10-20-2016, 05:29 PM
One Shot
(age 5)
Books were never Nox's thing. But he loved sitting in his father's lap and looking at the pictures in them. The book was full of handwritten words, and old pictures, some of the books the pictures had faded so bad that they looked yellow, the pages were crumpled with use, but his father still liked to flip through them.
Pointing at one the pictures of the men in the book Nox asked, "Who's this?" He knew the answer. But he liked to hear the story anyway. The way his father sounded when he told the story.
Nox smiled when his father started speaking. "That is your grandfather, Noel Durante. And the little boy is me when I was only a few years older than you." The picture was of the results of a hunt. In the picture a big monster hung by his feet from the tops of a tree you couldn't see. The monster was bigger than his grandfather. "And this," his father continued, "is an Oni. Grandpa Noel killed it with just one crossbow bolt." He pointed to the bolt that was still sticking out of the eye of the creature. "That was my first hunt. My father took me out. It was the best day of my life. I was so scared, but I didn't let it stop me. It roared and I wanted to run, but I stood by my dad's side and I held the next bolt waiting for Dad to need it. But he hit it on the first try. Best shot ever."
A smile split his face as he stared off into the memories. In a quieter voice, he said, "Your Grandfather taught me everything he knew. He said I was his right hand." He looked at Nox with a smile. "Like you, Nox. You're my right hand now."
Nox beamed up at his father. "I want to do that one day."
****
(age 7)
Nox wasn't allowed to touch real weapons yet. When Nox showed an interest earlier that year in learning his father gave him a sling. "Learn to hit things with this, then you can learn the crossbow."
Everyday after he finished dancing with his mother - his only time alone with his mother which was always an overheard fight between his parents - Nox made a point of taking the sling and handful of rocks to whatever parking lot or clearing he could find and practicing his aim. Nox made sure his father saw what he had been carrying. On a far building or a nearby tree Nox always carved a small hole the size of a eye in it. He would make that once in a life time shot if it killed him. He wanted to make his father proud. He wanted to have a picture just like the one he remembered in the journals his father made him look through.
To kill an Oni with one shot. He had no idea what it was other than a big ugly creature that gave him nightmares, but he wanted to kill it just like his grandfather had.
****
(age 10)
Nox was supposed to be sleeping but he'd snuck out of his shared room with Aurora to practice with the sling by the moon light. Tomorrow they were supposed to start training with real weapons - a crossbow. To say he was nervous was an understatement. Nox wanted this to go well so he made sure he could hit the mark with the sling. He was still missing the eye by a wide margin. But he knew he'd get better with practice. He'd done so much since his father had taught him how to use it that one time when he was 7.
Getting back into the room was usually easy except tonight his parents had left their door open and as he was sneaking back to his door he heard them fighting.
"Bryan, they are just 10. You can't start training them to kill things now. They are still kids."
"I started younger than they did. I turned out fine. We've waited long enough. And he has to stop prancing around the street and stop putting him in those ...whatever you call them." Leotards Nox thought to himself. He didn't like them, they didn't quite fit well and they weren't very comfortable.
"He likes dancing Bryan, you can't take their childhood away. I won't let you."
"Cleo, we are Atharim. This is what we do. They were born to do this. I have to teach them. Who else is going to do it? You?"
"They are just children. Let them be children. Aurora doesn't even want to do this."
"She shows the most promise. She is willing to listen, to learn. He just cares about that stupid sling and your dancing." Stupid sling... Nox frowned as he looked down at the sling in his hand. The rest of the conversation was lost on Nox as he slipped into his room.
He heard a hiss of air and then the light turned on. "Oooooh. I'm telling."
Nox frowned. "Go back to bed, Aurora. They are fighting again."
She frowned as she strained to listen to the fight next door. "I'm gonna tell Momma and Dad in the morning." She turned off the light and slipped under the covers.
Nox dropped the sling into the garbage near the door and slipped into his own bed. Tomorrow was crossbow day.
-- three weeks later --
Aurora had been true to her word and their father had grounded him for three weeks. Nox had been doing nothing but staring at his school books for three weeks. He wasn't allowed in on weapons training, or anything new their father was starting to show them. He got stuck doing Math and English and all the boring things he hated.
Today was the first day that he was allowed to do anything fun and his mother had grabbed him first thing. "Come Nox, let's practice."
Nox crossed his arms remembering his father calling it stupid. "I don't want to."
"Baby, you like dancing."
"I don't want to." Nox tried to walk away.
"Nox. Stop." He complied. "I have you for the next hour. Your father isn't expecting you until then do you want him to be angry you aren't spending time with me?"
