The mother boar lowered its head and charged.
"Shit-!"
Eiji moved on instinct.
He threw himself sideways just as the boar plowed straight through the spot where he was standing moments ago. Dirt and soil sprayed into the air. The boar's tusks tore through the soil with frightening ease, leaving a deep groove on the ground..
His heart slammed against his ribs.
'Too fast. Way too fast.' He thought as he saw the mother boar turning back around to face him.
He rolled, came up on one knee, and ran.
Not straight.
He cut left, weaving between trees, forcing the boar to turn. He had read this.
'Heavy animals should struggle with sharp changes in direction.'
In reality, he could hear the sound of pounding hooves and rustling trees right behind him.
A tree trunk was quickly becoming larger. He planted a foot and pivoted hard.
"Gh-"
Pain flared in his ankle but he ignored it. The boar clipped the tree instead, its tusk smashing bark loose with a violent crack.
It barely slowed.
"Calm down. Think," Eiji muttered, breath ragged.
He was still a child, and he understood better than anyone his limitations.
His arms were short. His legs were short. His kunai felt like a toy compared to the relatively large mass charging at him.
This was not a fight he could win head on.
"Think Eiji think…"
The forest blurred as he sprinted. He leapt over a fallen log and skidded on damp earth, nearly losing his footing.
A sharp pain ripped across his calf as something grazed him. Warmth spread down his leg.
Blood.
He gritted his teeth and kept moving.
He remembered the paths.
The markers he had carved discreetly into bark. Small scratches only he would notice. Stones placed where they did not belong. He had done it throughout his trips into the forest, a habit he's been creating to stay safe.
And now it's beginning to pay off.
A familiar slope soon came into view.
The pit he had dug on an earlier trip.
Eiji pushed harder, lungs burning, legs screaming. He leapt forward just as the ground gave way beneath the charging boar.
The earth collapsed.
The wood cracked. Leaves caved in. The boar dropped with a furious screech, its massive body slamming into the shallow pit he had dug weeks ago. Dirt rained down as it thrashed violently.
Eiji stumbled, barely keeping his footing, then spun to face it.
The pit was not that deep. He had made it wide, sloped, meant to catch animals larger than a rabbit. Enough to trap them.
It was barely enough to trap the boar for a while, slowing it down for some time.
The boar roared, hooves digging into the soft ground and tusks loosening the walls. Earth crumbled under its weight. The sides began to cave, inch by inch, as the boar tried to climb.
The cub squirmed from inside the sack, sensing danger.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, breath shaking.
The boar froze for half a second, she could feel its child scared.
Eiji's mind raced.
It was still focused on protecting. Not hunting him. Protecting its child.
He swallowed hard.
His hands moved before doubt could stop him.
He pulled the cub free from the sack, quickly untying the rope from the cub's mouth.
His heart was pounding loudly as he did, and tossed it down into the pit.
The cub landed awkwardly but unharmed, squealing in panic.
The change was immediate.
The mother boar abandoned the climb and turned fully toward the cub, lowering its head, placing itself between the pit wall and its child. It snorted, hooves stamping, body tense but focused.
That was his opening.
"Now"
Eiji did not hesitate.
He jumped.
The drop knocked the air from his lungs as he landed right on top of the boar. Pain flared through his chest and legs as he wrapped his hands around the boar's neck, but adrenaline drowned it out.
He grabbed the kunai from his side and drove it as hard as he could to the side of the boar's head.
The blade struck the boar as it jerked from the impact of Eiji falling on its back.
The kunai stopped just behind its eye instead of the brain.
"Damnit, too shallow."
The boar screamed.
The sound was deafening inside the pit, raw and furious. Blood sprayed across Eiji's arms as the animal reared violently.
He barely had time to pull the kunai free before he fell off the boar head first and felt its hoof kicking his shoulder.
The impact sent him flying into the pit wall. His back slammed hard. Something in his shoulder screamed as if tearing apart.
He cried out, vision blurring.
The boar thrashed wildly, tusks gouging into the earth, smashing against the walls. The pit deteriorated faster now, dirt collapsing under its rage.
'Get up.'
He forced himself upright, legs shaking uncontrollably.
The boar charged inside the pit.
There was nowhere to run.
