In the next half a year didn't happen anything too important. Anthony taught me more often and the lessons with Mr. Cacklemi were about magic, the occupations a mage could have and how to interact with one. It boils down on how powerful you yourself are and how powerful the other mage is on how polite you need to be, but there is still a certain standard.
At the trainings ground.
"Anthony can you teach me archery?"
"Did you already get bored with daggers?"
"Of course not! But I want to be able to hunt."
"Then do you also want to learn how to gut an animal."
"Um yes, but I first need to be able to kill one."
"Alright then let's get started."
With that my first archery lesson with Anthony started.
***
Two weeks later. At the trainings ground
-Anthony didn't have time to teach me today so I need to train alone. But with Zeros help I always it the bull's eye. It only took me about two day's till I manage to hit 10 out of 10 times the bull's eye. Zero really is a great cheat. –
…
-WAIT… I am training to kill an animal. A cute animal. I can't kill Bambi nor his friends. How am I supposed to kill a cute innocent bunny? –
I dropped to my knees.
-No, I need to overcome this, but maybe not immediately. I'll just train some more. –
***
In the evening at the library.
I read a book and trained mana sensibility. Anthony came in.
"Naomi are you free tomorrow?"
"Huh? Yes why?"
Tomorrow is Sunday.
"Because I want to go hunting with you."
-Oh, no no no. I can't kill a cute animal."
"Don't worry even tough you'll have your problems with killing an animal you'll get used to it."
-He probably could guess what I was thinking form my facial expression. –
"If you say so, just be patient with me."
"I always am."
With that my fate was sealed. I'll kill an animal tomorrow.
***
The next day in the forest.
"For starters we'll hunt some snakes."
We walked until Anthony halted.
"Look there on the tree is a snake"
I looked at the tree and there on the bark was a brown snake.
"It's a tree snake, mostly used as bait for fishing. It's also perfect to get you used to killing an animal."
-He wants me to shoot it, at least it isn't cute."
I readied my bow and had zero calculate and marking the spot on where I should focus to hit the snake.
I let go of the arrow and it hit the snake.
-My first kill, maybe not. I killed a lot of insects like spiders or files in my last live. –
"Great, a few more and then we'll go to hunting something different."
"I can't escape this, right?"
"No, I need my revenge for the hugs you force on me."
"Sigh, alright then let's go."
-I'm not sure if I'm lucky that I'm forced to learn hunting or if I'm unlucky that I'm forced to kill Bambi and his friends. –
After successfully killing 15 snakes. Anthony collected all snakes. He also showed me non poisons fruits and collected them.
"Alright that should be enough let's see what should be next."
-With Zeros help I killed every snake Anthony spotted. But does he already want me to kill a bunny. I can't, I just can't.
"There a rabbit. Don't worry I'll kill it this time."
-I'm not sure what he's planning but I'm happy that I don't need to kill it. –
He shoots the arrow, hit and killed the rabbit.
Then he walked to the carcass and brought it back to where I was.
"Stay away from me with the dead body."
"This is the first step in getting used to kill animals that aren't cute."
He forced me to look at the dead rabbit.
"So now about gutting it."
"Wait no don't do that it's already enough to have to look at it like it is."
He looked at me and pulled a gutting knife out.
"First when you do it in the forest you need to make a barrier with darkness magic otherwise other animals will be attracted by the blood."
He drew a circle with 4 darkens runes around us then he poured man inside the circle. This circle prevented that any smell or sound got out. It's a basic darkness circle tough but it will prevent animals from smelling anything.
Afterwards he started gutting the rabbit and explained how to do it. Every time I looked away, he reprimanded me.
Afterwards he put it inside his spatial ring.
"When did you get your spatial ring and why is it a ring?"
"Shouldn't you ask me questions about gutting an animal? At my 12 birthday, it's common to get one there when you are introduced to society. A ring is also the easiest form for a spatial container."
"Oh, that ball I wasn't invited to?"
"At that time, you didn't know any etiquette and how to dance so what did you want to do there? Embarrass me?"
"You are right but still."
"Nothing but still."
Afterward Anthony killed another 2 rabbits and 3 birds. Showed me how to gutter them and stored them in his spatial ring afterwards.
"So now it's your turn."
"Wait no it's still too soon, I can barely look at you gutting them. I'm not ready to kill a cute animal."
"You'll never be ready for that, you just have to do it. Besides if you miss because you don't want to kill it, you'll just hurt it and put it into misery. Keep that in mind."
We or more like he started to look for new prey. After a few minutes walking and me praying that he won't find anything, Anthony spotted a rabbit.
I didn't have a choice and because I didn't want it to needlessly suffer, I prepared me mentally and emotionally then readied my bow and shoot.
"Great, now about gutting it. He gave me his knife."
"Wait, you want me to gutter it?"
"Of course."
After some debating, I gave up and took the knife.
I drew the basic darkness circle and kneeled beside the carcass. Anthony instructed me and helped me, but I could cry. If he wasn't that president, I wouldn't have even started with killing an animal not to mention gutting one.
Afterwards he made me do it again with two rabbits and one bird. Then he spotted a deer.
-No, I don't wanna kill Bimbi's mother. –
Yet I didn't have a choice even though I debated with Anthony, in the end he made me kill and gutter it.
"I know that you hate me for forcing you to kill and gutter them but sooner or later you'll thank me. When I started my teacher had to force me to do it too."
"Seriously, I thought you didn't had any problems with killing cute animals."
"I don't have a heart of stone and I too find them cute."
I looked at him in disbelieve.
"Anyway, we should start preparing lunch."
"Did you bring anything?"
Now was his time to look at me in disbelieve.
"Have you already forgotten that we hunted some animals?"
"You don't mean to cook them?"
"Of course, I'll also teach you how to cook them, even though I'm just average at that."
"Anthony why did we need to gut them when you can store them in your spatial ring? Was it only to teach me?"
"Because you always should do it as soon as possible because only afterwards can you use the meat and other parts of the body. It's also bothersome if you need something from the animal you have in your spatial object but still need to gut it."
"That makes sense."
We looked for a spot to cook and when we found one, Anthony started to put a pot, two small bowls, two cooking board, two kitchen knives and all the animals we hunted out, excluding the snakes."
"Do you want to cook them all?"
"Yes, if you want to make soup then you can cook them all the same but if not, you should know how to cook them that they taste good. Besides it's also the same principal as gutting. It's better to have cooked meet in your spatial object."
"Alright." I turned back my sleeves and helped him.
[One hour left till lunch.]
…
Anthony stored the cooked meet that we didn't need.
Afterwards he handed to me a bowl with meet and fruits.
I took a bite.
"Delicious!"
-At first, I didn't think that the fruits could go well with meat, but it tastes great. –
After we finished the meal. Anthony formed a water rune and started cleaning the dishes. I helped him.
"Anthony why didn't you gut the snakes?"
"Because they are bait for fish, if I gut them then they won't work anymore."
…
"You really have a talent in archery."
-I wouldn't call it talent more like a cheat. –
"I guess so, but if I wasn't this good then you wouldn't have forced me to hunt and gut animals."
"Probably, how often did you train archery?"
"I first train about 30 min with my daggers afterwards archery till lunch."
After cleaning we continued our hunt and when it was evening, I was somewhat used to kill and gut animals.
-It's creepy how fast I got used to it. –
"We should go back home before it gets completely dark. The forest gets dangerous at night."
"Because of magical beasts?"
"Yes, the are some at daytime too but the more dangerous ones are nocturnal. Not to mention that we are at a disadvantage because we can't see in the dark."