Nox shook his head. "No."
His mother knelt down in front of him like she did when he was a child. "Please, I'll show you a new dance."
"Dancing is stupid."
"You love it." His mother pulled him into a waltz and let him lead. "It's good practice. The more you know how your body works, the better a fighter you can be. Why do you think so many football players take ballet?"
"Because it gives them the grace to get out of the way when someone tries to tackle them."
"Exactly." She smiled down fondly at him. "And you don't want a big Oni to crush you do you?"
Nox shook his head. "No, Momma I don't. I will shoot it in the eye. Soon as I learn how to anyway."
His mother patted him on the head. "You will get there."
****
(age 13)
Today was a big day for Nox. He and Aurora were about to take a test that their father said would determine whether or not they were both ready to go out in the field with them on a real hunt - with real monsters. Nox hadn't slept all night.
He was tired. He yawned into his hand and his sister laughed at him. "You are so going to fail."
Nox rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to fall for the bait. They would get in more trouble if they were caught squabbling than if he just let her pick at him. He'd still get in trouble for not standing up for himself. But one scolding was worse than the other.
Their father sauntered up carrying two crossbows. They'd used them before, but if they passed the test, these were theirs to keep and take care of. If they broke - too bad. No more hunting. But first they had to earn them.
Aurora went first. Nox watched as she pulled the crossbow back and aimed at the target. His hands were shaking. He wasn't sure if it was nerves or lack of sleep or maybe too much coffee. But all they had to do was hit it. They got as many tries as they could take in 30 seconds. The amount of time before they were slashed to pieces by a dreyken. Their father had shown them visuals of a man gutted by one of the vampire like creatures. It wasn't a pretty picture - and it was very motivating. The time included knocking the first bolt in place.
Aurora unleashed the first bolt and it stuck the outer rim of the target. Their father clicked the timer with a smile. "Perfect."
Aurora turned around and gloated with a big grin. "Let's see you do better - little brother."
If he'd been with their mother he'd have stuck his tongue out at his sister, but Nox knew his father disliked childish behavior so he just stepped up to the line and held the crossbow at his side like he was told. "Go." The timer started.
Nox pulled up the crossbow and the first bolt fell to the ground as he fumbled for the release on his weapon. A second fell as well. He could do this. He knew he could. The third bolt was knocked and he released it just as his father clicked the timer. "Time."
Twack! The bolt hit dead center and Nox smiled. But his father was shaking his head. He did't even look to see where he'd hit. "Doesn't matter you are dead."
Nox didn't complain. He just nodded and handed his father the crossbow. There was no point in arguing. Aurora giggled behind her hand. "Told you."
The next day he went with his father despite not passing his father's test. His mother had intervened citing he almost got it and they aren't hunting dreyken.
****
(age 16)
They'd spent three days in mourning. Three fucking days - that was it. Their father dragged them half asleep into the Jeep and out on the road - three days after losing their mother. The Jeep still smelled like sulfur, Nox almost wanted to puke from the stench. But he didn't say anything.
Nox still remembered the screams his mother made. He could hear them in his sleep - what little he got of it anyway. He was living on coffee and chocolate for the past three days trying to stay awake.
They were on their way to a wild bear sighting - in hopes it wasn't a bear. It likely was a bear, but at least their father had stopped drinking long enough to drive sober. Though whenever they stopped he was holding a beer in his hand. To numb the pain he kept saying. Nox didn't understand why he just didn't hit something to make himself feel better. It always seemed to work in the past.
But his father seemed dead set on drinking away the pain. But right now they were stalking an Oni. Wild and free in the forest of the Rocky Mountains. It was fall, the weather was cold and there was snow on the ground. It sucked! But he, nor Aurora complained as they hiked into the forest with only the things they could carry. It was just the three of them.
Aurora had tracked the beast to a cave. They were inside. It was dark. It was just him and his father. It felt good to be hunting again. But it wasn't the same without their mom. Nothing was the same. Everyone was mad at everyone else.
The crossbow was knocked waiting. Unlike the stupid test his father made him take - which he failed spectacularly at and his father and Aurora never let him live it down - Nox was not an idiot - he was ready. Their father was off to his left. The Oni rushed at him - Nox was meant to be the distraction, but his father had gauged the sound wrong and it was closer to him. Nox had to take the shot.
Aim. Fire! The bolt bounced just left of the Oni's left eye. The Oni swung and his father sailed through the air and crashed into a wall. In those few moments Nox hadn't seen where his father had landed nor the direction he was too busy knocking the next bolt into place and aiming. The Oni coming towards him and he let the bolt go.
