"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Velk jolted awake at the sound of a familiar voice. He saw a girl, not appearing much younger than himself, happily bouncing on his stomach and pushing down hard on his chest, seemingly intent on destroying his ribs. To his left was a young felyne who was tugging at his arm, either attempting to pull him off the bed or trying to rescue him from the troublemaking girl.
"Get off me! I'm awake." Velk rolled to his side with a burst of strength and pulled his arm free from the cat. The girl perched on his chest landed effortlessly on the bed, as if this were a regular occurrence for her.
The girl had wild blonde hair and dark brown eyes. Her skin was a healthy shade of white, and she looked like a preteen. She was a little short for her apparent age and had a mischievous smile.
"You know, if you don't get up quickly, you might miss the rally. That's why Mom doesn't let us stay up late," she explained as she crawled off the bed.
Velk couldn't help but frown as he looked at her. He had just turned fourteen a couple of weeks ago and had been staying up late studying for the hunter exam. Rose never allowed them to stay up late and always forced them to bed, insisting that it was healthy to get plenty of sleep, but recently, he had been ignoring that advice.
Coincidentally, today was the day the Hunters Guild recruited en masse. Every three months, the guild holds small rallies to unite hunters and distribute rewards within a district, and every five years, they conduct a Grand Ceremony at their headquarters to attract hunters from around the world while honoring their VIPs.
The Hunter's Guild maintained two main headquarters: one in Dundorma, a large city in the Old World, and another in Astera, a coastal town in the New World, built upon the ships that initially brought them there. Two headquarters were necessary due to the long distance between the New World and the Old World, as well as the lack of resources to travel back and forth without causing long-term issues.
If Velk missed or failed the recruitment process, he would have to wait another three months before trying again. He had been training his body every day to stay fit enough to even have a chance of joining. He had heard that the guild's requirements for joining were often strict.
Velk swiftly stood up from the bed, grasped the girl's shoulder, and began pushing her toward the door.
"Hey, what's the big idea? What's the rush?" The girl sounded flustered as she tried to slow her pace.
"Ash and I need to get dressed, so unless you want to watch, you should leave," Velk said as he pushed her through the door.
Before she could find her words, she was already out of the room, the door slamming shut behind her. Turning around to face the door, she dramatically puffed her cheeks and frowned.
Although Velk could still see the shadow of her feet under the door, he didn't mind. He knew she would likely stand there and wait for him to finish, and there was no point in fretting over it.
Turning to face his young felyne companion, he smiled and said, "Alright, Ash, let's get ready."
Ash, named for the color of his fur, had round orange eyes, triangular ears, and a large bushy tail. He was only four years old, still not fully grown. Felynes reached physical maturity at the age of five. Although Ash had not yet reached that stage, he would be considered mature enough to join the guild alongside Velk.
Standing in front of a mirror, Velk could see his reflection. He still had the same sapphire-blue eyes and white hair, but it had grown long and looked wild lately. He was an attractive young man. At least, that's what Rose had always said. She had told him that he looked just like his father when he was younger. She may have been biased.
Looking away from the mirror, Velk took in the sight of the bedroom that had been his for the last six years or so. It was filled with his personal belongings, ranging from a wide array of how-to informational books to stuffed animals shaped like popular wyverns and a few faux weapons here and there. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to spend much more time in this little nook of his saddened him slightly, but his sadness was quickly overshadowed by his growing excitement as he reached for a small brush.
After brushing his teeth, Ash reluctantly allowed Velk to help him with his own pointy teeth and to get dressed in some 'ordinary-looking' clothing, except for the expensive-looking black belt around Velk's waist. The two looked at each other and nodded.
"Are you ready?" Velk asked his small furry companion.
"Meow, wow." Ash gave a thumbs-up to Velk. His voice was higher than most male felynes his age, but not abnormally. Velk didn't speak enough lynian to understand everything that Ash would say in their day-to-day life, but after three years together, he could pick up the subtle context of his friend's speech. It also helped that Ash could always read and write in Mohun, making it easy for them to communicate when needed.
Velk opened the door to find the girl with a pouty face still waiting outside his room. Once she saw him, her mouth blossomed into a wide smile, but quickly turned back into the frown she had worn before.
