Before you start reading from where you last left off, I have to tell you that the wrong grammar the boys have in their dialogues are purely intentional. After all, they're savages and language/ proper grammar is part of civilsation (which they are not much intact with anymore.) I hope you'd still understand it though. ^^

Oh, and there's this word: *forested- "They went/ are in the forest." (It has its own original meaning but I changed it to that meaning to make it more... savage-y.)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The beast turned around and bore his dark eyes on the boy who intruded his meal. Blood was dripping from its mouth, viscously falling on the ground. The whole face gleamed with the victim's red juice. It peeled its lips and flashed a set of red teeth. Then, an ungodly scream ripped off to kill the silence. The earth vibrated, as if shaking in fear of the angry beast.

The wild creature leapt on to Ralph, and shouted directly in his face. It was on top of him, almost crushing his lungs with its heavy weight. The beast's arm shot up. There was a rock at the end. It screeched more words, causing the blood on its lips to splatter on his face. Still crippled with fear, Ralph used both of his arms to shield his face as he prepared to feel the rock smash him.

The beast looked at the helpless creature beneath him. Then, he powerfully swung his arm down, intent to let this boy bleed.

But the rock barely touched him. The grip around it loosened and the beast aimlessly flung the rock away.

Ralph felt the pressure on his stomach subside. He opened his eyes and unlocked himself from his protective shield. The fear turned to relief.

"You can't tell anyone."

He tried to stand up and realised the bloody creature was...

"Why aren't you out with the others, Roger?"

"Pigs... getting rare."

"Is that why you kill the littluns?"

"SHUT UP!" The scream was deep and beyond frightening. He was taken aback by this and gave a nod to the wild looking boy. "You can't let anyone know. Not even Jack." His voice diminished into a whisper but it held an ounce of authority.

"Is the Chief too daft? Can't he see the littluns disappearing right under his nose?" He questioned him.

Roger's quiet laugh had a lingering tone of mischief. "He doesn't even know he's eating a littlun."

A gasp escaped Ralph's lips when he heard his words. The fact slapped his face—no, it bit him. Its small teeth sunk deep on his skin and he slowly tried to absorb the shocking truth. How the other boy was so casual about the situation made him wonder. Had they been too hungry to not notice that?

Just then, an idea popped in his head.

"Let's compromise." Ralph blurted out. Despite the glare, he noticed that Roger's ears pricked up in slight interest. "I'll keep your secret but..."

"No, you have to keep it!" He quickly cut him.

"I won't tell anyone but you have to hunt with me."

Roger's face creased with bewilderment. "Hunt?" He asked with a clearly astonished voice.

"I want to hunt." Ralph said. He lifted a hand to his fair hair and scratched his head in slight embarrassment. "Jack wouldn't let me. My arm..." Then the boys were sealed in a knowing silence.

"It's that arm that saved you." Roger told him. "I saw it. Before I... hit you with rock. Made me realise... just you. Remembered Merridew, then. Told me... can't hurt you. Jack's orders. Him and the arm... they... saved you from me."

He stared at his arm that was bounded by leaves, patched with thin vines and stiffened with a thick stick. He was suddenly grateful that it was broken. To have injured an arm was no doubt better than to be stoned to death. It was fortunate to have his bones broken.

"Will you hunt with me, Roger?"

"But... others! They're out! They *forested!"

Ralph understood why he was so alarmed despite the poor grammar. He knew Roger meant to say that the others were out hunting, that they were in the forest.

"We'll avoid them!" A bright smile was plastered on his face. His green eyes glinted, sparkling dangerously. Roger was about to refuse when Ralph piped up with, "Or should I let dear Jack know that—"

Roger powerfully flung his spear down and that silenced the boy with one arm. He pulled out the stick that was erected on the two corpses pressed together. Ralph could barely recognise the bloody boys swimming on a bed of red liquid.

"Feed the sea first." Not comprehending what he meant, he watched the boy haul the remains of two littluns. Quickly and quietly, he came out of the forest and left Ralph for what seemed to be an eternity. He came back to him without a trace of blood on his face and the corpses were missing.

"What you—"

"Fed the sea." He picked up his spear. "Quick." And he began advancing deeper into the forest.

He realised what he meant now. He threw the bodies to the sea. "Didn't the other littluns see you?" He curiously asked.

"No. Went round Castle Rock. Was behind them. Nothing saw me. Only the sea."

Ralph couldn't help but admire his furtive ways. Know he knew how the two boys had disappeared. Roger has been using a secret path all the time. No one ever knew that was such a dangerous boy and he had been concealing that fact about him for so long.

"Wait!" He paused and Roger did, too. "Don't have spear."

He looked down on his own and scoffed. He grumbled some incoherent words before he pushed the spear in Ralph's good hand. The blonde opened his mouth to protest but Roger shot him a death glare and he knew that he had to close it.

"Thank—"

Roger's hand cupped his mouth and cut his word of gratitude. He pushed him down a tree and his eyes looked deep into him, telling him—begging him—to shut up. The boy pinned to the scratchy bark of a tree was being cooperative. He didn't even complain about the pressure or the itchiness he felt.

After a painfully long moment, Roger loosened up and released him. Then he whispered, "They just passed."

It then sank to him how dangerous this adventure was but the desire to hunt was growing on him. Nothing's wrong to have a little fun just this once, right? He thought. Just this once.

"You ready?" Roger's voice cut his reverie.

"Ready."

The boys advanced on an adventure, risking their lives on a dangerous line. They had no idea the whole situation would suddenly go beyond control.