Caught by a Hunter

Chapter 8

Next time he woke up it was because he heard barking coming from somewhere nearby. Frantic and loud barking.

The air felt fresh again and breathing was easier. Alderoth had to gather a lot of strength before he finally could open his eyes even just a little bit but he wasn't really sure what he was seeing. He could smell leather, some dirt, something musky, foresty...

His cheek was leaning against warm neck and there were dreadlocks all over his face. He was pretty sure he was leaning against a strong back, being carried somewhere.

Alderoth moved his head just a little bit so he could see the paved road they were following and he saw lights coming from a house up a hill. Something blue was jumping against the door and still barking loudly.

"Don't move, we're almost there."

Alderoth took a minute to let everything sink in and he nodded, closing his eyes.

When he finally did wake up properly, the first thing Alderoth noticed was that he was thirsty. Before he had time to even open his eyes he had to cough heavily and he shuddered when he tasted bad in his mouth.

He moved his head a bit and jolted when light hit his face. He raised his arm to cover his eyes and hissed in pain. His whole body felt sore. He tried to open his eyes but the light was too much so suddenly.

He could hear steps coming closer and right next to him.

"You should drink this, Alderoth", a gentle voice said and a glass of water was held against his hand.

He gladly drank down every single drop. He had no idea water could taste so good. The glass was empty way too fast and he sighed, hearing a chuckle.

"Not too much right away", that someone said and they took the glass from him, setting it on a nightstand that was next to the bed. Alderoth rubbed his eyes and again he tried to look around more, this time his eyes were slowly starting to get used to the light.

He could see Chayne smiling at him and the man pulled a chair closer to the bed, sitting down.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Still thirsty", Alderoth croaked, his throat still very dry and Chayne laughed.

"I can believe that", he said. "But drinking too much too fast will only make you feel sick. I will get you some more soon. How are you feeling otherwise?"

"Sore", Alderoth sighed and now he realized he was in a bed. Not in his own bed, though.

"I can believe that", Chayne hummed. "What I heard from Hassian what happened, you are very lucky nothing worse happened. You humans are surprisingly resilient", he smiled. "That is of course a good thing."

Alderoth's eyes widened a bit and he sat up so quickly his head hurt and Chayne had to stop him before he would try to get up more.

"What happened?" Alderoth asked quickly. "I remember... The ground crumbled. I thought I stepped on a burrow but then..."

"There must've been a whole community of chapaas living there", Chayne said and he was a bit amused. "Don't move too much. You might've not broken any bones, but you did hit your head. You have been sleeping ever since Hassian brought you here."

"Where am I now?"

"In Sifuu's house. This is Hassian's old room."

"What? But we were in Bahari Bay?"