Chapter 3
3 Trevor has the day off so he and Martin can
gather and build supplies for their trip. All he has to do is bring Mr. Watson
a deer. The young man makes a couple of torches out of a bundle of sticks and
dry moss first thing in the morning. It's one of several tricks his father
taught him throughout the years, and it's something he'll be sure to show his
friend. Trevor grabs a couple of leather pouches before heading over to
Martin's house. It wouldn't hurt to bring home plants that are edible and
useful for treating wounds and illnesses. Martin buys two boxes of rifle ammo, and
tries his hardest not to fold back his ears and bare his teeth at the demands
the owner of the store makes. If Mr. Durant, a wolftaur, wants meat to sell,
then he can go out and fetch it himself. Plus the caninetaur's attitude towards
humans is despicable. Martin leaves in disgust. Mr. Durant just had to make a
crude remark regarding his friendship towards Trevor. The coyotetaur would take
his business elsewhere if Cauldron had another store. Martin spots a family of cougartaurs
placing their belongings into a cart, and nods when they ask for Trevor. The
coyotetaur stops by his friend's house and finds it empty. He scratches the
back of his ear. The only place he knows Trevor will be at today is his house,
but even then there's no certainty. He does remember his friend saying he has
the next couple of days off. Martin takes a shortcut and finds Trevor helping
his dad spreading hay in a cart. "Hey Trev, the Mault's want you," Martin
enters his backyard. "You'll see why." "All right," the human jumps out of the
cart. Zues watches his son's friend sprint out of
their yard. "What's going on with them?" "They're leaving, pa. They didn't tell me
where, though," Martin said. "I saw them loading a cart while I came home." "Hm, that's a damn shame, but nothing we
can do about it." "Is this the cart Trev and Willson worked
on? Looks new." "They both put a lot of effort into
repairing it, but I did inform Trevor it's to stay here, and before you say
anything, it's to prevent somebody from stealing it." "Thanks for looking out for him, pa." "He put a lot of work on it, and it's only
fair to make sure it stays safe," Zues spreads around a little bit of hay.
"That should be fine." "What's with the hay?" "Protect your supplies for one, and to soak
up blood." "I'm back. They wanted me to hook up the
harness, and give me some food for our trip," Trevor looks at Zues. "Mr. Mault
says farewell, Mr. Patton." "They could've said that to me before they
left," Martin's dad said. "When you boys leaving?" "Early morning, pa. As the sunrises." "Good. Get a good start on your travel. How
long you two plan on staying away?" "Three to four days. Depends on certain
things." "That should be plenty of time, and be
careful. I shouldn't have to explain why." "We know, pa." "Come inside, there's some things I want to
tell you," Zues said. "You stay put, Trevor." "Yes, sir." Martin licks the tip of his snout. The
information can mean only one thing. The coyotetaur sits by the table. Zues closes the door and looks at his son.
"If trouble is out and about, you make it back, even if it means leaving you
know who behind." "You can't be serious, pa." "I am. I know you two are friends, but your
life as more value than his." "No it don't, pa. His life is as important
as ours." "I don't value his as much as yours. He's
not our concern. Save him if you must, but only if you think you can." "That's what I'm going to do, pa, whether
you like it or not," Martin said. "If he dies, what are we to do if we become
ill? I haven't met an animaltaur who knows what plants cure what." "I'm sure the clinic can train somebody,
but you've got a point," Zues points to the bullets. "Leave a box behind." "Yes, pa. Anything else?" "One. As I said, make sure he doesn't take
home everything. Now go outside, and put on the harness. I want to make sure it
fits." Martin walks outside and informs the human
what he's to do. The coyotetaur puts on the harness and adjusts the shoulder
straps, and looks down as Trevor fastens and tightens the straps that go under
his torso. Everything fits right. Martin helps Trevor hook the harness to the
cart, and grabs the handles. The coyotetaur smiles. It's almost like being at
the farm. His friend tells him he's done. Martin takes a couple of steps
forward. The cart moves without any problems, and his dad seems happy with the
results. The coyotetaur takes off the harness and places it in the cart. Trevor heads home to drop off some of the
food, and to inform his mom where he'll be eating and staying for the night. He
gives her a hug but doesn't say anything. No amount of words will raise her
spirits. The young man grabs his knives and leaves. He returns to Martin's
house in time to see Mrs. Patton put several chickens in the oven. Trevor and Martin spend most of the evening
preparing for their trip. The human makes a few more arrows and sharpens his
knives while the coyotetaur cleans his rifle and shows him how to load it.
