Exhausted, Androcs leaned on his spear and said, "Hurry up." Gabi, pick up the blanket. Flowers, go get the jars, bring the firewood you picked up. Agun, are the horses ready?"

"Where are we going?" Agnn asked.

"Does it matter?" He snapped in frustration.

"Yes." Aguna said calmly.

He huffed and said, "Of course it's southeast, because that's the wolf sca."

Where to go. ”

"He said there were mountains."

"I know. I was there when he said it. In addition, there are mountains in all directions from here. He turned around and said, "No, Gabi, don't fold." Throw it in. We're running out of time. We should have already started to act. ”

Everyone in the camp got into the car, faster than he expected. Hana wanted to throw the bread pan in the snow to cool down, but it didn't break. Other than that, everything went smoothly.

Agn sat in the driver's seat, and Gabi climbed up, and then Andrix said, "Gabi, I want you to ride Bobby." If you have to leave, leave. Do you understand? Let's go, if you don't have a choice. Flower, you stay up late with Aguna and help out on the sentry. ”

"Do you need us to help you in, Daddy?" Hua asked respectfully.

"No, I'm going to walk. I'm probably going to have to get into and out of that damn thing, it's too much work. ”

Hana glanced at him, full of fear, and said, "But you look tired!" Will you be okay?"

Androx's brow furrowed, trying to pretend to be angry, but he didn't feel that way. Poor kit. "I'll be fine. I've experienced worse, worse. ”

The boy thought for a moment, his white ears twitching. "Maybe, but you've never been this old."

Arguna laughed, and Flower smiled, as if he was joking. A

d

Okles tried to suppress his smile, but failed. This humor seemed to rejuvenate him, even if only a little. Just for a moment; Until he heard something howling in the woods, still walking towards him.

A

d

Okles tries to come up with a good rebuttal, but everything feels like it might be a little too deep for his gentle kitten. I'm not old enough to find a better son, you rat. Or, if so, it's because I've been aging twice as fast as normal since I found you. No, is it about breastfed babies?

Before he could find a suitable one, Hana said, "Then can I walk too?" I...... I can hold your spear. ”

"You hate walking."

Hana just looked up at him, his little pale face filled with the emotions he was trying to hide. Then he reached out and grabbed the spear and gently pulled it out of Androx's hand. Anchors watched his son's face harden as he was ready for the mission.

"You know what? Carrying anything hurts my ribs. Keep up tight so I can grab it quickly. ”

"Yes, Daddy," said Hana. He raised his spear over his right shoulder, and with his left hand, he grabbed Anders' right hand. Then he refused to look up, instead staring bravely into the distance, as if nothing unusual had happened.

"Don't let him get distracted, or it's your fault," Agnn said.

"Yes, Mom," said Hana. It stood close and its tail rubbed against Androll's calf, squeezing his hand even tighter.

As Gabi sat comfortably on Poppy's back, legs on the side, looking as solid as he was in a chair, Agunn jerked the reins and the carriage creaked. She rode slowly so that Androcles could keep up, and probably anyway, for she had to keep an eye out for where the horse might trip, or the slope on which the carriage might slide, or the myriad of other dangers she encountered while driving her vehicle through the wilderness. He was glad that the road was not too rough because with each step, his ribs were squeezed and it hurt.

Frustratingly, it wasn't long before the army scouts encountered the beasts that were coming at the camp. First the man screamed, then the beast screamed, sounding almost like a woman or a fox, with a howl mixed with a roar. The men's shouts turned into cries of pain and fear, which soon ended. Judging by the sounds, one or two beasts were killed, but the soldiers were in a worse situation.

But soon more soldiers arrived, and the tide began to turn. The whole army was not going to ride there, to squeeze there, but they could, of course, ride there in pairs; It is only a short distance from the main road. Not only soldiers, but many more beasts and monsters gathered together. Anchors was sure he heard more humanoid voices, as well as the disgusting cries of the human-faced panthers.

