CURSED AND LOVE

WOUNDED MAN AND THE WOLVES

The man stared blankly at the green faced little beggar leaning over him and he still had not regained his senses until he heard the little beggar's voice.

"You must have hit your head on the rocks when you fell. The blood clot must be pressing against your nerves and I am guessing that your amnesia is only temporary and you will be alright once the clot clears." She stood up brushing her hands off and said: "Alright, since you're awake, I will be on my way then."

When he heard that, the man panicked and he endured the excruciating pain in his abdomen as he stood up. Filled with a sense of unease and suddenly feeling rather flustered, he went to stand close beside Jocefie. He seemed like he was about to say something but he did not know how to say it and he merely looked at Jocefie with his mouth opening and closing wordlessly.

After the man stood up, Jocefie was suddenly taken aback. That was when she saw just how tall the man was. He was half a head taller than she was, his skin was well tanned and bronzed, muscular in built, seemingly a little more muscular than that uncle. The set of clothes covering his body at that moment was a little tight and well stretched, the bulging muscles on his arms looking like they would be splitting the clothes any moment.

She turned her eyes and looking at the man following her, she asked: "What are you doing?" She had just rescued the man without thinking and she had not known that it would bring herself so much trouble.

"Can't..... Can't I follow you?" The man looked at her, his eyes filled with unease.

"I can't remember anything and I only know you."

Jocefie was suddenly speechless. Those words sounded rather familiar to her. She herself had said something close to that when she had decided to cling on to that uncle at that time.

"I..... I will not be any trouble."

Jocefie rolled her eyes and said in exasperation: "You, yourself, are already trouble to me."

If not for him, she wouldn't have had to stare down those wolves for an entire night. With her skills and speed, even if she wasn't able to fight them, she would have no problem escaping.

When she didn't hear any reply, she raised her eyes to glance at him, and that one glance had startled her.

"Wh..... What is a grown man like you crying for?"

With such a big and well built man crying with his eyes all red rimmed with tears before her eyes, looking every inch like a little daughter in law having been bullied, what else could she do but be startled?

"You didn't allow me to follow....."

The man looked at her looking all aggrieved. "I don't know where to go, and I don't have anywhere to return to, and you didn't allow me to follow you....."

Jocefie slapped her palm on her forehead and stared into the sky in speechlessness. She had really gotten herself stuck with trouble that wasn't easy to be rid of this time....."

Was this retribution? She had plastered herself onto someone, and now someone was doing the same thing to her.

She walked over to the stream and took out her bamboo canister to fill it up with water while she removed the top layer of clothing that had been splattered with wolf's blood and threw it away.

She was preparing to walk away from the place when she saw the man still standing there stupidly, looking like he wanted to follow but not daring to and just staring at her. She gave a heavy sigh and said: "Why are you still standing there? Let's go!"

"Huh? Oh!" The man was surprised a moment before he smiled happily and nodded in agreement, taking quick steps to walk over. However, he had a hand over his abdomen as he endured the pain.

The two of them walked up the slope and went deeper into the woods. At that time, the slowly ambling Jocefie's eyes flashed as she discreetly swept her eyes over the surroundings, as she continued walking forward.

"About that.... How..... how should I address you?" The man asked, following Jocefie.

"Whatever." She replied nonchalantly, her attention not on the conversation.

Hearing that, the man thought about it a moment and he said with a laugh after: "You're younger than me, so I'll call you Little kid alright?"

"Mmm." The kid nodded at her in agreement.

She replied distractedly, not really listening to what he was really saying, but was instead tilting her head to stare at the huge clumps of weeds at the back.

Hearing Jocefie's agreement, his face lit up with joy. He was about to speak again when he noticed the little beggar staring at a spot at the back on the left. He followed the direction of the gaze and what he saw made his face change.

"Are those wolves are still around? Are they going to keep following us?" He was suddenly rather shocked. They have walked quite a distance and he had not realised that there was a pack of more than ten wolves following behind them.

He did not dare imagine. If they had been caught completely unaware and those wolves had pounced on them, what kind of a result would it have been.....

"No worries. They wouldn't dare to pounce on us. They are just waiting for an opportunity." Jocefie glanced briefly at the wolves, and then turned back and continued walking.

She knew after she had brutally and mercilessly killed off a few of those wolves, it had already successfully served as a deterrent for the rest of the pack and they would not dare to recklessly charge in at them anymore. The wolves were well aware that any wrong move they made would only mean certain death for them!

