Akira - The Energy Vampire

by Ashton Lumley

I patiently sat high up on a tree branch while looking down at my target. I firmly held onto my bow and slowly slung the thread back, holding my arrow steady. My fluffy white target sniffled around with its little whiskers, looking for something to eat, as was I. The bunny hopped around a little more and stood still for a moment. I could feel my heart beat rapidly as I anticipated the perfect shot. In a split second I released my arrow and it flung forward soaring strait into the rabbits head, killing it instantly. I smiled with relief knowing that there would be food on our table tonight. I slung the bow across my back and started making my way down, branch by branch, until I reached the ground. It feels good to be able to hunt. It is peaceful and relaxing, for my worries at home quickly fade away. I get caught in the moment, which eases my mind and I love the thrill of the hunt. I grabbed the dead bunny by its ears and yanked the arrow out of its skull. I wonder when father will be back home and how his arena battle went. He is a tough man. Hopefully he won his fights because that will mean he's bringing back goodies from the city. It would be awesome if he did win, cause he'll bring back fresh bread, drinks, and handful of money. I grabbed a cloth from my back pocket and wiped the blood off from my arrow. I then opened my backpack and dropped the rabbit in. I am sure mother will be happy, for we wont need to eat scraps of food tonight. I turned around and started to make my way back, the sun was setting down and night was on its way.

  When I arrived at the village I saw that everything seemed typical, in the center of the village sat a big blazing fire where people would sit, chat, and also cook if they had food. It looked like most of the hunters were still not back because no one was cooking yet. I was excited to cook and the thought of sizzling the rabbit onto a flame made my stomach growl loudly. I imagined its fatty juices dripping lightly onto the fire, while it steamed into a crispy piece of tender meat. But first I had to go to our hut to skin and clean the creature. Then I would add a little herb and spices to make it an even better meal. I felt accomplished with the rabbit and as I walked I could see others around the fire looking at me in hope that their hunters would be back soon so they could too eat. I got to my hut and noticed that my mother wasn't around, she was probably helping around the village for extra items. She always did odd jobs for people and most of the time it was for acquiring things like cloth to make clothes, food, herbs, etc. She's such a talkative person and she knows everyone in the village. People always smile and wave to her, which is almost the complete opposite of my father. When he is in the village, which is rare because he is usually out fighting in arena battles, he mostly keeps to himself. He drinks some times when he gets into a depressed mode, but other than that he mostly trains for the next fight. Usually it's with Isabella's father for they both compete together. Sometimes they will have to go against each other but that is very rare, for the tournaments are days long, and they usually don’t win first place. But if they even win one fight, they acquire a small amount of gold, and the more they win, the more they get.

  I kneeled down grabbing the rabbit from my backpack. I laid the dead rabbit onto the ground and looked into its open black eyes. I felt a little sad and some remorse for this creature because I took its life. Who knows whether it had a family or baby's to feed and take care of. All I knew is that I had to eat and so did my mother, so this was a necessary task. I grabbed a skinning knife out of my backpack and started by cutting into the rabbits neck. I slickly sliced the knife all the way down into its belly. I opened the rabbit by its stomach and started taking out its organs and every other nasty part. After, I skinned the creature and in front of me laid a nice tender chunk of meat. I grabbed one of the water buckets and cleaned the rabbit thoroughly. I then stuck a long piece of metal into its mouth and pushed it through its butt, so it was sturdy enough to not fall while I was cooking it. I went to the wooden desk next to me and grabbed a couple herbs and spices, then I crushed them in a mixing bowl and added a little water. I put the mixture into a metal pan and rolled the rabbit around in it which coated the meat with a good seasoning. I was finished and the rabbit was ready to cook. I started to head off toward the fire and on my way out of the hut I saw my mother. She smiled with pleasure and gave me a hug. “I see you have our dinner for tonight my son. You did well!” I thanked her and smiled back. “When do you think father will be home?” She pondered for a moment, counting the days he has been gone. “He should be back tonight, or by tomorrow evening, along with Isabellas father.” My smile faded as I herd Isabella's name come out of her mouth.” She looked at me with a glance, and smartly asked,” Is everything okay son?” I looked up into her eyes and nodded, “yes mother, everything is okay.” She pondered for a moment again and took a breath in. “I know that you have a little crush on Isabella, Akira...” I looked at her shocked and said, “No, no, no that's not true mom! She is but only a friend.” My mother glanced at me with a smirk and continued, “her father is very protective and you know that you are not allowed to be with her, he would kill you and it would only hurt our family. Isabella's father wants her to marry Troy. He is a apprentice blacksmith, who makes good money.” I looked down with disappointment and a tear started to form into my left eye. Am I really not good enough for some one like Isabella? Am I good enough for anyone? I am a hunter, and all I can do is provide food. I am worthless to someone as beautiful as her. I wiped the tear out of my eye, acting like I was wiping the sweat from my brow. “I know mother.. I shall go cook the rabbit and bring dinner home for us to eat.” She smiled at me and nodded, walking into the hut.

