"Humph!"
Letting the bear fall down on the ground, the villagers were astonished. It had been another week, and the blazing sun had now melted the snow. Due to this, the bears came out of hibernation, allowing him to bring them back for meat rather than having the villagers be scared to scavenge out of fear of not coming back.
Talia was also trying to do her part, attempting to wash clothes with the herbalists' son, Capitus. He was a frail boy, in all honesty—his honeydew eyes and blonde hair that fell to his shoulders made him look like he was royalty.
It was also the first time in a while he saw Talia acting like a real kid. Maybe, just maybe, this is why he came here… could this be the key to beating the first nightmare? A misanthrope finding love for those around him. That seemed poetic enough for the spell to do, after all.
So until then, he was going to keep living in this village with Talia, and he was going to keep a hold on to this happiness.
---
The days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months. His and Talia's house was now built with the help of many other villagers. They were now permanent residents here.
"Auro! You're home!"
She ran to him, grabbing his hand and bringing him to the table. Sitting there with her was Capitus, his hair now cut shorter, only going down past his ears.
"He wants to go hunting with you!"
"T-Talia!"
Capitus's face flushed with embarrassment. Throughout the entire village, he was known as a weak but kind boy who helped the younger kids complete tasks so the burden didn't crush the adults. With this came the fact he wasn't allowed to help with hard physical labor… though he most likely couldn't anyways with his skinny arms and legs.
Still, despite that, he was a tenacious boy. And despite the embarrassment he was feeling, Sunny could tell that he wouldn't give up because of it. With a sigh, he put his arm on Capitus's shoulder.
"When do you want to set out?"
The boy's eyes grew wide in shock, a smile growing on his face. There was no point in asking if he was sure—Sunny knew the answer just by looking into his eyes.
"Tomorrow!"
And so, the next day, despite the worry of the herbalists and villagers as a whole, they set out.
---
Drawing the bow back, Sunny shot at a deer. Rather than aiming for the head, he aimed for the heart. Deer were nimble, so aiming somewhere easy to hit and vital was the best bet for beginners.
Sadly, the beginner next to him wasn't strong enough to even pull the string back.
"I'm sorry… I made you bring me out here and…"
Sniffles escaped the boy's nose as his eyes began to water. Sunny couldn't figure out how he should comfort him. After all, the words he spoke could not be denied, and if confirmed, it would only make matters worse.
That's when an idea popped into his head. Not all hunting for meat had to deal with animals three times the size of the boy.
"Don't worry… you know, I was like you before."
"What?!"
His tears seemed to vanish as if they had never existed at all.
"Not a crybaby though."
"Oh."
Coughing, he continued.
"I was weak… I still consider myself weak in many ways. And the way I became strong wasn't even due to my hard work."
Taking the bow in his hand, to Capitus's shock, he snapped it in half. Taking the string, he tied it to the top.
"Even with that said, I never let the fact my strength was given to me stop my growth. Despite me not working for it, I never let myself grow complacent with the power."
Taking one of the tips from the arrows, he used his fingernail to somehow break it, making it into a hook of sorts before tying that to the string.
"Rather, I used the power given to me as a stepping stool to achieve more. It wasn't a gift… it was a tool. And it's up to me—and you—to use the tools given to us."
Handing him the makeshift fishing rod, he smiled at Capitus.
"So don't think of this as a gift or as pity… rather think of this as a tool. A tool for you to grow."
---
Coming back into the village, a boy had a bag hanging across his back that seemed wider than his body. Even more oddly, it seemed to be squirming around, croaking sounds coming from within.
The boy was obviously Capitus, and next to him was Auro. The villagers were already gathered around, awaiting Capitus. After all, this was the first hunt of the boy they all knew couldn't even hunt a caterpillar.
Yet out of all of them, Talia was the most eager.
Setting the bag down and letting it unwrap itself, two dozen flopping fish were laid out. With the brightest smile they had possibly ever seen him have, Capitus spoke:
"I'm home!"
As if they had won a war, they cheered. Then they cooked, then they ate, then they drank, and then they all basked in this one boy's achievement.
He didn't understand why, but Sunny knew this wasn't a normal thing to do for something like catching fish. But he did understand why they did it.
They did it because they were compassionate.
They did it because they were happy.
They did it because they were proud.
They did it because they were human.