“Keep in mind that the arrow will fall to the ground the longer it’s in the air.” Lucas’ father, Isaac, was telling him as the boy held a practice bow trained on a wooden target. “When it flies from the bow it arcs up slightly before coming back down to the ground.”
“You’ve said that already.”
“Have I?” The older man asked. His son nodded while concentrating. “Well, repetition is good for your memory.”
Lucas rolled his eyes and re-centered his sight on the target, a circular disc of wood held up by three wooden legs. A red dot was painted in the middle.
“Have I also told you to use your back muscles along with your arm?” Isaac asked him with a grin.
“...no?”
“There we go. New lesson. Just as the muscles in the arm pull on the bone, making the arm move,” Isaac pointed along Lucas’ arm before pointing to his own, making pulling motions. “So too, do the back muscles around the shoulder blade pull on the arm. If you focus on these muscles, you can pull the bowstring further back.”
The boy tried his father's advice and focused on his back muscles. He was surprised to find that he was indeed able to pull the bowstring further than he had before.
“If you do that then it puts less stress on the rest of your arm. Though, your back is going to ache quite a lot until you are stronger.” He explained further. “Now, you ready to take the shot?”
“I... yeah, sure.” The boy didn’t sound too certain.
“Remember the breathing exercise and don’t worry if you miss. The target’s not moving anywhere.”
“Okay.”
A couple beats of silence ticked by with the young man eyeing the wooden target. His breathing was deliberate and measured. A breeze blew past, ruffling their hair and clothes before everything went still again.
The twang of the bow broke the silence, quickly followed by a thunk as an arrow now protruded from the target. Its point was embedded near the bottom edge of the circle. A couple inches lower and it would have hit the dirt.
Lucas lowered the practice bow and sighed.
“Don’t be disappointed. That was good for your first shot.” His father praised him with a smile. He ruffled his son's hair. “Just use this to correct your form for the next shot.”
He handed Lucas another arrow. The boy took a deep breath and nocked the arrow. Raising the bow to eye level, Lucas pulled on the bowstring, remembering to flex his back muscles. There was a slight burning sensation on the right side of his spine, but he ignored it. He breathed deeply and lined up his target. He aimed a little higher than before to compensate for his first shot. He pulled a little more on the string and inhaled.
Then he exhaled and held it.
Twang and thwack.
The arrow hit between the red dot and the upper edge of the circle, and slightly to the right.
Lucas let out a breath of frustration. His father laughed and clapped him on the back. “Like I said, don’t be disappointed. This is why we’re practicing. No one starts off as the best. I certainly wasn’t hitting bulls-eyes the moment I picked up a bow.”
“...hmm...” Lucas made a noncommittal noise and Isaac simply grinned.
“Try it again. Have as many tries as you need. We have enough arrows.” He held up a quiver full of said arrows.
They spent the next fifteen minutes teaching and practicing in a field outside of town. It was often used for grazing but was occasionally used by the hunters to teach or sharpen their skills. It was midday and the day was warm, with an occasional cool breeze. The sounds of birds chirped as they flew overhead. A lone cow was watching the two from a nearby paddock as it chewed cud. Thwacks and thunks would break nature's silence every few moments, along with the murmuring of the advice given from father to son.
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A girl with blazing red hair picked her way through the uneven ground, avoiding big rocks and roots. Meira had heard from Lucas’ mother that he and his father had gone to one of the fields today. She had said that her husband was teaching Lucas some important things, and out of curiosity Meira decided to take a peek.
This is how she found herself sneaking through the small woods separating the field they were using from the town. She could have used the well-used road leading to the sometimes-paddock, but she was feeling adventurous today. Plus, it was essentially a shortcut.
Meira had nothing to do today. Her chores were finished early, and her parents had given her the rest of the day off. However, the thing about finishing all her work early was that none of her other friends were free to play. Elena was helping her mother the seamstress. Shani was helping her family at the Castell Farm. The boys... were likely dragging their feet with their chores, except maybe Tanu. Avan was likely trying to get out of work as usual. Gillian was probably driving his mother insane, and Tanu was likely looking after his family’s garden.
