Lucas trudged through the quiet forest while doing his best to contain his excitement, following the back of his mother as she silently searched for game.
Today was Lucas' ninth birthday, and as his mom had promised him, he was finally being taken out for his first hunt. Of course, barely being more than a boy, Lucas had to swear that he wouldn't make a sound unless he was allowed to, and that he would only observe while she would be the one who actually took down their quarry.
Ever since he became aware of his surroundings, Lucas held deep admiration for his parents. His father, Drake, was the best blacksmith in Redwood Town, and his mother, Anna, was the Captain of the Guard for the local Lord.
Although he wasn't a noble himself, even from a young age, Lucas somehow knew that his family was quite important and that gave him a sense of pride in his identity.
While others might have grown arrogant with such a mindset, Lucas was a responsible and righteous little fellow, thanks in large part to the strict discipline Anna gave him since he was young.
Of course, being only 9 years old, Lucas had many childish notions and thoughts still. He enjoyed being spoiled by his father, bragging about the feats of his warrior mother, playing in the dirt with the other kids his age, and getting into some occasional mischief around town.
As for his dreams? He wanted to one day soar through the skies, see wondrous foreign lands, eat amazing foods, and live a life full of fun and adventure.
In other words, he was a typical child from a slightly privileged background in the quaint place he was born; nothing exceptional, but nothing bad either.
Wanting the best for their only son, Lucas' parents worked hard in order to provide him with the best opportunities they could afford.
Being a good weaponsmith, Drake had carved his boy his first wooden sword when the latter was 6 years old, a gift Lucas ran around playing with for many days afters
Being a strong Practitioner in the Seventh Step Vein Opening Realm, Anna began teaching her beloved son how to handle the sword, spear, and bow from age 7.
Lucas didn't show any great talent in the martial or weapon arts, but his enthusiasm and determination were good, so with much personal effort and dedicated guidance from his mother, he became pretty strong among his peers.
Was Lucas the strongest in his age group? Not by a long shot.
Was he the hardest working? Possibly, but possibly not.
Was he the smartest? Perhaps, but it was hard to say.
Was he better than most? Without a doubt.
Was he the very best? No.
Despite being at best a bit above average, Lucas was very happy with himself and his life, enjoying each and every day that passed while working hard and playing hard; today was no exception.
With the income his parents made, there was no need for them to farm the land, or hunt and forage for their next meal, but Anna and Drake both had the belief that what they could do for themselves, they should. On top of that, while Drake had a limp in his right leg which prevented him from trekking through the thick forest, Anna seemed to quite enjoy hunting in the woods.
As a result, Lucas also took an interest in seeing where the delicious meat he often ate at dinner came from.
After much pleading, Lucas managed to convince his mother to take him along on one of her hunting trips on her day off from working at the Town Lord's Manor. And so, the mother and son were now wandering around the edge of the Great Western Forest, which Redwood Town was situated beside.
Despite having to wake up at the crack of dawn and needing to carry his own spear, bow, waterskin, and dried food sack, Lucas was not the least bit daunted or tired as his eyes darted around, greatly enjoying the grand adventure he seemed to be on.
His upbeat attitude was so infectious, that even though Anna was doing her best to remain serious and focused, she couldn't help smiling lightly while watching her adorable son looking so enthusiastic and enthralled.
Just before mid-day, after spending a good couple of hours wandering around the perimeter of the forest, occasionally stopping to teach Lucas about useful local plants and landmarks, Anna hushed her son before motioning for him to get down.
Drawing her bow, Anna nocked an arrow and aimed ahead.
*Swish…*
With the swift sound of it cutting through the air, the arrow flew straight and true, hitting its mark some 50 paces away.
Confirming she had hit her target, Anna released her breath and turned to her son, who could barely contain his excitement.
Shaking her head, she smiled before chiding him gently, "Lucas, hunting is not a game or something one does solely for fun. Remember, taking a life, even the life of a Wild Beast, is an act one must never take for granted."
Doing his best to put on a serious face, Lucas straightened himself up and nodded, "Yes, Mother! I understand!"
Looking into her son's still sparkling eyes, Anna knew that she hadn't managed to get her point across, but she hadn't been expecting to, either.
She knew that such lessons could only be learned through experience, something she had plenty of time to give Lucas in the future. For now, simply reminding him and hoping that he would later recall her words was enough.
Setting aside her more serious thoughts, Anna asked, "Do you want to learn how to clean up our catch?"
"Yes!" Lucas cheered, only to cover his mouth in the next moment as he recalled his mother telling him not to shout while they were in the forest.
Seeing the cute gesture her son was making, Anna almost felt the urge to hug and forgive him for making so much noise… almost, "Lucas, what did I tell you?"
Being scolded, Lucas lowered his head slightly and muttered, "Mother said to not make loud noises in the forest."
