Korrow was feeling better now, his headache beginning to recede. However, the big lump on the top of his head had not gone away, nor would it leave for quite some time. He sat up in a chair now, giving Hunter's cloak back to him. It felt good to be able to move around a little, although the bump on his head was still sore. He found as long as he didn't touch it, he felt alright. Hunter had taken time to get the water from the river, and now, the both of them were drinking from wooden cups Korrow had taken out of a cabinet near the table.

"Ah, sweet water." Hunter dipped his glass into the water, feeling the chill on his fingers before taking it out and bringing it to his lips. Korrow watched with amusement as water dribbled down his chin and onto his shirt. After he had drunk his fill, Hunter uncapped his canteen and filled it up as well. No words were exchanged by the former enemies, but the tension between them had lessened considerably. Now, they were at least civil to each other, and that was a major step in the right direction.

While Hunter was busy filling his canteen, Korrow had grabbed the bucket filled with blackberries that he had hidden behind a tiny hutch next to the window. Hunter, despite his acute observation skills, did not even notice until Korrow's hand cam into his field of vision, filled with the juicy berries. Hunter's jaw dropped.

"Where'd you get that?" He asked in bewilderment. Korrow lifted the bucket, showing him the contents. Hunter held out his hand.

"Mind giving me a few?" He smiled.

Korrow reluctantly handed over the bucket to him.

Ten minutes later, the bucket sat empty between them, a juice stain on the bottom being the only trace left of the stash of blackberries. Both of them fixed their eyes on it, their stomachs still rumbling.

"So... do you remember where you got those berries from?" Hunter inquired, his eyebrows raised.

Korrow pointed upwards with his finger, as if the wall and roof were not obstructing their vision. "I remember seeing them much farther up the mountain yesterday, when I was out hunting. There were a lot of bushes, but only a few had any ripe berries."

They were quiet for a moment, before Korrow added, "But we could see if there are any other bushes nearby..."

Hunter's stomach had still not gotten enough food in it to satisfy his appetite, and so, it growled lightly. He flicked a gnat on his arm, brushing it off his fur.

"Perhaps we should go get some more. It isn't too far away, is it?" Hunter shuffled in his seat.

"No... Maybe a half hour, at most." He stopped. "You... wanna go now?"

As if on cue, Hunter left his chair behind, snatching up the little bucket.

"Sure, why not?"

He made a break for the door, but Korrow halted him, stating "We should bring more than one bucket. Let's use the water pail." He picked it up with both arms, pouring the cool, crystal clear water over the still glowing embers of the fire. He waved it at Hunter.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He went out the door. "Let's go berrypicking!"

Korrow jogged outside, pail in hand, until he was right in front of Hunter. He indicated a small crag in the rock, a good distance away.

"That should be the right direction." He stepped over a boulder, looking behind him, surprised to see Hunter going back to the cabin.

"What are you doing?" He called out to the cloaked cheetah. He was given no response. He waited for awhile, perplexed until Hunter emerged with their bows and arrows in hand.

"Just in case we find something along the way, we should have these with us." He held out the bow and arrows to Korrow, who slung the quiver of arrows around his shoulder. Bows and buckets in hand, they went on their way.

Korrow led Hunter through the dense wood, stopping his straight movement when he approached the fast flowing river and moving alongside it. As they moved west, the land dipped down gradually, forming tiny rapids that turned the water from a transparent color into a sibilant, foaming white. At the base of the hill, the water churned, creating a violent whirlpool that roared like a waterfall.

"I call that the hellhole. It's a landmark I use to navigate this neck of the woods. You can't miss it." He walked onward, leaving Hunter to look at it for a moment. The Avalarian took up a stick, throwing it into the hole and watching as it was sucked underneath the surface. He smirked.

"Hellhole indeed."

A few minutes passed until the river grew much wider, causing the water flow to decrease until it was only ankle deep. Korrow started across, little rings of dust and dirt shooting up from underneath the pebbles and stones as he stepped on them.

"This is the only shallow crossing for three miles," he said as they trotted through. Hunter looked further downriver, seeing the river narrow further away. Hunter did not doubt Korrow at all.

They going became a lot steeper, the trees thinning out into rocks and boulders as they traversed the cliffside. Their legs grew tired, but they pressed on.

"How much further ahead?" Hunter peered down, the small grains of dust floating over the edge of the one hundred meter drop. They moved up the mountain, the cliffside now past them. Korrow turned to face Hunter.

"Not much longer. They're somewhere around here."

