Cross Ange: The Glitch In The System (Discontinued)

CHAPTER 1 CAL

Spring was coming to an end and summer would soon begin. Grass that once stood emerald green had begun to yellow and trees that beamed with life as the new leaves and plants were now sprouting signs of withering from the lack of rain. It was the time of year where in civilized places, people would be watering their cars or enjoying a picnic in the park. In wild places like the forest, the animals were more likely to be seen this time of year. Mostly rabbits, red squirrels and if you were lucky even the occasional deer.

In one of these wild places, an island far from the mainland, a teenage boy crouched in the bush. He was average height for his age with room still to grow and the slim athletic build one would expect from one who spent most of his time outdoors. His grey pants were old and worn as was his favorite t-shirt which had faded from dark blue to nearly the same sky blue as his eyes. The one item of clothing that seemed to be fresh condition were his boots. There were a lot of poisonous snakes in the scrub, so Gramps always insisted he wear good foot protection. Other than that, so long as Cal wasn't running around nude the state of his clothes didn't really bother him. Not it would matter either way since the two of them were the only ones living on the whole island.

Wiping the sweat out of his short spiky black hair, Cal peeked over the edge of the scrub and saw that he was near one of the major game trails. No sign of movement so he ducked back down and crept along. No trace of scat or any other marking scents so he doubted anything had come through recently. The shadows were getting long and the air seemed a little chillier. It was going to be dark soon but before he turned to head back in the opposite direction, he came across the game trail and finally saw the dents in the soft mud.

As he examined the tracks, he realized it was the Stag he had been tracking for the past two days. He followed the tracks over the top of a hill that he knew led to a low precipice. Upon reaching the summit, he peered over and finally spotted the buck drinking at a small lake. Cal was currently downwind, so he knew he had better act fast before the wind shifted. From off his back, he unhooked the black crossbow and loaded one of the bolts clipped to the underside of the crossbar. Hunkering down for stability, the crossbow was brought up to take aim as Cal took in a light breath and held it. As if sensing itself in danger, the Stag lifted its head to look in his direction just as Cal squeezed the trigger to plant the bolt right into its throat and sending it crashing into the shallows of the lake's end.

With a sigh of relief, Cal dropped down the cliff edge. After fishing his catch out of the water, Cal dragged it into the woods to field dress it.

That was another benefit of doing this in worn clothes. Nicer ones would be ruined from all the blood and viscera and time was of the essence when hunting fresh meat. After gutting and drainage were complete, Cal slung the now empty carcass over his shoulders and whistled as he made his way home. Finally, bright yellow lights appeared through the trees and a cabin came into view. It was the place he had called home for as long as he could remember. Up onto the porch he climbed and through the open door he went to find his Grandfather Gaz sitting in the living room. Gaz was a tall muscular man with long greying brown hair tied in a ponytail. At the moment, Gramps was watching the Women's semi-finals Iaria on a Mana screen. Iaria was a sport that involved a team of players who rode two person flying sleds. One used the Light of Mana to control the sled while the other used a net on a long stick to catch the ball which they would then try to throw into the other team's goal. From what he could see, it was the Crimson Swallows vs The Silver Doe's and from the looks of things the Silver Doe's had won 11-7. It wasn't Cal's favorite sport by far, but he did like to watch the Women's division. Cal had never had any interaction with anyone apart from Gramps but for the last few years he had developed an increasing fascination with women's sports. It intrigued him how different they were from him and how they looked when they moved. Gramps liked to kid him how he had something called a "fetish" for strong women. Cal still wasn't quite sure what a "fetish" was but since Gramps had given him 'THE TALK' he always liked to watch a lot of women's sports and movies where the lead was a brave and fearless heroine. Finally, Gramps looked up from the Mana screen.