch to help flip him over. And I am not sure the three of us can even manage."

  "Ming is right Chu, that deer is bigger than the normal ones. Only a Great Horned deer would have antlers so big. I saw one at the trading post with my mom a long time ago. They are really expensive."

  Lucy said. She recalled the name because of how excited the villagers chattered that day.

  Crap! Chu felt like pulling his hair and screaming.

  This was like finding gold embedded in a rock without having a pick-axe.

  What should he do. He had never paid attention to how they butchered the animals. He couldn't walk with that size of meat into the slums. Being caught, would lead to untold trouble

  Should he take the chance, and butcher it here? With that bloody action, the scent alone would attract nearly all the predators in the forest. Could he stomach the idea of another beast making off with his money?

  Light a fire and attract the other hunters? Which idiot in their right mind, would share wealth with kids from the slums? Greed is a bad thing among those struggling to survive.

  "Ming it is time for you to prove yourself."

  Chu looked at him and continued.

  "I need you to remain here. Not to guard, but to see if anything happens to our catch. Climb up and stay hidden in the tree, until I come back. Take the spear and machete with you for protection."

  "Leave it to me. I will do what you say."

  To Chu's surprise Ming didn't hesitate at all. With a determined face, he obeyed while taking what he needed before climbing a nearby tree. What Chu didn't realize, was how important he had already become, to his companions. For those struggling in a harsh environment, Chu had already become a blood brother.

  For a bond like that, risking a life was a normal event. It was not like he asked for death. Risk is risk, with a chance to live. For this same reason, Lucy overcame her fear, and challenged the bear.

  She had doubts about if the trap they constructed worked, but she risked her life because of Chu. The chance for a better life, all rested on his shoulders.

  For Chu who just arrived in this world, and hadn't fully soaked in the slum experience, he remained ignorant on the bonds of companionship.

  "Lucy come with me, I need someone in case something happens on the way."

  It was not long since the bear announced its arrival, with a loud commotion and roaring. Chu guessed this would keep inquisitive predators away. for part of the night. It would take two hours to return to the village.

  They had to proceed cautiously, to avoid detection and any chances of ambush.

  "Keep your eye out Lucy, try to hide as much in the shadows. When we reach the grasslands, we can run. Hopefully the bear will have scared away the competitors. "

  Lucy nodded her head. As the nimbler of the two, Chu planned to fend off any attack, while providing her an opportunity to escape. He didn't know Lucy had the same idea. Dashing from the forest, they made it to the village, huffing in soaked garments.

  Chu didn't seek help in the slums. He had no close friends, nor could he expect much help from the residents weaker than himself. Trying to convince humans to join him in the forest, would only earn him a mob beating.

  His best source of help lay in the Trading Post, and in his evaluation of Griz as a merchant.

  The Trading Post opened late into the night, to accommodate brave hunters willing to spend some time in the forest. Autumn season, also meant the departure of merchants with their caravans, heading to home or distant cities. Everyone busied themselves in trying to secure a last-minute deal.

  Winter marked the lull of the hunting season. Being caught in the forest during this time, implied certain death. Adventuring parties would return to the warmth of the towns, seeking odd jobs to survive the season. Nobody wanted to land in the belly of some wild beast.

  On hastening to the inspection area of the Trading Post, Chu paused on seeing an unfamiliar face. Thinking quickly, he reached for Lucy’s hand and led her to the well. Removing his scarf, he tidied himself up and had her do the same.

  Shocked by his actions, Lucy simply complied to the boy’s demands. Holding hands with a boy was not something a respectable girl would do, no matter her circumstances. Together they walked towards the open shed, with an appearance befitting respectable hobos.

  Chu entered the premises, after scanning to ensure the place remained devoid of customers. He had some hope for this clerk, since the man worked alongside Griz.

  "Hello, good night sir."

  Chu greeted with this sentence. He waited to gauge the man’s expression under the light from the hanging torch, as well as the accompanying reply. From there he would chose his approach.

  "Beat it brat, the
re is no free firewood here. We don't run a charity here."

  If Griz had this attitude, then Chu would have undoubtedly found it doubly hard to progress. This young man seemed to have some pride, because of his station and limited education. No rich man would work the graveyard shift in a remote village.

  Chu summed him up at the first response.

  'A conniving partially educated brat.'

  Very simple to deal with…

  "So… so, sorry young master. Pl... please take no offence."

  "Hmph!! Darn right, least you have some common sense. Begone before I lose my patience."

  Chu rolled his eyes in his head. ‘Crap’ he thought as the clerk leaked out a prideful aura. A little compliment and this guy looked primed to launch for the moon.

  Chu continued his play.

  "So... sorry for wasting your time lord, but Mr Griz… Mr Griz request I meet him at this time."

  Calling the clerk 'lord' while calling the head of the Trading Post 'Mr!'

  The clerk's head inflated until it nearly popped with pride.

  "What are you saying? Why should Griz meet with the likes of you at this time of night?"

  Of course, the clerk had to follow suit. 'Mr Griz' simply became Griz in his eyes. Any more buttering up by this kid, and he would be the owner of the Trading Post company.

  "Sir… your lordship sir... Mr Griz says that I was to meet him here with my sister sir."

  "What?!"

  Seeing the clerk nearly falling over Chu continued.

  "Your excellency, I am not fibbing. He said to bring my sister here tonight, and someone will inform him of my arrival. "

  The clerk looked at the young boy shifting between legs, while staring with some watery eyes.

  What the heck he thought, that big ass man was into young girls? Hmph! Tsk! Tsk! coasting a fair reputation, while being a demon inside. And to think he lambasted me, when I had my fun with girls!

  "Hey kid you sure?"

  "Yes, your lord. Look I even have the coppers he paid me today."

  Chu produce the pouch of remaining coppers, and handed it over with a child’s honesty.