Joke's On Them (A Rejected Mate Story)

Chapter Nine

*Josh's P.O.V*

    We've been searching the woods for hours. Trying to find any sign of this guy that we can. I can tell Brody is getting more anxious by the second. "We are wasting our time. We should be getting a plan of attack. There's no time to be searching the woods for some guy. Some guy who might not even exist! I'm heading back to the pack house to call my dad. I don't get reception out here." Brody says, turning around and walking away from me. I shake my head and try not to let him get to me.

   I don't know why but I just feel like this guy is the answer. He can help us find Olivia, I can just feel it. I continue my search through the woods, but eventually I came across a clearing. There was a waterfall flowing into a river. I stop and get into the water, running my head under the water. "Refreshing isn't it?" A voice asked behind me. I jump, wiping my eyes of any water I try to get a glance at the person behind me. I see a little old man holding a basket of fruit, smiling at me.

   "Yes it feels awesome on a day like today. My name is Josh." I stick my hand out to greet the old man. He shakes my hand and says, "The name is Herm. Nice to meet you." He continues to smile at me. I politely smile back and ask, "Herm do you live out here in these woods?" He nods and points behind me at the tree house that he's built. I don't know how I missed that. He gestures for me to follow him. We reach the rope ladder and he hands me his basket. I hold it for him as he climbs up and he tosses a rope down. 

    "Tie it to the basket please." He asks politely. I do as he says and he pulls the basket up. I climb up to the tree house and step inside. I'm completely amazed at the inside. Much larger than I thought it would be. He has so many notes on the wall. They were  scattered all over the walls. He offers me a chair and I sit down at the table. He put his fruit basket on the counter and began filling a large bowl up with water he must have gathered from the river. He walks over to a shelf nearby and grabs a lemon and salt. 

     "What's that for?" I ask. He cuts the lemon in half and squeezes one half into the bowl. "Cleaning my berries. I always clean the fruit that I eat." He answers, grabbing the salt and a spoon. He pours a tablespoon of salt into the lemon water and then adds his berries into the mix. "My mom always just rinses ours with water. " I say back to him. He kind of chuckles and just shakes his head. 

    He soaks the berries for a few minutes before rinsing and drying them. After he was certain they were clean he began to eat them. He offered me a few and I accept, sticking out my hand. He gives me a handful and I thank him. "It must be nice living out here. It must get lonely though, right?" He again chuckles and says, "My boy, we are never alone!" I get confused by his statement. He doesn't seem to notice so I don't push the subject. 

     "How long have you lived out here?" I asked him, trying to change the subject. "Many years, I built this tree house to get away from the civilization. All the junk they have is of no use to me." He explains. I nod my head in agreeance, although I'm not sure what he means by the term 'junk'. Civilization means running water and food that you can just drive right up the road for whenever you need it. It's just the easiest way. That's not necessarily a bad thing, right? 

   "And where did you live before this?" I questioned. He seems to get a bit uncomfortable. I panic, not wanting to upset him. "I don't mean to be nosy, just trying to get to know you. You don't have to tell me." I say to him. "I come from a pack not far from here. It wasn't a pleasant upbringing, to say the least." He explains, I nod letting him know I'm listening. "The leader was brutal. Never showing mercy to anyone." He begins. "He learned from his father, Jack Lee Rockwell. Jack was a tyrant. We were nothing more to him but an army." He says, drifting off into the memories. 

  "I watched my father die during my first pack war. He was Jack's second in command. Always putting Jack before my family or himself. He would do anything for that guy, while he treated my father like he was garbage." He doesn't make eye contact during his story, keeping his head down. He seems traumatized. "I was supposed to take over for my father. But when I seen him die, something inside of me broke." He continues.