"Hey Tamma," Alson called out. He maintained a far distance from the other two women, keeping his arms crossed as he rested his back against a thick tree. Tamma remained focused further into the foliage. One hand held onto an arrow, ready to pull the bow back at any moment. Despite the sudden distraction of Alson's voice, her focus remained on the surrounding forest, looking for any kind of movement.
"Yeah?' she said in return.
"How big was that little bug thing you caught again?"
Miwah, who was standing next to Tamma's side, quickly turned around. With the hilt of her sword wedged between her arm and side, she spread her empty hands nearly a foot apart.
"That's pretty big for a bug. So I guess that means we won't be able to get a sample from something like a squirrel or rabbit,” Alson said quietly.
"Nope," Tamma replied, her eyes still centered on the leaves and branches that swayed in the distance.
"Are there any animals in this forest that you could kill that wouldn't be able to fight back and kill us all if it got too angry?"
"Some deer. Maybe a fox."
"What about a brillick?" Alson asked. “I know they’re abundant in Abbus Forest.
"No," Tamma said bluntly. She turned towards the guard and looked at him with a scowl. "Don't know why you even mentioned that. Especially with how much Lug likes you."
"Just a suggestion. It's not like I said suggested taking out Lug. Brillicks are easy targets. If we're so desperate for a sample, we'll have to be willing to take whatever we can get."
"You know how I feel about brillicks." Tamma slackened her bow as she angled her head back towards the guard. He remained resting against the trunk of the tree and scratching the back of his ear.
"Perhaps Alson has a point," Miwah said gently. "It is not like we have the privilege of being picky. As much as I like Lug, eliminating a brillick might be a necessity."
Tamma kept her eyes low. "Well, that doesn't mean I have to like it. Besides, we just started hunting. We haven’t even come across a single animal yet. Let’s just see how our luck plays out before resorting to more desperate measures."
"We all have to make sacrifices, Tamma," Miwah replied. She took hold of her sword again, holding it low enough so that the bush she hid behind obscured it.
"Surprised to see you agreeing with Alson after how you two have been treating each other up to this point."
"I will agree with him when he is correct. Just because I might be frustrated with someone, it does not mean that they cannot speak the truth."
"Sounds like I'm making progress," Alson scoffed from behind while forcing a smile. As he spoke, there was a rustling among the leaves of the branches in front of Miwah and Tamma. Both women turned their attention to the sudden sound. With the other two looking past him, Alson swiveled his entire body to look behind him towards some movement in the trees.
"That might be something!" Tamma said with an excited whisper. She put the notch in the back of her arrow against the string and kept a pulled it a short bit. "Alson, you stay behind. Your footsteps are too heavy to keep up with us. We'll call you if we need your help."
The guard kept his back propped up against his tree. He gave a single thumbs up. Tamma stepped out of her hiding spot, slowly pulling the arrow further back. Miwah stayed right next to her, lifting her sword with both hands and keeping it in front of her body. Yalch flew down, facing Tamma with droopy arms. "Can I help?" he asked politely. "Should I go scouting and let you know what I find?"
Tamma responded with a quick nod.
"On it!" Yalch turned around and soared through the bushes. Miwah and Tamma looked at each other in silence and then back at the foliage, waiting for the ghost to return. It wasn't long before he hovered through the leaves carrying a look of confusion.
"That was quick," Tamma whispered.
"What did you find?" Miwah said almost silently.
"A cat-looking creature. Too big to be your typical pet."
"Gray fur?" Tamma asked.
The ghost bobbed his entire body up and down. "Yep. Big yellow eyes. I saw it laying down right behind that tree." Yalch pointed a hand to a willow tree a short walk away.
"Is it hurt?" the hunter inquired.
"Probably dead. It was laying on its side, not even moving."
"Any number of things could have caused that," Tamma said. She slackened the string on her bow and stood up straight. "Lead us to it, Yalch."
"Right this way," the ghost replied, hovering at a leisurely pace towards the area containing the downed animal. Miwah and Tamma eased up from their stealthy advancements and continued forward at a more comfortable pace. Alson continued to rest against the tree, watching the other two vanish behind the abundance of branches.