His vague description didn't give Hunter much confidence, but he followed anyway. The sound of the river had vanished, replaced with the warbling of the songbirds overhead. Hunter found it odd that they were even making this venture, but he didn't care too much. Anything was worth the silence of his rumbling tummy.

"This rock looks familiar..." Korrow looked at it, and gave a sharp nod to Hunter. "It's just to the right. They're real close to the cliffside." He turned sharply, pointing directly ahead. "Come on."

Hunter didn't say a word, trusting Korrow's judgment. The younger cheetah seemed to know his way around very well.

The sun climbed to the center of the sky, indicating that noon had arrived. The trees fanned out more and more the closer they got to their destination. Korrow nearly passed a shrub, but stopped, whipping his head around to take a closer look.

It was dotted with blackberries. He grinned, bringing the bucket up as he stepped over a tree root.

"Found 'em!" He plucked an especially juicy looking one off of the shrub and popped it into his mouth. Satisfied that it was ripe, he continued picking the berries, alternating between putting them in the bucket and into his open mouth. Hunter moved ahead, however, closer to the cliffside.

"I'm going to check over here!" He shouted. Korrow waved him off, occupied with his work.

"Sure, sure. Go ahead," he said absentmindedly, his mouth full of berries. "Tell me if you find any more, okay?"

"Okay." Hunter walked in the opposite direction, feeling the full power of the sun on his face as all of the foliage above him cleared away. He did not have to go far before he reached the rocky crag. He looked down, seeing the dizzying drop below. He searched the places around the rocks, and noticed a small pair of bushes. Even from where he was standing, he could make out the little black dots that hung off of the branches. He made a beeline toward them.

"I found more over here!" He did not wait for a reply from Korrow, who was still making short work of his own bush. He began to fill his bucket, falling into the temptation to eat a few as he did so.

"Alright, keep picking them." he said wit his mouth full. Hunter couldn't see him, but he could picture Korrow stuffing his face, black juice stains all over his cheeks. He smiled.

Because his bucket was so much smaller than Korrow's, it took him a matter of a minute to fill it to the brim. When he was done, he snatched a few more berries to snack on and wandered over to the ledge, taking in the nice view.

He scanned from left to right, noticing that both the forest below and the huge meadow from where Hunter had come across were visible. This was a great vantage point, he thought...

Without even having to think, his head suddenly jerked to the right. He had no idea why, but it did. Many years of examining and searching had sharpened his senses so much that sometimes, he could find something without even trying. He stared straight ahead, right at the spot he had turned to.

It looked as if that spot in the meadow was alive. At first, Hunter thought it could be the wind moving the grass, or perhaps, even his own mind playing tricks on him. But his instincts told him otherwise...

He dropped the bucket, the berries spilling onto the rocks. His breathing quickened.

Korrow had finished filling his pail, and was already making his way over to the cliff when Hunter bellowed, "Korrow! Come over here!"

He emerged from behind Hunter, the back of his head in plain view.

"What?"

Hunter indicated the spot in the meadow with his finger. Korrow looked in the same direction, and shrugged.

"I don't see anything... wait..." He shielded the sunlight from his face with his hand, taking a closer look. His mouth went dry when he realized what it was.

"Grublins!" He breathed the word, his heart racing. "Which way are they going?"

Hunter pointed west, his mouth going dry. "They're heading that way. But, at the same time, they appear to be getting closer and closer... oh no."

He followed the small army with his finger, and lowered it.

"They're heading right for..."

"...the cabin."

Korrow sprinted away, his bucket of berries forgotten as they bounced and rolled over the edge of the cliff. Hunter immediately set out in pursuit, his feet pounding on the ground.

"No! Korrow!" He tried as hard as he could to not lose sight of him, running as fast as he could until he nearly rammed into the rock they had seen earlier. He lost sight of Korrow, but he remembered the direction he had come from and set after Korrow, hoping he wouldn't get lost.

He encountered the cliff edge again, searching until he found the place in the cliff they had traversed. He slid down the thin, dusty path, nearly falling off at one point. He saw a flurry of movement at the base of the path, knowing it was Korrow.

He reached the bottom, running toward the crossing at the river, hearing the splish splash of Korrow's footpaws striking the surface of the water. He had to catch up to Korrow, and fast. The army was moving at an alarming speed, with the little cabin resting directly in their path of travel. It would take them a matter of minutes to reach it, and there was no way they could be there when that happened.

Hunter did not slow down one bit as he crossed in the shallow water, ignoring the sharp edges of the rocks as they dug into the pads of his paws.

"Korrow! What are you doing?" He screamed, fighting for breath.

