Eventually the group started moving. There was no teacher or guide going with them, Tim assured them that was part of the initiation. They only had a narrow path to follow, and the knowledge that it took two days, so they would be spending a night in the forest.

They walked for hours, some alone, some in small groups, not many talking. The trees grew taller, the light dimmer. Jak tried to pretend it was the same as any other forest, but there was something ominous about the wind going through the trees. Every now and then he caught the faintest glimpse of something moving in the distance. At some point there was a wolf's howl, it sounded far away but still managed to raise the hairs on the back of Jak's neck, thoughts drifting to Ash's mother and how frightening it had been simply to see her looking at him.

"Ok, let's stop here and camp." A girl said assertively. It was Violet, the girl from Alya's tryouts. She seemed quite comfortable in giving directions, and without any discussion had become the leader of the group. Jak shrugged and put down his pack, not seeing a reason to argue. The kids all started preparing their own spaces, some with luxurious bed rolls and well-crafted camping equipment, others more humble in their belongings.

Tim put down his blanket, sighing as he looked at it. Alya piled up the driest leaves she could find, then shook her head and chuckled as she grabbed a pile of wet leaves and quickly turned them into dry leaves. Her eyes lit up at the accomplishment, until the pile burst into flame, going a bit farther than she'd wanted. She dropped them in fright, frowned, and pulled the fire off the leaves. The pile was now full of ash, and she didn't want to ruin the clothes they had just bought at the market, so she set to work making a new pile for herself, and then another for Jak to sleep on.

"I'll go grab some dinner," Jak said, picking up his long hunting knife.

"Are you sure?" Tim asked, "This isn't a normal forest, remember."

"Can't be too bad," Jak thought aloud, "they send kids in here by themselves." He gestured at everyone making camp. Tim gave a hesitant nod, and Jak slipped away into the trees.

Jak liked it in the forest. The sounds of the camp were quickly muffled, and soon it was just the wind in the trees, the occasional bird giving a final chirp as the sun went down, and Jak's own soft footsteps. Jak felt himself relax. Around people he was always tense, always waiting for them to turn on him. He wasn't sure how long he'd last at this school, but for Alya's sake he wanted to stay as long as possible. At least he had his new hiding skills. He smiled, looking around. Even in the fading light, the forest had a color and life to it that he'd never seen until he learned to control his aura. The moss on trees almost glowed a deep verdant green. The bark on the trees a rich palette of browns and greys. He found some berries he recognized, a brilliant red color that reminded him of Alya's aura. Looking around, breathing in the scent of damp earth and trees, Jak wondered why people lived in cities.

After a while, Jak was far enough away from the group that he could see if there was anything he could hunt. He'd already picked up some berries and mushrooms, but nothing could beat some roasted meat. Jak wished he'd bought a bow. Traps could also work, but not if they were only staying for a night. Still, he had his hunting knife, and perhaps he could get lucky.

He slowed his walk, quieting his footsteps, and reigned in his aura extra tight. Not only was his aura concealed, but Jak felt like he himself was withdrawing from the world. His disturbance in the forest, his presence that kept the wildlife away, it all vanished within himself. It was an odd experience, but he was curious to see the effects. He slowly crouched down, continuing to pull himself in, allowing the forest around to feel completely Jakless.

He stayed like that for a minute, then two. Jak breathed quietly and steadily, listening to the forest. Around him, he could hear the little sounds of creatures scurrying about. After a few minutes he saw a rabbit come into view, foraging among the leaves. Jak very carefully put some berries in his hand, and lowered the hand to the floor. He watched the rabbit out of the corner of his eye, not even wanting eye contact to alert the animal of his presence. The rabbit came a little closer, but eventually moved away before it got in Jak's reach.

Jak sighed, and was about to get up when he heard a larger animal moving through the bushes. He looked up and saw a wild boar coming into view, nose digging through the dirt in search for food. Jak tensed. This was a bit bigger than a rabbit, almost as tall as Jak himself while he was crouched on one knee. He was content to let the beast pass, hoping it would do the same as the rabbit. After scratching in the dirt for some time, the boar came across some mushrooms growing at the base of tree. Giving a delighted squeal, the boar's tusks suddenly lit up orange and the boar belched, a heat wave going over the mushrooms and instantly cooking them. The smell of sauteed mushrooms filled the air, making Jak's stomach gurgle. He didn't dare move, watching this magical boar nibble at his culinary efforts and huff in approval. Eventually the beast finished his meal, and moved on, never noticing the boy crouching nearby.

Jak breathed a sigh of relief when the boar finally left. Tim was right. A boar was something Jak would consider hunting normally, although it wasn't without danger, but a boar that could roast mushrooms with its breath was something too strange for him. Images rose involuntarily in Jak's mind of the boar breathing on him, and turning him into roast Jak. He shuddered.

