And now, part two. Enjoy.
Opal crouched under a bush, waiting near a large pool of water with deep furrows dug into the earth from large talons. Some hair, dark pink to the point of almost being purple, fell in front of her steel grey eyes, and was quickly brushed to the side by a mailed hand as she tucked it behind her ear. Bringing her hand back she paused as it lightly tapped the sword saint piercing in her ear, the knowledge it contained flowing through her with her every breath, the chinks in any armor or carapace evident upon first glance.
She smiled, knowing she was well prepared for this challenge. Her rage had lead her to confront the most vicious of wyverns, yian garuga, and from it she had crafted her armor, it's hatred for all living things flowing through it still and strengthening it. It was a right of passage for her, and a warning for others. Her hatred would not be sated until she had her revenge.
Now she would have it. The tracks were about two days old, the rathalos would be back for another drink sooner or later, and she had all the time in the world to wait. She had a BBQ spit and there was plenty to hunt for food nearby. Water of course was even easier to come by. When she had found this spot the night before she knew she was close.
As she looked up at the suddenly dark sky with hope, she was disappointed to see rain clouds preparing to release a deluge upon the area. She swore under her breath, but then was silently thankful, it would wash away her scent and any trace of her camp. She would be a little cold, and would have to protect her weapon from rust, but it was for the best if she wanted to make this kill.
She heard a clap of thunder deep in the clouds then saw the wall of rain quickly approaching. She braced herself as the wind buffeted her then gasped as the rain hit her, each drop like a piece of ice seeping into her armor. She quickly ducked her head and held her sheathed sword underneath her as the rain increased in volume and force. She began to shiver as the rain pelted her and was thankful for the sparse cover the bush provided.
It got dark quickly, the clouds blocking the sun and lightning became the only source of light in the gloom. Once again she swore under her breath, there was no sign of a storm this size earlier, this could ruin everything. She crawled out from under the bush, ducking down as a sudden gust of wind almost knocked her off her feet. She growled and quickly sprinted into the storm, her blade held close and her hair flying behind her, waving in the wind. Her ponytail bounced against her back when she stopped under a sheltered ledge, and she quickly pulled her hair back into order as the storm raged around her safe haven.
She brought her ponytail over her shoulder and squeezed some water out of it before throwing it back into place. Her bangs clung close to her face and she wiped them aside, trying to clear her field of vision. She took off her pack, thankful it was waterproof and grabbed some dried meat and sat down with her back against the ledge, chewing thoughtfully. The seasons were changing. Storms like this were becoming more and more common, but it still shouldn't have appeared so fast.
A bright flash of lightning and a deafening roar of thunder broke her out of her thoughts, the bush she had been under was now shattered and on fire, the thought of what might have happened worried her, but once again luck had been on her side. As it had been ever since when she was just a beginning hunter, she had run across a kirin and had let the beast go unharmed.
It had been a difficult choice, but she respected the creature too much to attack, and had put away her weapon and backed away from the magnificent beast. When she turned her back on it she heard thundering hoof beats come quickly towards her from behind, she had ducked down and covered her head as the kirin jumped over her and continued on for a few steps before turning to her, its red eyes watching her carefully, and a spark of electricity jumped across its glowing flank. She looked up at it, on one knee and realized how big it was, standing she would barely come up to its back, definitely a gold crown. She looked up at it, staring into its eyes.
The kirin frowned at her, narrowing its eyes and another spark ran across its mane and through its beard. "Why?" She jumped as the deep, resonating voice filled her head, and too shocked to answer she just stared. "Why didn't you attack? Answer me!"
She winced from the force of the voice in her head, and then quickly tried to explain herself. "I couldn't. It just didn't seem right. I'm only here to bring down a dangerous wyvern, a yian kut-ku, I have no reason to try to fight anything as majestic and strong as you, and I wouldn't stand a chance even if I wanted to fight you! I don't! I would rather be struck down here and now!" As she spoke, her voice started to crack, and the kirin walked slowly closer to her, she knew she was as good as dead. It could kill her without even trying, and she had practically told it to!
She closed her eyes, lowered her head and began to cry, now she would never be able to avenge her father, even if she survived its attack, she would never be able to hunt again. There was no way her velociprey armor would protect her enough to prevent serious injury. She heard it stop right in front of her as her tears fell to the dry leaves between her hands, the soft sound of their impacts muffled in the perpetual noise of the jungle. "Why do you cry?"
The voice was softer this time, but she knew it would want an answer, and soon. Taking a deep breath, she wiped her eyes and looked up, coming nose to nose with the kirin. Her eyes went wide and she tried to control her voice as she spoke. "Because I'm going to die before I can avenge my father's death." The kirin once again narrowed his eyes at her. "Why do you say that?" His voice sounded truly baffled by her response.
"You are going to kill me and I can't defend myself. Even if I survive, I'll be so injured I'll never be able to take down the rathalos that killed my father." She lowered her head again as she spoke, and as she finished she felt him snort. "Why should I attack you, you are no threat to me." A spark of hope welled up in her heart at these words. Maybe I'll survive this after all, she thought.
"In fact, you may become a great ally, if given enough time." She looked up, now on her hands and knees, confused by what it said. "What do you mean?" The kirin pawed the ground for a second, looking contemplative, and then looked at her. "You have a great destiny to fulfill, and your path and mine will cross many times, when they cross again I will explain further, but for now, that is all I can tell you, but I can give you a gift. If you keep it with you and trust your instincts, it will do the rest."
A spark of energy formed at the tip of his horn and formed into a necklace, a bluish purple glowing piece if kirin horn hanging point down in two loops of silver from a thin sliver chain. It settled on the tip of his horn and he lowered his head, placing it in her outstretched hand. "It's beautiful, but where did it come from? How did you do that? Where did this piece of horn come from?" She heard a deep chuckle in her mind. "So many questions, as I said, all will be explained when we meet again, and don't worry, I'll find you next time." With that, he turned and bounded off, quickly disappearing between the trees. Opal, not knowing what else to do, put on the necklace and continued with her mission. The fight was easier than she expected, she followed her instincts like the kirin had told her to and the yian kut-ku fell quickly to her blade.
It had been nearly two years since that day, and ever since, she never took the necklace off, she even wore it when she slept and bathed. It had saved her from many close calls, from kut-ku to gravios and beyond, she had faced them all, but she never accepted any quests to hunt kirin. She would not betray the trust he had put in her to be an ally. Not only did the necklace help her in the hunt, it would help her avoid danger and injury elsewhere, and she would have probably died long ago if it wasn't for that.
Snapping out of her memories she looked at the burned bush, the wind and rain had almost washed it away, leaving only a small stalk of the bush sticking out of the muddy ground. How long had she been unaware of her surroundings? It was impossible to tell in the storm. She looked around and found a nearby cave in the gloom, small enough to protect her from most monsters. She took some large rocks inside the cave and blocked most of the entrance, leaving enough open for air and light in the morning, then began to settle into the small cave. It wasn't very big, or deep, but it would work well and protect her while she slept. She wondered briefly if she would ever see the kirin again, but her mind drifted to his words, "I'll find you next time." She smiled, knowing they would meet again, and then drifted off to sleep.
So ends chapter two. I'm trying to make my stories longer, let me know if it affected my quality. Till next time!
