They moved forward, and Hawke followed, his steps too firm for someone carrying something unsteady on his back.
Tairo and Duggi went ahead, clearing the way and checking the terrain for safety. Kaira and Yuka came close behind, more protected in the middle. And lastly, covering the rear, came Hawke with the old woman on his back and Kuggi holding his improvised club.
The men had protested about the position; "women stay in the middle, between the men, it's the rule, it's to protect"; but the old woman was technically a woman too, so she was kind of following the rule in a roundabout way, and nobody wanted to argue much because deep down they didn't want to deal with Grandma's scolding, she was stubborn, they knew that.
Hawke had handed the black club to the old woman to carry right at the beginning of the walk; walking with her hands free was better for maintaining balance.
At first she refused, stubborn as always.
"I'm not your carrier!"
"And I'm no mount either. If I'm carrying you..." Hawke replied with unwavering logic, "I think it's fair that you carry my gun, don't you think?"
She grumbled, muttering insults under her breath about bossy men and stupid logic, but picked up the club and held it with one hand while the other rested on his shoulder for balance. Surprisingly stable for someone her age.
Hawke was focused. Well, technically focused. He was focused on the beautiful curves of Yuka and Kaira walking just ahead, making internal comparisons as he walked automatically.
'Yuka has a certain gracefulness in her walk. Her butt wiggles more than Kaira's when she steps... but Kaira wins in butt size, definitely. However, she loses absurdly in breast size.'
Suddenly something interrupted his important concentration.
*Knock*
A light tap hit the top of his head.
"Hey."
Hawke felt it but didn't say anything to the old woman, thinking it was her mistake for him to sway. The old woman looked from side to side as if she hadn't done anything, innocently, but she had clearly noticed that he was staring too much at the girls and decided to give him a light nudge.
A few steps later.
*KNOCK*
'Again.'
"Are you comfortable up there?" Hawke asked without turning his face, his voice coming out slightly irritated.
"Very comfortable, thank you for asking." The old woman replied too sweetly. "But you walk too slowly, you're practically drooling looking at the girls, you sway too much too, branches could hit my delicate face. Or I could fall and be abandoned without you even noticing in this distracted way."
Hawke rolled his eyes.
"That's not a bad idea."
*KNOCK*
Another knock, a little harder this time, making his head sway.
He sighed loudly, giving up on complaining.
Ahead, after looking at the sky, or what could be seen of it between the giant trees, Tairo raised his voice:
"Let's go quickly, everyone! The faster we walk, the less dangerous time we spend exposed!"
The group obediently increased their pace. The terrain was uneven, full of exposed roots as thick as giant snakes intertwining in the ground, but it wasn't so difficult if you watched carefully where you stepped. Tairo, in the lead, cleared or opened a path when necessary, pushing branches aside, testing if roots could support weight or if there were any hidden holes.
Yuka constantly grumbled about hurting her bare feet on pebbles or about her legs being tired; clearly, she wasn't used to walking very long distances.
As they walked, Hawke found a flat stone on the ground, about the size of his palm, perfect. He picked it up and began marking arrows on the trees that stood out most along the trail they were following. Deep scratches in the bark, deliberately pointing in the direction they were going.
Tairo noticed after the third tree was marked.
"Why are you doing this? Wasn't leaving the memories in the cave enough?"
"Marking," Hawke replied, continuing to scratch a large, clear arrow. "If we go the wrong way, we go back to the last mark and follow another point. Making a different mark on this next attempt."
Tairo frowned, somewhat offended.
"We won't get lost. Don't you trust me?"
"I trust you, but it doesn't hurt to have an extra guarantee."
The answer hung in the air for a few heavy seconds. Tairo didn't argue, but he didn't agree either; he thought that action slowed down the group's pace, even if it was only a few seconds per tree.
"You think too much," he muttered, somewhat acidly.
"And you think too little," Hawke replied calmly, continuing to mark.
*KNOCK*
Another knock from the old woman, stronger this time.
"Don't fight while I'm up here! I'm the leader!"
Some chuckled softly. Kaira let out a loud laugh. Even Duggi smiled.
'That old woman is definitely having fun with this.'
They walked for hours. The sun gradually descended, tinging the sky with orange and then reddish hues that pierced the treetops like dim rays of light. Fatigue began to weigh on them, not only Yuka, but everyone to some extent.
Even Hawke felt his legs getting heavier, his shoulders aching where the old woman's legs pressed.
Yuka asked, somewhat embarrassed:
"Could... could I switch places with Grandma? Just for a little while?"
A wide smile of immediate agreement appeared on Hawke's face. Carrying Yuka meant having those enormous breasts pressed against the back of his head, definitely a great improvement, or maybe he would carry her in his arms anyway.
But the old woman refused before he could protest.
"NO! You can walk, you lazy little girl!"
And she gave Hawke three more quick blows to the head while saying she was the leader and made the decisions.
'I regret it. I deeply regret going to get this old woman.'
He held back from saying anything aloud. He didn't want to take any more blows to the head.
Yuka grumbled in disappointment and complained a few more times about her foot and tiredness, but the old woman didn't budge.
At one point, Hawke simply reached behind him, took the club from her without asking permission, and handed it to Kuggi, who was coming up behind him.
"That's enough. I won't make it to my destination alive this way."