"You should make a loose fist but don't clench it with your knees slightly bent " William's altered his posture

"Always stay focused, never take your eyes off your opponent " He tipped Rex's head a bit upwards till their eyes met.

Both of them were having training in his gymnasium. As Hunters, his father Shane had made sure to equip the gym with necessary and up-to-date materials for his daily training

Right now, Williams was working on Rex's punching posture with a three ft punching bag which weighed about thirty kilograms.

Rex hit the bag which barely moved, but he continued nevertheless while Williams observed him.

He adjusted the little boy's position "Don't punch too far or too close, maintain an appropriate distance else you deplete your power "

Rex complained, "Why is this so damn hard? "

"That's why it is called training, it's not meant not to be sweet nor easy " He answered firmly, " Now continue "

Rex launched another punch and as expected, got another complaint.

"Don't lift your foot - "

Rex's tired and frustrated glance cut him. Williams scratched the back of his head, he had forgotten he was training a kid; more patience and a lot of talking.

"Alright then, apply all I have taught you and come at me " He decided.

"You want me to punch you?"

"Yes, and I won't fight back " He assured the skeptical boy by placing both hands behind him.

"Alright, " Rex was satisfied with the result and cracked his fingers with an excited twinkle in his eyes.

"Here I come! " He screamed and launched towards Williams who stood calm and focused.

Rex aimed for his stomach but he simply sidestepped the little boy who went awry and threw himself to the ground.

"Your footings, remember?!" Williams reminded him of his mistake.

But Rex had a strong resolve and launched towards him again but it was a failure, he could not even touch William's clothes.

"Don't punch your enemy just from an angle, change directions !" he corrected Rex again.

Rex aimed again.

Result: epic failure.

"The best form of attack is to attack your enemies before they attack you. Try the element of surprise or trickery when at a disadvantage cause all is fair in love and war. "

At the tenth try, Rex managed to secure a blow by distracting him but Williams didn't feel much of the impact since his punch was weak; the persistent guy was still a growing boy.

"Nice try and that's a wrap-up for today " Williams dismissed him giving the poor boy the liberty to collapse on the floor. Rex's clothes were drenched with sweat, his whole chest heaving.

"You can have a shower in the bathroom. Trevor texted me, says he would be here to pick you up once done with his punishment at school" Williams informed him, receiving a nod as acknowledgment.

Truth be told, he was impressed with this little boy. Yes, he too started as a hunter from a young age -which was expected since his father was one of the high-ranking hunters - but Rex was persistent and passionate about it.

"Why do you want to become a hunter? " Williams was curious.

"Huh? "

"Why do you choose this road? You do know once you perform the initiation ceremony there is no going back, right? "

"I know "

"Then why? You're so young and have a bright future ahead of you, so why this dark and perilous road? "

Rex pursed his lips thoughtfully and shrugged.

"I don't know. At first, I was just awed when my brother and I passed the first test. Then I was drawn to it, and now? I just love it! The thought of being a hunter makes my heart beat so fast and I'm so excited " Rex told him with a blissful look on his face and hands pressed over his chest.

"Moreover, '' he continued, "I get to learn more about my dad and get stronger and protect my loved ones from those wicked night creatures " Rex flashed him a smile that made Williams begin to question himself.

Why did he even want to become a hunter anyway? To please his father? Unlike Trevor and Rex who had grown up without knowing what their father did in secret, he had grown up in the Hunters league.

People looked up to him as the son of Shane Cutter; he was a legacy. Eyes were on him, he had to live up to his father's reputation and that was what he did, make his father proud. But was he happy? Satisfied with this kind of life?

"What about you? " Rex asked this time, taking him by surprise.

"What? "

"Why did you become a hunter? "

"I was born a hunter " He replied curtly that even Rex sensed his dismissive tone.

"Where is your bathroom? " The boy stood to his feet, it seems the warm discussion was over.

"Follow me " He ordered.

Rex followed him while looking around the spacious yet simple house. It had two bedrooms with a study connecting to one of the rooms which belonged to his father.

A moderately sized sitting room, a guest room, and a gymnasium with other essential rooms in a house.

"Here, wash up " Williams opened the door to the spare bathroom in the guestroom "

The boy went in to do his thing as he left. Williams walked into the living room and plopped down on the sofa, exhausted.

Soon, the initiation ceremony would be conducted and both of Renard's kids would become full-fledged hunters.

His head was throbbing. So he just shut his eyes intending to have a short nap - who said teaching a nine-year-old boy was easy? His questions were never-ending and he answered all to his level of understanding; thankfully, Rex was smart.

But that moment, the doorbell rang. Williams cursed out loud, who had such a bad timing?

Vexed, he didn't bother checking through the peephole and opened the door right away, prepared to give the person a piece of his mind.

Oh shit, Trevor.

"Hi," Trevor waved, catching the annoyed look on his face.

"Hi," He quickly put a smile on his face.

"Did I come at a bad time? " He asked, unsure.

"Of course not! I'm not angry, not at all " Williams laughed it away, "I was just practicing my angry facial expression, you know, just for practicing sake - you never know when it might come in handy " he miserably told a lie.

Trevor raised a brow inquisitively,

"Can I come in?"

"Sure, sure, come in " He moved to the side and let Trevor into the house.

"Make yourself comfortable," Williams said after him, then slapped his forehead in annoyance when Trevor wasn't looking.

Good going, Willy.

"What would you like to drink? Beer or whisky? " He asked his guest and was puzzled to see the surprise on his face.

"What? "

"I don't drink "

"Oh " Williams scratched his head awkwardly, he hardly had friends coming over to his place since he was either at school or headquarters.

Moreover, he and his dad were men and he was trained up with scotch, wine, beer, and the rest of them which was never lacking from their refrigerator.

But here was Trevor: shy, innocent, and exactly his polar opposite. What was he going to get him, milk?

"You don't need to bother yourself, I just came to get my brother before the curfew starts. Where is he? "

" He's… "

The person being spoken about walked in with his backpack carried over a shoulder.

"You're here " Rex recognized his brother's presence.

"Uhh "

"We should get going then "

"So soon? " Williams cleared his throat, "I mean you should get going" he rephrased his words quickly. What in the world was wrong with him today?

Trevor blinked, had he heard wrong? Did Williams want his company? He was contemplating spending more time when his brother came up with his problem.

"Trevour " Rex pressed him, "I need to go home, I'm really hungry " His brother rubbed his flat stomach to express his point.

He wanted to plead for more time from his brother when his stomach protested with an angry rumble.

"I didn't eat before coming, " Rex whined.

Williams knew he could cook for Rex and get to spend time with the brothers, but it would be late for them to return home, so he didn't say anything.

"We would be going then, thanks for giving him some guidance " Trevor appreciated his efforts in teaching his brother some moves.

"No need to thank me, it's my responsibility as a hunter " He replied honestly.

"Thanks," Trevor said once again before walking out of the door as Williams waved at them.

"What's going on between you and Willy? " Asked Rex once they were out of his place.

"Nothing" Answered Trevor abruptly eliciting a look of suspicion from his nosy little brother who didn't bother him with questions again.

They entered a bus at the station and dropped off at the junction while they walked to their place.

The door was open, that was the first thing Trevor noticed upon walking into the house.

"Mom?"

No reply.

"Mom?! " He called this time, apprehension set in as he rushed into her room just to check up on her.

Thankfully, he found her.

Trevor took a deep sigh of relief. God, he had been scared out of his pants thinking something bad had happened to her.

"Mom, how could you - "

To his horror, his mom was weeping.

Trevor stood rooted to the ground with no clue what to do. Left with no choice, he walked to the bed and engulfed her in a comforting hug.

"What is it this time? " He rubbed her back while she cried on his shoulder.

"It's Raphael "

His countenance changed, but he forced himself to remain calm and hear her out.

" What did he do this time? "

" He broke up with me "

ThankGod.