Training (Short Chapter)
|Time Skip - Two months|
-Freya POV-
It has been two months since my test. After two weeks recovering and with Sister Cecily feeding me with various types of nutritious foods like meat and fruits, I recovered completely! And not only that, I was healthier than ever.
But to my disappointment, after getting better, Sister Cecily didn't teach me how to hunt. First she took me to train my body, but not a normal training, it was a Spartan training type, seriously, who does this to a 6 years old child?
First we started slowly, my training started with going from Sister Cecily's hut to the river ten times every day, and then doing push-ups, sit-ups, and squats until I fell hard on the floor, I did it for two weeks.
After that, the training only got worse! The next part of my training was to do the same exercises, but with bags with stones attached to my legs and arms, and the race changed, I had to run from Sister's hut to Vila Cobulo taking a ten kilogram stone stuck on my back five times a day. Luckily I didn't have to go to the forest, the ground there is very predictable and I had already hurt myself many times there, imagine falling with a ten kilogram stone stuck on you, ugh.
Every day I went to sleep with pain all over my body, as if my body was going to break at any time. But at the end of my second month the body training was over, and it was time to learn to hunt!
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''Finally! I was tired of waiting, I want to start hunting soon!'' I say excitedly.
''Calm down...be quiet or I'll throw you in the river.....maybe the Anaconda is still there.'' Sister Cecily respond in a slightly irritated voice.
''Tsk.....alright.''
She always mentions the Gorilla and the Anaconda to scare me, hmph! I will show her, before going to the sea I will make a white fur coat and snake leather pants for the whole orphanage!
''Follow me .... and in silence.''
Sister Cecily guided me to the basement entrance of her hut, which is behind the house; she never let me in there, I tried, but I never managed to break the lock, and when I tried to break in, Sister Cecily found me and punished me with more training. After that I never tried to go there again.
''Well, it's not hard to guess what's inside, there's almost nothing in the hut....'' I mumbled to myself. Opening the basement entrance, she signaled me to enter.
Entering the basement I could finally see what was inside, 'I knew it!'
Looking around, I could see tables with countless hunting tools, crossbows, bows, hatchets, daggers and several other weapons, but what made me more surprised, is that it was here that she kept her 'casual clothes'. I see the Plague Doctor's clothes and other equally frightening clothes hanging.
An interesting thing that I learned during my time with her, is that she doesn't really hate human contact, she just likes to scare people to death, and that made people get away from her. Really, what a nasty personality.
''Choose a weapon to learn.....we don't have much time left.....so I can only teach you how to use one weapon.''
''Ok'' I watched the table full of weapons, looking for a weapon that would suit me, until my eyes went through a short wooden bow '' I choose this bow.'' I said as I took the bow from the table.
''I prefer the crossbow.....but it was a smart choice anyway.....even if you have trained a lot during this past month.....you are still not strong enough to fight head-on with the animals of that forest with bladed weapons.....I think you are not that dumb.'' She pat my head showing her satisfaction.
'I will keep it a secret that I chose the bow just because I am a fan of Legolas.' I thought while sweating a little.
''As it's your birthday....I'll give you a quiver of arrows as a gift.''
Oh, that's right, today is my birthday.
I was found in front of the church in May 22nd of 1504 in the Great Age of Pirates, so that day became my birthday. Its almost twenty years after the death of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King. Today was my birthday and I turn seven, I had forgotten about it.
(A / N: She is one year older than Luffy, he was born in 1505 according to Wiki)
''Wait, how do you know it's my birthday? I never told you.''
''That Kenya sent twenty different letters congratulating you....I just opened it and read it.''
Did she really read letters addressed to me? This is an invasion of privacy! I will call the police! I mean, the Marines!
''But I didn't see any letters, where are they?'' I asked in doubt.
''Oh....I burned them in the fireplace.....it was cold the day I read those letters.'' She said it all with a totally neutral face, as if it were something completely normal.
''Sister Cecily, you cannot burn other people's things without permission!'' I did my best pose as Sister Lucyna scolding someone.
''I...can't?'' She said as she inclined her head slightly to the side.
''Ugh.'' An arrow pierced my heart.
Shit! It is difficult to scold a cute girl!
I sigh, ''Okay, never mind that, I want to learn to hunt with the bow, let's go!'' I ran to the basement exit holding my bow while jumping excitely.
''.....Ok.''
.
. (Scene change)
.
We were walking in the forest, a little far from the hut, when we stopped in front of a big dead tree. Sister Cecily asked me to wait, then she took her knife off and made a circle in the middle of the tree.
''I will teach you to shoot.....and while I teach you.....I want you to remember that I am not teaching you to fight with a bow.....but to hunt with it.....hunting needs to be fast, quiet and lethal.'' She handed me the quiver full of arrows while explaining.
''Yes sir!'' I answer in salute
''First....take fifteen steps away from the tree....take an arrow out of the quiver and place it in the bow.....do all this while controlling your breathing.....as I taught you before in the body training.''
''Ok!'' Taking fifteen steps away from the tree, I adjusted and started to control my breathing while taking an arrow and placing it in the bow.
I take a slow breath and take a deep breath. Sister Cecily taught me to control my breathing while training my body, this helps a lot when doing the exercises.
''Prepare.''
''...''
''Aim.''
''...''
''Shoot!''
I let go of the bowstring and watched the arrow fly, it hit the tree, sadly, it was far from the center, but it's a start.
''Hmm ... not bad for your first time.....but your posture is a mess.'' Sister Cecily approached me and started adjusting my posture while explaining where I went wrong.
''The position of your hand when placing the arrow...and then at the moment of the pull. The weaker hand is used to 'hold' the bow...and the stronger hand is used to pull. The hand of the handle should make no effort.....and you are putting strength in both your hands.''
She continued, ''The position of your feet is also wrong.....you need to put them aside correctly.....here, use an arrow for now to position your feet correctly.''
She put the arrow on the floor and I positioned my feet next to each other, almost touching my thumbs on the arrow.
''And lastly.....open your legs until you feel comfortable. You will shoot for six hours....and you will do this every day.....until in ten shots.....you hit ten in the middle, and remember.....this is a target that cannot move.....often in the hunt you will need to hit a moving target.....don't think that hitting the tree makes you a hunter.....do your best.'' Sister Cecily went out towards the hut, leaving me alone to train.
''Well, time to suffer, I mean, to train. I wonder how Kenya is doing?'' I feel bad about leaving Kenya alone for so much time, but she needs to be strong, after all I can't always be around her.
.
. (Scene change)
.
-Third POV-
In the kitchen of the orphanage, two figures were cooking with great fervor, as if it were a competition.
'' Ufufufu, little Kenya, you are working really hard to learn how to cook, even the cutting techniques you have already learned! I'm surprised, maybe I should retire and leave you in charge of the kitchen!'' Said the bigger silhouette.
''Hehehe, Sister Ina, don't say that, I just want to cook for Freya, I want to make a food that is so good that she will never be able to separated from me again! And whoever gets in my way.....'' Said the smaller silhouette, with passion at the beginning, but with a cold voice at the end.
''AraAra, you really love Freya, don't you?''
''With all my heart!''
''Ufufufufufu.....''
''Hehehehe.....''