As I made my way back home, my heart was pounding with nervous anticipation. I knew that I needed to find a way to convince my father, but that was easier said than done.

I waited patiently for the right moment to bring it up. When I saw him sweating in the forge alone, I knew that it was now or never.

Rolf was probably somewhere in the village, taking orders or delivering tools.

I paused for a moment to collect my thoughts, running through what I wanted to say in my head. I knew that I needed to appear confident and resolute if I was going to have any chance of convincing him.

With a deep breath, I gathered my courage and approached him.

"Ah, Darian, what brings you here?" My father asked, wiping his hands on a piece of cloth. "Finally showing some interest in my trade instead of running around the village with that girl of yours?"

"Her name is Myra, father, and no, that's not why I'm here," I replied, trying to keep the nervousness from my voice. "I have something different I want to talk about."

My father raised an eyebrow in surprise, clearly intrigued. "Alright, so tell me," he said, setting down his hammer.

"Do you remember those rabbits I managed to hunt by the stream?" I asked, hoping to ease into the conversation.

"Oh, yes, those were delicious. Did you manage to hunt some more?" he replied, with a hint of excitement in his voice.

"No, they seem to have stopped coming close to our house, so I was wondering if I could go into the Forest to try and hunt some more."

"Into the Forest? Don't even think about it! Didn't we tell you how dangerous it is for small kids to go there? Your mother wouldn't bear the thought of losing you."

"Wait, Father! I wouldn't go there alone. I met a hunter in the village, and he promised to teach me how to track animals. And we would only go to the edge where it's safe."

"Hunter? What hunter?"

"He never told me his name, but he's old and rugged-looking, and he's always sitting under a tree at the corner of the village square."

"Ah, you mean Old Sven. He still hasn't kicked the bucket? He's a sturdy old bastard, that one. You must leave it to him."

"But how did you manage to convince him, of all people, to teach you something? He's always so stubborn and keeps his distance from everyone."

"I guess he was impressed by my radiant personality!"

"Haha! You wish! Well, if it's he who we're talking about, then I might consider it. He's developed some crazy survival skills since he's managed to make it so far. And besides, I'd like some more meat at the table."

He then leaned forward and grabbed my shoulder, his expression becoming grave.

"But you mustn't tell anyone about this. Your mother would be sick with worry if she were to find out. Everything you hunt, you bring directly to me; do you hear me?" he whispered.

"Of course, I will take this secret to my grave," I promised.

"Haha! I'm sure you will. Now, run along, Darian. I have work to do," my father said, shooing me away.

I quickly ran away so that he didn't change his mind and then went back to the village to tell the happy news to the hunter, whose name was apparently Old Sven.

He then reluctantly agreed to take me with him, and I was supposed to meet him at the edge of the Forest in a week after he finishes repairing his traps. I can finally go into the Forest, yay!

It's not like I didn't sneak into the Forest all the time, but now I'm finally allowed to go there officially, so whatever I now find, be it more herbs or prey, I can bring with me home and then sell openly in the city without any need to cover it up.

Of course, I must make sure my mother never finds out about this, but that was not any different from what I was doing until now, so I wasn't too worried about it.

Meanwhile, as I waited for my first lesson with Old Sven, I decided to seek out Myra.

I hadn't seen her all winter, thanks to the snow that covered the entire village and forced us all to spend most of our time indoors.

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Both my reading and writing studies have progressed greatly; only my writing is still a little shabby, but that will get better with enough practice.

I went to look for her, and sure enough, I found her sitting at our usual spot under the old tree.

When I arrived, Myra was looking angry and pouting her lips.

"Where were you? I was waiting for you here the whole week, and you never showed up!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry, I had a lot of work at home, so I couldn't come sooner," I apologized.

I then updated her on everything that had happened over the winter, carefully avoiding mentioning my powers or my trips to the Forest.

Since, unlike Helga, she wasn't my family, I still didn't know if I could trust her with any of my secrets.

Especially since she was the Vogt's daughter, I absolutely didn't want him or even our Lord, for whom he worked, to know about any of my abilities.

At least not until I made it to the city and learned more about magic.

"I still can't believe how fast you learned how to read. I've been learning it for almost two years and still can't read anything at all!" Myra exclaimed in amazement.

"I guess I have a talent for it," I replied with a shrug.

"You're so good at it, I think you could even work as a scribe in the city."

I shook my head. "Even if I wanted to, they would never take me as an apprentice."

