10-20-2016, 01:17 PM
Father/Son Bonding
Spring 2039
Hunting had become life his life. For the past year Nox had been out in the field more times than he could count, and more times that his mother liked. Aurora preferred to do the research and grudgingly went along on the hunt itself. Her nose was always in a book, much like their mother. But their mother also made sure to spend time with Nox.
It was time well spent. It wasn't fighting. But it yielded the same results - perfection of the body. While some people might consider it girlie - his father was one of the people - dancing made Nox aware of what his body was capable of. It wasn't easy to pirouette on the forest floor and actually attempting it could break an ankle. Which was why ballet was for inside only, he could do other things on the forest floor and he did. It ended up more gymnastics than dancing using the trees as bars and vaults and the like. It was good exercise.
But this particular forest adventure had been only him and his dad, in which he was forbidden to 'prance' around the trees like a fool. He'd said, "You look ridiculous." Nox only shrugged and followed his father's instructions.
Failure to comply could mean going home without actually finding their quarry. And Nox really wanted to hunt. They were stalking their prey through the forest, his crossbow as at ready. He wasn't allowed to use firearms in real world situations. He wasn't exactly sure why, but his father said something about a 15 year old shouldn't have such a dangerous weapon. Learn to hit things with the bolt and then you can have a firearm.
Nox had done that but he was still regulated to just a crossbow and a knife at his waist - just in case his father said. Throwing it was a fun endeavor, but it was rarely a good weapon of choice when faced with a hulking beast of whatever variety they hunted.
Aurora and their mother were home safely at the motel they had been holed up in when they got word of a wolfkin in the area. His father had taken them to the sighting of the wolfman and asked around. It had been a diner. The food smelled good - better than anything they had been eating on the road. But his father wouldn't let him eat - he was always hungry and just the smell of food made his stomach rumble. But no food. Not until they hit camp. Food was a distraction. So was a craving. His father must have forgotten what it was like to be a 15 year old boy who was constantly out growing his clothes. Not that he cared anyway.
Sometimes Nox thought he and his sister were unplanned. But their mother reassured them that they were loved. Still didn't mitigate that fact that they were an inconvenience until they could hunt. They were of age now, but still treated like the same inconvenience.
There were several couples in booths and his father told him to sit on the bar with a glass of water and listen. Nox watched while his father went to the nearest table and asked about the place in general. If they were regulars. When they weren't he went on to the next table. Asking the same questions.
Four of the five tables turned up nothing and his father came back to him without hitting that fifth table. "Why didn't you talk to those two men?"
They were sitting holding hands and whispering closely across the table but the look that his father gave them and then him when he turned back to Nox wasn't friendly - it was almost a snarl.
"They won't know anything."
"They could."
Nox said flatly then sipped from his water. His father took the glass from his hand and almost smashed it into the counter.
"Are you questioning me?"
"No sir."
Nox quickly spat out before his father turned back to them. They had stopped whispering and were staring at them now. Nox looked away from them with a sense that he'd violated some sort of privacy, but it wasn't because they were looking at the couple that Nox felt ashamed - his father was making a scene over nothing. "Let's ask the staff so we can go."
His father order a piece of pie and pushed it in front of Nox. Nox ate quickly while his father asked the waitress about the wolfman. He listened to the questions and the answers she gave.
The two men walked past them. His father muttered under his breath as he watched them holding hands. "That is so wrong." He picked up the last bite of pie on Nox's plate and popped into his mouth and dropped the cash and tip on the table. The tip only amounting to a few coins after tax. Nox wanted to say something but knew better.
The waitress information lead them around the corner and down the path they were currently traveling in the middle of a forested area of the town they were in. The forest was much more pleasant that the city streets. Tracking was easier when you could look at the dirt for foot prints and see snapped twigs. It was so much more difficult in the city to track.
Nox's fathered waved him off to the side so they could flank the beast they were hunting. Nox could see the man hunched over and gnawing at something. Nox was not paying attention and a twig snapped under his feet and the wolfkin's golden eyes fell upon him.
It was moments before the beast was upon him. The crossbow was steady in front of him. But the wolfman looked almost human, except for the golden eyes and the blood covering his mouth he could have been like one of the guys at the diner. Except Nox knew better. The small moment of hesitation as the beast collided with Nox was too much and the crossbow flew to the side.
Gasping for air, Nox reached for the knife at his belt while the creature clawed at him and tried to bite him. Nox was barely able to keep the large and stronger man from the tender flesh of his neck. The sting in his arms as his nail dug into his skin was starting to make his arms ache.
The knife from his belt sank into the tender flesh of the wolfman's midsection and it howled in pain just as another knife came crashing down into the beasts skull and collapsing on top of Nox.
Nox lay there in stunned silence as his father pushed the beast off of him. He could feel the blood oozing through his clothes. And he knew he was in for a berating, but he was alive - that was all that mattered to him in that moment. He was alive.
Edited by Nox, Oct 20 2016, 01:23 PM.