But the wolves were unwilling to just leave, so they had tailed the pair a distance away, waiting for a chance.

"Are we going to just let them follow behind us like this?" The man asked in shock, seeing that the little beggar didn't seem the least bit concerned, and found it rather strange. The little beggar was obviously much younger than him, how did he come to possess such guts and those amazing skills?

Jocefie stopped in her tracks and looked straight at the man. "Or you want to go chase them away?"

"Huh!? ..... I think there's no need. Just let them follow us then!" He smiled sheepishly and scratched at his head helplessly. Hence, if anyone was closeby, they would then see this strange scene passing.

Two guys ambling leisurely in front, and on their tails about ten meters behind them, was a pack of over ten hungry grey wolves salivating heavily at the jaws.

"Little kid, do you think what's on this jade emblem could be my name?" He handed a piece of jade to Jocefie as he said: "It was originally hung around my neck."

Jocefie took the piece of jade and looked at it. There were really three words engraved upon it that read: "Khallel Alcatraz?"

Her voice paused a moment as she stared at the man a moment before she asked: "You are called Khallel Alcatraz?"

"I am thinking it might be possible."

She returned the jade pendant back to him and said with a laugh: "I had thought you might have been called a big oaf!"

Khallel Alcatraz looked at the little beggar wordlessly, but wisely did not say anything more.

The two of them covered another stretch and the pack of wolves were still following behind, not showing any signs of leaving.

Until, Khallel Alcatraz sniffled his nose and he grinned at Jocefie to say: "Little kid, there's people up front, let's hurry up and catch up to them. If those people allow us to follow them, then those wolves following behind us would then never dare to attack us anymore."

"People? How do you know?" She peered in front, and besides trees and weeds, she did not see a single sign of anyone there.

He nodded his head insistently: "There is, for sure! I can smell the aroma of meat being roasted."

"The smell of roasting meat? How come I do not smell it?" She mumbled as she continued to walk another distance. After a while, she could really smell the aroma of meat being roasted and she could faintly hear the voices of people talking. She immediately shot a inquisitive look at Khallel Alcatraz beside her.

"Does he have the nose of a hound?" Felisa told Jocefie in her instinct

"Heh heh, see? I told you there are people here!" He said with a laugh:

"Let's go, when we get there and they allow us to follow them, we wouldn't have to be afraid even if we meet with anymore wild beasts."

"You think people would just allow us into their group that easily?" She glared at him and then said: "Only I would be so free to let you tag along with me."

Seeing him standing there dazed and his face helpless, Jocefie glared at him and continued to say:

"This place is called the forbidden forest, and it's filled with many ferocious beasts. In a place so filled with endless dangers, entrapments, what do you think others will think when they see two strangers suddenly approaching them?"

"What..... what will they think?" He asked curiously, not comprehending the situation.

"Moron! They will think what ulterior motives we have in getting close to them!"

"Then what do we do?"

Jocefie's gaze changed, and her lips parted into a sinister smile: "It's alright. I have a plan. Just watch me."

After that, Khallel Alcatraz just stayed at Jocefie's side as they quietly got closer to the group of people. First they hid behind trees and observed the people for awhile from a long distance away, then she led him to walk boldly forward. He had thought that the little beggar was thinking up some scheme to make those people bring the two of them along, and he had not expected that the kid would lead him to walk past the group of people by the side. The little beggar had not said a word, nor had he even cast a glance towards the men.

But those men were instantly on their guard when they saw the two men who had suddenly appeared. The leader discreetly gauged them a moment before he relaxed his guard. As the two men's cultivation were not of a high level, they did not pose a threat to them.

But at that same moment, he heard his tribesmen shout out in surprise.

"Third Lord, it's a pack of wolves!"

Because of that shout, the thirty to forty men who were sitting down in rest suddenly quickly stood up alert. It was also at that moment that Jocefie who had already gone a distance ahead shouted out in shock after hearing the man's shout.

"What? A pack of wolves? Where? Where?" She shouted out nervously, as she dragged Khallel Alcatraz to backpedal towards the side of the men.

"Who are you two? Did the two of you lure that pack of wolves here! ?" A middle aged man hollered, staring angrily at them.

"How is that possible?"

She stared back at them and said: "Those are wolves! Not kittens! How could we possibly make them follow us here? Moreover, if we had earlier known that wolves were tailing behind us, we would have run for our lives! Why would we still be walking so leisurely?"

