Ava, The Huntress of Hammerlocke.

chapter III: bittersweet echoes

Ava: "It's been three months since I met Bo. He's a seasoned outdoorsman with a wealth of survival skills, and he's taken me under his wing and shown me the ropes. A few weeks ago, I learned how to skin an animal without butchering the meat, and Bo patiently guided me through the process, emphasizing the importance of preserving every usable part of the animal. Then, the following week, I had the opportunity to put my newfound skills to the test when I made a rabbit hide into a berry pouch. Bo's expertise and encouragement made this task not only achievable but also incredibly rewarding.

Yesterday was another enlightening day as Bo taught me how to distinguish between edible and poisonous berries. I found it fascinating to learn about the various types of berries that nature provides and the importance of being able to identify them in the wild.

Today, Bo mentioned that he'd teach me archery. I'm eager to delve into this new skill and learn the art of using a bow and arrow for hunting and self-defense. Bo's patience and dedication to teaching me these valuable skills have been truly remarkable.

Tomorrow is my birthday, and I can't help but wonder what Bo has in store for me. His thoughtful and practical approach to teaching has already made these past few months unforgettable. Well, see you tomorrow."

Ava finishes writing, closes her notebook, tucks it into her hip pouch, and stands up to find Bo. She wanders the camp for a little while. Ava finds Bo currently making tea over a campfire. Ava silently sits down next to Bo.
Bo: "Good morning, Ava; you look like you slept well."
He says with a small smile, seemingly glad that Ava is doing better. She had trouble sleeping for the first few months that she'd been with Bo.

Ava: "I slept... Better, I guess; thanks for worrying about me, Bo. It means a lot." Ava changes the subject, "What are you making?" She requests to shift the focus away from her thoughts.
Bo: "Just some tea, do you want some?" Bo asks. He hasn't seen Ava drink anything since yesterday morning.
Ava: "Oh uhm- yeah, I would appreciate some. Thank you, Bo.." Bo, not trying to pry in on Ava's obvious worry. Pours her some tea and hands it to Ava.
Bo: "Be careful, it's hot. A burn on the tongue doesn't have many ways to fix it." Bo warns Ava, making sure that she's okay.

As Ava raises her cup of tea to her lips, she pauses and gently blows on it to cool it down. Just before she takes a sip, a group of mercenaries emerges from the forest clearing. Bo quickly sits up, grabs his sword, and steps in front of Ava protectively. Upon closer inspection, he realizes that they are not mercenaries, but rather ghouls - the reanimated dead from the black desert, a place rumored to be where wandering souls roam free.

Bo: "Ava, if one gets past me, grab your knife. Go for the neck, if you can't reach it, go for the heart." Ava's heart pounds in her chest. "I've never killed anyone before!" "What if I get grabbed?" "What if Bo gets hurt?" The questions rush to her head, Ava unsheathes her knife just in case. Bo takes the first move, he steps forward with a swing. His sword cleaves through one of the ghoul's chests; the ghoul's chest splits open from the gash, and it drops down onto the ground, dead.

As Bo is fighting. One of the ghouls slips past his eye and shambles closer to Ava. Ava backs away out of fear.. and into a tree, unable to back up more. The ghoul grabs her and tries to bite her. Ava instinctively puts her knife into the ghoul's head. The ghoul falls against Ava, pinning her under its corpse. Bo, who has killed the last two, turns to check if Ava is okay and sees her under the corpse of the ghouls that attacked her. Bo runs up to her and pulls the corpse off of Ava..  she's holding the knife. Now coated in the ghouls blood. Her clothes were covered in thick, brown blood as well. Her eyes are wide. And she seems frozen in fear...

Bo: "Are you alright? Spirits above..." He says, noticing the blood all over her.. she looks petrified in fear... Bo doesn't say more.. he hugs her tightly... Seemingly thankful she's okay.
Bo: "Thank goodness you're alright. If you would have been hurt, I don't know what I'd do..." He says with a twinge of guilt... "I should have paid more attention to her." "I shouldn't have gotten ahead of myself," the thoughts rushing in his head. Blaming himself for the occurrence.

Ava: "I-i- I'm alright... Bo..." She says with a still freaked-out expression. Ava looks up at Bo with worried eyes.
Ava: "Are you okay, Bo? You seem... Sad..." She asks with a quiet voice. Bo nods, not wanting to cause her to panic.
Bo: "I'm alright, just- it was terrifying... I thought something happened; I'm glad you're okay, little one.." Ava nods, and hugs Bo tightly. Bo reciprocates.. hugging her back gently... They pull away; Bo does one final check to see if she's okay and walks away to move the bodies out of camp.

As time ticks by, Ava catches sight of Bo setting up a target at a considerable distance from the camp. Bo sees Ava observing with interest and invites her to join him.
Bo: "Well, Ava. You know about how that ghoul got you?" Ava nods. Bo continues.
Bo: "Well, I think it's high time that you can defend yourself properly." Bo handed Ava a beautifully crafted bow along with a quiver brimming with arrows. Ava accepted the bow with a nod of gratitude as Bo secured the quiver strap over her shoulder, ensuring she was ready for the task ahead.

Bo: "Now, what I want you to do is put one hand on the bow's grip. Alright?" Ava nods. And puts her hand on the grip of the Bow. Bo gently moves her fingers to the right spots until she's holding it perfectly.
Bo: "Now, I need you to take an arrow from your quiver." Grabs an arrow. As Bo instructs.
Bo: "Put the string of the bow in between the gap in the bottom of the arrow. And hold it in place by squeezing it with your thumb and index. Okay?" Ava does as Bo says. She takes the arrow and puts the string in between the gap. She squeezes the arrow between her index finger and thumb.
Ava: "Like this, Bo?" Bo took a knee next to Ava and gently fixed her hold on the arrow.
Bo: "Perfect." Ava smiles slightly. She looks nervous like she might accidentally hurt Bo or herself.
Bo: "Now, pull the arrow and string back as far as you can up to your ear, and aim up slightly to account for the drop on the arrow. Alright?" Ava does as he says.

Ava, having drawn the bow back. Aims upwards just a bit. Straightens her stance like Bo showed. And let's go, the arrow flies a bit over the target. Dirt flies up as the arrow collides and digs into the ground.
Bo: "No worries, now. Again, but a bit lower now that you know the drop."
Ava repeats the steps. She pulls the string back and aims a bit lower than before; Ava lets go of the string. A bit too low. She groans angrily. Mad at herself for not being able to hit it..

Bo: "Hey, hey... it takes practice. Okay? No worries, you can't go about life expecting to be great at every moment."  Ava sighs.
Ava: "But what about you? You're fearless. You stepped up to those- things. You didn't even look afraid!" Bo smiles slightly, understanding her misconception. Then puts his hand on Ava's shoulders.
Bo: "I was terrified... But I knew if I didn't fight, we could have been killed..." Ava looks surprised. And nods. Bo continues, "Just because I didn't back down. That doesn't mean I'm afraid, Ava. Never mistake courage for fear." Ava nods as she takes in what Bo says. She looks up at Bo..

Ava: "I'm ready to try again." Ava says as she picks up her Bow... She grabs an arrow and puts it on the string, the string slots into the gap in the bottom of the arrow. She pulls it back. She closes her eyes.. Ava remembers the night she met Bo..
Her dad's voice... "Ava! Run!" She doesn't want to run anymore... She's done hiding, she has Bo. And she needs to learn to be brave.. she lets go, she hears a wooden pop as the arrow hits the target... Bullseye.