"The prey is about to rest. Let's get this over with, Razor."

Kent half-heartedly urged the twelve-year-old boy, whose green eyes were focused on its prey. The boy stood in a crouched position behind a large tree, unmoving. He had been stuck in this position for a while now. But his body did not show any indication of fatigue, a clear result of his training. A gentle wind passed his messy black hair, but he barely noticed it as his senses were locked on the unfortunate fowl perching on a nearby dead tree. What Kent said was right, but it was not the time yet.

"Be quiet, Kent. We can't afford to be careless." The boy whispered. What he was eyeing was a Thunder Rooster, an electric attribute bird. If he wasn't cautious, the bird would easily bolt away once it noticed them. He continued breathing steadily. The bear fang necklace his father gave him that he wore moved on his chest with the steady rhythm of his breath. He clasped the handle of a dagger with his right hand, readying to strike at any moment.

Kent suppressed the urge to retort at his friend and sighed. His tired sky blue eyes scanned the surrounding area for potential danger. But of course, there is none. They were only meters away from the outer border of the Featherwood barrier, after all. He fancied throwing a Freezing Potion to entrap the Thunder Rooster but could not for multiple reasons. One was that he practically smuggled it from their house, so he could not squander it willy-nilly. Another was that the potion was made from rare and expensive ingredients. His mother will scold him for wasting a precious Freezing Potion on a mere Thunder Bird. Lastly, he was only there to observe Razor's hunt. At least that's what Razor invited him for. He has no choice but to sit still and let Razor do his thing.

Suddenly, the bird started to make a racket, flapping its wings and cawing loudly. That was the cue when the bird temporarily ignores its surroundings whenever it makes a call.

"Now!"

Razor let out a silent yell and swiftly lunged forward. A sharp dagger swooped through the air and pierced the nape of the Thunder Rooster. Its body twitched and let out a discharge of sparks before collapsing. The metal blade on his hand conducted the electricity giving Razor a nasty shock. "Ow!" Razor exclaimed in pain. He instinctively let go of his dagger and shook his right hand to ease the pain. Sparks crackled on the lifeless bird. It was best to leave it for a while and let the ground neutralize the dead bird's charge before touching it.

"Are you alright?" Kent rushed to his friend's aid.

"Yeah, it just stung a little." Razor made a weak smile. "So, how did I do?"

As part of the deal, Kent will receive the Thunder Rooster's feather in exchange for evaluating Razor's performance and providing feedback. Although Kent had never hunted before, he was knowledgeable about magical beasts. As an aspiring mage, he studied magical beasts' attributes and their different parts' effects on magic crafts and potions.

"You did well. You've gotten faster since I saw you last." Kent praised. "However, you need to be careful with electric attribute beasts. They can give you a nasty shock even after they're dead. Well, a thick leather glove should do the trick." Kent added.

"Thanks, Kent. I'll remember that." Razor smiled as he retrieved his dagger from the dead bird's neck and began skinning it. It was a messy job, especially for an amateur like Razor. On the other hand, Kent was not keen on getting his hands dirty. So he decided to just keep Razor company.

After Razor finished skinning the bird, he handed Kent its feathers. Razor was quite satisfied with his performance as it was a considerable improvement since his last hunt despite the mishaps. The fowl remains they do not need were left behind for the wild animals to feed on. As it was getting late, the two boys started going back home.

***

Razor and Kent strolled to their home village named Featherwood, a rare forest village situated in a clearing in the middle of a dense forest of Alderus. Settlements are rarely built within a forest since the dangers are plentiful in a typical forest. However, the root network of the trees surrounding Featherwood coincidentally forms a natural magic circle creating a kilometer-thick buffer zone around the village's perimeter, called the Featherwood barrier. Within the buffer zone, anyone above ground will have their sense of smell and direction confused, deterring creatures relying heavily on those senses from entering. Even people are affected by the barrier. But the villagers have long found ways to cope with the effects of the barrier. One shortcoming of the barrier is that it doesn't extend far up in the air. Because of that, only flying creatures can freely enter and leave without hindrance, giving the village the moniker of "Featherwood."

While the two boys were walking home, the sun was dipping below the horizon. The first pale hint of twilight had crept in, signaling the end of the day. The sight of children walking in the forest at dusk would definitely cause great concern anywhere else except Featherwood. Well, actually, even in Featherwood. But they made sure no one saw them before hastily retreating to their respective homes.

Razor went home to an empty modest two-story house. His parents were away in the capital with his elder brother, leaving him alone for the time being. He was supposed to come with them, but he decided not to go. He has other plans, after all. After some convincing, his parents agreed for him to stay at home. He was left with enough money to survive in their absence. However, he decided to keep the money for himself and chose to simply hunt for food. In his mind, it was a great decision as not only did he get to pocket some money and help him hone his hunting skills, but it also allowed him to spend the whole day with his best friend.

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Razor unpacked the chicken meat and got ready to make himself dinner. He marinated it with familiar spices and left it for a while to absorb the flavors, just like how his mom taught him. Once ready, he simply fried the meat, not wanting to make anything complicated as it was getting late. He ate his meal and gave it a little taste. "It tastes good, although it's a bit bland," he remarked. He wasn't a picky eater but missed his mother's cooking. After a satisfying dinner, he stretched his muscles before sinking into a deep sleep.

***

"Come on, Kent. We can't afford to waste any time."