That left Lucas. How he got out of doing work was anyone’s guess. Maybe he and his father had made some excuse to get out of the house for a bit. If that were the case, then Meira could use that to weasel her way into whatever fun they were having.
That sounded like a good plan to her.
She stepped up over a fallen log and saw the field ahead. She scanned her surroundings trying to find the father son duo. Meira was hoping they weren’t wearing clothes that blended into the surrounding trees, otherwise she would have trouble picking them out. Their dark hair was already bad enough. Brown as dark as tree bark.
She looked left, out to the open plains and saw no one. She looked right, along the tree line and picked out some movement. Two people were standing across from... something... A round wooden thing.
She couldn’t quite make it out. She squinted her eyes and watched as the shorter figure raised a thin stick up, then did something with his other arm. A moment later something shot out and hit the round wooden structure.
Meira gasped. Lucas’ father was teaching him archery!
She hopped down from the log she was balancing on and ran over to them. There was no way she wasn’t getting in on that.
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The sound of running caught Lucas’ attention. He turned to look and saw a splash of red bobbing up and down. The girl was instantly recognizable to him, even before seeing the freckles on her face. She jogged up to the two of them and stopped a few feet away to catch her breath. Lucas’ father was watching her along with him. There was a bemused look on his face.
“Good day there, Miss Deluna.” Isaac greeted her.
“...good day... Mister Calhan... Lucas...” Meira huffed and puffed with her hands on her knees. Isaac and Lucas waited for her to collect herself. Fortunately, that didn’t take long as she shot up straight a moment later with a broad grin. “What are you two up to on this fine day?”
“Lucas here wanted to learn how to shoot a bow. So, I brought him out here for practice.” Isaac answered easily.
“Oh, Mrs. Calhan said that you were doing something important. I guess that can get you out of doing chores.” She turned her grin, full of mischief, towards the younger of the two men. Lucas wasn’t really sure what she was getting at, but he was certain that she was definitely getting at something.
“That’s why we did more than usual yesterday. So that we could practice without worrying about anything else today.” Lucas explained next. “And also, so that Mom could have the day off today too.”
Meira cheeky smile fell from her face at that. Now Lucas knew with utmost certainty that she was trying something. And the fact that they had already thwarted whatever scheme she had before she could try and enact it put a grin on his face.
“And what are you doing here then? Weren’t you busy helping at home?” He asked the redhead.
“Oh, that, I’ve already finished everything. Mom gave me the rest of today off.” The girl shrugged. “And no one else was free, so I came and found you.”
“Well, you’ve found a rather boring pastime here, unless you wanted to watch Lucas here miss the target eight times out of ten.” Isaac told her with a smirk. Lucas frowned and kicked his father in the back of the leg. The older man just laughed.
“Can you teach me? Please?” Meira asked. Any pretense or scheme was dropped by the wayside in favor of honesty.
Lucas’ father paused at her pleading and seriously considered her. He studied her for a moment. Lucas also wondered what brought this on and studied her himself. He had to admit that she was the adventurous type. She always tried her best to keep up with him and the other boys and would even wear trousers when exploring. Every other girl in town preferred skirts and dresses. Even Elena and Shani stubbornly stuck to wearing skirts on their many outings.
Honestly, Meira wanting to learn something like archery shouldn’t surprise Lucas. She would pick up sticks and pretend to fight like a warrior along with him and the boys. And she did like stories of female heroes like Jayne Rook of Tulon, or Basilia the Spear Sister.
So, no. Lucas wasn’t surprised. He was intrigued though. He spent a quarter of an hour pulling on the bowstring and his arm and back were aching something fierce. The burn was a little distracting, but it was still manageable. Lucas wondered how she would fare.
“I could use a break.” He told his father while hefting the bow in his hand.
“Hmm... alright, why not? As long as you don’t groan too loudly about the aches in your arms, you can give it a shot.” Isaac grinned down at the girl. He then turned to Lucas. “Hand over the bow and collect your arrows from the target dummy.”
The son passed over the bow with a knowing grin. The girl returned her signature cheeky smile, with a hint of defiance. Lucas then turned to the wooden target and strode over to remove his arrows. He noted that three of them had hit quite close to the mark. One in particular was only an inch away from the red paint.
