Chapter 37: Hunt
Location: Dalton Estate
Early morning…
Stirring back to consciousness, Tarro became acutely aware that there was someone standing at his bedside. Suspecting that it was his adoptive brother, he knew that feigning sleep wouldn't dissuade Draug from waking him.
"What do you want, Draug?" he groaned.
He received no immediate response from, he tossed the blankets from his head, Tarro glared at the naked toddler lingering at his bedside. Clutched to his chest was a bow and a handful of arrows, an indication that it was time to hunt. Olog children were expected to begin hunting with their clan once they turned three, something that he was now old enough to partake.
"Yeah, alright."
Letting out a sigh of irritation, the preadolescent tossed the covers from his body and sat up from the bed. Clad in only a white fundoshi, the young Saiyan felt it was pointless to dress himself and refrained from doing so. The sky had begun to brighten, which was indicated that it wouldn't be long before the sun broke over the horizon.
"I gonna catch a deer," the boy boasted.
Taro immediately rolled his eyes, knowing that Draug was a long way from being capable of hunt a deer.
"Let's worry about the basics first."
The toddler scowled in disapproval, not liking how his brother unceremoniously took the wind out of his sails. Unlocking the door to the balcony, the pair stepped outside with Tarro surveying his immediate surroundings. The ground remained wet from the previous night's rain, requiring them to be cautious when going down the stairs.
"Ready to go?" he eventually asked.
The younger boy nodded his head, immediately trailing behind his brother as they headed for a staircase. Making their way to the ground floor, the pair promptly began heading around to the front of the estate.
"You're up early," a voice stated.
They discovered Chris sitting in a chair, which prompted Draug to immediately step behind his brother. Rarely receiving visitors due to the remoteness of Gwyrdd Island, it contributed to the youngster's discomfort.
"I've tried to get up early," he stated, "Usually so that he can go hunting."
"Isn't he a little young?"
"Not at all. Boys are expected to begin hunting at the age of three."
Chris said nothing, mostly because he had no understanding of the inner workings of Olog-hai society.
"What about you? I doubt you're the early riser type."
"I couldn't sleep," Chris admitted, "Mostly because of them."
He gestured in the direction of the Padraig, which continued to remain anchored off the coast of the island. The young Scions of the Old Families had been sent on vacation, likely in preparation for their annual Reunion.
"Understandable. They've got no consideration for other people."
"What are they even doing?"
"What every twenty-something does; drugs and booze."
"I don't know many twenty-somethings, but I'm sure that not what they do."
Tarro scoffed at Chris' ignorance, the Human having no idea the type of degeneracy that the Old Families engaged in. A tug on his arm immediately garnered his attention, prompting him to look down at his brother. Draug was glaring at him with puffed out cheeks, an indication that he was becoming annoyed.
"Alright. Come along," he said.
Bidding Chris farewell, the brothers headed around to the front yard of the sprawling mansion. Arriving in the front garden, the pair continued travelling in the direction of where their guests had entered from.
Location: Gwyrdd Island
Twenty minutes later…
Bringing the Yacht-Type Extreme Gear to a stop, Geoffrey immediately disembarked and set foot onto the rocky shoreline. Wanting to get a lay of the land, he had spent time conducting a reconnaissance of the island. He had eventually made landfall on the far side of the island, not wanting to draw unwanted attention.
"I shouldn't linger," he admitted.
Packing away the Extreme Gear, Geoffrey stashed the case away behind a nearby boulder. Checking his wrist-mounted crossbow, the government agent began hauling himself up the hillside. Darkness permeated the woodlands, stretching across the island and providing him with plenty of camouflage. Venturing into the undergrowth, the Skunk headed off in the direction of where he had seen a sprawling mansion.
"5:14am," he said, checking his wristwatch, "Getting here took longer then anticipated. With any luck no one will be up at this hour."
Trudging through the foliage, the Skunk entered a large valley and immediately heard a voice.
"Not bad, Draug. I couldn't have done it better myself."
Peering through the thick foliage, Geoffrey discovered a naked youngster standing atop the trunk of a fallen tree. Despite the boy's humanoid appearance, the amethyst colouration of the youngster's skin wasn't. The same could be said about his pointed ears and thickly muscled tail, making it more then apparent that the child wasn't human.
"Really?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.
"Soon enough you'll be hunting with the best of them," the unseen voice said.
Dropping down from his perch, the toddler approached a nearby tree and placed his bow onto the ground. As he went about relieving himself, a boy with spiky black hair and a monkey-tail stepped into view. Dressed in only a loincloth, he immediately went about gathering the arrows which had been left discarded on the ground.
"Shall we head back, little brother?"
Having finished relieving himself, the youngster retrieved his bow and promptly approached the older boy.
"Can we go swimmin'?" the youngster asked.
"We shouldn't dawdle, not when we've got guests at home."
Geoffrey saw the scowl that appeared on they youngster's face, causing the monkey-tailed boy to sigh in response. Wandering out of sight, Geoffrey did a thirty second countdown before emerging from the bushes. He wanted to ensure that they weren't lingering nearby, and to his relief found that he was alone.
"I'd best create some distance," he stated.
Not wanting to potentially cross paths with them again, he immediately disappeared back into the surrounding foliage.