Come morning, I'm exhausted. I may have slept, but I definitely didn't rest. I couldn't get over that force I had felt. Where did it come from? Why did it feel so heavy? What could this mean for me as a human moving forward?
I shake the thoughts from my mind, rising from my bed. I rub the sleep from my eyes and stretch with a groan. My body slowly starts waking up, still a tad sore, making my way to my basic stove. I opened the dusty cook book Reth had given me full of basic recipes and some of his own concoctions. The wrapped binding is frayed, cover slightly worn. A once well loved cookbook, now finding new life to essentially make sure I don't poison myself with the new ingredients.
I crack a few large eggs into a slightly oiled pan. Stepping away for just a moment to chop some wild garlic and onions. I toss them into the eggs on the pan and stir, scrambling them together. I dump the mixture onto a plate to cool while I pan fry some apples to go with it.
I enjoy my breakfast, combing out my disheveled hair before immediately tying it up to keep it out of the way as I hunt with Hassian.
Wait. Hunt with Hassian....
I take a peak outside, spotting a common blue butterfly, its wings shining from morning sun.
IM GONNA BE LATE!!!
Frantically, I leap to my wardrobe, tossing through clothes before settling on a sleeveless green top with a swirl design and basic trousers. I pull on my boots, nearly tumbling through the door. I turn back briefly to grab my fixed quiver and bow, strapping them around me as I run down the path through the gate from my plot.
Morning chores will have to wait.
I sprint through the rocky gap and down dirt path. Taking a sharp left, nearly tripping on the wooden section barreling toward Chapaa Crossing. Kicking up dust behind me, I scare away insects and a small group of chirping birds. Tau happily trots down the worn road coming my way, Hassian not too far behind.
Crap, crap, crap!
I push myself further and make it just in time. I step behind a nearby tree to catch my breath before heading to the small bridge to meet Hassian. Dawning a smile trying to mask my breathing, I confidently go to meet him at the bridge.
Hassian looks over the open field, hardly acknowledging my presence. Just when I think I had gotten away with it,
"I saw you back down the path. Something you should keep in mind, if you can see me in an open place, I can most certainly see you..."
...
I sigh. He saw me, not even through my reuse, He just knew. Accepting defeat, I look down at me clearly thrown-together look and dust covered pants from running.
I whined, cursing to myself. Tau barks up at me. I look to the plumehound, giving him a smile. I pet him, ruffling the fur onto his head and scratching behind his ears. Tau pants, looking up at me almost as if the goofy dog is smiling.
Hassian whistles to Tau, calling him over with his finger. I take it as the start to my lecture and sand up from my squatted position. I trail behind them as Hassian leads us a bit away to the top of a small ledge that looks over the windmill field.
"Chapaa are easy to spot against the grass here. They like to shower for food around the outside of town hoping there's something shiny to take with them." As he speaks, he guides my attention to the small common chapaa know for their spotted pelts. "Though, I'm sure you're not blind but then again, I've given you too much credit before."
I brush past the pointed remark and listen keenly, not wanting this to drag on more than it needed to. Hassian draws his bow with a basic arrow.
"Pay attention to your form. It can be easy to lose the longer you aim. Common chapaa are such a nuisance. Invasive."
He fires, hitting right on target. Other chapaa near it run once it falls, skattering off to dig into the ground to hide.
"A demonstration of their skittishness. Be careful when you track them while you hunt. It's easier to catch them off guard to keep them from running zigzag as you saw."
Though I had noticed these things before, I haven't really thought much of it. Hassian clearly had more passion and knowledge on long-range weapons and hunting than I thought. This really was his path. He gestures to the field. For a moment, I'm confused, and he rolls his eyes. Griping my chin in his fingers, he turns my face to a chapaa he's pointing to. He wants me to shoot it.
Slightly embarrassed, I try ignoring the subtle heat in my cheeks. I aim, but just before I can fire, Hassian knocks my elbow from my drawing arm without even looking. His hard stare still trained on the chapaa.
"Don't let your arm fall while you aim."
I take a deep breath, releasing my arrow after following the chapaa for a moment. It falls. That's the first one that's taken one try. I did it. Guess I am learning.
In awe of myself, I gasp, Hassian not caring at all though a subtle shift from his flow aura indicates amusement. He is surprised. It disappears as soon as it shows. Could I have been wrong? It was probably just my imagination seeking approval for my excitement.
"Now we go retrieve it. Tau will carry them while we hunt." Hassian speaks with his usual flat tone, hopping down from the small edge. Tau yips happily following behind, tail wagging.
