Into the fire

This was a shark on legs. A fat one but alright. For a moment he felt scared, which was completely normal. You wouldn’t jump into the water when there was a shark in there. You safely waited in the boat until it swam by and then stabbed your harpoon as deep as possible. The advantage of being higher up then the shark so you could push down, was now taken away because they were on land. See, that’s why the sea was just way much better than land. Romeo dodged the first attack, barely. But he wouldn’t let the boar surprise him for a second time. He pushed away the shock, ignored the fear that was rushing through his body and tried to turn it into the strength he needed to kill this thing.

When it charged again, he twisted his harpoon a bit before tightening his grip. The ground was trembling under the weight of the beast, and he could swear his heartbeat was syncing up with the pounding of his hooves. His gaze was fixed on the neck of the beast, and when it was close enough, he just took a step aside this time instead of jumping. While the boar ran past him, he stretched himself out and then rammed the harpoon into it, aiming for the spot right behind his head. The barbed point sank into the neck, but his skin was much more tough than he had anticipated.

Eventually he had to let go of the harpoon, as the boar jerked it out of his hands. Now he was sort of unarmed, even though he still had his sword, but the beast wasn’t dead yet. Instead, he had angered it even more. It shook its head violently, trying to get rid of the harpoon. It didn’t work because of the way the tip was shaped. So it turned back to him, the one that caused the pain. Romeo unsheathed his sword, still not planning on dying here today.

Who had come up with this idea anyways? How did he always manage to get himself in situations like this one. Hunting was supposed to be them hunting on a prey, not the other way around. This boar wouldn’t even get a meal out of him, but he wanted him dead regardless. Probably because of the harpoon that was sticking out of its back right now. Shouldn’t have done that. It was a rookie mistake. He had hunted a land animal like he would hunt a sea creature. And it hadn’t worked out. A bit uncertain he clenched his fingers around the hilt of his sword, wondering if the blade would even slice through the thick fur. If he wanted to make a chance, he should try to stab it. But how? The beast was massive and just too fast for him to pick a clean target. His weapon was also a bit too short. He’d have to come way too close to his licking if he wanted to properly stab it deep enough to reach its vital organs.

And then finally Raccoon decided to ‘help’ him. Quickly he turned his head when he heard her voice, long enough to realise she was throwing her spear but definitely not long enough so the boar could surprise him. He picked up the spear that had landed perfectly right next to him. But now what? He knew how to throw knives, but a spear? Besides, would he be able to throw hard enough to pierce the skin if the harpoon barely had? Slowly Romeo backed up, a plan forming in the back of his head. A crazy plan, maybe even an insane one.. But those were the ones that mostly worked out in some kind of way. So he knelt down in front of a tree, planted the end of the shaft firmly against the bark and waited for another charge.

”Come on you stupid landlubber”, He shouted at the beast, who wouldn’t understand his words but at least it grabbed its attention. It let out another yell and charged forward. Luckily it wasn’t at full speed yet when it finally came close enough for Romeo to lift the spear head slightly. The boar eventually ran the spear through its own body. The tree made sure the beast didn’t simply push him back. The only problem was the immense weight that now rested on the wooden shaft. And the boar didn’t stop. It just kept running. Romeo felt a sharp tearing feeling when the spear shattered in pieces and one of the splinters cut his side. A yelp of pain left his mouth, and he tried to roll away from what was causing the pain. That kind of saved him from being crushed by the boar’s dying body though, so it was a blessing in disguise.

The second spear had pierced the boar all the way through, and it didn’t even make a sound anymore when it rolled over to its side. Romeo, on the other hand, made a lot of noise. He let out some curse words that shouldn’t be repeated but the fact he was so vocal about it made clear it wasn’t a deadly wound. Warm blood was seeping through his shirt and he finally took it off to see the damage. It was a shallow cut along his ribs, and it was bleeding hard but nothing really alarming. The young man got up and started cursing again while he walked over to his horse. He opened one of the bags that were strapped to his back and took out a flask of rum. With his teeth he took out the cork and spat it out, after which he took a few gulps. After that, he poured a fair amount of the liquor on the wound. Again he let out a grunt of pain. He strongly clenched his jaw for a minute before turning to Raccoon again. ”So, how did I do?” He asked her, forcing a grin around his lips.

