Birds of Prey

Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine.

Eleanor crouched impatiently in the dense foliage, bowgun at the ready. She peered through the thick branches and leaves, waiting. Cracks and smashes bounced and echoes through the trees, signaling the eminent approach of her target. The loud howl of the wounded creature pierced the relative silence of the forest, giving testament to the damage she'd inflicted on the beast to the whole of the forest.

No less than ten feet in front of her was a wide migration path. On both sides was thick and damp forest, totally obscuring any vision in either direction to any creature on the path itself. This was the reason, no doubt, that Levin had chosen this particular place to wait as their wounded prey crashed through the trees, panicking at the hunters it couldn't see, that had been hounding it and ambushing it the whole day.

The knowledge that the creature still lived made Eleanor flare up in anger. She shot an icy glare at Levin, who crouched quietly next to her. He had apparently been looking her way; he winced and shrank back at the needled look, turning away to return his focus to the migration path. She had noticed he had been doing that a lot over the last couple weeks; always looking at her, observing her actions, judging her. He was searching for something in her, she felt. But what?

She'd confronted him about it once, but he'd waved it off, claiming it was his duty as a teacher to find any faults or rough edges in her abilities and help her buff it out. But he'd never brought forward any issues he had with her skill, so there must have been something else. She'd momentarily allowed herself a sliver of ego once and imagined he was looking at her out of attraction, but she shot that idea down quickly. His eyes held worry in them, or occasionally fear, sometimes disdain. What did he see in her that was bothering him so much? What was it that was dominating his mind so much that it was going so far as to damage his performance in the wilds?

The thought made her anger flare up again. It was his fault the Great Jaggi was still alive! He'd planned out their attacks perfectly each time, of this there was no doubt. But it seemed that whenever an opportunity to lay down the killing blow had come up, somehow, someway, Levin had found his way into the line of fire. Or if it wasn't that, it was him not keeping guard of his designated spot, and allowing the Great Jaggi to escape. And it seemed like it was always when she had the perfect shot to put the damn thing down, too!

She couldn't fault his tactical abilities any, that was certain; he could still map out a plan of attack with skill that still stunned her. However, over the last few hunts, her roles seemed to be becoming increasingly minimal, with Levin taking the lead each time, despite their enemies being Great Jaggis every time, the alleged "weakest big monster out there." At first she thought he was being cautious, after that first Great Jaggi hunt had nearly landed her with critical injuries. She'd actually thought it was kind of nice, though overprotective of him, to put so much effort into keeping her safe from harm. But after seven (eight including this one) battles against the damn things, couldn't he afford to trust her a little bit and let her do her work as a bowgunner?

But today would be different. She had taken down enough Great Jaggis on her own to get a feel to how the creatures worked. They all had similar methods of attack and defend, the same general timing when it came to their charges. She had seen enough of them in a critical state that she could vaguely predict how this whole fight would end. And this time, she'd be the one to land the final hit again.

As it should be.

She tensed as the sounds grew louder, the wrenching sounds of bushes uprooted and tree limbs torn off echoing across the forest. The excited and terrified yips of the Great Jaggi's hunting party became audible over the din as the pack drew closer, their fear and worry over their leader and (more importantly) themselves apparent. The howl of their leader reverberated across the forest, overpowering the weak yips and barks of the smaller members of the pack.

Eleanor saw Levin tense and adjust his stance, leaning forward to allow himself a burst of speed. He glanced over at Eleanor and motioned to the other side of the migration path. But she didn't need his prodding. She could tell already that the creature was close.

The sounds grew sharper, and Eleanor cocked her bowgun. The Great Jaggi couldn't be more than one hundred yards off. She could almost hear the pack leader's panting and wheezing over the sounds of the Jaggis' yipping. She pulled her bowgun up and aimed down the sights, allowing the image of the trajectory to come together in her mind. The bowgun swayed as she aimed it back and forth along the tree line, guessing. Where would the Great Jaggi pop out?

A flash of movement from behind the trees, and her sights snapped to its location, instinct and habit making the bowgun move as though it had a life of its own, unconscious of its user's will. The muscles in her fingers twitched as a rugged shadow of a shape appeared underneath the canopy, and the bowgun's muzzle flashed as the projectile tore out of the barrel. The Great Jaggi burst through the wall of trees, the last three remaining members of its pack tailing close behind.

Its mind barely had time to register as the round, still airborne, flew out of Eleanor's side of the path. With a burst of heat, the round connected with one of the trailing Jaggi's legs. The shot, filled with a highly combustible material and a phosphorus coating, blossomed into flame on the Jaggi's leg, even as the metal canister tore through the flesh of the creature. The Jaggi shrieked in pain as the fire spread across its body and up its back. The Great Jaggi and remaining Jaggis turned in shock at their comrade's injury.

Eleanor swore under her breath as Levin lurched forward, rushing out into the sunlight at the distracted Great Jaggi. She quickly slid another Flaming shot cartridge into her bowgun, cursing her luck. She'd fired at the first thing she'd seen through the shadows of the trees, hoping it to be the Great Jaggi itself, but had hit one of the lackeys instead. She adjusted her aim as the bolt latched into place and fired again as the Great Jaggi turned back, in search of the source of the shot.

The second shot struck true, connecting with the rear of the pack leader's jaw. The shell burst just like the first one, flames pluming from the wound. The Great Jaggi screeched in terror as the burning flames began to catch on his frill, creating a wide fan of fire along the side of his face.

By this time, Levin was nearly on top of the pack leader. With a twist of his body, his great sword flew from its sheath and arced widely, grazing the ground and kicking up a circular cloud of dust. With a roar of effort, Levin twisted the blade from its horizontal path and brought it upwards into a diagonal path. With a sickening crunch, the blade connected with the Great Jaggi's mouth, smashing the creature's jaw to splinters. The creature gurgled and squealed in fear as its broken jaw dangled, twisted and smashed, tongue hanging loosely.

Eleanor laughed victoriously as she loaded a higher power Pierce shot into the chamber, and could nearly sense Levin's growl of frustration from her location. The cut had been too slow, too rough to cleave the Great Jaggi's skull like Levin no doubt intended it to. And with Levin's recovery time with his great sword being what it was with its size, she had plenty of time to finish the fight herself. She leapt forward, clearing the tree line, and brought her sights up, line of fire unblocked by branches or leaves.

The bowgun bucked as the Pierce shot rocketed towards the dying Great Jaggi's head. But with massive effort, the pack leader stretched itself to its full height, attempting to howl out a garbled call for help. Eleanor swore loudly as the shot tore into the Great Jaggi's arm, wounding it further but not killing it. However, the hit staggered the swaying, burning creature, and it tilted over onto its side. A Jaggi danced out of the way, avoiding getting crushed.

Eleanor's hands flew to her ammunition pouch, attempting to load another shot, but Levin had recovered already. Sword hefted behind him, he grunted in effort and swung it up and over his head. With and quick thunk, the heavy great sword, aided by gravity and the strength of Levin, cleanly beheading the suffering Great Jaggi, killing it instantly.

