The townsfolk flocked around Hercules, praising him and expressing their thanks for the defeat of the robbers that had preyed upon them over the previous months. Hercules' name was on everybody's lips. His fighting skills and bravery were discussed on all sides. The headman's pretty daughter bestowed a kiss of gratitude and several maidens followed her lead.
Standing away from the throng, Iolaus felt a pang of envy and loneliness as he watched proceedings. It was always the same. He was forgotten when the fighting was over. Everyone always seemed to appreciate what Hercules had done, but he was just there. People seemed to feel that Hercules would have managed to do what had been done all on his own and so the fact that Iolaus was there didn't seem to count.
A couple of Hercules' well-wishers pushed him aside in their eagerness to congratulate the hero of the hour. He felt a sharp jab and snuck his hand into his vest to feel his tender ribs. He suspected a couple were broken, but why mention it? After all the invincible Hercules had managed to walk away from yet another victory with no more than a few bruises, so this would just further enforce what appeared to be the general assumption of his uselessness.
What was worse was that, just lately, Hercules seemed to have been taking him very much for granted. There seemed to have been one crisis after another and Iolaus was feeling very tired. He'd suggested that they take a break and do a bit of fishing or hunting, but Hercules had brushed this aside and hadn't noticed his friend's exhaustion. He didn't seem to appreciate how much effort it took for a mortal, even one like the hunter endowed with exceptional energy, to keep up with a demigod.
Suddenly he could take no more. He turned on his heel and walked off. He went to a tavern on the edge of town, ordered ale and proceeded to get as drunk as possible.
Some hours later, Hercules found him lying slumped over a table. He had seen Iolaus immediately after the fight and so had not been concerned at his disappearance, assuming that he was also enjoying the generous hospitality of the townsfolk. However, the hour was well advanced so he had decided he'd better locate his friend.
"Iolaus!" He shook his friend's shoulder, but got no response.
The barman looked over and commented, "I doubt if you'll get any sense out of him tonight after the amount he's drunk in the last few hours. He just came in, sat down and began to drink like there was no tomorrow. He finally crashed about twenty minutes ago. I'm pleased you've arrived because you can save me the trouble of tipping him out onto the street."
Hercules felt a twinge of irritation. What on earth had got into Iolaus now? Everybody was being so friendly and he'd had such an enjoyable evening and now this. He'd been intending to rejoin Carina, a most attractive woman, who had occupied much of his time that evening, and now he'd have to find somewhere for Iolaus to sleep before doing so. When he'd said he'd better check on his friend, she had pouted prettily and asked why his friend needed a nursemaid. He had assured her he would be right back and now he would not. He hoped she wouldn't be too upset.
Unaware of Iolaus' injury, he swung his friend over his shoulder and headed for a local hostelry. The owner was not pleased to be roused, but when he saw it was Hercules he was full of welcome. He looked askance at Iolaus. However, Hercules assured him, "He won't be any trouble. He's out of it for the night."
He dumped Iolaus on a bed, unbuckled his scabbard, yanked off his vest and boots and pulled a blanket over him. His duty done, he was off.
Iolaus woke about 6am. He didn't know where he was, but was aware that his head was splitting and his ribs were aching badly. He knew he was going to be sick and tried to sit up, but nausea flooded over him and he fell back. He tried again, but had barely raised his head when he began to vomit. This was not only a messy procedure under the circumstances, but also incredibly painful. His ribs felt like they were on fire. He fell back gasping in pain. Mercifully darkness claimed him.
An couple of hours later, Hercules decided he'd better look in on his friend. The morning had not begun well for him as he'd had a tiff with Carina over his intention to check on Iolaus. She was a woman who liked to have a man's full attention.
The smell hit him as he opened the door, but he was not prepared for the sight of Iolaus lying semi-conscious in his own vomit. He moved across to the bed and gave Iolaus a shake. "Iolaus! Come on, wake up, we've got to get you cleaned up."
A faint groan. "Iolaus!" Hercules felt annoyance rather than compassion at the sight of his friend. He was a more abstemious drinker, and felt some revulsion at drunkenness.
He grasped Iolaus by the shoulders and pulled him into a sitting position. Iolaus gasped in pain, but Hercules had no sympathy for a self-induced 'injury', which was how he classed a hangover. "Wake up! You should be ashamed of yourself getting into this condition."
