Disclaimer: I do not own Fantasy Life or Level-5, just my OC.

Parts of the story are slightly inspired by "Saffron's Fantasy Life" (Original and Rewritten) by Miko 2495.


Passing through the Artisan's District was easier than Azura had expected. Usually when she passed through here it would be bustling with people going between the material shops, the bar, and the workshop. "I'm guessing it hasn't hit rush hour yet," she remarked once they got to the gate.

"Have you been outside here often, Azura?" Flutter asked from her neck.

"Yeah. Usually I swipe a bow from Fern's collection to keep up my practice, or I do jogging now and then. That's when I'm not nose deep in a book."

"Wait, you stole a bow?!"

"I borrowed it, Flutter. I always return it. Plus, Fern and I have an… agreement, I guess. Oh, we're here."

The two found themselves outside the house of the Hunter Master, Fern. Fern herself was having a smoke. "No-good oaf…" the hunter muttered. From what Azura knew of Fern, she only had one pupil, and he was as lazy as they came. Fortunately, she hadn't met him, but knew his name: Pete.

"Hey, Fern." The hunter looked up to see Azura approach.

"Oh… Hawk. Here to practice again?"

Azura shook her head. "Not exactly." She pulled out her licence and showed it to Fern. "I finally got my Hunter Licence, so now-"

"No."

"Is it Pete again?"

Fern sighed. "Fine… That pile of lazybones is probably napping in the sheep pen south of here. Now you have a Licence, you can… properly show him a thing or two. Here's your Novice Bow. Now go get him."

The Fledgling Hunter: At One with Nature

Taking it, Azura and Flutter set off towards South Castele. But something was on the butterfly's mind.

"Hey, Azura."

"What is it?"

"Why did Fern call you the Hawk? I remember Butch saying it earlier, too."

"It's because I'm very perceptive, and a good judge of character at almost a glance. Apparently." Azura shook her head. "Honestly, I don't get the name. You'd have to ask Fern – she was the one who coined it."

"Oh, okay."

"I'm also pretty good with a bow, but put a sword or claymore in my hand, and I won't be doing much. Never been taught swordplay."

"Huh."

The rest of the trip was silent. Soon, the only noise was the sheep in the pen. Oh, and the snoring of a certain boy of a certain round shape and a certain weight.

"So," she remarked as the boy slowly woke up. "You're this 'Pete' I keep hearing about?" He really is as lazy as they come. Barely used his bow, too. Usually there'd be blisters, but this guy's fingers are as clean as a whistle!

"Yep. I'm Huntin' Pete, Fern's number one pupil and hunting partner!" Pete replied, puffing up his chest.

You're her only pupil… Azura thought, resisting a scoff.

"If yer wanna be a Hunter, then sorry but-"

"'Fern keeps to herself' is what you're gonna say. I wonder why…" Azura didn't bother to hide her sarcasm, earning a glare from Pete. Not that she cared. The boy then 'instructed' her how to use her bow and arrow, oblivious to the annoyed look on her face that said: I already know, you doofus.

Ignoring Pete, Azura looked at the target, which only had a few dents and holes on the outer rings. She pulled out her bow and an arrow from the quiver nearby and took her position, as Flutter flew off and landed nearby. Narrowing her eyes, she nocked and drew the arrow, aiming for the target.

After a moment, she released.

The arrow whizzed through the air and hit right in the bullseye. Pete tried to push it off as beginner's luck but was soon in disbelief as Azura fired three more arrows, each one hitting the same spot and tearing the arrow. And destroying the target as well. Guess it was more brittle than I thought.

"And that's why practice makes perfect," she remarked. Pete was about to say something before being interrupted by a cackle from Granny Cotton – Pete's grandmother. Azura had seen her around before and got along well with her in the few times they met.

"Looks like you're not as good as you keep saying," she said.

Pete huffed. "I am! I'm just… waiting for the right moment."

Azura just sighed. "What moment? Archery ability doesn't come from inspiration. It comes from practice."

"What would you know about archery?"

"More than you, apparently."

"Enough, you two," Granny Cotton said. "Now, what about that young fellow over there?"

"Ugh… so… hungry…"

Azura heard the weak voice from the man lying slumped near the fence. She noticed him, but thought he was asleep. Coming closer, the man turned his face and groaned again.

"So… hungry… need… honey…"

"Honey?" Azura asked.

"It's an old Hunter's proverb," Granny Cotton replied. "'When your belly's empty, eat Honey aplenty.' Honey's full of energy. There's a tree south of here."

"Alright," Azura said as Flutter retook her place on her neck. Pete insisted on coming along, despite Azura's remarks that he didn't need to, so he came along anyway.

"Well, at least we'll be able to see how good Pete is," Flutter remarked as they jogged to the tree.

I highly doubt that, Azura thought with a frown.

As soon as the three got close to the tree, two Worker Bees suddenly flew out. "Pete, let's-" Azura started to say, only to see him run and hide. Oh, come on…

Suddenly, the two bees were very close. Going with her instincts, as well as her practice, Azura quickly drew an arrow and fired at the closest one, making it disappear in a puff of smoke. Pulling out another arrow, she fired again. The bee dodged the arrow, making it lodge into the tree, before flying forward and stinging her right hand, dropping the third arrow she had just pulled out. Growling in pain, Azura tried to grab another arrow, only to find the quiver empty.

"Crud…" she muttered, dodging the next swipe from the bee. I can't grab the arrow from the ground. Which means…! Running to the tree, she pulled out the arrow. Seeing no time to fire it, she stabbed the arrow into the bee's head, making it too disappear in a puff of smoke.