A glimmer of hope made his heart beat faster. The more battles between people and monsters, the longer it will take them to make their way through mud and snow along the obvious trails on the hillside.

Before they had gone a mile, the forest was destroyed, and the king's army found them. For a while, they just stared at each other through the dense bushes, rocks, and rough ground. The bulk of the army had spread along the main road, stretching from the pass to the place where the Andlocles fork was. Not even half a mile, and everyone knew they couldn't just come and pick him up. Judging by the sound coming from the voice, though, they did sound angry.

Flower just grabbed Androl's hand tighter. "Dad, how far do you think we can go?" He said calmly, his voice almost like a whisper.

Anchors glanced down at him, then at the hundreds of soldiers on horseback opposite. Flower only glanced at them briefly, instead choosing to continue looking for something hidden nearby. The boy held his head high and strutted with his head held high. His brave kitten, that incongruous gentle little flower.

"You make me proud, my son." Andrx said calmly, a spark of pride and love filling his heart. "But we'll go all the way to Dikaya, and anyone who doesn't think so will regret it."

It's true - Andlox could feel his killing intent coming back to him, filling the void. It seemed to enter with his breath, seep through his skin, or rise from the ground to his feet. Unlike before, now he was surrounded by it. The miasma in his heart was completely gone. What this meant in battle, he couldn't tell; But one thing is for sure – he doesn't feel weaker. It's just very, very painful.

After another quarter of a mile, they were back in the woods. After a quarter of a mile, they came to a dirt path between two hills. The hillsides were huddled together, and there were fewer places where Agnon could try to steer the carriage, which slowed them down. They all felt it.

They felt the enemy creeping in behind them, barely audible of them. The slow pace enveloped them like the wings of a flock of carrion birds.

It didn't go far before the hill began to tumble more steeply upwards to form a series of mountains. The terrain here is almost devoid of vegetation, and rainwater flows down from the heights, flooding the area below.

Before Anders could call him, he saw the carriage begin to slide to the side. In his hurry, he let go of the flower's hand and jumped over to grab its side, hoping to keep it stable long enough for the horse to pull it to a better place.

But his left rib was broken, and the sharp pain made his arm tremble, and he was so weak that he could barely hold on. In fact, he couldn't pull it back as much as he needed to, and in a long and dangerous moment, Agn stood on the driver's bench and screamed for the horse.

Inch by inch, the wheels slid to the side, just as the carriage moved forward. Almost! He shouted inwardly. Go up to the grass over there!

The horse on the right stumbled and slipped, then fell to his knees and struggled to get up. Due to the sudden loss of power, the carriage slid both backwards and sideways, and Anchors had to jump away as it almost rolled back from him.

After a while, the carriage rolled over, fell to the side, and threw everything into the light snow and thick mud. The horses screamed, and Agnn jumped out of the cart and rushed forward, just as he was not crushed, and the horse on the right was also entangled and fell to the ground.

Everyone heard the sound of its legs breaking.

Gabi cried in despair, and slowly, she hugged the stag's neck and cried. Huamen stared at the mess bloodlessly, with a spear in his hand, and his life could come out of him at any moment.

Andlos rushed forward and helped Arguna to her feet. When the carriage tilts, it rotates on the shaft, making the yoke upright. The horse on the left was miraculously unharmed, but the horse on the right was hopeless, crying in pain and unable to move. A

d

Okles picked up his spear and stabbed it after stab where he thought it was its heart, until it died. There was no reason for it to suffer, and there were many reasons not to let it suffer loudly while he tried to escape.

There is no time to waste, no time to think about how quickly their fortunes have just changed. "Argon, untie that good horse from the harness. Gabi, get down. Ga

bi !down. Flowers, Gabi, this is a monad. We have two blankets. A bag of rice. Ignition coil. The water peeled. Shake hands. A knife. A bearskin. My silver. Horses carrying some. Poppy brought some. We carry the rest on our shoulders. Then we got into action. Go for it!"

