Mannat felt heavy in the pit of his stomach as the cart traveled down the road, spreading a cloud of dirt in the air behind them. A relatively cold current was blowing through the woods, cutting through his skin and entering into his heart.
It distracted him; reminding him of the night Pandit and he drove the cart out into the night with his mother in the back. The memory was sad and nostalgic and fresh as a sore wound. His life had completely changed in the few days since then. Mannat wasn’t angry but disappointed.

The village was only a short distance apart from the clearing, and traveling by the cart only made it shorter. Since the road cut directly through the woods there was always a possibility of being attacked by wild animals. Mannat wasn’t afraid of this detail; He was expectant instead. It wasn’t long before his father’s voice pulled him out into the reality of a world slowly getting swallowed by darkness.

“There, do you see it?” Raesh pointed slightly ahead on the road where the dirt was ruffled and covered in a dark shiny patch.
“The boar jumped at us from the right.” Raesh pointed with his chin. “It announced its arrival and rushed out of the woods, shrieking and spearing through the bushes. I heard it and pulled the reins, just in time as it charged toward us, missed narrowly, and disappeared in the bushes on the other side of the road. It was aiming for Bhadur’s legs as I told you before.”

Mannat stared at the patch of dark blood on the road, imagining the scenes as his father retold the story, and found his heartbeat rising.

“I stopped and got off—“
Mannat interrupted. “Why didn’t you kept going?”
“…Because it would have followed us, and try to harm Bhadur. It was clearly out for blood. Perhaps, the hunters took her kids. I can only imagine. They tend to go crazy to protect their kids, and are known to keep grudges.”Raesh turned silent after saying his piece.
Mannat moved about on the seat to get comfortable. His father seemed to have lost interest in the story, but he wanted to know the rest of it. “Then what happened?” He asked. He had put some power behind his voice and Raesh almost pull the reins.
“What?” He asked with muddled eyes.
Mannat reminded him about the story and Raesh started talking again. “It came back. I was thinking of scaring her away, but she had her eyes set on us and I had to kill it.”

Raesh wrapped up the story and moved his eyes back to the road.

Do all the stories end abruptly? Mannat thought for a moment before shaking his head. I guess no one likes to talk about death.

He looked back at the rapidly retreating sight and the dark patch on the road. A proud mother had fallen there, but no one other than them would remember her. It was impossible to know about the fate of her kids. They could still be out there in the wild, waiting for her return. The thought made Mannat solemn.

He exhaled his feelings out into the wind to let them roam the world. Perhaps, they could find the pups and apologize to them.

It was a cruel world.

Soon, the village buildings started budding on the other side of the road. Only a few lanterns glowed in the wooden homes. Oil was not cheap, but animal fat was readily available because of the uncontrollable number of wild animals in the woods. The other regions had their rocks, minerals, and metal, and they had their timber.

Mannat grew nervous the closer they approached the village. There weren’t any large arches or gates welcoming their return. In the name of the entryway was a dirt road that skirted mud houses and small naked children. Mannat was also a kid, but he didn’t feel like one. This was a difference brought by his job. Not everyone could be a blacksmith, or a tailor, a hunter, or a cobbler. There were as many laborers in the village as there were farmers.
Soon, the sound of instruments and drums entered his ears. People and shadows mingled together further down the road. He was back in the village, and nothing had changed in the past week. Only Mannat felt the world was no longer the same.

“Where are you taking us?” Mannat asked when Raesh took the central road, instead of going around to the residential area.
“We are going to the butchers first. I will get the boar handled, and you can meet your friend.” Mannat drew silent and it wasn’t hidden from his father.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes,” Mannat answered, but the quiet behind his words told a different story. His heart was empty and his mind was full. Raesh could see at a glance what perturbed the boy.
Raesh smiled and ruffled the boy’s hair. Mannat didn’t stop him and his eyes shook when his father said, “You are a good friend.”