Trevor follows Martin into his room after dinner, and massages his under chest.
The coyotetaur closes his eyes and pants happily. Now if only he could receive
this sort of treatment every night. They place their things into the cart at
the crack of dawn, eat a hearty breakfast and leave. Martin and Trevor agree to
take their time heading west-north-west, and know they can always use tomorrow
to travel if they have to. The pair stops several times throughout the day to
give their bodies a chance to cool down, and so Trevor can gather flowers,
leaves and roots. He informs Martin what they cure and how to prepare them
before use. Martin and Trevor come across a lake at
dusk, and agree to stay put for the next couple of days. The human puts away
the harness and goes to work building a fire pit while the coyotetaur gathers
and chops up firewood. Martin lies down and crosses his forelegs, and watches
Trevor shave woodchips off a stick. Everybody in Cauldron could learn a thing
or two from his friend if they would take the time to see what he's capable of
doing. The human place a flint rock by the pile and strikes it with his
hatchet. Sparks ignite the tinder after the tenth hit. Martin tosses some twigs into the fire and
looks at the two moons. It's too early for them to make dinner. The coyotetaur
studies Trevor and grins. There is one thing they can do while the night is
still young. "Know something, Trev? It's been a while
since we had a good frolic." "I don't care. I'm not in the mood." "Well too bad. I am," Martin stands and
pushes his friend with his paw. "Come on. Let's see if you still got it." "Leave me alone, please." "Aw, come on. You're no fun. Besides, I
won't leave you alone until you do what I want you to do." "I said no," Trevor shoves Martin's paw
away. "Now go lie down." "You're in no position to order me around,
human, and if you want me to lie down, you'll have to make me," Martin stands
behind his friend. "Besides, if you don't frolic with me, I'll sit on you and
not let you up until tomorrow." "Right." "Are you calling me bluff?" "What if I am?" "Then I'm afraid you've left me with little
choice, Trev." Martin shoves his friend onto his face,
jumps over him and lowers his rump. He looks between his legs and grins
devilishly. Trevor doesn't want to wrestle, but it appears he doesn't want to
be sat on either. "So you know, Trev, I'll let you up if you
wrestle me." "Fine, you win. Let's wrestle." "That's what I thought, human." Martin turns around in time to see Trevor
jump to his feet, and swings his right foreleg. The human deflects it with
ease. There's no point in attacking his friend with the same move. Next time he
could grab his paw and either twist it, push him back and/or do something
completely different. It's one mistake Martin made a long time ago. The
coyotetaur eyes his opponent and lunges forward. Trevor jumps to the side and waits for
Martin to land before executing his next move. The young man grabs the
coyotetaur's left hind leg, leans into it and then pulls back. He let's go the
moment his friend struggles and jumps back. Terk and Max taught him to always
wait for an animaltaur to make a move, but it doesn't mean he should stand
still. Staying in motion makes it harder for his opponent to land an attack,
and makes it easier for him to jump out of the way. The only thing he has to do
is avoid tripping over his own feet. Neither one receives the upper hand
throughout their match. Trevor dodges every move Martin uses, and counters with
his own whenever possible. Several times the coyotetaur thought he had the
human beat, but his friend would slip out of his grasp. Trevor hasn't had any
luck of knocking Martin off his paws, but he's came close a couple of times.
They've done an excellent job of staying away from the fire and avoiding
knocking each other into the cart. Martin fakes going in one direction and
grins. It's rare for Trevor to fall for a simple trick. The coyotetaur pushes
the human onto his hands and knees with his left foreleg, and stands over him.
