Theon had set the man to the side and he was quite renewed once again once the fire had started. He was quite amazed and watched with a fleeting fascination how deftly Elepheesa moved about fashioning the tents with such expert handiwork and that only reminded him of the canvas flap that had taken to the wind only yesterday as his companions had made came for that night. For a moment he took time to wonder what might have been done differently, perhaps if they'd picked up a different stop to make camp, if only they'd kept walking for a another hour or so, or maybe made camp sooner. Maybe if Theon hadn't gone to sleep that night. But the weariness in his bones had been too much for even Lohengrin to soothe away entirely and he had no choice but to slump into his own tent.
If only...
But he couldn't let himself think on it. He looked over to Elepheesa again as she worked. She seemed so capable of coping with such trauma, with such devastation, and despite his own words, of course Theon had his doubts. Things didn't always go the way one planned. And he knew that if Elepheesa had not shown up when he did, he could have very well have been dead, to shocked in the snow to find the strength to go on. Yet there was more that seemed to concern him and when he studied her features as she worked, even as he tended to the man, setting his arm, which only seemed sore now as the winced here and there and only screamed once, he could plainly see that she fought to hide her emotion under a veil of seeming apathy. No human could shield themselves from the force of their emotions forever. He knew that something lurked underneath, that she would not reveal, something she was hiding, or preferred not to deal with. Like when he mentioned her lack of family. Maybe she tried to be so nonchalant about it but it only made it that much more apparent.
As the food was finished being prepared and was at last served to their momentary guest, the hunter's hands wavered as he took the bowl Elepheesa offered him, the meatiest portions of the hare. The man thanked her and huddled in his old furs as he sat crosslegged before the smoking fire. He ate with an unsteady hand, and that was when Theon reached out to help him ease the portion into his mouth. He gave a nod of thanks. But as Theon reached for his own bowl, he noticed how she gave it to him so impersonably and he just stared at her as she went on to feed scraps to Jouzan. The bird remained silent, but he could have sworn he saw the hooded crow grin at Theon in a mocking gaze.
He squinted his eyes and at in silence for a moment, the hare, tough but well-cooked and he was happy to see nothing would go to waste. He set the portion in his lap, looking over at the hunter as he was halfway finished. "Madack was having a son," he muttered, staring into his food, eating slowly. "His woman was thick with child, plus the two daughters she bore him. Now they'll never know how great their father was."
Theon was silent as he listened, glancing over to Elepheesa. "You were his friend, you would want the best for him," Theon murmured. "We will help take you back to your village. Isn't that right Elepheesa?" He looked over at her, meeting her gaze.
The hunter kept eating slowly. "I am Tarn. Madack was my cousin, bloodkin of the small village of Sa'Dihm, west of Hyoite. We were to trek there on our hunt, looking for big game to trade in Hyoite and trek back. We made it to the village. The way back was...so much longer colder than we remembered. On the first night we made camp on the tundra, two of us awake at a time while the others slept, to keep watch of raiding wolves and any other beasts. Madack remembered hearing something on the wind, strange howling, loud, almost...mournful. But the night was uneventful. We packed up traveled east once more to Sa'Dihm. The second night, it was my turn to keep watch. It was late into the night when I heard the same howling Madack had claimed to hear, but I thought it only to be wolves. I saw a few of their eyes in the dark, warded them off with fire. The night passed, until I saw another pair of eyes that almost seemed like a wolves...but they had a strange hue to them, and they appeared only when the wolves passed. I heard their scurrying across the snow. The night had gone then and we traveled to this patch of trees, knowing were about maybe fifty miles due east of our village. We stopped for the night.... That was when – WHEN!"
Tarn stopped them and doubled over yet again, breathing hard but not crying, trying to recollect himself. He seemed to lose his appetite then and set the bowl of food to the side. After a few minutes of not touching it, Jouzan hopped around and stealthily pulled it away with his beak to eat what remained. But Theon was transfixed on the man and put a hand on his shoulders until he was able to collect himself again.
"It all happened so fast. I-I remember I was sleeping. Samak and Sulla were keeping watch, and it was just me and Madack to rest. I heard the howling, but I couldn't let it bother me, so I kept asleep, but I could hear Sulla's voice grow vaguely concerned. He told Samak to check it out. I...I opened my eyes and saw him standing at the edge of the camp looking out into the dark when I saw the same eyes from the night before flicker open and before I knew it Samak was pulled into the darkness and all we could hear were his screams! We all jumped up by then, grabbed our spears, our knives, anything we had on hand and pulled kindling from the fire as he rushed out to his aid. We called for him, but all that remained were his bones and body torn open like something was ripped out of him!
"I only remember vague glimpses. White fur. Gods above, it moved so fast. And came at us around our backs. Claws tore through Sulla and soon Madach was gutted through with hands that looked like claws. I saw it then before me as I tried to reach my cousin in time, it's face was...covered in that white fur painted here and there with red specks of blood. It was twice the size of a man, arms long and powerful. It had a monstrous face, deep eyes that bored into me, shocked me until he threw out and arm and sent me reeling into a tree, shattering my arm. I was still in the snow. Perhaps it thought me dead...I don't know." Tarn's face was teary-eyed then and he kept his eyes staring into the fire.
Theon didn't know what more to say except that he looked for Elepheesa to say something. Anything to break the silence after the tale Tarn just told. And after a while, he kept his eyes to his companion and asked, "Do you know the way to Sa'Dihm?"