Spring 2039
Hunting had become life his life. For the past year Nox had been out in the field more times than he could count, and more times that his mother liked. Aurora preferred to do the research and grudgingly went along on the hunt itself. Her nose was always in a book, much like their mother. But their mother also made sure to spend time with Nox.
It was time well spent. It wasn't fighting. But it yielded the same results - perfection of the body. While some people might consider it girlie - his father was one of the people - dancing made Nox aware of what his body was capable of. It wasn't easy to pirouette on the forest floor and actually attempting it could break an ankle. Which was why ballet was for inside only, he could do other things on the forest floor and he did. It ended up more gymnastics than dancing using the trees as bars and vaults and the like. It was good exercise.
But this particular forest adventure had been only him and his dad, in which he was forbidden to 'prance' around the trees like a fool. He'd said, "You look ridiculous." Nox only shrugged and followed his father's instructions.
Failure to comply could mean going home without actually finding their quarry. And Nox really wanted to hunt. They were stalking their prey through the forest, his crossbow as at ready. He wasn't allowed to use firearms in real world situations. He wasn't exactly sure why, but his father said something about a 15 year old shouldn't have such a dangerous weapon. Learn to hit things with the bolt and then you can have a firearm.
Nox had done that but he was still regulated to just a crossbow and a knife at his waist - just in case his father said. Throwing it was a fun endeavor, but it was rarely a good weapon of choice when faced with a hulking beast of whatever variety they hunted.
Aurora and their mother were home safely at the motel they had been holed up in when they got word of a wolfkin in the area. His father had taken them to the sighting of the wolfman and asked around. It had been a diner. The food smelled good - better than anything they had been eating on the road. But his father wouldn't let him eat - he was always hungry and just the smell of food made his stomach rumble. But no food. Not until they hit camp. Food was a distraction. So was a craving. His father must have forgotten what it was like to be a 15 year old boy who was constantly out growing his clothes. Not that he cared anyway.
Sometimes Nox thought he and his sister were unplanned. But their mother reassured them that they were loved. Still didn't mitigate that fact that they were an inconvenience until they could hunt. They were of age now, but still treated like the same inconvenience.
There were several couples in booths and his father told him to sit on the bar with a glass of water and listen. Nox watched while his father went to the nearest table and asked about the place in general. If they were regulars. When they weren't he went on to the next table. Asking the same questions.
Four of the five tables turned up nothing and his father came back to him without hitting that fifth table. "Why didn't you talk to those two men?"
They were sitting holding hands and whispering closely across the table but the look that his father gave them and then him when he turned back to Nox wasn't friendly - it was almost a snarl.
"They won't know anything."
"They could."
Nox said flatly then sipped from his water. His father took the glass from his hand and almost smashed it into the counter.
"Are you questioning me?"
"No sir."
Nox quickly spat out before his father turned back to them. They had stopped whispering and were staring at them now. Nox looked away from them with a sense that he'd violated some sort of privacy, but it wasn't because they were looking at the couple that Nox felt ashamed - his father was making a scene over nothing. "Let's ask the staff so we can go."
His father order a piece of pie and pushed it in front of Nox. Nox ate quickly while his father asked the waitress about the wolfman. He listened to the questions and the answers she gave.
The two men walked past them. His father muttered under his breath as he watched them holding hands. "That is so wrong." He picked up the last bite of pie on Nox's plate and popped into his mouth and dropped the cash and tip on the table. The tip only amounting to a few coins after tax. Nox wanted to say something but knew better.
The waitress information lead them around the corner and down the path they were currently traveling in the middle of a forested area of the town they were in. The forest was much more pleasant that the city streets. Tracking was easier when you could look at the dirt for foot prints and see snapped twigs. It was so much more difficult in the city to track.
Nox's fathered waved him off to the side so they could flank the beast they were hunting. Nox could see the man hunched over and gnawing at something. Nox was not paying attention and a twig snapped under his feet and the wolfkin's golden eyes fell upon him.
It was moments before the beast was upon him. The crossbow was steady in front of him. But the wolfman looked almost human, except for the golden eyes and the blood covering his mouth he could have been like one of the guys at the diner. Except Nox knew better. The small moment of hesitation as the beast collided with Nox was too much and the crossbow flew to the side.
Gasping for air, Nox reached for the knife at his belt while the creature clawed at him and tried to bite him. Nox was barely able to keep the large and stronger man from the tender flesh of his neck. The sting in his arms as his nail dug into his skin was starting to make his arms ache.
The knife from his belt sank into the tender flesh of the wolfman's midsection and it howled in pain just as another knife came crashing down into the beasts skull and collapsing on top of Nox.
Nox lay there in stunned silence as his father pushed the beast off of him. He could feel the blood oozing through his clothes. And he knew he was in for a berating, but he was alive - that was all that mattered to him in that moment. He was alive.
Edited by Nox, Oct 20 2016, 01:23 PM.
![[Image: nox_sig.gif]](http://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/nox_sig.gif)