"Leave me alone."
"Iolaus, you're getting up now. You can't lie there in that mess."
"Yes, I can. Go away!"
Grabbing Iolaus' right arm, Hercules began to pull him from the bed. Iolaus pulled back and, finding there was no way he could hold back against Hercules, swung a left at him. He failed to connect, but a surprised Hercules stopped pulling and glared at him. "THAT does it, Iolaus! You're getting up now!" He gave a vicious tug and Iolaus was off the bed and onto his knees on the floor. He managed to stifle a cry as pain shot through him. Keeping his head down so Hercules could not see the tears of agony that filled his eyes, he grated, "Damn you, Hercules, just get out and leave me alone!"
Now very annoyed, Hercules snapped, "It would serve you right if I did just that."
"Well bloody well do so then. The sooner you've gone the better I'll feel."
Hercules walked out.
Iolaus sank down onto the floor and lay clutching his ribs. He lay there for about an hour, trying to convince his body that movement was possible. All he wanted to do was leave the town. To leave Hercules. To get as far away as possible from everything and everyone.
Finally he forced himself upright. The room span. He sat down hurriedly on the bed and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. Gradually the spinning slowed and he opened his eyes gingerly.
There was a jug of water on the table. He sponged the vomit off his face and chest and donned his vest. The boots gave him more difficulty as bending was painful, but eventually he got them on. He buckled on his sword's scabbard and was ready for the road.
He located the landlord and used the last of his money settling the bill and buying some old cloth from him to use to bind his ribs. He bandaged these as best he could. That done, he staggered off.
He passed through the town. Few people gave him a second glance. He felt a surge of relief when he reached the open road. He set his face to the east and trudged off. He had no particular destination in mind. He just wanted to get as far as he could from the place.
A couple of hours or so later, Hercules began to wonder if he should go and see how Iolaus was. He was still rather annoyed with him, but couldn't help worrying as well. It wasn't the first time he had seen Iolaus the worse for wear from alcohol and he could be quite touchy when he had a hangover, but his reaction this time was quite extreme. There had been a venom in his voice that was alien to Iolaus, but also, because he knew Iolaus so well, he was also aware of something else. It had been a note of desperation. I shouldn't have been so rough with him, there wasn't any need for it, he thought. He decided to go and see Iolaus and was surprised to hear he had left.
The landlord had no idea where Iolaus had gone but, after asking several people, Hercules managed to get directions from a couple of small boys. They had seen Iolaus on the road outside the town. "We noticed him because he looked real sick," one offered.
"Yeah," added the other, "I thought he was going to fall over, but he had a strong staff and was leaning on it."
Full of concern, Hercules thanked them and hurried after his friend, but he could not find him. When he inquired at the next village, some ten miles on, nobody had seen Iolaus. He had obviously turned off into the woods. Hercules knew he was going to have big problems. Iolaus was an expert tracker and equally expert at covering his own tracks. If he didn't want to be found, Hercules would be unlikely to find him.
What on earth had got into Iolaus? He could be stubborn and could act illogically out of perverseness when angered, but what possible reason could he have for this? Perhaps the best course would be to forget about him and let him simmer down. But what if something was really wrong? He didn't know what he would do if something happened to Iolaus.
Iolaus had not actually gone very far into the bush before he sat down to rest. He leaned back against a tree and after a few moments dosed off. He was awakened by a woman's shrill scream of terror. He staggered up and hurried as fast as he could in the direction of the noise, shouting to reassure her that help was coming as he did so.
He emerged into a clearing to find a woman huddled protectively over two small children. The thick bush on the other side of the clearing was shaking violently, indicating the passage of something large.
The woman turned a fearful face towards Iolaus. "It's okay, I'm here to help, " he said. "What happened?"
Several moments passed before she could compose herself enough to speak. Then she said, in a shaking voice, "It was a bear. The biggest one I've ever seen. It was coming for us when it heard you shout. It just turned and disappeared into the bush." She began to cry and her body shook uncontrollably. Iolaus put his arms around her and held her tightly, letting her sob out her fear.
The two boys clutched her skirt. One began to cry when she did. The older boy, with all the superiority of six years to four, stretched an arm around the younger, stating, "There's nothing to cry about. I wasn't scared."
