Rise Of The Hunters - Chapter 46

“Is there a rule that I have to sleep in the compound?” asked Xun. He was tired of this.

“No, there isn’t,” said Max, glaring at Lisa.

“So, you haven’t been returning each night?” she continued, ignoring Max as if she was warming up to attack him again.

“My job, as ȧssigned by you, was to explore and patrol the valley around the compound for any possible dangers or to report game for the hunters and fishers. If I was to return each night, I would be wasting a huge amount of time traveling back and forth to the compound. Also, most things that would be dangerous are more easily spotted at night, when they would be most active.” His voice was cold, but he was able to keep from screaming at her stupidity.

“The boy’s right, Lisa. Why are you continuing to antagonize him?” asked Jerome, just as puzzled about her line of questioning as Max was.

“Every other person who lives in this compound has to follow the rules concerning where they sleep and how much they can eat, for the good of the compound. Why does he get to circumvent those rules?” Her voice could have lit a fire.

“Lisa, does this have anything to do with your son not being able to meet his quota of game for the week?” mused Jerome.

Max looked like he was about to say something before Jerome jumped in, but after his words, Max leaned back in his chair thoughtfully.

“How do we know that he isn’t hunting and eating the game that our hunters are supposed to bring back to the compound? We are supposed to contribute to the compound as a whole, but I fail to see that he is providing enough to warrant him being a part of this compound.”

“I think Jerome is right. Your son has you miffed about Xun,” said Max in wonder.

Lisa bristled at his words but Jerome spoke up.

“If you wish to join Mary and be kicked off the leadership council, all you have to do is ask. You don’t have to make up some petty reason to push blame on someone else. We all know that your son would rather stand in front of a mirror and mess with his hair then go out and hunt. We also know that your son is not a very good hunter, often trying to claim ownership of whatever game him and his friends bring in.

“Xun has done nothing to warrant the angst you are laying on him. We have given him an almost impossible job for his age, and I believe he has done a wonderful job. I refuse to sit back and let you continue.

“Xun,” Jerome turned to him as Lisa sat back fuming. “I find no fault in anything you are doing, that is known by this council. All of the information that you have reported is acceptable per the requirements of your job. Thank you for your contribution, and we look forward to hearing a report from you next week if nothing of immediate need arises.”

Xun nodded, and left the auditorium. Lisa never stopped staring at him until he was out of her line of sight. Stepping outside, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He wondered if the three boys were trying to cause trouble for him because he was Hayden’s friend. As annoying as it was, at least Max and Jerome were on his side and understood what was happening.

He stood there for a moment, scanning his surroundings, as he thought about the report he had just given, when he realized a large number of people who were walking by were smiling at him and saying hi. He had been nodding at them without thinking about it, acknowledging them as they passed. Why were so many people so friendly towards him? It couldn’t be because of the werewolf, could it?

As he noticed more and more people making the effort to walk by him, he decided he needed to move. Without thinking, he headed to the cafeteria. He was a little hungry and it wouldn’t hurt to see if any of his friends were there.

Unfortunately, he didn’t see them. As he walked over to get in line to grab something, someone opened the door heading down to Bob’s bar on their way out. He changed his mind on getting in line. Max had said he could go to Bob’s bar all he wanted after the werewolf attack.

Slipping in to a seat at the bar, Bob slid a drink in front of him with a wink and went to see to a couple on the other side of the room from him. The drink was the shake he had enjoyed so much the last time he was here. How did Bob know he was coming down? Surely, he hadn’t had enough time to make it just from the time he had come down the stairs?

Shaking his head in confusion, he decided to enjoy his drink, savoring each cold bite. Just as he finished the drink, a plate was put down in front of him. He looked up in confusion, and Bob chuckled.

“Heard you were having some trouble with the leaders,” Bob said, picking up a glass to shine with a towel.

Xun looked down at the food on his plate. It consisted of small quantities of all of the things he enjoyed. Impressed in spite of himself, he picked up his fork.

“It’s like they keep changing their minds about what they want.” He took a bite. The food tasted better then he remembered.

“My experience with them, taught me that the less you have to actually deal with them, the better off you are. They like to look for scapegoats.”

Xun nodded. He chewed and thought about that. If he didn’t have to see them, the better off he would be. The only problem was that if there was an emergency, he would have to report sooner than the once a week schedule they had dictated.