Caught by a Hunter

Chapter 1

The day was hot, almost too hot to try and do anything outside but unfortunately staying inside wasn't an option. Not today, especially since the weather was what it was and outside there was a sad little garden waiting for water.

Alderoth had no choice but to find a hat to cover his head and go outside. Now where had he left his watering can? If you dared to even call it a watering can, to him it looked nothing more than a wooden bucket with a broken tube on it... But it was the best he could do. Maybe he might learn how to make something better some day, but right now this just had to do.

While walking towards the tiny pond right next to his little garden Alderoth couldn't stop smiling when thinking about Badruu. Not just him but all of the villagers who had been so generous towards him! Even if he might not have much, just a tiny house and only battered but still perfectly functional tools, he was very lucky. People here were so kind – well, most of them – to help him and many other humans that had appeared out of nowhere.

He hummed while filling the watering can with cold, clean water and he stood up, looking at his reflection. He still wasn't sure if he even recognized the guy that was looking back. How could he if he couldn't even remember anything what happened before he was sent here? Did the Phoenix really sent him here or was it all just some weird coincidence because of... Something? There had to be some reason why humans were appearing here now, him included.

At least for now there was no explanation for that and Alderoth sighed, turning towards his tiny garden. He started watering some tiny sprouts of carrots and onions, occasionally pulling out some weed and cursing some stones that weren't supposed to be there. Obviously he had not done a really good job while cultivating the ground.

There was nothing he could do about it, farming wasn't really his thing but he was doing his best. Even he couldn't eat only fish all the time and he did not have enough money to always just buy everything from Badruu and his family. And he most definitely would not ask any crops for free! He happened to know the family was already struggling to get enough money so they could keep their farm and Alderoth most definitely would not add to their struggles.

Finally, once everything was watered he put away the can and sat on a creaky little chair he had beside his garden and he just looked at his little lot. Yeah, it did not look great, but not that bad either. He had done a pretty good job considering how clueless he had been when he started. He got a lot help from others which was great. Especially from Ashura and he was forever grateful for the old man.

He took off his hat and pulled up his long blue hair with orange stripes, tying it up. It really was too hot to have long hair but somehow he just couldn't bring himself to cut it short. Hopefully this hot weather wouldn't last for too long.

After sitting down a while Alderoth finally got up and he noticed the red mark on his mailbox was up. He had not even noticed it earlier, Auni sure did get up early to take care of mail every morning, the boy was doing a really good job.

He went to fetch his mail and then he finally went back inside where it was nicely cool. Only a few letters, one from Hodari where he asked if he had managed to move that pesky boulder already and if Alderoth needed any help with it. He should write him back and thank him for the offer, but he really had to learn how to take care of things on his own. Okay, maybe if he really wouldn't be able to make that big rock budge even an inch he probably should ask help from a professional...

He put the letter aside and took another, opening it. This one was from Zeki and it made him shudder. The man just would not stop sending him pamphlets of his store! Truth to be told, Alderoth would rather just... stay away from the weird cat-creature. That guy was dangerously smart and it sort of made him feel a bit uneasy. Ashura had assured him that deep down, Zeki really was a good guy but Alderoth didn't really know the man well enough to actually get too close to him.