The frantic young cheetah turned his head, not expecting Hunter to be this close to him. As he did, he tripped over a rock he hadn't seen, faceplanting onto the dirt. The bump on his head, already sore from exerting himself so much, exploded with a violent pain. He cried out, incapacitated by the blow.

Hunter would have stepped right over Korrow had it not been for his anguished cries. He skidded to a halt, kneeling down to Korrow. He tapped the side of his face lightly, speaking through his ragged breaths.

"Come on, Korrow! We need to hide, now!"

"No, no... Let me go..." Korrow, in a daze, tried to scramble away on all fours, but Hunter held him firm. As quickly as he could, he lifted Korrow up off the ground, grunting with exertion. Korrow could not resist through the cloud of pain in his head, and could only be led by Hunter downriver. Hunter practically carried him to the river crossing, the muscles in his arms crying out in protest. He set his course to a rocky outcrop at the base of the cliff.

The pain in Korrow's head began to subside, and he regained his feisty spirit. He resisted Hunter, wiggling his body from side to side. This caused Hunter to only grip even tighter.

"Stop it or you'll get both of us killed! Think clearly, damn it!" He shook Korrow, trying, and failing, to slap some sense into him.

Hunter leapt behind the rocks, pulling Korrow down with him. The young cheetah felt Hunter's hand clamp over his mouth and his arm wrap around his torso. He squirmed, but couldn't break free.

Hunter turned his head to the side, watching the other side of the forest through a crack in the rock. He struggled to keep the insane Korrow pressed to his chest, hoping for dear life that he wouldn't be heard. He was even tempted to knock him out, but did not want to hurt him again unless it was absolutely necessary.

They lay there for what seemed to be an eternity. Korrow stopped moving, seeming to come back to his senses. Hunter was grateful, but did not loosen his grip.

From his place behind the rocks, Hunter could see a flurry of movement in the forest. He froze.

A grublin passed in front of them, on the other side of the river, its short, stubby spear held upright. It was followed by several more. He could hear more following close behind, their feet disturbing the edge of the water. He did not know at first if they were crossing the river, but he soon realized that all of the enemy troops were passing on the other side of the river. He would have jumped for joy had it not been for his current position.

As he looked further into the forest, he could see another large column of grublins and other beasts. He estimated over two hundred soldiers were present, possibly more. He whispered into Korrow's ear.

"They'll be past us soon. Don't worry."

...

Desraa remained at the front of his army, hearing the bestial sounds uttered by the hideous creatures behind him. He hated their stench and their unintelligible garble that served as a language, but all of this was made up for their ferocity in battle and their lust for blood, which would come in great handy in the attack on the village.

"Commander, look what we found!"

Desraa heard the voice behind him and to his left, through the trees. He made his way over to it, seeing the creature that had made the sound pointing at a small wooden cabin. It was a goblin, a far more intelligent creature than a grublin. Their ability to talk and make decisions for themselves made them a much preferable alternative to the grublins which made up the brunt of the army. It was a shame they weren't more plentiful.

Many grublins stood around the wooden walls of the cabin, uncertain on what to do with their discovery. Desraa smiled.

"This place... I know this place..." He laughed, commanding his troops, "Se if there's anything inside of it that we could plunder."

The grublins obeyed, busting through the front door with their spear butts. As they did their work, Desraa looked the place over, noticing the neat and tidy rows of plants beside the house. He frowned.

He was not surprised to find that there was nothing of value inside the house. The grublins came back out with wooden spoons, the pot from the fireplace, and a couple more useless items, including a greasy plate. They piled them in front of Desraa's feet. He shook his head at them.

"Is that all?" He waved them off. They went away, back to the enlarging crowd behind him. He reached down to pick up the dirty plate. He wiped the grease off of it with his finger, looking genuinely confused.

"So what should we do with this?" The goblin gestured toward the cabin with his arm. Desraa tossed the plate back into the pile, wiping the grease onto his shirt.

"Burn it."

...

Hunter was losing circulation to his left arm, trapped between him and the ground. Korrow had gone limp, relaxed. Hunter guessed that he had come back to his senses after hearing the hundreds of creatures moving alongside the river. He gradually loosened his grip on Korrow, trusting him enough to not try and escape. He whispered to Korrow again.

"They should be gone, soon."

Through the crack in the rock, he couldn't see anymore grublins passing by. Still, trying to be on the safe side, he waited longer.

Thinking it was safe, he pushed himself up with his left arm, feeling the tingly sensation of the blood coming back to his arm. He held Korrow tight as he peered over the rocks.

