Wind blew warm again after the passing of a curtain of sudden rain. Attempting to avoid nervous thoughts sprawling in his mind, Noctis kept a keen eye on the moving scenery. His black hair looked almost purple as the sunlight hit it.

Prompto snickered as he attempted to grab a picture of the brooding prince.

With one look from his dark eyes, the photographer knew to lay low. He sheepishly returned to his seat, and slipped the camera back into place.

Gladious wasn't any fun either. The beefy brute had his nose so far into the pages that one might think he was inhaling the words. Prompto glared at him, following the details of his ink, attempting to get something but to no avail.

Ignis, of course, was driving. His gaze was fixed to the road, and beyond moving the wheel he was frozen in one unblinking position. It was quiet, beyond the hum of the engine.

Prompto sighed. He was just as anxious as everyone else. They were finally ready to go to Altissia, boat eagerly waiting in the dock below Cape Caem. The blonde continued to think of Cindy, waiting to see them off, biding her time with the young and lovely Iris.

The four of them were albeit slightly distracted as they were hauling non-perishable merchandise back to Lestallum currently.

The world moved slowly.

Something caught the prince's eye and within seconds he started to panic.

Amidst the silence, Noctis gasped and grabbed the driver's seat. "Ignis, you need to pull over."

"Certainly, but why is your majesty so excitable at the present moment?"

Prompto quickly took a look back and followed his friend's eyes to the field before them. In front of the old farm, a spry looking woman was face to face with large beasts. But her stance was unwavering.

"There's a woman out there in trouble." Noctis grumbled as the car came to a slower pace.

From a distance, it was hard to spot, but the lady had blonde spikey hair in a very similar fashion and length to the eager quick shot on their team. Her ears were lined with studs and hoops. She wore a white tank-top shirt, with a dark green swirl working its way from her breast down to the edge of her baggy moss green pants.

The four of them parked their royal car as close to the curb as possible. Noctis didn't even wait for the other three to leave as he bolted for the seemingly distressed damsel.

However, he was quick to find his judgment might have been slightly miscalculated.

He stood back while she unveiled a whip. The mysterious woman yelped a strange and frightening call, the lone vorefang starting to quiver.

It shrieked at her. She shrieked back. She brought out a long, crooked knife and chuckled, "Well if you're gonna be like that, meet your maker! You vile creature!"

She leaped into the air and fell straight on the creatures back. While it bucked and thrashed, she managed to hold on quickly. She placed the blade between her teeth as it started to lose energy.

"We're gonna try this one more time!" She yelled, spitting her knife out onto the ground. She plucked the whistle from around her neck and blew it hard. The beast quit for a few moments, letting her get a long rope untied from her waist.

The whistle's effect wore off, and the beast was back to flouncing about. The woman attempted to tie The rope wasn't enough so she cursed, knocking the beast over with her weight. As she struggled, she managed to tie its back legs together.

While it struggled, she muzzled it hard and tied up its other pair of legs. After a few seconds, the monster was calm. Its hard breathing echoed through the trees.

With a wild hoop, the girl slapped her leg and punched the air with victory. She plucked up her weapon and slipped it back into her belt.

Finally, she noticed the men, all staring at her with similar expressions of confusion.

She spotted Prompto's camera and smirked, "Well don't just stand there dummy! Take a picture, it'll last longer!"

"R..Right?" Prompto took a picture of the woman while she posed. The beast wasn't struggling as much currently, she was petting it gently. The vorefang murmured in response.

"What in the world…" Noctis gawked, approaching the beast shyly.

The blonde woman bowed her head towards him, "You can pet it. It won't bite…it can't bite right now."

He did touch the usually dangerous monster, and the vorefang only grumbled to his touch. "Wow…" He gawked. His advisor drew him back from the scene.

Ignis adjusted his glasses after shaking off shock, "Well men, you were all very lucky today. This woman has just proceeded to show us the rough but rather formidable art of beast taming. There…aren't very many of them around in these times. In fact I thought the art altogether was forgotten!"

"That one was a bit sloppy." She pointed behind her. With no warning, she threw her knife and it landed perfectly on the rope. The vorefang carefully left its imprisonment, glanced to them and then bounded back into its wooded home.

She whistled as it faded from sight. She jolted a turn and waved to the troop, "Name's Chrome, Chrome Animalia. Nice to meet you four."