"Took you long enough; you sure know how to keep a girl waiting." She placed her hands on her hips and tilted her chin toward the ceiling, as if disappointed.
Velk had noticed that the girl had been acting differently than usual recently. He didn't understand why she behaved this way, as it only started a short while ago. He likened it to what Rose referred to as a 'phase' because it only began after he expressed his desire to join the Hunter's Guild next month. Her unusual behavior had grown more pronounced as the days until the rally grew ever shorter. Now that the day was upon them, it peaked.
Velk raised his eyebrows in perplexity. "You know. . . . You didn't need to wait outside my door the entire time. You could have just left and done your own thing." The girl pouted, but her eyes held a contemplative look. Velk couldn't tell whether it was because of what he said or because she was scheming, a habit she had displayed over the years.
"Hmph, if standing here made you get ready faster and annoyed you, I would do it a hundred times over." She had somehow concluded that standing there irritated him and encouraged him to work faster.
Rolling his eyes, Velk attacked back. "Well, maybe if you weren't such a brat, I would have gotten ready even faster—faster." Then he watched as the girl flashed him a smirk before shifting into a shocked expression. At that moment, Velk realized he'd fallen into a trap she had devised. He could only continue to watch her as she started to cry and then scream, maintaining a deadpan expression on his face.
"Mommy!" She took off, storming down a set of stairs with fake tears in her eyes. Velk sighed in exasperation, scowling with displeasure as he felt a headache starting to form. He knew what he had done 'wrong' and couldn't believe he had overlooked such a silly rule. Rose had three straightforward rules that should never be broken between them.
The second rule was that they were not to call each other mean or offensive names. Velk had just called her a brat, thereby breaking this rule. He was always the biggest offender when it came to using 'mean' names, and he was the chief reason it was implemented in the first place. While the punishments varied in severity, the last thing he needed today was to be barred from attending the rally, although he doubted that Rose would be so cruel over something so trivial. He could only hope she would be lenient today.
Velk quickly made his way down the stairs with Ash to find the girl shedding crocodile tears in the arms of an older lady. She was a tall, buxom woman with the same blonde hair as the young girl, but had green eyes instead of brown. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she smiled kindly as she looked at Velk.
"Good morning, Aunt Rose," Velk greeted as he entered the kitchen. Rose was fairly wealthy, so her house was larger than most in the city. Not only did it have two whole bedrooms, but it also featured a separate kitchen, dining area, and living room! All of which felt quite luxurious.
"Maeve, you know we can't keep him here," Rose spoke into her daughter's ears. Truthfully, Rose didn't really want him to leave home either. Although Velk had neglected to acknowledge it, she had become something akin to a surrogate mother to him over the years. There had been numerous times when he would accidentally call her mom, then become embarrassed and correct himself by addressing her as Rose. There were a couple of cases where Velk wouldn't even realize what he had done, which always brought a smile to Rose's face.
She remembers that fateful night, almost ten years ago, when a distraught and tired young man carried a small sleeping boy into her arms. Although she was mainly confused and curious, she sensed that her life was about to change significantly.
Life was quite different for the three of them for a period. Velk, who was only four when he arrived, had to adjust to new and unfamiliar people. Luckily, Velk was anything but shy and warmed up to all the important people rather quickly. He and Maeve developed a strong bond, forged through many adventures around town, as they got to know its inhabitants and fun places.
Ethran, the young hunter who delivered Velk to Rose, regularly stopped by to check on Velk and chat with him for some time. Despite Velk's disdain for him, Ethran never let on and persistently sought to cultivate a relationship with the grandchild of his idol and hero.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was Ethran who served as Velk's primary motivator and role model for joining the guild. Through him, Velk obtained books and manuals about the world beyond Rak-Al-Faar. While he lacked practical experience, Velk, who was not one to shy away from study, possessed a respectable amount of knowledge on various monsters, plant life, animal life, and the different regions explored worldwide.
When Velk was about eleven, Rose adopted a young felyne from its mother, who could not care for it. Since felynes were named in their native tongue—a language not easily replicated by humans—they needed to rename the kitten. The three agreed to call the felyne Ash.
