2. New trouble?

But Presto only pointed at a sign, where they could read 'Forest of the Damned'.

"Uh, there you are! That's what I call 'easy'!" Diana turned grinning to Eric.

"Yeah, yeah, never mind!" he returned.

"Well, then let's go into our next adventure." Hank said and walked past the sign.

The others followed him.
Eric gave a sigh and followed the others as well, again as the last one.

They walked some time until they arrived in front of a forest.

"So, that actually has to be this forest, right?" Sheila asked and glanced at first into the forest they were standing in front of and then she looked at her friends sceptically.

"Well, let's find this out." Hank meant shrugging and walked along the path, which led in the middle of the forest.
"And stay on the paths! You know, what Dungeon Master said 'bout this forest..." he warned his friends.

"I just hope our weapons work here, if we should meet here something..." Presto murmured and looked around, while they walked deeper and deeper into the forest.

"There you ain't the only one, who hopes that, Presto." Eric agreed to him.

Presto turned around to him and cast a weak smile to him.

"Aw! If here really should be something or someone, then the one's gonna get to feel my Club! However, I don't think that here's something." Bobby replied and hit his Club into the air.

"Listen everybody, our fearless Barbarian let out such pretentious words." Eric scoffed. "You often get us only into bigger trouble with your hasty actions. If you're gonna listen to us once and just don't beat everything and everybody with this stupid thing there... it really would spare us bigger trouble sometimes.
But no, Mr Barbarian simply doesn't listen and does pigheaded what he wants, as a sulky little kid he actually still is."

"Er-ic!" the voice of the young Barbarian trembled with anger.

"What, small Barbarian? Did I perhaps get there a sore point of you?" Eric asked sharply, stopped and looked at Bobby, who glared at him with narrowed eyes.

"You're gonna regret calling me a little kid." Bobby said furiously and hit his Club several times threatening into his hand.

"Uh, are you perhaps threatening me with that? I..."

"Eric, it's enough! Leave him alone!" Sheila stepped in; worried that her little brother could do something very stupid.

"Why do all of you always come to his defence?
He just can't walk around here and bash everything with his Club as he likes!
You have to admit that he simply doesn't listen to us.
How often did we warn him of it? And he ignored it and did it anyway.
And for this reason we really get always into bigger trouble than we already were anyway.
He causes us trouble with his actions.
He's a burden for us, for all of us.
Admit it!"

"Damn it, Eric. Shut your trap right now or I'll take care of it myself." Hank said mad.

That was just too much for him to ignore any longer.
Eric simply didn't have the right to attack one member of the group like that.

"A burden?" Bobby nearly squeaked and looked at his friends.
"Do you really see me as that?" he asked unbelieving and his eyes already filled with tears.

"Bobby, no, of course not..."

"And why did Eric claim it then that you all think this 'bout me?" Bobby kept on asking and the first tears ran over his cheeks.

"Oh Bobby, you know Eric." Sheila tried to calm her brother down.

"Hey, now I'm to blame as well, huh?
Don't pretend now as if you've never even just thought 'bout it!" Eric defended himself.

Bobby's eyes got wide and he asked stunned, "Hank?"

Hank closed his eyes and looked to the ground.
He couldn't admit that Eric's right on the one hand.
He really has thought that some trouble would have spared them in some situations, if Bobby hadn't acted too hasty and a bit too temperamental.
But on the other hand this quality just helped them also out of some situations...
But he couldn't tell this to the boy. This would hurt him and because he was Sheila's brother, it also would hurt Sheila and he didn't want that in any case.
That's why he was silent when Bobby looked at him begging.

Disappointed by the reaction of Hank, Bobby's always looking up at, he turned around to his sister, "Sis?"

But she just was so surprised about everything, that she also didn't say anything about it.

"Well, then it's true after all, huh? I'm a burden for you!
I never would have expected that..." With the last words he turned to Hank and Sheila.

Then Bobby turned around again and ran into the deep forest.

"Bobby, wait! You got that wrong! Stay here!" Sheila shouted after him, but Bobby didn't want to hear her any longer.

He kept on running crying. He didn't care where he ran to when his friends and his own sister regarded him as a burden.

"Damn it!" Hank swore. "Great, Eric! Are you now contented?" Hank turned angry at him.

"Bobby!!" Sheila yelled into the forest. "We have to go behind him. You know, what happens, when leaving the path..." she said full of panic.

"Don't worry, Sheila, we're gonna find him!" Diana said reassuring and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I hope so. I never ever could forgive me, if something's going to happen to him!" she sobbed.

"There you can see it again.
He knew quite exactly that he should stay on the paths and what did he do?
He runs in the middle of the pitch dark forest!" Eric nagged.

"Damn it, Eric, just keep your trap shut now. He only ran away 'cause of you. If you hadn't provoked him that way, we wouldn't have to worry 'bout him now." Hank scolded.
Then he turned to the edge of the path and shouted into the forest, "Bobby! Where are you? Come back!"

The forest seemed to swallow up his words.
Hank tried hard to listen.
But he sighed when they heard no answer and then he entered the forest.

"Um, Hank, we probably don't wanna also branch off the path now, do we?" Eric asked hesitating.

"Guess what! Do you really think, we're simply gonna leave Bobby here behind?" Diana replied and followed Hank and Sheila into the forest without getting an answer from Eric.

"Of course not, how could I ever think such a thing?" Eric grumbled sarcastically.

Presto only looked at him and followed Diana.

"What?" Eric asked.

Uni, who hardly has drawn attention to herself till then, snorted at Eric and galloped behind the others.
Eric groaned, threw his hands into the air and followed the others as well.

"Dungeon Master could have left us a map at least..." Eric complained, while he looked around uncomfortable.

The others called for Bobby, but they didn't receive any answer.

"Bobby!! Bobby, where are you? Come back again! Please..." Sheila shouted into the forest.

"Whoa, guys, have I ever told you that I hate forests?" Eric asked quite fearful.

"Uh-huh..." was Presto's short answer.

Suddenly they heard a pierced scream.

The friends looked at each other and Sheila yelled, "Bobby? Bobby, where are you?"

And without waiting for an answer she ran into the direction, where the scream came from.