He allows Trevor to crawl out from under him before slamming a paw onto his
back. The caninetaur pushes the human around and teases him. He lies on top of
his friend and wags his tail. It's been a while since he won. The coyotetaur
stands, looks between his legs and grins as Trevor crawls out from under him. "It seems you might've lost your touch
there, Trev." "No. I didn't want to hurt you." "What? That never stopped you before." "We're close to Cauldron whenever we
wrestle," Trevor said. "I can't run the risk of injuring you out here." "If that's the case, then I want a
re-match, Trev, and next time don't go easy." "Oh, I won't." "That's the sort of thing I want to hear
from you," Martin wags his tail. "Come on, let's head to the lake wash this
dirt and sweat off." "What about your rifle?" "I know I'm taking a bad risk by doing
this, but I'm going to leave it. Somebody could easily take it if I were to
lean it against a tree and/or worse, I forget about it. Besides," the
coyotetaur sniffs the air, "I don't smell anyone." "They could be downwind from us." "True, but I'd sense their presence once
they're close enough, and way sooner than you." "But-" "Trev, my gun'll be fine. It's hidden in
the cart anyway," Martin pushes his friend and points. "To the lake. Now." "All right, all right. I'm going." "Good," the coyotetaur smiles. "You think
this is a good spot, Trev?" "It can't get any better. We're close to a
water source. We're bound to come across some game." "No, not some. A lot. Let's show the
village we make a good team." "If they don't already know that then
they're fools," Trevor steps into the water and splashes his face. "This is
nice." "It does feel nice after a long day of
traveling," Martin follows his friend. "I agree. They are fools if they think
you can't take down game." "At least my dad proved them wrong with
what he knows." "Yeah, and it's a damn shame my kind would
take everything he brought back." "Mr. Watson and Grey said they'll make sure
that won't happen to me." "I'm certain they won't," Martin scrubs
water under his armpit. "Hey Trev, why'd you stop allowing my ma to tutor you?
I know she hasn't kept her deal of the bargain, but neither has you." "I shamed her is why," Trevor stares at the
water. "The books she gave me? We used them to keep warm last winter." "It did become rather cold, and I've got
fur. I'm certain my ma would understand." "But I wouldn't be comfortable telling her
knowing she bought me those books. I shamed her kindness." "No you didn't. Trev, listen. Things are
rough, and your parents did what they did to stay warm. Buying more books won't
be a problem. Is that why you gave me the silent treatment those few days?" The human nods. "I-" "Don't say anything. What's done is old,
and we're still friends. Come on, we better return to the fire." Trevor nods. He'll tell Martin's mom what
his parents did when they return. She has every right to know. The human hangs
his clothes on the cart, places a blanket on the ground and sits on it. He
looks at the sky. There's a full moon and a half moon. He doesn't know their
names, and neither does Martin. The young man helps the coyotetaur make dinner,
massages his paws and legs after they're done eating, and lies down beside his
body.*** Martin and Trevor discuss their plans
during breakfast. The coyotetaur figures it'll be best if he doesn't kill
everything he comes across. Three will be enough. He doesn't want to attract
any unwanted attention. The human plans to set up several traps and check them
towards the end of the day. He doesn't expect to catch anything in a short
period. Once he's done setting up and baiting traps, he'll hunt for birds.
He'll use the trip back to Cauldron to gather more plants. Martin has Trevor tie a pouch around his
diaphragm, places extra bullets inside and grabs his rifle. The coyotetaur
warns the human to be careful before leaving camp. The caninetaur shakes his
head at what he said and chuckles. His friend should be fine. He sniffs the
air. There's a herd of deer not too far from his location. Martin follows his
nose and sure enough he finds his target. He counts nine. The coyotetaur crawls
on his belly, raises his rifle and squeezes the trigger. One of the deer falls.
The coyotetaur investigates his kill and nods. The bullet went right through
its neck. Trevor looks up when he hears a loud pop.
Martin must've caught something already. The human goes back to setting up and
baiting a trap and leaves. He'll make two more and spend the rest of his day
hunting birds and anything else he comes across. The young man ties some rope
around a couple of branches and makes a noose. Trevor studies his handiwork and
knows his dad would be proud. He grabs his bow and a quiver of twenty arrows
from camp, and heads in a different direction than Martin. The human spots a
turkey and pulls out an arrow. Trevor and Martin cover their kills in the
cart and agree it isn't a bad haul. The coyotetaur brought back two deer, and
the human brought back two turkeys, a hawk and several other birds. He'll check
his traps by nightfall, and take them down if they didn't catch anything. The
pair is happy with what they have and know it'll keep them and Mr. Watson fed
for a couple of days. Martin asks Trevor to build a fire so he
can make dinner, and prepares another slab of meat. The trip has done them a
lot of good. Their friendship has been strong for quite some time, but the last
couple of days have made it stronger. Plus the human needed to leave Cauldron.
The last couple of weeks have been hard on him. Martin places dinner by the
fire and lies down. There is one thing he can do that'll help keep his friend's
mind off things. "I'm not sure if you're aware of it, Trev,
but I've been meaning to teach you how to read and write myself," Martin said.
