Jak was up bright early the very next morning, awakening the exact moment the sun rose up from beyond the horizon, illuminating the small house with its lustrous rays of light. By the time the sun had fully emerged, taking its position at the edge of the sky, the young redhead was up and ready to begin the day, a cheerful pep in his step as he went about his business. As someone who had always gotten up the same time each and every day to train with Mako, regardless of rain or shine, Jaks body was programmed to automatically start itself up even in the face of total exhaustion. It was due to this reason that the child was able to get up early despite not having slept for a full three days.
There were many things Jak wished to accomplish that morning and he knew that lazing about wouldn't accomplish anything significant. As his father had always put it, "procrastination seems like a good idea, or at least until shit hits the fan. Then you can only blame yourself for what follows next. If you're gonna do something, then do it. And do it with GUSTO!!"
He needed to bathe, gather something to eat, organize the outside of the house, and take the time to scout the land. But most importantly, he wanted to go and visit his parents, something he hadn't done since he had last visited his home.
"Well then. I guess we should get to work," Jak said happily as he stretched his body out ensuring that all of his muscles were nice and loose. "Cant be caught slacking, can we?"
After moving towards the exit of his home, the young redhead began his day, heading for the lake. The enormous, sky blue water glistened as the water rippled, the sun shining on its shifting surface.
The lake was the focal point for everything within the nearby area, it was what made everything possible, allowing the wildlife to thrive. It provided a fresh, clean source of water to the deer, wolves, wild horses and other animals that Geona allowed to wander through her territory, keeping the delicate ecosystem in check. The lake was also home to an abundance of water creatures such as freshwater fish, alligators, and an assortment of other creatures such as Terols, an underwater monster many considered a delicacy, and Drystins, an overly large, powerful, monster fish that even low ranking Rift Hunters had difficultly catching.
So, not only could Jak take a bath, but he could also catch his breakfast at the exact same time if he so chose.
"I'm not strong or fast enough to catch a Drystin," Jak said aloud as he walked into the lakes depths, leaving his clothes on the bank. "Maybe if I'm lucky I can get a Terol, or maybe some Sturgeons."
Taking three deep breaths, Jak plunged downwards, fully diving into the lakes cool blue interior. Little by little, the surface of the water returned to its previous state, regaining some sense of normalcy as the youth disappeared from the world.
A minute passed by. Two minutes. Three minutes.
Finally, after around four full minutes of being submerged, Jak resurfaced, bright red hair popping up near the center of the lake, a struggling, 35 foot long fish held over his head. Scales as white as a cloud glistened in the morning sun as the young adolescent waded towards the edge of the lake until he could finally stand up, tossing the wriggling fish onto the grass where it twisted and turned, gasping for air.
"Cant believe I got a Terol on my first try," Jak exclaimed, wiping away the water dripping down his face. He pushed the flipping mass of scales away from the water, not wishing to go and look for it again should it somehow manage to flop back into the lake. "They're usually the most elusive creatures in the area. Either I've gotten faster or the fish have gotten dumber."
After ensuring that the monster albino fish was a significant distance away from its source of oxygen, Jak wandered back and started his bath, scraping away at the dirt and grime the dip in the lake had failed to get out. Having gone without showering for over three days, he was quite satisfied with how the water felt against his bare skin and even decided to stay in longer then necessary, scrubbing his bright red hair thoroughly. The strained muscles from Hadoks week long training session and the tension that had built up from all Trials seemed to melt away as Jak drifted through the water. He hadn't realized how much he needed the short break until he actually took it, his body loosening and the weight falling off his shoulders.
Once he had had his fill of peace and quiet, Jak got out of the lake and shook as much water off of himself as he could before donning his clothes.
(("We got breakfast. Now we just need to cook it.")) Crimson hues flicked past the dying fish and onto the mound of white fur sleeping against the side of the house. (("Maybe we can get Geona to come for some once it's all nice and smokey."))
Rushing towards the woods, the same place he had exited when he had initially arrived, Jak grabbed as much dry wood as he could carry. Once his arms were full, he brought them back to the area next to the large Terol and began piling them up, stacking them in a way most ideal for a fire. After that, he dug up the dirt around the makeshift campfire so as to limit its spread by removing anything flammable. When that was taken care of, he started the fire up, rubbing two sticks together until the heated surface began smoking. Having learned the technique from his parents, Jak was quite confident in his ability to start a fire, confidence that only shot higher the moment the sticks were lit ablaze and the flames began to rise.
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"Perfect!!" Jak exclaimed, clapping enthusiastically, a wide grin on his face. "Knew I still had it in me!!"