"Old Sixth, do not be too rash. Keeping our guard up should be out prerogative right at this moment!" The leader of the men said in a stern voice.

"That is a whole pack of ferocious grey wolves and they are extremely quick and nimble. Everybody watch out."

Jocefie saw the entire team of men systematically forming a surrounding protective ring, with several of the younger and weaker youths, both boys and girls in the middle. She pulled Khallel Alcatraz to go closer to the team of men but they remained just on the outer edges, and did not enter the protective ring. Even then, they were stared at viciously by a young girl from inside the ring.

"You filthy little beggar! You had better stay far away from me!"

"Cousin, do not be rude." A youthful boy chided her, looking a little displeased at the girl's spoilt and rude behaviour.

He looked towards Jocefie and Khallel Alcatraz and said gently: "Seeing that both of you do not possess high cultivation, you had better stand inside the protective ring! My uncles and elders in my family with the guards are highly skilled, and a mere pack of ten over wolves would not pose too big a threat to us."

"Hahaha, that's right! Just these few wolves would be just right for us to stretch ourselves a little." A wide chested and burly man guffawed loudly after hearing the youth's words, swinging the mighty axe in his hands.

"Just one swing of this mighty axe will be able take down one of them!"

When he heard those words, the leader of the man shook his head to himself and said: "Cardo, we must not get careless and underestimate the enemy at all times. Stay alert. We'll fight those wolves if they leap at us."

"Yes yes yes." The burly man conceded with a laugh as he stared at the wolves not too far away. With that stare, he guffawed once more and said: "Third Lord, look at those wolves! They don't even dare come near us. Hahahaha, they must be frightened at the sight of me."

Jocefie could not help herself and a snigger escaped her lips when she heard those narcissistic words before she said to the youth: "Thank you young Master. We are fine just standing here."

"Kid, what are you laughing at? Are you thinking I am not capable of scaring off that bunch of dogs?" The burly man's brows arched up alarmingly, his face filled with displeasure as he stared at Jocefie.

Jocefie had not even managed to say a word when Khallel Alcatraz at the side suddenly pulled her back to stand behind him.

He had his chest puffed up standing in front of her as he stared back at the burly man:

"Why are you staring at my little kid brother!"

Jocefie was startled a moment as she stared at the tall guy standing in front of her, her gaze a little strange as she glanced at him.

The burly man named Steel Bull looked at the guy before him standing there with his chest puffed up and he hesitated a moment before giving out another loud guffaw: "Hahaha! Good good good, this kid here has got quite a bit of guts! You dare stare at me Steel Bull like this, that's admirable!"

As he spoke, he was happily patting Khallel Alcatraz on the shoulder, his palm hitting repeatedly, while Jocefie Abad who was watching from behind straightened into a thin line.

Those pats on the shoulder had not been light!

"Ungh!" Having been "patted" a few times on the shoulder, it had tugged at the wound on his abdomen, the pain causing cold sweat to run down his face.

"You hit him too hard! He has injuries on him!" Jocefie Abad came to the front as she complained, and lifted the guy's hand that was held over his stomach. As expected, she saw that blood was seeping out from his wound.

"Oops....." The burly man retracted his hand, looking a little apologetic.

"Look, the wolves have retreated!" Someone shouted joyously as he saw the wolves turn around to leave after giving out several short howls.

The crisis had been resolved without having to fight and that had made the large group of men roar with jubilation.

It turned out that the wolves had only reluctantly left when they saw that Jocefie Abad and the tall man had joined the group. Afterall, they had not even been able to handle them when it was just the two of them, and with another additional thirty or forty men with them, they would not stand a chance, so the wolves had naturally given up and left.

Then, the young youth who had spoken earlier said gently as he looked at Jocefie: "His wound had started bleeding. You better look at your elder brother's injury first!"

He handed her a bottle of medicine as he spoke: "Here, I have this medicine that is great for wounds."

"Cousin, why would you bother so much with them?" The young girl complained while stamping her feet, displeased that the young youth was be being so nice to two strangers that had appeared so suddenly.

"It's alright, I have medicine here myself." Jocefie said, helping Khallel to slowly sit down below a tree at the side before removing the bandages from his abdomen and reapplying the medicine.

"Let's go!" Jocefie said as she helped him up, after securing the bandages once more.

"Orh" Khallel Alcatraz hesitated a moment before he nodded his head and followed Jocefie to continue on their way.