Walking the Path Chosen
Chapter 9: The Wild Child
by deadkitty1
For two days, Captain Choi Young of the Woodalchi has been insulted, bitten, and awaken by the Yuan wild child called Dae Man. He is far too much of a nuisance than the warrior anticipated. He'd like nothing more than to ditch the kid in the woods, and yet the better part of his conscience prevents him from doing so. He discovers information from the man who had Dae Man before that the boy lived in a village a week's journey east of the woods. Once he hits the village, the boy will be gone and he can return to searching for the plant that probably doesn't exist. Somehow a week feels longer than the full three months he was given for his original mission.
Young comforts himself with the thought that although the boy could have taken every opportunity to run away, he hasn't. Maybe it's because of the time when the warrior almost injured Dae Man's leg with an arrow on the first attempt he slipped away or maybe it's because Dae Man fell into one of Young's cleverly made traps the second attempt. The poor child was left hanging around all night until the group had to take off for their journey. No. The one that sinks in the wild boy's mind that there is no running away from a man like him are the nights when the captain straps him to a tree and gags his mouth shut as he's exposed to hearing all the creatures in the dead of the night scrounge through the forest hungry for meant. The poor boy thought he'd be made a meal for a cougar when the clanking of the captain's sword drives the big cat away. The rambunctious boy tests the captain's patience every day which has helped sharpened his skills. While he may have lost many hours of sleep babysitting the child, there's no denying how relieved the captain felt about the change of pace in such a peaceful area. It's not good to get rusty.
On the fifth day after eating nothing but stale bread and dried fruit, the captain leaves the wild boy to the translator as he looks for something worthy to call a meal. Dae Man has adapted to the strange company of the foreigner and the translator. Although the foreigner didn't speak much, the words translated to him were never spiteful or angry as the men he's come to know from before. They were mostly simple utterance like: "Eat!" or "Stay!" Words that are said in a different language but mean the same to an animal like him, even if the owner is different. With that primal incentive always floating in his mind, the boy will take any chance he can to get to rid of the strange man, just as he almost did with the previous owner.
Dae Man watches the translator go off not too far for a bathroom break as the man keeps talking about his family. The wild boy pretends to listen as he slowly eases down and tells the man he's going to sleep. The man tells him it's fine as he shuffles his clothes to clean up. While down on the ground, the translator couldn't really see Dae Man who quickly dresses up a bunch of bags and logs to disguise as him, then he crawls to take the foreigner's bow and arrow with amazing stealth. As long as the boy can get rid of the Goryeo warrior, he can return to Yuan with the translator who would have no choice but to follow him. The translator is a push over compared to the owner. It'll be a cinch to get rid of the warrior as long as things go according to plan. While he's never used a bow and arrow before, it looks easy enough. He's see kids play with them. The pointy end goes into the enemy. Short and simple.
The wild boy carefully stalks the forest, tracing the footsteps of the foreigner. He still remembers a lot of what his family taught him when he was younger and tracking is one of his best assets. He spots the familiar tall figure by the lake, tugging at the line for a fish. He's smiling. The wild boy looks on as the Woodalchi cheers himself at catching a fish and casts the net back into the lake. He eases on the bank, staring out on the lake with peace. As time passes, the happy gaze the foreigner had from catching a fish dissipates as it's instantly replaced with a dark blank expression. There's something on this man's mind that's plaguing him. Enough so that he won't notice the arrow hitting him in the back. Dae Man stretches the bow in practice, trying to get a feel for it with the arrow. As he readies for the shot, Young sighs and then the boy freezes for a moment. The captain adjusts his seat and then closes his eyes. The wild boy exhales in relief at not being spotted.
It's a stroke of luck. Not only is the man defenseless but he has his eyes closed! It's the perfect shot! Seconds tick by and his hand starts to tremble by the pull of the string until eventually he has to put it down.
He wrinkles his nose, knowing it doesn't make sense. This man, this Goryeo man, would have noticed him coming in a blink of an eye. The many times he tried to sneak up on the commander, he gets hit, scolded, or tied up right away. The warrior has proven to be a formidable opponent. He would never let his guard down so easily unless he wanted to be shot.