Razor stood outside Kent's house waiting for him as he was ready to go. His friend was unusually late today, but he was already itching to see what the forest would provide.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Kent yelled from inside his house as he rushed down the stairs. "Sorry about that, but my mom wanted me to help her clean up before I leave," Kent explained as he reached Razor's side. "By the way, where are we going today?"

Since last week, Razor had been starting to get the hang of hunting, and yesterday he managed to perform a near-perfect hunt, save for him receiving a post-mortem shock. Today, he was ready to challenge himself by taking on a riskier target.

"Hmm... I've been thinking about it all morning. I think we should hunt for a fire attribute creature today." Razor replied after some thought. "What about you? What do you think?"

"I don't know... Fire attribute beasts are quite dangerous. Most of them are hostile and quite tough to take down." Kent pointed out.

"Yeah, that's true. That's exactly why I want to hunt one." Razor said. "I mean, there are still small fire attribute critters like Fire Mice, right? I think we can take one down without much trouble."

"I guess... But I wouldn't get any useful parts from a Fire-Mouse. How about hunting a Firefox instead?" Kent suggested.

"Firefox? Isn't that a bit too much?" Razor's eyebrow arched. Kent does not usually offer such ambitious targets. After some thought, "I guess I could give it a try. I've seen father hunt one without using Aura before, and it's quite a sight to behold."

"Great! I'll be looking forward to your performance today, Razor!" Kent grinned. "I'm guessing we're headed for the southeast part of the forest then?"

"Yeah, that should do it." Razor nodded in agreement. Although a bit reckless, he has already seen someone succeed in doing it. He knew he could do so as well. "Let's go!"

***

Razor sported his leather gear before reaching the inner barrier. He has a short sword on his belt and a dagger sheathed in his right boot. After a twenty-minute walk, they exited the southeastern direction of the outer barrier. Razor led the way as they ventured deeper into the forest. Kent strode along behind him, trying to search for Firefox trails with Razor.

"Look there." Razor suddenly stopped in his tracks as he pointed to some burnt grass. The smell of burnt leather wafted through the air. This was a sign of a recent Firefox hunting. It must still be nearby. The two followed the signs and found a part of the trail that ended in a clearing. There they saw a Firefox munching on some rodent-like critter.

Firefoxes are solitary beasts. They stay alone, except when breeding. Fortunately, it's only an occasional occurrence, which makes it easier to hunt one. When faced with a serious threat, they run away quickly with their nimble legs. Otherwise, they either scare away their enemies by emitting flames all over their bodies or attack with their signature Firebreath. Razor and Kent were deemed no considerable threat to a Firefox's eyes.

"Be careful. Firefoxes can be rather jumpy and aggressive when its meal gets interrupted," cautioned Kent. "Razor, are you ready?"

Razor took a deep breath and replied, "I'm ready." Razor slowly approached the bush closest to the Firefox. He then crouched and pulled his sword from his waist. He parted some branches to better view the spot where the Firefox was. Kent followed his example and approached the same bush. Both boys were nearly hiding in the bushes, and the Firefox couldn't even tell they were there. Razor signaled for Kent to stay back.

Recalling how his father hunted one in the past, Razor formulated his battle plan. He mentally reviewed the steps he would take, took a deep breath, and slowly approached the fox from behind. He was ready to take on the game.

'It hasn't noticed me yet.' Razor thought to himself as he crept closer to his prey. He was about to move when the Firefox suddenly turned its head towards him. It flinched as it saw Razor. 'Nice!' Razor internally rejoiced. He grabbed the Firefox by the scruff of its neck and pinned it to the ground with his left hand. The poor prey tried its best to escape, but Razor's right knee was already atop its center of gravity.

The Firefox choked. It can no longer use its Firebreath. Out of desperation, it radiated an outburst of fire from its body. Razor ignored the flames and plunged his short sword into the Firefox's back and through its heart. Razor paused for a moment to check if the Firefox was dead.

"Kent! I did it!" Razor shouted. His cheeks went pink with his giggles. He couldn't help but grin. He wasn't sure if it was because he was thrilled or too excited to control his movements.

Kent ran over to him, still in awe of his accomplishment. "That... That was awesome! I can't believe you took it down in one go!" Kent's eyes were wide in disbelief. He trusted that his friend would succeed, but not this quick and flawless. "I wouldn't even dare to touch an agitated Firefox before awakening my mana," Kent said with a wry smile. "I guess you're really cut out for this, Razor."

"I knew I could do it!" Razor pulled his sword from the dead Firefox. As he pulled out his short sword, he noticed the sword was glowing red-hot. 'Why wouldn't dad let me do it?' Whenever he joins his father's hunt, Razor is only allowed to spectate, even with the weakest game.

"Razor... Your left hand. Are you alright?" Kent saw burn marks on Razor's left palm. He put down his bag and grabbed one cooling and one healing potion.

"Oh. I didn't realize." The adrenaline started to wear off. The burn wasn't that bad, but It sure hurt. "It's no big deal. Nothing a potion won't fix." Razor smiled. Kent handed Razor the potions, which he promptly gulped down. "Thanks, Kent." Razor handed the empty potion bottle back. "I couldn't have done it without your help."

After the two calmed down, Razor resumed his remaining task of processing the remains. He skinned and butchered the Firefox to retrieve its fur and meat. Kent also requested Razor to collect various parts of the remains as ingredients. They then started heading home immediately as there was no point in staying any longer. The sun had already set by then, and neither wanted to spend the night in the forest again.