They all stood about awkwardly. Chrome inched closer but Ignis repelled her with a scowl, "Pardon us if we're a bit hasty on introductions."

"Yeah you did just kinda tame a wild monster in front of us." Prompto noted.

As her excitement started to slow, Chrome gazed at Prompto. She became instantly fixated on him, every part of her core felt warm…but not in a way she was sure of. She could feel her heart pounding and her face reflected that of realization and anxiety all in one. Her memories were starting to overcome her.

He noticed her staring and chuckled, "See Noct, I told you my hairstyle would catch on."

"Oh boy…here we go."

"A beast tamer and fashionable, just like yours truly!"

"Her hair is totally farther to the right than yours…"

Chrome eyed Gladio, finding her footing in reality again. "Yeah and like your big boy there, I've got some tats." The one she pointed out was the symbol of the empire on her left cheek. "So, you best watch out!"

"Something tells me you're not working with the Empire." Ignis noted, glaring her down.

She fell prey to his gaze and shivered off his stare, "Okay fine, it's more of a mark of pride."

Noct asked, "For what exactly?"

She smirked and inched closer. She nearly touched noses with him, the prince could smell a faint whiff of alcohol on her breath. "I escaped from their clutches."

Prompto froze, his eyes widening, "How so?"

She eyed him suspiciously but still had a bright smile, "Oh you know, they're doing some shady shit. I managed to haul ass when the time came to it."

"Reminds me of Aranea…" Gladio pointed out.

Noctis chuckled, "These crazy ladies and their rebellious schemes. Must be a girl thing."

Chrome sighed a breath of relief and stretched her arms out. "So what are you boys doing? Traversing the world on the open road?"

Prompto blurted, "We were going to a wedding."

Chrome held her chin and rocked on the balls of her feet, "Ah yes…a wedding. Been the talk of town…might you be the harrowing prince Noctis?"

The team flinched a bit.

She shrugged, "Don't worry, I won't spill the beans I promise! Doesn't have anything to do with me, so I'm not that worried about it. If you ask me, you four look like a regular group of bachelors just having their final hurrah before the main man gets hitched!"

"That was the idea…" Ignis noted. "I am Ignis, the crown Prince's adviser."

"I'm Gladious, the Shield of the future King."

"I'm Prompto…I just take the pictures…" He rubbed the back of his head embarrassingly.

"Come on Prompt…don't sell yourself so short." Noctis encouraged.

The blonde chuckled, "Well it's the truth!"

Chome presented a sweeping gesture to the four of them, "Sweet. Since you guys don't seem in a hurry, maybe you can help me out."

Noct smirked, "Sure thing."

"What do you need?" Prompto stared at her as she stared at him. He couldn't help looking at her left hand. Both were covered with gloves that were inching down to her wrist. Her bottom lip hung just below her top row of teeth, her freckles dotting the bridge across her nose diligently. She could feel sleep and darkness entering the corners of her eyes. She blinked rapidly, adjusting the hoops hanging from her ears.

She tried to format words that were understandable and then snapped, "My other whistle. But it's kinda far away…we might need to take a break before we get there. And I really don't want to traverse the plains all alone…the magitek troopers have been really flying around lately and they stop anyone who even remotely looks like an enemy of the empire…even with a tattoo I can't convince them to not hurt me."

"We can ride chocobos?" Noct offered but she shook her head, "The birds make me feel nauseated to ride, let's take our time okay? I'd rather not be puking on the crown prince."

"Very well." Ignis stood directly in front of her, "But no funny business."

She crossed her heart and quietly mimicked his accent, "None to be expected good sir!" She clapped her hands and saluted to the thick of trees before them. "Well come on boys, it's a bit of a trek."

For a moment, they followed her as she aimlessly zipped back and forth from tree to tree, inspecting each piece of bark carefully.

"So…where did you last see this whistle?" Gladio commented as they began to follow her along.

She hummed, "It was along the riverside actually. I was working my way back from an extensive trip."

"What kind of trip?" The brute egged on.

She scoffed, "Jeez, you're really nosy…" She got closer to him and huffed, throwing her hips at him, "Well for your information I was with a few others. But they all kinda, went their separate ways."

"That's a tad unfortunate…" Ignis noted but then tapped Noct's back.