Remembering them, the woman reached down and hugged them to her. The older boy protested and tried to pull away. "You're squashing me, mother. I don't need to be cuddled. I'm not a baby."
Iolaus smiled at him. "Your mother needs to be comforted, boy. You'd better look after her." The boy flashed him a grin, obviously feeling very adult.
Once the woman had calmed down, she turned to Iolaus and expressed her gratitude adding, "I'm Micea and these are my sons, Alexi and Marius." She was barely in her twenties and looked far too young to be the mother of either boy. She was pretty, but had a careworn and unkempt appearance.
"How did you come to be out here?"
"I was doing the washing down at the creek and originally the boys were playing in a rock pool beside me. Then I looked up and saw them disappearing into the bush some distance away. I called out to them to come back, but they ignored me and started to run."
Alexi interrupted, "We were just going to do some hunting."
"You know all the children have been warned to avoid the woods because of the monster," his mother pointed out.
"Monster?" Iolaus queried.
"Well I guess now that I've seen it, we can call it the bear. An animal has been killing our stock and even people who have ventured into the woods alone, but until now nobody who has encountered it has survived to tell what it was. The village has been in a state of fear for some weeks. The men have tried to track the animal, but have always lost its trail."
"Perhaps I can help there. Tracking is something I can do. In the meantime, I'd better get you all home. Which way is your village?" He offered her his arm. She started, surprised at the courtesy, and then took it gratefully.
The boys led the way. Both were now recovered and were excited at the thought of telling their friends about their adventure.
They'd travelled half a mile or so when Micea said, "The village is only a short distance now. You'd better let my arm go." She went to pull away.
"And then the bastard can explain why he was holding it in the first place," a rough voice snarled. A formidably large man appeared and advanced menacingly towards the group.
"Father," Alexi babbled excitedly, "you should have been with us."
"It seems I should. Boys go on to the house."
They hesitated. "But, father, " Alexi began, "wait until you hear..."
"Go!" They recognised the tone and ran.
Meanwhile Micea had disengaged herself from Iolaus' arm and had stepped slightly in front of him.
"Daunus, please listen..."
"Get out of the way, Micea."
"But, Daunus, you must..."
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" He grasped her arm with his left hand and threw her aside. She cried out.
Iolaus intervened, "Leave her alone! She hasn't done anything wrong."
"By your standards maybe, but I am in charge of my wife and I decide what she will do." To illustrate this he slapped at her. Iolaus moved swiftly and grasped his wrist before he could connect. Daunus gave a bellow of rage and threw himself at Iolaus. Micea screamed and this distracted Iolaus at the psychological moment so he didn't manage to avoid the charge. He was flung onto his back and Daunus landed on top of him. The force of the attack combined with Daunus' weight landing on his broken ribs nearly caused him to black out. He gasped in pain.
Daunus sat astride Iolaus' stomach and swung a meaty fist at his face. Head spinning and vision blurred, Iolaus frantically flung up his left arm to block the blow. Daunus grasped his wrist and pushed it to the ground, moving a knee to pin it there. He then reached for Iolaus' right wrist to try to repeat the action. Micea was screaming and trying to pull Daunus off him. He flung her aside. Iolaus tried to struggle free, but it was hopeless. Every move was agonising. The thought flashed through his mind, Where's Herc when I need him?
Suddenly, Iolaus felt the weight lifting from his body. Several villagers had responded to Micea's screams and were dragging Daunus off him. He heard a voice of authority, "What's going on here?" He tried to raise himself to respond, but the effort was too much and he fainted.
When he came around, he was lying on a truckle bed in a strange house. An elderly woman was in the room. "You're back with us at last," she observed.
"Where am I?"
"You're in my home. I'm Daria. My husband Drusus is the village headman. Micea is our daughter-in-law and Daunus is our eldest son. My husband ordered the men to bring you here." She turned to the door and called out, "Alexi, please tell your grandfather the stranger is awake."
Iolaus realised his ribs had been bandaged properly. "Did you do this?" he asked.
She nodded and he thanked her, adding, "I had trouble bandaging them myself."
A few minutes later, an elderly, but still vigorous, man entered the room. "I am Drusus and you are?"
"Iolaus."
"I have heard two quite conflicting stories about you today and want to hear your version of events."
