The forest was silent except for the occasional chirps of birds. Vincent got up and turned around to return when the silence was broken by the sound of leaves rustling. He turned his head towards the source of the sound and saw a red furred fox dashing at the herd. The wild goats turned hysteric at the sight of a predator and fled in a hurry. One goat after another rushed away at full speed and the kids followed behind running as fast as their tiny legs could carry them.The kids tried their best but fell behind in no time. It was impossible for them to keep up with the does or bucks after all. The fox caught up soon enough and a kid lost its footing because of the intimidating predator behind it. The little goat fell hard and desperately flailed its limbs to try and get up. It was almost back on its feet when the fox pounced at it and bit its neck.
The little goat thrashed around wildly in order to break free. It displayed strength one would not expect from a cute little goat that looked frail. Despite all its efforts, it slowly lost its strength. The swinging got weaker and weaker until it finally stopped. The fox carried its food that it had killed through suffocation and headed to its burrow.
Vincent watched all of this transpire without making a move. He had found the little goats adorable just moments ago but now, one of the two was dead and the other was still running away with all its strength. The earlier scene of the struggling goat reminded him of the time when he stabbed his dagger repeatedly at the guy who had tried to knock him out from behind. The guy had flailed his limbs and trashed around just like the little goat.
A disgusting feeling took over Vincent. It felt as if his hands were dirty because of the blood that had stained them long ago. An urge to wash his hands came over him and he hurriedly left heading for his new home.
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Vincent exited the forest with nothing but the gold breeze mushrooms he had found along with his hunting gear. His face was a bit pale and he was feeling nauseous. It felt as if the consequences of what he had done before fleeing the town of Opal was finally registered in his brain.
The young man looked at his new home and was surprised to find two visitors there. A young man who was built well and looked pleasing to the eye. Accompanying him was a girl of around fourteen years of age. Her hazel eyes and freckles would leave a lasting impression on most people who laid their eyes on her. Vincent surmised that they were probably patients since the only people that had visited him since his move were people who required medical care. But he was in no mood to entertain any patients. All he wanted to do now was lay down and sleep.
The visitors however seemed to have different intentions. The young man approached Vincent and stopped right before the new owner of the previously deserted house. He observed the young doctor and raised his hand. His fists slowly balled up into a fist and he brought it down upon Vincent"s face. The victim fell on his b.u.t.t and looked at the a.s.saulter flabbergasted.
Vincent was caught off guard. He had been feeling terrible and was planning on turning away the visitors. Little had he expected that the visitor would suddenly attack him. "Why is he hitting me?" the question popped in his head. He tried recalling if he had somehow offended the man but nothing came to mind. He could say with certainty that this was their very first interaction.
"Why did you hit me?" Vincent asked in an indignant manner.
"Now you ask why? Didn"t you think that the other party would feel the same way when you hit them?" The young man replied in a voice full of anger.
"Is he a friend or relative of the guys I killed?" A stupid thought that would have never come to Vincent if his mind was clear. But that stupid thought seemed to be the only answer to this confusing situation.
"I don"t know." Vincent blurted out the words that were going through his mind.
Hearing the words, "I don"t know" provoked the young man"s ire a step further. He hated how there was a sc.u.m like the one in front of him in this world. He clearly remembered how his father had beat his mother when he was drunk. Mother"s pretty face had been riddled with bruises and cuts because of the violence and she sat on the floor crying weakly. He had asked his father why the next day.
The sober father had answered in a similar manner, "I don"t know."
He had hated men who hit women ever since. Looking at the sc.u.m in front of him disgusted him to his very core. He wanted to hit the doctor till his pretty face got covered in bruises just like his poor victims". He pulled his legs back to kick the b.a.s.t.a.r.d and let go. His feet was slowly approaching the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds face when a girl shielded the vermin.
The young man was baffled. He couldn"t understand why the girl would protect someone who had abused her. Nevertheless, he put in his all to stop his kick that was already closing in on the girl. The kick wasn"t successfully stopped but it lost much of its power, dealing but a little damage to the girl"s back.
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Alba felt a little impact on her back. She was scared of the current situation. The girl she had met earlier and drove away had come to her home bringing a young man. He resembled the girl a lot and the girl introduced him as her brother.
"Why are you here?" Alba asked the girl who was looking around curiously.
"Nothing much. We just have a little business with the doctor. Once we are done with him, he won"t dare hit you anymore."
"I told you already. The doctor didn"t hit me. Please leave."
"It"s okay. It won"t take long. I will make sure you will be okay. You don"t have to be scared."
Alba felt helpless at the thick skulled girls" relentless att.i.tude. She didn"t know how to convince the girl that she was telling the truth. It was bothersome trying to explain to a person who had already arrived at their own conclusion anyway. She decided to tell her about the excuse she had prepared with Vincent previously, the one where she was attacked by the thugs who were troubling him.
She was about to open her mouth when Vincent exited the forest. He looked pale and queasy. Looking at his unnatural state, she moved her feet in a hurry to check if he was okay. But the man who had come looking for Vincent acted faster than her. He took large strides towards the newcomer and punched him in the face.
The sudden attack gave Alba a scare. The scene of how the thug had failed to knock Vincent out and how fiercely he retaliated was still etched in her mind. She got scared thinking of how Vincent would counterattack. All she could do was stop her feet and hope the retaliation wouldn"t be too severe. Little did she expect that Vincent would just stare dumbly at the man and mutter weak words.
Scary thoughts came to Alba"s mind one after another.
"What if he got poisoned and can"t move? His complexion was terrible."
"Is he sick?"
"Did he get injured while hunting?"
She broke out of her thoughts and watched Vincent reply to the man"s question. The answer seemed to have angered the young man even more and he raised his legs preparing to kick him. Watching this, Alba pushed all the thoughts to the back of her head and jumped between the young man and Vincent.