I stare down to my successful shot. Hassian instructs me on how to pull out the arrow properly without tearing through the meat and fur more than needed. Despite his cool tone, his blunt words feel condescending. Unfortunately, it's working. Everything is spelled out. I'm learning, and I'm improving slowly. Plus, I'd be lying if i said I didn't appreciate being around him just a little.
The rest of the morning, we spend hunting common spotted chapaa and practicing aim, Hassian critiquing every little thing. By noon, Tau has at least 6 tied up chapaa stung over his back. He's panting, and though he wouldn't openly admit it, Hassian has beads of sweat across his skin. I take moments to fan myself as the day grows hotter. Normally, it'd be a regular warm day, enjoyable weather, but we've been hunting in the open field since morning, making us tired and sweaty.
"H-hey Hassian... can we -"
"Let's make our way to Whispering Banks, then we'll have lunch. I'll show you how to properly dress them. In the field is not ideal, but if I'm wasting my day with you, you're going to learn something."
I deadpan at the last comment but I can agree I need the lesson. We silently make out way slightly south east to the Whispering Banks. A soft breeze flows through the meadow as we head down the dirt road, cooling us for just a moment. We relax a bit, enjoying the fleeting coolness.
Hassian leans his gear against the trunk of the closest tree to the river edge. I lay mine about a foot away. Hassian unloads Tau's back before taking note of me laying down my gear. Tau quickly splases into the shallow bit in the river, playfully chassing small fish. Hassian startles me, appearing behind me. He flips my bow over before leaning it against the tree.
He simply points to his own bow before going back to prepping the chapaa game. I look at his handcrafted bow. It's much bigger than my own and personalized to match Hassian. He had flipped my bow over to show me not to accidently get my bowstring caught on the tree bark.
I'm impressed by the subtleties he is teaching me, all to help improve my skill. More likely because he cares more for the craft than my success but still, it's working in my favor. I count my arrows before joining Hassian. I watch him as he unties each chapaa before seeming to take a moment to himself. He seems to order briefly almost in prayer.
The loner hunter cares much for the Valley and nature so it's no surprise he takes a moment to appreciate even something he deems a nuisance. Finally breaking the silence when he remembers he's lecturing me, he tells me of each valuable part of the chapaa, differences between the variants, all while skillfully dressing the chapaa we hunted.
Every now and again, I ask him questions, showing my attention and genuine interest in what he has to say.
He seems to be more open and comfortable talking when it comes to hunting and nature based topics.
I innocently ask him a more personal question unintentionally as he works on the last chapaa.
"You clearly possess passion about what you do, I can't help but be curious about what else you do. Why don't you talk more about your interests?"
He freezes for a moment, catching me off guard. A crack in his dark facade. His golden green eyes flick to me for a moment before returning to his work.
"Because I don't bother with unnecessary conversation topics. My interests and personal life don't matter to others. I'd appreciate if we avoid talking about-"
"But what do you like to do?" I ask with earnest. Of everyone in the Valley and Bay, I know the least about him. I really am curious, hoping I can build a relationship with him, daring a friendship.
No one's shown wonder in his interest on a personal level accept for....
My hope is quickly washed by embarrassment and disappointment. "Sorry, I didn't mean to. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
...
"I like to read."
His voice comes suddenly.
"Wha... what?"
He swallow, silent for a moment again before repeating himself. "I like to read. Some of the books in the library are... enjoyable."
I smile, glad he's sharing even something so basic with me. I turn how I'm sitting to face him directly.
"I like to read to. I've hardly had time to read much in terms of fiction from the library but books are nice." I don't want to pry further, not wanting to push him to tell more than he wants to share. "Maybe we could read the same book sometime."
"That'd be... a possibility."
A small breeze whistles through the field again. A beat of silence rests between us again. Hassian clears his throat, turning away from me, standing up.
Little did I know, a subtle blush had crept to his face. He ears burn.
"Prep a small fire. I'm going to grab some wild dressings... don't do anything stupid." His voice had faltered for just a moment, just enough to atch my ear. I nod, doing as he said as he disappeared off for a couple minutes.
Tau exits the river happily with an orange bluegill in his teeth. He shakes off and trots up to me, tail wagging per usual. I pet him and praise him but I can't help but watch Hassian go.
My eyes track him as he gets further from sight, mind thinking back on our brief personal small talk.
Maybe there's more to the cold hunter after all....