Iolaus recounted it. Drusus listened and then said, "That tallies with what my daughter-in-law and grandsons have stated. That being so I must thank you for their lives and ask your pardon for my son's hot-headedness. Please believe it came from concern for his family. You are welcome to rest here until you are fit to travel."
"Micea," Iolaus said, causing the headman to frown at the familiarity, "mentioned that your men have been trying to track the bear. It's obviously an extremely dangerous animal and needs to be killed. I'd like to offer my help. I know a bit about tracking."
The old man pursed his lips. He paused and then said, "I'm not sure what to say. I agree the animal must be tracked down, but we can't expect a stranger to endanger himself for us and I don't think my son would welcome your presence. However, I will put your offer to the village council."
The small council met in the local inn and were somewhat divided. In the back of everybody's mind was the knowledge of Daunus' hot temper.
An ex-soldier sitting at one of the other tables was listening to the debate. "I'd take him up on his offer if I was you," he drawled. Because he was not a council member they ignored him, so he repeated himself.
"Why is that, Theseus?" a member finally asked.
"Well you do know who he is, don't you?"
"No."
"He's the best friend of Hercules and is probably the best hunter and tracker in all of Greece. I count myself as skilled in those areas, but I couldn't hold a candle to him."
The mention of Hercules had got their interest and the additional information galvanised them. A quick consensus was reached, though no-one really wanted to be present when Daunus heard the news.
Meanwhile, Daria was speaking to Iolaus, "I probably shouldn't say this but, if they decide to take you up on your kind offer, you will need to watch out for my son. Once he's taken a set against someone he's virtually immovable. Micea should have known better than to walk with you."
"That was my fault. I insisted on seeing her and the boys safely home."
"And I'm grateful for it. I just wish Daunus hadn't seen the two of you together."
At that moment, her grandsons bounded in and over to Iolaus. "Can I see your sword?" Marius asked
"What battles have you been in?" asked Alexi. "Can you tell us about them?"
The questions tumbled out and a laughing Iolaus tried his best to answer them.
Then, "Do you really know Hercules?"
"He's my best friend," answered a surprised Iolaus. "How did you know I was connected with him?"
"Oh everybody's talking about it. Theseus, he used to be a warrior you know until he got married and settled in our village, he told the council men. What's Hercules like? Is he coming here? Can you tell us some stories about him?"
Iolaus did his best to answer the new batch of questions. Both boys scrambled on to the bed beside him.
Their grandmother tried to intervene, "Let Iolaus rest, boys." However, they looked so disappointed that he assured her they were okay and the question session continued. Daria bustled out of the house on some errand.
Then the room darkened as a large form appeared in the doorway. "What are you boys doing here? Go home at once!"
"Iolaus was just telling us..." Alexi's voice trailed off when he saw his father's face. The children slid off the bed and moved to the other side of the room.
Daunus strode across to the bed. Iolaus started to rise, but Daunus shoved him in the chest, pushing him back into the bed. Iolaus hesitated. He was very aware that the boys were still in the room and wanted to keep the situation low-key. "I don't know what my father is thinking of listening to you and that bitch rather than me, but I'm here to warn you that if you so much as look at her you're both going to be very sorry."
"Daunus, You've got it all wrong..."
"I know what I saw." He turned on his heal and walked out.
Iolaus decided the sooner he set off on the hunt the better for all concerned and so as soon as Drusus returned he stated that he intended to start the hunt the following day. Drusus expressed some concern that Iolaus was not yet physically up to it but, having seen his son leaving the house and so suspecting the reason for the decision, did not argue.
The next day, Iolaus emerged from the house and, to his surprise, found two men and a youth of about eighteen awaiting him One of them introduced himself as Ethemon and indicated that the other man was Lucius and the youth was Nycteus. He stated that they had decided to assist Iolaus and that another man would be joining them. Iolaus had not anticipated help and was not normally averse to company, but there was something about the two men that he instinctively distrusted. However, as he had no real reason to refuse their help, Iolaus told them that he intended to return to the place he had met Micea and start from there.
They were nearly there when the third man joined them. That was when Iolaus became a little concerned about the whole deal. "What do you want, Daunus?"
