23

Krarr were hunting in the forest since he himself left Ladriz's faction, and since there was nothing else he could do to protect his own people against the monsters that inhabited this realm. They had managed to kill a few creatures during the first week, and by now they were pretty well trained, thanks to their training with Krarr. He taught them how to hunt, how to fight, how to run like the wind, how to fight without getting hit, and other useful skills. He also taught them to shoot as well, as well as how to build traps. Although they knew he wanted to take them to Vakar in order to find out more information about what had happened to his son, they did not question his orders. They respected and admired him greatly and knew that whatever it was that he was seeking to do, that was what he had to do. After a while Krarr would allow them to go out alone, and they would roam freely through the surrounding area. Sometimes Krarr would come and accompany them, but mostly he stayed behind to catch the monsters they killed. He didn't enjoy the hunting, but he did know how to defend himself, and since his friends were always eager to teach him something new and learn new skills every single day, he gladly obliged.

After a week of hunting Krarr was ready to go on another excursion; he had become tired of eating all the food they brought back. It was getting colder now, but he still liked the forest. He could walk for miles and never run out of things to eat. The trees seemed to be thicker than ever since the last month, giving the forest a completely different appearance. At first Krarr was surprised that he hadn't seen any signs of life in the forest, but soon he found out that there were many small animals that didn't live in large places such as villages and towns where they were easier to kill.

One night, as he lay under a tree listening to his friend Krass's breathing and the rustling of leaves overhead. Krarr was thinking about Ladriz. Since he had met Ladriz he had often thought about her. He wondered if he would ever see her again, if they would meet each other in reality, or if they would only imagine it. He also missed her very much, although he didn't know what it meant to miss someone. Maybe he loved her? If he was being honest with himself, and Krarr usually was, he didn't really know how to define it. For a couple of minutes he simply stared at the stars, wondering what his life would be like now. Would his wife still be with him in his dreams, or would she be dead already? Was she alive, did she still love him? He didn't dare to think about those things. What kind of a man thinks about such things? Why bother to wonder about such things when he has so many real concerns in his mind? And then he decided to answer his own questions, for it certainly wouldn't help anyone if Krarr kept thinking of these pointless questions.

But before he could begin to ponder over this anymore, he heard voices nearby, coming from deeper into the forest. They weren't loud, just distant, and Krarr guessed that they belonged to some of Ladriz's followers, since she always spoke about them, especially the leader, who had a very high opinion of himself. Krarr wondered for a second what could be happening with them. He didn't recognize them.

He quickly got up, keeping quiet as possible, trying not to make any noise, but the movement made his companion stir. He held his breath. His instincts told him to stay put, that they were dangerous and he shouldn't be near them. However, as he slowly stood up, he couldn't help but move closer to the voice he had been hearing. Soon he recognized what it was: talking was not a surprise, since it sounded very familiar. The person he had been hearing talked in a very low tone, and Krarr figured that whoever was standing there