Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter three of "Lift the Veil." This chapter has some Borias/Xena. Carlie, Samuel, and Darla will be introduced in the next one. Borias and Xena will meet Gabrielle for the first time as well. Stay tuned for chapter three.
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Chapter 3: Still in the Forest
Borias and Xena sat on a log while biting into apples in a less dense part of the forest fifteen minutes later. They chewed at a steady pace. The wind was starting to pick up. It moved their hair back somewhat. They heard squealing and spotted a boar running through the undergrowth. They swallowed as it ran out not far from them. It squealed very loudly while increasing its stride a bit. It held its tail high before letting out an oink.
Borias and Xena heard loud growling. A lion raced out in front of them. They watched as it headed for the boar. It picked up its pace, catching up to its prey and flinging out its paw to trip it. The boar fell down in which it landed on its head. It rolled forward, ending up on its side. The lion went over to it and grabbed its throat. The boar struggled for thirty seconds before ceasing all movement. Its breathed stopped completely. Borias and Xena looked at each other.
"I can't believe we just saw a lion kill a boar," she said in amazement.
"I can't believe it either," he agreed and scratched the back of his neck. "It's not something you see every day."
"Have you ever encountered lions?" Xena wondered, curiosity showing in her eyes.
"I did encounter a few lions during my time as an army commander," Borias admitted. "However, I never saw lions in my country. Have you ever encountered lions?"
"Once or twice. I've known hunters who were attacked by them. Some escaped serious injury. Some didn't. At least two were consumed after being killed," Xena pointed out.
"Man-eating behavior is rare. Injury and disease are often the reason why predators started eating people," Borias said.
"Amphipolis had a problem with a man-eating lion when my grandparents were young. It attacked cows and sheep at first. Then it progressed to attacking people. Farmers always went out armed with bows, arrows, and other weapons when they checked on their herds at all times of the day. Unfortunately, the lion was very clever. It managed to kill several of them at night without them seeing it until it was on top of them. It attacked people in broad daylight twice," Xena explained.
"Damn," Borias whispered, his voice showing much shock and disgust. "A smart maneater is worse than a strong one."
"You said it. Amphipolis became fed up with the deaths. A band of farmers, fishermen, and traders went hunting for the lion. My grandfathers were in this group. They had every weapon imaginable," Xena said and cleared her throat. "One member of the group suggested using a goat as bait. The others agreed. A goat was tied to a tree. The lion appeared and killed it. It began feeding on it when my grandfathers shot it with arrows. It ran away with them sticking out of its side."
"What happened next?" Borias asked.
"The group pursued the lion. Two farmers shot it with crossbow bolts. Its injuries began to slow it down. The group managed to catch up to it. Three fishermen stabbed it to death with their daggers. It was skinned and put on display in a shop. The skin was later stolen. It hasn't been seen since," Xena finished.
Borias pressed his lips together. He thought the story Xena had just told was incredible. He had a feeling the thief took the lion skin and sold it to a rich landowner, who decided to use it as a rug. He knew it was not unusual for people to have rugs made out of the carnivores they killed. He recalled Johnathan telling him some hunters eating the flesh of lions because they believed it would give them courage.
Borias snapped out of his thoughts when he heard growling. He and Xena observed a second lion making its way toward the boar. It was given a warning growl by the first one. It ignored that and continued toward the boar. The other lion curled its lips into a snarl. It charged at its rival and swiped its paw, striking it in the cheek. It watched the lion turn around and run away with a fearful growl. It snorted in satisfaction and returned to its kill.
"That lion taught the other one who was boss!" Xena exclaimed.
"Yes, it did," Borias agreed. "Just because two lions are part of a pride or live together as a pair does not mean they will share their food with each other. This is especially true if the kill is small."
"Lions will fight over small kills. Sometimes, cubs get caught up in these fights. Some end up getting killed," Xena pointed out sadly.
"Lions have no problem sharing big kills with each other most of the time. The males eat first. In many cases, cubs eat alongside them. Then the lionesses get their share," Borias explained.
She furrowed her brow. "Have you ever witnessed lions fighting over a kill?"
"No. You?" Borias asked.
"No," Xena said, shaking her head.
"I consider boars to be even more dangerous than lions are. They will gore people to death in a brutal fashion. They may toy with their victims before eating them," Borias commented.
"That is creepy," Xena responded with a cringe.
He sighed. "Yes, it is."
