12 Learning How to Hunt

After a few days had passed, and her ankle had healed enough for her to walk again, Eva began following Lucas into the forest to hunt. She practiced putting her feet down exactly where Lucas did in order to quiet her footsteps.

Every time she made too much noise Lucas would calmly stop and look at her so that she could refocus. She kept waiting for him to yell at her or scold her for not doing well, but he calmly showed her how to step each time.

Eva became frustrated easily, but the calm expression on Lucas' face eased her frustration. Soon she was finally able to make it through the morning hunt without a single glance from Lucas.

When they made it back to the campsite Lucas smiled at her and patted her head. It was not the excited lavishing of praise she was used to. However, it felt more genuine. It was the first time in her life that she felt she deserved the praise that was given to her.

Lucas was nervous when he patted her head because tears began to form in Eva's eyes. He held up his hands to comfort her, because he felt he may have been too harsh with her training. However, her smile reassured him that she was not sad.

Her tear filled smile pulled at his chest. He wanted to give her a gift for doing so well. Staring at the poorly made human bow he got an idea. As Eva was now mostly used to camping in the woods, he decided to leave her to make their lunch and stepped into the woods.

His uncle had taught him how to work with wood and what materials were best. First he would need some materials that he could not just make on the go. Today they were camped near an elven village. Lucas felt nervous being around his own kind after so long, but he knew that no one knew him there.

As soon as he stepped foot in the village's territory he slipped his identification amulet out from under his tunic. He also slipped the hood of his cloak off his head so he could be identified as an elf. After exchanging greetings with the patrol he was able to step into the village with virtually no problem.

Elves didn't really have a reason to be hostile with other elves. Plus, Lucas had an identification amulet from an elven village. He was glad he was able to leave his village with it still intact. He would never be able to go back to his own village, but at least he could still visit others.

The familiar sounds of children laughing and elven flutes playing in the distance put Lucas at ease. This village was far away from where he grew up, but the atmosphere felt the same. In truth this place made him feel homesick.

Part of his mind whispered that he could just leave Eva and settle in this new village. Hunters were always needed and most people wouldn't even question a new addition at his age. It wasn't uncommon for newly adult elves to settle in other villages in order to find a life partner.

He shook his head and stopped at a vendor near the gate of the village. "Do you have wood oil?" he asked.

The vendor pointed to a few different options. Lucas picked a small bottle and paid for it with the little money he had brought with him.

Lucas held up the furs he had brought to sell and the vendor pointed further down the street. He bowed his head in thanks and moved on from the stall. The furs at the tannery were stacked high in the stall that the vendor had pointed him to.

A young elf, no more than fifty years old, manned the new stall. "Welcome!" the boy said cheerfully. Lucas smiled at him, remembering when he would help his adoptive father out at his stall.

"These are for sale." Lucas piled up the furs he gathered from their hunts as they traveled.

The young elf looked through the furs and pulled several coins out of a pouch on his waist.

"These are better than the usual. Will you be staying in the area?" the boy asked.

Lucas shook his head and the boy looked sad for a moment.

"Safe travels then."

Lucas smiled at the boy, took his payment, and left. It was a hunter's pride to be recognized, but his promise to Eva came first. Something glittered in a stall just as he passed it and a thought came to his mind. The vendor at this new stall smiled as he came to a stop.

"Jewelry for a potential life partner?" the woman vendor asked.

Lucas' immediate thoughts went towards Eva. The piece that caught his eye was a bracelet with metal woven flowers.

"You have a good eye. That piece was enchanted with magic." The vendor picked up the piece and handed it to Lucas.

"Magic?" Lucas asked.

"A traveling magic user wanted to practice his skills and that is one of the pieces he left. He wouldn't tell me what spell he used, so you would need to get it appraised."

Lucas looked over it carefully and asked, "How much?"

"Since it isn't appraised I can give you a discount."

The vendor held up their hands. Fifty bronze was a cheap price for an enchanted piece. Thinking he wouldn't find a better deal, he handed the coins over.

This would deplete his money for a while, but he couldn't help the feeling he had that it would go perfect with Eva's eyes and hair.

'I will just have to make more money the next time I turn in furs,' he told himself.

The vendor wrapped up the bracelet into some nice cloth before seeing him off.

Lucas felt someone follow him for a short time after he left the village, but soon it was quiet again. Making sure to take an extra long route to where Eva was, the sun was well past the middle of the sky by the time he made it back to camp.

"I saved you lunch," Eva said when she saw Lucas step out of the line of trees.

She had grown used to his silent steps and was becoming more accustomed to noticing the changes in the forest around her. They say the quickest way to learn is to immerse yourself in the environment in which you would like to learn. Like when her tutors would only speak to her in the language she needed to learn for her studies.

Lucas sat down across from her and filled his bowl with the soup she had made for lunch. The silence had become normal for her now. Lucas only spoke when he needed to. Stretches of time didn't need to be filled with polite conversation.

"Have you ever been to the Capital?" Eva asked.

Lucas paused. "No. I spent most of my life in my village," he said.

"How do you know where we are going then?" she asked.

"Elves have markings in the forest," he said.

Eva was surprised. It was true that he had never faltered in navigating where they were to go. She had grown more used to the forest and was growing accustomed to the elf, but she had not noticed any markings along the way.

"What kind of markings?" she asked.

Lucas set his bowl down. "I can teach you if you promise to never tell anyone else. Once you have learned how to hunt properly, of course." He gathered the pot and bowls and headed to a water source nearby.

'Is it an elf secret?' she wondered. 'Why is he willing to teach me so many things?'

This was one of many things she had started noticing. Elves were secretive. They didn't reveal their secrets to humans. Lucas did not seem to mind teaching her, and that was the thing she wanted to ask him about the most.

Yet every time she went to ask the question, she paused and the question never fell from her lips. It felt like if she asked why he was being so kind and taking the time to teach her so many things that their relationship would change.

Lucas was her savior, friend, and teacher. It was easier for her to go with the flow. He was the only person in the world to see her for her natural self. Changing that terrified her, so she kept the burning question to herself.

'I will ask him when we separate at the Capital,' she thought.

Putting off the question once again seemed to calm her anxious thoughts. She busied her hands with packing up their camp so they would be ready for travel until evening fell. The usual routine was comforting, and it left her feeling accomplished.

Soon Lucas returned with the cleaned dishes and nodded at the mostly packed up camp. Eva was becoming more independent as she learned what living on the road was like. The stronger she became, the healthier she looked and all of it made him happy.

Pulling up his hood to hide his smile, they set out again to cover as much ground as possible before they needed to set up camp for the night. Eva could not keep up with his usual pace so he made sure to match her.

When she started to look tired, he would suggest they rest. His first duty was to make sure she did not grow ill or hurt. So he taught her stretches to strengthen her joints and muscles. She would always complain, but he saw that her body was gradually becoming stronger.

'What will happen once we reach the Capital?' he thought.

It was this nagging thought that troubled him more and more recently. The more time he spent with Eva, the more he wanted her next to him.

'If she knew what giving her my cloak meant, maybe she would not leave?' he thought.

But the thought of trapping her made him feel sick, so he didn't speak what was in his heart. It would have to be her choice after all.

******

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