People congested the road leading to the butchery. Raesh’s workshop was also on the same road. Mannat did notice some people staring at them, kids pointing fingers and whispering to each other.
Mothers pulled their young kids away from their cart when they passed them. They weren’t afraid of the cart, but them.
“Stay away from the freak.” He heard one mother teach her kid daughter who vigorously nodded in return. However, she still secretly stole glances of him passing by. It would be wrong to say their behavior didn’t affect Mannat. He was thoughtful, not cold-hearted; his great intelligence and wisdom made him so. He had an inkling this might happen, and the result didn’t disappoint him. It did, actually; it definitely did.

Mannat stared at the closed doors of the smithy. He had worked there for a year and knew everything about it. Usually, the chimney above would be smoking at the time, but that day it was silent and lonely. The building almost looked abandoned, but the clean porch told him his father had kept his promise. He was not going to ask the man, he would know the same anyway in the morning. Why would he make things awkward between them for no reason?

Pandit’s butchery was just up ahead. It only took them a moment to reach it. Raesh pulled the reins before the shop, and Bhadur slowly came to halt in front of the open door. The building wasn’t any different from the smithy. Mannat had been inside countless times in the past. They both jumped off the cart. Mannat offered help to carry the boar inside the shop. Raesh heard him and gave him a sly smirk. He went to the back and easily picked the boar over his shoulder and went inside the shop. Mannat was left dumbfounded. Then what was that at the clearing? Raesh didn’t actually need his help. Mannat couldn’t help smiling though. His father had fooled him.

Inside the butchery, there was a counter at the front and Raesh laid the boar to rest upon it. The counter didn’t even creak from the weight. Made from sturdy wood, it could take the weight of three cows, what was a small boar in comparison? Mannat pressed the bell, which called out a sharp hammering sound. The bell was nothing special but a cup, a hammer, and a spring. He knew because he was the one who created it after their last one broke. It took him half an hour to make one. He liked it enough to make a couple more for himself.

Pandit came striding to the front upon hearing the bell. He wore a black apron that had barely visible dark patches coloring it in places. “Yes. How can I help--” He started in a practiced manner then saw Mannat and became speechless. He stood stunned behind the counter.

He glanced at Raesh, the boar on the counter before his eyes came back to stare at Mannat. They slowly turned red and when he spoke, a hoarse sound came from his throat. “You escaped the Witch?” He said and sniffed. His nose was starting to leak as did his emotions.

“How are you?” Mannat asked back, clenching his fist. Pandit rubbed his face on the folded arms of his shirt to clear the wetness from his eyes and smiled the largest grin possible. His lips curled up from ear to ear and teeth became visible. Pandit raised his arms to the side and gave his friend a twirl, earning a snort from Mannat. Raesh shook his head at the boy's antics, but he was also grinning. Pandit was fine, that was the most important thing.

“Did you get my message?” Pandit suddenly faced him and said.
Mannat’s forehead creased and the smile froze on his face.
“I wasn’t joking.” The boy said holding the grin; his ears followed his eyes and turned red.

He was alive and safe. Mannat was finally relieved. He didn’t know since when but he had been holding his breath. Seeing the same old grin on that familiarly old face… he could finally have peace. He was afraid to show up at the butchery, wondering if his friend would also call him a freak like the villagers. He was emotionally very stable, but the pain of breaking up with his only friend wouldn’t have been any lower than seeing his mother unconscious on the bed.

However, everything was all right. They were still friends. The accident and his actions hadn’t torn them apart. Mannat smiled and reached out to shake Pandit’s hand. “Thanks for everything.” He said. Pandit shook his hand, felt something wrong, then jumped over the counter and hugged him tightly.

Suddenly, a heavy, angry voice came from the back of the shop. “Are you cooking the meat for the customer? Why is it taking so long? You better return now or I’ll see how you go hunting tomorrow with your father.” It was Gande voice, and she was angry. Pandit shook and jumped back. The two separated.

Pandit’s face had lost all color. He hurriedly waved them goodbye and ran to the back room. A few seconds later, the father-son pair heard a loud ‘what’ and then rumbling footsteps approached them from the dark corridor. Gande appeared out of the darkness, saw Raesh, noticed the boar, and then her eyes stopped at Mannat and opened wide in shock.

“You are back!”