Chapter 04: Hunt - Part 2
As they walked towards the forest, in the background it was possible to see some heavy clouds approaching the deep part of the forest and Oliver looked suspiciously commenting afterwards.
"It looks like we won't have that much time."
The speech drew Arthur's attention who could see the clouds, he frowned in discomfort, but then smiled and ran a little further ahead of Oliver, stopping for a while and talking.
"What matters is that we are going to hunt, if we are going to have little time, we just have to make up for it by going a little further."
A few moments after speaking, the swordsman started running towards the forest looking excited, leaving Oliver behind.
The archer sighed and whispered.
"I talk too much sometimes."
Soon he started to run chasing the swordsman, both approached the forest more and more and Oliver reached Arthur, saying.
"I already regret it..."
"But we're already here, so there's no going back."
Arthur still spoke with a smile on his face while Oliver just sighed at the attitude, but smiled right away as they both got closer to the city.
The two continued to run until something caught their attention, they saw a short man with a bent back heading towards the exit of the village, he was wearing a long greenish suit that dragged on the ground, his skin was slightly orange and his hair they were white, they recognized and Arthur smiled and spoke next.
"Look, it's the cleric."
The swordsman went to the old man who soon heard the voice of the young man calling him, turning around soon after seeing Arthur.
His eyes were deep set and you could barely see anything, but he recognized Arthur and changed his neutral expression to one more excited and even surprised, he nodded and said.
"Hello, young Arthur. I see you woke up early today and are accompanied."
Soon he also looked at Oliver who looked with a neutral expression, Arthur already answered with a smile.
"I go hunting today, cleric. I hope I can bring something great, I hope you root for us."
"Ohoho, young man. That's not how prayers work, but I hope they can find something that fills their hearts and make it back safely."
He made a sign touching his forehead and going down to his nose, Arthur smiled and made the same gesture while Oliver remained with his hands in his pockets just watching the situation.
Soon the Cleric noticed and was surprised, but he smiled and turned towards the exit of the village, while he walked away, Arthur lowered his eyebrows and spoke to Oliver.
"It's a bit rude to do that, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but I don't like that guy very much, he's weird to me. And I also don't believe in these holy powers, although they heal and are something useful, I don't know if I would do what he does to have that."
Oliver shrugged and started walking, passing by Arthur who looked suspicious and soon turned his vision to where the clergyman had gone, soon returning to walk beside Oliver towards the forest.
"I don't know, it seems feasible to me, but I don't want to be a knight, wouldn't that be useful to you?"
The phrase made Oliver look to the side in a carefree way, but then he laughed and with his arm grabbed Arthur pulling him close, catching him by surprise. As the swordsman tried to break free, Oliver bent his finger and pushed it into Arthur's forehead as he spun and made him frown at the excruciating pain.
"Since when are you so worried about me, huh? I think you are getting sick."
Arthur continued with a frown and soon forced a push to separate himself from Oliver, who soon released him and resumed walking.
"I know I know. It was just an opinion of something that could help you, since you want to become a knight for whatever reason… it would help, wouldn't it?"
"Never mind, we're here."
The young swordsman looked still suspicious, looking back he noticed the village wall a little far away and noticed the nearby trees that made him display a wide and excited smile, he took his hand to the sword scabbard and then removed the weapon making a sharp metal sound to be heard.
With the gun in hand he cracked his neck still smiling and spoke.
"Great, shall we go?"
Oliver would smile again and respond by walking into the forest.
"Save this, I know you want to open it but you won't be using it anytime soon."
Arthur listened and looked at his sword, sighing in disappointment and then immediately sheathing it again following Oliver, who remained with his bow on his back.
They walked following a dirt path in the middle of the forest which was a trail used by some hunters, in its surroundings it was possible to see several green trees as they walked listening to the singing of birds and some forest animals.
In the region where he was it was still light enough to see the surroundings, so they walked in a carefree way, Oliver looked around the corners seeming to be looking for something, looking back he saw Arthur who, just as he was looking for something in the corners, what made him smile.
"Come on, Art. Since you want to learn how to hunt so badly and you've seen me hunting for so long, lead the hunt this time, I'll just follow orders."
