The Hunter's Apprentice

by Stentson, Mark

  The hunter came out after quick inspection. He did not bother to tell Aerys about what he had found inside. He looked up towards the roof and said to him.

  -We have to climb up there if we are to get a good view of the entire village. What do you propose?

  Aerys seemed surprised that he was asking for his opinion. This was really odd. He looked at the wall and found that it was not such a hard climb. Someone agile could climb it easily. He suggested the idea to the hunter who nodded.

  -Alright then. Let’s see you in action.

  Aerys walked towards the wall and started his ascension. It was harder than he first thought but after some hard climbing, he managed to reach the top.

  -You sure took your time, said the hunter’s voice behind him then and he jumped with surprise. He turned and saw the hunter sitting on the roof and smoking casually from his old pipe.

  -How? Aerys asked surprised.

  The hunter pointed towards the edge of the church and Aerys strolled there. There was a ladder which rested against it.

  -Where did you found that ladder?

  -If you had taken a look around the church you would have found it too instead of rushing like a fool to climb. You stopped at the first solution you found and satisfied yourself with it. That is a mistake. Come here.

  Aerys went and sat next to him.

  -You failed your first test pretty lamely, he said. Observation is an important aspect of our trade and a hunter who does not observe his surrounding is a dead hunter.

  Aerys cheeks reddened but he replied.

  -But I still managed to climb up.

  The stick fell quickly and he let out a cry of pain.

  -Your insolence is something that you should work on lad, said the hunter angrily. I am your master and as such I deserve some respect. Now…concerning what you said, imagine that half way up, you realized that it would be impossible to climb higher. What would have happened then?

  -Well, I would jump down and find another solution, replied Aerys with a smile.

  The hunter shook his head.

  -No. A hunter must identify and choose the best solution on his first try itself. You have no second chance in this trade lad. What if a monster hqad been chasing you and you couldn’t climb up. You would be dead.

  Aerys remained silent. The hunter had a point there.

  -Everywhere you go you have to open your eyes and observe everything. It might save your life more than once. And you must be able to do so quickly. This will undoubtedly take time for you to master but it is one of the essential attribute that a hunter must have. Do you understand?

  Aerys nodded.

  -I have seen very able hunters die just because of their lack of observation. They were strong fighters but when hunting beasts and monsters, you have to use your head too and so few are able to use it alas. I pray that you are not one of them.

  Aerys assured him that he was not. He did not want to deceive the hunter. He had put his faith in him and he did not want to disappoint him.

  Just then they heard a wolf howl somewhere in the small forest. It kept howling from time to time and each time it became louder as if the wolf was approaching.

  -How many wolves are there?, asked the hunter suddenly. Listen and answer me

  Aerys listened attentively and after some time he replied hoping that it would be the right answer.

  -There’s only one.

  The hunter smiled.

  -That’s good. I see that you have a good ear. Yes, there’s only one and this is very suspicious.

  -Why that?

  -Because I do not understand how a lone wolf can kill so many people.

  He opened his bag and searched inside.

  -Ah, here it is, he said as he took out a small dagger which he handed to me. It’s a special dagger so don’t lose it.

  -Am I to fight this wolf? Aerys asked as he took the dagger.

  The hunter shook his head.

  -No. Wolves can’t climb this up but we are never too cautious.

  He stood up and walked towards the ladder.

  -Where are you going? Aerys asked frightened.

  -It’s time to act boy. It will not be too long. Just stay here and watch. You should be able to see everything from here.

  Aerys watched as he descended down. He lifted the ladder and pushed it back down. He then walked off and disappeared down the path that led towards the village.

  CHAPTER 9

  He waited patiently for the hunter to return. The moon was now hidden by the clouds and he stood up to get a better view. He should not have done so for then he saw a dark figure in the distance at the foot of the hill. He thought that it was the hunter and he called out his name.

  -Master Drake, he shouted carelessly.

  The figure turned towards him and at that moment the moon came out and illuminated the figure. He froze completely and fell down, his legs numb. There was a gigantic wolf down there and it had seen him. He did not try to get up again. He was too scared. What he had seen was really unnatural. He had already seen some wolves in the past back at Dimes where they came sometimes. But those had been pretty small compared to this huge one.

  He knew that he had done a terrible mistake. He lay down trembling and crawled to the edge to try to see where it was. At first he did not see anything and his hopes grew a little bit. Maybe it had wandered somewhere else. But then, he heard a growl and it came out of the darkness into the open space. Aerys backed away as silently and as quickly as he could. The beast was really terrifying. It was black and its fangs were the size of his fists. How was such a thing even possible? his body was trembling uncontrollably now and his heart was beating so fast that I feared that it might hear him.

  But it did not matter. He knew that the beast had already seen him. His only hope was that it would not be able to climb on the roof. This calmed him a bit for no one had ever seen a wolf climbed on a roof. He tried to be practical about it but the fear would not leave him. He heard the wolf growling all around the place. It was surely sniffing out his trail. He wished that the hunter would hurry back.

