Chapter 20 Bad Idea

As the bushes rustled and parted, my heart lurched with terror, anticipating the looming threat of some monstrous predator lurking within. With bated breath, I braced myself for the inevitable onslaught, steeling my nerves for the end that seemed all too near.

But instead of the grotesque monstrosity I had feared, a familiar head timidly emerged from the foliage. It was a fellow goblin slave, his beaten form a sign of the brutality of our shared torment. Bruises marred his face, a grotesque black eye swollen shut, yet despite his wounds, he summoned the courage to step out from his hiding.

With trembling limbs and a gaze haunted by fear, the goblin cautiously stepped forward, his movements hesitant and cautious. Every step seemed to echo with the weight of his suffering, his body bearing the scars of a lifetime spent in servitude and torment.

Despite the obvious pain and terror etched on his face, there was a glimmer of recognition in his eyes as he locked gazes with me and Kaka. With a mixture of relief and trepidation, he shuffled toward us, his movements hesitant and cautious as if expecting a sudden attack at any moment. Each step was reluctant, his eyes darting nervously from side to side as he scanned the surrounding forest for any signs of danger.

With trembling hands and quivering lips, the goblin stammered, "U-uh, h-hello there. I-I'm s-sorry to b-bother you, b-but I-I couldn't h-help but n-notice you t-two are in t-trouble." 

He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, his gaze flickering anxiously between me and Kaka.

"Are you, uh, okay? Your friend doesn't look too good... we, uh, we need to help him, like, really quick."

Relief flooded through me at the sight of another goblin slave, a fellow survivor in this treacherous wilderness. I eagerly nodded in agreement, desperation evident in my voice as I responded, "Yes, yes, please help us! We need to save Kaka, he's hurt badly!"

 "O-okay, okay, f-follow me," he whispered, gesturing towards a mound of dirt in the distance.

 "I have a secret hiding spot nearby. We can talk more there... b-but we need to hurry. Predators lurking all around these parts. Come on, let's, uh, get moving."

The goblin wasted no time, leading the way to his secret hiding hole hidden nearby. As we dragged Kaka along, he cast wary glances over his shoulder, his ears twitching at the slightest rustle of leaves or snap of twigs.

With his help, we managed to drag Kaka to his hiding spot, a small hole nestled within a mound of stinking dirt. The goblin deftly squeezed through the tight entrance, pulling Kaka inside with a grunt of effort. I followed after, and together, we closed the makeshift lid of mud and vines behind us, sealing us in the dim confines of the cave.

Inside, the air was thick with the musty scent of earth and decay, illuminated by the soft glow of bioluminescent mushrooms that clung to the walls, casting eerie shadows that danced across the earthen floor. It was a small space, but it offered shelter from the dangers that lurked outside, a haven within the perilous forest.

I nodded, grateful for the temporary respite from the dangers of the forest.

 "Thank you," I said earnestly, turning to the goblin with a grateful smile.

 "We owe you our lives. What's your name, friend?"

The goblin's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of friendship, his features softening slightly as he returned my smile.

 "M-my name?" he repeated as if the concept were foreign to him.

 "Uh, it's, uh, Grub. Yeah, Grub."

"Well, Grub, I'm Hermit," I said, hugging him with all my feeble might. 

"And this is Kaka. Thank you again for helping us. We wouldn't have made it without you."

With a heavy sigh, the goblin sank to the ground, exhaustion etched into every line of his battered face. 

"I'm happy to help fellow gobbie but we should talk later, we need to tend to your friend's injuries. He doesn't have much time. We must hurry."

"Yes! Please, Grub, help me fix Kaka! Please! He is my only family, my caretaker! My beloved Muma and Dada! I beg! Help!" my eyes watered as I begged and my voice choked with sorrow.

"We will, we will, little gob. We will help your friend but first, we need to look at his boo-boos and ouchies, let's take a good look." 

Kaka's body bore the brutal marks of the grizzly's savage assault, his once-green goblin skin now a patchwork of bruises and lacerations. His limbs hung limp and twisted at unnatural angles, proof of the bear's overwhelming strength.

His face was a mask of agony, contorted in a grimace of pain as he lay sprawled on the cave floor, barely clinging to life. Deep gashes crisscrossed his flesh, oozing blood that stained the ground beneath him.

One of his hands lay mangled and torn, the bear's massive jaws having torn away flesh and bone in a vicious display of brutality. His fingers twitched sporadically, a feeble sign of the life that still flickered within him.

