Chapter 4: Years Pass, the Duo Grow Up

Warnings: See Chapter 1.

X

Ivan was unsurprised when the Tsar cornered him close to the spring thaw. Again Ivan had seen all the pleasure his hunting trip had brought everyone at court. He was the celebrity who could do no wrong. Even the travesty of losing his coat was mitigated in the wake of his prolific spoils. He was exalted for serving not once like every normal man but twice. And his reward for such action? To repeat the challenge again. It was the only natural conclusion of his victory and Ivan would have been shocked if the offer had not come.

Returning to the Safari Zone was of no consequence to Ivan. Each time he visited the Zone it stole his breath away and taught him many new and invaluable things about surviving – in both the Wild and in court. Ivan was by no means a stupid man but he truly needed all the help he could get in staying on top of things. In truth, Ivan welcomed the opportunity to return to the wild lands. Maybe even Alfred made it through another year?

It was this passing thought that drew Ivan's ire the whole journey to the Safari Zone. It shouldn't matter. Alfred shouldn't matter. But it would be nice to go back to a companion that really didn't care what his political affiliations were or what sort of information he knew. Alfred was just Alfred. That was good enough for Ivan.

X

The boat arrived at an odd time. For the past two years, two separate captains had managed to arrive at mid-day. This time the captain had gotten them lost in a storm that nearly drove them in to the rocks too far north from the port. They had to circle around several times before making a clear getaway into the harbor as the winds subsided. It was dusk by the time they made landfall.

The clamoring to get to the inn was very pronounced. For most men, already their first day was wasted – check in was mandatory the moment one arrived and that started the countdown clock on one's hunting tag. But tags didn't go by hours or anything fancy. It didn't matter what time on a day you made landfall – morning or late at night, that was your first day. If Ivan had been on his first trip he would have been furious like many of the others were. But it was his third outing here and the Safari Zone Authorities did nothing but cock an eyebrow at his somewhat familiar face.

Again Ivan made to move out immediately. By the faint lights coming from the town buildings he marched determinedly to the forest in the semi-darkness. As he approached the last building – the makeshift hospital if he recalled correctly – he could swear he smelled pie.

Sure enough as he got closer he could see a pie in the lower back window of the building. Ivan had enjoyed the English treat one or two times during his travels and this one looked mighty fine. Yes, it was a pretty good-looking pie. And then the pie was being snatched by someone? Someone was stealing the pie!

What better way to start out the trip by testing his skills against a thief?

Swiftly Ivan gave chase. He didn't bother hiding his approach and the individual caught on quickly that they were being perused. As they dodged in and out of the underbrush at the edge of the woods Ivan could occasional catch glimpses of the thief. A long trailing coat, dirty blond hair that was just the right length for Ivan to question if the thief was a boy or a girl, too many flashes of exposed skin.

With one final push Ivan managed to tackle the thief who cried out at the blow. The pie went skidding out of his hands – for Ivan could tell now that the person was male – but remained intact. With the man subdued Ivan went to question him. As he spun the other around he was shocked at what he found.

It was Alfred.

The boy went completely slack beneath him and let out a small whimper. But he made no move to explain his actions to Ivan.

Well…this was certainly a step up from last year. Even Ivan could tell that Alfred had been mostly roughing it. But what was with stealing the pie? Pie was for sissy pansies in the civilized world.

There was only one thing to do.

Ivan grabbed the pie and hauled Alfred up. Ivan then propelled him back to the small outbuilding on the edge of town. If Alfred was not going to talk to him then he would get his answers from the person fool enough to leave the pie cooling on the windowsill.

Alfred struggled a bit on the way back to town. He quieted down when he realized that they were not actually going in to the town but just to the hospital building. All of this was a good sign for Ivan.

Due to lack of free hands when he reached the entryway Ivan banged on the door with his foot.

An elderly woman answered the racket.

"Oh!" she said. "You caught him."

"I believe he stole this from you," said Ivan. He made a move to return the pie, taking careful note of how Alfred's eyes tracked the pie's movement and how Alfred began to whine when it was clear that they would not be keeping the pie.

"Release him this instant," the old woman said. "He has done you no harm and that is his pie." Gently she pushed the pie back toward Ivan.