"Didn't my friends tell you I was coming along? I wouldn't want to miss the sight of the great hunter in action. I don't believe you'll succeed where we've all failed but, if by some fluke you do find the bear, I want to actually see its dead body. It would be too easy for you to return with a story of success that no-one else saw and then to blame later problems on a different animal."
Iolaus wasn't happy, but he could see that he was stuck with Daunus and his friends. Although there was probably a degree of truth in Daunus' stated motives, he felt he hadn't been told the whole story.
They reached the point of his first contact with the animal. At first its trail was clear because its rapid departure had caused damage to the bushes and the ground was soft in places, providing clear prints. However, given that others, some of whom were undoubtedly skilled trackers, had previously lost the wily beast's trail, Iolaus did not anticipate that this would continue. After about half a mile, the ground became harder and so did the task. Their rate of progress slowed.
As they tracked, Nycteus showed considerable interest in what Iolaus was doing and asked lots of questions, but Daunus and the other two men became increasingly derisory. "You've lost it haven't you, Blondie?" Ethemon commented.
"He's probably been following a wrong trail all along," added Lucius.
"I reckon Theseus was having everybody on when he said you knew something about hunting."
"That's not a bear's spoor!"
This went on and on. Finally Iolaus had had enough. "Why don't you all go home and let Nycteus and me get on with the hunt?"
"That would just suit you wouldn't it, runt. You'd find some way to lose the kid and then you'd return with a real heroic tale of your epic battle with a monstrous bear that nobody else saw," sneered Ethemon.
"I don't care whether you stay or go, as long as you shut up. Hasn't anybody ever told you successful hunting requires patience and quiet?" asked an exasperated Iolaus.
"What the hell would you know about it?"
"More than you'll ever know."
Ethemon grasped Iolaus by the vest and snarled, "For a useless, little runt you've got a smart mouth. I think you need a lesson in manners."
"Well you're not man enough to give it to me," the hunter replied, bringing both arms up sharply to break Ethemon's grip. He then grasped Ethemon's shoulder with his left hand, while placing his right hand on the man's hip. He then twisted his body and, ignoring his ribs' complaints, flipped his opponent across his right hip in a cross-buttocks throw. When Ethemon went to scramble to his feet, Iolaus followed up with a boot to his chin and then spun to face the other two men. They seemed to have been caught off-guard by the speed of his actions and so were apparently not prepared for a fight. Actually in Daunus' case this wasn't quite true. He didn't object to a fight, but not yet. This didn't fit with his plans (which he had not confided in detail to Lucius, and not at all to Nycteus). His friends had gone further with their needling of Iolaus than suited him at present and so surprisingly it was he who stepped forward and acted as peacemaker. "Come on, boys, that's enough. Killing that bear is too important for us too be distracted by personal animosities."
Meanwhile Hercules had managed to find his way to the village. Drusus had told him about the hunt and he expressed his desire to join it. Micea and Alexi took him to the place where they had seen the bear as they knew this was to be Iolaus' starting point. Fortunately, unlike Iolaus, his companions did not move through the bush unobtrusively, so the group's tracks were easy for Hercules to follow. Hence, he was able to make relatively fast progress.
The hunt continued. The day was drawing on when they reached a rocky hillside that was honeycombed with caves. "It wouldn't surprise me if one of those turns out to be the bear's lair," Iolaus commented. "It would be quite a job to check them all. I suggest we do a bit of hunting and get an animal to use as bait to lure the bear out."
"I had something like that in mind myself," commented Daunus, "but we won't need to do any hunting." He nodded his head. Aware of a movement directly behind him, Iolaus started to turn, but was not fast enough to avoid a blow from Ethemon. He staggered and nearly fell. As he desperately twisted around to confront his attacker, Daunus moved in and punched him in the ribs. He gave a cry of agony and doubled over. Ethemon gave him a rabbit-killer to the back of the neck and he crumpled to the ground.
"What are you doing?" Nycteus asked nervously.
"Wait and see, boy," replied Daunus. He reached down and stripped off Iolaus' vest. Then he grasped the hunter's arms and dragged him to a small tree in an otherwise clear patch of ground. He sat Iolaus against the tree and pulled his arms back around it, tying his wrists tightly. Iolaus was beginning to stir. Surprised to find his arms immobilised, he struggled briefly and then looked questioningly at Daunus.
"Like you said, Blondie, we needed some bait and there's no point in wasting time hunting when there's some right at hand."
