Quickly he finished his meal and began preparing for the hunt. He wore the most stained clothing he owned, covered with leaves and other debris from the woods. After changing his attire, he reached down under his bed, sticking two fingers into a small hole in one of the floor planks; he pulled it away. Inside, an old leather-wrapped cylinder could be seen; slowly, he pulled it out, careful not to damage it on its slow ascent. Quickly he popped the top and withdrew an oak-looking bow, but this one was covered in strange markings.

"ㄗㄇㄈㄐㄐ ㄑㄠㄙㄇㄨ." Runes like these were littered along the bow; he would have sworn they had glowed at times, but he attributed that to his lack of sleep while hunting.

Asher didn't know what they meant or even what language they belonged to, but he could still vividly remember the day he found it.

It was a cool Autumn evening; the air was still warm from the day, the leaves had just started to change from green to orange, and the smell of honey lingered in the air. Asher had been roaming around the forest, setting snares and preparing traps to help gather food for the upcoming winter. That's when he came across a massive tree he had never seen before; the tree had a trunk the size of a dragon and the height of a tower.

As Asher approached the tree, he quickly noticed the massive roots that had been uncovered due to the storms that raged over the past few days. As he walked along the gigantic roots walking on them like a balance beam, the edge of some leather caught his eyes. He jumped down, landing on the soft soil between the roots, and slowly pulled it out of the dirt.

As Asher held the cylinder for the first time, he could feel something calling out to him, calling him to open the cylinder, begging him. Ever since that day, he never left for a hunt without it; every time he had it while out on a hunting trip, an animal would follow. At this point, Asher was too scared not to take it. He was scared that he and his father might starve if he didn't have it on him and didn't get some sort of game.

Every hunting trip after obtaining the bow had led Asher to more significant scores, lasting him and his father extended periods. During his last hunt, he took down a massive Black Moosebear; it gave him so much meat that he had to sell some of it for fear of spoiling.

"Asher, are you ready to go?" Asher was shaken out of his state of remembrance, looking over to see his father standing behind him.

"Huh? I'm leaving now; I'll bring back some meat and vegetables if I find any." Asher said, looking his father in his ocean blue eyes; then, with a brief pause, their eye contact broke. Asher grabbed the remainder of his needed items and left for the forests.

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Asher had hunted in the shallow forests near his village since he was young. He knew all the animals nearby would be small critters or other small animals such as rabbits. After about twenty minutes of walking, Asher reached the shallow woods; the villagers called it the Hillworth Forest.

That's when the tone began to shift; the forest floor went from light green and healthy grass to a more brown and dead bed the further Asher ventured in. Even the trees seemed darker in color compared to the shallow forest.

After over six hours of walking, Asher ventured upon a massive cavern; a creek flowed through the trees creating a small waterfall inside the split in the earth, falling at least twenty feet. Asher knew immediately that this was the place he was going to hunt. The only water source in miles and enough natural noise to help conceal his movements; it was perfect.

When Asher went hunting, the journey time was usually about a week long. He would seek a watering hole and then begin stalking it. Watching and studying what animals came and went, at what times, and what would provide him with the most meat. Once the time was right, Asher would strike, trying to ensure that his arrow penetrated its brain or heart. Saving the animal from any unnecessary pain.

After that, Asher would confirm the creature was dead and would start heading back. Departing as soon as he had disemboweled and picked apart everything he could use from the animal. If Asher didn't bring the meat home in time to dry it and salt it, the meat would inevitably spoil before they could use it. For this journey, Asher knew he had to carry back enough meat to last him and his father for at least six months. If not, they might very well starve.

Asher set up his campsite for the first few hours after arriving at the prime hunting grounds. He placed himself close enough to see the stream but far enough away that no animals should run into him by accident. His campsite was as primitive as it could get. He had no fire, no pots, and pans, nothing. All he had with him regarding camping equipment was a sleeping sack and a wooden pillow. And those he hid in a body-sized hole covered with branches covered with orange-tinted leaves.

After finishing his camp setup, Asher slowly walked around, searching for rabbit tracks, dens, and any other evidence that would lead to their location. After finding one little rabbit den, Asher grabbed his blanket, set it in front of the hole, grabbed some straw off the forest floor, and put it on fire using a flint and steel. Then, immediately two rabbits raced out, falling right into the blanket. Then, when the rabbit's feet landed on the blanket, Asher yanked up, trapping them.

This would be Asher's source of food for the next couple of days, and when he ran out, he would set small traps and look for more small food that he could eat quickly and not have to carry with him. Along with the rabbits, Asher collected wild onions and other edible plants, gathering just enough for his meal to taste slightly better.