Feeling a little proud of himself he carried the arrows over to a leather pack on the ground and placed any arrows with broken shafts in the pack. The reusable arrows he took over to his father. He saw Meira taking a stance, listening to his father's advice closely as he pointed along her arm and shoulder. She nodded along and moved herself how he instructed her to.
Lucas handed over the arrows to Isaac and he placed them in the quiver at his hip. The boy then walked over to a cleanly cut stump and took a seat to watch.
“Breathing calmly is a very important part of the process. Fast breathing can lead to errant muscle movements that can throw off your aim. So, make sure that you learn this breathing technique. Breathe in, exhale, then shoot. It’s just after the exhale that your aim will be at its steadiest.” Lucas’ father gave Meira the whole speech that he had received earlier that day. “Now bring the bow up like this.” He stood next to her and demonstrated the correct posture. One hand was raised with an imaginary bow held outward, aimed at the wooden target. “You can do this with either hand, depending on your dominant hand. Are you right-handed or left-handed?”
“Right-handed.”
“Then use your left hand like this...”
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They went through the motions for a couple minutes more with Lucas’ father giving Meira more pointers. The boy leaned back on the tree stump, catching the edge with his hands, and just enjoyed the pleasant breeze. The sun was warm without being uncomfortable and the sound of the trees rustling in the gentle wind was calming.
“...are my arms supposed to shake this much?” He heard Meira grumble. Lucas smiled to himself.
“Depends on how strong your arms are, but yes you can expect some shaking. Now aim just a tad higher... yes, there. Expect the arrow to fall after a certain distance.” Isaac instructed. “When you’re ready, release the arrow.”
Lucas watched as Meira’s arms trembled. She seemed to be struggling just a little, even her pale face with its freckles was reddening. Her expression was set in a deep frown though. The girl had determination at least.
The next moment she lets loose her arrow and the string makes a twang noise. There's a thud as the arrow hits the upper left corner of the target. A second later the arrow almost falls off, only managing to stay stuck in the wood by the tip.
There's a silence that stretches for a few seconds before Meira opens her mouth.
“...well...I hit the target at least...”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Lucas let out a bark of laughter. She can be optimistic too.
She gave him an unamused side-eye.
“Mister Calhan, how did Lucas do for his first shot?”
“He was almost the same.”
“Then why are you laughing boy!”
That set him off even more.
Isaac was trying to hold back his own smile. “Alright now, ignore him and try again. This time I want you to use the muscles in your back.”
“...maybe I won't get him anything for his birthday.” She muttered loud enough for all to hear.
The older man couldn’t hold back his own laughter.
They continued practicing using the bow. They would trade places and watch each other, giving unasked-for commentary and laughing at each other's blunders. This went on until the sky began to turn red.
“If we get better at this, can we go hunting with you?” Meira asked the older of the two men. She was flexing her hands after passing the bow off to Lucas again.
“Hmm...” Isaac hummed to himself. “Usually that’s for when you turn eighteen, but I don’t see why we can’t chase down some rabbits.”
The girl smiled in victory.
“I wonder which has more energy, a rabbit or this little fiery sprite.” Lucas muttered out loud as he took aim.
The redhead's smile turned to a glare.
“I bet you won’t even hit a single one.”
At that moment he let loose an arrow, hitting the target with a loud thwack. There was a mere hairsbreadth between the shaft of the arrow and the red dot in the center. Lucas lowered the bow and turned to the girl with the most pleasant smile he could muster.
“Did you say something?” He asked her with a thick helping of innocence.
The noise that came out of Meira was similar to that of a hiss, but more from the soul.
Lucas’ father just chuckled to himself as he appraised the shot his son had made. He nodded and waited for Lucas to take the rest of his turn.
“Stop smiling like an idiot and hurry up!”
Lucas just barked another laugh before focusing on the target again.
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The sun's light was growing dim. A red glow bathed the eaves of the houses of Bel Vard. Birds flitted through the air before settling in the trees or on the roofs where they nested. Their birdsong filled the air as they called to their flock.
The man and two children walked the streets, passing neighbors and friends. They exchanged greetings in between talking of their exploits that day.
