A lone figure floated about as moonlight illuminated the ominous sea. A woman who appeared to be in her mid-20s continued to float in the water. She continued to look up at the sky with a haggard face that expressed hunger while using one hand to steer the shoddy raft constructed of three logs bound together with vines through the calm sea.

The boat moved ahead ten or so meters in a brief burst with each stroke of her thin arm. The young woman carefully studied each star above her, as if she knew her precise location and how to steer the shoddy boat, without giving any concern about her sleeve becoming wet.

Her grim visage remained focused, unconcerned about the perils below or the hunger she had built up for nearly a year, despite the fact that being out at sea ought to have driven anyone insane. Her cloak, which was devoid of all color and light, appeared to be just as fresh as the day she made it. Her entire cold stone body was covered by this delicate but well-made linen, leaving just the flawless features of her exquisitely sculpted face visible. Even though it appeared lifeless, it was impeccable, even on this chilly night.

She stopped her hand immediately after her gorgeous blood red eyes spotted a combination of four stars in the vivid starry night before her.

Signs of a human like emotion finally formed, as a devious but lovely smile formed on her face.

"I'm finally here, huh? ...Grace I hope you’re ready."

After uttering those few words, she grinned even wider, a smile fueled by the anger she had been holding inside all this time, as two ivory white fangs reflected the moonlight.

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Taking an arrow from his quiver, a figure in a green cloak stabilized himself on a sturdy branch, balancing his weight to reduce movement. The hooded individual lifted a handcrafted bow and waited for a signal before altering his position as soon as the branch stopped swaying.

Drawing the bow to the maximum, he waited a few seconds, closing his eyes while concentrating on his breathing and hearing to the best of his ability.

"Heeek…"

While a black figure rose into the air in the distance, the stillness of the forest was broken below in a clearing covered in bushes by the sounds of hooves and the rustling of branches. The figure carefully aimed with one eye while he adjusted the bow in the direction of the noise, taking into account the distance, the wind's direction, and the force he would need to apply to the bow.

"Almost there…"

As the bowstring made a loud thud, he released the arrow as soon as he had finished aiming. There was nothing else to do but wait a few seconds to confirm if the arrow had hit its mark.

"Heeeuuu!"

The woodland was filled with the distinct sound of a gigantic animal taking its final breath. The beast was struck while jumping, its large body hit the ground just outside the shrub's protective cover. It was an elk-like creature with white fur and silver antlers. The magnificent animal was one of the most sought-after beasts in this area.

The small boy's eyes widened as he gazed at his prize, unable to believe his good fortune. He grinned as he leaped off the branch, taking care to maintain his eyes on the following footrests until he finally leaped to the ground.

The young boy then put two fingers to his lips and whistled. Moments later, a small, swift shadow emerged from the undergrowth and landed on the youngster's leather shoulder brace.

"You did well, Erus; we will be living well after this."

Petting his companion with joy, the young man carefully approached the three-meter-tall elk-like animal while keeping his senses sharp in case any nearby predators tried to steal his catch.

The woodland he was in wasn't for the weak, as the youngster lived near a little, undefended town that no major power cared about.

The lad knew full well he didn't have much time before another beast approached with the smell of fresh blood in the air, so he swiftly started to delicately strip the gorgeous animal's fur off with a knife he had crafted from a sharp stone.

"Erus, keep an eye out for predators while I finish."

Looking back on his hunt, the great deer was the largest he had hunted thus far and was most likely in his prime. The child shuddered as he observed the arrow that had gone straight through the animal's eye and into its skull. Although his skill wasn't the finest, his luck was exceptional. However, he kept this information to himself because, in his impoverished village, it was typical for people to take advantage of the weak.

Even though it was laborious, the child needed to remove the majority of the animal's priceless, sought-after pelt. In regards to the meat, he cried inwardly since he was unable to remove the tenderloin or other top cuts with the limited time he had. The child heard an alarm call from above as he cracked the antlers off from the base of the head. He then turned to face his feathered companion and whistled twice before following him for some distance before looking back.

A big, four-legged beast leaped on the carcass left behind as growls and howls from various sections of the forest made the child gulp from fear. The gray and brown wolf pack swiftly surrounded the easy meal after effortlessly crushing the toughest of the elk's bones with their formidable jaws.

Nearly twice his size, the boy knew the pack would finish off the kill and then look for dessert, so he ran while carrying the heavy pelt and the antlers tied behind him without looking back.

After two hours, he eventually exited the perilous woods and began to make his way toward the part of town that was close to his home—an old shack that was situated on the eastern outskirts of the hamlet. As he arrived, he saw his house, which was far from flawless; it had weeds that rose beyond the youth's knees, a makeshift door fashioned from scrap plywood from an old boat, and sections of the roof that were gone. To enter, the child simply needed to slide the mold covered door.