Breathing heavily, Azura picked up her remaining arrow as Pete came back out from the tree. "Amazing! Not bad for your first attempt… why are you pointing that at me…?"

The boy trailed off as Azura had already drawn her arrow and pointed it squarely at Pete's hat. But to Pete, it seemed to be pointed at his face. "Eep!" He cried as the arrow flew, only for it to hit his hat and lodge it into the cliff. "What was that for?"

"That," Azura replied, annoyance clear on her face. "Was for you not helping."

"Well… you had it under control…?"

"Just… ugh… let's get this honey back." Picking up the grassland honey, Azura ignored Pete's attempts to get his hat back as she made her way back to the sheep pen.


"Ah… my thanks, miss," the hungry man said once he ate the honey. "Name's Fletcher. I was hunting a beast for 3 days straight… and forgot to eat." Azura sighed, while Pete, who had just arrived – with a hole in his hat – was flabbergasted.

"What? How could you forget to eat?" he asked, before he was hit on the head with Granny Cotton's cane.

"You eat like a pig and laze around!" was her remark.

Ignoring it, Azura turned her attention back to Fletcher. "What were you hunting?" she asked.

"A Hootwink. I was tracking it in Castele Forest. It might still be there. Could be a good trophy for Novice Hunters like yourselves…"

"A Hootwink?" Fern asked once Azura and Pete arrived at her house to report. "Those birds are mighty rare. If you manage to get a feather from one, I might recognise your skills as a decent Hunter…"

"So, whoever finds one first becomes a Hunter, huh?" Pete asked. He puffed up his chest and ran off.

"I wasn't done speaking yet," Fern said.

"That Pete," Granny Cotton remarked, walking up. "He's either very lazy or very hasty."

"Neither of those are becoming of an archer, much less a Hunter," Azura said, to the nods of both.

"Well, then, Azura," Granny Cotton said. "It might do Pete some good for you to teach him some humility. Fern?"

Fern nodded. "I guess so. Alright, Hawk, let's see if your skills are up to snuff. You get a Hootwink Feather, and I'll officially make you my pupil."

Azura grinned. "Yes, ma'am."

With that, the girl gave a mock salute, exchanged her quiver, then rushed off into the forest. Fern sighed as she and Granny Cotton looked on. "You two have history?" Granny asked.

"Something like that. That girl's been training seriously with a bow since she was 7, according to her. Caught her borrowing one of my spare bows to practice – about 5 and a half months ago now. Ended up talking a lot about archery for the rest of the day, as well as giving the girl some pointers in quickfiring. From there, we ended up making an agreement – she could borrow my bows to practice, but her first Life would be a Hunter – no questions asked. Of course, this will put her skills to the test."

"I see. That girl has the makings of an excellent Hunter, I can see."

Fern grinned. "That's why she's called the Hawk."


"Now, Flutter, I need you to be quiet as we go through here. If you're talking, I won't be able to hear the sounds of the forest and distinguish our target."

"Oh. Okay, Azura," the butterfly said.

The pair had entered the forest just as Pete was walking out, saying that there was no Hootwink there, before heading to the Grassy Plains. Azura had resisted the urge to tell him the habitat of Hootwinks, remembering that she had to knock him down a few pegs for his own good.

As the girl walked to the back clearing, she heard a rustle in the trees. Narrowing her eyes, she looked around the clearing, before noticing the rustling coming from near a pot. There! she thought, quickly drawing an arrow and firing at the pot.

Klink.

"HOO!"

Suddenly, a purple owl popped out and attacked! "There you are!" Azura cried, drawing another arrow. Pulling it back even further, she released a "Piercing Arrow" – a skill Fletcher taught her after giving him the honey – which hit the Hootwink squarely between the eyes, knocking it to the ground. Azura quickly ran forward and took a feather, before the Hootwink flew off.

She grinned. "Heh. That'll show that lazybones." With that, she rushed back to Fern's house, feather in hand.

Needless to say, once Azura arrived, Fern simply clapped. "Nice work, Hawk. As I expected."

Granny Cotton nodded. "Yes, very nice work, indeed." At that, she gave Azura 500 Dosh as her reward and thanks for her help.

"WHAT?!"

Azura cringed as Pete shouted about how she got the feather before him. But the last remark hit a straw. "You're just a beginner!"

"Enough!" Granny shouted, whacking Pete upside the head again. "Miss Azura, from what I have heard, has been training with a bow far longer than you. As she said before…"

"Practice makes perfect." Granny Cotton, Azura and Flutter said in perfect unison.

"There's a reason she's called the Hawk, Pete," Fern remarked. "If you want to be as good as her – or me, you'd better work your butt off."

"She's the-no way!" Pete shouted as Granny pulled his ear all the way back to the sheep pen. Both Azura and Fern sighed.

"No wonder you didn't want me to see him until now," Azura said. Fern just shrugged.

"Well, someone needed to make him get better. Anyway, let's make this official, shall we?" She cleared her throat. "Azura the Hawk, you are now a Fledgling Hunter and my official pupil. However, nature will be your teacher, not me. Utilise and improve your skills, and you will rise through the ranks in no time."

Azura, smiling at the formality, bowed. "Thank you, Master Fern. I will do my best."

There was silence, the sound of a stomach rumbling, and then snickering from Fern. "How a 15-year-old girl like you can make me feel like a kid again is beyond me."

Azura grinned. "Well, everyone still has their inner child inside."

"True. Now get going. I can only feed myself, after all."

The Fledgling Hunter - Completed


Thank you for today. I had so much fun.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring? I'm so excited, I can't sleep…

I hope that you and I achieve great things together…

There's… a secret I need to know… A great secret, hidden in this world…

It may already be too late, but… With your help, maybe…