Chapter 20: "Big brother is strong..."
He believed that the boy,as a level three summon,the common rank beasts were no match for him, despite his age and small build.
As for Gemini,he watched Leo disappear between the trees.
His small body stiff with a mix of awe and fear.
To the boy,the forest felt emptier without Leo’s presence.
Every rustle of leaves, every distant birdcall, made him flinch.
"This must be a test..."
The boy sighed as he slang his bow.
"Hope the heavens my side..."
Gemini prayed as he replayed the earlier battle in his mind.He did not fully understand why, but somehow he had survived the fight alongside Leo. And he had helped, in his own small way.
"Big brother is strong..."
Gemini had a proud look as he crouched low and carefully began gathering the items Leo had told him to collect,there were two sets of fangs, the pair of thick hides, and the eighty pounds of meat.
"He took those two shiny pebbles..."
Gemini did not understand why Leo valued some things more than others.
"How am I going to carry all this meat .."
Leo’s orders were clear,he had instructed him to bring everything back to the hideout,and though he had the strength,he lacked the means.
"I will divide the meat into two..."
Gemini’s idea was to divide the meat into two,tie each pile with a hide and some vines.
He would then deliver the first bundle, before returning for the rest.
As for securing the second bundle,the pitfall would be a save place.
With clumsy fingers,Gemini fumbled over the slippery meat and rough hide. His small hands worked quickly, but he kept checking over his shoulder.
"What if a beast comes back...?"
If there was one thing that Gemini had learnt from observing Leo, staying alert,was a key component to survival.
As the boy tied up the two bundles,his mind wandered to his own ability.
"Replicate..."
The boy had observed that every time he copied a tool or an item, it felt as if his hands remembered what to do better the next time. The first time had been clumsy,the arrows were bent,the stones chipped,but now, with practice, he was not just faster but also smoother and more precise.
He understood that if he wanted to improve his ability,he had to repeatedly replicate items.
"I have to grow strong as to help big brother..."
Gemini resolved as he picked up one of the bundles,dumped it in the pitfall before covering it up.
"Good as new..."
Leo dusted his hands and picked up the remaining bundle,threw it over his shoulder and started walking toward the hideout.Each step was cautious; he stayed low, weaving between trees and boulders, making himself as small and quiet as possible.
As for the forest seemed alive, almost aware of him moving through it.
"If only big brother could see me now..."
Gemini thought,he had resulted to referring to Leo as big brother, though not to his face .
To him,Leo despite being older than him by three years,depicted the image of valor, strength,confidence and bravery. Gemini always felt a flicker of pride whenever he looked at Leo.
Minutes later,the hideout was finally in sight.
Though his oegs ached from carrying the meat and hide, but he pushed forward.
Every muscle in his small body was tense, ready to react if something appeared.
"Almost there..."
Gemini exhaled as he reached the base of the abnormally huge tree.
He placed the bundle down and went to clear the branches and logs covering the hideout.
"I need to rest .."
Gemini thought as he carried the bundle inside the hideout and found a stone to seat on. He looked around as he caught his breath.
"It’s quite full in here..."
The hideout was filled with all kinds of items,from logs,cut wood,cut stones, vegetable baskets,piles of meat,jars ,hides and so on. Leo had organized everything into their storage area.
He had previously showed him, how to stack everything carefully so that nothing would roll or spill. Each movement was deliberate, each task done with care.
"I should eat something..."
The boy reached for a basket of fruit closest to him and dug out a bunch of bananas. He had at first thought of having one of his pancakes,but decided against it,as the pancakes were for later.
As he munched on the Gemini recalled Leo’s words.
"With your current strength, you can outrun most of the common rank beasts..."
"I will be nearby..."
The memory brough a small smile on his face,as he felt half relief, half prideful.
He had managed it. On his own,now all that was left was head out there for the second bundle.
By the time he finished the bananas, he felt more rested
"I better hurry so I can help big brother with the pool..."
The boy made sure that everything was piled neatly before leaving. He had added a few more arrows to his quiver and checked his stone knife.
"This is lighter than before..."
The boy weighed the stone blade on his hand before swinging it a couple times and sheathing it.
"I am getting stronger..."
The boy smiled as he used the fallen branches to disguised the entrance.
"All is good..."
With one final look,the boy rashed back.
Though he appeared small,he was quite agile.
Along the way,his ears remained sharp,as Leo’s reminder kept playing in his mind.
"Almost there..."
The boy had to slow down as he approached the pitfall. He had been running for close to an hour, jumping over fallen branches and ducking under branches all while avoiding the thorns.
"These leather pants are quite uncomfortable..."
The boy had stopped besides the concealed pit and was currently taking deep breaths as he adjusted his leather pants.
"Time to head back..."
After catching his breath,the boy pulled out the second bundle from the pit fall trap and concealed it.
He had just hoisted the bundle on his shoulder when he heard.
Though subtle,his ears picked up the sound of a crackling twig coming from the trees behind him.
