Hiroshi poked his head out of the tent. He wondered what all had happened, no one was telling him anything!! First his father and the hunters go in the forest, Father doesn't come back until after midday with Cassidy and now everyone was confused and he heard people talking about packing up camp!! They had literally just gotten here yesterday!!!
It didn't help that he heard people and guards whispering about something called a Gate, and talking about spirits and magic... It was weird.
He decided to try and go see Cassidy. She should be able to explain it to him, right?? So he tugged on Tanjiro's hand, when he looked down he said his request," Can we go see Cassidy???"
Tanjiro looked a bit hesitant. "It depends if she's well. She may be a bit sick. But we can go see, ok?" he said, looking down at his charge, who nodded.
"Let's go!!"with that, he followed Tanjiro to where Cassidy's tent was. When they got there, Nao was standing outside, talking with the nurse. Both were wearing facemasks."???"
"What's wrong??" Tanjiro asked when the women had acknowledged them, "Is Cassidy alright??"
"No, she's not." Nao sighed, "Whatever happened in the forest has made her sick. It seems mild, whatever it may be. "She knelt down to look Hiroshi in the eye, "So, Sorry, Hiroshi. Cassidy won't be able to play for a little bit." Despite her face being hidden by the mask she gave a sad little smile, knowing the fact they were on this trip was because Hiroshi had asked so he could have more people to play with.
Hiroshi blinked a bit as he took in this information. He didn't like that. He was sad that she was sick, sad he wouldn't be able to play with her for a while. Plus, she was sick, she might. Might... Memories of his mother flashed through his mind and next thing he knew, tears were welling up in his eyes and he began to cry. He rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands, knowing that if Grandmother were here she would scold him for not acting 'princely'.
"'m sorry...!' ' he whimpered out, trying to stop the flow of tears. He was a big boy, and a prince! He shouldn't be crying over this!!! Cassidy wasn't going to be like his mother. She was going to be fine with bed rest but that's what they said about mama too-!! This thought only made him cry harder. When Tanjiro picked him up, he buried his face in the crook of his neck, trying to stop his body wrenching soft sobs.
"It's ok, Hiroshi.."Tanjiro said, patting his back. He knew his charge had.... Feelings about people being sick after what happened to Hana."It's ok to cry.."
"Papa didn't cry..." He whimpered out and the adults shared a bit of an awkward look at one another.
"... I'll take him back to his tent." Said Tanjiro, "Get better soon, Cassidy..!" he called into the tent, before carrying the whimpering prince back to his tent to rest after this cry.
"It's ok, Hiroshi.. It's ok.." he said, gently patting Hiroshi's back as the child cried himself to sleep in Tanjiro's arms.
--
Night quickly fell on the camp. Most of the nobles were mad at the fact they couldn't go into the forest and hunt as planned, but their anger was quickly quelled when it was revealed a Gate was there. It needed to be marked, or they needed to find a new place to hunt. Guards were doubling their shifts around the camp, always in pairs.
They didn't want another incident like with Cassidy.
So, they had to be careful in their patrols to make sure that it wouldn't happen.
Takashi was speaking with Giyuu in the main area of his tent, Hiroshi was asleep, so they were free to talk, as long as they kept their voices low anyway. "There's no way we can find how large an area this gate covers." Takashi said, rubbing his eyes, "But then there's the other nobles..."
"You don't want to deal with them complaining."Giyuu said and he looked at the map of the area scouts had made, and remade it after this discovery, using the trial makers that Takashi had made on the way back. They were just as confused as about where the Gate was." But I must agree." He looked back down at the map, looking at where Takashi's trial markers were. "Maybe if we just keep the general area about... Here." He put a marker on the map about ten yards back from the last marker that Takashi had made. "And keep it in a box about, like so," he used another marker to make said box, "It could still work. I would still say we cut the trip back a bit. But this way, as long as they keep their guards with them, people should be safe and still be able to hunt as wished."
Takashi nodded thoughtfully. "We do have enough guards that each hunting group should have at least two..'' He said, knowing the guards from his own house, combined with the guards that other nobles had brought with them. They should all still be able to hunt with this. "Alright then. We can even set them up in little boxes around like so as well. Since not everyone will be out hunting at the same time, we should be able to let everyone hunt a bit over the next few days. "
Giyuu nodded, "sounds like a plan, Takashi.... Is Hiroshi alright..? I know he was upset earlier when Kage bought him back."
"A-ah... He was upset that Bishop got sick." Takashi said, walking over to the flap that blocked off Hiroshi's 'room' in the tent and pulled it back to see how his son was sleeping. He noticed that Hiroshi's bed seemed strange. "...." he entered the little room and knelt by his son's bed, carefully pulling up the blanket, just in case his son was sleeping weirdly so he wouldn't wake up.
But instead of seeing his son, curled up on his futon, all that was there was his stuffed shark.
Takashi stared at it for a moment before quickly looking around the small room, trying to see if there was any sign of his son. But there was nothing Hiroshi could easily be hiding behind. He quickly went back to the main area of the tent. "Giyuu!!!" He said, his voice having a bit more of a panic than he could hide, "Hiroshi is missing! He's not in his bed!!"
"!!!! I'll gather the guards! He has to be here somewhere."
....
......
......
Hiroshi climbed over a fallen log, looking forward at the path before him. If he asked nicely, then maybe whoever made Cassidy sick, would make her better.
Maybe if he did that, she wouldn't die like his mother did.