"Why does he love the moon so much?" The kid asked. For all that he knew it was just a dumb rock in the sky that shined at night time.
"No one knows. There are many theories tied to his fascination but no one knows the truth. Some say he wants to live on it, others that he wants to sell it for money, and a few dumb ones think he fell in love, but in the end no one knows the true reason for his obsession." The old man stated these rumors while he himself caught a glimpse of the moon while looking out the nearby window. 'It really is something beautiful though'
"What happened next? He stared at the moon after almost drowning and he had some sort of change in life?" Trying to get back on tract the kid ask a question about where grandpa left off. But instead of continuing the story the grandpa begins to laugh. "Sudden change? The fool does the same thing for another year before he learns anything. Goes to a battlefield, finds something useful, and gets mugged. All of this on repeat while living off of scraps and never learning a single thing." Thinking of the fool and where the story begins was always an inspiration. For some people you have to beat them on the head for a year for them to notice the chance to grow.
"We know how the story begins and we know how it ends so why don't we start to cover what made a fool into a king." The grandpa face loss all humor and started to grow a serious look. "I will share the moment most people believe to be the turning point of the fool."
----------------------------------------
"FUUUUUCK!" A man yelled. Seemingly at the world and it's injustices but more directly at the men who robbed him...again. The vulture wasn't a kid but he wasn't old either so his thoughts were still immature and he hasn't developed in a while. His mind still looks for shiny, finds shiny, and then yells with excitement and victory over a conquest. Only for him to get beaten, robbed, and left for death every time. The only thing that has been changing over this period of time is the amount of hits it takes to put down the vulture. He grows sturdier from all of the events. The beatings, the scavenging, and the fighting for his life while befriending death. He looks at his one sat that changed over the year.
Physical: 9...More...
It was quite the overall change and the vulture has ignored the underlying details of the growth in favor of looking for more shiny pieces to pay for food.
The year has also effected people around this young vulture. Many sets of old bones witness the daily repeat of the young blood and his vicious cycle of scavenging. They all have one thought, to help the young blood, but it is always stomped down by the fear of the named ones. They feel pity for the young vulture but they value their lives above his own and refuse to take the risk.
The young ignored the old for a very simple reason. He never quite registered they existed since they never introduced themselves and he had more important things to do. Shiny objects won't find themselves.
'The sun is it the late evening so it will be growing dark soon. Recap for today, first I got up early to scavenge, second I looked for shiny pieces, third I found a very shiny piece! And then the same pattern followed like usual. Someone spots my shiny, beats me until I go back to sleep, and then take my shiny.' The vulture was deep in thought about what was so difficult about finding a shiny and not having some big man with a name steal it from him.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
The young vulture was remembering how his day went and today was the day he would have his revelation. The day where the story would stop following a fool and start to follow a king. He had an idea that would begin to turn his future for the better.
'I will hide the shiny!!'
Yes... His thought was nothing complicated. It was one of the first things a vulture learns. One of the most common rules laying around. But for this vulture he needed some extra assistance flying out of the nest.
*Ding*
Mental: 8 -> 9...More...
"Fuck you!" As if the world was living to spite this vulture he gifted him an important point. But this point would not distract him from his realization for a greater tomorrow. That would be the day they go deeper into the desert and cross the boundary into a grassy field that was connected to it.
'I will gain my first shiny!'
----------------------------------------
"That was it?" The boy was in disbelief at what he heard. The man known as a godly figure to all took a year of beatings to learn that he shouldn't announce his discovery to everyone...
"Do not discount his length of time to find the realization. Everyone starts somewhere different and his beginning was s rock being pushed off of a cliff. Yes, it was hard at first but when it started no one had the power to stop it." The grandpa was still serious. This story was long and in most cases held no meaning to the common people but there are some parts that everyone should hear. Just because you are bad at something doesn't mean you aren't meant for it. Sometimes you need a realization to jump your career.
"So he decides to start hiding his discoveries instead of yelling it?" The kid ask trying to reassure what he heard.
"Yes and no. He does try and many people take notice, but that also means the named ones heard him and they don't take kindly to people who defy them. So the vulture got beaten even rougher from that day forward. But he was beginning to fly and soon enough no one could stop him. Especially after the moon gave him a gift one fateful day." The boy grew excited hearing about power and started to fidget more and asked his grandpa, "So now we can talk about him not being so weak any more?"
"No!" The grandpa said while beginning to laugh again, "That fool didn't have that thought for a while still. But he does begin to learn as time goes on and soon enough he takes his first step."
The old man begins to talk about the vultures first successful day but decided to stop before even starting.
"You know what. I think this is a good place to leave off." The grandpa stands up from sitting on the bed and begins to walk out of the room.
"Oh come on grandpa. You always leave at the best parts." The kid begins to whine but is hushed by the old man.
"Do not fear young one. Because tomorrow I shall continue this legend. Goodnight"
"Goodnight grandpa."
With the light going out and the door closing the grandfather is alone once again as he goes outside. Living in the quiet countryside with his own living relative was a sad reality. It was always quiet out here and almost nothing goes on. But every night the old man smiles knowing that he still has family with him. One young child to continue the legacy. As he has these thoughts for the utmost time he begins to remember the past he once lived.
Looking up at the moon he smiles and says out loud.
"You were always my favorite part of that story" He smiles as a single tear drops and he walks back inside remembering the one person who was once his moon.
'Hopefully you got to live on the moon like you always dreamt'