Everything went quickly, although the hands and hearts were shaking. Aguna covered the horse with three blankets and two sacks of rice instead of one, but she probably knew better than he what the horse could carry. The children put the tool in a bag, and Gabi slung it over his shoulder. Flower picked up the small bread pan, which Andlox had forgotten to mention, and the knife, both of which he carried around his waist like a weapon, with unwavering determination on his forehead.

A

d

Okles tied the water skin together and placed it on Bobby's rough, dirty back, frowning to see if it dared to complain. The stag snorted, but showed no concern for the cursed animal. It didn't even bother to glance in his direction.

When everything was in order, Anchors picked up the silverware and slung the heavy sack over his shoulders across his broken ribs. A whimper came out of his mouth, but he faked a cough. It would be painful, but what else could he do? Put it on an animal that might run away? Throw into Gabby's skinny arms?

Gabby pats Bobbi on the shoulder, and Bobby kneels down to let her into the car. She gestured to Hana, but he looked nervously at Hana and shook his head.

"I'm going to go again," Flower said, his throat dry and he swallowed.

"No, I want you to go up this time. You need to be able to get out if necessary. Androx said, picking up the pan. Stick the knife in your belt and climb up. ”

"I'm not going to run, Dad. No matter what happens," Flower said.

"I didn't say I was going to run away like a coward. I know you won't. I'm talking about running away. Go up. ”

"Come on, flowers. If you hold me tight, you won't fall. I promise. Galbi said with his hand out. Even in such circumstances, she had a gentle voice and a kind face towards her poor brother. She knew he was afraid of horses. Deer certainly fall into this category as well.

"I'm not afraid, Gabi." Flower said a little incredulously.

"Of course not, my dear brother. But I am," she said, a hint of excitement in her voice. She stared at him with feminine power, her big blue eyes glistening under Mai's blond tomped hair, her face full of challenge and pleading at the same time. The gods are above, who can resist it? Does she know how much trouble she's going to have when she grows up?

Feeling that riding a horse was now a male-friendly thing, and that he could no longer find an excuse, he reluctantly climbed aboard the beast and wrapped his arms around Galby's torso. To his credit, he did a good job of hiding his nervousness. He put his arms around her, as graceful and light as she rode a horse. He noticed the change, and his eyes widened. A

d

Okles decides to ask her one day what the trick is. Maybe it will allow him to ride farther than a mile.

The wolf trotted after him, his yellow eyes alert and uneasy, and so it was - they set out, without a guide and without a road, towards the farther heart of the mountains. There was no roar of carriages, and they could hear nothing except the faint sound of troops and the occasional scream of beasts coming from all directions. Androcles couldn't guess what kind of animal these sounds were coming from.

He had only walked twenty steps before he realized that carrying silverware would be an extremely unpleasant task. The weight of the bag meant that he had broken his ribs twice as hard and twice as often, and the rough ground didn't help anything. The snow was wet and thick, but it was only a few inches deep in most places. Elsewhere, the ground was either muddy or slippery rocks, and every time he tripped and fell, he had to endure the pain. If it were his old friend and not his child, he would have complained all the time and been ridiculed in return. Rough joy always heals wounds.

In fact, Acolius once tripped on his toe after a fight and then cried because he was exhausted by a day of brutal fighting. A

d

Okles knelt down, smeared the last bit of sesame oil on the injured toe, kissed it, and declared it sacred. The people around him burst into tears with laughter streaming down their faces. Arcolius, whose face was as red as his hair, sat down awkwardly, and soon fell asleep. The poor man woke up to find a wreath tied to his ankle, which he had been wearing for months.

Poor A

koleos。 He is a gentle soul, which means that Androx teases him mercilessly until he tries to swallow an arrow and chokes to death with his own blood. Losing him is like losing the taste of honey. Why do you think of him now? Andraks has important things to worry about.

