Chapter 58: We shared love and blood
Aric had also not forgotten to go back home in his own world. When he had gone in search of ’treasures and exotic materials,’ he had returned home to eat, thus making sure that his parents didn’t shout at him later for not showing up. At night, too, he had shown up for dinner. His parents weren’t big fans of what they perceived as isolation from Aric, but they could only chalk it up to exhaustion from practice.
Aric also spoke of the body pain he was experiencing as he was exercising for the first time, which was a valid explanation, as the first-time body exercise did bring immense body pain for a few days. After Aric was back at the cave, he started cooking the meat, and the delicious smell of the roasted chicken wafted and filled the entire cave.
Elowen, who had been cold all this time, couldn’t help but side-eye the roasted chicken, and a part of her was happy that she would be able to eat this roasted ’bird’ and not have to share. The smell wouldn’t attract anyone, as the cave, the home of the dead Acolyte hyena, was enough to keep any animal off their trail.
Soon the chicken was ready to eat, and Elowen didn’t waste a second chomping down on the chicken breasts. Aric took small bites as he wasn’t hungry at all. He looked at the unconscious duo on the ground and couldn’t help but feel pity for them.
"That beast was very powerful... I should have tried to help you," Aric spoke in order to show his remorse.
"No. We are lucky to be even alive after what had happened," Elowen said.
"Huh? But it seemed powerful." Aric was confused.
"Hyenas aren’t known for living alone. When we arrived, the hyena had already spotted us but didn’t attack, which meant that the Eclipsian Hyena was either sick, wounded, or pregnant. There was another possibility that it was protecting something. If it was protecting some kind of exotic plant or fruit, it would have never let us set up an ambush. But it did, which meant that the beast wasn’t protecting any precious material. If it was protecting, it would never run after us, and thus we knew that this Hyena wasn’t at its full power. The actions of the Hyena made us believe that it was gravely injured or pregnant, which it was, but we just overestimated our ability," Elowen said.
"You mean to say that the Eclipsian Hyena wasn’t even at its full power?" Aric got the gist of what Elowen was saying. Elowen just nodded her head in approval.