“You both did well.” Isaac was telling them. “If you keep this up, I might even take you two hunting for bigger game than rabbits, or even recommend you to the hunters when it's time for you to take up apprenticeships.”
“You mean it?! Are we actually that good?!” Meira asked with excitement.
“As beginners? Sure.” The older man admitted. “But don’t get big heads over it. You may have done well for your first times, but there’s so much to learn with the bow.”
“Can we go exploring out further if you train us? Like, all the way to the old fort?” The fiery redhead asked with hope and excitement.
Isaac gave the girl an odd look with a raised eyebrow. “Why there? Specifically.”
“Well... it’s the only place we haven’t seen properly in the whole valley. And all the other interesting places are on the mountain.” Meira explained.
“Which we aren’t allowed to go to. Yet.” Lucas added from next to her.
“Right. Exactly.” Meira nodded.
“Hmm... I suppose that makes sense.” Isaac nodded to himself. “Though, having been there myself, I must tell you that there’s not much to see. Just one old rundown stone building. It used to be two stories tall, but one side collapsed and now it’s just a room that’s open to the elements. We cleared out a lot of the rubble some years back.”
“So, it’ll be a very safe expedition, is what I’m hearing.” Lucas looked up at his father with a cheeky grin. To which Isaac ruffled his son's hair.
“It still pays to be cautious, boy. We do occasionally get bears and wolves that come down from the mountains and plains.”
“What if you and the other hunters took us there for my birthday? That’s almost a couple weeks away.” Meira persisted. Lucas really wondered why she was so excited to explore so much. He couldn’t really blame her, though. He also felt the call for adventure. Also, life in town did get boring.
“Not a bad idea actually. You would both be sixteen, two years away from starting your years of apprenticeship. What better way to start things off than hunting? They could teach you a lot.” Lucas’ father admitted while scratching his chin. Meira shot Lucas an excited grin, probably expecting the same excitement from him in solidarity. He could only grin in amusement at her boundless energy. “But I must warn you... it's no easy life. Sleeping rough, eating rations, stalking prey and avoiding fights with predators. There are some tough risks involved. Are you sure that’s what you want to try first?”
“Yes, I’ll need to learn everything I can if I want to become an adventurer.” She said with a quiet resolve.
Lucas turned to her with surprise.
“You never mentioned wanting to be an adventurer.” Sure, she was the adventurous sort, but she had never spoken about that with him or the rest of their friends. Unless maybe she told Elena and Shani.
There was that time she brought up the possibility of a Magus coming to town, but that was years ago. Nothing ever came of it. The idea of learning magic had waned since then.
Meira stiffened as she walked, only just realizing what she had said. Her earlier excitement turned to hesitation. “...I... well...”
Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as she tried to come up with a good response. She seemed a little nervous as she searched for the right words.
“...I didn’t know how to say it...” She muttered quietly.
Lucas stared at her for a long moment in thoughtful silence, broken only by his father speaking up.
“And what about you, Lucas? Were you thinking of the adventuring life?” He asked, keeping an eye on the both of them as he walked. Sure enough he noticed Meira’s head perk up. She may have been looking everywhere else but at her friend, but Isaac could tell that she was listening intently.
Lucas himself glanced back at the girl before thinking on his answer. He eyed her for a moment before looking away. “I... don’t know. I haven’t really thought that hard about it...”
“Not even about what job you’ll end up picking?” Isaac asked his son.
“...I guess I just figured I’d pick the job that I had the skills for, then I’d get married and have a family.” Lucas shrugged. “...maybe that’s boring.”
“It’s not boring if it’s fulfilling.” His father replied with a small smile. Isaac didn’t miss the look that little Meira was giving him.
“He’s right. That’s not boring.” The girl reassured Lucas. Then her expression became a little torn. “But... aren’t you a little curious about what’s out there? Don’t you want to see the world before settling down?”
Isaac’s small smile became a full-blown smirk as the girl was being very obvious with her desire. At least, it was obvious to the adult who had watched these two grow up together.
“Well, yes... I mean... Adventuring does sound exciting. Of course, I’ve dreamed about that sort of thing.” Lucas glanced at his friend, saw her listening closely with a serious expression. Her eyes were glued to his face. The green of her eyes pulled him in and the setting sun made her hair look as if it were burning. He looked away, unable to hide his reddening cheeks from his father walking beside him. “...I just didn’t want to go alone.” He muttered.