He swept away the nostalgia in his heart, took a deep breath, and refocused his attention as he surveyed the landscape around him. There is a lot of walking from here, most of which are rough and winding uphill. Horses and deer will most likely not be in trouble, but he might. Aguna might. She has gained weight over the past few months, but she is still plump.

Actually...... "Aguern, turn the horse over there, along the small rocky ridge over there, the narrow one." Let's go that way. ”

"Are you serious? She complained, but she thought for a moment, glanced down the hill again, then sighed and turned to walk up the hill.

"The army can't-"

"Yes, I know, you barking mule. It will be more difficult for the army to track us in rough land. But that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it," she said, without even looking back at him.

"I see you're learning from the best," he said.

"Even children can understand."

"Maybe. But I have another reason, I want you to lead us up the mountain. ”

"Oh? Let's hear it. Give us your word like the light of the gods. ”

"It has improved my perception."

Aguna didn't respond, even though it looked like she was starting to try to walk without letting her hips swing. Her attempt failed.

However, his pleasure was short-lived. The path she had traveled was rough and steep, and with each step he took a sharp pain in his broken ribs, which was compounded by the heavy silverware on the opposite shoulder. A short walk up the hill, he found himself panting, each breath making him more painful, tears stinging his eyes. He didn't realize it until now, but he's been breathing as hard as he can since being kicked by the god-cursed horse. It's no longer possible – the effort to go straight up the mountain with himself and his fortune allows him to breathe air like a runner.

The worst part was that he had to cough. His lungs must have been filled with all sorts of stuff, and he panted and shook out more and more things. Every cough stiffened every muscle in his torso, and there was nothing he could do about it. The pain was bad enough that he saw the spots and started to feel nauseous.

Only the faint voices of men, horses, and strange howls from the field kept him going. The surgery, he admitted, was worse, but he survived. The pain of surgery is just as severe and equally unforgiving; But the helpless fear that comes with being cut open and toyed with is truly unbearable. Acolius sat beside Anchors, holding his hand, wiping the sweat from his forehead, and speaking comforting words; If it weren't for him, that arrow would still be there. Or, more likely, buried in a grave with the rest of his part.

That must be why Andex was thinking about that man. The pain of the operation.

The march slowed down considerably, especially when they were forced to cross the slopes of rocks and sand, where nothing could grow and hold everything in place. There is danger at every step. He felt a constant piercing pain in his ribs and a quieter, but more intense pain in his arm, which made him feel weak and womanly, and he was afraid that if he slipped and rolled over a boulder, he might fall to pieces and never get up again.

They kept going uphill, over hill after hill, until they came to a high, narrow canyon. The snow is deeper here and largely unbroken, hopefully it won't be too deep once they climb higher. A hundred steps further, he found a deer's footprint that stretched up to the ridge of the canyon, and they could follow the path.

Less than twenty paces into the canyon, Agn jerked the reins to stop the horse, turned and said, "How far are we going?" Are you trying to find a place to stay, or do we want to escape?" Her face flushed, and she sounded understandably irritable and tired. "It's getting dark and the animals need to rest."

"Do the animals need a break?" Is it just them? He said, trying to squeeze out a smile. He wasn't sure if he knew; It could be a grimace.

"Yes, animals, including you, you stupid blister." You look like someone has stuffed a fat snake into a leather bag and rolled a big rock on it. Except for the hair. ”

He stared at her, his heart too rough with pain to find a good answer.

"Ouch......" As soon as Aguna spoke, she realized what she had said, "may her grave be ruined, and you are finished, aren't you?" Let's take a break. No, we're going to spend the night here. Gabi, come here. Jump off, Bobby, come here, my dear. ”

The stubborn woman rounded Anders, careful not to hit the spear he was leaning on, and picked Gabi up from the flea-riddled stag. "See the pine trees over there?" The big, fat one? Run up and see if there's a door down there. Remember how we slept under that house after Deanna came to our rescue? Go see if it's a good place. If not, find us one. ”

Gabi nodded resolutely, glanced at Androx with concern, and began to look through knee-deep snow.

