Hellwalkers

History Lesson

After the little incident, Moxxie decided it was time to go back to town, to which Strike agreed. 

After saying goodbye to Jane and Jake—for the time being—Moxxie went on his way. Surprisingly, Striker offered to 'make sure he wasn't eaten by a carnivore plant on the way out. Moxxie had the feeling that he only offered to do so to keep his wife content. 

"You have a nice family, you know."

"Thank you, little fella. It's a pity ye didn't get to meet Brash..." Striker thought for a moment. "Then again, it might be a good thing. He doesn't like town imps." 

"But Jane is... was a town imp, wasn't she?" 

"Aye. He didn't trust her at first, it took a long time for Jane to win him over completely." 

"No offense, but he sounds like a close-minded person." 

"It's not that. It's just..." Striker sighed. "Brash has always taken the duty of protectin' our family seriously. He had to become the 'man of the den' when he was a boy to provide for me and our mother. I eventually started helpin' out, but Brash insisted on carrying the burden on his shoulder alone sometimes." the Hellwalker smiled a bit. "But underneath all of that, he's a dork." 

"Jake mentioned it a while back."

Striker came to a sudden halt. He pulled Moxxie back by the collar of his shirt. The Hellwalker picked up a branch and tapped the spot in front of them. 

Metallic jaws closed shut, snapping the twig in half. 

Moxxie swallowed hard. That could have been one of his legs. 

"H-How did you know?" 

"The smell." 

Moxxie gave Striker a disbelieving look. "Metallic substances don't smell." 

"Not the metal, little fella. The hunters' smell lingers on the things they touch for hours, especially gunpowder residues." Striker snorted. "It ain't a pleasant smell." 

"I suppose you're the one springing the traps."

"Of course. I can't have my hellbeasts steppin' on those things." 

"Well, perhaps if you kept those 'pets' of yours away from the cattle, the hunters wouldn't be so bent on killing them." 

Striker frowned, tail rattling. "Do I need to remind ya that it was ye town imps who broke the deal?" 

"Deal?"

Striker murmured under his breath. It's pointless to try and explain it to the town imp.

Perhaps it'd be best if he shows him. 

"Hey, where are you going?" 

"Follow me." Striker said simply. 

Not many people know this, but the oak tree in the clearing is the tallest in this forest. Those bold—or stupid enough—to climb to the top can see all the surrounding area for miles. 

Having been born and raised in the wilderness, Striker was very adept at climbing. He could jump and swing from branch to branch with surprising ease. 

Moxxie, on the other hand...

"Y-You know, this goes against my common sense!" Striker rolled his eyes. The town imp had barely managed to climb three meters and he was already clinging to the tree for dear life. 

"Stop bein' such a pussy, vermin. Just don't look down and ye'll be fine." 

In the end, though, Striker ended up having to carry his companion to the top. Moxxie clung to his back like a baby monkey, eyes closed shut the whole time.