"I’m home!~"

The child shouted as he entered his home, but no one answered him. He looked around, only to see the darkness that was beginning to fall over the old shack with the setting of the sun.

"I’m home…"

The youngster repeated himself in a gentler tone, put his loot in a corner, and began hanging the animal's hide to dry in the morning. He sat down and whistled for his friend, who was most likely out for a quick snack.

He started setting up camp at the usual spot outside his house, where bare earth with ashes from the previous day was laid, knowing he needed to start a fire to cook the meat he brought. Even though he had a house, unless it was pouring, he usually slept outside next to the fireplace.

The boy started his regular chore of preparing supper with excitement in his eyes, using an old plank to cut his materials. He would be having meat today, as opposed to yesterday, and not just any meat, but the largest steak he ever had the pleasure of cooking, which made his mouth water.

His companion quickly arrived and flew to the meat from a nearby branch to start eating its portion. He tossed the pieces that were too hard to cut or too full of fat in a small, crudely made clay tray.

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"Eat up, buddy; today we eat like royalty!"

The lad finished preparing his portion while grinning widely and placing the meat in a little clay pot over the fire while stirring his meal for a while. The stew's meaty fragrance caused his tummy to grumble loudly.

"Almost done, hehe."

The child used a branch that he had sharpened as a cooking utensil and poked the steak various times; when the branch finally pierced the tender meat with ease, he knew it was done.

The lunch he had made was devoured in no time, and after lounging around and taking in his surroundings for an hour, the young lad started to prepare his bed. He banged on a simple straw-filled area for a while to frighten any pests away. He sat down and covered the straw with an old rag, gazing tiredly up at the night sky full of stars.

He reflected on this daily routine of his: waking up, seeking out food, returning home, preparing dinner, and then going to bed. He also thought about how everyone in this small community was preoccupied with their own issues, so nobody gave a damn about the youngster. Taking care of the deserted fields, going out to sea to fish in the treacherous waters, going into the dangerous forest to hunt, and defending the rural town from the same beasts they hunted.

He remembered his own family's role in this community as hunters, whose daily work until his father's passing had been pursuing game for survival. His siblings were sold to keep the family alive shortly after his father's death. As for his mother, she passed away from a disease that was likely brought on by his father's passing. One by one, his elder brothers and sisters left the house as the merchants passed the village. He was the youngest, so when everyone else was sold or passed away, he was left alone.

By seeing his elder siblings, who had some experience with hunting and surviving from their father, he learned to cook and hunt. However, he didn't feel sorry or depressed for himself because he was too young to hold on to any bonds formed with his siblings; they left every now and then. He perceived the departure of others, such as his mother, as being commonplace.

His only companion was sleeping, and it sat on a branch with his head tucked between one of his wings. He pushed these recollections to the back of his mind and turned his attention back to the night sky.

This bird was his sole family member and stayed with him long after the others left the nest. Just when everyone left the boy, a pair of falcons broke into his house and built a nest.

Erus, one of three chicks, made friends with the boy and stayed with him long after the bird’s parents and siblings had left the nest. The child trained the hawk for a year to go into the forest and hunt for food for them both.

Within a few months, they were able to consume not only the small critters that were only good for snacks but also the larger animals that required the child to become proficient with a bow.

The bow was one of his father's weapons that had been left behind by his older siblings, who had taught him the fundamentals, but it was beginning to show its age.

Before dozing off, the boy stared up into the sky one final time, taking one last look at each star. Unable to count, he simply let his eyes drift from star to star.

The sound of his partner stalking a nearby victim who was unable to flee his sight could be heard as the morning arose. The falcon threw a rodent at the youngster and pestered him till he sprang from his uncomfortable mattress, noisily cracking his neck and back.

The young boy noticed the food that had been given to him and smiled weary because he knew the bird would not leave him alone until he had eaten the rodent.

"Ugh… I know I had to eat this in the past."

He jumped up from the chilly floor, picked up the small animal, and used a stick to penetrate it before starting a fire. After cleansing the bits of the tiny animal, he shouldn't eat and waiting for the meat to sizzle sufficiently for him to be able to eat it.

The falcon left to fetch his own food, relieved that the boy had eaten and that the day could now begin. In order to sell the pelt and antlers to a merchant in a few days, the boy cleaned himself and prepped the animal.

Knowing it would take a few days for the pelt to dry, he needed to be close by so no one could view or steal his newfound treasures. He made the choice to keep them inside his house, close to the window where the sun shined strongly for the majority of the day since he knew it had to keep it out of sight.

"Well, I have enough meat to last until the day I sell these things."