Ivan was stunned. Alfred's pie? There was a story here and he would get to the bottom of it.

"I clearly saw him take it," Ivan said. Alfred squirmed at that but could not break Ivan's grip to get at the pie.

"Yes you did," the old woman said. "He gives me meat and I give him pie. Sometimes I even ask for certain plants and he gets them for me. In exchange I bake him sweet things."

"So you regularly talk to this man?" Ivan asked.

"Heavens no! I've never seen him until today," said the old woman. "One day I left a book of healing plants open on the windowsill and someone brought them to me. I thought it was a passing coincidence – a traveler who knew a little bit of something and was trying to help out this pathetic excuse of a hospital. Every day I would leave open a page and by the next I would have my plant. It's saved a lot of lives actually."

Ivan made to say something but the old woman was on a roll.

"So one day I left a picture of a bird," the old woman continued. "A whole day went by and nothing was there but then the day after that there was the bird – mangled and strangled on the windowsill. Tried it out with some other animals too. Heck I've even gotten parts of deer and bears out of the whole thing. Someone was obviously going to a lot of trouble and it was no one in the town that I could figure so it must have been some poor left behind on the run from the Authority. Whoever it was they were sure wasting a lot of time on little old me so I baked a pie in exchange."

"It didn't take at first. I literally had to place the image of the thing that I wanted under the pie to ensure that the pie would be gone but eventually we worked out a system. Never saw my little helper though until tonight. So let him go and give the young man his pie!"

That story was a lot for Ivan to take in.

It appeared that Alfred had stuck to Ivan's word and lived in the wilds. But he had taken up company with this woman – even if inadvertently out of boredom.

Pushing his inner turmoil aside Ivan slapped on a smile and thanked the woman for her enlightening conversation. He then hastily made excuses and removed himself, Alfred, and the pie from her presence.

When they were safely back in the woods Ivan released Alfred. The other stumbled back a bit but didn't go far. He just kept eyeing the pie. It gave Ivan ample time to study his companion up close. The other had not seemed to have grown much - although to be fair Ivan had grown a little bit and therefore Alfred must have kept pace. He was wearing Ivan's old hunter coat. Ivan barely recognized the garment – tied about Alfred's shoulders like a cape and now a dingy dirt color with the barest hint of the vibrant red it once was. A lone button left on what should have been the lapel gave it all away – it was his family's crest. His hair was wild, matted and full of twigs. But his body was still lean and well defined like how Ivan had left him. It seemed that even living the high life with all of the old lady's sweets had not diminished him – although that remained to be tested.

Ivan debated about what to do with the pie. He didn't want to break tradition and eat a cushy meal for his first night out in the wilds. He didn't want Alfred to eat it either because it was just another unhealthy connection that Ivan needed to break.

In the end they split the pie. Waste not after all.

Alfred all but cried when he was handed his half and dug in with gusto. Ivan ate at a much more sedated pace. It was a darn good pie but there must have been something in it for almost instantly Ivan began to grow tired after only a few bites. Court had taught him much about the fine qualities of drugs and Ivan could tell that this one was harmless for the ingested. Not one to play with fate he gave the rest to Alfred who was already halfway blissed out and ready to sleep. With the final morsel of pie disappearing down his gullet Alfred passed out against Ivan in a deep slumber.

Even with Ivan's few bites it took a few hours for the forced grogginess he was fighting to wear off. Quietly Ivan ensured that Alfred was fully asleep before getting up and making his way back to the outskirts of town. He looked long and hard at the little hospital on the edge of the pseudo-civilization in the Safari Zone. Sure the old woman had thought she had done no harm but the drugged pies were enough to makes Ivan weary of what was really going on.

With the utmost stealth Ivan crept toward the base of the dwelling. Just under the fated windowsill were some dried up plant bits – probably unusable castoffs from the old woman's cures. Carefully Ivan brushed these into a small pile up against the house, took out his flint and retreated as the flames began to lick at the building's wood foundation. The old woman may live if she was lucky, if not then Alfred would have no means of temptation when Ivan left him again.

Being sure to leave no trace Ivan returned to where he and Alfred were camped. He carefully gathered Alfred into his arms and set off into the darkness. By the time Alfred awoke they were nearly to the foothills of the mountains and well on their way to the Pacific Ocean.