The adviser whispered to the Prince, "Are you quite sure this is worth it…it seems suspicious that her team just…left her alone."

"If you're mentioning murder then I think that's a bit extreme Iggy…" The prince pushed off his suggestion.

He then approached Chrome and Gladio, only to find the two were staring each other down. Prompto was nervously standing at a distance.

"Uh are you two okay?"

"Quiet Noct! She's trying to beat me in a staring contest."

"W…what? Why?"

"It's for honor…you wouldn't understand." She tried to wave him away.

Gladio pulled her back into their conversation, "Your teammate Djos…he sounds like a formidable man…why would he just leave you?"

"There may or may not have been some more personal involvement than just a team member. We were partners, take that in any sense you want big man. Just like you and your little posse here, we had a lot of weight on our shoulders." She clenched her fist tightly. "And for a second can you please just cut the macho act? It gets irritating."

"It's not an act!" He raised his shoulders defensively.

"Looks like there's a bit of tension Noct…not sure if we should involve ourselves in this case." Ignis shrugged.

"What? You're just going to let them beat each other up?"

"So be it, if it makes them feel better…"

Chrome took a swift turn and then growled, trying to focus on leading them again.

The sound of the river was always distant, no matter how much the progressed. She would point out edibles and ask what sort of dishes they could make. She pointed out good spots for Prompto to take pictures at.

Small talk allowed her to gather up simple interests among the men. She even offered to take the prince fishing once they got to the water, discussing the kinds of fish hiding under the surface and what sort of lures to use.

Slowly but surely, she was attempting to get their trust. Even boiling down to battles, she did what she could for the team. Each time Chrome would try her skills out at taming whatever creature came into contact with them. Every time she was successful.

While the two younger boys were impressed, the elders were unsure of her actions. Ignis had the utmost faith she was telling the truth. He was slightly impressed by her wealth of knowledge.

While his comrade well…

Gladio was becoming slightly irritated, "Do you know where the hell you're even going?"

They spotted a campsite ahead, the runes glowing as the evening sun started to dissipate. Chrome pointed it out, attempting to distract the others, "It's probably not a smart idea to stay out much longer in the wilderness." They were a distance away from the road now, trying to navigate the forest.

"I will set up camp." Gladio told in a disgruntled and frustrated voice. His face was red with fury. He quickly walked past the blonde woman.

She scrunched her nose and kicked up dirt, "When we get to the river maybe you should take a jump in it, you smell awful!"

The night sky soon draped over the world in a blanket of solitude and silence.

For a while all of them were so focused on their duties, they hardly bothered with any conversation. Chrome helped do as much as she could while keeping her distance from Gladious. After finishing the table, she spotted the folding seats.

She set up the chairs, a bit deflated seeing they did not pack a spare for unexpected guests.

Ignis picked out ingredients and quietly requested the prince's opinion on meals. Plenty of fish from a day at the lake was available, and still remarkably fresh.

Prompto reviewed his pictures, saving the ones he felt were nice.

Chrome was offered one of the folding chairs, but she took a cushion instead. "I'm the one intruding, you shouldn't have to burden yourselves…"

In time Gladio offered her a drink as Ignis started to prepare the meal. She snapped it away from the tattooed man and huffed, "What is your deal big guy? You get all huffy with me, argue with me all day then finally try to make it up with beer!" She opened the can despite her distaste for his actions.

He gave her a frustrated look and held her shoulder, "You really shouldn't be out in the wilderness all alone."

She wiped his hand from her skin and pointed with accusation in her tone, "Why? Cause I'm a girl?"

"Because I have a sister! And when she was lost and alone, I was afraid for her. Just like I'm afraid for you."

"Well I'm not your sister big boy. You saw what I could do. The beasts I could fell…" An idea sparked in her head and she smirked, "You're jealous aren't you?"

"Jealous of what?"

"About what I can do. You want to figure it out don't you? How I can tame beasts and NOT have to kill them…unlike savages like you I have talent and grace, and finesse. You just whip out that big ol sword of yours and go to town."

Noctis snickered at her comment. She pointed her fingers and him and winked. Gladio was as red as the flames of the fire.

"I do believe we've found our solution to Gladio's outrageous attitude." Ignis chuckled. The beefy man just sat and grumbled, trying to keep his cool as he sipped from the can.

