IV. Birthday (1)

I'm now fourteen years old.

(A/N: That's right another time skip, I want MC to go on adventures damn it.)

In these four years since I started proper training with magic, the sword, and combat while in werewolf form, I've managed to get at least 5 times stronger.

(A/N: 1 times 5 is 5 after all. I will be posting his 'stats' on the auxiliary chapters soon. Don't worry, stats won't be too involved with the MC. It'll just be to put his strength into numbers to make it easier to imaging his strength compared to other people.)

Most of the time I've trained alone, since Mom is working as an adventurer in the nearby city. She had only taught me basics, like how to not make any unnecessary movements when attacking and basic defensive postures. I haven't been able to use much magic since I'm not very good at fire, water, or wind magic. I need to find which other magic I'm good at as fast as possible. I want to use some cool magic! It's the dream of all men to be able to use it!

Right now I'm training in my werewolf form, using a sword in my right hand, and using my claws on the other. I found this combat form very efficient in movement and versatile. I can cut super quickly using the phenomenon where the tip of the sword is the fastest point, and then lacerate my opponents with my claws, or grab them with open hands.

I haven't faced any enemies yet, but I'm confident I will have the upper hand with most since I have enhanced senses. I can hear the smallest of prey from a few hundreds of meters away, I can still see the individual leaves of a tree from at least 1 kilometer, and I can smell even the faintest of scents of things while knowing what those smells belong to. I can even smell certain emotions. Like fear and... when someone is in heat. It's mating season for animals now after all, the forest is filled with that scent. It smells faintly of vanilla.

And interestingly enough, fear smells like shit. I guess the saying 'He shat himself in fear' isn't just a saying.

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When I finished my training, I enter the house to get some clothes (I train only in loose pants to not damage my other clothes during my transformations), and head to a nearby lake to wash off my sweat.

As I'm heading out I see my mother enter the house. I guess her quest was finished, seeing that she's holding a small pouch of what I assume to be money by the sound.

Daria: "Hello, sweetie, finished training? Gonna take a soak in the lake?"

Valister: "Hi, mom. Yeah, I'm gonna go take a dip in the lake now. Need anything from the forest?"

I went up to my mom and gave her a greeting kiss on the cheek. I'm about 2 inches taller than her now. Going by the average heights of the people I've seen in the human city, males are about 5 foot 9 inches, and females are about 5 foot 5 inches. Mom is an Elf, so she's naturally 5'10", which she says is average height for a female elf. Average male Elves are 6'4". I'm sure glad I'm gonna be tall. Right now I'm 6' and still growing.

Daria: "Ah, yes. Can you fetch me some juniper berries and a few hares? Thank you, sweetie."

Valister: "Juniper and hares. Gotcha."

Mom looks about 20 to 24, but she's actually 97 years old. Elves grow at the same pace as humans and beastkins until they hit their early 20s and their aging process slows down dramatically. They then start visibly aging again after about 200 years when they look middle aged, and continue aging slowly until their death. Wow, elves won't ever look elderly, even when they're at deaths door.

Demons have a life span somewhere between elves and humans/beastkins. While elves live around 300-400 years, humans around 100 and beastkins around 120, demons live up to 180-230 years. But unlike elves who stop visibly aging at 20, demons age visibly very, very slowly.

While thinking these unless things I head the the lake to soak my sweat away.

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After thoroughly washing away the filth on my body, I dry myself and put on my clean pair of slacks. I then transform into my werewolf form and start sniffing the air, trying to find the scent of hare.

Found some to the north. I quickly make my way to the northern part of the forest while being careful not to make to much noise that would alert the hares.

Valister: "There they are..."

After a few minutes I found a hare in the middle of making a nest, and another hare a little further down.

*Sniff*

One male, one female. Mates. I can smell that the female isn't pregnant yet. Good thing that's the case. I would've had to find different hares if she was. I don't want to lower the population of prey during mating season.

I pay my respects to nature and these hares, and pounce on the male making the nest.

I quickly grab the male and squeeze it's little neck, giving a quick death, then pounce on the female, doing the same.

None of my prey shall suffer when I'm hunting them. I'm wholeheartedly grateful for the life they (without choice) give me. It's the circle of life.

After gathering the hares, I sniff and look around for some juniper berries.

Oh, there's some just a few meters away. These hares were smart to make a nest so close to food. Too bad they're dead.

I head to the bush full of berries and gather a few handfuls with a clean hemp bag I brought, and then start heading home.

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After entering the house, I'm greeted with the nice smell of fresh bread and cow beef stew. That's surprising, since cow meat is very expensive in these parts. What's the occasion?

Looks like these hares are just the side dish.

Daria: "Ah, your back Val! Did you get the things I asked for?"

Valister: "Of course. Hunting hares are a piece of cake."

Daria: "Fufu~ A piece of cake indeed."

Mom then comes up to me and grabs the berries and hares, and takes them to the kitchen.

Daria: "Well, sweetie, why don't you head to the city and enjoy yourself for a while? I need to start cleaning and I don't want to see you just lazing about. Here's some money to buy things you might be interested in."

Oh? I can go to the city? That's rare, she usually doesn't allow me to go there very often. Something about a few humans in the upper caste being a little prejudiced against elves due to their friendly relations to demons.

Valister: "Oh, are you sure? You don't usually tell me to go to the city."

Daria: "Don't worry, your fine, sweetie. Your old enough now to take care of yourself."

Valister: "Oh, okay then. I'll be going now."

I walk to the front door after putting on some below-the-knee black leather boots, and a cotton white half sleeve shirt. I'm looking dandy. I'd prefer putting on a bit of perfume, but that's expensive, to I make do with splashing a bit of rosewater on my neck, pits, and balls. If I look good,I gotta smell good too.

Daria: "Enjoy yourself, Sweetie!"

Valister: "Sure! See you later!"

It's mating season, after all, and I'm a teenager going through puberty.

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(A/N: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) )