Mark wakes slowly like he does everyday. He glimpses at the ashes of the fire and feels a chill on his face brought by the draft from the hole at the top of the den. "it's going to be a cold one." He says while pulling the fur blanket off of him causing his body to feel a jolt as it is introduced to the cold air. " It should be warming up more in the coming weeks" Mark begins to mutter to himself about the weather while he puts some wood together to start a fire like he does every morning.
Thud...
The wood fell from his hands and onto the floor. " How could I forget that the attunement is today, again" he admonishes himself as he starts to rush to get dressed. It won't be starting for a some time but he wanted to hunt for breakfast quickly because later instead of running to the village like usual he is going to walk to make sure not to get sweaty before getting into the enlightenment pool. "It would be to embarrassing if I made the pool smell," He thinks.
Grabbing his bow and arrows he exits the den and heads to a place he is positive will have at least some rabbits. While he heads in that direction his body becomes invisible to all who can't see it. He isn't using magic but instead extensive training that allows him meld into the surroundings. You could easily see him with no problem but finding him is near impossible because he is practically one with his surroundings. This is a skill all hunters learn because strength is useless when your prey knows you are coming before you know it's there.
Soon enough he has traveled to a small stream that is frequently visited by animals that make good for breakfast. He silently waits in the branch of a tree that is a couple meters off the ground.
A rabbit approaches the stream that it visits multiple times a day with no worries. This time it had brought its new mate that soon will be carrying its children and as he puts his head down he sees something red in the water. Before it could jump back it was engulfed in blackness.
Mark released one arrow silently striking the one upstream and then instantly nocked and loosed an arrow into the head of the other rabbit before it could jump or hop away.
Climbing down from the branch he went to capture his prey quickly so he could get to the village as early as possible. He puts the arrows back into his quiver after cleaning them in the stream. Now with the two bodies he returned to the den to skin and cook one and probably smoke the other so he could cook it when he got back.
After an hour and a half of preparing, cooking, and eating the rabbit he was ready to go back to the village. He casually strolls through the forest silently. The training is engraved within him so whenever he isn't actively trying to make noise his body moves as silently as possible. It is a habit some have told him to stop because they don't like being surprised but he doesn't listen much because it has saved his life to much for him to care if it made some people a little uncomfortable. Just earlier in the month he had accidently stumbled onto a pair of wolves and luckily because he noticed them first was able to kill them both before they could reach him and do unspeakable things to him.
It was worth it because they fetched him a fair couple of silvers that he planned to use to experiment with whatever his energy would be like. If he got a fire type he would buy different things to see how they reacted when burned, and if he got life he would try to become apprenticed to the healer of the village who actually had a water attunement but still it was better then nothing.
Mark arrived at the village about thirty minutes before noon which is when the ceremony would start. The streets were packed because most of the village would be there to see either their children or just if anybody would gain an attunement that was extra cool. Little to Marks knowledge some our going solely to see what type of energy he gets, because they know that his parents had a strong control over there energies. Then in the afternoon the festival would go until night time while ironically the people in the ceremony would be sleeping deeply to allow their bodies to adjust and process neutral energy or more commonly called mana.
I shuffle my way to where I need to be and then talk to a nice lady who asks for some information like name, birthday, and sadly parents which is always awkward because my parents used to be major figures and when she remembered what happened to them she should a pitiful smile to me and then sent me too the room where I would get dressed in these white shorts. Women had shorts and bras, but it is better to have as much skin showing as possible exposed to the pool because it was filled with not only mana but also a magic energy that is known to fuse itself to anything living that it could. That energy is the reason why we only have this event once a year because It take a while for our one machine to be capable of making enough energy for the 600 kids that would be attending this ceremony, and it is difficult to store without any life getting into it.
I don the shorts with a little bit of embracement because I don't really love the idea of being in the cold half naked and in front of the majority of the village, but their was no use complaining. "At least everyone else will be like this with me." said Mark forgetting he was around a couple other boys also getting changed into the ceremonious clothe.
"I don't see why you are all that scared you basically look like a statue, I'd bet all the girls will be looking at you and forget that they are half naked entirely." Said a man a couple feet in front of me. All the other men nodded in agreement to his statement which confused me.
I moved to the mirror to try and understand what they were talking about. "Wow" I exclaimed before covering my mouth in realization that I said it a loud. I looked and saw a six foot tall man with defined muscles and long black hair that looked like a horses mane. I never noticed my muscle development but I guess the last couple of years of constant hunting had more of an affect on my body then I realized. I am not bulky but very lean and cut in ways I did not know were possible.
I turn to the others "Sorry I bet I sound conceited but it's just I haven't looked into a mirror seriously for a while and it surprised me that this is what I look like now." Most of the other guys looked like they didn't believe me but the guy who originally spoke replied. "No problem during winter its so cold instead of looking in the mirror after a bath I feel more need to dry and clothe myself as well."
I introduced myself " Hey thanks for understanding, my names Mark."
"No thanks needed between friends, I can't believe you have so readily forgotten about me." The man said causing me to look at him more closely until I realized he was in my class before the accident.
"Sorry Collin it has been awhile since I have talked with anybody from school." I say while rubbing the back of my neck in embarrassment. This was actually true it has been around for month since I ran into some old friends while selling wares, but even then we didn't really catch up. I still felt they were a bit juvenile and would only talk about girls, sports, and famous mages.
"It's all good Mark, in all honesty it was hard to recognize you as well." Said Collins. "You make me want to give up this good life to live in the woods just to become that buff." He continued talking for a couple of minutes, and Mark actually was enjoying most of the conversation. "It's been awhile since I've talked with someone like this" Mark thought.
"Yeah, I bet the squirrels don't keep the best company." Collin somehow replied as if reading Marks mind. After a second of confusion Mark realized he was thinking aloud again and wonders if it would be to difficult to stop that habit before it got him into trouble. Twenty minutes pass by in a comfortable banter.
"All participants to the attunement pool." an attendant says when walking into the boys changing room.
"Destiny waits for no man, lets go Mark," says Collins with a pat on his bare back.
Mark steps forward and looks at the beautiful pool that is a dark blue. "It is up to the world now." Mark think.