The blonde photographer sighed, "Gods you guys…you just should make out now and get it over with? You two have been at each other's necks all day!"

"Kiss his sweaty ass?" She blew raspberries and shoved the idea away, "Please…I'm into much finer figures at the moment."

"Finer as in…?" Prompto motioned to his physique.

She recoiled and crossed her arms, "Ugh not you…and not Noct. Sorry babe, you're already taken I know."

Noctis shrugged, "Fair enough."

"No there are some…attractive people in the city. Some people just look nicer than others. I don't really know what I'm looking for really, or if I can even have it. But it's worth a try." She gazed up to the stars.

"What were you really looking for Chrome?" Ignis questioned, starting to sizzle the fish in his trusty non-stick cooking pan.

Chrome cocked an eyebrow at his suggestion, "Besides my whistle you mean? Well when I was alone before the team thing happened, I had this stupid dream…" She trailed off and played with locks of her hair, looking almost silvery in the firelight.

Prompto was sitting on the edge of his chair, "Well go on tell us!"

"I had this really dumb dream. I wanted to tame a mountain." She stared up at the sky.

"A mountain?" Gladio scoffed.

Her gaze never left the sparkling stars above. "There's a legend of a beast beyond aging, that stands against the waves of time. It hides itself in rocky domains sometimes for thousands of years. Some say it can only be fought by those it feels worthy of challenging. Its back is the earth itself and its heart is made of pure fire. The tortoise that carries a mountain! Its name…Adamantoise." She let the words spill from her lips and shivered, "Just saying it gives me goosebumps. I want to tame it."

"A legendary beast? Maybe we could help you find it."

"Get real." She swiped her hand at the prince's suggestion, "The thing hasn't been heard about for centuries. Who even knows if it really exists. Besides I still have a hard time with the Catoblepas…how could I handle something like that?" She stretched her arms above her head and let herself fall back, sinking into the earth.

She sprung back up as Ignis offered her a plate. With drool almost leaking from her smile, Chrome ate with vigor.

"Goodness…chew it at least." Ignis scolded.

"Sorry…" She felt her skin flush with embarrassment and took smaller bites. The fish was juicy and tender, cooked to perfection and seasoned perfectly. "It's lovely Ignis."

The cook gave a proud grin.

Noct crossed his eyebrows, his mouth a thin line. "How long has it been since you ate?"

"A day…two days?" She shrugged, "I had some water and booze I was cool." Chrome eyed the tent, "You uh think I could sleep in there tonight?"

The four men gazed between each other. It was hard enough to stuff the lot of them inside there.

But looking at her dirty, mangy almost exhausted face giving them a pitiful expression tugged at

their hearts…even Gladio who was starting to cool down.

Dinner was finished soon. Plates were cleaned and packed away.

The moon was starting to fall. Eyes were becoming droopy.

The boys lined up to get in the tent. Noct first on the very left side, followed by Ignis, Prompto and Gladio.

Chrome lined herself across the four of them, balancing herself between legs.

It was…difficult to sleep to say the least. Gladio continued to twitch. She became annoyed. Her

gaze fell to between Iggy and Prompto. Her heart said lay down…but her mind was racing with the plans she intended.

Once she was sure everyone was resting in a death-like state she rubbed her hands together, "Time to do the deed…"

Morning arrived. Ignis was sweating bullets in his sleep. He felt the first light of the sunrise hit his face. "Tent..." Suddenly, his eyes shot open.

He stood up without much thought...and then it occurred to him that he could actually stand up.

The tent was gone. The bags were gone. The food was gone. The only thing that remained were the chairs, and their own personal sleeping supplies.

"Where's the tent?" He yelled, trying to gather his bearings. He swiftly gazed down and felt his heart sink. His blood became ice.

While Prompto and Gladio were starting to awaken, and grasp the situation, the crown prince was gone.

Chrome was nowhere to be found.

A note was left on the chair, written in sloppy cursive:

If you want your stuff, come find me by the waterfall cavern.

Ignis crumpled the note up and threw it on the ground. He gazed back at the two men, who were dazed and confused to say the least.

The adviser was seething. His shame and anger mixed into one strange combination that feared the worst for the prince. Calmly he stated, "We're getting him back. Come along quickly."