"It's the main reason why I bought all of those books." "I saw all of that, but figured you needed
them," Trevor said. "What do your parents think?" "I'm unsure, and I don't care. It was my ma
who insisted I teach you considering she hasn't. Before you ask why, it's
because your kind deserve an education as well. I'm certain the others are
getting tutored by their parents, but I know you're not." "They are. Some offered to tutor me, but I
turned them down. Things were busy at the farm and at home." "I remember those days. I miss them." "Same here," Trevor feeds the fire. "You
won't mind keeping those books if they were meant for me to take? I've already
shamed your mother; I don't want to shame you." "Yes, they are for you, and that's okay. I
don't have a problem keeping them, but you have to come over every day. I'm
certain my parents and neighbors will have a problem with it, but they'll have
to deal with it," Martin checks the meat. "Just a little longer and it'll be
done." "When do my lessons start?" "Tonight. How much do you remember?" "I... can't say." "Don't say a word. I was planning on
starting from the beginning anyway," Martin points. "Sit here." Trevor does so. "See this stick? It's your charcoal. See
the dirt? It's your plywood. Now write the alphabet." Trevor nods and writes an A. Martin tells
him that's the correct way of making it, erases it and tells him to write the
next letter. The human thinks about it for a couple of seconds, remembers it's
the B and writes it. The coyotetaur nods in approval and erases it. They repeat
the process until he completes the alphabet. The only letters the young man has
problems writing are Q, Z, W, M, S, P and R. Martin grabs another stick, writes a word
and asks Trevor to read it and then spell it. The coyotetaur starts out with
simple words such wet, hat, mat, sat, sit, hit and so forth. He loses count at
how many words he written, and decides to call it a night after he writes stop.
They'll proceed to harder words when they return from their trip. He isn't sure
when he'll have the human read from a book. The coyotetaur tosses their sticks into the
fire, and follows his friend when he goes to check on his traps. All of them
have been tripped, but only one caught a hare. Martin cringes at the sight of a
creature strangling to death, but knows certain things has to be done if he
wants to survive. Trevor gathers everything, and they head back to camp. They
cover their kills with several hides and some hay and eat dinner. Trevor feeds
the fire, places his blanket besides Martin and lies down. They have breakfast at the crack of dawn
and head home. Martin and Trevor discuss who'll receive what, and if they
should give anything to the general store. By noon they come to an agreement.
The coyotetaur lays claim to one of the deer and a turkey, the human has the rabbit,
the hawk and birds, and they know Mr. Watson is likely to take the other turkey
along with the deer. Martin and Trevor know it isn't their responsibility to
provide food for the entire village. Martin and Trevor returns to Cauldron the
following afternoon and stop by the farm. Mr. Watson has his sons bring a deer
and a turkey into his barn, and gives the pair a five dinar coin. The
coyotetaur pulls the cart into his backyard, and helps his dad unload the last
deer, turkey and some of the birds. Zues has no problem allowing Trevor to take
what he wants, and promises him some meat. The human strings up what's his and
heads home. "Did you boys run into any trouble?" Zues
asks. "No, pa." "Good, and I'm aware of Mr. Watson claiming
some. He said so yesterday." "We'd stopped by the farm before heading
here." "Yes, I'm aware. Mr. Durant also told me he
wants his share." Martin takes a deep breath. "What you tell
him, pa?" "Nothing, so don't become cross. I said
it's up to you if he can have anything, and if he seriously wants something to
sale, he can go out and get it himself." "I appreciate that," Martin nods. "I just
hope Trev doesn't have any problems with him." "I'm certain he will. Nothing we can do
about it," Zues said. "Let's clean, gut and put everything away before your
mother comes home." Trevor adjusts the string on his shoulder.
What he has isn't much, but it'll keep him and his mom fed for at least a couple
of weeks. He doesn't expect Mr. Patton to stay true to his words, but it
wouldn't surprise him if Mr. Watson gives him something. Trevor looks over his
shoulder. It wouldn't hurt to return to his friend's house, and help them deal
with the deer and clean the cart. He and his mom can use the hay. It'll help
them stay warm during winter. He's halfway home when hears something from
behind. Trevor turns around and spots Mr. Durant sprinting towards him. The
young man doesn't move. It wouldn't take the wolftaur long to catch up to him.
