The next day came quickly. On the last day, Ian finally packed his bags, bright and early. For once in a while, he sat down to have breakfast with his family.

  After that, Ian managed to talk to Liam one last time. They went over the plan for the development of his new gauntlets. Ian added his input on what he would like, while Liam took notes and adjusted some of them.

  By the time they finished talking, it was barely past noon. This gave Ian plenty of time, so he decided to get Lucky and go out for a small hunt.

  Now that Lucky is over a year old, he’s grown and has had a few changes. He’s slightly bigger than a medium-sized dog; his fur coat is thicker, shinier, and the color of charcoal. Only his face, chest, and underbelly were a nice ash grey. With how much Lucky has trained and been fed, it’s most likely that he would rank up to copper soon.

  While out exploring and hunting small creatures, Ian was just having fun, traversing the terrain. Swing, bouncing, and sliding off trees, rocks, and other obstacles. It made him feel free.

  Ian and Lucky spent a bit of time in the forest. They didn’t do too much hunting, but still killed four small null-ranked creatures and one copper-ranked creature.

  Once they saw that the sun was going down, Ian and Lucky decided to go to their hideout to cook and eat the creatures they caught. It had been a while since they last visited their hideout, being nearly six months since they last visited their hideout.

  The two of them reached the tree the hideout was under. They walked up to the hatch leading down to it, only to see the lights already on. Ian had a bad feeling seeing the lights on. He never left the lights on when he left.

  The only person who knew about the hideout was Kevin, but Ian knew Kevin didn’t care about it. That meant someone else had found it.

  Ian carefully opened the hatch, listening for any clicks of traps. When it was fully opened, and he didn’t hear anything, Ian let out his breath. He calmed his nerves before jumping down into it with Lucky following closely behind. When he landed inside, Ian was met by a terrifying sight.

  His hideout had been completely changed and remodelled. The natural dirt walls were now made of smooth, dry clay. There was a wardrobe in the corner of the room with a mirror next to it. White blinds lined most of the walls, creating a more homey atmosphere. A table and chair were placed against one wall, with a wood-burning stove next to it. However, what stood out the most was the large king-sized bed covered in clothes, messy sheets, and tossed pillows. Next to the bed, a door was wide open. Beyond the door, Ian could see what looked like a bathtub.

  His little hideout had been transformed into someone’s home, or more like someone’s love nest. He didn’t know who had invaded his home away from home, but he had an idea.

  The clothes on the bed look familiar. The sun dress could be worn by a few women in the village. But the shirt, pants, and boots narrowed it down to only one couple.

  In Ian’s mind, a memory flashed as he continued observing the room. The memory was of when he first arrived back in the village. He could see his parents running towards him and Ellie in his mind. They were away when they showed up at their house.

  Ian shook his head, getting the memory and thoughts out of his mind. He didn’t want to think of what might have happened in his old hideout. Knowing his parents, it wasn’t safe to step anywhere.

  He quickly turned around, ready to leave the area, but before he had a chance to, Lucky walked forward, sniffing around.

  “Lucky, no. Let's go,” Ian quietly yelled. However, Lucky didn’t listen; he kept sniffing about.

  Ian really didn’t want to stay any longer than he needed to, but he couldn't leave Lucky. He looked at the exit, then back at Lucky, finally deciding to grab Lucky. He quickly maneuvered over everything, not wanting to step or touch anything.

  Lucky had made his way to what Ian thought was a bathroom. He kept sniffing everything, as if looking for something.

  Ian finally made it past the clothes and sheets. and pillows on the floor, stepping into the bathroom. However, the sight he was introduced to was one he wished he could forget.

  Within the bathroom, Ian could see various pieces of underwear thrown about. On the floor, next to him, he saw a small brown towel maintain its shape when his foot accidentally kicked it.

  The horror on Ian’s face was one he wouldn’t be able to replicate. He would never be able to see his parents the same way.

  Once again, Ian shook his head, pushing the thoughts down. He turned to look at Lucky, who picked up a black bra. Disgust could be seen on Ian’s face.

  Without thinking twice, he quickly grabbed Lucky, removing the bra from his mouth and tossing it aside. Then, he rushed out of there, stumbling over a pillow but quickly recovering.

  The two of them got out of that dreaded place, Ian closing the hatch behind him. As he leaned against the tree over it, his face showed nothing but dread, disgust, and horror. A son should never witness or discover such a place.

  Ian had lost his appetite. Discovering the state of his hideout was in ruined it. However, Lucky didn’t seem bothered. In fact, he was starting to eye the creatures they hunted.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Seeing Lucky look hungry, Ian swallowed his disgust and stood up to get away from his old hideout. Lucky, seeing Ian walk away, chose to follow. He looked back at the big tree one last time before turning back to match Ian’s pace.

  After walking for a while, the two of them found a small clearing surrounded by trees. Ian surveyed the area, deciding it was safe enough. He gathered some pieces of wood and lit the pile with a match.

  While the fire slowly grew, Ian began to gut and skin the creatures they caught. Meanwhile, Lucky lay down next to him, doing nothing but staring into the fire.

  Half an hour passed before Ian finished processing the creatures. Once the meat was ready, he skewered it, placing it over the fire far enough to cook evenly.

  Since it would be a while before the meat was ready, Ian decided to lean back against a tree and take a small nap. Lucky, on the other hand, chose to stay awake, lying his head on Ian’s lap, but staying vigilant.

  Time slowly passed by, but nothing occurred. Most creatures didn’t get close to a fire. Only a few small ones stopped to take a look before running away. Even then, Lucky stayed on guard.