The child started cutting firewood for the following few days after drying the meat with some salt that was easily obtained by drying the sea water. He carried on with his tasks till one of the local farmer's daughters came by.

"Hiya!"

The young girl would sometimes visit him to avoid doing her own chores, although she rarely did so because people avoided the boy. The locals ignored him out of concern that they would suffer the same fate as his family. When he encountered the town's folk, he frequently heard the terms "cursed brat," "child of sinners," and his personal favorite, "unfortunate kid," which seemed a little gentler than the other names given to him.

"Hey…" He replied from a distance, turning to face the girl who was waiting for him to grant her permission to enter his home.

"What are you doing today?" The girl understood that just being replied to was enough to be able to enter the boy's house.

"Nothing, just cutting more wood." Returning his attention to his work, the boy, who was lacking in things to do, concluded that cutting more firewood wouldn't be a bad idea—all the more so given the absence of clouds in the sky.

"Then I can just stay and watch then." The girl patted the straw a few times, then grinned and sat in the boy's makeshift bed while focusing on the boy doing his job.

"Just don't mess up my bed..." The lad continued splitting the wood into smaller pieces so that they would burn more quickly, paying little attention to the female who sat down to observe his work.

"Hey, hey, did you know?" The girl looked at the boy's face with anticipation in her eyes and adjusted a few straws that were sticking out.

"Hmm?" The kid kept working without any regard for the girl's expression.

"A priest will be coming next week!" The girl took a random piece of straw from the bed and put it in her mouth to chew on while grinning slyly.

"Hmm?!" The boy finally turned to face the girl after pausing for a brief period of time before cutting the next piece of wood, unable to hide his curiosity.

"Don’t you know what that means?" The girl led the conversation with excitement as she rocked her knees back and forth and savored the boy's look and the fact that he had at last given her his full attention.

"No…" The child knew that there must be a significant event that was about to happen when he considered the little village and the fact that neither priest nor merchant stayed here for too long.

"I will finally get a name!" With a happy smile, the girl finally expressed what she had been meaning to say the entire time.

"Oh?" The child finally paused and set the little stone axe down, giving the girl his full attention.

"Didn't you know that the priest gives the kids their names, so I should be getting mine soon? I'm curious about what it will be. I just hope it will be nice, like the ones my sisters have." The girl lost herself in her emotions and began mentioning the names of her elder siblings and the meaning of their names.

The boy paid little attention to the girls' babbling and recalled that nobody in his family had a name. Only his father, Theo possessed one; his mother lacked one, and even if they thought about making one for each other, it would be forgotten within a few days. As a result, they exclusively addressed one another as mother, son, or brother and sister.

He had never been informed about the reason why he didn't have a name, so hearing what the girl said finally allowed him to make the connection.

He was too young to understand the significance of many things, and nobody was eager to sit down with him in conversation or teach on him the ways of the world. The girl would occasionally be able to skip her tasks and stop by to chat with the boy, but eventually, she would flee when a family member came by to look for her.

"How do you get a name?" The boy approached the girl but remained just far enough away for her to not react. He was aware that she had been warned not to touch the boy in case he was cursed or something stupid like that.

"Of course, you have to pay the priest; he will give you a name. My dad said it’s a name from God!"

The youth was aware of the girl's father's devotion to his religion, which may have been the reason why each member of the family had a name, despite the fact that it had made them as impoverished as they were right now.

"How much is it?" Thinking it wouldn't matter even if he knew the amount, the boy, who couldn't count, just relied on the merchant's kindness while fully aware that he was probably being duped most of the time.

"Dunno..." The girl continued poking some straws into place while shrugging her shoulders.

Erus eventually returned after a brief period of silence, clutching a rabbit tightly in his claws. He threw the beast down close to the youngster and shrieked with delight. The child understood what his buddy meant by this particular call as soon as it took his stone knife and started slicing the falcon's share of the meat in pieces.

"Yuck, why doesn't Erus take off the fur by himself somewhere else?" The girl looked at the boy's actions with disgust.

"He doesn’t like to peel off the fur, I guess; that’s why he always brings the food to me." Without minding the new chore given to him by his friend, the boy completes it easily as he slices off the portions that his falcon enjoys eating and keeps the rest for himself. He then thanks his companion for bringing him free lunch.

A voice in the distance interrupted their conversation, the girl quickly stood up and cleaned herself before fleeing.

"See you later; next time I will tell you, my name."

The youngster sat down and watched as a man passed by, knowing that it would eventually happen. As usual, the man ignored him completely and carried on looking for his daughter. With a dark expression, the boy stared at the man's back as he passed by, only vaguely recalling fragments of his father, who had gone out in the same direction sometime in the past.

“I wonder... What would my name be?”