Many months passed from that point and his understanding of the hunter profession got deeper
"Mason, as i said you need to correctly do the footwork or the prey will hear you "Grant sternly said as his son crept behind him as he looked back his son stood there dejected.
Rubbing his sons head "Your quality's up here are good but not your body, your 5th birthdays coming up, you know what will happen if you not successful"
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Mason sighed as he knew it was not going to be easy but he neither expected this, After learning the basics of skinning his father became his teacher through the day he was available.
Firstly he tested knowledge, He tested Mason and tasked him to learn the animal kingdom and the plants which littered the world passing a compendium of gathered knowledge to Mason. It was as if he was repeating the textbook which still probably lay on his desk "The Plant and animal Kingdom compendium" which detailed earth wildlife and plants in excruciating detail, this took 2 months in itself due to his father still wanted to confirm, test and double check his son's knowledge.
After this he was taught the basics of the bow and arrow though not through physical but understanding how it works, He watched his father shoot and needed to analyse this and be able to eventually adjust his dads shot to the target ,this took a week as this was poultry but he didn't want to act like a genius to the extent it was monstrous, After that the real challenge appeared challenging even his abilities, His father captured a rabbit and Mason needed to tell his father where to shoot to kill this rabbit having to adjust for so many more factors, After a gruelling month ,A MONTH, of analysing arrow speed, velocity of the animal, Trajectory speed and through processing these calculations in his mind he was finally able to reach a point where it was instinctual where he needed to order his father to shoot to hit a moving target.
Grant chuckled at this achievement
"Even i didn't expect you to be successful but you never gave up so i carried on ,You can have the day off ,wake up tomorrow . We haven't got near enough where i want you to be, I'm proud of you "
Grant stared at his kid happy he could farther such a smart kid.
Mason felt warm, Satisfied and Happy at his dads comments and his happiness of being capable of a task which would be impossible.
The next month he learnt the concepts how to blend in the environment which took 2 weeks where he trained in breathing and stillness until his breathing and motion stopped to the bare minimum.
After this he learnt to track, Grant made tracks and told Mason to memorise them, the very next day his father removed the names.It was a memory game but he found it fun to an extent like snap which was a classic game in the earth so he enjoyed this over a week and Grant was happy as his child was acting finally like a child.
Months and months passed as his father worked him and worked him after he passed 4 and Mason never realised it but when the body training started it was like every cell was on fire and after 10 months of training the body of a 4 year old to the pinnacle of health and prowess ,this confused Mason as he realised one thing about the people of this world is that they can train at a much younger age and gain benefits from intensive training, After this ten months Grant asked for one final thing, Mason needed to sneak up on him before his 5th birthday he wouldn't take him on the trip.
Mason thought this would be easy as his diminutive size, small body learnt well to skulking but he underestimated his father's perception, He has attempted this for the past months and still unsuccessful, Going from different angles, Different elevation, Waiting him out but all failed.E ven he tried in to sneak up to his father in his sleep but his father was cunning, as he jumped on him he realised it was a decoy set up of straw and as he realised this he was taped on the shoulder as his father playfully smiled.
He almost gave up but he realised one thing, He can reduce his presence to a minimum by stillness and breathing control but yet he was unsuccessful, For a month he practised hiding his presence as much as he could each day and slowly he gained insight into what he needed to do and developed, he also found it funny how his mother really did not notice him now as he trained as his father was out but his father was a different story
Grant was a bit downcast that his son after day after day failing it seemed his son has finally given up.
Nearing Mason birthday he fully understood the footing for stealth, reducing one's presence to a minimum and breathing so, he was finally able to use all these techniques on the move but at a snail's pace
His father returned like usual and kissed them both. After dinner he sat down near the fireplace and warmed himself up in the dark, Mason understood that this light could be problematic when approaching ,He reducing his presence and his breathing, he skulked towards his father and each step was patient and methodical placing the heal first on the floorboards and putting them in a pathway which would have no noise made noting all loose floorboards simultaneously keeping sure his shadow is not cast and no noises rung out from his body nor his presence was known.
He reached the culmination of his effort finally reaching his father's back readying to say got you in exhilaration he heard the voice, he was so close
"Son you will never be able to stalk someone who stalked beasts with better senses than humans for years, don't get dejected I count this as a pass, you realised the full essence of stealth, The movements, reducing your presence, taking environments into account, lighting and how your shadow will be cast. This is a pass. Sleep now you will start the next day in the forest and don't worry your mother would have my head if we went too far in"