Chapter 3: Comprehension of the World
Xavier looked up towards his mother, who was currently holding a bow in hand, string drawn taut and one eye closed as she had her eye trained on her target, which in this case happened to be a small deer, one which wasn't accompanied by any others of it's herd. He wasn't sure if it was an orphan, if it was a straggler, or if it just happened to be curious, but his mom had seen it and excitedly took him out to watch her hunt.
"I know you're still young Xavier, but it's good for you to get an idea of how to hunt for yourself. One day, you'll end up leaving the nest to make a name for yourself, and you'll need to learn how to take care of yourself. I don't like you going into the wilderness, but since it's close by…. Well, I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity."
Xavier wasn't particularly interested in hunting himself, but, still being a small child in this world, he had no real method to oppose his "mother", who was willful at the best of times. She had an unusual vitality and athleticism which didn't seem to match most of the other villagers, and so when she had made a decision, he had had no choice but to follow it for now. Still, learning to use a bow early on wasn't a bad way to ensure his safety in this unfamiliar world, and it was an interesting experience that helped break the monotony of his young life.
Xavier watched his mother aim carefully, acting with a surprising amount of calm and patience as she watched her quarry's movements. Then, in the blink of an eye, the arrow was loosed, and the deer's stomach was pierced as if by magic, falling over quickly. Xavier made a sour face, slightly unsettled by the vicious nature of the event. Though he was never someone who had held a lot of love for animals, he was also never an outdoorsy type, and the sight of blood was enough to make him very squeamish. His mother noticed this, and seeing his discomfort, decided to make it into a teaching opportunity.
"I know it might feel wrong to kill an animal like this, but I want you to understand this before you go into the world: this is part of the circle of life, and sometimes, we need to do bad things in order to keep the world running, or in this case, feed ourselves. But I also want you to understand that you should never look down on either the animals you hunt or other people, kiddo. No matter what happens, you can't hold a grudge, ok?"
Faced with this advice, Xavier could only nod. Any response that showed too much maturity might make his mother suspicious or at the very least put him in a difficult position. This seemed to satisfy his mother, and she clasped her hands together with a smile on her face.
"Alright, lesson over. Head back home while I take care of getting this prepared for us, and don't get into any trouble while I'm gone"
Xavier said a noncommittal "alright mom" before walking back carefully, moving slowly to avoid tripping with his short legs. He still hadn't gotten used to his body, and in fact, it felt to him like things were moving a lot faster than time would indicate: Xavier wasn't sure if this was a side effect of the reincarnation, and how his child brain still hadn't developed compared to the soul that was being placed in it; he might just be limited by the body he was in and needed time. On the other hand, maybe it was just how the brain dealt with relatively familiar things, since he'd already lived through being a toddler before. Either way, it was the one thing that made his new life bearable, considering how limited he was compared to when he was in his birth world.
As he made his way back into the town, he found himself at the place where him and his mother were living, a small house on the corner of town. It was minimalistic but sturdy, and for the time being, Xavier didn't mind it since it gave him a place to be safe. Fishing for the keys under the welcome mat, Xavier let himself into the house and plopped onto the couch, laying down and trying to figure out a plan of action. Even in the fast paced 4 years he'd experienced, he'd still tried to piece together information that might help him figure a way out of this situation. Unfortunately, the most he'd gotten was all from what little the orb was forced to divulge by the contract that it kept rambling about. It was helpful, but not nearly enough. As it were, the orb managed to tell him a little about the world of Ninjago.
"This world was created by a legendary sage, known only as the First Spinjitzu Master, a powerful and mysterious being who left behind many artifacts and gifts for the people of this world. Effectively, those who follow in his teachings are those who protect the world from the conflicts which inevitably arise, and that's sort of the way the plot unfolds. That's about as much as I'm required to say, so why don't you find a library or something so you can figure it out on your own"
Xavier would have taken the orb's advice to heart, but when he asked his mother to take him to a library, she only gave a frown and an odd look.
"Sorry to break it to you kiddo, but nearest library is a good amount of distance away from here. Maybe when I have time, I'll take you there so you can learn about the world though, alright?"
He supposed expecting his mother to be the kind of individual to make time for scholarly work was asking too much. Falia, as the rest of the village of Ignacia called her, was a skilled hunter, athletic, and generally quite dependable, but Xavier had never seen her read a book, even if she was literate. The closest thing she seemed to own was a educational pamphlet which she'd used to teach him the written Ninjago language (or as it was colloquially referred to, "Ninjargon"), but that was the extent of that. Indeed, Falia had a reputation as an eccentric in the village, a good person and dependable to be sure, and being the best hunter by a large margin, but definitely an odd duck who was perhaps a boy overeager. The only time her young "son" had ever seen her relatively calm and quiet was with a bow in her hand, and in all honesty that did scare him a bit.
Xavier considered his options. He more or less had the rest of the day free while Falia was out hunting, so he had to figure out something to do. If it was going to take that long, he may as well find something productive to do. Pulling himself off of the couch, Xavier made sure he had everything prepared (mostly just his keys) before heading out. The best place to try and learn something here was the the Four Weapons Blacksmith shop, where most of the village's metal trinkets. He doubted he could get an apprenticeship when he was this young, but maybe he could watch and learn, and get a better idea of how weapons were made, something he could definitely use in the future.
After making his way up the hilltop though, Xavier was disappointed to find that the lights were off in the shop, and it looked like no one was in today. Xavier sighed, unsure of what to do next. He supposed he might as well inspect what was inside the shop, but as he tried to climb up to look in the window, he heard a scraping of metal, and turned towards the source of the noise. In front of him, dragging a sword that was definitely too big for him, was a young kid with brown hair and an angry expression.
"You're not going to steal anything, criminal!"