X

Ivan could tell the minute Alfred woke up. He had been carrying the other all night so it wasn't hard to notice when the ragdoll in his arms suddenly went ridged. Then Alfred nuzzled into Ivan's chest and continued to doze. Ivan thought about dropping him into the nearest stream but decided against it. He wasn't quite sure why either. That day Alfred slept until the sun had fully risen in the sky before Ivan decided that enough was enough.

By dinnertime it was clear that even eating that old woman's sweets had not done Alfred much harm. He had retained the grace and agility to hunt and track like when Ivan was last in the Safari Zone. As an added bonus Alfred seemed much more knowledgeable of what plants to eat. It pleased Ivan greatly that the duo no longer had to subsist on meat and the few identifiable plants Ivan knew were not poisonous.

The trip truly flew by in a blur. The hardships the pair faced were not so bad. The triumphs they made overshadowed any ill they encountered. Instead Ivan remembered long nights lounging under the stars simply content in each other's company.

But it all had to end sooner or later.

Again Alfred did not get fidgety until they had crossed over the eastern mountains and could begin to faintly smell the salty sea air. It made each moment trying and frustrating for Ivan. He knew that Alfred knew that the end of their time together was coming. It was spoiling what little time they had left. Ivan did his best to sooth the other but even he knew a lost cause when he saw one. It was only a matter of time until Alfred was left behind and Ivan would be back on a boat to the continent.

As they approached the town at midday Ivan knew he had to act now or risk Alfred tailing him all the way into town and potentially being taken in by someone. At the artificial tree line just outside of town Ivan turned and confronted Alfred.

In a flash of movement Ivan had dropped his pack to gain speed, tackled Alfred and carved a very deep "x" into Alfred's calf. The other shrieked in pain and did his best to buck Ivan off of him.

When the deed was done to Ivan's liking he carefully got off of Alfred and towered over his fallen companion. The other just lay there clawing at the soft dirt, hissing and crying and groaning in agony.

Their eyes locked for one brief moment and Ivan spoke.

"Let this be a reminder to you," said Ivan. "Do not become soft. Do not live with the company of others. Remember your training and you will not hurt."

With that Ivan walked away. Alfred tried to crawl after him but the violent tremors running from the gash in his leg made it all impossible. It took a long while before Ivan could no longer hear the other crying out for him to come back.

X

Ivan's father died that winter. In the height of revelry over Ivan's spoils the old man had passed quickly and unexpectedly. Ivan's family was flung into full mourning.

Ivan didn't care all that much. The old man had certainly helped him in a number of ways but any paternal feelings Ivan may have had for the man had long since been buried under the intensity and betrayal of the courtly system.

Aside from the initial advice the man had given him about the Safari Zone, his father had left him one last parting gift. Ivan could tell that the Tsar was on the fence about sending Ivan back to the Safari Zone again this year. Ivan wasn't too sure why the change had taken place – the man but two years ago would have thrown him to the wolves one hundred times over for the chance to gain more wealth and rare material goods – the man a year ago would have praised him and sent him on his way. But his father's dying wish was for his ashes to be sprinkled at the Pacific Coast of the Safari Zone. It was blasphemous to ignore such a request in the Russian Empire. No one but the son could fulfill this task. Ivan was more then happy to again escape the confines of the Russian Empire and its class system.

Before he left Ivan asked the Tsar if there was anything special that he wanted after Ivan had completed the sacred journey for his father. Surely there was no harm in bringing things back from the Pacific after the remains had been scattered. There was no sense in wasting a return trip like that. Eagerly the Tsar agreed. As usual the Tsar's list of wants was long but Ivan knew that he would gather everything required – on the return trip of course.

X

At his stop over in England Ivan acquired a very unique gift for Alfred. He knew that the other should still be alive if not thriving. He couldn't wait to see if his prediction was true.

X

Ivan arrived at midday. The first thing he noticed upon entering the small port town is that a few more buildings had popped up and managed to remain up during the winter since last year. It was only natural really. The popularity of hunting was on the rise (no doubt buoyed by his and other's increasingly good fortunes in the wild lands). It made sense that this boost was somehow reflected in the crude settlements. These improvements did nothing for the fresh-off-the-boat hunters who paraded about in their final hours before facing the wilds or in the world-weary looks of the regular inhabitants.

