“Hurry up!” called Woods, who had just rushed ahead of the group as fast as his hefty limbs would allow. “I think I saw a deer!”
The day was cold and the sky was a clear, pale blue, the majestic, snow-covered forests creating a stark contrast to the memories that were still fresh in Alistar’s mind from the previous month. His friends had organized a hiking trip into the forests just south of Distan, in the same general area as the site where he had fought for his life against the dark-maned bobcat all those days ago.
“Get your fat arse back here,” snapped Jaden, who rushed after his friend with a look of annoyance on his chiselled, freckled face. “The last thing we need is to have to drag your dead carcass back into town.”
“It’s not my fault you guys are slow. Besides,” wheezed the rotund boy, “you should be thanking me. You and Zech need to collect a dear, don’t you? I really saw one, so stop complaining and let’s get on with it already.”
Jaden rolled his deep-set brown eyes, looking at the others as if he couldn’t believe his ears. Seeing that everyone was lost in their own conversations, he hurried after his friend while muttering a string of curses underneath his breath. Seeing this, Alistar hid a smile. He knew Jaden well enough at this point to see that he was more worried about Woods than anything else, considering the fact that the latter wasn’t particularly capable of defending himself from man or beast, especially now that they were over half a league out from the county limits.
Corrie followed after them without saying a word, giving the others a glance that cautioned them to keep apace with the other two.
“We shouldn’t have let them tag along,” muttered Zech, who seemed both frustrated and impatient. “Who yells that loud while out hunting?”
With Zech and Jaden having turned fifteen just a few weeks apart from one another, they had both registered at the frontiersmen guild and were now officially novices in the field. After their respective Name Days, they had each been given the expected ultimatum by their caregivers to find meaningful employment within half a year else they would be forced from their homes to live on the streets, for it was quite shameful for a legal adult to continue to ‘leech off of their families,’ as Zech’s father had put it. Alistar disagreed, since life had taught him that, above all else, it was only natural to take care of one’s own.
“You’re not really going to kill a deer, are you?” said Emely, a bit downcast as she patted Ms. Parsnip in an effort to quell her anxiety. “I hope we don’t find one.”
“We have no choice,” said Zech, rolling his shoulders beneath his heavy cloak. “We’re not so good with our letters like Corrie, so we’ll only be a burden if we stay at home any longer. It’s our job, after all. And besides,” he grinned, patting the scabbarded sword at his waist, “if we don’t complete our first task, how are we supposed to pay Alistar back for buying us these weapons?”
“You don’t have to pay me back.”
“Nonsense! If we don’t then it’ll just feel like we’re taking advantage of you.”
“I told you, they’re Name Day gifts.” He’d only given them new sets of clothes previously, which felt a bit lacklustre considering the amount of savings that he’d managed to accrue. For that reason, he’d gone out and purchased secondary presents. “I didn’t even know what money was until a few years ago, so don’t read too much into it.”
Anice patted him on the back with exaggerated pride. “Hehe, isn’t Alistar the best? Don’t feel bad about it and just accept the gifts already. He’s getting me that half-staff I’ve always wanted, and that’s way more expensive than those dingy swords.”
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“Who said I’m getting you a staff?”
In actuality, he’d already bought her the half-staff in question with the golden lucets that he’d earned after the prior month’s hunt, though she had no way of knowing this as he had safely stored it in the stone slot behind his dresser.
“Humph, don’t complain when you get a hunk of moldy cheese on your Name Day, then.”
Lessa cut in between Anice and Alistar, reprimanding her friend with a motherly tone. “Don’t be selfish, Anne. The point of a gift is the thought that’s put into it, not its value. Right, Alie?”
He gave her an appreciative smile. If only everyone could be like Lessa, the world would be a much better place.
Despite his high spirits, Alistar remained on high alert throughout the entire trek, knowing full well that these woods were far more dangerous than the serene silence made them out to be. Even so, he had refused to let Zech and Jaden embark on their hunt alone, a sentiment that was shadowed by every other member of the Dozen. He’d tried to dissuade everyone from coming along, especially Woods, Emely and the triplets, as none of these six were capable of defending themselves from any of the local animals that might try to hurt them upon a chance encounter. What was worse, he was unsure of how many limiters he could remove in the event that they fell into a crisis, for his inner energies were constantly growing and he had learned firsthand that ordinary people couldn’t bear their pressure past a certain point.
At least Helen brought her bow along.
The tall, athletic girl had been practicing archery in secret under the guidance of a female trapper that lived near the orphanage, and she had proven herself to be quite an accurate shot in recent days.
“Oh!” exclaimed Anice, pointing about sixty paces to the left where a large buck was doing its best to remain hidden behind a mass of naked brambles. “Woods was right!”
Without waiting for anyone else to speak up, she raised an arm and cast a basic fireball spell that Alistar had helped her practice after he’d discovered her trying to figure out the activation process on her own. With an exertion of her will, it flew off towards the distant mass of spindly branches and twigs, though at a slow enough pace that the buck managed to dash away in sudden fright as soon as it caught sight of her action. It wouldn’t have mattered either way, for a large mass of snow rose up from the ground at the end of its trajectory and obstructed the volatile ball of flames, extinguishing it with a sharp hiss and an expulsion of steam.
“Do you really think they’ll be able to turn it in if it’s burnt to a crisp?” said Lessa, her tone hopeless as she wiped a bead of cold sweat from her brow. “And say something before you cast a spell like that. That was far too sudden.”
“Yeah,” said Lily, who had been startled into taking a few steps back. “I almost tripped on a root beneath the snow.”
Violet nodded, pulling her purple coat—the only one she owned—in close and then patting a frightened Rosa with a reassuring hand. “Really, Anne…”
“I just wanted to help.”
Although Helen had drawn her bow, she hadn’t even had time to knock an arrow before the big buck had dashed away. Emely, meanwhile, looked relieved.
As for Alistar, he felt slightly reassured. If the buck was able to freely roam around this region then there were likely no other predators in the area. Even though everyone had brought along the protective charms that Mr. Albeck had made for them, he was still anxious over their reckless outing and thus on a constant lookout for any possible dangers.
“I have to admit, though,” said Lily, face flushed from the cold with brown hair poking out from beneath her woolen cap. “You two were pretty cool just now.”
Rosa nodded, while Violet looked down at her mitten-covered hands with a frown. “I wish we could do that. All we can do is move tiny specks of dirt around…”
Lessa spoke in a matter of fact tone. “That’s because you don’t practice.”
“We do,” said Rosa, “at least three times a week. We do it exactly how you showed us.”
“For how long?”
“At least half an hour every time…”
“Half an hour? You need to put in at least twenty hours a week if you want to see any serious results.”
Woods and the other boys had backtracked after Anice had cast her reckless spell, Jaden showing signs of disappointment when he learned that a buck had been so close to them only to be scared away the moment it was spotted. Funnily enough, Woods appeared genuinely surprised that they had actually seen the animal he’d claimed to have spotted.