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Jak got up, and went in the opposite direction the boar had gone. Finding a spot he liked, he crouched down and did the same thing as before, withdrawing into himself until the forest forgot he was there. This time he left a trail of berries leading up to him. Thankfully, the next creature to come by wasn't a fire-breathing boar but another rabbit. Jak stayed still, watching as it discovered the berries, and slowly moved towards him, berry by berry. Eventually it got close enough and Jak lunged for it. As soon as he moved, the rabbit's fur puffed up and it hissed at him, barely disturbingly sharp teeth. Jak was so taken aback that he paused, long enough for the rabbit to scamper away. Even the rabbits here are dangerous?

Unsettled and not wanting to find out what else the forest held, Jak decided berries and mushrooms were quite a fine meal, and headed back toward the camp. He even found some edible plants and vines along the way, creating a nice variety. He was just thinking about asking Tim to fry up the mushrooms when he heard a scream. Jak froze. It was coming from the camp. More screams.

Jak started running through the forest, leaping over roots and uneven ground. As he got closer he saw the others had made a fire, but it seemed oddly large. Then he realized there were trees on fire. Oh no.

Jak burst into the clearing where everyone had set up camp, and found chaos. The fire-breathing boar, that Jak had seen earlier, had found the camp. Tents, packs, and bedrolls where strewn all over. Some kids were running off into the forest, others were lying down unmoving, and others were simply screaming or crying. Luckily for them, the boar was more interested in a cooking pot that was over a small fire. The boar had stepped onto the fire and was burying its head in the pot, eating somebody's dinner. Jak stopped, unsure what to do, but the boar had already finished the pot and looked up at one of the girls screaming. The beast squealed in defiance, blew a blast of heat that set a nearby tent on fire, then started to charge toward the girl. Jak's heart caught in his mouth when he saw Alya step in front of the girl to defend her.

He started running, but wasn't as fast as the boar. With a loud squeal, it reached Alya, crashing it her even as she brought a frying pan down on its head. The pan bounced off, hardly making an impact, but Alya was knocked down. The beast stood over her, squealed loudly, and breathed its fiery breath on the poor girl to roast her alive. At least, it tried to do that. All that came out was a stinky burp. The boar looked around in surprise, only to see Jak mid-leap, landing on the beast and tackling it to the ground. Jak wrestled himself on top of the animal, stabbing down again and again with his hunting knife. There was no method to it, no finesse, just a rage-filled stabbing until the beast would stop moving. Nothing was allowed to hurt his sister. Nothing.

Eventually Jak realized that the boar wasn't breathing. Jak himself was covered in blood. All the others in the group were standing at a distance, staring. Some started cheering, but it was half-hearted. Jak got up and checked Alya.

"You ok?"

"Yea, a bit scared though."

"Same." Jak said shakily. They both started to laugh. Jak couldn't stop. It was just sheer relief.

"I thought I was going to roast meat." Alya said.

"Not tonight," Jak smiled, "not you..." he looked back at the big animal, and his grin widened. Meat was on the menu.

Jak and some of the other boys from the Elite Guard intake started to cut up the beast, making strips of meat for people to put on sticks and hold over the fire. Alya pulled the fire out of the trees, and back into nicely contained fire pits.

The group was shaken, several were injured and burned, and many people had had their belongings completely destroyed. But they had survived. Even better, there was enough bacon for everybody. The many individuals and small groups slowly merged into fewer, bigger groups. Tim looked around and smiled at the change.

"Nothing like near-death to bring a group together. Hey, Jak,"

"Hmm?"

"Remember what I said about a monster hunter's role?"

"Uh, hunting monsters?"

"Heh, yea you have that part down ok. No, I mean the other thing. Collecting certain items...?" Tim gestured at the butchered corpse. Jak remembered how the boar's tusks had lit up orange before it blasted fire and heat.

"Oh! The t-"

"Shhh" Tim cut in. "Let's be a bit smart about it, ok?"

Jak nodded, eyeing the crowd. He tried to get up as casually as he could, and went to inspect the carcass. The tusks were connected to the lower jaw. Jak tried to pull them out, and eventually with some digging with his knife, he got them. They looked like normal tusks to him, nothing strange or mysterious about them. Jak pocketed them.

"Collecting trophies?" A voice asked from behind. Jak jumped, and the voice laughed.

"I'm Violet, by the way, Violet Featherwell, of the Featherwell family." She said, fluttering her eyelashes. Jak felt very uncomfortable.

"Nice to meet you Violet. Yea, just getting some keepsakes I guess. Haha." He bowed a little and tried not to run as he went to join Tim and Alya.

"I like your dog." Violet called after him. Jak gave her a thumbs up. Alya looked at Jak, then at Violet, and started laughing. Jak went red, and Tim started laughing too. Violet, still at a distance, also turned red, and with a huff stomped off to join her noble friends.