"Do you want me to go?" Flower asked.

"Nope. Come and help me get this bag of silver out of the giant's hand. ”

Aguna walked around behind Anchors and said, "Are you ready?" Well, drop it. ”

"I'm not that poor," he said, frowning. He let the sack slip off his shoulder and handed it to Agna, trying not to let her see his reaction to the bouts of pain caused by the sack's movement. The gods are above, and he needs to lie down. Although the carriage sat wakily, compared to now, he was like resting his head on the arms of Mama Laphiria.

Aguna took the bag of silver, but it almost fell to the ground, and it took a great deal of effort for her to pick it up and carry it on her shoulder. "Gods, Andlocles, what are you thinking with this?"

"I'm thinking, I should have made fewer vows," he said. "I've gotten a lot of trouble for this."

"If you want me to feel like you're energetic and okay to joke, you should grunt less for the last two hours. Well, put your arm on the boy's shoulder. Flowers, standing there, holding your father's arm. This will take some of the burden off your shoulders. ”

"I'm fine," Andax said. Anyway, after riding so much, he must be tired. ”

Arguna turned and pointed at him. "He's been watching you stagger, gasp, hiss, and suffer since we've been going all the way, and he's tired," she said. Now rest your arm, or I'll grab that knife and cut it off!"

"It's not that bad!" He protested.

"yes." As he spoke, Flower grabbed Androl by the wrist and placed his arm on his shoulder. Surprisingly, it alleviated the pain his breathing was causing him, although part of the reason may have been that it became easier for him to breathe after he started to breathe.

"I mean, it's not that bad for me."

"Yes," Hana said.

They waited for Gabi and watched her trudge through the snow, which was already up to her knees by the time she reached the bottom of the tree. Throughout the process, Poppy stared at him with a judgmental eye, occasionally making noises of disapproval. Androcles knew he must have looked stupid, he was on a spear, like a weak, senile old man, and the hateful beast had no intention of making him forget that. A

d

Okles is happy that one day he can finally kill and eat it.

Soon Galby came back and said, "All right, Mom, there's enough for us to live in." There's not much snow there, so you can see the needles on the ground, so I think it's going to be a little warmer there. She seemed to be speaking to Arguern, but her eyes were fixed on him.

He smiled, this time a little more sincerely, and then told Gabi, "I'm fine. How many times do I have to say it? I've experienced worse. Recent. ”

No one saw Ash's black hairy head suddenly turn to face the voice coming from down the mountain. Only him.

Anchors sighed and removed his arm from Flower's shoulder. He took a deep breath and felt a pain again, but held back. "I feel better after a little rest. Go ahead, all of you. I'm going to catch my breath a little longer, and then I'm going to make water. Lots of water. I'll be up right away. ”

"I'm going to stay, Daddy," Hana said.

"No, you go and help Arguna get the bed ready. We're going to sleep together because I don't want to make a fire tonight. ”

"Because they'll see," Hana said.

"Clever boy. Let's go now. ”

She stared at something down the hill, her body tense and ready. She sniffed the wind, baring her fangs. No one saw it, because they were all looking at him.

"Stop standing, get moving. We're not done yet," he complained. "I'll be up right away. Agn, also have a shield ready in case we need it tonight. Now that I remember, we needed a small campfire. We only have food to eat, so boys, bring some wood. Hurry up, we can do it before dark. ”

Arguna gave him a thoughtful look for a long time. Then she said, "I'll get my shield ready." Hurry up and pee and make us dinner. ”

He heard the descent in the distance, a slight creaking sound in the snow. Any further voices were quickly drowned out by his family, who walked towards the fat, tall pine tree.

Ash stayed nearby, standing warily out of reach of his spear, eyes fixed on the bottom of the mountain. Gabby glanced at her, but left her as if nothing had happened. It was as if a wolf could protect him.

However, as soon as his family was far away, he muttered to himself, "Okay, wolf, let's see if anything can sneak up on Andrx."