Levin pulled up his sword quickly, as the two remaining Jaggi squawked between each other over their fallen leader, uncertain whether to fight or flee. Eleanor growled, angry over losing the killing blow, and pulled the trigger twice, deciding for them. Two smaller-caliber pierce rounds tore into them, dropping them dead next to the last Jaggi. Eleanor glanced down at it, and found it dead from its burn wounds.

The two stood in silence for a moment, Levin catching his breath. Finally, he relaxed, hefting his sword back over his shoulder and re-slung his weapon over his back. Eleanor continued to hold her bowgun, looking down at the carcass of the dead Great Jaggi. Resentment swelled up inside of her at the sight of the decapitated creature.

"Damn it!" she screamed, painfully tempted to throw her precious bowgun to the ground in rage. Levin pulled back in shock at her outburst. Fuming, she slung her bowgun over her back, staving off any future desires she might have to reduce her weapon to splinters.

Levin stood cautiously back as Eleanor strode over to the Great Jaggi's head. She leaned down next to the creature's lifeless skull and lifted it up, studying its injuries. With a growl, she stood up, took a step forward, and with a swift kick, booted the head up and over the tree line, into the dense foliage.

"That seemed unnecessary," Levin said quietly.

Eleanor turned on him, anger in her eyes. Levin didn't wince back this time, steeling himself against her anger. "More necessary than you think," she growled. "It was either his skull or yours."

"Have I done something to upset you?" Levin asked, blatantly feigning ignorance while meeting her glare with unrepentant eyes.

"Of course you have!" Eleanor shouted, her rage returning in full force. "This is the eighth Great Jaggi I've fought so far in my time in Boma! Eighth! And I've only been able to finish off three of them!"

"The goal of the first Great Jaggi was to prove whether or not you had the ability to deal enough damage to kill one," Levin replied. "The ones after that are meant to teach you the value of working together as a team in order to bring down monsters efficiently…"

"Bullshit!" Eleanor spat, cutting Levin off. "Each time after the first one, you've been intentionally getting in my way! You've been dragging out the fights each time, trying to keep me from getting the last hit in! You've made us spend twice as long in each fight than was necessary!"

Levin groaned in frustration. "I'm trying to teach you something here, Ellie."

"Liar," Eleanor growled. "And don't call me Ellie."

"Will you just listen?" Levin yelled at her. Eleanor scoffed at him, but made no motion to say anything. With a sigh, he continued, with a quieter voice. "Fine. Yes, I've been intentionally getting in your way."

"Why you…"

"BUT, I had a reason to," Levin snapped.

"What is it?" Eleanor huffed. "What's so damn important you need to make us waste our time when we could be killing monsters more efficiently?"

"It's your goddamn attitude!" Levin yelled. "You're throwing yourself into a mindset that'll get either you or both of us killed."

Eleanor was taken aback by the accusation, and her anger faltered. But her anger flared up again momentarily. "What the hell are you talking about?" she yelled back at Levin. "Besides that first fight, I've never been injured during a Great Jaggi hunt. Maybe bumped or bruised, but never anything a day of rest wouldn't cure. What the hell makes you think I'm getting into a reckless mindset like that? I'm not going to get myself torn up like you and that damn scar of yours…"

At her words, something inside Levin seemed to unhinge itself, his eyes flaring up and smoldering with borderline murderous intent. Eleanor had to force herself to keep from shrinking back in fear from the terrible rage in Levin's eyes. With a flicker of recognition, she remembered a similar feeling of dread before, during her first Great Jaggi hunt. Levin had shown the same measure of hatred in that fight, when he'd attempted to cleave the Great Jaggi in two. In her joy at her defeat of the Great Jaggi, she'd forgotten about this different, more terrifying outlook of Levin.

She felt her knees shaking in fear under Levin's cold glare. She saw Levin's hand twitch slightly, and for a moment, she wondered if he was seriously contemplating whether or not to cut her down out here in the forest. As she thought about it, she realized he could do it, and no one would know the wiser what had happened to her… She shuddered, and felt her legs giving way underneath her.

But then Levin's eyes glazed over for a moment, and he held his head down for a moment, as though fighting back a headache. When he looked up again, the anger and hate was gone from his eyes, leaving only the tired, worried look he'd had on his face since the first Great Jaggi battle.

"I… I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I almost lost my temper for a moment there."

Eleanor stood motionless, still in fear of Levin's sudden surge of rage. She forced her heart to slow its maddening pace, and calmed her breathing. "I'm sorry too," she replied. "That was out of line of me."

Levin chuckled lightly. "Actually, it may be more on the mark than you think. This scar is a reminder to myself to always know my limits. It should act as a lesson to you as well, to show what can happen if you're not cautious in a monster fight."

Eleanor bristled slightly, still annoyed by the accusations Levin was flinging at her. Despite the rush of fear she had felt, she still could not see the fault over her actions. "What have I done wrong?" she asked, perhaps with more indignation in the tone than she'd have liked. "I still can't think of any big issues that have come up since our first fight."

Levin sighed. "Let me show you then," he said, walking over to one of the trees knocked over by the Great Jaggi's rush through the trees. He sat down abruptly and motioned to the spot next to him. "Come here."

Eleanor reluctantly did as she was told, walking over to the fallen log and sitting down. She frowned in uncertainty as Levin began unfastening the latches on his dull yellow armor.

"Do you remember the… what was it, third Great Jaggi hunt we did?" he asked as he struggled with some of the buttons. "When you first decided you'd like to try to give your Bone Kris a try in the field?"

Eleanor nodded, thinking back.


Marshall had informed her when they'd returned home from their first Great Jaggi hunt that, now that the leader of the Jaggi pack had been felled, the number of Great Jaggi in the wilds would surely increase by a vast number for the next month or so. Potential alpha males would now be able to grow and dominate the pack without the restraining fangs of a Great Jaggi looming over them. Until a new alpha could be determined by dominance and strength, the forests surrounding Boma would surely be overrun with Great Jaggi.

Eleanor of course had been excited over this fact, having been given the opportunity to hunt a nearly endless supply of big monsters for almost a month. When she thought about it, Eleanor realized that that was about the time Levin and Marshall began their scrutinizing glances.

Two days later, the first reports of Great Jaggi appearing en masse had reached Boma. With Marshall's permission, she and Levin had set out in search of any Great Jaggi causing trouble around the forests, in order to relieve the Jaggis of some of their pack leader participants. Under Levin's scrutiny, the two hunters launched a surprise attack on a Great Jaggi hunting party not an hour after they'd left Boma.