Ivan felt no pity for them as he made his way out of town. He didn't even spare the brand new hospital any mind either.

Ivan did not trek far that day. He tried to look for signs of Alfred but his winter mourning period had left his skills rusty – not fatally so but certainly not nearly as sharp as they had been on these past few trips.

Even as he traipsed around in circles for miles could Ivan find no hint of Alfred's whereabouts.

Maybe the boy truly had died.

That would be a shame.

Then he felt it.

It was a subtle feeling but a feeling that one does not easily forget when one is in the target zone for a kill. The hair on the back of Ivan's neck stood on end. Carefully Ivan tried to remain cool and address the situation so that he would be at the advantage – and maybe even be able to turn the tables on his attacker.

Ivan wandered along a little farther before he came to a very small stream. It was perfect for the plan he had in mind. With the utmost care he positioned himself at the water's edge so that in the reflection of the water he had a clear view of what was stalking him from behind. As he reached over to cup the water in his hands he stealthily maneuvered both his sword and, failing the option of getting at something that big out quickly, a small hand dagger hidden up his sleeve. Ivan was deadly and prepared – but from the back he looked like a vulnerable target. It was the perfect way to flush out his pursuer.

After a few mock sips at the water his assailant attacked.

Before Ivan could even think to draw his weapons the attacker had tackled Ivan across the small stream. Not one to be on the wrong foot for a long time Ivan managed to pivot and ensure that the full weight of his body would land on the assailant when they hit the ground.

The next thing Ivan knew he had a squirming Alfred underneath him at sword point. Upon recognition Ivan let up his grip a bit. Alfred used the opportunity to lurch forward and give Ivan a large bone-crushing hug. He made happy noises in the back of his throat and would not let Ivan move an inch or use his arms despite the precarious grip on the sword in Ivan's hand.

"I see you made it through another winter," Ivan said. Alfred just shuffled their positions around and snuggled further into Ivan and let out a contented sigh. Together they relaxed there in the semi-darkness of the soon-to-be night. It was not long before Ivan realized that Alfred had fallen asleep on top of him. Unable to truly move, Ivan joined him for the night.

X

The duo was up well before the sunrise. Ivan was please to see that Alfred's internal clock was keeping good time for his survival habits. It truly appeared that Alfred had made no contact with anyone since Ivan left him. It was a wonderful turn of events and made Ivan desire to test out his surprise all the more intense.

On the second day of traveling he could wait no longer. It was lunch and they were eating some squirrels that Alfred had somehow managed to catch. Truly, Ivan would never tire of seeing Alfred scamper up and down trees trying to catch the little buggers. It was almost as novel seeing Alfred attempt to catch prairie dogs using their sophisticated network of tunnels. It also didn't help that Alfred was gradually turning into a man. Sure he still had a long way to go but his augmented size and weight made it increasingly difficult to dance along the small treetop branches without taking a tumble.

Still, the boy was doing a miraculous job at hunting. But Ivan knew he could do better.

"Alfred," said Ivan. The other looked at him sharply. Ivan had always made sure never to use Alfred's name as just a passing fancy. It was reserved only for when Ivan wanted Alfred's attention immediately. The other had been conditioned very well to respond as such. "I have something for you."

Ivan smiled to himself when Alfred couldn't help but creep toward Ivan when he was digging through his satchel. Carefully Ivan pulled out a small wrapped box and handed it to Alfred. With nothing but curiosity in his eyes Alfred opened the box.

Inside the box was simple yet elegant leather strip. Alfred tilted his head in confusion and made to take it out of the box but Ivan beat him to it. He reached around Alfred, grabbed the strip and set about fastening it around Alfred's neck.

Alfred remained calm until Ivan began to do up the buckle on the back. He tried to pull away but it was already too late. The collar was secure and locked tight. No matter how hard Alfred tugged and scratched it would not be moved.

The final nail in the coffin came when Ivan fastened a leash onto the metal loop at the front.

"There," said Ivan. "Don't you look wonderful?"

Alfred made a sound of protest and tugged at the arrangement again.

