The following days, Harker, Joan, Blank and little Ahanu had traveled around in search of the bodyguards. At night, they would rest and hide at the nearest cave and enclosures, then continue their travels under the protective light of the sun.
Harker knew that due to their loyalty, the bodyguards wouldn't leave this mountain that easily. They may have even informed Roland already about their disappearance to send more men to look for them. The best case scenario would be that they're out there, searching for more than 2 months.
Obviously, the worst case scenario was that the wendigos had got to them during their search.
The bodyguards were only human after all. Not only were they no match to these giant cannibals, they were susceptible to the diseases from staying in this snowy area and other factors like hunger and thirst, fatigue and loss of morale.
They lost two of their men in such a grotesque way, and they had to spend every night being alert and in fear of what may jump down from the tall pine trees. Such paranoia can cause anyone to go mad. They also lost the very person they were told to protect.
Without the DNA of the monsters, Harker would have to eat specific types of animals if he wanted to regain that bit of enhanced senses. Specifically large predators like wolves and bears that could maybe give him sharp claws and fangs at least.
Which reminded him…..
"Mina….." He muttered, smoke coming out of his mouth from the condensation.
Professor Seward heard this, and sighed. "Your girlfriend needed your DNA, right? Will she be okay for 2 months without it?"
"I hope so….. But it's unlikely she was. I can only hope she found some body of water to hide in."
"What is DNA?" Blank asked.
Ahanu simply watched his surroundings while on his brother's horse with his usual wide grin.
"It's…. complicated to explain for people that don't know much about science. Basically, it is the structure in our genes, the one that determines our traits." Professor Seward tried to explain as simply as she could. "Genes are passed down from generations, that is why the offspring often share traits with the parent."
"Oh, I see. This DNA is why I have my white father's eyes, right?" Blank concluded.
"Yes."
"Then why does his 'girlfriend' need his DNA? Would you need it too, since you're also his girlfriend?" Blank said.
Joan reddened. "W-Why would you think that? I look much older than him."
"Not really. And besides, it is not the appearance that mattered in love. Though I can't say much, because I barely felt it back when I was in that Indian residential school."
"You had a crush back in school?" Harker asked.
Blank looked away. "For a short while. But it is not meant to be, the teachers would forbid it and call it sinful according to their Christian doctrines."
Harker nodded. "That's sad. You should be allowed to like whoever you like. Even the teachers controlled that? What a bunch of assholes."
Blank cleared his throat to stop himself from choking. "Anyway, I thought that you and this woman had the same thing that was between me and my beloved. That yearning that lingers in the air like the sparks of light when they blur the vision."
Harker doesn't know why his face also felt hot from him saying that. "I… Well, that must be your imagination. You see, I treat Miss Joan here like a mentor or possibly a friend that you can throw jabs with."
Joan noticed now that he had called her by her name instead, but didn't point it out. She simply blushed even deeper.
"I see." Blank rubbed his chin. "But if you did change your mind as you get to know her, you'd also see her as a 'girlfriend', right?"
Harker shook his head. "As long as Mina does not allow it herself, I can only have one girlfriend. And it's very unlikely that she would."
Blank then clapped. "Ah, then you just need to have this Mina's permission, right? I thought it was something like those Christian whites said where they didn't want to find another because 'a man has only one heart and so could only give it to one woman'."
Harker scratched the back of his neck. "It's more complicated than that, you don't know Mina like I do. And I really don't have any feelings for—"
Ahanu suddenly took Joan's scarf, and tossed it far away to be carried by the wind.
"Hey!" Joan exclaimed at the kid who just laughed heartily.
Harker quickly ran to grab it, even though it got stuck on a pine tree and he had to jump up to get it. Then, he ran all the way back to return it to his former professor.
"Here you go. That little brat sure is a prankster, huh?" Harker said.
Blank and Ahanu just shared a look, and the two brothers just started laughing incessantly. Harker blinked, even though deep down, he knew what they were laughing about. It was just better to act ignorant to these kinds of things.
They soon suddenly reached a clearing, and Harker realized that this place….
It was where he burned the trees to defeat the wendigos, and he also spotted the cave nearby. He rushed into the entrance, calling out.
"Hello!?? Is anybody there!??"
There was no response. Harker thought about going further, but also feared that this may be where the wendigos were hiding during the day. He and Joan had lost the flamethrower after being hit by that creature's hand. There wasn't much fuel left in it to be useful anyway.
Harker told Blank the description of the giant man-deer creature, and asked if it was familiar to him. He also revealed that it was the reason why they were sent flying hundreds of meters away from their group, and that it seemed to be close to the wendigos.
Blank frowned. "I don't know much about creatures, actually. I only knew about the wendigos because the tribe told me. Even Ahanu knows more about these things than I do."
He went to speak with his little brother about this monster, and the little boy listened carefully, losing his smile. He then looked at Harker with a grave expression, which was unsettling since he was always laughing and being cheeky all the time.
He then pointed at the trees, and said some words. Blank's expression also turned grave at this.
Joan nervously crossed her arms. "What did he say?"
"He said…. He said that you may have angered the guardian spirit of these mountains by destroying his home. And so the only way to appease him would be to spill your blood."
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