Meira started to smile a giddy smile. She walked with a pep in her step and clasped her hands behind her back. Isaac tried to hold back a laugh but let a quiet chuckle out instead.
Lucas looked at his father with a frown, trying to figure out what made him laugh. He then looked to Meira to see if she was as confused as he was, only to find her holding back her own giggles. It seemed that whatever had set off his father had also gotten to her. He was out of the loop.
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“When are you planning on telling your parents?” Isaac asked Meira. They were closer to home now and Lucas still didn’t know why the mood had changed. He just kept quiet and listened to the conversation.
“That... I don’t know yet...” A little of her previous hesitation resurfaced.
“Are you worried about how they’ll react?” His father probed.
She gave a small nod.
“I’m sure that if you approached them seriously, having thought about the risks, and made some form of plan, they’ll listen. Even if they are upset at first.”
She nodded again.
“You have thought about the risks, right?” Isaac asked carefully.
“Of course!” Meira responded with some indignance. She frowned at the older man and her mouth twisted into a cute little pout.
“Is that right?” He asked as he looked down at her with amusement. “So, you know not to trust everyone you meet? And that not all bad people advertise their bad intentions? A thief will smile at you to your face, then take everything from you when you turn your back.”
“I know all that. That’s just common sense.”
Isaac just chuckled. “And you know all about the dangerous animals and monsters that roam the world, of course.”
“Ah... well... just... how many are there...?” The red-haired girl asked a little nervously.
“In this region alone?” Lucas’ father thought with a smirk. He scratched his chin before responding. “Well, of course you’ve got wolves, bears, boars and the like, but you also have large cats like panthers and leopards to the east. For monsters you have your orcs, trolls, goblins, many kinds of fairy, large lizards like the Dragons and their sub-species. Then you have some more obscure ones from further afield like griffins and harpies, elementals and golems. Large insects and... oh, yeah, ghosts. Can’t forget about ghosts and other undead. Had some nasty encounters with those.”
As he went through the list of creatures, Meira looked more and more uncertain of herself. Lucas had to admit that he too hadn’t heard of most of the things being mentioned. Some sounded particularly nasty.
Isaac burst into laughter when he saw how unprepared Meira was feeling. “Don’t worry too much about it now. Even at my age I would have trouble with some of those.”
“...you were a soldier right, Mr. Calhan?”
“Yes, I was. And yes, I did come across quite a number of monsters, despite my job as a soldier, rather than an adventurer.”
“So... you can teach me about them.” The freckled girl seemed to get her confidence back.
“Are you really just volunteering me without asking?” The older man looked at her, bemused.
“Don’t act so surprised. We both know she can be a cheeky brat sometimes.” Lucas threw in from behind. Meira looked back at him and glared while his father laughed again.
“Then she’s going to need someone levelheaded to keep an eye on her.” Isaac said, looking back at his son with a knowing smile. “Right, Luc?”
Lucas didn’t know how to respond to that, though he did see that Meira was about to deny the assertion that she wasn’t levelheaded. Then she stopped herself and looked thoughtful and stayed silent.
“I... guess... that makes sense.” Was all that Lucas could think of saying at the end.
They were a few houses away from home now and something caught Lucas’ eye. A flap of wings and a tapping as some bird landed on a roof. Lucas glanced up at the bird... and found himself staring at a... hawk? A falcon?
He didn’t know which one it was.
He couldn’t take his eyes off of it. He slowed down and observed the bird of prey. Then he noticed that the bird was staring at him in turn. He couldn’t suppress a shudder running through him as their gazes met.
At some point he had stopped walking, and their connection went unbroken until someone shook his shoulder.
“Lucas!”
He looked up at his father’s concerned face. He blinked in confusion as a wave of dizziness assailed him.
“What?” He asked while trying to stay steady on his feet.
“You were staring into space and wouldn’t respond when I called.”
Just how long was he staring at that bird? He looked back up at it. It was still there, but it had looked away. Lucas just pointed at it dumbly. Isaac looked up and noticed it too.
