1 Becoming an Adult

The cold breeze swept past E's face as he slunk back behind a tree and looked to his father " Dad, There's one buck a doe and a fawn the tracks were fresh" he whispered

" Okay I'll give you a C minus, but you've made a critical error were upwind" he spoke back as he swiped a love tap to the back of E's head. " Knock an arrow and wait for my signal, ten seconds and we'll have dinner for winter, you're mother won't like if we come back empty handed.

At that moment his dad Midas darted away from the large truck of the redwood they huddled next to and into the treeline to the west. E knocked an arrow, leaning just barely out from the tree, pointing straight at the large buck in the small clearing ahead of him. His bow strained as he held it to it's limits. Then he heard his father's signal. " EeeeEEeeeeerrEeeegghhhh" in a whiney scratchy higher pitched gutteral outcry his father made a doe call into a small piece of wood somewhere in the trees to his right. The buck reared its head into the direction of the call and E let loose his arrow. Moments later the buck dropped to the ground with a lower neck piercing arrow shunt right into it's lung.

The Doe and Fawn scurried into the woods as E wiped away a tear from the held back chuckles at the noise his father made and approached the buck.

" Good shot my boy!" Midas said as he patted his back with a strong hand. " Now send him off proper and I'll grab the sled"

" I'll never get over that stupid noise, or this next part.." E thought to himself as he kneeled down to the Buck. It's life had long since left it's body. It lay there pooling blood into the snow. E gave a small prayer as he closed its eyes. He cut a small portion off of it's antlers highest point and wrapped it in a small cloth. " You're life stays with me and I will grow with you in spirit."

After cleaning the Deer a bit and loading it onto the sled E and Midas began their small journey back home. " Dad, I don't really like the last part of it all you know, the feeling of hitting your mark is great but it's almost always accompanied with guilt. What about those other two how will they survive now?"

" To tell you the truth son I have a feeling it's not going to get easy for you. The prayers and ceremony your mother taught you is the Elvish lifestyle, and not really something I had to deal with as I learned to hunt. But alas I will teach you my way and she will teach you hers. You just need to keep in mind that we survive these conditions away from tax and trade, living off the land, without meaty protein you'd be hard pressed into a very mushroom filled diet. Hahaha"

E somewhat gagged at the thought of the amount of mushrooms his dad may make him ingest. He thought about the deer as he look back to it and pull the sled. Before long they approached their home. Looking on at it the somewhat modest size log cabin brought fond memories to E. He watched the smoke rise from the chimney and thought back on his time here and all the training he had been tricked into thinking was fun. " One winter and I get to see the world." he said under his breath.

E stepped inside as his father brought the meat to the butcher shed. " Hello mother we're back, I've found some of the herbs you wanted and we got a large buck dad's working on it right now."

In a chair in front of the fire his mother sat sewing a few extra seams into his father's coat. A tall slender elf woman with snow bright blonde hair look back at him. "Good job baby, quick come and show me. I best make quick work of your Father's coat. Don't want him to worry he's getting more husky."

E brought over his small Shepard's purse and removed its contents. A few sprigs of mint, some wet tea leaves, and snow berries. " Sorry mom it's much more hidden now and my nose froze up quite a bit."

" Ohh no matter, I can make some nice tea with this. Now go clean up and get ready your father and I have something for you."

E climbed the small ladder into the attic where his room was. It was quite large as there weren't many walls up here. He made way to his small dresser and changed. As he stood there he look in his mirror inspecting himself. " I look barely fit to wear armor, why'd I get mother slender body instead of father's beefy human shape." He flicked his ears, noting the small point at it's tip, not quite elf, not quite human, and then quickly hid them under a beanie. He got dressed and went down.

As he got down from the ladder he heard his parents muttering turn silent. He turned around to see they both sat in their chairs by the fire. His father waved him over, " Come here I think it's time we had a good chat."

E grabbed a small knit and his chair and pulled into the front of the fire before his parents. " Everest, I'm so proud of you hun, you've really grown. Do you have your latest antler tip? Please hand it to me." E grabbed it from his pocket and handed it over to his mom. She began crushing it in a small mortar with some other herbs as his father began to speak.

" Everest, my little pumpkin. It's been ever so more apparent to me as of late just how old you're getting. I feel my old wounds ache in this winter chill as I look at your spry light step. You've done well in the years as we've reared you. Retirement from Knightley duties in the adventure hall to bring you up was the best decision I made. Now it's time I truly retire. I want to live out the rest of my time with your mother in peace." His father said as he hid his face to turn behind him to retrieve a bundled leather package. " Inside you'll find some things I have prepared for you. Some things may not make sense to you right now but you're going to need them to sign up at the Guild Hall."

E hurriedly unbound the string and rolled out the gift. Inside he found a wax sealed scroll, and small coin purse, a sheathed short sword, a leather bound notebook, a backpack, and a deep crimson colored short bow. His eyes lit up at everything in wonder and he stared deeply at the bow admiring it's lacquer.

"Wow, thank you I don't know what to say. It's all so wonderful. Thank you."

" That's not all, that's just from me you mother has something for you as well."

By this time his mother had finished creating a small potion. She put it in a vial and grabbed a tightly bound bedroll next to her. " E, I want you to take this potion after your class has been given to you. It will help with your foundation, I believe I know what your class will take shape." She giggled and gave his father a quick glance to see him huff and look back at their son. " Now I know you're just barely 19 and we kept you a year past most would take their class, but we believed you had shown promise in some areas we had yet to cover. I have here a bedroll that I fortified with a few spells to allow you to recover a full rest in three quarters the time. And I am also giving you my cloak. You will always be close to me." She shed a tear and took off the cloak she had worn for many years. It was a deep purple and sheen like the feathers of a raven in fire light.

" Why all of this, and now? You're making me feel like something else is happening." E held back some emotions as it dawned on him he will actually be gone far away soon.

His father rose up and approached him

" E.... It's time you grew up. You're a man now. Your a Lumin. Everest Dur'ae Lumin. There is no more for us to teach you. And there is so much out there to learn and revel in wonder. Stand before me. And then kneel." He did so as looked up at his father. He grabbed his sword off the mantle above the fire place. It had long been set there and it's twang rang clear in E's ears moving him to understand.

" I Midas L. Lumin, Knight of the Ravenswoods Party appoint thee Everest Lumin my squire. I commission you to seek out and form a party of your own in The Guild hall. Go forth and bring glory to our name. Any deeds and duties required of you are at your whim to dispose. You're a free agent." *wink* His father look down to to him and touched his blade to his shoulders. Then point it to his breast. "Rise. My son."

E stood up and look his father in his eyes they both held a tear and hugged deeply.

" Now get a bowl of dinner gather you gear and get you ass on the move. You need be in Brackbush before the weeks end."

E looked at his mom, she looked back sternly and nod to him. " You're kicking me out?!"

Midas look to him and chuckle, " Hahaha, Sure as fly's on shit. That buck won't feed all of us this winter look at you now big boy." he pat E's stomach and went for dinner.

E approached his mom. " Seriously now? It's the start of winter I can't wait til spring?"

" I don't want to hear any gruff, it's time. You'll be twenty next fall it's over due. Sides winter is the time of laze. Know how many folk don't want to work in the cold? Perfect time to pick up the low level quests and gather a party. Lots of coin to be made. Get some supper give me a hug and on with you. You're father and I are leaving in a week somewhere as well, we won't be back til summer."

Everest's mouth was left wide open. "So quick" he thought. He knew there would be no argument. So he ate and went upstairs to pack some things. Afterwards he would say goodbye to his childhood home.