The hunting party was small, considering how fragmented the collective Jaggi pack was during their time of civil war. The Great Jaggi itself was young as well, much smaller than the first one they'd fought. The two hunters had singled out the Great Jaggi rather quickly that time, and soon the Great Jaggi was on its last legs already. Levin was the one to finish that one off however, when Eleanor had tripped over an unfortunately placed rock. The Great Jaggi might have been able to barely get to her from its distance, had Levin not used the distraction to catch the inexperienced leader off guard with a powerful overhead swing.

Eleanor hadn't thought much of Levin finishing off the Great Jaggi at that point in time. Despite it being small and inexperienced fighting as a leader against other creatures, Eleanor had accepted Levin's explanation, telling her that the younger Great Jaggis were often more aggressive in an attempt to prove themselves, and he didn't want to risk her safety just because the Great Jaggi was young.

It had been four days since the first Great Jaggi hunt when she'd finally mustered up the courage to take her new sword and shield into the field for the first time. She had been tempted to wait out the Great Jaggi infestation, and practice in a safer environment without the hassle of dealing with large monsters. But her determination to accelerate her skill further had eventually won out over her caution, deciding that if she were going to improve enough to fight even nastier creatures, she'd have to charge in headfirst.

She also hadn't bothered to inform or even consult with Levin or Marshall on her decision. She had to admit, the look on Levin's face when she appeared with her sword and shield equipped the next day was absolutely priceless. Though Levin was initially against Eleanor using her sword and shield against the Great Jaggi until she had fought it a few more times, he eventually allowed her to go out into the field, under strict warning that he'd drag her butt back to Boma if she proved to be any at all careless.

It took them longer that day to hunt down a Great Jaggi than it had previously. It wasn't until mid-afternoon that they picked up the trail of a pack, and it was late afternoon when they'd finally caught up. But when they caught up to the Great Jaggi deep inside one of the twisting paths through the forest, Eleanor was shocked at what they found.

At the center of a large glade were two Great Jaggis battling each other. Surrounding them was their combined followers, numbering over twenty. The two pack leaders circled each other warily, occasionally taking a risk and snapping at their opposition. One of the Great Jaggis was quite a bit larger than the other, but though both were damaged from their battle, it was the smaller that bore less wounds from the fight. Eleanor soon found out why when, as the larger Great Jaggi lunged towards the smaller, it dodged nimbly out of the way, countering with a snapping bite into the larger Great Jaggi's leg.

Following the tactics they'd used previously, Eleanor and Levin circled the pack until they found the largest cluster of Jaggis grouped together, yipping and barking at the fight between their leaders. Creeping up behind the group, the two hunters began their work on reducing the size of the pack.

Eleanor quickly realized just how much more… personal the sword and shield felt when compared to the bowgun as her blade tore into the first Jaggi she got to. She could almost feel the texture of the Jaggi itself as she pierced through its hide, killing the creature with her blade through its heart. As much satisfaction she felt from the sight of seeing the impact of a well-aimed shot from her bowgun, she had to admit she could see why the blade was the most common type of weapon. You just felt so much stronger using your own power to cut up an enemy than you did blasting holes into it from a distance.

Levin held close to her as they continued through the pack, blades cutting down the Jaggi pack slowly but surely. She knew he was watching her closely, making certain she wasn't overexerting herself as they cut a swath through the chanting Jaggis. (Thinking back, she realized he might have been tailing her in case he needed to interfere as he'd done during their later Great Jaggi hunts.)

Then a howl tore from the center of the circle. Glancing to the middle of the ring of Jaggis, Eleanor saw the larger Jaggi fall, his neck torn apart by the crushing force of the smaller one's jaw. Eleanor caught Levin motion quickly at her, silently signaling to speed up their efforts. She nodded in agreement and quickly cut down another pair of Jaggis as the victorious Great Jaggi let out a howl of triumph.

A flash of determination tore through Eleanor. This was the perfect opportunity to strike! It was injured, but wallowing in his victory it would never see her coming. In its howling position, she could take out its throat without hassle. It was so easy…

Before she knew it she was already inside the circle, sword flashing, sprinting toward the Great Jaggi standing over his kill. On the edges of her vision, she could see the shocked expressions of the circle of Jaggis, too stunned at the sudden appearance of this hunter to warn their new leader. She could hear Levin yelling at her, but she was already only a few yards away. She sure as hell wouldn't turn back now.

With a leap, Eleanor swung her blade up towards the Great Jaggi. She felt her blade connect, slicing through the leathery hide of the pack leader, and heard the victory howl of the creature sputter and die into a coughing bark. But several inches into the blow, her blade lost its momentum, catching and sticking in the Great Jaggi's thick muscles.

Eleanor stood stunned momentarily at the sudden loss of impact she had had earlier, and was shaken quite literally from her reverie as the Great Jaggi twisted around, knocking her flat on her back with the side of his head. She rolled back to her feet as quick as she could, bringing up her shield to repel any extra attacks. She risked a glance at her sword, trying to figure out how she had failed in slitting the pack leader's throat, then swore at the sight of her blade, dented and dulled from her cutting her way through the Jaggis earlier. She cursed at herself. She'd forgotten to sharpen her blade!

But looking up, she realized how lucky her strike had been. Blood poured from the wound on the Great Jaggi's neck, and it twisted in pain, pawing at the wound with its claw. It barked a garbled command, and the Jaggis surrounding him darted around in confusion, unsure what to do. Three of them, probably members of the smaller Jaggis pack before the fight between the two Great Jaggis, leapt forward towards her, batting against her shield with their tails. She fumbled her other hand toward the pack at her side, trying to grab a whetstone, while still keeping the Jaggis at bay.

"Get down!" she heard Levin yell from behind her. She dropped down immediately, and felt a rush of air as the mass of Levin's great sword passed over her head, smashing into the trio of Jaggis. He swung back around swinging his great sword to ward off the collection of Jaggis behind him. Then reached down, grabbed Eleanor by the back of pulled her to her feet.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled at her. "Are you trying to get yourself beat down?"

"I can do this!" Eleanor yelled back, yanking a whetstone from her satchel and sliding it across her blade as the Jaggis danced away from Levin's swings. "I saw an opportunity and wounded it! It's dying already!"

"You're jumping in without thinking is what you're doing! You think I couldn't see your blade wasn't sharpened?"

"It worked didn't it?" she said, sliding the whetstone back into her pack as she brought it back to its former sharpness.

"Just barely, you idiot!" Levin reared back and swung again at several Jaggis that tried to get into his swing radius, cutting the head off one and severely wounding several others. He looked around the field, and Eleanor did the same.

She swallowed suddenly as she looked around. The two of them were still surrounded by at least a dozen Jaggis, all of them clamoring in confusion over the sudden assault on their leader. But they were slowly rallying back together, and beginning to focus on the source of the attack.

Eleanor glanced over at the leader of the pack, and saw him on the ground, rolling his head in the dirt. She cursed as he rolled over and stood back up. He'd managed to stop the blood flow by filling the wound with dirt! She'd underestimated the intelligence of the Great Jaggis in general, if they could think up such tactics to heal themselves.