His breath came in ragged gasps, each inhalation a struggle against the overwhelming pain, and every movement sent waves of agony coursing through his broken body.

With trembling hands and no knowledge of first aid, we set to work, gingerly cleaning the dirt and blood from Kaka's battered form. We relied on instinct and desperation to try to tend to Kaka's wounds. Grub, with his knowledge of herbs and makeshift medicine, took charge, gathering whatever herbs and plants he had on hand to create a healing paste. Meanwhile, I scavenged my last remaining spider silk, using it to suture the deepest cuts and gashes that marred Kaka's ravaged form.

Once the sutures were in place, Grub took a large leaf and smeared it with the herbal paste, wrapping it around Kaka's wrist where the bear's savage bite had ripped off his palm. He secured the makeshift bandage with sturdy vines to ensure it would hold firm.

With the wrist tended to, we turned our attention to the rest of Kaka's injuries, smearing the healing paste on every wound we could find. Done smearing the goblin medicine, we began to realign Kaka's dislocated limbs, they popped back into their rightful places with a squelching pop.

Hours passed in a blur as we toiled tirelessly to aid my fallen friend to save him from the brink of death. And finally, Kaka lay before us, his wounds tended to as best we could manage. It was painstaking work, but with each application, Kaka's pained expression began to ease, his breathing growing steadier and more even, his face now serene in repose.

With a sigh of relief, we collapsed beside Kaka in exhaustion, our bodies aching from the exertion. Grub urged me to rest while he kept watch over the entrance to the cave, his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of danger.

"We've done all we can for Kaka, and now we just gotta wait and see. Little gob, ya need ta get some rest. I'll keep an eye out for anythin' sneakin' upon us. Get some shut-eye. I'll wake ya if anythin' happens."

"Thanks, Grub. I don't know what would I have done without ya."

 "Aww, don't mention it, little gob. We, goblin slaves, we help each other."

"Okay, Grub. Goodnight."

As I closed my eyes and drifted into an uneasy sleep, I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude towards Grub. During our darkest hour, he had been a true friend, a beacon of hope in a world filled with dangers.

After a few hours of sleep, I was jolted awake by a sudden sensation of something slapping against my face. With a startled gasp, I convulsed on the ground, my heart racing as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings.

Opening my eyes, I was met with a bizarre sight that sent a shiver down my spine. There, looming over me, was Grub's stinky foot, his gnarled toes inching into my nose. He was sound asleep, snoring softly as he lay sprawled out on the hard-packed dirt floor of our cramped shelter.

In his sleep, Grub shifted, and his foot landed squarely on my face, the foul stench of his unwashed toes assaulting my sensitive sniffer. I recoiled in disgust, the cramped confines of our hiding spot leaving me with nowhere to escape.

Driven by sleep stupor, a mixture of confusion and instinct, I reacted without thinking, lashing out at Grub's foot as if it were some treacherous snake. Wrapping my arms around his foot, I pulled it towards me, locking it in a makeshift chokehold as I grappled with the unexpected intruder.

In a moment of delirium, I found myself licking and nibbling at Grub's foot, my mind clouded by the remnants of sleep and the overwhelming stench that filled the air. But as my senses slowly returned, I recoiled in horror at the realization of what I was doing, bile rising in my throat at the taste of Grub's unwashed feet on my lips.

With a heave of revulsion, I pushed Grub's foot away from me, scrambling to put as much distance between us as possible. Breathing heavily, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, the taste of Grub's foot lingering on my tongue like a bitter memory.

"Oh, what in the mushy caves was I doin'?" I muttered to myself, my voice thick with sleep and confusion.

 "Gah! Grub's foot! I was... I was... what was I doin'?"

I shook my head vigorously as if trying to shake loose the fog that still clung to my mind.

 "No, no, no! That's not food, that's Grub's foot! Stupid, stupid! Bad idea, bad idea!"

I glanced over at Grub, still snoring away without a care in the world.

 "He didn't see that, did he? No, he couldn't have. Goblins don't eat each other's feet, do they? No, no, of course not! Only evil goblins do."

I rubbed my tongue against the roof of my mouth, trying to rid myself of the foul taste that lingered there. 

"Gah, that's gonna haunt me for moons! No more sleep-wrestling with Grub's feet. Not a good idea."

With a groan, I pushed myself up onto my knees, still feeling the remnants of sleep clinging to my limbs like cobwebs. 

"Right, gotta focus. We've got a goblin to save and a forest to escape from. No time for sleep-induced foot nibbling. Maybe I better check on what is going on outside. I should let Grub rest a bit."