A Task that Almost Wrong

Rad blinked a few times as he stood on the edge of the forest, refocusing his eyes and glancing around to ensure that Edmond had carried out his orders. And, of course, he did. Edmond knew the dangers that lurked if he let his guard down, even for a moment.

Satisfied, Rad nodded and walked towards the dark forest he had been eyeing earlier. Once certain that no one was watching, Rad began to run. He ran so fast that his body seemed like a fleeting shadow. Rad's body was agile, effortlessly leaping, ducking, and weaving through the trees at a speed seemingly impossible for a human.

The dark night ensured that no one would see Rad, and he focused solely on finding the source of the scent that disturbed his senses.

Rad descended a hill and moved downstream of the river near the campsite. It didn't take long before the scent he was tracking became stronger. He stopped after leaping onto a large rock by the river, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

Despite the clouds obscuring the moonlight, Rad easily spotted three figures swiftly moving towards him from the forest.

"Stop right there!" Rad didn't shout or yell. He spoke casually, as if having a normal conversation, yet the three individuals heard him despite the distance of more than ten meters.

Their three pairs of legs halted, but not entirely. They walked more slowly toward Rad. There were two men and one woman. Rad recognized two of them, while the third man was unknown to Rad.

"Are you alone, Radford? Is this scent from your group?" One of the men, Flan, stepped forward and asked. Rad knew him from previous encounters; he was close to Nox.

"Yes. They are with me. Do not approach any further," Rad replied, keeping his gaze fixed on Flan.

Although Astrid, Nox's daughter, was part of the group, Flan seemed to lead them.

"Hmm. This is disappointing. Your source should have given a more complete report. Our journey has been in vain." Flan's tone was disappointed, but his expression remained neutral as he turned to the other man.

"Sorry. I only detected a strong, unfamiliar scent. I had no idea he would be there," the unknown man said, regretful but maintaining a composed demeanor.

Rad sighed inwardly; he might have caught Bree's scent and been tempted. The scent was indeed troublesome. Regardless, Rad wouldn't allow any of them to approach Bree any further.

"I don't understand why you need to undertake this journey. The supplies I send are never insufficient, are they?" Rad rebuked, starting to sound irritated.

"It's just a hunting sport to flex our muscles." Flan expalian while smiling.

"Lions or deer would do if that's what you want. We would lose if you recklessly hunted humans again. And you know that!" Rad's tone became a bit harsh, but Flan just smiled again. He nodded, acknowledging the point.

"I understand, Radford. No need to be angry," Flan said, raising his hand and gesturing for Rad to calm down.

"I hope you don't take these rules lightly, as it will threaten our future." Rad maintained his serious tone, not wanting Flan to feel too close to him. His dislike for Nox had transferred to Flan.

"Alright. I get it. I know." Flan nodded while exhaling.

"How are you?" Another, softer voice greeted Rad from the side of Flan. Astrid stepped forward, waving at Rad. Astrid's dark blond, curly hair shimmered in the wind as she walked, her blue eyes still visible in the darkness.

"Fine," Rad replied briefly.

"Speaking of the rules I have to abide by, Nox discussed the task you have to fulfill," Flan said.

Rad grumbled internally. He didn't want to discuss this with anyone right now, especially not with Flan.

"And then?" Rad didn't react much, as he didn't want to create problems.

"I just want to remind you to complete the task as soon as possible." Flan smiled briefly.

Rad refrained from commenting much, as he didn't want to create more issues. "I'll do it. Just tell Nox," Rad said.

"Alright, but don't mess it up again! Did you marry the wrong girl, huh?" Flan's flat expression seemed pleased when mentioning Rad's mistake.

"I didn't marry the wrong girl! The girl Nox mentioned rejected me. I helped her switch to another Donovan. At least she's still a Donovan, right?" Rad retorted.

Flan nodded.

"True, but it was close. You should have insisted on marrying Nox's choice. Fortunately, Donovan has two daughters to choose from," Flan shrugged.

"Enough! Moreover, marriage is not important in the grand scheme of things," Astrid interjected.

"Just finish the task and be done with it," Astrid continued, looking at Rad.

Rad remained silent, exchanging glances with them.

"We better go back. Flan raised his hand, grabbed Astrid's shoulder, and signaled her to turn around, indicating that there was nothing to be done at this location.

"Don't approach any more unfamiliar human scents! Stick to what I sent for you." Rad gave a final warning, and Flan waved his hand before turning around. Soon, they ran and disappeared back into the forest.

Rad sighed in relief, but his eyes still followed them until they completely vanished. Making sure they wouldn't return to the campsite.

Only after being certain did Rad turn and run back towards the campsite.

***

"Are you alright? Is anyone injured?" Campy welcomed Rad upon his return to the camp.

Rad shook his head. "They just wanted to say hello."

Campy let out a breath of relief.

"Tell this to Edmond. Keep the guard up, but reduce the numbers. It's fine."

Campy bowed and hurried off to find Edmond, while Rad took a deep breath. He prepared to enter the tent to sheathe his sword.

There were no sharp glances welcoming him because Bree had fallen asleep. Rad glanced briefly at where Bree lay, then noticed a fallen blanket near her sleeping place.

Initially, Rad wanted to ignore it, but then he heard a faint moan and felt his legs draw closer. Rad bent down to pick up the blanket without uttering a word.

"Go away!"

Rad furrowed his brow, looking at Bree, when he heard that. Surprisingly, Bree was still muttering the same words after all this time. Bree's hands waved with dismissive gestures, her face covered in sweat despite the chilling air inside the tent.

"What are you dreaming about?" Rad mumbled while wiping Bree's forehead.

The cool touch brought a slight relief to Bree's breathing.

"Go away!" Bree still shooed him away, but her voice was quieter.

"Do you want to shoo everyone around you?" Rad murmured. In doing so, he made a mistake.

Because along with the murmur came a tone of complaint, and Rad unintentionally took a long breath.

"Fuck!" Rad cursed under his breath and jumped away.

But the sweet scent had already penetrated his nostrils. Rad continued to step back to find fresh air, and he was grateful he hadn't lowered the tent cover. The outside breeze helped neutralize Bree's scent.

However, Rad didn't completely step outside. For a moment, he stood at the door, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing. Slowly but surely, taking deep breaths while trying to maintain his sanity.

Rad was practicing so that he could breathe better around Bree. It wasn't for Bree's sake. He should be practicing to carry out his duties. But for some reason, in his imagination, there was only Bree crying.

Rad didn't want to see those tears, and he hoped that by breathing better when near her, Bree wouldn't cry again.

"Is this necessary?" Rad complained after realizing how strange his reasons were. He shouldn't care if Bree cried or not.

She wasn't important. Bree wasn't important... She shouldn't be important.