A Hunter's Curse

Chapter 6: The Friendship Begins

After breakfast, everybody broke up camp and continued with their journey for they were scheduled to arrive at the Myaka tribe the next day.

Manak rode next to Mileena and during the journey they got to know each other better. Mileena discovered that Manak was like her in many ways and they both liked similar stuff but where she was the outcast of her tribe he was the hero of his.

She felt free around him and could be herself without anybody judging the way she thought or spoke and by the look on his smiling face, he felt the same way.

They travelled on some more and stopped for a rest near a small river. As everyone jumped off their horses to take a stretch, Manak and Mileena went for a drink of water, savoring the cool sweetness of it.

"So anybody caught your eye in your tribe?" Manak asked with a smirk as they sat on the grass. Mileena laughed "No, why so interested?" she asked and gave a smirk of her own. "What about you?" she asked."Ah who's the interested one now?" He laughed. Mileena liked the sound of his laughter, it felt warm and friendly.

They joked around some more until it was time to leave and they felt like they had known each other for years instead of just two days. In fact, Mileena started to like him...ALOT.

Late afternoon came and they stopped for the night to set up camp. Once everything had been done and they had all eaten, Manak called for a meeting.

"Tomorrow is the day we free my tribe from the blood sucking demons that control it," announced Manak ,"we know they can be killed by three things...the sun, wooden stakes to the heart and beheadings so i suggest we attack during the day and everyone be armed with wooden stakes and have your hunting knives at the ready for beheadings. If there are any suggestions or queries or even more knowledge of these demons then please feel free to voice them."

A hand went up and its owner began to speak," Once, long ago my father and his best friend went out hunting and came across such a demon, it attacked them and bit my father's friend while my father managed to escape. A week later, my father saw his best friend in the woods with blood smeared all over his face and as my father moved in to embrace him his friend snarled at him and his teeth started to become long and pointy and my father, panicked, reached for knife and killed him."

Mileena and Manak both shared a worried look.

"What i'm trying to tell you," the man continued, " is that if bitten you can turn into one yourself."

After the meeting ended, everyone went to bed and as Mileena prepared for sleep the thoughts of what transpired in the meeting ran through her head and she began to feel scared and nervous.Tomorrow's going to be a long, scary day. She thought and finally drifted off into a deep sleep.