She heard Levin curse behind her. "We're too outnumbered right now," he growled. "I hate to do this, but since I'm better at group attacks, I'll have to be the one to take down the Jaggis. You keep the Great Jaggi busy, but don't overdo it. Just make sure you keep defending and wear it out. I'll be there as soon as I'm done with the ankle-biters."

Grinning at the opportunity, Eleanor leapt forward towards the recovering Great Jaggi. Dark, red-tinted mud caked the Great Jaggi's neck as the beast staggered around, dizzy from its blood loss. But at Eleanor's approach, it shook its head, refocusing its attention and dropping down into an attack position. Eleanor slid to a stop a few yards short of the Great Jaggi and brought her shield up to defend.

Like she predicted, the Great Jaggi lunged, attempting to use its mass to knock Eleanor down. But she danced to the side, swinging the shield in an arc and smacking the Great Jaggi in the face. The blow dazed the Great Jaggi, and Eleanor swung her blade at the pack leader's head. The beast slid away, but Eleanor's blade caught the Great Jaggi's crest, tearing away the frill. The Great Jaggi howled in rage as the flap of hide fluttered to the ground.

Adrenaline coursed through Eleanor's veins as the Great Jaggi and her danced around each other, jumping in for a strike when each believed the other to be open. Eleanor could hear Levin tearing through the remaining Jaggis in the back of her senses, but her focus was too centered on the Great Jaggi to pay much attention to it. At one point she heard Levin cry out in… rage perhaps, maybe frustration, she wasn't sure, but she ignored it. The Great Jaggi in front of her was all she was thinking about.

Then, as the Great Jaggi lunged at her, she dodged to the side again, and with all her might, slammed her shield against the creature's skull. The connection between skull and iron made her shield ring like a gong, and the Great Jaggi stumbled back, tongue hanging slack as it wobbled, stunned. Seeing her opportunity, Eleanor dashed forward to strike, sword flashing forward towards the creature's center of mass.

Her sword pierced the beast's skin, but rebounded off the thick bone underneath. The Great Jaggi staggered away, its mind registering the pain but not able to think coherently enough to evade. Eleanor pulled back, remembering her training in the practice field behind the Guild booth, and began the combination of strikes and slashes she had been taught. Her sword flew back and forth across the creature's body, each swing unfolding a bright red crease of blood on the Great Jaggi's body.

Suddenly the Great Jaggi twisted around, slamming into her shield and sending her sprawling across the ground. She rolled back to her feet as quick as she could and brought up her shield, just as the Great Jaggi brought down its teeth on her. The creature's fangs clanged and rung as they gnawed on the edge of the shield. Eleanor winced as the Great Jaggi's fangs tore through the armor on her arms, cutting bloody wedges into her arms.

She could feel the hot breath of the Great Jaggi as it bit into her shield, trying desperately to tear through the defensive object and into Eleanor herself. The force of the beast's assault pushed Eleanor back inch by inch as the Great Jaggi's powerful rage amplified its power as it pushed against Eleanor's shield. Eleanor swung wildly in panic at the Great Jaggi's head as it shoved and shook her.

With a wet impact, she felt the sword connect with the Great Jaggi. Looking around the side of the shield cautiously, she saw her blade protruding from the creature's jaw, angled upwards and through the Great Jaggi's throat and spine. The Great Jaggi shuddered and wheezed through its impaled windpipe, still desperately trying to clamp down through Eleanor's shield and into Eleanor herself. With a rasping death rattle, the Great Jaggi slumped forward, the weight of its mass forcing Eleanor down, shield caught in the Great Jaggi's maw. The beast landed with a thud on top of Eleanor's legs, pinning her to the ground with her shield still strapped to her bleeding arm.

Wiggling her arm loose of the shields straps, Eleanor levered the Great Jaggi's head up and off her legs, allowing her to wriggle free from underneath it. With a swift kick to the creature's jaw, she ripped her sword out of the Great Jaggi's throat, and with another she removed her shield from its mouth. She gulped down a potion to dull the aching throb in her shield arm as she surveyed her kill.

Levin had walked over not long after, surveying her kill with mild distaste in his eyes. He had a bright splash of red soaked into the shoulder of his armor. When she asked, he irritably brushed it off, saying it was just a little stain a Jaggi volunteered to decorate his armor with. She could tell the jest came tough, and that he wanting to tear into her over her spontaneous assault on the Great Jaggi, but for some reason he held himself back, bluntly telling her to carve her kill so they could go back to Boma.

The walk back was silent that day. Eleanor could tell Levin was fuming at her for being so abrupt in the wilds. But she had seen her chance and taken it, and didn't regret her choice of action.


"I don't see what your point is," Eleanor said irritably as they sat next to each other on the stump. "The Great Jaggi was killed and neither of us got hurt bad. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is you're not thinking ahead."

"I saw an opportunity and took it. How can you fault me for that?"

Levin glared at her and pulled down the shoulder of his Ludroth armor. "Because of this."

Eleanor gasped. All along the edge of Levin's shoulder was a wide semi-circular wound, patched and bandaged with gauze and medical tape. The skin surrounding the wound was bright red and splotches of blood could be seen seeping through the gauze.

"How… how did…"

Levin grimaced, sliding his armor back into place and beginning to snap the buttons back up. "It was during that hunt," he told her. "While you were off fighting the Great Jaggi, I got surrounded by the rest of the pack. Jaggis aren't much of a threat by themselves, I've told you that before, but in large numbers they can overwhelm any hunter. That day, one of the little bastards snuck up behind me and got me good."

Eleanor was silent, completely taken aback by the sight of Levin's wound. It dawned on her what Levin was getting at. "It was my fault," she whispered. "Because I charged in recklessly. We hadn't killed enough of the Jaggis yet."

Levin sighed. "I don't have the gall to tell you it wasn't your fault. I don't like saying it, but the blame falls on you about this whole issue. But you need to learn from this."

"Learn what?" Eleanor asked quietly, her earlier obstinacy gone.

"That the goal of hunting isn't to kill monsters," Levin said. Eleanor turned and raised an eyebrow at him, making him shrug. "Well, it is, but it's not the most important goal. The primary goal of monster hunting is this: to make sure that you and your teammates come back alive. I make sure to ensure you are kept safe as your teacher, but you also need to ensure you keep me safe as my student."

Eleanor stared down at her boots, not wanting to meet Levin's eyes. She felt ashamed with herself, for letting her own desires get the better of her and getting Levin hurt.

"That's why we aren't pushing you into fighting higher level monsters when you're not ready," Levin continued. "If you get too far ahead of yourself, you'll end up as monster food."

The two sat in silence for a long while. Finally Levin stood up and paced in front of Eleanor's seat. "Look, Ellie," he said, "you're a fantastic gunner, and a great sword user. I don't like to admit it, but you'll probably become a better hunter than me in the long run."