  The wolf then ceased to growl and the silence came back. The atmosphere was so tense that he heard the sound of the droplets of sweat that fell down from his forehead. He looked all around but could not find where the wolf was. Finally unable to stand it anymore, he crawled towards the northern edge and looked down. There was nothing and he breathed.

  He then heard a terrific howl and a landing sound on the roof behind him. He closed his eyes knowing what it was. He breathed and turned. The wolf was on the roof. It was bigger than Aerys had thought and it was baring its enormous fangs at him threateningly. He was lost. How could he ever get away from that? He grabbed his sword in his trembling hands. The wolf saw it and backed a bit much to his surprise. This gave him some courage. Did it fear the blade? He hoped that it would go away but then he moved forward again. Perhaps it saw that he was just an inoffensive boy and it grew more threatening.

  The wolf attacked. Aerys did not know how but his body moved on its own. Maybe it was just survival instincts but as it jumped on him, he rolled to the left and the wolf taken by its leap jumped pass him. Aerys seized the opportunity and struck it just behind the head as it passed. It went crashing down. He heard it cry in pain but he did not wait any longer. Boosted by the adrenaline rush, he ran towards the opposite edge and jumped down. Luckily he did not hurt himself and he landed on the moss. He heard the wolf howl behind him but he did not wait to see where it was. He sped down towards the muddy path that led towards the road. He slipped a few times but managed to keep his balance. He knew that he had just one chance; get to the village before the wolf caught up with him.

  As he finally came out on the road, he heard a terrific howl that made him shiver. The wolf was on his trail. He ran and ran as quickly as he could. The first houses of the village were in sight. If only he could reach them before the wolf caught up with him, he would be saved.

  The first house was only a f
ew meters away when he felt the wolf behind him. He turned around at the right time and again he managed to dodge the wolf’s attack. But as he got up I realized that he had no hopes left. The wolf was between him and the village now. His retreat was compromised. It was over. He had been lucky enough to escape its first attacks but one look at the wolf made him realize that it would not fail this time. It was bleeding and part of his head was already covered in its own blood.

  But Aerys did not want to die. He had just started his apprenticeship. It had only begun and now it was already ending. He felt the tears rushing in his eyes as he waited for the wolf’s attack. There was so much that he wanted to lean, so many lands that he wanted to visit. It could not end here… It was unfair. He let out a shout of frustration. His legs gave away and he fell down on my knees. The sword fell out of his moist hands

  The wolf growled and walked towards him. Aerys closed my eyes hoping that it would be quick. Was death painful? He did not know for there was no one he could ask. The dead did not talk. He remembered that the priest in the village used to say that there was life after death. Maybe he would wake up there walking on the clouds. That seemed a nice thought to die on. He could now smell the wolf’s fetid breath. It was just in front of him. He readied his heart.

  He then heard a shout and he felt the wolf turn. He opened his eye quickly with hope and saw much to my surprise the hunter jumping from the nearest house waving his white sword. It shone brightly in the night. The wolf was not quick enough. The sword made contact and cut its head off in one clean swing.. The hunter walked towards him and held out his hand.

  -Looks like I came just in time, he said simply.

  Aerys wanted to scream at him and let out his rage. Where had he been? He could and should have died a couple of times already. However he was too exhausted, both mentally and physically, to say anything. He just pointed to the dead wolf and asked.

  -Is that really a wolf?

  The hunter smiled.

  -It’s a werewolf lad.

  Aerys remained speechless. A werewolf? He had survived a werewolf.

  The hunter saw the terrified look on his face and explained.

  -I have to admit that it tricked me, he said darkly. I followed a false trail and it led me out of the village. It was only when I heard it howl in pain that I realized my mistake and came running here. I saw it running after you and I climbed up there and waited for the perfect occasion.

  Aerys did not reply. He had not even apologized to him. His mistake had nearly killed him and there he was acting like nothing happened.

  -Look, he then said roughly. This is the kind of life hunters have. I know it’s hard but it is how it is. We face death every time and you must get used to it sooner than later.

  He then turned his back to him and examined the wolf. A terrible and foul smell emanated from it and Aerys vomited loudly on the road. He was exhausted and wanted nothing but to sleep in a comfortable bed and get away from all this. The hunter came back after inspecting the beast thoroughly and said.

  -Well we are extremely lucky that there’s only one of them and this one is not even fully grown.

  -Its not an adult?, asked Aerys stunned.

  -No. A fully grown werewolf is much bigger and it would not have been killed so easily. He spat and added.

  - Now let’s get back in the inn. I must have a word with that innkeeper.

  He did not help Aerys to get up and the latter had to lean against the dead wolf to stand up much to his repugnance. He followed him slowly as they walked towards the inn. His whole body was tired and he could barely move. The innkeeper opened after verifying that it was really them and Aerys walked inside and sat on the first chair he saw, exhausted. He watched as the hunter engaged in a fiery discussion with the innkeeper.

  -You bloody bastard, he said loudly. You said that it was a bloody wolf. It’s a werewolf. My apprentice could have died because of you.