Dae Man takes another aim at the strange man whose eyes remain closed. His fingers twitch as the arrow releases right into the water. The commander doesn't look at the arrow nor the direction of where it came from. The boy glares at the whole scene in confusion. For a moment, he thought about readying the second arrow but drops the plan all together as the strange man looks over his shoulders directly into his eyes. The pathetic look in the man's eyes does not suit him at all. Conflicted and irritated, the boy goes back to the camp and stuffs himself under the covers to pretend to sleep. No matter how much the boy closes his eyes he can't forget the look on the man's face. His eyes spoke of pain, unforgettable pain in which death would be a welcome end. The child doesn't want to kill a man with eyes like that. Eyes full of misery and fatigue for life.
Their fish dinner for camp is a quiet one. Normally, Dae Man would be doing everything possible to annoy the commanding officer, but his mind strays to thoughts about who his master really is and how he's gotten to the point in his life where he could care less about living. Even living as a slave, Dae Man has never given up on fighting or surviving. He's been starved, alone, beaten up, and scorned but he always looked forward to the next day. He's seen others who let misery claim them and it's not what he wants for himself. Fighting is in him. It's what he's born to be. A warrior should know fighting is the way to life. At least he should.
"Want another?"
Dae Man looks up to see the Goryeo man offering him another helping of fish. He takes it without a word, already on his forth serving. The boy watches the man closely who grabs the bow and arrow meant to murder the man before. The captain places it in front of the boy whose eyes almost jump out of his skull.
"I can teach you to shoot, if you want," he said calmly. Dae Man looks at the translator who translate for the captain.
The wild child snorts as he shoves the weapon away with a shake of the head. Young picks up the weapon and places it neatly by the boy's things as he goes back to eating the fish. The boy can't figure out what the foreigner is up to. He can't really gain anything from teaching Dae Man how to use a weapon except make it harder on the commander to protect himself. Can this man really have a death wish?
Just before dinner finishes and they prepare for bed, the wind carries Young's last words to Dae Man's ears like a secret note. The boy turns his head directly towards the foreigner in shock as the man meets eyes with the young man. It was in Chinese and he said sorry.
The next morning, Choi Young easily deflects Dae Man's sharp stick to his neck as the weapon stabs the tree behind him. The captain sighs and toys with the stick, wondering what other weapon the boy has hidden underneath his clothing. It's hard when the boy can sharpen anything into a weapon. Watching the Woodalchi closely, Dae Man stands his guard as the man waves the stick skillfully towards him. He thrusts and charges in one quick motion then turns to see if the boy is watching. Young tosses him a stick while demonstrating the move one more time. The wild boy imitates the motion but the captain's face falters. He demonstrates one more time, emphasizing the angle of the swing and the agility on the charge. Dae Man's eyes dance as he attempts it again and again and again. Within a couple of attempts, his owner smiles at him and nods in admiration. Warmth reaches the boy's face as he looks down out of shyness. He doesn't remember being praised for anything and it's weird to feel it for this man.
The commander isn't done with him yet. He signals for the boy to come at him with the stick as he has one in his hands. Dae Man only attempted to stab him this morning to make sure the man's instincts are still intact, but he can't be sure if the man intends to avoid his stab or take it. Young gets ready to brace himself for the attack. The boy doesn't respond. He drops the stick and walks away. The captain watches in confusion as the child sits by the fire to await their breakfast next to the sleeping translator. Utterly taken aback, the captain picks up the stick and tries to offer it back to him, but the wild boy shakes his head, defiant until the end.
"You need to learn how to fight properly so you can protect yourself. Attacking brashly like that, even when someone is asleep, can only get you in trouble," Young scolds then curses at not being able to say it in the boy's language.
Dae Man stares back with a direct frown on his face and replies in Chinese. "No."
"No?"
The boy nods then points to the stick with a stabbing motion towards the Goryeo man.
"No!" the boy repeats once again.
For the past several days, Dae Man has tried every possible instance to kill Choi Young so why would he suddenly stop? It takes the captain a moment until he remembers the day at the lake and makes the connection.
Assuring the wild child, he communicates with the little Chinese he knows. "I no dead. I strong."
The boy looks upon him listlessly. He replies in Chinese but Young understood it all.
"But you want to be dead."
The captain can't retort the truth.