Eleanor looked up at Levin in surprise at the sudden compliment, and Levin grinned at her. "So believe me when I say I'm trying my best to keep you alive. There's more to hunting than senseless killing. You've got to work together with your team in order to succeed."

"I get it," Eleanor said.

"Do you really?"

Eleanor nodded. "Yeah."

Levin grinned. "Good to hear. Now," he said, stretching his back, "shall we head back to the village, Miss Ellie?"

Eleanor smiled slightly. "Sure," she replied. "Let's go."


"Damn it all! How are you beating me in this game?"

Levin cursed under his breath as Mel picked up yet another of his checkers, grinning with satisfaction as she tossed it into her pile, nearly three times the size of Levin's. Marshall, sitting next to him, laughed as Levin hung his head in dissatisfaction.

"How the hell are you so good at this?" Levin sighed exasperatedly. "I just taught you how to play this game three days ago!"

"What can I say?" Mel replied. "When you spend all day behind a booth taking notes and filling out paperwork for people who are out doing all the work in the wilds, you find something to bide your time with. And for me, that something was checkers. Thanks for teaching me, by the way."

"No problem," Levin groaned wryly. "Nothing quite makes my day like get my butt handed to me in a game I've been playing since I was a kid by someone who learned it a few days ago."

"Seems as though Lost ingenuity is not quite what you and Miss Eleanor make of it, is it Levin?" Marshall prodded. "Even the high and mighty members of the Lost can lose a thinking game to us normal folk, huh?"

"Oh, shove it old timer."

"Good morning, Levin."

Levin turned as Ellie walked up to the Guild booth and smiled at her. It had been almost a week since he had confronted her over her behavior in the wilds, and things were still a little tense between them. But they were both trying to get past the problem and move on.

"Oh good, you're here," Mel said enthusiastically as Mel sat down at the booth. Reaching under the table, she pulled out a sheet of paper and laid it in front of the two hunters. "This is a job request we received from the Loc Lac Aviary Society, sponsored by the Loc Lac Hunter's Guild. Mister Marshall here told me to let the two of you go for it."

Marshall grinned at the two hunters eying him suspiciously. "I figured, considering Miss Eleanor's recent attempt at becoming less… aggressive in the field, it was about time for her to give a capture mission a go."

"What's a capture mission?" Ellie asked, tilting her head trying to read the paper.

"Pretty much just what it sounds like, Miss Eleanor," Marshall replied. "You go out into the field and capture a big monster as per request by the employer."

"How in the hell do you capture a monster?" Ellie asked, confused.

"You beat it up, drop it in a trap, and tranquilize it," Levin replied. "That's the abridged version, at least. You gotta make sure the thing's weak enough so the tranqs will be effective, or it'll just shrug them off and get away. I've got some Tranq bombs at my house I can grab for this mission. You've still got the Tranq Shots I bought for you way back when, don't you?"

"I was wondering what those were for."

"And now you know. Now what's this mission all about, I wonder?" Levin took the sheet and read aloud from it. "Quest: Capture a Qurupeco. The society would like to conduct a study to determine how the resonance of the Qurupeco's song is used to heal wounds and dull pain. Such information would be used to aid in the production of hunting horns and medical supplies." He set the paper down and scratched his head in confusion. "What the hell is a hunting horn?"

"Oh, I saw one of those in Loc Lac," Ellie replied enthusiastically. "They're these big horn-looking things. Some hunters were arguing about which one they should bring on a hunt. I don't know how they work though."

"I remember seeing a few of them myself when I was still hunting in Loc Lac," Marshall said thoughtfully. "I never tried them myself. I heard about their usage rate and they broke far too easily for me to want to use them consistently."

"Let's see what the book says about them," Mel said, reaching under the table and pulling out her Guild guide book. She flipped through the pages, skimming the information, before stopping abruptly on a page. "Here we go. 'Hunting horns are musical instruments that use sound waves to induce a psychological healing or strengthening effect on any who listen to its sound. The horns approved by the Hunter's Guild are specially designed to only affect hunters that listen to their sound. Also, in some regions of the world, hunting horns are built to be sturdier for use as a melee weapon in battle.' Huh."

"That seems like an… oddly advanced bit of equipment for this world, doesn't it?" Ellie asked. Mel huffed in irritation at the jab, preparing a counterpoint, but was interrupted prematurely by Marshall.

"Now just because we may not have the same level of technology that you Lost had, Miss Eleanor, doesn't mean we're completely hopeless in terms of advancement," Marshall said, grinning exaltedly at Levin, who groaned and turned away. "While we may not have the fancy things you do, we've excelled ourselves in other places. Personally, I've heard tell of a stone they created in Loc Lac that makes you stronger or more resistant to damage just by carrying it with you."

"Sounds like hokum to me," Levin muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"Perhaps," Marshall replied. "But stranger things happen in this world of ours. Now, you two should probably head out here soon, if you want to capture the Qurupeco before nightfall. I'll let the boatmen know you two are taking off."

"Wait, what boatmen?" Ellie asked.

"The sailors that transport captured creatures to the respective locations of the quest employers," Marshall explained. "They follow close to shore while the hunter is searching for their prey. When a creature is captured, you send up a flare and the men aboard come to bind the creature so it can be transported to wherever it needs to go."

"What if the monster is really far inland?"

"There are a lot of rivers in this area," Marshall replied, "so any captured monster is never really too far from a place it can be picked up. In less watery areas, I hear they have to get pretty inventive in their transportation methods."

"Sounds like a pain in the butt."

"I imagine it is. But it's a very well-paying job if you do it working for the Guild. The boatmen here just get a percentage of the quest profits, and we pass the monster on to the next Guild ship that comes into harbor. They usually come by at the end of the week, so there's rarely difficulty in holding the creature in captivity until then."

"The ship comes by tomorrow, I think," Levin said, standing up and stretching. "So if we don't want to have to keep the Qurupeco fed and watered for a whole week, we're going to have to catch one today. Think you're up for the challenge of not killing a monster, Ellie?"

Ellie grimaced. She seemed to have become a bit overcautious in the last week, trying to keep better track of things during hunts. Levin was getting worried that his discussion with her was having more negative effects than positive. But she nodded eventually, and stood to tighten the bowgun strap over her shoulder.

Levin nodded back and slung his great sword over his back. "Let's go then."

"Come back safely!" Mel called out behind them. "I'd like to beat you at checkers one more time today!"

"Oh, shut up!"


"So how are we even going to be able to find a Qurupeco today?" Ellie asked as the two hunters trudged through the foliage of the forest.

"Shouldn't be that hard to find one," Levin replied as he hacked his way through the brush with his hunter's knife. "Qurupeco aren't far traveling creatures like the Jaggis when they search for food. They're generally fish eaters anyway, so all they really need to do is make a nest near a river or the ocean and their set."

"There are a lot of rivers and creeks through this area, though."

"I know. But they like high places for their nests, so we just need to find a high rock outcropping overlooking water, and we'll probably find a Qurupeco. Which is why we're heading over there."

Levin pointed off into the distance at a large rocky cape protruding out from a hill. The rocky overlook extended almost a thousand yards out from the mainland and was dotted with large caves and hideaways along its length up and down the sides. Water poured down the sides of the cape, flowing gently out dozens of the caves that were scattered across the high cliff walls. Thick vines hung down the side of the cape all the way from top to bottom, and thick crooked trees jutted out from the rocks beside them. Ellie whistled in awe at the size of the landmass.

"Keep your eyes on the skies as we travel," Levin told her. "If we're lucky, we'll be able to spot a Qurupeco flying to or from its nest. Then all we have to do is wait for it there or ambush it."

"What do they look like?"

"Giant, colorful birds. Trust me, that's all the description you need."

It took them the better part of an hour to reach the cape, eyes constantly searching the skies for signs of Qurupeco in the area. Following the beach, they came across a thin ledge, leading up along the side of the massive landmass and past several of the caves on the side. Levin looked out to sea and spotted Boma's transport ship sailing off in the distance. The sailors on board must have caught sight of them soon, as the boat turned and began sailing their direction, ready to pick up a haul at any time. Ellie waved at the approaching ship and received a couple replies in kind. Then the two started up the cape.

Levin led Ellie up the path carved into the side of the cape as they carefully trekked up the side of the landmass. The path was only a couple yards in width, so the two of them kept cautiously far from the edge. They continued for over a quarter mile, weaving their way up the side of the cliff continuously upwards. They passed several of the caves and alcoves, checking each for signs of it being a Qurupeco dwelling, but found nothing but some abandoned nests and a couple Bnahabra hives.

About halfway up the slope, they reached a large alcove in the side of the cape that cut about thirty yards into the side of the cliff face. A wide waterfall cascaded from and overhang above them, creating an obscuring wall of water, partially blocking their view of the ocean. The path in front of them was partially blocked by a thick tree that had managed to grow up from the rocky terrain, its roots hanging over the edge of the cliff and hanging loosely in the air below. As Levin glanced into the cave, he stopped, holding up his hand to slow Ellie down as well. Looking into the shadows of the cave, he made out a large bundle of sticks and stones, as well as countless brightly colored feathers. Levin grinned enthusiastically. Unlike the previous nests they'd come across, the feathers here were new and vibrant, not old and dull.

"Here's our spot," he told Ellie, hiking into the cavern to look around.

"I've been meaning to ask," Ellie said as she looked around the cavern, "how to Qurupeco fight? You really didn't give me all that much to work with when we fought the Great Jaggis. Admittedly, they really weren't that complicated, but I'd still like to know what to expect a little bit in advance this time."

Levin shrugged. "I guess that's a fair request. I was kind of hoping to see how well you'd fight not knowing what to expect, but I guess in such tight quarters as this, you'd be better off knowing what's coming. I guess the first thing to mention is something you're already aware of: the Qurupeco's song."

"It heals it, right?"

"Yeah, but it does more than that depending on the tune. It can strengthen the Qurupeco's attack power as well, sort of like a psychological steroid of some kind. Both songs are accompanied by a sort of dance that it uses to… ungulate, I don't know. It you see it start dancing back and forth, hit it hard before it can bolster itself."

"Got it," Ellie nodded.

"But the worst part of the Qurupeco's voice is its calling ability."

"Calling ability?"

"Yeah. It can replicate the cries for help of other creatures in the area. Normal Jaggi, Great Jaggi, Royal Ludroth, it'll even call for help from any Raths that happen to be in the area if there are any. Trust me when I say that if it starts trying to get a few friends to help, stop it. We probably won't have to worry about interference too much up here on the cliffs, but better safe than sorry."

"Okay, so just pound on it if it starts trying to sing or call out."

"Pretty much. Oh, and watch out for the explosions."

"The what?"

Levin blinked in confusion then scratched his head sheepishly. "Oh, I forgot to mention that, didn't I?"

"Just a bit!" Ellie yelled, glaring at him. "What the hell do you mean, 'watch out for the explosions'?"

Levin laughed in embarrassment. "Sorry, sorry. Let's see… The Qurupeco can produce and spit this highly explosive gastric juice from its mouth. It uses this coagulation of flint stone on its wings to ignite the stuff and create a big explosion. So, uh, keep your distance and stay out of in front of it."

"Thanks for the warning," Ellie growled sarcastically. "Is it possible to stop the thing from spitting the juice or whatever the stuff is?"

"No," Levin replied thoughtfully, "but you can break its beak will a well-placed hit. That'll stop it from calling for help. For the most part, at least. I'm not sure exactly how much its abilities decrease with a broken beak, though."

"So aim for the face, then?" Ellie asked.

"I'm aim for the wings, myself," Levin told her, "since you can break off the Qurupeco's flint. I'm a front-lines kind of fighter and getting rid of the explosions seems to be the more immediate issue for me. But I guess it all depends on your preference towards what to aim at. That and I guess you could wait and see what kind of attack pattern the Qurupeco decides to use during the fight and knock out the biggest threat first. But that would make him focus more on the other type of attack…"

"Aim for the head, got it," Ellie interrupted, shaking her head in frustration.

"Actually, since the request is for the Qurupeco is to study it's call, we should probably avoid breaking its beak."

"Gah! Screw it; I'll just shoot it everywhere!"

Levin laughed as he turned and walked over to the edge of the cavern opposite the nest, pulling a pitfall trap out of his satchel and flipping it over in his hands. Ellie walked over to the edge of the ledge outside the cavern and scanned the horizon. Levin walked around the cavern, kicking rocks out of the way and digging his feet into the dirt, looking for a decent place to set up the trap.

Finding an acceptably soft bit of dirt, Levin knelt to the ground and wedged the pitfall trap into the dirt, turning the handle to activate it. He stepped back, making sure the little gizmo activated properly, then turned and walked back to the cave entrance to stand next to Ellie.

"You think you got a handle on this?" he asked quietly.

Ellie was silent for a moment. "I think so," she replied.

"You just think so?"

"I can't… be certain." Ellie stood frozen, an uncertain and fearful look on her face. "It just seems like, every time I see a big monster, I just get so angry. It's like, my job is to kill the monsters I see, and when I see them and feel the adrenaline flowing in my veins, I just lose sight of everything else. All that exists is me and the monster."

Levin frowned. "You've got to get that idea out of your head. You've got to realize that you're working as a team when you're hunting. It's a collective effort."

"I know," Ellie groaned, hanging her head. "I've been trying! But I just can't get this blind zealousness to go away during a fight! I just get so overwhelmed and I have no idea why! I go into the fight knowing what I have to do and where I need to be and how it all works with what you're doing, but once I'm in the field and there's a big monster in front of me it all just… disappears."

Ellie dropped down, sitting on a rock, a thoroughly miserable look on her face. She buried her face in her hands. "I just don't know what's wrong with me."