It was beautiful. It sailed in the quiet of the echoing cave right into the left Oni's eye. Perfect shot. The Oni collapsed to the ground with a wet thud and Nox hurried over to his father. He was just dazed, might have a concussion and a few broken ribs but he was breathing.
Nox burned the Oni's body and helped his father out of the cave where Aurora could tend his wounds. His father's only comment as they walked out of the cave was, "You missed. Again."
****
(age 18)
Two years to the day since their mother had been mauled by a hellhound and they were alone. It was just Nox and Aurora remembering the day their mother died as they drove in silence through the mountains. Their father was only gone a few months. He and Aurora were at each others throats almost constantly now.
Their last hunt hadn't gone as planned. The whole situation was one royal fuck up. The reports said it was a rogue wolf - large, hairy creature attacking women and children and ripping their throats out. They were just kids - they couldn't fake their way into a crime scene. They had to go with what they could ferret out of the locals. That had been the wrong move.
Turned out their rogue wolf was a hulking oni living in their nearby caves for pretty near the last decade from the amount of bones that had littered its cave. He'd gone in alone expecting a kin to be an easy kill.
The roar alone should have told the idiot towns people it wasn't a fucking wolf. Oni didn't scare Nox. There was little that he'd encountered since he started learning about monsters that scared him anymore. The only thing he had nightmares about now was hellhounds. Wasn't a damn fucking thing you could do about a creature you couldn't see or touch. He'd lived his mother's death over and over every night for the past few years. Sleep was precious when he could get it.
The Oni rushed Nox. Nox counted softly to himself as he knocked the bolt. One.... Two... He aimed.... Three... Four ... Five... He pulled the trigger. Six... Seven... Eight.. Thwap! Bulls-eye! The Oni fell seven feet away from Nox, one bolt to the eye. A memory flashed to his mind. Sitting in his father's lap - a picture of his father and his grandfather. It had been a happy memory ... once. He pushed it away with a bitter taste in his mouth. "Fuck you," he mumbled to himself. He wasn't going to honor the man who gave up - fucking drank himself to death - couldn't even die a hunter. Nox doused the body in an accelerant and tossed a match and left the cave with little more ceremony than he had entered.
Edited by Nox, Oct 20 2016, 05:30 PM.
(age 5)
Books were never Nox's thing. But he loved sitting in his father's lap and looking at the pictures in them. The book was full of handwritten words, and old pictures, some of the books the pictures had faded so bad that they looked yellow, the pages were crumpled with use, but his father still liked to flip through them.
Pointing at one the pictures of the men in the book Nox asked, "Who's this?" He knew the answer. But he liked to hear the story anyway. The way his father sounded when he told the story.
Nox smiled when his father started speaking. "That is your grandfather, Noel Durante. And the little boy is me when I was only a few years older than you." The picture was of the results of a hunt. In the picture a big monster hung by his feet from the tops of a tree you couldn't see. The monster was bigger than his grandfather. "And this," his father continued, "is an Oni. Grandpa Noel killed it with just one crossbow bolt." He pointed to the bolt that was still sticking out of the eye of the creature. "That was my first hunt. My father took me out. It was the best day of my life. I was so scared, but I didn't let it stop me. It roared and I wanted to run, but I stood by my dad's side and I held the next bolt waiting for Dad to need it. But he hit it on the first try. Best shot ever."
A smile split his face as he stared off into the memories. In a quieter voice, he said, "Your Grandfather taught me everything he knew. He said I was his right hand." He looked at Nox with a smile. "Like you, Nox. You're my right hand now."
Nox beamed up at his father. "I want to do that one day."
****
(age 7)
Nox wasn't allowed to touch real weapons yet. When Nox showed an interest earlier that year in learning his father gave him a sling. "Learn to hit things with this, then you can learn the crossbow."
Everyday after he finished dancing with his mother - his only time alone with his mother which was always an overheard fight between his parents - Nox made a point of taking the sling and handful of rocks to whatever parking lot or clearing he could find and practicing his aim. Nox made sure his father saw what he had been carrying. On a far building or a nearby tree Nox always carved a small hole the size of a eye in it. He would make that once in a life time shot if it killed him. He wanted to make his father proud. He wanted to have a picture just like the one he remembered in the journals his father made him look through.
To kill an Oni with one shot. He had no idea what it was other than a big ugly creature that gave him nightmares, but he wanted to kill it just like his grandfather had.
