Red was being extra careful instead of rushing back to the tribe. Especially with Tob, he needed to take a rest a few times. By the time night arrived, they slept in the tree like he did when he tried to escape from the pack of wolves.
He had overcome his nervousness and fear of the dire wolves, but that was not the case for Tob. If he was being careful, Tob was being paranoid. The young goblin would look around continuously, fearing the wolves.
But thanks to the nerves, the young goblin seemed not to feel his hunger. They had not eaten all day because they didn't encounter any beasts, even when they took the jungle's path. It seemed the Dire Wolves truly scared the beasts in the area, so that all of them went into hiding.
The positive thing was that they were not attacked and could go back safely if the trend continued. The negative was that they would not have food. If they were not attacked by a beast tomorrow, they should get back to their tribe by tomorrow.
The food was no longer an issue as long as they could make it to the tribe tomorrow. They should be safe at night and make it to the tribe by tomorrow.
Red scanned the surroundings, making sure the place was safe while letting Tob climb the tree first. That was when he heard a groan from behind.
He turned toward the tree and found Tob latching onto the tree trunk with all four, but he could not climb up. He groaned, mustering his strength not to fall.
"Tsk."
Red clicked his tongue and picked Tob by the neck. Then he started to climb to the highest branch. Tob almost screamed, but the young goblin was quick enough to cover his mouth and didn't scream.
"We will sleep here tonight and continue our journey in the morning!"
Tob nodded and leaned against the tree. The young goblin looked concerned at first, looking around nervously. But it didn't take long before he fell asleep.
The tension from escaping from the dire wolf, getting attacked by a dire wolf, and having been on a journey for a day. The exhaustion got him quickly, as the young hunter fell asleep not long after.
Red thought he would stay awake like last night, but he also fell asleep. He was woken up when something light hit his cheek. That woke him up as he grabbed the thing that touched his cheek and stood up.
"Arghhh!"
A scream resounded that fully woke Red up. He saw Tob hanging upside down, startled, and cried. His left hand was already holding the dagger, but the scream cleared his sleepy head and stopped him from stabbing Tob.
"Tch!"
He dropped the frightened young goblin, who yelped in pain. Ton quickly got back on his feet and knelt toward Red, "Please don't kill me, Boss. If I upset you, you can punish Tob, but please don't kill me!"
Red waved his hand at Tob dismissively as he quickly checked the tree below. Tob's scream was quite loud. He was afraid the scream would attract the beast or, worse, the dire wolves. He was relieved that the scream didn't attract anything dangerous.
"Stop crying, or your pathetic cry will attract the beast! If we are getting surrounded by the beast because of you. I will use you as a bait for me to escape!"
Red smacked Tob's bald head, "We are leaving now!"
Tob quickly got back on his feet, covering his mouth, nodding furiously. He attempted to go down on his own, but as he looked down, he jerked back and tried to hug the massive tree.
Red clicked his tongue again, shaking his head. He was not expecting this young goblin, who used to bully him, to be such a coward. The thought of leaving Tob crossed his mind once more, but he quickly threw the thought.
He grabbed Tob by the neck as he jumped down between the branches, "I will hit your head for each scream."
Tob covered his mouth harder, nodding his head furiously. By the time they reached the ground, Tob was throwing up the saliva since they hadn't eaten since yesterday.
"We will take no rest until we reach home, unless you want to die and become the beast's food!"
Tob responded in the same manner, nodding his head again and again. The young hunter realized that the difference between them was too big. If he didn't listen to the order, he would be killed. That was why he didn't dare to talk back.
"Good, wait here and gather yourself. We will leave shortly!"
Red tracked into the jungle, looking for the source of water. The situation in the jungle didn't change. He could not find a single living creature. The fact that he didn't meet a single beast gave him an uneasy feeling.
He honestly didn't expect to find water in such a short time. He wanted to get Tob to get ready and tried to find water while at it. The moment he was about to give up, he found a pond.
Red made his way toward the pond with extra caution. He would walk from one tree to another, ensuring there was no danger lurking around him. This was the source of water, and there might be some beasts waiting for him.
After ensuring there was no danger around, Red approached the pond. He didn't lower the guard, keeping his ear sharp for the ambush until he arrived at the edge of the pond.
The water was clear, but it seemed like a deep pond as he could not see the bottom. He squatted to scoop the water until he noticed a ripple on the calm surface.
That was when he saw the three pairs of red lights coming from the bottom of the pond. His quick reaction saved him again, pushing himself backward. He fell on his butts as he saw three creatures in the air.
The three creatures were red-scaled fish with their mouths open, revealing the sharp sawtooth. As the fish were in the air, Red could see their eyes move toward him. They glanced at him from there, and then he witnessed a strange scene where the fish seemed to stop for a moment and adjusted their direction toward him.
Red was not expecting something like this to happen as the three fish shot at him. They seemed to gain momentum and shoot toward him just like how he shot the thorny metal ball with the slingshot.