“Huh... that’s a... falcon. What is that doing here?” He muttered to himself.
Lucas was wondering that too as he eyed the bird. It was oddly still. It hadn’t moved, besides looking away from Lucas. Lucas tried to follow its line of sight. He traced an invisible line from the falcon with his eyes, all the way to...
Meira.
She... was just as transfixed as he must have been. She stared up at the falcon like everything else had disappeared.
“Maybe food is scarce in the mountains...?” Isaac shrugged after giving it some thought. He turned back to his son. “That is a peregrine falcon. They usually stay away from human settlements unless they’re having trouble finding food.”
“Right...” Lucas nodded. He was still feeling a little uncertain on his feet and he couldn’t understand why. He glanced back at Meira, wondering what was happening, or if anything was happening at all. The moment seemed so bizarre.
“Anyway, let's get going. This reminded me of how hungry I am.” His father said, which also reminded Lucas in turn of his own empty stomach. Isaac started walking off again, breaking Meira’s connection with the bird briefly as he stepped in front of her.
With a flap of its wings, the falcon flew off into the dying sun.
Isaac looked aside as it left, but Lucas was focused on Meira. She seemed to shake herself from whatever spell the bird had placed on the both of them. She even looked as confused as Lucas felt. She blinked a few times as she took in her surroundings.
“Hey, you alright?” Lucas asked the girl, stepping up to her side.
“...yeah... I... don’t know why I spaced out like that...” She said, looking off towards where the bird had gone.
Lucas followed her gaze, but the falcon had already left their field of view by then. The moment was too strange for him, so he shook off his own dizziness and walked after his father. “Come on. Don’t want to be late for dinner.”
“...yeah.” Meira murmured behind him.
Despite trying to steady himself, Lucas still felt waves of vertigo as he walked home. Meira behind him wasn’t any better.
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“Meira, you’re looking pale.” Mieri, her mother, noted almost as soon as she came through the door. The smell of food was coming out of the kitchen, but she barely noticed.
Her mother came over to her and wiped her hands before placing the back of her hand against her daughter's forehead. She hummed in thought and checked her cheeks too.
“You’re a little warm. How do you feel?” She asked her while still cupping her face.
“A little dizzy.” Meira muttered.
“What did you end up doing today?”
“Lucas’ father was teaching him archery and I joined in.”
Meira’s mother cocked her head to the side, no doubt wondering if that was what caused the dizziness.
“And how was it? Did you have any trouble with it?”
“At first, but I think I got the hang out it.” Meira told her mother. “But the dizziness happened on the way home.”
“Alright. Then what about your appetite? Do you feel up to eating?”
“I... I don’t know.”
“Hmm... alright, why don’t you take a nap and I’ll save some dinner for you. Maybe you’ll have an appetite after resting for a bit.”
Meira nodded, feeling tired, more tired than her aching arms could account for.
“Alright, off to bed. I’ll wake you in a few hours.”
Her mother gave her a hug and nudged her on her way. Meira walked up the stairs to the second floor, every step feeling harder than the last. She needed to brace herself against the wall as her sense of balance felt off.
There was an odd feeling in her head. Like a pressure was building up. Not quite a headache yet but no less uncomfortable. She hadn’t eaten anything since midday, but her stomach was also rebelling against her.
She couldn’t get that moment out of her head. When that bird, a falcon or eagle or hawk, she didn’t know the differences, when it looked at her it felt like everything melted away to just that moment. The way it stared at her. It felt... intelligent?
It looked at Lucas too. He seemed just as affected as she was. She wondered if he was feeling just as ill as she was right now.
She entered her room and closed the door before making her unsteady way to her bed. Dressing down for a nap was a slow process but the hardest part was lying down without inciting the urge to throw up. She ended up piling her pillows so that she was slightly elevated.
Meira lay back and watched as her room seemed to rotate and wobble. It was just as well that she added another pillow. If she hadn’t then she was sure that she would have dry heaved. Closing her eyes only made it slightly better. After a few minutes it felt like she was floating on a ship in a turbulent sea. Or, at least, she thought that that's how it would feel on a ship.
It seemed to take forever but eventually the feeling began to subside. Just enough for sleep to drag her into the depths.