"I know that you have been eating when you go off by yourself," Ivan said. "This way we can both be together instead of having you run off all the time."

Ivan's day vastly improved after that. Sure it was difficult having to drag Alfred around as he tugged and tugged on the leash and collar but Ivan knew that in the long run it would be for the best. It seemed that for every mile that they went Alfred would catch sight of something that he would try and get to. Sometimes it was clear what the other was trying to pursue – a stream for a cool drink, a berry bush full of juicy treats – yet there were an number of instances where Ivan barely managed to catch out of the corner of his eye what Alfred was attempting to track. It was after every one of these instances that Ivan could sense Alfred's desperation grow. It was nearing nightfall when Ivan finally spotted a worthy test target. The Tsar was very keen on getting some interesting feathers on Ivan's trip this go around. The bird not 200 yards away from them would do nicely.

Without alerting the wildlife Ivan drew in Alfred's leash. When the other was right next to him Ivan whispered, "See the bird in the tree. Get it."

Ivan released the leash from the collar and Alfred was off like a shot. In truth Ivan had never seen such a mad scramble up a tree.

Alfred didn't manage to catch the bird. Instead he sulked at the base of the tree until Ivan marched over, re-attached the leash, and continued to drag Alfred along.

Not 20 minutes later they found another one. Again Ivan carefully unhooked Alfred. Again the bird was not captured but Alfred managed to get a good handful of feathers this time around.

They repeated the patter all throughout the day. Each time Alfred failed he became more and more determined to make the next attempt successful.

Convinced that Alfred had had enough frustration for the day Ivan's next target was a buck sporting an ample amount of velvet on his antlers. At Ivan's call, Alfred strangled the beast before it even had time to retaliate or warn others around it. It was a perfect situation really. Ivan got just what he wanted out of the process.

At the end of the evening Ivan removed the leash and collar. He didn't bring them back out again until Alfred had fully relaxed and returned to his happy-go-lucky self. He repeated the pattern on and off again the whole trip. Each time Alfred became a little more crazed with the collar on trying to catch impossible things for Ivan.

X

By the time Ivan and Alfred were nearing the end of their journey together the pair had become quite the formidable fighting team. Ivan knew that this might be one of his last times coming to the Safari Zone so he worked doubly hard to ensure that Alfred was as rugged as he could possibly get in order to survive without him. It had been a long and arduous process but with the progress made in this year Ivan was confident that the outside world could be consumed in fire and plague but Alfred, in these wild lands he had forced the other to call home, would be just fine.

All that was left was the problem of departure. As they neared town in the early morning Ivan made his move.

"Alfred," said Ivan. "I must leave now."

Alfred turned sharply to regard his companion. Quietly Ivan drew his small dagger and approached Alfred. The other eyed him wearily but did not move. Quick as lightening Ivan slashed Alfred an "x" on his torso. The other flinched but still did not move. The last thing Ivan heard from Alfred was a small whine as Ivan departed, leaving Alfred alone in the underbrush. The other did not follow him.

X

And so another winter passed.

For some reason the Tsar was much more interested in getting Ivan to go back to the Safari Zone. In fact, he even set up a new royal academy to analyze what Ivan was bringing back. From that winter onward Ivan was the Official Royal Hunter for The Academy of Zone Sciences. It was truly the greatest honor to be offered such a post – nay to have such a post created for him as a viable excuse to get him to spend his summers in the Safari Zone. To say Ivan was over the moon was an understatement. It was just so nice to know that he always had some place to go to escape the chaos of this civilization.

X

Author's Note: The pieces are in place. Let the games begin. The interlude/prequel chapters are over and now the fun can truly start. At this point the one question you are probably asking yourselves is 'what's up with the pie mini-arc'…or maybe not…either way that's a darn good question because it came out of nowhere for me too. More likely than not the pie was drugged by the old woman because if word got out that she was aiding and abetting a criminal on the run she would be punished. Why not milk the situation for all it was worth – get things out of the system in return for drugged food to try and help the Safari Zone Authority catch the person. And Ivan caring in that weird way of his would see the situation as a threat to eliminate. To protect Alfred of course. (This relationship is just getting more and more into that territory you don't want to ever find yourself in.) Lots of big things coming up! Stay tuned.