"Poor thing's a goner," Tamma said with a sigh. Before them lay a large cat whose length was about half the height of a person standing up. It's gray fur was ruffled with patches of hair pointing out in all manner of directions. The animal's large yellow eyes almost lit up as they remained wide open much like its agape jaw with rows of sharp teeth. The cat remained motionless on its side, with its four legs spread apart and its tail coiled against the forest floor.
"It looks like it was in great pain," Miwah said softly. She stood a good distance away from it, only leaning forward a small amount to get a better look at the crazed look frozen on its face. "Have you ever seen something like this before?"
The hunter moved in closer, kneeling down on the belly side. "No, I haven't. Looks like it was driven mad. Willow lions tend to be very clean animals. You'd never see them let their fur get this way."
"Then that probably means..." Miwah took one more step forward, still staring at the deceased animal.
"Not even an hour and we've already come across a possible victim of an Insectus," Tamma said with dismay. She took one hand and ran it across the length of the corpse's stomach. "Still warm, too. That means it only recently died."
"Are you saying there is a chance that a Insectus could be in the body?"
"Yes." Tamma took a large pouch that she had fastened to her hip off and held it with one hand while in her other she held onto her hunting knife. Miwah inched forward at the same time, keeping the sword steady with two hands as she pointed the tip at the body. "If that thing comes crawling out..." Tamma said with a hush. "Just stab it."
"It would not be my first time killing one of those bugs."
"And I've got a looming feeling that it won't be your last time either, lass." Tamma hunched forward, hovering over the dead animal while her eyes scoured for any irregularities in the corpse. A small pulsating bump came from the upper portion of the stomach, making Tamma shudder upon seeing it.
"Is that where it is?" Miwah's eyes looked at the same bulge on the willow cat's underside.
"Must be."
"How are we going to get it out?" Yalch asked.
Tamma reversed the grip of her knife so that the blade stuck out from the bottom of her fist. With a swift stab, the steel blade punctured the afflicted area of the animal. As it cut through flesh and bone, it made a sickening crunch. Both Miwah and Yalch's faces curled from the noise. The ghost put both hands over his face and turned away from the scene.
"Let me know when you're done," Yalch said.
"Did you kill it?" Miwah asked. Tamma left her hand holding onto the knife, keeping the blade stuck inside the animal's body. They both stared at the wound, watching as the animal remained completely motionless.
"I... must have." Slowly, Tamma lifted her knife. Blood trickled out of the wound and onto the grass of the forest. "I'll just cut it out and then we should be good to go."
Tamma took her blade and made an incision in the side of the wound. Yalch remained looking away while Miwah eyed with discomfort as the hunter slowly moved her knife slowly along the point of puncture. As she continued her cutting, the flesh on the other side of the animal began to move up and down like it had a heartbeat.
"Tamma!" Miwah cried, pointing to the far end of the body. Tamma turned her head, taking a step back as she watched the lower portion of the corpse start to move on its own. She got up and stood back and brandished her knife with an offensive pose.
"What's going on?" Yalch asked with his eyes still covered.
"It's moving!" Tamma called out. "Looks like there's more than one in there!"
Miwah raised her sword above her head. She let it fall in a straight and vertical line onto the infected area. The blade pierced the flesh, exposing the meat of the animal. Instead of a deep read, underneath the fur was a sickly brown and black that smelled as putrid as it looked. From the rotting mess emerged a maggot, crawling out of the cut Miwah had made.
"Don't let it get away!" Tamma cried out. Miwah swung her sword downwards, barely missing the fleeing creature. The bug scurried underneath a pile of fallen leaves. The hunter dropped her knife and switched to her bow. Her eyes followed the small bit of movement among the leaves, her arrow jumping between each small movement.
"Tamma! Everything fine?" Alson shouted out from the other side of the bushes. Despite the sudden plea for attention, the hunter remained focused on the pile of leaves. The maggot darted up the nearest trunk. As soon as the bug appeared, Tamma let go of the arrow. It soared through the air before piercing the maggot with a splat and pinning it to the willow tree.
Alson made it to the others and brushed off the dirt from his top before facing the hunter. "Did you find the thing?" he asked in a huff. He looked in the same direction as Miwah and Tamma before squinching his eyes. “Oh. I think I got my answer.”
