"Keep your guard up!"

I scramble to keep my bearings by following his every direction, but it is just too difficult.

I am in a fight that may take my life at any moment of distraction or mistakes, so I can't help but feel scared.

I am 9 years old from what I could remember, but here I am in a duel between a pack of feral wolves.

I carry with me a barrel top for a shield and a dull short sword.

It has been two years since I've been training like this.

But I have improved considerably from what I know.

I can run longer distances, I'm faster than I was before, but those skills have barely aided me in this battle.

"What are you doing!? Don't stop moving!"

A man stands by the side of a tree armed with a bow and arrow, shouting commands at me. The moment I stop moving, one of the wolves rush towards me filled with an intense drive of blood lust, it snarls.

The wolves succeeds at pushing me down to the ground, disarming me of my sword, leaving only my shield to guard me.

One of the wolves bites my arm making me drop my shield in response to the pain. I struggle, but the wolf clearly shows dominion over me.

The feral beast then targets my neck, unguarded, and free for the taking.

But as the wolf begins to even move an inch of his head towards my neck a sound is heard from the tree where my father rests.

*swoosh* an arrow comes flying at a great speed, and with a speed strong enough to carry the wolf along the direction it is flying to.

The arrow flies through the wolf, then hits a tree while my predator lies there motionless, and clearly devoid of life.

As the other wolves notice this, they clear out quickly indicating that the slain beast was their Alpha, but the speed of the wolves were not enough to escape their fate. Andour draws his bow back and releases three arrows in quick succession. The arrows cleanly hit all three targets.

As if it was nothing, Andour walks towards me as I slowly grow weaker. My eyes close, but I still hear his words as I feel his arms indicating that he has carried me on his back.

"You're weak. Mend your own wounds when we get back and rest. I will train you again when dusk settles in."

"Yes... Father."

Picking myself up, I clutch my arm, seething with pain, dislocated.

A slight movement in my arm is enough to make me yell in pain, but I chose to grit my teeth.

These long and hard years of training weren't just for show.

I've poured my blood and sweat into it, even to the point of forcing my body to move.

I follow the made walking meters ahead of me already, but not before inhaling the fresh air blasting from the east.

A lush green forest surrounded us, and inside it is a wide clearing.

It's bright, covering my eyes with my one arm, I pick up my belongings as best I could and begin to follow.

I've asked myself these questions many times over in my head.

-Why do you do this? What's driving you to risk your life this eagerly and at this age?

honestly, I don't know myself.

But, inside my head there's a certain want for me to pursue this.

I get filled with this strange sense of determination at times of peril.

The man in front of me, someone I've known for some time now.

Someone truly shrouded in mystery, as even I, the closest person to him, does not know a lot about who he is.

Not that I haven't dared to ask, of course.

I'd be met with a harsh reply of, "Who I am does not benefit you in any way. I suggest that you focus on your task instead."

Bluntly, as usual.

I've gotten used to it, and it grew on me, how I perceived him.

He is after, the man who took me in, or that's what he had told me.

"I found you lying unconscious on the street. It was pitiful, really. Your state that is. What you keep as your memento, is what you had on you before I even found you. Besides that, I know nothing else. But are you certain that you do not remember anything important about your past? Anything trivial that might make sense at all?"

And that's how the conversation started, and ended at the same time.

He wasn't really that talkative, which is quick self-explanatory once you get a good look at him.

Serious as always.

I've known little to none about the world out there.

I've been used to the life here in the forest, hunting for meals, picking fruits, taking a bath in the river, all very luxurious things to me.

I wonder what's out there?

Not that i'm not eager to know, it's just that, I don't think I'm prepared yet.

I still remember that day of training, two years ago.

I can't still can't believe how much I've changed, both emotionally and physically.

From what I recall, I had to fight off a bear from stealing our meal, a deer.

I could still picture it happening to me now, but I'd have better control over myself.

I quaked in my shoes, almost relieving myself in my leggings, but thankfully it did not reach that point, rather, now that you think of it, I feel very relieved that things did not have to get to that point.

It ended up not in my favor, but in Andour's, as usual.

Whenever the things get too difficult, he steps in, intervening almost every time.

It kind of ruins his image of a serious and quite adamant person, but nonetheless, I am grateful for that.

I would've died a hundred times over if it weren't for him.

We neared our abode, a place that I've grown fond of over the years.

It's a rickety, but comfy hut, that's sstrung together by strong hand made ropes and other contraptions that Andour had made up.

It's the place that I've called home these past few years.

Before that, you walk the road beside the river, then you'll be met by a fork.

Go left, nd you'll reach a trail that will lead you to a wide clearing, and in the middle of it is our home.

Andour enters without any other words, nor a gesture, but he's not the best at talking either.

I wonder what's in store for me?

I've been through a lot, but from how Andour's been acting, it seems that there's still something out there for me.

His usual calm and collected demeanor terrifies the strongest of beast in these woods.

He's fit enough to be called the king of the forest if he would allow it, but of course he'd reply with, "Nonsense. Being a king is useless if everyone else following you is lesser than you. Be a an exaple, not a king," or something long those lines.

*Sigh* I guess it'll come when it does, and hopefully when it does, I'm ready for it.