Myra nodded in agreement. "Hmm, I guess so. So, have you decided where you want to start your apprenticeship?" she asked, curious.

"I have a few ideas," I replied mysteriously.

"Tell me! I want to know!" Myra demanded playfully.

"It's a secret for now. It all depends on whether my parents will allow me to go to the city or not. But I promise you'll be the first to know," I said, grinning.

Myra's pout quickly turned into a smile. "You better tell me, or I won't lend you any of my stuff ever again!"

"Sure, sure. Now, what do you want to do today?" I asked, trying to quickly change the subject.

We spent the rest of the day playing, our worries and troubles momentarily forgotten. But I knew that I couldn't let my dreams and ambitions fall by the wayside. I had to continue with my plans since time was of the essence.

***

Today is the day I've been waiting for. I woke up early and got ready for my first-ever hunting trip in the Forest with Old Sven. I was eager to learn how to properly lay traps and track animals in the Forest.

Back on Earth, I was never an adventurous type and spent most of my time behind a computer, so I never had the chance to do anything like go hunting or camping in the woods.

The morning was beautiful, the air was fresh, and the sun was just starting to rise. I made my way to the edge of the forest, where Old Sven was waiting for me. He looked grumpier than usual, which was saying something.

"Good morning, mister," I said, trying to be polite.

"Ay, lad, where were ya lazing about?" "We need to start early," he replied.

"Well, it is early, isn't it?"

"Early is when I say it's early! Now listen to me; ya will stick close to me and not leave ma sight in there, and ya won't go running alone. Is that clear?"

I nodded my head and followed after him.

As we entered the forest, I once again marveled at its natural beauty. The forests here are really something else. We moved slowly and carefully, and Old Sven showed me how to prepare and plant traps for rabbits.

Apparently, rabbits were abundant at the edge of the village and were easy to catch since they usually went to the fields for food.

I watched closely as Old Sven showed me how to set up the traps and committed everything to memory. Learning about traps would be very useful since the rabbits have been avoiding me lately for some reason.

We then moved deeper into the forest, and Old Sven showed me how to spot animal tracks and how to follow them. We found that a deer had passed through here recently and decided to go after it.

We moved for hours along the edges of the forest, completing a half-circle around the village. It seemed that the animals were also scared to go deep into the forest where the monsters lived.

In the end, we lost the track and never found the deer. However, it was an amazing experience watching Old Sven move quickly and silently between the trees.

His eyes were constantly scanning for any signs of tracks, and it was clear that he was an expert in his field.

We emerged from the forest shortly after midday, and I was exhausted but exhilarated by the experience.

"I'm quite surprised; ya weren't too shabby in there, lad," Old Sven said, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "It was like ya were going there for years."

I chuckled at his words: "Haha! You must be imagining things. This was definitely my first time."

"Ya must work on yer feet and learn how tae move silently; ya were stomping like a drunken soldier, but overall, ya would make a great hunter!" Old Sven replied.

I nodded, acknowledging his advice. "Well, my parents would never allow me to work as a hunter since it is too dangerous of a job, but I'm grateful if I can support my family with some meat."

"Ye're a good lad for thinking about yer family like that," Old Sven said with a nod of approval.

But in truth, I had other motives too. Besides my master plan of getting to the city, I was doing this mostly for myself.

Being forced to eat tasteless ertiber mush almost every day was a crime against humanity, but of course, I wasn't about to tell Old Sven that.

So, with a smile on my face, I nodded and bid him farewell before heading back home. I spent the rest of the spring going into the forest and honing my hunting skills.

My steps became more silent, and I learned how to lay traps. Though I still struggled with identifying the animal tracks, I was determined to master the craft.

One day, I managed to hunt a rabbit. I laid the trap exactly as Old Sven had taught me, and when we returned the next day, there was a rabbit caught in it.

Old Sven was kind enough to let me keep the rabbit, even though I had caught it with his trap. "Prey always belongs tae the one who hunts it," he said, with a twinkle in his eye.

With a sense of accomplishment, I happily brought the rabbit back to my father, who was equally excited about the prospect of more meat on the table. I preserved the hide for sale when I went to the city, but for now, my family and I will enjoy a delicious meal together.

As I sat by the fire, watching the flames dance in the hearth, I felt a sense of pride. It wasn't just about the meat; it was also about the knowledge that I could take care of myself and my family.

And with each day that passed, I felt myself getting closer to achieving my dream of leaving this village and exploring the world beyond.