10 Reaching an Agreemen

Elder Tok wasn't surprised by the Village Chief's objection. In fact, he expected it. Not only was he taking a future hunter from the small village; he was even taking the Chief Hunter. This would leave the village in a very dangerous position.

"Master Hunter, as much as I appreciate your intentions towards Mist I can't let you take his father. The Chief Hunter of the Village is the most important position in the village next to Village Chief.

Not only this, we are counting on River Snake for the upcoming hunter competition. If we win the competition we will get many benefits. The greatest benefit is the protection from the Lynwood Family. With the increase in bandit activity we mountain people aren't equiped to deal with this scourge.

The Lynwood family is already patrolling the areas around the mountains protecting villages from the bandits but this requires money and resources. Everyone must pay a lot in goods to receive this protection. If we win the competition we will get the same protection as everyone else but free for one year.

We don't have the resources right now to pay for another year of protection. Therefore, we need to win the competition otherwise our village will likely die. Without River Snake we have no hope of doing anything. Putting it bluntly, if you take River Snake you are dooming this village.

"When is this competition?" asked Elder Tok.

"Two weeks," the Village Chief responded.

"I understand the importance of this competition for your village. As a hunter I know it is the duty of every village hunter to put the needs of the village above their own needs. I will not ask you to do something harmful to the village," Elder Tok responded.

"I still cannot allow you to take River Snake," River Boat said.

"Let me make an offer before you turn me down. I will stay in the village for the next two weeks and train all of your hunters. When the competition comes I promise every single hunter will be stronger than River Snake is right now.

I will take the Kyloxe Mountain King's body and show all the villagers how to process spirit beasts. I will have some weapons and armor made from the bodyof the Kyloxe. These will for your hunters and I'll even have some special things made to barter with in the future.

This should be sufficient to take River Snake and his family away for seven years. I also promise to take River Snake as a personal disciple and teach him everything I know about hunting in these seven years. Are you satisfied?" asked Elder Tok.

"Did you really kill the Kyloxe Mountain King by yourself and then carry it all the way to the edge of the village?" asked River Boat.

"Yes," he responded.

"If you do not do as you have said it will tarnish your honor as a hunter and I will not let River Snake and his family leave with you," River Boat said decicivly.

"Deal," Elder Tok extended his right arm forward and took the right arm of the Village Chief. Finally, the tense atmosphere relaxed.

"I'll go back to my village to prepare a few things and then come back," said Elder Tok.

"Go back to your village, do you have the time?" asked River Boat.

"Don't worry, my village is close, it's just hard to get to," he said with a wink.

"That's right Village Chief, The Red-Eyed Evil Wolf has to throw you through a circle and use his glowing paw to touch a special stone while laughing at you!" Mist added.

"Haha, it's not this complicated and you people should stop calling him the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf he's actually a very nice puppy. Just call him by his real name," Elder Tok said.

"What's his real name," River Boat asked.

"Smoochie! Elder Yemay named him when he was born," Elder Tok was having too much fun with these villagers. It was a long time ago when he left his own hunting village. He missed it a lot. He even considered visiting it, but it probably wasn't around anymore. Not after all of these years at least.

River Boat nodded his head at the name not thinking it peculiar at all. Women liked giving silly names to animals. However, getting used to calling the scary wolf by such a cute name was a little weird and hard to get used to.

"Mist, stay here with your parents, I'll be back in a little while," he said.

"Elder Tok, please wait," Mist called out.

"What is it kid?" he asked.

"Would you ask Elder Koos for some Candies. To share with the other kids. They've never had candy and I can help them learn about it," Mist said with a straight face. If the boy weren't seven you might seriously believe he was asking for candy for all the kids in the village out of kindness. Elder Tok was old enough to recognize a scheming candy monster. He left the Meeting Hall with a laugh.

"I'll see what I can do, kid!"

"What's candy," Mountain Sprite asked.

"It's a kind of fruit or something," Mist responded happily.

"Let's bring that Kyloxe next to the village, I don't want any other beasts to start eating it," said River Boat.

River Snake nodded to the Village Chief and walked outside to the waiting villagers.

"All men bring ropes and carts and meet me next to the Kyloxe!" River Snake ordered.

Mist was already running towards the giant creature. To him it was a big toy. River Snake sighed helplessly. Coming to his wife, he took her by the hand and looked at her tenderly.

"Our son is alive," he said simply.

These words softened Mountain Sprite, she leaned in and hugged her husband. She cried a little.

"He survived, one of my children might live long enough to get married." She was very happy and couldn't contain herself. These last few years were hard on her. A parent should never experience the death of their child but River Snake and Mountain Sprite had lost several children.

"He has a strong teacher, many strong teachers. We will live with him and watch him grow strong. Maybe we'll find a match for him in the village or maybe a match for our daughter," Mountain Sprite said hopefully.

"A while ago you were upset because you thought our son was going to leave us, and now you're trying to marry both of our kids off. Silly woman, don't know when they get married they won't live with us anymore?" River Snake asked with a light laugh.

Mountain Sprite also laughed a little at herself.

"That's different, once they get married I should have some grand babies! Children worry their parents to death, Grandchildren fill one with joy," she said.

This was something her mother used to say when she was growing up. It's too bad she died from the sting of a wasp snake right before Mountain Sprite's wedding. She never got to see her grandchildren. Of course given how most of them died, maybe this was for the best.