Rise Of The Hunters - Chapter 59

“My father placed this mark on all of his children.” Gerald seemed confused by his question.

“What does it mean? May I see it closer?” asked Xun.

Jerome and Max were so confused by this strange turn of events, they didn’t say anything.

He came up to the table and showed the inside of his forearm to Xun. It looked like a star with four points and several lines coming out from it. It was almost identical to the one his dad had. He remembered it clearly.

“I was told that it was a mark that signified belonging to my family. No one else, not even those adopted, were allowed to have this mark. All of my children received it when they were born and all of my siblings placed it on their children.”

“My father had a mark kind of like that…” Xun took a piece of paper and drew the mark he remembered. It was more of a cross than a star, but it still had the lines coming out of it.

“That looks like another family mark. I would have to consult the family lineage book to know for sure.”

Xun was thrilled. The thought of learning more about his dad, and maybe his mom overwhelmed him.

“I will travel with you to this city if you will tell me all you can about my father. He died when I was eight.”

“If your father had this mark, then he should have marked you. Do you know of any?”

Xun thought about his question, leaning back in his chair. He was pointedly ignoring Jerome and Max. It was interesting that just a short while ago, he had been intimidated by them, and now, he was ignoring them because he didn’t think they were as important at the moment.

“Is it possible he could have marked me in a place I can’t see?” asked Xun, tentatively.

Gerald thought about that, and then responded, “Maybe on your buŧŧ? If the babe is too small when it’s born, we’ve had to resort to marking their buŧŧ. I remember one of my sister’s claimed she would mark her children on their back. I told her I didn’t like poking a needle that close to the spine, but she was confident she wouldn’t hurt them.”

“Well, let’s see, Xun!” exclaimed Max. His eyes were shining as if he was having a grand time. “Take off your shirt, and let us see if you have a mark on your back!”

Xun looked at him as if he was crazy, but Max just grinned and waved him on. Glancing at Jerome, who just smiled and shook his head as if he wasn’t getting involved, he finally gave in and stood up. Pulling up his shirt, making sure not to show too much of his ribs, and turning around, he heard several people gasp.

“Be still while I sketch that,” said Gerald hastily as the sound of pencil on paper drifted to Xun’s ears. “Alright, I think I got it.”

“Looks about right to me,” added Max as Xun lowered his shirt and turned around.

The drawing looked like someone combined the two marks.

“My sister left when she hit ȧduŀthood, after she had an argument with dad. She claimed she would never come back. I never imagined she would have a child with another family.”

Xun stared at this man who could be his mother’s brother. That would mean he had an uncle, and possibly even more family. His throat was dry all of a sudden, so he picked up the cup of water that sat before him. Was he in shock?

“Well, what do you know. Xun has family!” said Max with a laugh, as if the whole thing was funny.

Xun looked at him. Max didn’t care. He didn’t understand the monumental meaning behind this. He hated outsiders beyond what they could provide for him. He wanted to hate the man, but for some reason, he pitied him more.

His eyes slid over to Jerome, and saw something in his eyes. Perhaps he understood, maybe a little.

“I want to get some things set up before we leave.” His voice sounded strange, but Max didn’t seem to notice. He was still chuckling to himself. Jerome nodded though.

“We’ll get people settled. It’ll be annoying, but you can go have your adventure.” Max sat back in his chair again.

It took everything in Xun not to kick his chair and make him fall. He seriously did not like Max at the moment.

“What things did you want to get set up?” asked Jerome. Perhaps he knew how close Max was to getting himself hurt, and was trying to distract Xun?

“These people, who just arrived, know how to hunt and kill the monsters that we have been plagued with. While I am gone, I want them to train the hunters to fight the monsters. Since it is too dangerous to let them go out and hunt, and we have enough food that it would be a waste anyway, I think it would be a good time for them to practice and get better, so that when spring arrives, we’ll be better equipped to handle leaving the compound.”

Jerome nodded. It made sense to him. Max just sighed. He could care less. Xun wondered how he managed to make it on the council to begin with.

“I’ll see to it. That will give the newcomers a job that will benefit us the most, and if they leave, we won’t be hurting for whatever role they had filled.” Jerome made some notes on his paper.

“Can we be ready to leave first thing in the morning?” asked Xun, turning to Gerald who had remained silent throughout this whole time.

Xun could tell the man understood the situation and had chosen to remain quiet. His admiration for him grew by leaps and bounds. He couldn’t wait to get out of the compound and start traveling. Even with the threat of winter, the thought of learning more about his family was making him giddy.