Finding hope (Open)

Dantis reciprocated the grin. "Do you have any siblings?" He decided to ask a question. The boy was confused if Ash was truly grinning at him or feeling something but was grinning all the same. He did not want to pry himself into the girl's heart if she did not wish to.

Dantis' eyes grew big. "Five... siblings? Wow... That's five times the joy..." He attempted to imagine adding four more brothers and sisters with his mother and brother. "That sounds like a lot of fun, Ash. Your family is blessed to have so many."

Life seemed to be slow prior to Zentaal being adopted under the Falkier name, he remembered. He recollected that the family had always gotten by with the finances and materials that came their way because they were just three people; but, Zentaal came in his father's place, but his world had expanded because of the black-haired man. Much knowledge and wisdom was gained from the unknown man; and, most notably, Zentaal was of closer age.

Having four more siblings, Dantis thought, was truly a miracle. The fun would never end.

"Now?" Dantis grew both anxious and happy with the proposal. It would be the first time he went hunting with an individual not his family or Zentaal. "I would love to, Ash," he said, nicely. He began thinking that everything was going smoothly; usually he was the one to offer friendly outings and invitations.

Dantis began to tap his feet while Ash was gone to retrieve a bow. He kept the smile on, but it decreased in width. Bits of anxiety was creeping in.

When she came back out, the girl asked him a question. He replied, "Yes. I don't have a bow on me, but I do have this." The boy looked to the small scabbard clutched on his belt and drew out the blade. A gleam struck along the edge of the dagger. The grip was getting old as the discoloring showed. A barely-noticeable, paw-shaped design presented itself on the metal.

Dantis slid the knife back into its dark purple scabbard. "Hopefully it will suffice for our hunting."

Dantis smiled as Ash talked. "Yes, I don't think we won't be hunting long. I can leave the bigger kills to you. I'm sure you'll take them down easy, and I won't be needing any deer." His smile grew bigger. "What kind of wood is your bow made of? Osage orange? Yew?"

"Blackwood? It has such rich color and is good at repelling moisture. I've heard it was used as ballasts for ships." Dantis pondered a little, smiling curiously. "I don't know how good it is, but it must be working if you're using one. Then again, I've never heard of using that wood for bows."

Osage orange and yew wood was more common for bows, he remembered. Yew was flexible, good for longbows, while Osage orange was durable in compensation for its hardness. Blackwood, though, was wood he had not heard of in his archery studies.