Pushing with his legs, Iolaus managed to rise to his feet, wincing as the rough bark scratched his back.
"Come on, Daunus, a joke's a joke," protested Nycteus, "but you'd better untie him."
"Keep out of this, boy!"
"You're not really going..."
Daunus interrupted, "Wait and see."
"But..."
"Shut up or you'll join him. Go home if you haven't got the stomach for it." He drew his shealth knife and walked towards Iolaus, who was watching in helpless anticipation of what he suspected was to come. As Daunus neared him, Iolaus kicked out suddenly, but Daunus easily evaded the awkward movement and moved in fast. He raised the knife and slashed a diagonal line from Iolaus' right shoulder, across his chest and down to the rib bandage on his left side. Iolaus gasped in pain. Blood began to run down his chest. "That should get the bear's interest IF he's nearby and, from what I've seen of your ability as a tracker, he's probably miles away," Daunus laughed.
Even Lucius felt obliged to make a protest, "Hell, Daunus, you can't seriously intend to use him as bait."
"I can do whatever I want. He'll be okay. He's just there as a lure. I don't intend to let the animal actually attack him. This way, if the bear is here, we'll get the glory of killing it ourselves."
Lucius appeared to accept that, but Iolaus had his doubts about it. He worked frantically at his bonds.
"I can't stand this! I'm leaving," Nycteus announced and took off into the bush.
"That's right, boy, you go. You'd be no help anyway," Daunus shouted after him.
Night was falling. Iolaus' wrists were bleeding badly, but he'd made no progress with the knots. Again, he couldn't help but think of Hercules and how easily he could have freed himself and Iolaus. I guess it really serves me right, he thought. I really could do with old Herc at the moment. He could take all the credit for killing the bear and I wouldn't mind a bit.
The three men had set a few traps around the clearing and had retired downwind behind some bushes to await their prey. Without warning a bloodcurdling roar split the air. The bear lived in those caves all right, but it was not in one of them, it was right behind the hitherto unsuspecting men. Terrified they swung as one to face it. A mighty paw caught Ethemon in the side of the head, crushing his skull and killing him outright. Another paw raked across Lucius' upper body, cutting deep, bloody grooves. He fell back screaming in agony as the bear advanced, grasping him and sinking its teeth into his neck. Daunus retreated into the clearing and stood frozen in horror watching the bear dismembering his friend.
Iolaus redoubled his struggles to free himself, but it was hopeless. He appealed to Daunus to cut him free, but the petrified man showed no reaction. "Daunus!" shouted the hunter, trying to rouse him.
Then Iolaus started as he felt something tug at his bonds. "Keep still! I'll cut you free," Nycteus whispered urgently, his voice shaking with fear. The boy hacked at the ropes and a few moments later they parted.
Iolaus darted forward and snatched up his sword. He ranged alongside Daunus. "Come on, Daunus, we'll have a better chance if we attack together." He got no response. Daunus stood glassy-eyed and rooted to the spot with fear. As much as he disliked the man, Iolaus pictured Alexi and Marius and knew he had to try to save their father. He moved in front of Daunus and towards the bear, which was now ripping Ethemon's body apart.
He knew he'd only get one chance and that he'd need to strike very hard and sure. He moved quietly and steadily towards the beast, planning his thrust. The stench of the animal's body was overpowering. It raised it's head and turned beady eyes upon him. Its mouth was open in a snarl and the blood of its victims dripped from its jaws, staining its fur. It started to raise itself onto its hind-feet. "It's now or never, Iolaus," the hunter whispered to himself and lunged forward putting all his weight behind the sword. His blade found its mark between the animal's eyes, jabbing deeply into its brain. The animal screamed in agony and rose to its full height, towering over the hunter.
Caught off-balance by the force of his thrust, Iolaus desperately twisted to one side. His foot slipped in the blood of the bear's victims and he fell awkwardly, feeling a shock of pain through his right ankle. However, that was nothing compared to the pain he felt seconds later when several hundred pounds of bear landed on top of him, driving the breath from his body and crushing his already damaged ribs. He couldn't scream, he couldn't even breathe. He was smothering in coarse bear fur. Panic swept through him.