Borias and Xena bit into the last of their apples. They chewed while throwing the cores over their shoulders. The cores landed with soft thuds. They looked at each other with big smiles on their faces.
"It is nice we can pick apples and eat them," Borias commented.
"It sure is," Xena agreed. "Some slave owners would become enraged if they found out their slaves picked fruit and ate it."
"Not Johnathan. He does not mind we eat the fruit on his land," Borias said, chuckling to himself. "I love how juicy it is."
"He said he would take some fruit for his new slave to eat if she got hungry," Xena pointed out truthfully.
"I am sure she will be happy to know about that," Borias murmured. "I did not even want any fruit when he first brought me to his home. I was not hungry. He could tell I was quite bitter due to my circumstances."
She wrapped her arm around his. "It could be worse. You could be being beaten by a cruel and heartless master right now."
He huffed. "The thought of feeling a whip across my back makes me shiver."
Borias and Xena shifted their attention to the lion. They saw it was nibbling on the backside of the boar. They heard whistling. They looked over their shoulders to see thirty-year-old Ryan and twenty-year-old Veena coming their way. They stood up with loud grunts. They made their way toward them while clasping their hands together.
Ryan rubbed his nose. He was around Borias's height and had light skin. He was somewhat muscular. His short brown hair happened to be straight. His brown eyes contained bags underneath them. The backs of his hands had scars going across them. They had circles on the ends of them. His face was full of freckles. The front of his wrists had tiny ones.
Veena placed her hands on her sides. She came up to Ryan's shoulder and was quite lean. Her skin was pale to the point that she appeared to be a ghost. Her short black hair was curly. Her eyes happened to be light blue. Her palms had scars starting from the tops of them and stopping at their bottoms. Her nose had a tiny freckle on the top of it. She blew hard as Borias and Xena stopped before her and her friend.
"Hello, Ryan, Veena. It's good to see you two," Borias greeted.
"What brings you two to our neck of the woods?" Xena asked curiously.
"Carlie sent us to come get you," Ryan commented warmly. "Johnathan has returned home with his new slave."
"Really?" Borias asked with raised eyebrows.
"What is her name?" Xena added and licked her lips.
"She introduced herself as Gabrielle. She did not appear to be scared of anyone at all and acted really sweet to us when he introduced us to her. That means she was likely treated very well by her previous master. She really didn't anything about him," Veena explained.
"I think she wants to get settled in before she reveals anything about her past," Ryan pointed out matter-of-factly.
"That makes sense," Xena agreed. "Come on, Borias. Let's go see the new girl."
"Yes," Borias responded with a nod. "Let's."
Ryan and Veena turned around and started walking. Borias and Xena came up alongside them. They picked up their pace a little bit. Xena clasped her hands together and twirled her thumbs around. Ryan noticed it and clicked his tongue.
"Are you feeling nervous about meeting Gabrielle, Xena?" Ryan asked with much curiosity.
"A little bit," Xena admitted. "I wonder if she will like Borias and me. Not everyone we have worked alongside got along with us like you two have."
"That is true," Ryan agreed. "However, I do not think you two have anything to worry about. Gabrielle seemed to like us when we introduced ourselves."
"She did mention she was a bard. She said she became one in order to entertain her masters. Johnathan told her she could share her stories later because he wanted her to meet you two. She did get excited when we mentioned you and Borias worked for him, Xena," Veena added.
Xena chuckled to herself and suppressed a yawn. "That means she has heard about my reputation."
"The same goes for mine," Borias commented and rubbed his nose.
"Obviously. She did say she was shocked that the great Borias was a slave. We told her it was a long story that needed to be saved for later," Ryan said, crossing his arms.
"She did not complain whatsoever," Veena said, a soft giggle leaving her mouth. "She said she wanted to meet you first before she heard stories about your pasts."
"That was nice of her," Borias responded. "It is best to get comfortable in a new home before you begin to share your past."
Ryan smacked his lips twice. "Yes, it is."
"If someone does not want to share their pasts with you, you should abide by their wishes. Pushing them to do so will make them mad," Xena said seriously.
"Exactly," Ryan answered and held up a finger. "Some people fear being judged if they share their pasts."
"We have no problem sharing our pasts. If people judge us, who cares? We do not owe them a thing," Borias whispered firmly.
Veena snorted "That's right."
Ryan, Veena, Borias, and Xena looked around. They turned to each other and began talking about the birth of Johnathan and Carlie's twins.