"You know I support you, right? You know I've got your back?" Ike asked as Mag's hand gripped tightly around his, pulling him deeper into the dense forest. "But I just have one question..."
"I don't know where we're going," Mag answered with a sigh. "I need to find-"
"To find what?" Ike interrupted, pulling his hand free. "You think you'll hunt a boar and be welcomed back with open arms?"
Mag shook her head. "Ten said that-"
"Listening to Ten is what got you into this problem in the first place."
"Ike..." Nu said as she saw the hurt his words caused Mag.
Ike looked at the tears streaking down Mag's face and took a deep breath, circling around and pulling at his hair.
"I'm sorry," he said eventually, "but I hate to see you disappointed. There's no guarantee that even by 'proving yourself' through this dangerous ordeal that Abe will let you become the first woman Warrior."
Mag's hands clenched into fists. "If Uncle Ten says I can do it, I believe in him," she explained through growled teeth, "and he told me never to give up, no matter what."
Nu watched the sadness and pain in Mag's eyes turn into determination, that tenacity she boasted finally shining through despite her fears and adversities. Nu felt something stir within her, and she found herself jealous of her friend, longing to have that insatiable drive to go after what she wanted as fervently as Mag did.
"You're right, I'm sorry," Ike admitted, grabbing Mag in a hug. "Let's find you a hunt."
Nu had only been out with the Earth-Hunters once before, so she wasn't too confident about what to do. Ike, however, had been on hunts dozens of times as part of his training, so he was familiar with the rituals.
He knelt down on the ground and put both hands on it, closing his eyes and concentrating. Mag went to say something, but Nu put a finger to her lips. It took a lot of concentration, even for a Prodigy, to locate a proper hunt.
A few minutes passed before Ike smiled. "Got it."
"Where?" Mag asked excitedly.
"There's a huge Earth powered creature that way," he answered, pointing deeper into the forest. "It's moving fast."
Nu wrung her hands as Mag grinned. "Let's do this!" the blond girl exclaimed as she ran off in the direction Ike had indicated.
Nu clung to Ike's arm nervously as he started forward. "Ike, wait."
He looked back at her and must have seen the worry in her eyes. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Relax, Nu. You know how strong I am. I can protect us from whatever it is we find out here."
"But Ike..."
"It'll be fine," he said, wrenching his other arm free of her clutches. "We're doing this for Mag, remember? She needs this."
He ran off, and Nu had no choice but to follow.
They caught up to Mag quite quickly, as she was standing around searching for tracks or signs of a big creature passing through. Seeing none, she turned to her boyfriend with her eyes pleading. "Ike?"
Ike shook his head and knelt down, placing his hands on the ground again. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. "It's coming towards us." he said as his concentration broke and he stood up. "Quickly."
As if on queue, the group could hear small rustling above them, in the trees. Nu moved closer to the Earth Prodigy, wringing her hands nervously as her eyes darted between the treetops. "What is it?" She thought she could make out something small darting between the trees, moving towards the group at an alarming rate.
The source of the Earth power jumped above the group and stopped, staring down at them curiously and flicking it's red fluffy tail at them.
Mag lowered her weapon and scoffed. "It's just a freaking squirrel!"
Nu relaxed, and Ike put his hand out to block Mag from continuing her walk. "Wait,."
Another sound came from in the forest, something much bigger crunching through the foliage. The squirrel jumped at the sound and leaped down, landing on Mag's head.
Mag freaked out, trying to pull the terrified creature off her as it scurried around her body, avoiding her flailing blows. "Get it off!"
Nu remained still, watching in shock as the fuzzy rodent ran circles around Mag's torso, deftly dodging her attempts to dislodge it. Ike was much quicker, though, and the squirrel jumped to him as he approached. It sat on his shoulder and watched the source of the second sound, shaking.
"Stupid thing," Mag said, shaking her clothes off and glaring at their new furry friend.
Ike shushed her and Nu stepped back as the approaching sound came into view.
It was a man.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, although he slouched as he walked through the brush. His reddish stubble contrasted with his darker messy hair, but Nu could see the beginnings of grey peppering both. He wore his Fire birthmark proudly on his cheek, and wore a long knife in his belt equally proudly. He stumbled out from behind a tree, swearing and mumbling to himself before he spotted the young trio.
Nu's eyes went wide. She didn't recognize him, meaning this man - despite having the birthmark - wasn't from their village. But how was that possible?
He stopped and stared wide-eyed at the three youths and the squirrel before his eyes settled on Nu. He gasped when he saw her, and she shrunk down and hid behind Mag, who brandished her spear.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the Fire Elementalist growled in distrust. The squirrel on Ike's shoulders trembled and watched the newcomer carefully. Ike moved closer to a tree, trying to encourage the animal to leave his shoulder, but the squirrel didn't move.
The man stepped towards them, his eyes glued to the cowering Nu. Mag thrust her spear towards him, and he stopped in his tracks. "Easy, girl," he said, his voice like gravel, "I see you've met a friend of mine."
"Who, him?" Ike pointed at the squirrel that was still clinging to him, watching the newcomer carefully.
The man nodded, holding out his hand. "Come here, little creature," he tried to coax the squirrel off Ike's shoulder, but it scurried down Ike's back, poking its head out from behind him like it still didn't trust the red-bearded man.489Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhneDKU7mT
"He doesn't seem to like you," Mag noted, brandishing her spear defensively. "And neither do I."489Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8XwUCc0Zf
The man simply shrugged. "No matter." His eyes settled on Nu once more, and she shrunk back. "Maybe you all should join me at my camp, let me gain your trust. We have plentiful food if you want lunch." He smiled at Nu. "I'm sure Caecius would love to meet you."
The way the man said that unusually long name gave Nu a chill, and Mag tightened her grip on her spear. "No, thank you," she growled, and Nu saw that even Ike was taking a defensive stance.
The man opened his arms and shrugged again dramatically. "Ah, well no matter. The Earth spirit chose you, so I'm sure there's a reason for it."
"Wait," Nu said, stepping around Mag despite her protests. "Earth spirit?"
"Curious?" the man cocked an eyebrow. "My friend can tell you all about it. He's quite the storyteller."
All three teenagers stayed quiet for a moment, each watching the stranger cautiously. Eventually, he sighed. "I see, you didn't think there were people living outside your village. It's funny how many villages have that same belief."489Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfdzxuOmhU
"How many other villages are there?" Ike couldn't help himself from asking, relaxing a little. "Can all of them use an affinity like us?"
"Perhaps your storyteller would be better equipped to answer that," the man suggested, "or mine."
Mag shook her head, still not relaxing at all. "No, thanks."
"Fair enough," the man said, turning to walk away. He turned back to look intently at Nu as if committing her face to memory, giving her a sinister smile. "You're in for quite the surprise."
Mag growled, but Nu's hand on her arm stopped her from pursuing the man as he walked away. At the man's departure, the squirrel crawled back up to Ike's shoulder and nuzzled his face as if thanking him.
"We need to speak to Granna now," Ike said, and Nu agreed.489Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYgMOwkfmR
