Hii everyone!! This is my first work and i made it mainly for funsies so sorry if its horribly written ╯︿╰ Any advice is appreciated! This is male!child!reader, however, reader is already named bc of lore reasons that you'll uncover later. Also, this chapter is written from a narrators POV, but in the other chapters it'll be ur POV. You are a kid (Gon and Killua's age) and a fox person! Dw, I have reader's backstory planned and stuff so it'll make more sense as the story progresses... （￣︶￣）↗ Merry reading!
Ch 0 (you're here!), Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, ...
Chapter 0: A Budding Flower
The wind whipped through his copper hair as he ran, the path blurring beneath his feet. The boy wore an impossible large grin, which only seemed to widen as he caught the sight of a familiar cabin. Excitement flooded his entire being, for today was the day that he finally managed to catch a white-tailed deer after a whole 2 weeks of pursuing it. This particular animal had been such a pain to find, let alone actually capture, making the young boy question why his father even ordered him to hunt it in the first place.
Without ever slowing down, he swung the door open, ready to tell the whole world of his amazing feat. However, when he entered the cabin, only the faint sounds of arguing could be heard from his father's workshop.
"Huh," The boy wondered "Who could have my father invited over?"
Clearly, the boy has never heard of private conversations, since he proudly waltzed over to the door and opened it without a second thought.
The words died in the child's throat as he realized who the guest was: his favourite (and only) aunt, Kona! This wasn't a total surprise since, even though she gets terribly busy, she always makes time to visit her beloved nephew and spoil him rotten. However, this time, it seems she came over with the intention of scolding her older brother, Geqli.
"Are you seriously gonna keep him hosteled up in this small, stinky hut forever? I mean, he wouldn't have even learned to read and write had I not taught him!" The noirette nagged, shoving a finger in the older man's unamused face.
"What use is all that? He's a hunter. Hunters have no need for such things." The man retorted smugly.
The ginger approached the duo, however it seemed they were both too engrossed in their argument to notice.
"You...! You know what? Why don't you sign him up to be a real Hunter? I'm sure he'd make a lot of money after-"
The young boy's ears immediately perked up. "A real Hunter? What's that?" He interrupted, his eyes shining with pure excitement and wonder.
"Oh, Katsumi. When did you get here?" A lazy grin forming on the nonchalant man's face before ruffling the young fox's hair.
"That doesn't matter anymore! What's auntie Kona talking about?" His tail began to wag fervently.
The noirette sighed before adjusting her perfectly tailored suit that probably costs more than both boy's lives. After a deep breath, she looked Katsumi dead in the eye. "Hunters. There's a bunch of different types of them. One of the most well-paying careers in the world, since they risk their lives to discover and protect knowledge, people, and nature."
A short-lived silence fell over the room before she spoke again.
"Katsumi, would you want to take the exam and become a Hunter?"
"Hey- When did I say I would let him?" Geqli interjected with a sudden burst of irritation.
At those words, the fox pup's ears fell back and his tail drooped. "But...Dad I wanna be a hunter.." He pouted, kicking at nothing.
As soon as those words left his lips, another argument sparked between the two siblings. Katsumi was indeed dejected, but he hasn't totally given up yet. This time he was determined to become a hunter, or at least try it out. And so, for the next two weeks, all Katsumi did was beg his father to let him take the hunter exam, whether it be first thing in the morning or in the middle of the night.
Eventually, Geqli cracked.
"Fine! Go take the exam! The boat is leaving in 30 minutes." He crossed his arms huffed with annoyance.
"Yes. Now go, before you miss it."
Katsumi wasted no time in running out the door, forgetting to even grab the necessities. Oh well. I'm sure he has some 5 week old beef jerky somewhere in his pocket.
The young fox stopped in his tracks and turned back to face his father.
"Don't come back until you've become a fully fledged hunter, okay?" As he spoke, Geqli's eyes softened in a way Katsumi had never seen before. He clenched his fists before nodding, eyes full of determination. Without missing a beat, he spun on his heels and continued out the door.
As the chiming of the wind and the thumping of footsteps filled his ears, Katsumi couldn't help but feel his heart swell with eagerness. He turned back to wave at his old man, though he was too far to even see his face.
"Don't miss me too much, gramps!" Katsumi shouted as loud as he could, a boyish grin spreading across his face before turning his attention back to the path ahead. He had always loved exploring, but after living on Veilpoint Isle for the entire 12 years of his life, he's already explored every inch of the island.
Now, he was finally going to experience everything the world had to offer, and his first step was the hunter exam.