After celebrating his success for little while longer, Jak turned his attention towards the giant fish, of which had ceased its flopping, being pinned down beneath Caels little body and surprising strength. Jak wasnt entirely sure when the little War Bear had woken up, leaving the confines of the house, but he didnt complain as he made his way over. He had already fully intended to share his catch with his two fellow bears so it didnt bother him in the slightest, even when Cael took a bite from the side of scaly white fish.
"Hold on there little guy," Jak said with a laugh, rubbing the cubs head as he walked up. "At least let me get it prepped and ready."
Cooking a Terol was one of the easiest things one could ever do with seafood, it being hands down the simplest species to prepare. Terols were a rare delicacy within the Eastern Continent, especially in the Kingom of Intok, and the reason was largely due to over hunting, the production at which they bred a far cry from how fast they were consumed and how often they were asked. Terols was the only species of fish in the world that could be eaten whole, bones and all. Once introduced to fire, all of the fish including organs, eyes, bones, everything on it became just another piece of meat that one could freely consume.
Above all, it was regarded as one of the tastiest slabs of meat to ever exist within the four continents, Rifts or otherwise. In terms of seafood, it was unrivaled and therefore highly demanded, royals and nobles willing to pay huge prices to buy the lot of them the moment they came onto the market.
It took Jak around 35 minutes to finish smoking the meat, it taking far longer then usual due to the fact that the young redhead had to do all of the turning himself, ensuring that each and every bit of the fish was cooked properly. About halfway through the process, Geona awoke from her slumber and walked on over, plopping herself down a bit aways from the food, making herself comfortable as she waited patiently for the fish to be properly heated. Cael on the other hand lacked the patience his mother had and, on multiple occasions, tried to take chunks out of the Terol. It was only when his mother gave off a low warning growl that the young bear finally got the hint and ceased his constant attacks on the dead fish.
"Alright guys," Jak announced after one final turn of the smoked marine creature. "Its finished."
The two onlookers made noises of satisfaction, their eyes fixated on the fish. It was clear to Jak that they wanted to just dive into the meal without any hesitation, but that wasnt what the redhead had planned.
"Geona, claws," Jak said as he took the fish off the fire, setting it onto the grassy ground.
Almost the moment he said it, three long claws, ones sharper then the sharpest blade, descended over the albino creature, sliding through ever so cleanly. Such a display made Jak thankful that Geona hadn't used them when she had first attacked him yesterday, such long nails capable of ripping metal to shreds.
"Okay, dig in everyone!"
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"Alright, we've put it off for long enough, dontcha think?" Jak asked calmly, pushing himself up from the ground. Crimson hues drifted over the embers of the dying fire and what remained of the freshly caught Terol, a small fin all that was left, of which was quickly consumed by Cael. "Its time we went and visited them. Mom and dad I mean."
Geona glanced towards the young redhead from her spot on the floor, cyan eyes taking in the youth for a few seconds before she finally moved, rising to her feet. Shaking off all the dirt she had accumulated during her two hour rest by the fire, the female War Bear made its way over to Jak and gave a low set of growls. Cael wasn't too far behind her either, mimicking her vocally as he bounded towards them, attempting to bite the young mans leg as he climbed up onto Geona's back. Too young to feel the shifting atmosphere, the small bear cub happily ran about, following his mother as she began a steady jog into the distance.
Neither Jak nor Geona said a single thing during the entire ten minute trip, the silence between the two eventually registering with the smaller bear who proceeded to copy them, eventually falling quiet.
After a while, Geona came to a standstill, her speed gradually declining until she was at a dead stop, the female bear planting her paws at the edge of a small hill the three of them had arrived at. Without hesitation, Jak hopped off of her back, aware that Geona stopping was her small way of telling him to get down, prompting him to trek the rest of the distance on his own two feet. While it wasn't a far distance, Jaks legs felt heavy, as if he had trudged nonstop for a week without a single break. The closer he got to the location, the slower he got, until at long last he collapsed onto his knees, his bright eyes fixated in front of him.
"Its been 3 years since I last visited you. 3, long, backbreaking years. Sorry I didn't come sooner." Jak gave a small smile as he leaned forward, brushing some leaves off the two large, smooth headstones in front of him. "But I'm here now. Mom. Dad. I've finally come back home."
Situated in the middle of a large crater, surrounded by lush grass, wild flowers, and the occasional small tree, two gravestones stood tall in the light of the afternoon sun. On the left stone, the name Hugo Yanda was written in large blocky letters, the date of birth and death written below it. The right one followed the same format, only on this one, the name, Ellena Bayrock, was written in a beautiful cursive that captured the attention of the eyes. Hugo's headstone was larger then Ellena's but it was also less decorative, the smaller one possessing intricate designs of roses and other flowers.
The clearing was the resting place of Hugo and Ellena, former Rift Hunters and the parents of Jak Yanda.