Eiji ducked under a tusk by instinct, feeling the wind of it pass inches from his head. He slashed at the boar's side, hoping to drive it deeper than before, momentarily forgetting that the boar's hide was far stronger than its eyes.
The slash barely hurt it.
The boar smashed into him again, knocking him against the pit's wall as dirt filled his mouth.
Instinct took over again as he quickly moved away from another charge, its tusk scraping his hand as he tried to catch it,leaving a shallow gash.
Pain exploded through his palm as the tusk sliced deep.
He screamed.
Warmth poured down his wrist.
His grip slipped.
The boar reared back, preparing to finish it.
Eiji's vision tunneled. His mind clearing as the world slowed down.
Images flashed through his mind.
The matron coughing quietly at night.
"COUGH"
"..."
"It's okay Eiji, I'm fine"
Kota's loud complaints.
"sniff-"
"Eiji, the basket is too heavy~"
Mizu's small hands clutching his sleeve.
"Eiji-Nii, I'm hungry"
The image shifted to the day he collapsed. The matron kneeling beside his hospital bed, her hands trembling as she hugged him. Kota pretending to be strong. Mizu clutching the edge of her blanket as she went to sleep.
His family.
His chest tightened until it hurt to breathe.
Never again.
With a hoarse cry, he lunged forward.
He could feel its breath, both hot and rancid. For a heartbeat, fear tried to lock his body in place. He crushed it down with sheer will and threw himself into the charge.
The impact rattled his bones. He jumped on top of the boar's lowered head, felt its tusk press his sides as he held on, then drove the kunai into the same spot as its bleeding eye with all he had, pushing it again and again.
The blade went in deeper than before, sinking deeper with every push. The boar shrieked, the sound sharp and enraged, its entire body exploded with energy.
Eiji was lifted off its head as the boar thrashed, barely holding on to his kunai as he was tossed in the air.
Pain tore through his injured hand, fire racing up his arm. His muscles screamed as his arms shook violently, threatening to give out.
"No," he gasped through clenched teeth. "Not yet."
Then he used both hands to push the kunai deeper, leaning into the blade, driving it deeper, twisting with his whole body despite the agony. The boar's movements grew uneven. One kick landed weakly. Another missed entirely.
The thrashing slowed.
Once.
Twice.
Then the massive body shuddered and collapsed into the dirt with a final, rattling breath.
Eiji fell with it, chest heaving, limbs trembling uncontrollably, staring up at the dim canopy of leaves as the silence rushed back in.
He was still alive.
For a moment, everything went quiet.
Eiji lay there, chest heaving, body trembling uncontrollably. Pain flooded in as adrenaline began to fade.
"I'm alive," he whispered.
After laying there for a while, Eiji got up to take care of his wounds with some salve he got from the market and a makeshift bandage using herbs he gathered.
"Okay, now to take care of the boar"
His hands shook as he drained the boar and tied the boar's legs with rope, securing it to his waist so he can drag it back.
The cub squealed softly beside its mother.
Eiji froze, breath hitching, half expecting the sound to draw something else from the forest.
When nothing had answered, he moved slowly and deliberately. He wrapped the cub tighter, careful not to hurt it, then eased it back into his sack, tying the opening securely but leaving enough space for air.
Only after making sure everything was secured did he turn to the way back home.
The walk back was agony.
Every step sent pain lancing through his body. His shoulder burned. His hand throbbed. Blood and dirt stained his clothes, fabric torn in multiple places from the struggle.
He stopped often, leaning against tree trunks while his breathing steadied. He checked his wounds with careful fingers, pressing gently to be sure nothing was bleeding freely. When blood seeped through, he packed it with cloth torn from his sleeve, tying it tight the way the books described.
He altered his path twice, avoiding the more open trails. Drag marks were brushed away and covered with dirt, branches, or leaves. Blood trails were wiped or buried under loose soil. Where the boar's scent clung too strongly, he scattered crushed herbs and covered with mud, dulling it as best he could.
The closer he came to the orphanage, the more careful he became. He cleaned his hands in a stream, scrubbing until the water ran clear. He wiped his face, pushed his hair back, and adjusted his clothes to hide the worst of the stains.
When the orphanage finally came into view, his legs nearly gave out.
He slowed, forced himself upright, and took one last steadying breath.