At last it was over. Not a moment too soon honestly, the boar was actually overpowering him in this weird ‘battle’. Never in a million years would he expect animals like this one existed. And he had seen a lot of creatures he’d rather erase from his memory. The sea was harbouring the most frightening monsters he had ever seen. The difference was he was standing on the deck of a ship, the wood separating the threat from him. This boar had come close, way too close. He had felt its last breath on his bare skin. It was actually a clean kill. Less messy than his first attempt. The only downside was he was wounded. Nothing he wouldn’t survive though. It was just unfortunate, and a little bit annoying. The alcohol burned when he poured it over the wound, but now at least it wouldn’t infect that easily.

When he turned back to Raccoon to ask how she had assessed his test, she walked over to him. “Show me your darn wound.” She demanded. A bit surprised he fixed her with his amber eyes. ”It’s just a scratch”, He replied. It was not like she could do something about it. It had to heal on its own. Maybe he could bandage it up later, but for now he’d just have to ignore the pain. “You THROW the spear, you bloody ballsack. Don’t take risks like that.” She then decided to lecture him. Romeo took another sip from the flask, waiting until she was finished talking. “You’ll get yourself killed.” She continued. It was quiet for a moment while he observed her.

”First of all, why would you care?” He asked her, his head tilted slightly to the right. ”Second, I didn’t get myself killed. So it wasn’t that much of a risk after all”, He commented. It had turned out quite alright. The boar was dead, and no one got extremely hurt. It would make a good pelt as well. He would probably keep it for himself honestly, instead of selling it. He had worked hard for it after all.

Frankly he didn’t understand the fuss she was making about all this. Leaving the safety of your home automatically meant you could lose your life every day. Life outside the cities was dangerous. Yet here he was. This lifestyle was the one he had chosen and the one he would stand by until the end. If that end came soon than so it would. As long as he had some fighting spirit left, he would postpone that day. If there was one thing certain about his life, it was that he wouldn’t give up without a fight. Honestly from his point of view she was exaggerating. Sending him to a doctor? ”You’re being dramatic”, He huffed. If they got back, he’d get the pelt he deserved and return to his ship. He had been in this mad jungle for long enough now.

First he wanted to figure out why she was so over-protective though. “I don’t think your crew would let me off if I brought back your body.” She replied. Romeo chuckled amused. ”Oh no, they’d thank you if you brought it back, so they can give me a proper burial. They’d be mad if you left me out here”, He said with a grin. “Let’s just get this thing back before it attracts something that’s ACTUALLY dangerous,” She then proposed, and he nodded. ”What do you call this by the way?” He asked, as he walked over to the lifeless body.

With a sickening sound he pulled out his harpoon, while he grunted a bit because of the pain in his side. What was left of her spear could stay in, for now. ”I’m sorry about your spear”, He decided to say. Normally he didn’t say sorry for anything but this one he would take the blame for. Romeo took his horse by his reins and pulled it closer to the dead boar. He got a bit nervous, but after a soft tap on his neck he calmed down again. ”I think we’ll have to tie it to your horse too”, He mentioned, while he took a rope out of one of the bags. Rope and booze, pretty standard pirate gear. What else would a man need, right? Maybe a spare shirt would be neat, as it wasn't that warm beneath these trees in the shadows but hey, he wasn't the type to complain.

Dramatic and above all stubborn. He wouldn’t visit her damn doctor even if he was bleeding to death. “You’re getting your pelt after we visit the doc. He’ll just clean it up so it won’t get infected on your way home.” She insisted. Romeo chuckled amused. He held up the flask, shaking it so the liquid inside was audible. "It won't get infected, trust me. This is how we do it at sea and it never failed me", He explained. Honestly it was quite confusing how it worked. Drinking a liquid that was strong enough to kill bacteria? Couldn’t be healthy for his stomach but it didn’t do any harm either.

When he mentioned his crew members would be happier if she brought his dead body, she frowned. “Well, the other way around you’d have a bigger issue,” She replied with a sigh. The young man shrugged lightly. ”I’m used to dealing with issues”, He simply said. Why did she constantly give the impression she thought he couldn’t handle himself? Meanwhile he walked over to the dead beast, asking what the fuck it was. “And 't is nothin', just a boar,” She said. ”Boar.. Hmm”, He echoed, poking the thing with the tip of his harpoon.

