The Lost Hero

Chapter 5

Dahvi didn't know a thing about what to do after the hunt. He was sure he had to skin it somehow before he could even consider cooking the meat. And if done properly, he knew the pelt could be used or sold. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right. But would Robbie help him with that? And that was only assuming he could get the deer back to the lab in the first place. One of those horses would be good right about now.

A stable. Dahvi remembered seeing a stable just down the hill a ways. Maybe there was someone there that could help him. But still, he couldn't leave the deer alone, certain that scavengers would not hesitate to make a feast on his hunt.

He sighed as he looked over the deer. His only choice was to drag it out of the woods and back to the lab. He took hold of its front feet, then with a grunt, he pulled, dragging it across the ground. It was even heavier than he imagined, but he was determined to get it back to show Robbie.

It was a slow process, dragging and stopping to catch his breath, but eventually, he made it back to the lab. By then, the sun had already woken, warming the air considerably and causing Dahvi to shed his cloak as he pulled the deer carcass up the hill and stopping in front of the lab. He paused a moment to catch his breath once more, then straightened and knocked on the door. After a moment more, the door opened a crack, and Robbie poked his nose out. He looked up at Dahvi, down at the deer carcass, then back up to Dahvi.

"Can I help you?"

Dahvi's gaze narrowed on Robbie. "I got breakfast."

"That's nice," Robbie said. "Enjoy."

Dahvi stared at him for a moment, his mouth open slightly. "What do I do now?" he asked desperately.

Robbie shrugged. "Well, I would advise cooking it first."

Dahvi's shoulders dropped. "How?"

Robbie scoffed. "Well, if you don't know how to cook -"

"I know how to cook," Dahvi snapped. "But you have to skin it first."

" You have to skin it first," Robbie corrected him.

"I don't know how to do that," Dahvi whined.

"If only there was someone who could teach you that," Robbie mused.

"You!" Dahvi barked. "You're supposed to teach me!"

"No, that doesn't sound right," Robbie said. "I can't be here to show you how to do everything, you know,"

"How else am I supposed to learn?" Dahvi said, growing frustrated.

"The world is full of resources for you to learn from," Robbie said. "Utilize them." With that, the door closed and locked once more.

Dahvi stared at the door, then let out an angry huff. He turned his gaze back to the deer carcass, chewing on his lip in thought. He looked around him, hoping to find something he could use to help carry the deer. The answer came to him in the form of some old wood boards, scrap pieces of rope, and four broken, discarded wheels cast carelessly aside.

Dahvi set to work putting the boards together, using some scrap pieces of rope to hold them together. He tied the ropes tightly, then carefully set the boards on the wheels, using more rope to secure them together and fix them as best as he could. When it was finished, he tested it, first by leaning some of his weight on it, then by pushing himself on top and sitting on it. When he felt confident that it would hold, he turned his attention back to the deer. It took some maneuvering, but he managed to pull the deer onto his shoulders just long enough to hoist it onto his makeshift cart. It wobbled under the weight of the deer, but otherwise, the structure held together.