****
(age 10)
Nox was supposed to be sleeping but he'd snuck out of his shared room with Aurora to practice with the sling by the moon light. Tomorrow they were supposed to start training with real weapons - a crossbow. To say he was nervous was an understatement. Nox wanted this to go well so he made sure he could hit the mark with the sling. He was still missing the eye by a wide margin. But he knew he'd get better with practice. He'd done so much since his father had taught him how to use it that one time when he was 7.
Getting back into the room was usually easy except tonight his parents had left their door open and as he was sneaking back to his door he heard them fighting.
"Bryan, they are just 10. You can't start training them to kill things now. They are still kids."
"I started younger than they did. I turned out fine. We've waited long enough. And he has to stop prancing around the street and stop putting him in those ...whatever you call them." Leotards Nox thought to himself. He didn't like them, they didn't quite fit well and they weren't very comfortable.
"He likes dancing Bryan, you can't take their childhood away. I won't let you."
"Cleo, we are Atharim. This is what we do. They were born to do this. I have to teach them. Who else is going to do it? You?"
"They are just children. Let them be children. Aurora doesn't even want to do this."
"She shows the most promise. She is willing to listen, to learn. He just cares about that stupid sling and your dancing." Stupid sling... Nox frowned as he looked down at the sling in his hand. The rest of the conversation was lost on Nox as he slipped into his room.
He heard a hiss of air and then the light turned on. "Oooooh. I'm telling."
Nox frowned. "Go back to bed, Aurora. They are fighting again."
She frowned as she strained to listen to the fight next door. "I'm gonna tell Momma and Dad in the morning." She turned off the light and slipped under the covers.
Nox dropped the sling into the garbage near the door and slipped into his own bed. Tomorrow was crossbow day.
-- three weeks later --
Aurora had been true to her word and their father had grounded him for three weeks. Nox had been doing nothing but staring at his school books for three weeks. He wasn't allowed in on weapons training, or anything new their father was starting to show them. He got stuck doing Math and English and all the boring things he hated.
Today was the first day that he was allowed to do anything fun and his mother had grabbed him first thing. "Come Nox, let's practice."
Nox crossed his arms remembering his father calling it stupid. "I don't want to."
"Baby, you like dancing."
"I don't want to." Nox tried to walk away.
"Nox. Stop." He complied. "I have you for the next hour. Your father isn't expecting you until then do you want him to be angry you aren't spending time with me?"
Nox shook his head. "No."
His mother knelt down in front of him like she did when he was a child. "Please, I'll show you a new dance."
"Dancing is stupid."
"You love it." His mother pulled him into a waltz and let him lead. "It's good practice. The more you know how your body works, the better a fighter you can be. Why do you think so many football players take ballet?"
"Because it gives them the grace to get out of the way when someone tries to tackle them."
"Exactly." She smiled down fondly at him. "And you don't want a big Oni to crush you do you?"
Nox shook his head. "No, Momma I don't. I will shoot it in the eye. Soon as I learn how to anyway."
His mother patted him on the head. "You will get there."
****
(age 13)
Today was a big day for Nox. He and Aurora were about to take a test that their father said would determine whether or not they were both ready to go out in the field with them on a real hunt - with real monsters. Nox hadn't slept all night.
He was tired. He yawned into his hand and his sister laughed at him. "You are so going to fail."
Nox rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to fall for the bait. They would get in more trouble if they were caught squabbling than if he just let her pick at him. He'd still get in trouble for not standing up for himself. But one scolding was worse than the other.
Their father sauntered up carrying two crossbows. They'd used them before, but if they passed the test, these were theirs to keep and take care of. If they broke - too bad. No more hunting. But first they had to earn them.
Aurora went first. Nox watched as she pulled the crossbow back and aimed at the target. His hands were shaking. He wasn't sure if it was nerves or lack of sleep or maybe too much coffee. But all they had to do was hit it. They got as many tries as they could take in 30 seconds. The amount of time before they were slashed to pieces by a dreyken. Their father had shown them visuals of a man gutted by one of the vampire like creatures. It wasn't a pretty picture - and it was very motivating. The time included knocking the first bolt in place.
Aurora unleashed the first bolt and it stuck the outer rim of the target. Their father clicked the timer with a smile. "Perfect."
Aurora turned around and gloated with a big grin. "Let's see you do better - little brother."
If he'd been with their mother he'd have stuck his tongue out at his sister, but Nox knew his father disliked childish behavior so he just stepped up to the line and held the crossbow at his side like he was told. "Go." The timer started.
Nox pulled up the crossbow and the first bolt fell to the ground as he fumbled for the release on his weapon. A second fell as well. He could do this. He knew he could. The third bolt was knocked and he released it just as his father clicked the timer. "Time."
