Fire Emblem: Before Awakening

I'm Still Breathing

Anna

My footsteps were but whispers on the forest floor. I darted behind trees and bushed at the slightest of noises; my focus targeted on only one thing. I inhaled a breath of the forest air, attempting to pick up any traces of game.

Wafting in the breeze was the heavy scent of musk. I grimaced, throat bobbing as my gag reflex kicked in. The odor was almost too much for me to handle and I felt light-headed. I pulled my scarf over my nose, blocking out the scent.

It's ridiculous that I have to wear a scarf in the middle of summer! My damned lungs! Still, the musky scent still remained. If anything it got worse.

I quickly hid behind a tree. Something must be near! As if on cue, the sounds breaking sticks and heavy breaths filled the forest. Then, there was growling.

Peeking around the tree, I saw a large, muscular bear. I gulped, drawing my bow and arrow. Meat is meat. Bear for dinner it is. Now I just need to find a way to go about this.

The bear sniffed the air, tensing as it smelled me. It growled louder, bearing its claws. It's now or never! I let my arrow fly, striking it in the shoulder. It roared out but seemed unscathed by the arrow.

However, it did alert the beast of my location.

Turning on my heels, I sprinted as fast as I could. With the rigorous strain of running on my body, the humid air, and my scarf limiting the amount of oxygen I breathed in, I was quick to reach my limit. Still, the angry bear hot on my trail was enough to boost my adrenaline.

Mother told me that just because I have a sudden burst of energy doesn't mean my lungs have gone back to normal! I need to find a stopping point to kill this bear!

Steeling myself, I lunged sharply to the side. Unfortunately, due to my negligence, I landed into a thick bush. The sharp branches and twigs cut my skin; my muscles ached. Anxiety rippled through my veins, doing no favors to my breathing. 

I shot up as fast as I could, focusing on the bear. My sudden change of course through the bear off guard and gave me an opportunity to attack. I lodged an arrow into my bow and aimed for the bear's turning head.

The arrow flew, missing its target.

Now standing on its back legs, the beast bore its teeth at me, raising an arm to strike. Its paw looked almost as large as me! One blow could easily knock me out.

As it swung, I rolled out of the way, losing my bow and arrows in the process. Dammit! I'm running out of options! I can't get into close combat with this thing so my sword is out of the equation. The only other thing I can use is a Thunder tome, but magic isn't my strongest skill!

The chance to make up my mind was brief, as the bear was preparing to attack once more.

Without my mind guiding my movements anymore, I quickly snatched my tome from my belt. "THUNDER!!!" I screamed, thrusting my hand towards the bear's chest.

As if the gods answered my prayers, the sharp tingling sensation of the spell danced throughout my body. And, in a flash, a bolt of lightning left my hand, striking the bear. The creature released a chocked roar before falling onto the forest floor.

I stared at the unmoving body of the bear, my heavy breathing filling the quiet area; rushed wheezing carrying sharp squeaks. The adrenaline rush began to fade, my muscles aching and filled with lethargy. The effects of the spell also took their toll on me. The tingling sensation covered every inch of my skin and my energy was completely sapped.

However, I managed to stand. I slowly stepped over to the bear, examining my kill. Its brown fur stood straight - an effect from the lightning. It's strange how just a simple spell can stop something's heart... I wonder if it's just as easy to kill humans like this? If so, thunder magic truly is a force to fear.

"Impressive work, Anna," Mother said, revealing herself from the bushes.

I turned to her, lazily nodding. "Thank you... It got pretty messy, though..." It hurt to speak. My lungs still felt like I was running at full speed.

"I gladly would have stepped in," she started, "but I wanted to see how you would handle this."

"And I thank you for that." I looked back at the bear. "I want to prove myself as a valuable huntress. I can't learn anything if I'm never given the chance to shine on my own."

Over the past year, Mom had been instructing me on skills like magic, strategy, and hunting. Now nearly fourteen years of age, I decided that it was time I learned how to fend for myself - not that I was planning on leaving Mom anytime soon. Of course, I was taught basic hunting skills as a little girl, but they were never extensive and I couldn't wield a weapon.

However, over the course of my training, certain discoveries were made. For one, I had a lung disease called asthma. I've shown signs of having it my whole life, but not enough to raise suspicion. I'd never even heard of it until just recently. We speculated that I never had problems with it in the past due to the fact that I rarely did intense physically taxing activities, but now that I was, my lungs decided that they would finally show it.

It was difficult to adapt and train with this at first, but I've slowly gotten used to it. My lungs are better than they used to, that's for sure. But, certain variables can throw that progress out of the window; like the seasons, my physical well-being, and so on. I hoped that I would grow out of this as I got older, so time will only tell how this plays out.

Mom crossed over to me, handing me a waterskin. "Drink. You must calm your breathing before we continue forward."

I gratefully gulped down every drop of the water. As soon as I was done, I took a deep gulp of air, my lungs starting to settle. "Thank you... I normally would have been fine, but the coming rainfall made the air really humid."

She shook her head, smiling. "It's all right. You can't control how your lungs will feel. Trust me, you'll adapt to it as you get older. It won't disappear, but it'll get better," she said. "My father struggled with asthma as well. And we lived in the sandy desert! I have no doubts that he struggled to adapt to that at first. But, he managed and adjusted. You'll be just fine, my Little Bird."

I smiled back. "I hope so. My training should also help to condition my lungs."

"Indeed. Now, let's clean up this bear and start dinner! This will feed us for a few days!"

Pride swelled in my heart. I can't believe I actually killed a bear! My hunting skills are getting better by the day! I have a lot in store for me in the coming years. The only thing that can happen is improvement! 

*****

Y'all, my lungs hurt just proofreading that. I decided to address her asthma at this age because it was also around the time and age I found out. Of all things I'm bad at, breathing has to be one of them. A little update: tech week is starting soon so I may not have much time to write. I also know that I haven't been the best with replying to comments lately and for that I am deeply sorry. I've just been so busy that I haven't really had time to read and reply to them all, especially since I have so many works going at once. That being said, I promise that I will try getting better. Thank you so much for reading and look forward to reading more!