Quaking with fear, Nycteus moved towards the animal's quivering body. He didn't know if this was final nerve spasms or whether the beast was only injured, but he knew he would have to try to get the animal off Iolaus, in case the latter was still alive. Daunus was still in shock and made no response to his request for assistance. Steeling himself, Nycteus reached out and grasped the animal's body, letting out a gasp of relief when there was no reaction. He tried to heave the carcase off the hunter, but it was too heavy. He glanced around frantically to try to find something with which to lever the body.
"Iolaus, where are you? Are you all right?" The unknown voice came out of the dark bush.
"We're over here! Hurry! We need help," Nycteus shouted, moving towards the voice.
A tall man emerged moments later. "Iolaus?" he asked in a voice of great concern.
Nycteus grasped his arm and pulled him towards the bear. "The bear's dead, but it's on top of him. I don't know if he's alive and I can't lift it."
"I'll do it! You get a fire going so we've got some light." To Nycteus' stunned amazement the newcomer lifted the animal as if it was weightless and flung it aside. He then dropped to his knees beside his friend. "Iolaus, can you hear me? he appealed. He put his hand on Iolaus' neck and to his relief could feel a faint pulse. He started to run his hands down his friend's body to check his injuries before moving him towards the fire, which Nycteus was coaxing into life. He touched the hunter's chest and could feel the stickiness of blood. He assumed the bear's claws had done the damage and that the chances of infection would be great. Next his fingers encountered the rib bandage. "Was he hurt before this?" he asked.
"Yes, he had a couple of broken ribs when he arrived at the village. Daria taped them up for him," Nycteus replied. Hercules paused wondering when that could have happened. Surely not in the fight against the bandits? Iolaus would have told him he was hurt. But would he? Did he get a chance? He guiltily remembered that, after the fight, surrounded as he was by the rush of well-wishers, he hadn't even spoken to his friend. He also recalled the two boys he met on the road saying they'd seen Iolaus looking really ill and leaning on a staff.
He hurriedly finished checking Iolaus' body for other broken bones. Relieved that there did not appear to be others, he gently lifted Iolaus and, cradling him in his arms, moved towards the fire. He placed him gently beside it and asked Nycteus for some water. He wiped Iolaus' face and then began to bathe his chest. He was mystified by the wound. He'd expected to see the slashes of several claws, but there was only the one long cut. "Have you got anything I can use to bandage this?" he asked.
"Use this." Nycteus tore up a blanket and handed the strips to him. As he watched Hercules tying the bandage, he ventured, "You'd better wrap his wrists as well. They're in a bad way."
Hercules winced when he saw the condition these were in. "How on earth did that happen?" he asked.
The boy looked very uncomfortable. He hesitated, wondering whether he dared to answer truthfully. Then he said, "He...he hurt himself trying... trying to get free."
"Free?"
"Daunus...Daunus was..."
"Tell me!" Hercules ordered sternly and then, realising the boy was afraid, he added reassuringly, "Please tell me. It's okay. I know you've been trying to help Iolaus."
The boy gave a brief summary of events. Hercules was horrified as he pictured his friend, bound and helpless, awaiting the knife slash that would provide the blood to lure the animal and then standing there bleeding, anticipating the bear's arrival. "What happened to this Daunus?" Hercules demanded, expecting to hear his was one of the mangled bodies. To his surprise, the boy gestured, "That's him over there. He froze when the bear was attacking and he doesn't seem to know what's going on." Hercules could now see the dim outline of a man a few feet away.
At that moment, the hunter stirred and groaned. Hercules was kneeling beside him in an instant. "Iolaus, are you okay?"
"Herc?" Glazed azure eyes fluttered open. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you. I've been worried."
"I'm sorry, Herc, I shouldn't have left you like that."
"Why on earth did you do so?"
Confronted with the concerned look in his friend's face, Iolaus faltered, unwilling to hurt him, "I just...I just...I was just tired of... I suppose I wasn't thinking too clearly."
Well he certainly wasn't explaining too clearly. Hercules tried another tack. "Iolaus, when did your ribs get broken?"
"In that fight we had with the bandits."
"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?"
"I'm stupid, I suppose."
"Why didn't you?" Hercules persisted.
"You seemed to be very busy."
"Iolaus, I've always got time for you."
"Not lately." His voice had dropped almost to a whisper and there was a catch in it as he continued, "No, I'm not.... not being fair. I c-can't expect you to..."
