Totem Warrior

Damn Giant Mosquitoes

Noe closed his eyes as if he was preparing to face death. I then did the same thing, but what flashed in my brain was the golden tree. Suddenly, a golden light appeared and chased the mosquitoes away. A second later, I realized that the light was coming out of my body. More precisely, from the golden tree tattoo on the back of my hand.

I widened my eyes, and so did Noe. I wish Noe didn't realize what was going on, but that's impossible. The mosquitoes left us but I was very scared. What if someone other than Noe saw all this? What if Noe told someone else? I don't know exactly about the golden tree tattoo yet, I'm afraid that if others find out about its magic, I will be in danger.

My mouth dropped open, not because I was scared, but because I was about to say something to Noe. However, an instant later, I felt my energy being drained away, just as the light coming out of the golden tree tattoo disappeared. It seemed the light only shone for a few seconds, enough to drive away the mosquitoes, after that, I felt really weak and could barely stand up again.

“Rex! Rex, come on!” he exclaimed.

Noe's voice sounded indistinct as if it was spoken from above the surface of the water, while I was underwater. I knew I had to get up and run to the shelter before the mosquitoes came back. However, I couldn't control myself. I felt my knees go weak and my ears suddenly buzz. I tried to widen my eyes, but it was no use, my vision was already getting dizzy.

I can still faintly hear Noe shouting Rex's name. I don't know what else he said. I could feel him tug at my hand, I don't know what else he was doing, because right after that I don't know what else happened. Darkness and silence overtook me. If I'm lucky, maybe Noe can bring me back safely to the shelter.

***

Maybe if there was no smell of burning meat, I still wouldn't wake up. The appetizing aroma woke me up and I tried to open my eyes. My stomach felt hungry and my body felt very sore and exhausted.

“Rex! Are you awake? Are you ok?"

Noe's voice sounded really worried. Of course, I came back to save him. After this, he will definitely stick to me like a postage stamp. I just hope, this kid is not annoying.

I opened my eyes and saw Rea standing beside Noe but she didn't say anything.

"Noe, I'm fine," I replied. I was a little surprised because my voice sounded very hoarse.

A moment later, I realized that my throat felt very dry. Instead of asking if I'm okay, Rea just stares at me with a glare. I looked at her with a questioning look, what did I do wrong with her? It seemed she also understood the meaning of my gaze because she suddenly let out a sigh.

“You've nearly died twice, Rex. No one else has nearly died twice in a day. Be careful, you almost hurt Noe!” Rea shouted at me.

"What?" I asked, frowning.

"You still dare to ask like that?" Rea's tone started to rise.

I almost defended myself, but I remembered that no one should know about the power of the tattoo on the back of my hand. I lost the argument, so I just kept silent.

"Rea, come on. This was the first time for Rex. You remember how we went through our first hunt, right?” asked Noe to Rea.

Rea snorted softly at Noe's words. Rea, who was previously kind to me, has now turned cynical. Maybe because she thought I almost hurt Noe.

“Next time you have to be more careful,” she said as she turned and walked out of the room where I lay. She looked at me intently before turning around.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked Noe.

“Rex, everyone thought you were the one left behind because they saw me drag you into the shelter. I… I don't dare to say what exactly happened because I thought you wanted to keep it a secret,” Noe said while glancing at the back of my hand.

I gulped. Noe has seen it himself, so I can't hide it from him anymore.

"Look, I don't want to know what it is. I will only help you cover it up and keep this secret because you have saved my life," Noe continued.

I nodded. Of course, no one should know about this. I won’t let anyone knows and it looks like Noe will keep it a secret in his life.

"Calm down. No one knows. But you have to be careful because everyone now thinks you are a very weak burden. Next time no one will help you, Rex. Whoever helps you if you fall behind again on the hunt, will run into trouble with the others. So, there won't be another time,” Noe warned me.

"You scared me," I answered honestly.

Noe didn't say anything. He just held out his hand to me, offering to help me up.

“Come on, I've already kept the food for you. You must be really hungry,” Noe told me.

I nodded. The grilled beast meat reminded me of the barbecue meat I usually grill in the summer. Slightly different, but I hope it tastes good enough. Noe and I sat by the fire, where everyone was resting and eating. Several people had finished eating and were sharpening their weapons. I noticed that there were many pairs of eyes watching me with sinister looks. I can guess the reason because Noe had told me before.

As soon as I sat down, Noe handed me my dinner and I noticed that it contained more than was on his own plate. I just kept quiet and accepted it, not even daring to say thank you. Noe himself hurriedly ate and pretended that it was nothing. I also do the same thing. However, before eating, I glanced at the golden tree tattoo on the back of my hand. No light at all came out from there, no matter how hard I focused my mind. I also tried to close my eyes and focus, but even the tree in my mind didn't glow at all.

I give up, and I immediately eat. This beast meat turned out to be much better than I expected. This wild boar-like beast actually tastes like pork even though the meat is a bit tougher, but it's much better than the stew I ate yesterday. I ate it voraciously because my stomach was rumbling so much.

My curiosity made me glance back at the back of my hand where the tattoo was. I could see the golden tree shining again, brighter than before. I was startled and immediately glanced around, afraid that they too had seen the light. But no one seemed to notice the light except for me. I came to the conclusion that eating the flesh of wild beasts can fuel this golden tree very well. In addition, the light of the golden tree could not be seen by other people, except when driving away the mosquitoes earlier.

"You better sleep, Rex. It's a tough day tomorrow,” Noe said in a low voice to me.

I know he deliberately went before me so as not to attract the attention of others. I nodded and let him go. I still think about that golden tree. This tree has saved me twice today.