Levin looked down at her, guilt welling up inside of him. He hadn't wanted her to feel this bad about the whole thing, and certainly hadn't wanted her putting herself down like this.

"I know you can do it," he said quietly. "I know you can get over this."

"How can you say that?" Ellie asked miserably.

Levin sighed. "I don't know. But I feel like you can get over this."

Ellie scoffed. "Wishful thinking."

"Don't put yourself down like that," Levin said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You a strong person, Ellie, and I know you can overcome this. You traveled all the way from Loc Lac to become a great hunter, didn't you?"

"Yes…"

"Then you can certainly overcome this little overzealousness of yours. You practiced relentlessly with the bowgun and the sword and shield when you got to Boma. Your determination is a great asset for you."

"But it's also what getting you in danger during big monster battles. How is that supposed to be one of my strong points?"

"Because you are also determined to become a great hunter. And if proper teamwork is required to become a great hunter, then you'll certainly learn to keep your attention on your teammates for sure."

Ellie was silent for a moment before replying. "It took me almost two weeks of training to become so proficient in gunning, though. Getting over my mental problems will probably take longer. Think you can put up with me that long?"

Levin grinned. "You're my apprentice, Ellie. A few weeks of getting beat up in the wilds will be worth it if it improves your skills as a hunter. Besides, taking a beating for the sake of a pretty lady is one of the better ways to receive injuries, in my opinion."

Ellie laughed at this. "How chivalric," she said with a grin.

"I aim to please," Levin replied, flourishing with an overdramatic bow.

Then a loud warbling call cut through the air, echoing through the cave. The two hunters turned to see a large bird flying through the sky in their direction from the mainland.

"Time to get ready, Ellie," Levin said. "If you're going to prove you can improve your ability to work as a team, now's your chance."

"Right," Ellie said. Levin felt there was a measure of hesitation in her voice, but the concern he felt would have to be put off until they had dealt with the approaching Qurupeco.

Assuming she doesn't space out and get me killed here, said a wry voice in the back of his mind. Death by Qurupeco. How embarrassing, even for an apprentice hunter.

He ran back into the cave close behind Ellie. Reaching the far back, the two of them split into different directions, Ellie crouching into the shadows in the back of the cave, and Levin sliding behind the Qurupeco's large nest. He glanced over at the pitfall trap, and nodded approvingly to himself as he saw that the soil was well churned.

He looked over at Ellie, who was cocking her bowgun with some large type of ammunition, possibly a Crag shot. Maybe a couple Pierce rounds. He'd have to tread carefully when he charged the Qurupeco so as not to interfere with Ellie's shots…


Eleanor squeezed herself as tightly as she could into the thin crack in the wall where she hid. The darkness was deep here, but if the two of them were going to effectively ambush this monster, she wanted to make sure there was no chance of it spotting her. Her bowgun was loaded with a Crag shot and primed to fire. She figured if anything was going to throw off a large monster right at the start of a fight, a blast of gunpowder would.

She sat quietly, glancing back and forth between the cave entrance and Levin's hiding place. Neither of them moved as the wobbling song of the Qurupeco grew closer. Soon she heard the flapping of wings, and tensed as the creature flew towards the cave mouth. A shadow of the bird passed over the cave entrance, dipping the cave into more complete blackness for a moment, then with a thump the Qurupeco landed in the entrance to the cave.

A big, colorful bird. Ellie had to admit, Levin's description of the bird was weak and pretty vague, but it certainly described the Qurupeco well. She half pondered if there were other monsters out there that would fit the same bill, then shook off the thought, reminding herself that it didn't matter at the moment.

The Qurupeco gazed around its cave cautiously, and Eleanor wondered if the bird had a good enough nose to detect their presence in the cave. Her worry proved premature, however, when the Qurupeco strutted straight into the cave, an air of contentment about it. It didn't suspect a thing. Eleanor held up her bowgun, lining up the sights on the Qurupeco, but caught Levin holding a fist up, telling her to hold her fire as the Qurupeco walked deeper into the cave.

When the monster got about halfway into the cave, it slowed suddenly, staring intently at its nest, as though detecting something was out of the ordinary. It began to approach more cautiously, the feathers on its wings bristling nervously as it got closer. At five yards from the nest, Levin motioned to Eleanor quickly as the Qurupeco's breast suddenly began puffing up defensively.

Eleanor's muzzle flashed as she fired, and the Crag caught the Qurupeco in the side. The big bird had a moment to react to the sudden attachment now stuck to its side when the shot detonated, igniting the bird in flame and catching several of its feathers. Levin was already charging as the light from the fire plume lit up the darkened cavern, hand on his sword's hilt and ready to strike.

But the confused Qurupeco, attempting to shake off the flames, spun around, trying the blow out the flames. The thick bundle of the Qurupeco's beaver-like tail caught Levin unawares, sending him sprawling deeper into the cave. Eleanor popped out the empty Crag shell and slid in Pierce rounds as the flames died away from the Qurupeco's body.

"Avoid using Crag!" Levin shouted as the Qurupeco turned and squawked in rage at them. He rushed forward, swinging his blade forward, and the Qurupeco danced back warily. "The thing already creates its own explosions, so fire won't do as much to it!"

"Now he tells me," Eleanor grumbled. She rushed towards the tunnel entrance, twisting around to fire sideways shots at the Qurupeco's flank. The bird honked irritably at her, but kept its focus on Levin, who proved a more immediate threat. Realizing the troublesome situation it was in, it turned to rush to the entrance of its cave to escape the ambush.

But Eleanor had already taken up position at the cave entrance, and fired several rounds at the Qurupeco, fighting it back into the cave. With a roar of fury, the Qurupeco reared its head back, and with a sickening gurgling sound, spat a spray of vile green blobs at Eleanor.

Eleanor dove away from the mucus, then turned to fire again. But the Qurupeco snapped its claws together over the closest bit of mucus, and with a burst of heat, the slime on the floor erupted into a wide line of flames. Eleanor instinctively threw up her arm, shielding her face from the heat of the fire, but caught sight out of the edge of her vision of the Qurupeco digging its feet into the ground, preparing to charge.

Then Levin caught up with the Qurupeco, bringing his sword down on the bird's tail. Eleanor heard several of the Qurupeco's bones snap as the creature cried out in pain. The bird spun around, the flint of its wings knocking Levin back as he brought up his sword defensively. The Qurupeco charged at the great sword user, bringing its beak down on Levin's sword with dozens of powerful strikes. At a lull in the assault, Levin swung his sword around to attack, but was forced to dodge backwards as the Qurupeco spun around again in an attempt to knock Levin over.

Eleanor had reloaded by then, bowgun loaded with Pellet shots. She rushed around the wall of fire, closing the distance between her and the distracted Qurupeco. Once she was close enough, she brought up her bowgun, and with a squeeze of her trigger, her bowgun emptied the shots into the Qurupeco's side. The bird's leathery hide became peppered with blood as the shots connected. The beast howled in pain at the sudden damage, and turned back to Eleanor.