They were greeted with the sight of thick, black smoke rising over the canopy. Korrow's scream was muffled by Hunter's hand.

Hunter had no time to tighten his grip as Korrow elbowed him in the side, tearing the hand off of his mouth and then back fisting him in the jaw. Hunter saw colored lights dance in his vision as he stumbled backward, swinging wildly with his hands in a daze. By the time he recovered, Korrow was halfway across the river. He wiped the blood off of his jaw and set off in pursuit.

The water of the river splashed onto his back, and the smell of smoke permeated the air. Hunter sprinted up the hill, nearly tripping on a tree root.

"Korrow!"

The fire licked hungrily at the cabin, engulfing it entirely. The inferno evaporated the tears that ran down Korrow's cheeks as he collapsed to the earth, dropping his bow as his cries of anguish were muffled by the sound of the roaring flames. Hunter skidded to a halt in front of the burning house, seeing the broken Korrow on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. He wanted to say something to him, something to comfort him or help him, but he could not think of anything.

Part of the wooden wall caved in, the flames seeming to pull it off of its foundation. The thatch roof had been turned to ashes in seconds, and the rest of the house was made invisible under the angry flames that consumed the wood like a starved beast. Korrow could no longer look at the fire, the heat that stung his face being too great. He covered his face with his arms, wailing.

Hunter stood, mesmerized. He never thought he would see the strong hearted, thick skulled Korrow like this, completely broken, overcome with grief.

The young cheetah took his head out of his arms, still crying, salty tears staining his cheeks. He opened his eyes, seeing Hunter standing there, looking at him with an expression of pity. Without warning, his sorrow turned into anger.

"Get out! I hate you!" He screeched, getting to his feet and balling his hands into fists. Hunter stepped back, knowing how volatile Korrow was. He tried to talk some sense with him, keeping his voice sympathetic.

"I'm sorry, Korrow. I'm so…" He got no further. Korrow ran forward, baring his teeth. Hunter jumped back, grabbing his bow with both hands defensively.

"You held me back! I could have been here, to defend my family household that's been here for generations! But you stopped me!" He marched forward, his sights set on Hunter.

"If I hadn't done that, you would have been killed!" He raised the bow up, preparing to defend himself from the advancing cheetah.

"I don't care! I'll die anyway now!" He lurched forward, fist raised. Hunter sidestepped, holding out the bow. Korrow's leg collided with it, causing him to stumble and fall. Hunter stayed where he was, speaking to the fallen Korrow.

"I am not the enemy! I am not the one who burned your home! Get a hold of yourself!" He paused, watching Korrow get up off the ground, wiping dirt off of his face. The burning cabin at his back, Hunter spoke to him again.

"I'm sorry about your home, really I am!" He was loud, but not mad. In fact, his eyes showed no signs of anger in them. Korrow stepped forward, but stopped. Hunter dropped his bow.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Korrow." He raised his hands. "You saved my life two nights ago, and what I did was simply returning the favor.

Korrow, still fuming, contemplated this gesture letting Hunter's words shake him from his enraged state. He did not want to believe the older cheetah. He wanted to stay angry at him. And yet…

His hands unclenched, the fury draining from his features. He shook violently, his teeth clenching up, trying to hold back the tears, but to no avail. Crumpling back down to the earth, he wept, his body racked with the choked sobs that escaped his throat. Hunter moved hesitantly forward, sitting next to Korrow, throwing an arm around him. Surprisingly, there was no backlash from the younger cheetah. Instead, he did nothing, letting his tears roll down his cheeks freely as he was held. Although not easily influenced emotionally, Hunter felt hot tears begin to well up in his eyes.

The flames ate away at what was left of the house, the blaze dying down as the wood gradually turned to ashes. They remained there for awhile, watching the house turn into charred rubble. Korrow could no longer cry. His head ached from the exertion, and he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his cloak.

"You said this was your family's house," Hunter stated gently. Korrow made no sign that he heard him, but he was listening. Hunter continued.

"Korrow…where is your family?"

….

Author's Note: So, yeah, it took awhile to update this…yet again. Sorry.

At first, I was going to write more of this, but I decided that it would be better if I updated this sooner and continued next chapter. Also, I apologize if this chapter is lower quality than my last ones. I dunno, maybe it's just me, but I felt like I didn't write this very well.

And this story is going to heat up very soon. Next chapter, most likely. :D I didn't put "large scale battles" in the summary for no reason, you know.

So, it looks like we're about to figure out the mystery of Korrow in the next chapter. Stay tuned for the next update!