Hercules interrupted, "Hold it right there. You have every right to expect my attention. You know you're my best friend. Nobody is more important to me. You MUST know that. Please tell what's wrong."
"I-I suppose I'm being selfish, but...but lately we just seem to be rushing from one crisis situation to another, from one group of strangers to another and... and I needed some time out, with just us. You know fishing, hunting, talking... r-resting."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I tried to. You just didn't seem to hear me."
The demigod felt a twinge of guilt. When he thought about it he realised that the hunter had suggested a break on several recent occasions, but that he'd brushed this aside in his preoccupation with the crisis of the moment. "You're right. I'm sorry, Iolaus."
"It's not all your fault, Herc, it's mine too. You see I got annoyed that nobody we helped seemed to appreciate my part in things. At that last village, I even got shouldered out of the way by people rushing to thank you. That wasn't your fault and I know you don't do these things for recognition, so I shouldn't have just left like I did. All I've done is worry you and show that I don't really do too well without you."
"I don't know about that, Iolaus, I can hardly believe the size of that bear you killed."
"Yeah, and he'd have returned the 'favour' if you hadn't turned up and got him off me."
"You know, Iolaus, we've both always worked better as a team."
"I know." Iolaus held out a hand to Hercules and the latter grasped it and gently pulled the hunter into his arms and hugged him briefly.
"I promise you we will definitely take a break starting now."
"Not quite yet, Herc."
"Why not? I thought that was what this was all about?" exclaimed a mystified Hercules.
"It was, but I guess I've been around you too long and your desire to do the right thing is starting to rub off on me. I have to take Daunus home first."
"WHAT??? Am I missing something? I thought, from what Nycteus said, Daunus was responsible for what happened here. You could be dead because of him."
"Yeah, but I'm not. I think he's probably suffered enough for what he's done, with his two friends being killed. In any case, he's got his wife, two little sons and his parents all waiting for him and they all treated me well, so I figure I owe it to them to take him home."
So the next day, they all set off for the village, Nycteus carrying the bear's pelt. After a night's sleep, Daunus seemed somewhat better. He was not initiating any conversation, but was answering, albeit briefly, when addressed.
As they neared the village, everyone flocked out to greet them, gasping in wonder at the size of the skin. "You've got him!" exclaimed Drusus.
"Yes," Iolaus replied, soberly, " we have, but unfortunately Lucius and Ethemon were killed by the bear. So we succeeded, but at an unfortunate cost."
Daunus heard the pronoun "we" with amazement. He could hardly believe that the hunter was not going to take the credit, especially after his treatment of the latter. He hesitated and then said, "That's not quite true. Iolaus found the bear and it was he who killed it. I'd be dead if it wasn't for him."
To his surprise, he saw his wife start to smile as she heard his words and she held out her arms to him. He could not remember when she last looked on him with such affection. "Thank goodness you're all right," she murmured as she hugged him.
Drusus and Daria insisted that Iolaus and Hercules stay with them for a few days to give the hunter a chance to recuperate. Daria told him how pleased they both were to see their son and daughter-in-law getting on so well. Alexi and Marius were overjoyed to have a chance to ply Hercules with questions. Daunus even managed to apologise privately to Iolaus and to thank him, not least for his silence on the details of the hunt.
The two friends were at last on their way. "What do you want to do for our holiday?" Hercules asked.
"I think I've had enough of hunting for a while. It turns out to be more dangerous than I remembered it. I think we'd better make it fishing. That's a nice, quiet, safe activity. I think I could cope with that. Actually, a guy I met recently was telling me about some really big sharks that he'd seen in a bay not far from here. We could get a dinghy and..."
"Hold it right there," Hercules interrupted. "What happened to 'nice', 'quiet' and 'safe'?"
"Nothing! It will be fun doing it, one has to be quiet when fishing and you'll be there to look after me so I'll be fine." He flashed a dazzling smile, full of excited anticipation, at Hercules.
"Here we go again," the long-suffering demigod exclaimed, as he followed his friend who was almost bouncing in his enthusiasm. "At least, you're back to what passes for normal with you, Iolaus, so I suppose that's something."
But his friend was too busy babbling about bait and tackle and boats and the need to hurry, to pay any attention to this.
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