The boy walks far away to another spot, muttering to himself as the Woodalchi begins to wake the translator up for the journey. They soon come upon the village where Dae Man lived and Young finds out they have a legendary herb that fits the description he's looking for. He came just in time because in as little as a few days, the herb will bloom to be harvested in its full potency. The warrior can finally complete his mission after all and get rid of the troublesome child at the same time.
Being around the kid for a week has worn him out, but has also forced him to question his decision to follow death through the unskilled hands of a kid's arrow. It wasn't the smartest move he's had and it's even more disheartening that the kid feels bad for him. It's in the past though, and it will not be long until he's back on the saddle to his home country forced to serve a life he's been born to endure. Being in another country may have been his only chance to escape his fate, even if it only was a few months, but he can't escape it for real.
The herb requires another week or so to be harvested and thoroughly worked through to make into a medicine. Young wants to get the plant in as many types they have it, so there won't be any mistakes on the mission and he decides to camp out for a couple of more weeks in the village to make sure. Dae Man doesn't mind as he enjoys the freedom he never had while being a slave. He wanders around and gets to talking with the other kids and elders, experiencing being a child once more. At the end of the day though, the boy never fails to come home for dinner where the Goryeo man would have either fish cooking or a gift of food from some neighbors. He even takes the fighting lessons the foreigner offers during the day, improving his muscles and senses with each fight. He couldn't stand watching the man train and fight without gaining some secret techniques from him. The wild boy's fascination and admiration for the Goryeo man helps him find a fighting style all his own. Young encouraged his flips and erratic moves as long as it serves to deliver a punch in the end.
Sometimes during the day, he notices the Goryeo man help some of the villagers in town. He's helped chopped wood for an elder couple and the wild child even lends a hand to help him out. One day, he catches the foreigner helping a little girl carry buckets of water to her house which he eventually spills within the second step. Dae Man quickly picks up the pieces as he solves the problem with ease to prevent the girl's annoying cries from getting louder. He figures tailing the Goryeo man will save the village some trouble and strangely enough serves as his translator as he's picked up on the man's words unconsciously. Everywhere they go, the villagers know they come in a pair. Dae Man gets used to having the man by his side that he forgets he's still his slave until the end when the medicine gets made.
"You're – You're leaving?! To King? To mission?" Dae Man questions while watching the foreigner pack his things. The boy imitates him, taking one of his bags so he will not be left behind.
The captain sees him and stops his fidgeting hands. "No. You're not coming. I told you already, from the minute we arrived in this village, I'm not your owner anymore. You're free."
The boy bites his lip in annoyance of once again hearing that word. Free. He thought it was a joke, that when it came time to actually leave, the Goryeo man will drag him by his hair out of the village with him and for once, he didn't mind. He can scarcely believe the man's words as he meant them for real. While the boy enjoyed being back with his own people, meeting the warrior has changed him and exposed him to a world unlike his own. A world he would very much like to see, the Goryeo man's world.
"I free so I coming!" The boy grabs his stuff and shoves them inside his bag with extra zest.
"No!"
Young glares at the stubborn boy and sees how much he's grown over the past weeks they've been together. He can fend for himself now. He can have his own house, he knows how to fight, and he's even taught him how to fish. He has everything he needs in order to take care of himself and to live a peaceful life here in the village. He can't come back with him. Coming to Goryeo would mean a life of service and the boy isn't one to be locked in a cage. He's destined for a life where he can stretch his wings and be his crazy self. There won't be that kind of freedom back home where he going back.
"I command you to stay," he orders, ironically treating him like one of his soldiers. He loads his bags on a horse, ready to take off for his long journey.
"Captain!" Dae Man whines. He instinctively refers to him as captain as that's what the translator always refers him to. Young turns around and smiles as he walks back. At the very least, the boy's decision will be his so the captain has to make it clear on the path this boy will walk should he chose the path of a warrior.
"Look here. I am going home. To another country where I serve a different king. If you come with me, you can't come back here, to your home. You will have to learn my country's language, wear our clothing, and eat our food. Then, you will have to fight and kill to protect our king. You will be one of us. Do you still want to come?"
Dae Man looks at him with confidence as he absorbs each of his words.
"Yes!"
"Why?"
The boy's eyebrows furrow in concentration to find the right words. "I-I learn. I good. I fight. I protect you."
Young's expression quirks up as he look down at the boy with interest. "You want to protect me?"
"You no die. When you sleep or close eyes, I protect you."