I wish to join the Army and the massive mistake

It has been eight years since that fateful day in the woods, and in those eight years, a seasoned hunter from the scrawny boy Nathen once was carved. He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his father, Gregory, a comfortable silence settling between them as they tracked a stag through the familiar woods. 

Gregory, his gaze fixed on the animal's tracks, broke the silence. "You handle yourself well, son. Maybe one day you'll even surpass your old man." A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Nathen couldn't help but grin. His father's praise, though rare, was a cherished reward. But a nagging worry remained. Despite the years spent hunting together, a wall stood between them. 

The hunt ended with a successful kill, Yet as they walked back to the village, Nathen's thoughts drifted toward Natalia, the blacksmith's daughter, with eyes as bright as the summer sky. Their wedding was only a month away, and a different kind of excitement bubbled in his chest. 

Several years ago, a new blacksmith moved to their small village from a nearby town. Wishing for a simpler life, the blacksmith decided to set up a shop in the small place, hoping to be more relaxed. 

One day, during Natalia's morning outing around the village, Nathen approached her, hoping to start dating. Since then, they've grown to love each other. It wasn't easy to convince her father to accept Nathen, especially when he asked permission to marry his daughter. It took three years, but he was finally accepted. 

He envisioned their future together, all the children they'd have. As Nathen and his father walked toward home, Nathen spotted a crowd gathered in the village square. 

In the crowd stood a Valiant man clad in heavy armor from head to toe. he looked over them, observing their curious gazes.

"We ask anyone with the strength to wield a sword to join the army! We need strong men who can fight for the kingdom." He said. His eyes wandered the crowd, looking upon the faces of the able men. 

"Those who join wouldn't have to worry about their families or health. For now, all we need is men to support the fort in the Graysteel duchy. Those who join will receive 50 shekels of silver monthly, and if killed in battle, their families will receive 20 pieces of gold. We will set out for the fort in three days."

Nathen listened intently to the soldier, making eye contact. he felt this gnawing sensation and began considering signing up.

"Such a waste—taking young men and fathers off to fight a war not worth fighting," Gregory said, seemingly disliking the soldier's words. Let's hurry along; your mother is waiting."

As Gregory moved toward their home, Nathen stood frozen, still focused on the soldier's words. After contemplating, Nathen followed his father home, staring at his back. 

As Nathen returned home, the soldier's words reverberated in his mind, a constant echo. He found himself sitting on his bed, lost in a sea of thoughts, wrestling with the idea that this might be his last chance to earn his father's approval. Hours slipped away, but his mind remained trapped in the same cycle of contemplation. Finally, his mother's voice broke through his thoughts, calling him downstairs for dinner. The scent of the succulent stag they had hunted filled the air, but Nathen's heart was heavy with unease.

Nathen's mother, noticing her son's absent mind, asked in a concerned town, "Nathen, are you OK?"

Upon asking Nathen her question, his father also turned his attention to his son. It took a moment of contemplation on Nathen's part, but he finally confessed what was on his mind. 

"Mother. Father. I am resolute in my decision. I wish to join the army at the fort," he declared. His face, a mix of nervousness and panic, was a testament to the weight of his words. He looked down at his plate, wondering how his family would react to his bold aspiration. 

A heavy silence descended upon the room, the only sound the thunderous beating of their hearts. Nathen's mother, her eyes brimming with tears, stared at her son. Nathen's father, his face contorted with anger, couldn't bring himself to speak.

"Why?" Gregory's voice trembled as he asked the question, his eyes fixed on Nathen.

Nathen looked up from his plate, confused. "Huh?" he responded, not hearing his father's question.

"Why must you join a war that has no meaning?" Gregory asked again, his voice shaking with emotion.

As he met his father's gaze, Nathen felt a lump in his throat. Then, he saw something he thought he'd never see—tears streaming down his father's face. The room fell silent as Nathen realized the depth of his father's disapproval, an insurmountable conflict.

Nathen sat at the table, still dazed after witnessing his father's tears. He couldn't respond to his father's words, so his father and mother left him at the table alone and locked themselves in their room. After several minutes, he walked to his parent's door but couldn't take that final step, so he left the house. 

Nathen made his way around the village. It was still bright outside, just a couple of hours away from the night, so he met up with Natalia and shared his desire to join the army and his parents' reaction. What Nathen didn't anticipate was her response. Instead of understanding, she slapped him across the face and fled. Nathen could sense he heard the cries of a wounded animal as she ran off. I am still reeling from the unexpected events.

-

As the daylight was fading, Nathan decided to go hunting in the forest. Years ago, Nathan and his father had constructed a hunter's cabin on the forest's edge so he didn't have to return home to get his bow. 

During his journey through the dense forest, Nathan came across several animals. He was determined to catch something. Despite his best efforts, Nathan could not see anything due to his emotional instability. Frustrated and disappointed, Nathan continued in the woods, a grave mistake.

Further through the forest, Nathan traveled, grumbling at himself for not catching anything. Just as Nathan decided to head back, he spotted an injured Sika Deer. At first, he was tempted to finish the job and take it back home to be prepared for tomorrow's dinner. But as he approached the deer, he noticed it was severely injured and could barely move. Nathan's heart sank as he realized what he had almost done.

Suddenly, he heard rustling in the bushes behind him. As he turned around, he made eye contact with a menacing, glowing pair of yellow eyes. Nathan was frozen; his eyes caught the sight of the creature peering into his soul. As the seconds passed, Nathan's mind was frantic. 'What do I do now?' he thought, his heart racing with fear and uncertainty.

Before Nathen could even process what was happening, he saw another pair of eyes slowly approaching him from his peripheral vision. The fear and panic that coursed through his veins was ten times worse than when he was a boy. Nathen's heart pounded so hard in his chest that he was sure it would burst out of his ribcage any moment. Out of sheer desperation, he ran!

But it was a mistake. A terrible, terrible mistake. As Nathen ran with all his might, the leopards chased him with a ferocity that no man should ever have to encounter. Nathen's screams echoed through the forest as he stumbled and tripped over the rough terrain. The leopards were mighty and caught up to him quickly, their sharp claws tearing through the air dangerously close to Nathen's flesh. To make matters worse, it was as though the leopards were playing with their food - toying with Nathen, letting him believe he had a chance before pouncing on him again.

Unfortunately for Nathen, one of the leopards successfully clawed deep into his back. Nathen's bloodied shirt clung to his skin as he felt the warm, sticky liquid seeping out of his wounds. Although Nathen was bleeding profusely, it wasn't deep enough to cause a life-threatening situation. But Nathen didn't know that. In his heightened state, he turned around and kicked the leopard in the face with all his strength. The leopard roared in pain, but it was only a matter of time before it regrouped with its companion - and Nathen knew that he was running out of time.

The scene was tense as the injured leopard's partner roared ferociously at Nathen, baring its sharp teeth in anger. Nathen, who had been running for his life, felt his heart pounding in his chest as he stumbled and fell to the ground in panic. He had lost all his strength to keep going, and the leopard was getting closer, ready to pounce on him.

The air was thick with fear and tension, and Nathen could feel the leopard's hot breath on his face. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable attack, when suddenly, out of nowhere, a sword swung by and off with its head. The impact was so intense that it left Nathen and the leopard's partner in shock. The leopard's headless body hit the ground with a loud thud, and the ground shook with the force of the impact.

Nathen slowly got up, bewildered by what had just happened. He looked up and saw an old man who had saved his life, holding the sword, ending the leopard's reign of terror.