  I arrived at the village fire, where a few hunters now sat cooking their meals. One had a couple fish, one had a bird, and another had a few large toads. We eat whatever we can get, everyone else who merchants or does other labor like blacksmithing, buys there stuff from the town market if they have the means to get to town. Also, about every other week a man on a horse comes with things from the nearest city, Altura, and he sells his own unique product for a good price. Once in a while I trade goods or money from the things I hunt. That is if I have enough food to feed our family but that’s pretty rare. I sat pondering life, while I slowly cooked the rabbit. Is this really how it is going to be forever? Will I awaken every day to this village, and this mediocre life..? I looked up to the sky, and night was forming in font of me, the sun was gone and the stars started to twinkle brightly.

  I am 20 years old, and in a week from today I will be 21. I have thick black hair that lays unto my eyebrows. My eyes are a vivid green, with a bright yellow ring the flares around my pupils. Engraved under the palm of my left arm is a strange black marking. It consists of five small dots that could form into a star if they were connected together by lines. I remember asking my parents about it but they got all weird and avoided the question, saying that it was a rare birthmark so I never asked again. My face is rough from scars and scratches and my body is built, which was from hunting and practicing fighting with my father. He taught me how to use my hands well, a sword, and how to maneuver my body. He taught me how to fight and trained me since I was a little kid. When I reach the age of 21 I will be able to fight in competitions and hopefully I will be good and acquire a lot of money for our family. I had plans to do great things if I won many competitions. I would be able to take my family into a town or city nearby, and we would live a much better life... I imagined how it would be, how happy we would be. How father could retire, and how mother also wouldn’t have to work again. The people who are good at fighting do win big, and that’s what I want, it is what I need! My thought process came to a halt as I heard a girls voice from behind me. “Hi Akira!!” I blushed lightly as Isabella came from behind me and wrapped her arms around me with a tight hug. I looked up to her and smiled. She is beautiful in every aspect. She has strait, angelic, light blonde hair that lusciously sits under her shoulders. Her face is perfect and she has a cute small nose that fits amazingly between her sparkling, light blue eyes. Her lips are full and her smile always makes my heart beat heavy. She has smooth, baby-like s
kin and her body is very petite. For work she sews clothes together, which she learned from her mother.

  She took a seat next to me and asked curiously, “What are you cooking? It smells delicious!” I looked at her and smirked, “trust me, it is nothing special, only a rabbit.” She looked at me with excitement, “A rabbit!? I love when you cook up rabbit, you some how know how to make any easy meal smell so good!” I chuckled at her and pushed her lightly, “oh you just say that to make me feel better, I am sure you will be eating good tonight!” She glanced at me with a giggle and nodded, “Yes I actually am! Troy recently sold a two-handed long sword for 25 pieces of gold. He used some of the money to buy a large chunk of a steer and provided me and mother with some for free, so we shall be eating good for the next few days!! Surely father will be really happy when he gets home!” I nodded and looked down into the fire with disappointment. Of course Troy did that. Troys great! He