In a few seconds he tied the rope around the neck of the ‘boar’. When he got up to tie it to his horse, she suddenly snapped at him. Right after she jumped on her horse. “We have to get out of here,” She continued, and this time he knew it was serious. No joking around. He didn’t even question why, he just got on his horse, dropping the rope. A perfectly fine rope. Good quality as well. He urged the horse with his heels, and as it was already nervous, he almost jumped forward. She was riding fast and he struggled to keep his balance. When he caught up with her a bit he dared to glance back. Something huge was following them, and it was not far behind. ”Is it another boar?” He shouted. Not knowing what was going on, losing control, made him feel horrible. So she’d better explain at some point or he’d freak out for sure.

Storming off without an explanation to what the hell was going on. One of the reasons he was following her, was because she looked startled. Like something was wrong. And he didn’t want to be stuck out here by himself. It would be impossible for him to find back his way to civilisation without her. Or what she would describe as civilisation, that was. When he was catching up, he asked her what this all was about. It wasn’t a boar, apparently. She suddenly stopped and he almost ran into her. His horse was so nervous, he had a hard time keeping control over it. “I don’t know… where he is,” He heard her mutter. It was annoying him even more. He wanted to ask what she meant but then she shot him an almost desperate look. “Please, come.”

Why was she acting so damn weird? His stubborn side was taking over and he was about to refuse, but then he heard something breaking through the trees. A heartbeat later it reached the spot they were standing in, and now he understood why Raccoon was looking so scared. Because now he felt it too. It growled at them and his horse tensed up beneath him. “Follow me,” She commanded, and right after she ran off again. His horse needed some more encouragement, as it only started running when the savage looking monster bared its teeth, ready to attack. The horse bucked and he had to hold on for dear life. Luckily the flight-reflex was kicking in and it blindly followed the other horse in a wild race to safety.

It was a good thing he had learned how to ride a horse properly thanks to how much he travelled. Some of his crew members wouldn’t even know how to get on one. He would always prefer standing on a ship in a wild storm over a bucking horse. Somehow he had adjusted to that, and it was very rare for him to fall over when the ship was rolling heavily because of the waves. A horse was more unpredictable. Silently he thanked the Drowned God he could cling on to it anyways, as they were storming off. A frustrated roar echoed through the woods when they got away from the monster. It would surely come after them, but for now they were safe for a little while longer. Romeo held the reins loosely in his hands, letting it run wherever it thought was the best route, as he followed Raccoon. Hopefully she had figured out some kind of plan.

Because he had no idea where they were, let alone where they were going. The trees all looked the same to him, and if someone would tell they were running in circles, he would probably believe it. The intense ride was quickly tiring him out, as he tried to stay on the horse while it was running. The wound on his side had started bleeding again, because the skin was moving all the time. By the time Raccoon finally stopped, he felt slightly dizzy. “I don’t think he’s following us anymore,” She concluded, after which she got down from her horse. He did the same, although he held on to the horse to make sure he didn’t fall. Carefully he touched his side, noticing how it was still wet with blood. It better dry up soon. He didn’t want to attract any more predators. He had enough for today.

When she lit a torch, he looked away from the sudden bright source of light. “We’re not going to be able to go back to the village tonight.” She mentioned, and he was a bit surprised. ”You want to stay outside?” He asked her, on a tone that indicated how crazy that plan was. They had done a lot of crazy things today, but this one topped everything.

The most annoying thing was the endless rows of trees and brush. Like a wall of green and leaves you couldn’t get through. He had never felt so lost in his life as now. One time he had been stuck in a snow storm somewhere in Falkreath, but he could stay inside and wait until it was over. No reason to try and navigate through the curtain of white. At sea, navigating was quite easy as well. He was no professional navigator and he would never know all the little tricks, but at least he could somehow figure out the general location of the Shark by looking at the stars. Even when it was clouded, they would always find their way. At least they wouldn’t be enclosed by trees while out at sea. That was the worst part. He felt like the green was closing in on him, which was almost suffocating.

For no amount of gold in the world would he stay outside this night. Luckily she had other plans. “We’re heading to Mother’s Watch.” She announced, after they had mounted their horses again and started walking. ”Mother’s Watch? Never heard of it”, He commented. “We should be closer to there by now anyhow,” She mentioned. He nodded slowly. At this point he didn’t really care anymore. As long as they got out of these damned woods. ”How far are we from the sea?” He then asked, not only curious but also somewhat nervous. It felt weird not to hear the familiar sound of waves crashing on the shore.