Old Village

4

Once they were outside Bloodhound became a lot quieter and seemed to be deep inside their head once more. At first, Fuse tried to make some jokes, to lighten the mood and maybe distract them a little but it was like they didn't even hear him. Just Artur chirped every once in a while as a response and then decided to land on his shoulder and let Fuse carry him instead of his parent. Fuse didn't complain and used it as bonding time with the bird.
It was nice for him to walk with them, with Bloodhound. The games have been rather tough and often lately and he barely got any time to spend with them. If Fuse was honest he would have rather taken them on a date, held their hand, or kissed them in the rain, but this, for him, felt a lot more intimate than any date they could've been on. Walter was sure no one besides him even knew that Hound's village still existed.
He told Artur all kinds of stories of when he used to roam the streets of his home planet with Maggie and their friends back then. Fuse did notice Hound's smile every once in a while though. At the beginning of their travel, it seemed like they didn't even hear him but now they were listening to his every word and seemed to walk a little less stiff. So Fuse kept talking as much as he could. Once in a while, he got a little lost in admiring how Bloodhound looked in their outfit and how they looked from behind in those jeans.
The dropship they came from had been parked on the empty fields next to the city, between the building site and some mountains. Bloodhound lead the way into Sky Hook and seemed to head for the hills behind. It was weird to cross the city without having to listen for gunfire or other contender's footsteps. The building seemed a lot higher as they walked past through them and Fuse was painfully aware of his footsteps echoing between the cement walls.
It would make sense if their people went into hiding behind the mountains, Fuse thought to himself. And he appeared to be right, as Bloodhound lead them through a few canyons, passing bushes and trees that grew thicker and thicker the more they came forward.
Now the hunter seemed more stressed again.
"We must be getting close to them, eh?", Fuse asked a little out of breath. Hound just nodded. They now flinched at every unknown noise, as if they expected someone to jump out of the bushes and attack them.
"Hound... What was the real reason you haven't seen your village in so long?", Fuse asked carefully and reached over to them. He laid his hand on their shoulder, turned them around, and shook them a little. It pulled them out of their head and they let out a long sigh. Hound sat down on a tree log close to them and patted on the wood next to them for Fuse to sit down, too. They sighed once more before they started explaining.
"It is not that complicated if I might be honest. Hammond came to this planet with their big death machines and did not negotiate with them at all. Hammond had already started their work before even consulting my village. Them, the natives of this planet. The obtained resources were more important to them than their lives, children's and women's lives. They slaughtered a few of them, the few that tried to fight the machines, not knowing their danger."
Hound sounded bitter now, pain in their voice. And he couldn't blame them, not one bit. He started hating Hammond and the Syndicate himself, trying to control his rage to be comfort for Hound.
"So my folk had no choice but to leave, to be safe. They didn't have a choice. I...", they sighed again, rubbing their eyes before continuing. "I had a bad fight with one of Hammond's high-ranking officers. I almost broke his skull."
That made Fuse laugh a little and he bumped his shoulder into theirs. He could very well imagine Hound fighting one of this bureaucrat's and was a little proud of them for it.
"I am not proud of it. Unnecessary violence displeases the gods. But he deserved it. Since then", they continued, pulling their shoulders up and shrinking in size, "I have not dared to visit them. I was too scared of being followed. Or putting them in danger."
"I think you are very honorable, Hound. Probably the most honorable person I'll ever meet", Fuse softly said, hoping to cheer them up a little.
"What's different this time? Ain't scared today?"
"Oh, no. I am scared today, too. But I miss them. A lot", they answered and Fuse was surprised but touched by their honesty. With the last sentence it sounded like they were holding back a sob, so Fuse took their hand.
"I bet they missed ya too. So, let's get ya back to them, eh?", he proclaimed and got up again. He pulled the hunter up with him but didn't let go of their hand. He smiled when Bloodhound didn't pull their hand away either and just carried on their walk. Fuse felt dizzy of luck when Hound started gently rubbing their thumb over the back of his hand.