“What? There’s a town coming up?”

“Yes, my boy. We'll be going there to sell your extra goods to merchants and traders, then use the money to purchase your new travel clothing.”

Edan looked down at his tunic and trousers, feeling the material in his fingertips. At first glance, there wasn’t much to say about them. But after taking a further look, they were rather worn from years of wear and dirt accumulation.

“Are my clothes not suited? I would think they were due to the fact that they are already worn in. By wearing new clothes, they would only be a waste and get ruined.”

“Aye, you aren’t wrong, my boy,” his Master nodded, pushing branches out of the way, “but new clothes won’t be ruined so easily by travel, or even at the brush of a branch.”

Just as he spoke, Edan's tunic snagged along a thick branch, putting a small hole in the sleeve. Edan sighed, but his Master let out a small chuckle.

It had been only three days since they left Edan’s home village of Yoryna, and they were already making an effort to communicate with one another along their Walk. During that time, his Master taught him how to make a fire, set small traps, and even showed him how to make bandage wraps from his old smocks. Since their small dispute, Edan slowly started to listen to him more and was more cautious with his tone.

“What does this town have besides sellers and buyers? Do they have goat herders and leather makers? And do a lot of people live there?”

“Well, imagine your little village; you have a few huts to live in and a shop or two. But this town has a numerous amount of homes, shops, inns, and even a river that goes directly through. The fishermen there sell their catches and their fish are guaranteed fresh every time.”

The thought of seeing the aforementioned town excited Edan; his village was the only place he had been his whole life. The thought of leaving the village was daunting to him at first, but now knowing of outside civilization made him incredibly curious. He wondered if the people were kind, compassionate, or even helpful. He hoped the fish was as fresh as he’d been told, and even wouldn’t mind trying a taste. He salivated at the thought, and his stomach even proceeded to rumble.

“Gods, I can hear your hunger from here. Once we get through this thick growth, I’ll show you how to hunt for rabbits. It’ll hold us over until we reach Vindelstorn.”

“Is Vindelstorn the town you were talking about?”

“What do you think?”

Edan paused as his Master snickered and pushed through the overgrowth of foliage. Edan’s skin stung from the constant slapping and cutting of the thick branches. His tunic and trousers had small rips, dirtied from mud and debris. He felt disgusted of his state yet he was eager to not only see Vindelstorn, but to learn how to hunt as well.

“Wait, Edan. I spot a hare now. Get down.”

At first, he hesitated, but proceeded crouched down in the bushes next to his Master as quickly and as quietly as he could. He was correct; the hare was a sandy-brown, with a tuft of white hair on its chest. Its ears were incredibly long, longer than the usual hares Edan was familiar with back home. He wondered how hares could grow so large, especially in a forest so incredibly dense.

“Okay, Edan,” his Master whispered, as if it were a small wisp of wind, “take a close look at what I’m doing. Be absolutely still while I do this. We don’t want to startle it.”

Just as he whispered, the hare's ears twitched towards them. The hare stood up on its hindlegs, glancing in their general direction. It heard them, but couldn’t pinpoint their location. Its eyes were glassy and dark, almost black. Its nose twitched, light bouncing off of its whiskers. Edan felt a drop in his gut; the hare had to perish, but he knew they couldn't go hungry. He sat back and watched, unable to protest. He knew he had no choice, this was the way to survive.

His Master quickly retrieved a collapsible slingshot and a small handful of sharped rocks from his pocket. As he prepared his first shot, the hare was still making quick glances, its breath heightened in fear. Exhaling slowly, his Master released the drawstring and let the pebble loose. The hare no longer stood.

“I assume that it was hard to watch for you,” his Master began as he retrieved the hare, tucking away his slingshot, “hunting is easy, but it never gets easier. We do this so we don’t starve. The Gods blessed us with hunting, and we give their lives back to the Gods. Do you understand?”

Edan nodded slowly, his eyes glancing down at the hare in his hand. The hare's eyes were left hollow, free of life. Seeing it hang in his Master’s hand was hard to look at, but he couldn’t pull away from the hare’s gaze. They knew what he was; a scared boy who knew nothing about the world. Edan's breath quickened, his palms were clammy. Those eyes... Those eyes...

“Son,” his Master shook him with his free hand, “pull yourself together. It’s all right, pray to the Gods for forgiveness, if you have to. We can’t have this happen if we hunt together. Now breathe, breathe..”

Tremoring, Edan closed his eyes and prayed. He prayed hard for the Gods to pull him from his madness, and to cleanse him of his guilt. He wanted to come out of the prayer stronger, he wanted to fear to fall back, and bring out his strength. As his breath came to a slow pace, his tremoring eased.

“Feeling better, son?”

“Y-yes, I think so, sir.”

As his Master pulled him up to his feet, he adjusted the tie around a new small pouch attached to his belt. Edan could only assume that the hare was inside, as it was nowhere else in sight. His Master only patted his shoulder and walked further into the overgrowth, Edan following not far behind.