Rory and Kendal walked out of their village and into the forest under a clear blue sky, though the ground was still wet from the rain they had had the previous day. They would both prove themselves as hunters this day. They were both of fifteen winters and rapidly coming into manhood. It was the second part of a threefold test on their journeys into manhood.
They had already proven their worth at their chosen trades, Kendal at iron and metalworking, and Rory at carpentry and masonry. Both young men had decided to combine their skills in the first part to build their village’s first watchtower on the north end. Kendal had forged the nails, brackets and hinges while Rory gathered the lumber for the framing and molded and fired the bricks for the foundation.
Together they worked feverishly for a fortnight, once the materials were in place, to complete it, barely taking enough time to rest and eat. The elders were amazed at the craftsmanship and sheer size of the structure upon its completion. The tower itself was roughly fifteen meters tall. Each corner post was bolted to a three-meter brick pillar, which started another two meters in the ground making the entire tower stand a total of sixteen meters above ground.
The elders stated, before they left on the morning for their hunt, that despite the fact they worked admirably as a team while building the tower they must complete this portion on their own. Neither one could assist the other. So as soon as they were about a kilometer out from the village they were required to separate. Kendal continued on to the north, mostly staying along the river, while Rory headed deeper into the forest to the east.
Kendal had with him the one weapon he had truly mastered, his longbow. He had been training with the sword, but could never quite control it completely. He knew that as part of the final stage he would need to prove himself with the blade, so he planned to practice constantly with it whenever he had time. He was gradually getting better, yet he was still not confident. His bow would be a better tool for this test anyway since his intended target would be a deer.
He walked along the river for a kilometer and a half then crossed over to the other side and made his way deeper into the forest to the west.
