The Barbaric Man : 02
Previous Chapters: 01
On the sun-kissed tan man’s broad shoulders, Taemin had a load of questions to ask him, curious to know who he is. “Who are you?” The blonde boy decided to start with this question first before he bombarded him with more questions. “And where are you taking me?”
All the man did was hum an unmelodic tune as he happily walked down the pathways, but after a few seconds of silence, he patted Taemin’s back to assure him that he was listening. “Hmm, so I guess you don’t understand me…” Taemin concluded with a rhetorical question, he was rather disappointed.
After awhile, the wild man stopped humming and just continued walking as the setting darkened and the light disappearing. Taemin dangled his arms behind the man’s wide back and he began to become overwhelmed with unsettling thoughts like what if he’s being taken to a tribe full of carnivores? Is that why he saved him? To bring him home for dinner? Maybe that’s why he licked his injuries to get a taste of him!
Taemin was fighting his feelings inside, a part of him says that he should get away from this man then, but the other half is saying that he’s just over-thinking things and being paranoid. Then, the man halted in his place when a low, soft growl was heard…
It was just Taemin’s stomach though, it began roaring like thunder for hunger and his face began to redden when he realized that he made that embarrassing sound. The wild man lifted Taemin up higher and he pressed his ear against his stomach to listen, which made Taemin flush even more red. He then looked up into Taemin’s eyes and swung him around, trying to get Taemin positioned correctly on his back in a piggy-back style. He took Taemin’s arms and wrapped it around his neck, making his hand clutch each other tightly so he won’t fall off as he ran.
While running, Taemin was getting smacked in the face by twigs of branches and vines, so he crouch his head down besides the stranger’s head. Taemin could hear the even breathing of the man, feel his dark skin emitting heat, and see the sweat glistening in the dark. He completely fascinated with this man who lives in this jungle filled with dangerous animals.
When the man reached his destination, he stopped and set Taemin down onto his feet. He grabbed the smaller one’s wrist and began walking towards the small, old building that was covered by big leaves from the towering trees above it. Taemin gulped, not sure what waits for him in there… As they slowly entered, the blonde one peered inside. To his surprise it wasn’t as small as it looked on the outside. It was fairly roomy; the first thing he saw in the corner was a rack of what seems to be of hand-made spears.
Next, Taemin noticed a huge bear’s skin used for a rug on the ground in the center of the room so far this was all on the right side when they entered. As his eyes scanned across the room, he saw a big black pot hanging near the other corner of the room with a pit of wood under it and he saw a man standing before it.
He was pretty tall, but not as tall as the man who was still holding onto Taemin’s wrist, and he seemed to be in his mid-thirty’s. His hair was sticking upwards and he something in his mouth, a bone? His skin wasn’t as dark as the younger man and he didn’t seem to have as much scars from Taemin’s viewpoint. The man also wore a skirt but it wasn’t patterned, just a dirty-brown colored skirt that stopped above his knees and he wore a headband that had some dark bird feathers attached to it, the feathers were hanging right behind his right ear.
The unknown older man seemed to be shocked when he saw them enter. He began speaking to the boy who just came in. Taemin couldn’t understand what they were saying at all, but he shyly hid behind the tan boy’s body.
After a few more words were exchanged, the jungle boy turned around and faced Taemin, giving him a soothing and happy look. He led Taemin across the room towards the older one, passing the bear skin. They stopped a few feet away from the man with a thin piece of bone in his mouth.
He had a serious look on his face but it wasn’t threatening. He cocked his head sideways and crossed his arms as he examined Taemin, up and down. Then, the man motioned his hands to his mouth, waving them in a circular motion, perhaps he’s trying to say speak?
“Uh… Hello…?” Taemin slowly uttered out, trying to comprehend what the man wanted. The man smiled smugly and nodded.
“H-hello…” His low voice came out , and then he pointed at himself. “Onew… Yew…?”
Taemin was a bit stunned and a little relieved that he can speak somewhat. “I’m Taemin.”
“…Em Ta men?” The man called Onew repeated in awe as he nodded his head. Taemin chuckled.
“No, no… Taemin…” Taemin said slowly and loudly as he placed his hands on his chest, and he repeated his name once again.
Both men “ooooohed” together as if they had an epiphany or something while they looked at each other with wide, opened eyes. They both repeated “Taemin” out loud to each other, looking at the blonde one.
Taemin eyed the man standing beside him, wondering if he had a name also. The tan one looked down at the smaller one and smiled dumbly at him; he took his thumb and pointed at himself while he said, “Minho.”
“Minho…” Taemin repeated shortly after under his breath, calling out his name sent butterflies fluttering from his stomach throughout his whole body.
“Human… Here… Rare,” Onew slowly spoke, trying to see if he worded his phrase well enough for Taemin to understand. That probably explains why Minho was sniffing him early and looking at him with weird and curious eyes.
Taemin didn’t notice that Minho swiftly left his side until he heard something from the other side of the room in the corner. Minho picked up one of the spears and twirled it around in his hand and he pounded his chest with his fist towards Onew. Onew gave him a satisfying nod. Taemin began to tense up in his place for a minute there, he didn’t know what was going on and he hoped that he wasn’t going to be killed by that spear.
Minho headed towards the exit, as he was about to push the door he paused and looked at Taemin, he motioned his hand for him to follow. Taemin turned his head back to see if he was talking to Onew or him.
“Go… Hunt…” Onew said as he smiled warmly at Taemin, gently pushing him forward. That word sparked Taemin’s interest, go hunting? With Minho? I have got to see this!
CHAPTER 3 -->
a/n: Fan art, shitty quality though!