"And why did Mother tell you that?" Anna continued to question.
"Because… because making loud noises scares away our prey, and also draws the attention of dangerous beasts," Lucas took a moment to recall what he had been taught earlier and repeated it back.
Putting away her stern look and nodding, Anna praised her son, "Good boy. Keep in mind, while we are here to hunt, we can just as easily become prey if we aren't careful."
"Yes, Mother," Lucas nodding vigorously.
"En, now come, Mother will show you what she shot," Anna at last smiled.
This time, Lucas didn't shout and instead just nodded, following closely behind his mother as she walked over to where a rather large bid lay on the ground with an arrow stuck in its neck.
Clearly, this beast had been killed in one, precise hit, which wasn't a surprise seeing how it was just a Red Feather Pheasant, an ordinary Low-Rank Wild Grade First Order Beast.
After collecting her kill, Anna didn't shy away from showing her son how she hung, dressed, and cleaned the bird.
Needless to say, despite her practiced movements and technique, it was a bloody and somewhat off-putting experience for Lucas who, until today, had never seen anything but already processed meat at home or in the town butcher stalls and shops.
Another of the conditions Anna had imposed on her son before she agreed to take him hunting was that if he wanted to come, he had to watch the whole process as she taught it to him. As such, although Lucas felt a bit sorry for the pheasant, and bit queasy as he watched his mother pluck and gut the animal, he didn't look away because he promised he wouldn't.
Once everything was cleaned up, Anna strung the pheasant to a stick she found nearby and handed it to Lucas, "We'll cook this one for dinner tonight, so make sure not to drop it."
Lucas grabbed hold of the stick tightly and nodded firmly. He was still a bit grossed out, but he managed to keep a relatively straight face as he slung the hanging bird over his shoulder.
And so, the morning passed.
By mid-day, Anna had already taken down 2 pheasants and a rather large rabbit, all of which were being carried by Lucas now, who was doing his best to not show he was getting tired from all the extra weight.
The mother and son duo had even come across a sizeable Peak-Rank Wild Grade First Order Wood Antler Deer, a prize that could provide a family of 3 like theirs enough meat to last a month at least!
However, even if Anna could easily bring down this beast as it was still quite a bit weaker than her and docile in nature, hauling it back to town while also needing to keep an eye on Lucas would've been too much trouble, so Anna decided to only give her son some lessons on it before watching it scamper off into the forest.
All in all, Lucas' first hunting trip was a resounding success and he learned much from it, enjoying himself thoroughly in the process.
Looking up at the sun, Anna decided that after a brief stop to have their lunch, they should head back to town.
The meal of water, hard bread, and jerky was tough and tasteless, causing Lucas to frown slightly, which in turn drew a light laugh from his mother before she patted his head, "Don't worry, Mother is going to cook a big feast for your birthday tonight, and your Big Sister Eris even promised to come over."
"Big Sister Eris is coming?!" Lucas called out, showing a look of surprise and joy.
Narrowing her eyes slightly, Anna teased her little son, "Oh? My little Lucas is more excited to see his Big Sister Eris than he is about the delicious meal his mother will make him? I guess it's true what they say, boys forget all about their mothers as soon as they grow up!"
Panicking slightly, Lucas hurriedly shook his head and forcefully denied, "That's not true! I like Big Sister Eris a lot but I'll always like Mom the most!"
"Oh ho… So you do like your Big Sister Eris? I'm sure she'll be very happy to hear that! Maybe mother should tell her about it tonight," Anna smiled.
Covering his mouth with both hands, Lucas wore a look of dread, as if he had just exposed his greatest secret, which of course was no secret to his mother.
Still, seeing her little boy becoming more and more flustered, Anna decided that she had had enough fun for now and simply laughed happily, "Come on Lucas, let's head home."
Now too embarrassed to say anything, Lucas just nodded in defeat before picking up the stick which their catch was hung on and slinging it over his shoulder.
Nodding to her son, Anna turned to head towards their home when suddenly, she heard a rumbling sound echo through the forest.
Furrowing her brow, Anna looked up but didn't see any clouds in the sky.
Redwood Town was on the outskirts of a vast forested region, and was only a few days journey from Peaceful Peak, a rather large mountain at the edge of the extensive Barrier Mountain Range, so sudden changes in weather weren't uncommon, but this was the first time Anna had heard thunder without any other signs of a storm approaching.
Even so, if bad weather was on the way, Anna decided it would be best not to delay, so she turned back to pick up her son when a shocking scene appeared before her.
Although Lucas should have only been a couple steps behind her; somehow, when Anna looked back, the entire forest seemed to warp and distort, making it seem as if he was now far off in the distance.
"Lucas!" Terrified, Anna screamed as she dropped everything and dashed towards her son, but before she could even take two steps, a loud crack rang out and all of sudden, everything went white.