Caught by a Hunter

Chapter 7

Tau was waiting for them and the plumehound let out a happy bark when he saw them, its tail wagging. He was guarding Hassian's bow and arrows the man had left behind. Alderoth smiled when he got greeted by Tau and he scratched the plumehound's neck, making its leg tamp the ground.

"Why are you in Bahari Bay?" Hassian asked and the man still looked angry.

"I was trying to learn how to place traps", Alderoth explained. "I haven't really done any, but I'm only just learning -"

"You should first learn about your surroundings before you wander around too far into the forest you don't even know."

"I can't learn anything if I never come by", Alderoth said and he got annoyed. Sure, he was glad Hassian happened to be around but acting like he was totally helpless and didn't know what he was doing was not making him feel better.

He was also a bit confused. Hassian was angry, but his anger was... It almost felt like there was something else that made him angry than just having to help him but he just couldn't figure out what it was. Or more like it wasn't all just anger... There was something else too.

"Why did you come here alone?" Hassian asked and he got his bow and quiver. "Even Auni knows these forests well enough so you could've come with him if no one else had time. He could've made sure you stay near Hideaway Bluffs and won't get lost."

"Why are you acting like that?" Alderoth asked, crossing his arms.

"Acting like what?"

"If it was that annoying to help me then why did you do it? I could've taken care of myself."

"You don't know Tamala and how persuasive she can be", Hassian grunted and he motioned Alderoth to follow. They started following the route and Alderoth noticed it was the same spot where he had seen the muujin. Had Hassian noticed him, left his things and ran after him?

"Who is she really?" he asked.

"She just lives alone in her house in the northern part of Bahari Bay. It's very rare for her to come this far, she usually doesn't cross the bridge but guess she had something she needed to gather."

"Why were you here?"

Hassian looked maybe slightly guilty which Alderoth thought was odd, but the man refused to look at him.

"I was out hunting", he just said.

"In the middle of the night?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?"

"No, but I find it slightly suspicious that you just happened to be around here."

"Tau went after something so -"

"Don't push this on Tau", Alderoth said with a frown and Tau tilted its head while looking at them. They were fighting again? "Truth, Hassian. Why were you here?" Alderoth asked and he stopped, making Hassian to stop too.

The man glared at him this time, but it wasn't really the angry kind of glare. Alderoth stared back at those green eyes and finally the hunter just looked aside, this time seemingly embarrassed.

"Were you following me this whole time?" Alderoth asked.

"No", Hassian quickly said. "Just... A little while", he said with a tiny blush and Tau looked at him, letting out a small whine. "Since it looked like you got lost..." Hassian muttered. Damn it, Tau.

"I see", Alderoth hummed. "So you actually started following me even before that or else you wouldn't know when I started to look like I got lost", he pointed out and Hassian sighed scratching his neck. "And while I was lost you thought it might be more fun to just watch me struggle instead of telling me you could help me out?"