  Lucky had been around Ian and his family for a long time. In that time, he had picked up a few things. But out of everything, he understood how meat cooks. Though Ian and his family like their meat, medium-well to well-done, Lucky preferred his medium-rare to medium. Only Ian and his mom understood this about him.

  Though Lucky wasn’t able to cut the meat to check it, he was able to smell how cooked the meat was. Once he got the scent of his desired cooked meat level, Lucky would nudge Ian.

  Ian, being nudged awake, took that deep breath people take when they just wake up. He opened his eyes, only to be met by Lucky staring him down.

  “Sup, buddy. Did you need something?”

  Lucky, seeing Ian was now awake, quickly turned his head to point at the meat. He then walked to one of the skewers, pointing his snout at it.

  “Ah, I see. The meat is ready for you. Okay, let me get it for you.”

  Ian finally stood up, stretching his arms above his head. Afterwards, he walked to the fire and checked each skewer; most of them were medium with only one being medium-well. After taking that nap, Ian’s appetite finally returned, though not as much. He grabbed the four medium-cooked skewered creatures and placed them in front of Lucky to eat.

  Lucky looked at all of the meat he was given with confusion. He wondered why Ian was giving him most of the meat.

  Ian could see the confusion in Lucky’s face, so he said, “Don’t worry, buddy, I’m not that hungry. You can eat to your heart's content.”

  Hearing this, Lucky wagged his tail in joy. He finally turned to his food and began to dig in.

  Ian smiled at Lucky’s joy, feeling a bit envious that he didn’t understand what they just found. Ian shook his head, getting the thought out of his mind. He finally turned his attention to his food and began to quietly eat it.

  The meal wasn’t as tasty as he had hoped. It was juicy by all means, but bland somehow. Ian worried, thinking food had just been ruined for him. Hopefully, this was a temporary effect.

  After almost an hour passed and the fire started to die down, Ian finally decided it was time to go home. He stood up, gathering his belongings, stretching as he did so.

  Lucky lifted his head from his resting position, turning to look at Ian getting ready. Seeing Ian gathering his stuff, Lucky also stood up, stretching as a cat would.

  It was getting late. The sun had nearly fully set. Though the area closest to the village was mostly safe, being out at night was still dangerous.

  Ian grabbed a piece of wood from the dying fire, holding it from the side that was on fire. The flame from that piece of wood wouldn’t last for long, but it was enough to get them out of the forest.

  With them both set, Ian and Lucky began to make their way home. The walk was mostly quiet and uneventful. A few small creatures walked past them, but none got too close.

  Once they made it out of the forest and entered the village proximity, Ian put out the piece of wood.

  Lucky, seeing the village, let out a small yawn. He was ready to go to sleep, making his way towards the house.

  When they got close to the house, they could see the lights on and hear people talking inside. The scent of food hit their noses. Dinner was in progress.

  Ian and Lucky stepped inside, walking towards the kitchen. Everyone was seated happily enjoying their dinner.

  Crystal was the first to notice them walk in. “Ian, you’re home. Come, take a seat. I saved some dinner for you.”

  Ian walked to the table, standing next to Erik. “No, I'm fine. I’m not hungry.”

  “Is everything okay?” Erik asked. “You don’t usually pass up on food.”

  “Yeah, everything is fine. I just…already ate.” Ian turns his head to Lucky, walking upstairs to his room.

  “Oh, did you go hunting with Lucky?” Erik asked.

  “Yeah. I wanted to stretch my legs, so we went out for a bit.” Ian placed a hand on Erik’s shoulder, making him turn to face him.

  Ian turned to look at Erik. “While I was out with Lucky, though, we came across something interesting.”

  “Oh, did you see a new creature?” Erik asked.

  “No, something different.” Ian sideeyed Crystal.

  “Then what did you find?” Crystal asked.

  “We came across a larger-than-average tree. Its trunk had to be four times thicker than any other tree in the forest. It looked very similar to a tree found over a year ago, which had a nice little spot underneath where I could hide if a strong creature chased me.” Ian squeezed Erik’s shoulder slightly, looking directly into his eye.

  The two of them made eye contact for longer than they wanted to. The longer Erik stared at Ian’s face, the more his face shifted. It started as one of confusion, then it turned to one of worry. Soon, Erik went wide-eyed, his face conveyed shock and mild panic. Without saying a single word more, Ian had said everything he needed to. His eyes showed all Erik needed to understand.

  After a moment longer, Ian let go of Erik’s shoulder and started walking upstairs. “I’m pretty tired. I’m just going to go to sleep. We have a long trip ahead of us tomorrow.”

  The moment Ian disappeared upstairs, Erik turned to his plate, staring at nothing.

  “Dear, are you okay?” Crystal asked.

  Erik turned to look at Crystal slowly, his face still showing shock and panic. Seeing his face, Crystal slowly came to understand. “Ah, I see,” she said, turning to look at her food.

  Without any words being said, they had all understood what was needed to. Erik and Crystal were now put in a difficult position with no correct answer. All they could hope for was that Ian would forget about what he saw and move on with his life.

  During this entire interaction, Ellie and Emmett quietly watched and ate. They didn’t know what was going on, but something told them it was better if they didn’t know. There was no reason to get involved in something that had affected their brother and parents so badly. They just continued eating their dinner, silently laughing to themselves.

  Later that night, when everyone was asleep, Ian slept curled up in a ball near the edge of his bed, seemingly having a nightmare. This allowed Lucky to take up most of the bed.

  Lucky lay sprawled on his side across the bed. His breathing was steady, as if he were sleeping. However, he was anything but sleeping.

  His eyes were closed in a meditative fashion, his breathing steady and focused. He was relaxed yet focused. He was going through something, something that required a steady mind and full concentration. It would take all night for him to finish what he was going through.