So you wanna be a Hunter kid?

Emily or Em as she preferred to be called though the Hunters she was closest to had the honour of calling her by her favourite nickname Emma sat down on the cold wood of a platform attached to the side of a grizzled oak tree, her right leg stretch out in front of her, so that her foot hung over the edge. The leg ached painfully from the cold, there rarely seemed to be a day since she became a Hunter were it didn't ache or throb or generally just cause her some form of misery. She had been with the Hunters for what several months now? Truth be told, Em didn't really know after all the Hunters kept her busy, archery, physical fitness, using dagger, setting traps, tracking, tying various knots... So much stuff she needed to learn and there never appeared to be enough time to get a suitable amount of sleep.
Despite generally always aching, being in pain and being constantly exhausted she enjoyed herself immensely. The Hunters and Artemis together had given her something which no one else before could have, a life, a chance at a future and well hope in general.

She waited for the Hunter who sought of became her mentor, her teacher, a friend, a girl who Emily saw more as a older sister. She never seemed to lose her temper with Em, which she greatly appreciated since she hadn't been this active in years. Not since she ran afoul of a car, something she intended to not do again. Unless her loyalty to her fellow Hunters and Artemis demanded such a sacrifice from her, then she would make it willingly as well as hopefully without hesitation. Her long, black curly hair fell down her shoulders, clad in the attire of a Hunter the young girl unfortunately drew the attention of male eyes when the Hunters found themselves with male company, which generally was unwanted. Usually Em hid behind the older, wiser, less friendly Hunters letting them ward off the roving males, not that she felt that she happened to be at risk of their charms, more she disliked being mean and the older Hunters stood no nonsense from stubborn males attempting to woo one of their beloved sisters.

Now there were two reasons why Em still remained on the platform, one she might be able to spot any Hunter approaching better, they were ever able to move silently were as Emily as of yet felt like a lumbering tank crashing through the undergrowth despite her best efforts at stealth. Two, well having clambered somewhat gracefully up to the platform her leg seized up somewhat so she became reluctant to see if it had or hadn't by attempting to descend from the high spot.

How Aria always managed to sneak up on Emily she never knew, she seemed to always appear out of nowhere like she was a ghost or a spirit summoned by the thoughts of those who sought her. "Yeah... I couldn't sleep my leg was hurting Aria." Em replied, generally always being honest with Aria. "Decided to climb up to see if I could and spot you." Em declared looking down on her fellow sister of the hunt. "I... I fear I might be stuck." She said with some embarrassment, her leg aching painfully while her cheeks flushed with colour.

She fully expected Aria to laugh at that, she expected all of the Hunters to laugh at her for at first being a cripple then... At the fact she formerly was one. They didn't, but sometimes she could sense their annoyance with her when she couldn't match their speed or slowed down due to a familiar ache in her right leg.
Aria always seemed to have an endless reserve of patience for Em, sure she wasn't as strong, or swift or brave yet she clearly had some quality in her that Aria liked. Emily long lay awake wondering what thing she excelled at, considering she lacked the skill of the other Hunters.

The movement sparked a fresh sensation of pain in her leg but she tried not to let it show, Em had to have some pride even if it was barely nothing at all. "No... I'm fine." Emily said stiffly in a tone clearly tight from pain. "Just set me down and give me a few moments." The cold and high places never seemed to mix well. Her cheeks reddened from embarrassment, Aria didn't appear to mind at least. Aria was cool like that, never judging only ever helping, always caring. Like an older sister or a close friend. Once she might have said girlfriend but she was certain that a girlfriend wouldn't be so calm when it came to their other half being in pain.

Em smiled at Aria resting most of her weight on her left leg, clearly not favouring her right leg at all. "Thank you." Some days the pain was worse, some days it was better, today happened to be one of the far worse days. Cold would seep into the leg, like dull aching knives. "So what are we going to do?" Emily inquired, willing to train despite the agony in her leg. She wobbled slightly but remained upright because of Aria's support. She tried not to show the pain on her face, Em hated the old wound, it never truly stopped aching no matter what anyone did or attempted.

Emily hoped that by train she meant attack targets rather than spar against each other. The last few times that had happened she lost rather badly to Aria who she believed possessed a distinct advantage in being much more flexible than herself. Of course she wouldn't disagree with her suggestion, Em remained ever hopeful of the day where she would triumph over her friend, sister and mentor.
A day which never seemed to dawn. "Okay we murdering straw targets or are we going to spar?"

"Sure." Em replied drawing two of her own knives, holding them both tightly in her hands. She looked at Aria warily, she did not know whether to approach and sit down nearby, whilst listening to what she had to say or remaining standing, alert. Emily didn't want to end up losing after less than a few seconds, even though that was all it could take in a real fight where your life happened to be at stake.

Em struggle to block the knives, favouring a static defence rather than fluid movement. Emily blocked her strikes standing her ground, favouring her left leg and putting more weight on it than her right. Her defence improved as she kept going, the Hunter held her ground almost stubbornly but not once did she strike back at Aria.

"Since when do you ever not let me train dirty?" Em answered jokingly, usually Aria's dirty training involved kicks, trips and generally Emily on the floor with her more experienced sister standing over her triumphant. "If you want to lose so badly Aria who am I to blame you?" Empty boasts really, Aria had won every single one of their bouts without fail. Em moved wincing against pain but she gritted her teeth, she learned the hard way why not to adopt a static defence against another Hunter. She launched an attack against Aria, deciding it would be better for her to take the offensive rather than try to defend against her.

Em kicked out with her right leg, aiming to sweep Aria's legs out from under her. Even though she held her arm, they would most likely be on the floor then but at least Aria might not be able to twist her arm as easily.

Emily over balanced herself by blocking Aria's strike with her own knife, losing her balance on the ground and falling to the floor in front of Aria. She let out a yell of agony as her left leg struck the ground first.

"Yeah..." Em's voice was tight with pain. "Almost had you there Aria your getting slow in your old age." She chuckled slightly, her eyes sharp with pain and sadness. On her Hunting trip the old wound on her right leg almost got her killed, it would have were it not for the swift reflexes of her sisters.
Fearfully she asked. "It's not broken is it?" She'd landed hard on her left leg, the good leg Em often called it she lived in permanent fear of breaking something. "Please tell me it's not broken."

"Thank the Gods." Em exclaimed with wild delight, she got up gingerly picking up her weapons as she did so. "Hey for over three hundred you look pretty good I hope I look that when I reach there." Emily tried to avoid thinking about dying as a Hunter, she hoped to live for many hundreds of years with her sisters. But only the best lived to get past hundred, to reach such a milestone would be a great achievement.
"Ready to continue?" She adopted a fighting stance, though still favouring her left leg than her right.

"Confident as ever but one day the student will become the master." She smiled slyly at Aria trying to imagine the surprise on her face when Em beat her in a fight. That would be a victory to save her. Emily once more took the offensive, charging at Aria before launching a round house kick at her. The strategy was unusual, Emily rarely used kicks on account of being protective of her right leg. She hoped it might catch Aria unaware though in all her time spent with the other Hunter she had never witnessed her being caught unaware.