Oliver continued to walk and talk without looking back, but as soon as he listened, Arthur widened his eyes in surprise and smiled.
"It is serious?"
"Seriously, guide me."
Soon after, the archer turned to Arthur as he crossed his arms and stopped walking, already waiting for new orders.
Arthur looked even more excited and soon after he spoke.
"Right! Hm... the first thing you do is..."
He looked around, seeming to try to remember or even figure it out, after a few moments he saw a bush a little more injured, looking like it had been trampled by something.
Noticing that, he approached and crouched near the bush noticing that some leaves had been torn off and crushed as if something had passed through him.
Arthur was suspicious and moved the bush, noticing under it subtle marks on the earth that made him smile and move the bush away, revealing a path to the dense part of the forest, soon after seeing some footprints that made him smile and talk.
"Find a trail of the target."
He spoke without looking back, soon getting up and going through the bush to enter the dense part, which made Oliver keep the smile on his face and follow him.
The two continued to cross bushes and pass through trees, the footprints were still visible as they found the animal's tracks through some uprooted grass and bitten leaves, Arthur bent down and touched the leaf watching it closely.
"These marks, he approached to feed and could be close, "
"Could it be, is that what you think?"
Oliver spoke with a wry smile on his face looking content, Arthur looked back with lowered eyebrows but still a smile on his face.
"Not really going to give me tips, huh?"
Even after the sentence, the smile remained on the face of the archer who just shrugged confirming the doubts of the swordsman who soon after got up and continued to follow the trail of the animal.
Gradually the trees approached more darkening some corners of the forest, but with that the marks became closer and more discernible.
Arthur was in complete silence until he noticed something and stopped walking, pointing his arm back indicating that he should stop, after a few seconds Oliver also listened now with a serious expression as he removed the bow.
Through the silence, the two could hear some animals nearby and among them it was possible to hear grunts and snoring of an animal that came from the direction of the footprints.
With a smile on his face, Arthur ducked to hide among the bushes and walked back towards the sounds, being accompanied by Oliver who still had a smile on his face.
The two continued to approach stalking and it was possible to hear the grunts better as they approached.
When they got close to a bush, they approached the face and managed to see the animal responsible for the sounds they heard, seeing the brownish hairs on a quadrupedal creature with an elongated snout, the sounds came out while the animal ate grass, soon recognizing a common animal of the forest, a wild boar.
Having finally found his target, Arthur continued to smile and raised his hand in a whisper.
"Hey, Oli… I need to-"
The voice made the archer widen his eyes and lunge at the swordsman, covering his mouth, which scared Arthur, but then he looked at the boar noticing that the animal had raised its head while moving its ears, seeming to have heard.
The swordsman remained silent while both looked at the animal a little more attentively, a few seconds passed and then the animal lowered its head again, returning to feed on the local vegetation.
Seeing that the animal had returned to its focus, Oliver removed his hand from Alphonse's mouth who even after that continued in silence watching the animal.
From the little he knew he understood that the animal's hearing was acute and so to communicate, without turning around he touched the archer pointing to his bow and then to the boar.
Oliver was a little more serious and just nodded taking the bow from his body slowly avoiding it.
Soon after, he pulled an arrow and placed it on the weapon's string, pulling it back slightly while breathing in a controlled way, aiming at the animal, the arrow was pulled to his chest while he remained without trembling.
Oliver moved his bow slightly to the side and shot, the sound of the string shooting and the arrow cutting the wind was heard, the power made the arrow go with high speed towards the animal, hitting its hind leg and digging into its skin.
The animal let out a desperate and irritating scream when hit, Arthur raised an eyebrow and saw the desperate animal start to flee towards the deepest part of the forest.
Arthur kept looking ahead, still struggling to understand what had happened and then Oliver sighed.
"Damn, I made a mistake..."
Oliver spoke with a slight smile on his face and seeing that, Arthur took his hand to his face and commented.
"Remember I said you shoot well?"
"Shut up."
"Forget it."
"I already told you to shut up."
Arthur soon started to run chasing the boar and Oliver followed with a smile on his face.