Velk and Ash quickly bonded and became close friends, sharing a dream of exploring the world and working as hunters in the guild. Ash's only genuine aspiration was to accompany Velk on their journey. Meanwhile, Velk aimed to either find his grandfather, if he was still alive, or slay the elder dragon that had destroyed his village and killed his grandfather. A sizeable bounty had been placed on the creature's head, and many famous hunters from the two worlds tried their luck tracking it down, but to no avail.
Some of the defenders' remains were retrieved from the still-burning valley, but his grandfather was never found. This was not a big surprise, as many were consumed after encountering a wyvern and, in this case, reduced to ashes. Thus, his grandfather's status was declared MIA until the next Grand Ceremonies in the two capitals, where he would be officially recognized as dead if he did not appear alive.
Looking out the window, Velk noticed the sun had risen slightly in the east and estimated it was around nine in the morning, meaning the rally would start in an hour. It wasn't a big deal if he arrived late, but he wanted to be there from the beginning to ensure he wouldn't miss any relevant information.
"I'll be going now," Velk said as he hurried toward a familiar brown bag by the door leading outside. It was one of the few items he had left from his grandfather. Besides the belt around his waist and the relics within, there was nothing else.
"Wait just a minute, young man!" Rose shouted as she hurried away from Maeve. She approached Velk and began tugging on his ear.
"Ow, ow! Please stop! That hurts!" Rose had a tendency to tug on his ear whenever she was frustrated with him, and since she was doing just that, he knew something was wrong.
"Did you really think I would just let you leave without a proper goodbye? Honestly, you are so much like your father. I would have thought that my nurturing would have outweighed your nature." Rose pulled him into her embrace for a moment, shaking her head in disappointment and rubbing her chin atop his head.
After letting go but keeping her hands on his shoulders, she said, "I have put three hundred zenny in your bag along with some other essentials. Come back home after you are done. You'll probably be assigned shared living quarters with other hunters, but we still have a punishment to work out, so you must return home tonight; otherwise. . . ."
"Yes, yes, I'll come back, I promise," Velk quickly interjected, aware that getting on Rose's 'bad' side was unwise. No matter how much he longed for his independence, he would never outwardly defy her commands. She was a frightening woman when angered, or at least, he thought so.
After finishing with Rose, he stood in front of a crying Maeve. Although she knew he wouldn't be gone for long, she felt as if this was a final goodbye. All she wanted was for him to stay home, but she understood this was not one of those times when she could simply work hard to achieve what she desired.
Velk pulled her into a big hug, all the same. He did not know what to do or say; he let her cry into his shirt. Ash stood off to the side, conversing with Rose while all this unfolded. Rose was fluent in Lynian, which always made Velk envious since he never truly invested the effort to achieve the same proficiency, too distracted by life's other mysteries and adventures. Nonetheless, it was something he desired and was on his bucket list.
After what felt like minutes, Maeve finally released Velk after making a decision and stifled her tears, allowing only the occasional sniffle. She raised her hand towards him, extending her two fore-knuckles, and stared at him fiercely.
"Promise me. . . promise that you will let me join your hunting party once I become a hunter too."
Maeve's sudden declaration and command took Velk by surprise. This was the first time he had heard Maeve express any desire to become a hunter, but he realized it likely stemmed from a spontaneous judgment on her part. This worried him, partly due to the sheer requirements to become a hunter within the guild. Joining the guild was one challenge, but becoming a hunter. . . . He didn't even know if he was capable.
Velk was at a loss for words for a couple of seconds before finally building his resolve. "I promise. If you can become a hunter, I will let you join my hunting party." He extended his two forefingers, and they wrapped them together. With that, sealing their promise, Maeve hugged Velk again for a much shorter duration.
After putting on his bag and shoes, Velk turned to face Ash, Rose, and Maeve. He flashed a brief, heartfelt smile before returning to a neutral expression.
"Let's go, Ash."
"Meooow"
Velk opened the door and stepped outside, with Ash following closely behind. He shut the door behind him, leaving the two girls alone. After a moment of silence, Maeve began to cry again, and Rose wrapped her arms around her.
"What are you crying for, you silly girl? It's not like he won't be back tonight." This only made Maeve cry louder. Rose could only shake her head at her daughter's antics.