Twack! The bolt hit dead center and Nox smiled. But his father was shaking his head. He did't even look to see where he'd hit. "Doesn't matter you are dead."
Nox didn't complain. He just nodded and handed his father the crossbow. There was no point in arguing. Aurora giggled behind her hand. "Told you."
The next day he went with his father despite not passing his father's test. His mother had intervened citing he almost got it and they aren't hunting dreyken.
****
(age 16)
They'd spent three days in mourning. Three fucking days - that was it. Their father dragged them half asleep into the Jeep and out on the road - three days after losing their mother. The Jeep still smelled like sulfur, Nox almost wanted to puke from the stench. But he didn't say anything.
Nox still remembered the screams his mother made. He could hear them in his sleep - what little he got of it anyway. He was living on coffee and chocolate for the past three days trying to stay awake.
They were on their way to a wild bear sighting - in hopes it wasn't a bear. It likely was a bear, but at least their father had stopped drinking long enough to drive sober. Though whenever they stopped he was holding a beer in his hand. To numb the pain he kept saying. Nox didn't understand why he just didn't hit something to make himself feel better. It always seemed to work in the past.
But his father seemed dead set on drinking away the pain. But right now they were stalking an Oni. Wild and free in the forest of the Rocky Mountains. It was fall, the weather was cold and there was snow on the ground. It sucked! But he, nor Aurora complained as they hiked into the forest with only the things they could carry. It was just the three of them.
Aurora had tracked the beast to a cave. They were inside. It was dark. It was just him and his father. It felt good to be hunting again. But it wasn't the same without their mom. Nothing was the same. Everyone was mad at everyone else.
The crossbow was knocked waiting. Unlike the stupid test his father made him take - which he failed spectacularly at and his father and Aurora never let him live it down - Nox was not an idiot - he was ready. Their father was off to his left. The Oni rushed at him - Nox was meant to be the distraction, but his father had gauged the sound wrong and it was closer to him. Nox had to take the shot.
Aim. Fire! The bolt bounced just left of the Oni's left eye. The Oni swung and his father sailed through the air and crashed into a wall. In those few moments Nox hadn't seen where his father had landed nor the direction he was too busy knocking the next bolt into place and aiming. The Oni coming towards him and he let the bolt go.
It was beautiful. It sailed in the quiet of the echoing cave right into the left Oni's eye. Perfect shot. The Oni collapsed to the ground with a wet thud and Nox hurried over to his father. He was just dazed, might have a concussion and a few broken ribs but he was breathing.
Nox burned the Oni's body and helped his father out of the cave where Aurora could tend his wounds. His father's only comment as they walked out of the cave was, "You missed. Again."
****
(age 18)
Two years to the day since their mother had been mauled by a hellhound and they were alone. It was just Nox and Aurora remembering the day their mother died as they drove in silence through the mountains. Their father was only gone a few months. He and Aurora were at each others throats almost constantly now.
Their last hunt hadn't gone as planned. The whole situation was one royal fuck up. The reports said it was a rogue wolf - large, hairy creature attacking women and children and ripping their throats out. They were just kids - they couldn't fake their way into a crime scene. They had to go with what they could ferret out of the locals. That had been the wrong move.
Turned out their rogue wolf was a hulking oni living in their nearby caves for pretty near the last decade from the amount of bones that had littered its cave. He'd gone in alone expecting a kin to be an easy kill.
The roar alone should have told the idiot towns people it wasn't a fucking wolf. Oni didn't scare Nox. There was little that he'd encountered since he started learning about monsters that scared him anymore. The only thing he had nightmares about now was hellhounds. Wasn't a damn fucking thing you could do about a creature you couldn't see or touch. He'd lived his mother's death over and over every night for the past few years. Sleep was precious when he could get it.
The Oni rushed Nox. Nox counted softly to himself as he knocked the bolt. One.... Two... He aimed.... Three... Four ... Five... He pulled the trigger. Six... Seven... Eight.. Thwap! Bulls-eye! The Oni fell seven feet away from Nox, one bolt to the eye. A memory flashed to his mind. Sitting in his father's lap - a picture of his father and his grandfather. It had been a happy memory ... once. He pushed it away with a bitter taste in his mouth. "Fuck you," he mumbled to himself. He wasn't going to honor the man who gave up - fucking drank himself to death - couldn't even die a hunter. Nox doused the body in an accelerant and tossed a match and left the cave with little more ceremony than he had entered.
Edited by Nox, Oct 20 2016, 05:30 PM.
![[Image: nox_sig.gif]](http://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/nox_sig.gif)