The matron saw him first.
She was carrying a basket of laundry out to dry.
She froze.
"Eiji?"
He stumbled forward, dragging the tied boar behind him, the cub still secured carefully in his sack.
She dropped the basket and quickly rushed to him,
"What happened," she asked, already inspecting him, hands moving quickly all over his body. "Sit. Don't move."
"I'm fine Matron," he replied weakly.
"No you are not, young man, look at yourself, whose blood is this if it isn't yours?" She did not believe him for a second.
"Her" as he pointed behind him.
"Wh-" Her gaze fell to the rope trailing behind him.
Then to the massive shape just beyond the treeline, half hidden by shadow and leaves.
Her breath caught.
"…Is that a boar?"
Eiji nodded weakly.
The matron's eyes caught the moving sack placed right beside him.
"And that sack," she continued, voice tightening. "What is in it?"
The cub squirmed harder as if responding.
Eiji opened up the sack and showed the cub to the Matron.
For a long moment, the matron said nothing.
Then she closed her eyes.
"Fuuu~" she exhaled slowly.
She pressed her fingers to her brow, and when she opened them again, they were bright with emotion he could not immediately read.
"Inside," she said. "Now."
She called for help from the other children.
"Hey Kota, Mizu." Eiji said to the two children who were standing close by.
Kota's mouth fell open when he saw Eiji's state. "What happened to you?"
Mizu ran straight to him, clutching his sleeve carefully. "Eiji-Nii, you're bleeding. Matron, is Eiji-nii hurt?"
"I'm fine Mizu," he said, rubbing her head softly. "Really."
The matron ignored them.
She guided them all inside, moving with quiet urgency. The boar carcass was dragged closer with help from all the boys. The cub was placed gently into a wooden crate padded with cloth. It calmed almost immediately once separated from the smell of blood.
The matron worked without pause.
She cleaned his wounds thoroughly, tongue clicking in disapproval as she uncovered bruises, swelling, and the angry gash on his hand. She wrapped his shoulder, bound his palm, and made him drink an extra bitter concoction despite his protests.
When she was done, she finally sat across from him.
Her hands trembled now.
"You promised me," she said quietly, sounding disappointed.
Eiji looked down.
"I know."
"You promised me that you wouldn't push yourself too much," she continued. "You promised me you would be careful."
"I tried matron," he said. His voice was steady, but his chest felt tight. "I really did."
Silence stretched between them.
Then he lifted his head and met her eyes.
"I can't promise that I won't push myself or be reckless anymore," Eiji continued. "And I can't promise I won't get hurt."
"Especially not after today"
He swallowed.
"But I promise I will always come back home."
Her hands clenched in her lap.
"You are too young Eiji," she said finally. Her voice was calm, but there was something strained beneath it. "Too young to carry this kind of weight."
Eiji did not look away. "I know."
"That does not make it right."
"No it does not," he agreed softly. "But it makes it necessary."
She closed her eyes again, this time longer. When she opened them, there was moisture gathering there, stubbornly held back.
"I am angry," she said. "And I am afraid."
Kota shifted uncomfortably by the doorway. Mizu stayed pressed against Eiji's side.
Her voice wavered despite her effort to keep it steady. "I have buried too many already. Children who thought they had to be strong alone."
Eiji's throat tightened. "I'm not alone."
She looked at him sharply.
"That's why I have to be stronger. For all of you."
The matron studied him for a long moment. Then, slowly, she reached out and placed her hand on his head. Her palm was rough from years of work, warm and familiar.
"You are not wrong," she said quietly. "And that is what frightens me."
She sighed and stood, straightening her back as if making a decision she had already delayed too long.
"I cannot stop you," she said. "And I will not pretend that I can."
Eiji's shoulders loosened slightly.
"But," she added, her gaze hardening, "you will listen to me when I tell you to rest. You will let me tend your wounds. And you will never disappear without telling me where you are going."
"I promise," Eiji said immediately.
She turned toward the crate where the cub lay curled, its small body rising and falling steadily.
"That cub will need care," she said.
"I'll handle it," Eiji said.
"You will help," she corrected. "The orphanage will handle it. Do not take everything onto yourself."
"Yes ma'am."
"Good, now get some rest"
(To Be Continued)
A/N
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