He tightens his grip on the string. Martin told him the demands Mr. Durant
made. Trevor would give the wolftaur something, but he doesn't have much to
give. He stays calm as Mr. Durant stands in front of him. "You know why I'm here," Mr. Durant points
at the birds. "I'm here for what's rightfully mine, now give them." "No." "Excuse me?" "You're not getting any. I-" "How dare you. Our needs has more
importance than yours, now give it here," Mr. Durant reaches for Trevor's kills
and growls when the human pulls them away. "You disobedient little bastard. I
see Mr. Watson allowed you to think you're an equal." "If you want meat to sell, go out and get
it yourself," Trevor said. "This is for me and my mom." "For the last time, give me what's mine or
this'll get worse, and you won't want to see the outcome." "What seems to be the problem here?" a
female spotted hyenataur walks up to the pair. "This, thing, won't back up his part of the
deal," Mr. Durant points at Trevor. "Is that true, Trevor?" "No, ma'am, I never made a deal with him.
Ask Martin if you'd like. "His kind are obligated to give us-" "Wrong, Mr. Durant. They're not. If he
wants to give you what he has, it's up to him, but he doesn't have to," the
spotted hyenataur said. "Now I suggest you return to your store." "This issue isn't over you little bastard." "Threaten him like that again and I'll haul
you off myself, now git." Trevor keeps his eyes on Mr. Durant. He'll
visit Martin and tell him about the conversion once he's done helping his mom
clean and chop the birds. "In some ways, Mr. Durant has a point, and
I told him a lie," the hyenataur looks at Trevor. "It truly was your father's
job to supply the general store with meat, and now that duty falls upon you." "I didn't know." "I know you weren't aware, but you know
now. Who all received what?" "Mr. Watson took a deer and a turkey in
return of the cart he gave us. Martin's dad claimed another deer and turkey,
and several other birds. What I have is all that's left." "I see. Not a bad haul. When's your next
trip?" "I'm not sure. I have to inform Martin and
Mr. Watson what I just heard." "Very well," the hyenataur nods. "One other
thing I should mention is it was also your dad's duty to supply the clinic with
medicine." "What? I thought-" "Didn't your old man tell you any of this?" "No he didn't, but now I wish he would've." "I'm sure hearing it from somebody other
than your old man is a shocker," the animaltaur said. "Once you drop off those
birds and rabbit, I suggest you head to the clinic and drop off what you have.
I hear they're running low on stuff, and may need you to go out and gather
more." "I will." "I truly am sorry for being the one who had
to tell you everything, and with that information told, I bid you farewell,
Trevor." "Excuse me, Mrs.-" "If it involves your house; no, it belongs
to you and your mom. Now if you don't mind, I've got some other business to
take care of." Trevor nods and thinks about the
information the hyenataur told him. He'd ask his mom if what the animaltaur
said is true, but chances are she won't know. Now he understands why his dad
taught him so much. The duty of supplying the village with food and medicine
was bound to become his. Trevor doubts his dad meant for it to happen so soon.
The young man heads home, helps his mom clean what he brought back, but doesn't
mention the conversation he had with the spotted hyenataur. He returns to Martin's house by dusk, and
tells him the news. The coyotetaur promises to help in any way he can. Trevor
notices the hay is still in the cart, and decides to turn what's good into fire
bundles for the store. It's well into the evening when he and Martin finishes.
He looks up to see Mr. and Mrs. Patton walk towards him. Martin's dad hands him
some venison and a small flint. His friend convinces him to tell Mrs. Patton
what came of the books she bought, and comes close of breaking down when he
explains the situation he and his parents were in last winter. Trevor calms
down as Mrs. Patton informs him it isn't the end of the world, and invites him
to stay for dinner. Trevor walks through Cauldron. The village
has always been peaceful at night. He looks at the clear sky. There's a double
full moon. Shame he can't enjoy the view with his dad. The young and closes his
eyes and shakes his head. He's unsure of what to do tomorrow. He doesn't want
to quit working at the farm, but he may have to if he can't handle his extra
duties. At least he'll receive some help from Martin. Trevor shuts the door to
his shack, and finds his mom sound asleep. He kisses her cheek, crawls onto his
mat and stares outside. He'd like to leave Cauldron and go to a place where
residents are capable of taking care of themselves if he knew somebody would
take care of his mom. Until then he's stuck.