  Aerys wanted to shout to him that he was more to blame than the poor innkeeper. After all was he not supposed to be a hunter? He should have noticed that they were dealing with a werewolf. The hunter finally calmed down and sat down by the fire after asking more wine. The innkeeper came back with bottles and the hunter pointed to me and said something. The innkeeper rushed to my side.

  -Come with me young master, he said in a compassionate voice.

  With his help, Aerys managed to walk back to my room where he changed himself and he finally rested in his bed. The innkeeper went out and came back with a small cup filled with a hot liquid.

  -Drink, he said as he put the cup to his mouth. It will help you sleep.

  Aerys was too tired to ask what it was and swallowed the tasteless liquid. His eyes closed and he abandoned himself to sleep.

  CHAPTER 10

  The next morning he woke up in completely rested. His body had recovered from the exhaustion of the previous night and something told him that the potion that the innkeeper had given him was for something. He went downstairs and found that the hunter was already up. He wondered how he could do so when he saw the numerous empty bottles on the table. Did he even sleep at all? He tried to remember when if he ever saw him sleep but he could not remember. When they camped outside, he was always the one kept watch. How could someone not sleep?

  Aerys went to sit beside him and minutes later, the innkeeper brought him a delicious breakfast consisting of beacon and fried eggs. It was as delicious as the soup had been. After he finished, the hunter said.

  -We have no reasons to stay here any longer. Go upstairs and take your things.

  Aerys obeyed and went upstairs where he gathered his belongings. When he descended a minute later, he saw the hunter in deep discussion with the innkeeper. The latter seemed angry and it was the first time since their arrival that he saw him talk back to the hunter. He approached them and heard what it was all about.

  -This is what I actually charge for a werewolf, said the hunter in a menacing tone.

  -I cannot afford to pay you that much money, replied the innkeeper angrily. I am giving all that we can afford to at the moment. So take your due and leave.

  The hunter stood up and the innkeeper backed a bit. He was a threatening sight and Aerys saw the color drain from the innkeepers face.

  -You saw outside what was hunting you. It’s a werewolf and I killed it. If I did not it would have been you lying there mutilated. What good would your gold have been then? So I’m asking you one last time to pay me and I will leave.

  The innkeeper looked like he wanted to discuss but he nodded and went behind his counter. He came back with a pouch which he tossed at the hunter. The latter caught it and examined its content. Satisfied he grabbed his bag and made for the door.

  -There’s one thing…

  The innkeeper stopped him.

  -Just get out of here you mercenary, he said pointing towards the door.

  The hunter looked affronted but he said nothing.

  -Got all your things? He asked coldly when he noticed Aerys behind him.

  Aerys nodded and they walked out of the inn. There was a gathering at the far end of the village where the wolf had been killed. The hunter walked in the opposite direction without a look. As they reached the stony road again Aerys asked the hunter about what had happened at the inn.

  He sighed and replied in a tired voice.

  -This is unfortunately what we must face. These people don’t understand the danger we put ourselves to kill off those monsters. They refuse to pay the right amount and we have to sort of force them. I don’t really like that but the price is the price.

  -But you saved them, replied Aerys puzzled. Why would they not pay?

  He laughed.

  -When they realize that the danger is gone, they become less reluctant to spill the gold out. That’s human nature for you lad.

  -Not all of them are like that though, he continued. Many people actually show us some respect for saving them. It’s just that they are rarer and besides its not like there
are so many hunters that they could offend us.

  -There are many hunters in Amestris?, asked Aerys. He had heard of only a handful amongst which were Master Elric and the hunter.

  -Of course lad, replied the latter. This country is huge lad. A single hunter would be overcome real quickly. No… there are many other hunters which you will no doubt meet in due time. We sometimes meet on the road or when something requires the assistance of more than one hunter.

  -What kind of beast would require more than one hunter?

  -Well there things more terrifying and more dangerous than werewolves you know, he said darkly. Creatures that would make you shat in your pants and want to run away as quick as you can.

  -More dangerous than a Zorg?

  The hunter nodded.

  -You have seen nothing yet lad. The world is filled with creatures all more deadly and terrifying than the other.

  Aerys shivered. He could hardly imagine something more dangerous than a werewolf or a Zorg. He wondered if he would be able to face those monsters on his own one day or if he would die long before that day came, which was the most probable outcome. He sighed desperately and followed the hunter silently as they walked away.

  -It’s time to educate you on what makes a good hunter, said the hunter later that day as they sat under a tree near a narrow river to eat. The sun was high up in the sky and fortunately the wind has decreased in intensity. The shadow of the tree was most welcomed and the river water was refreshing. He took a long portion of salted meat which looked delicious and placed it before Aerys.

  -Every time you game me a wrong answer or your answer is not accurate enough I will cut a bit of that meat off. What eventually remain will be yours. Is that clear enough?

  Aerys nodded.

  -So first things first. Do you know what a hunter is?

  -A hunter hunts beasts, he replied quickly.