Eleanor slid more cartridges into the chamber of her bowgun, but as she prepared to fire, the Qurupeco swung its wings forward. The sudden gust of wind from the Qurupeco caught Eleanor unawares, making her flinch and sending her backwards a couple feet. Levin charged the bird from its side, but with a spin the creature knocked Levin back.

Then the creature seemed to expand, its throat expanding out and growing a bright red. It began bobbing its head back and forth and dancing around on one foot, and all the while its gullet continued to expand.

"Get it!" Levin cried out. "It going to call for help!"

Eleanor didn't need to be told twice. She brought her bowgun up, aiming at the creature's swelling throat and firing. However, perhaps because of her increased distance from the creature, or maybe because of the creature's leathery hide, the Pellet round didn't pierce the skin of the Qurupeco's throat. It winced in pain, but its concentration was too solid for its call to be stopped.

Rearing back its head, the Qurupeco release a powerful howl. It took Eleanor by surprise the uncharacteristic sound of the call to the bird's normal sounds. She realized she recognized the sound of the call.

"It's calling for a Great Jaggi!" she yelled out to Levin.

"I know! We have to bring it down before the reinforcements show up!"

Eleanor slid the used cartridges out of her bowgun as Levin charged the recovering Qurupeco, swinging down his sword on the bird's wing. The blade tore a deep gash into the Qurupeco's skin, but the leathery hide managed to remain whole. The Qurupeco spun and Levin rolled away, but the bird recovered by spitting another wad of mucus at the great sword user. Levin dove away again as the Qurupeco snapped its wings together, igniting the green slime and lighting up the cave with its glow.

Then the Qurupeco turned, attempting to make a break for the cave entrance, but Eleanor fired, sending her loaded Pierce rounds into the bird's legs, tripping it up and sending it sprawling across the floor. It pushed itself back to its feet as Levin caught up with it, swinging his sword at the flint on the creature's wings. With a smash, the flint on one of the wings shattered, the black stones falling to the ground.

"Ellie!" Levin called to her. "Go see if there's any trouble headed this way yet! I'll keep big bird here busy for a while."

Eleanor nodded fervently, turning to rush over to the cliff edge. She glanced over the side and gulped nervously. Nearly a dozen Jaggi where following a Great Jaggi towards the thin path that led up to the cave they were in. But as they neared the path, the Great Jaggi slowed cautiously, eyeing the rocky terrain cautiously. Eleanor grinned in joy as the Great Jaggi stepped cautiously onto the narrow path, and then quickly jumped back. The path was too narrow for it to climb up!

But her joy withered significantly as the pack leader barked an order to the Jaggis surrounding it. At once, almost the whole pack rushed forward up the slope, starting their tenuous climb up to the Great Jaggi they expected to be there.

"Trouble coming!" Eleanor called as she turned back to the cave and rushed to Levin's aid. "The Great Jaggi's not coming, but he sent his pack up this way!"

"Damn!" Levin cursed, as he brought up his sword to deflect the Qurupeco's stream of pecks raining down on him.

Eleanor raised her bowgun, unleashing another stream of Pellet shots into the Qurupeco's hide. The creature howled in pain, turning and rushing at dived in an attempt to avoid the rush, but the Qurupeco clipped her, sending her sliding across the cave floor. She rolled to her feet and attempted to reload, when she caught site of the Qurupeco dancing around and puffing up its chest again.

"Hit it before it sings!" Levin yelled, charging the Qurupeco with his hand on the hilt of his blade.

Thinking quickly, Eleanor slid Pierce rounds into the chamber of her bowgun. She raised the sights, lining up with the Qurupeco's puffing , which were inhaling to prepare for its song or call. She squeezed the trigger and the Pierce round flew through the air. With a loud tearing sound the round ripped into the Qurupeco's beak and, with the aid of the air already flowing through, tore it down the middle. The Qurupeco howled in pain as Levin closed the distance and brought his sword across, cutting into the Qurupeco's side and knocking it flat on the ground. The Qurupeco wheezed and coughed, the damage it had taken catching up with its movements.

"It's getting weak!" Levin called over. "Try and lure it into the trap!"

"Got it!" Eleanor glanced over to the Qurupeco's right, where the sifting dirt of the pitfall trap laid waiting for the beast to fall into. Eleanor grinned as she saw the Saturnian jump out of the dirt for a brief moment before diving back under, like it was waiting impatiently for the Qurupeco to fall in as well. Eleanor brought her bowgun up, fully loaded with Normal shots, and fired to the Qurupeco's left, hoping to scare it away from the gunfire.

But the Qurupeco, enraged and in pain from the fight, leapt forward instead of to the side. Eleanor leapt out of the Qurupeco's reach, vaguely noticing the strange position the Qurupeco's head was in as it leapt forward. In midair, she saw the Qurupeco head suddenly bob forward, a large blob of mucus flying from the depths of its throat. Eleanor had a moment of satisfaction, seeing the blob's course was off and wouldn't connect with her, before the Qurupeco snapped the tips of its wings together onto the still-airborne mucus.

The concussion of the explosion hit Eleanor first, knocking the wind out of her before the force and heat of the blast sent her flying backwards, across the rocky floor and into a wall. She heard Levin calling out to her in panic as she rolled to her side, head spinning and eyes glazed and unfocused. The earth rumbled underneath her and she dully felt debris land on her. She could just make out the shape of the Qurupeco in her blurry vision, and what was undoubtedly Levin charging it to get it away from her. She thought she could see the red tinted glow she'd seen Levin release in the first Great Jaggi fight, but she couldn't be sure if it was real or just a delusion of her distorted vision.

As her vision cleared, she crawled back to her feet, reaching down to pick up her bowgun on her way up. Her mind slowly refocused, allowing her to figure out what was going on. Levin had indeed assaulted the Qurupeco and Eleanor discovered that his attack had left one of the bird's wings smashed and broken. But the rage of the Qurupeco was unrelenting, and even as Levin dove away from the attacks, the bird leapt after him, setting off another eruption of fire with each jump.

The ground underneath Eleanor seemed to shake, and her wobbly legs nearly gave way underneath her. She quickly brought her bowgun up and fired a shot in front of the Qurupeco's path before it leapt, causing it to misstep and stumble before it could attempt making another explosion. She rushed forward towards the bird as it turned, confused. In the back of her mind, Eleanor felt confused though; it seemed like there were more rocks on the ground now then there had been before.

Levin looked at her in surprise as she approached, and Eleanor caught a flicker of the red glow from him. But it faded and vanished as he grinned at her. But the grin vanished as well as the sound of barking echoed through the cave.

The two hunters turned to look towards the entrance to the cave just as the first few Jaggis began swarming into the cave. There was a look of confusion on the faces of the pack as they observed the scene before them, before their hunters' instincts kicked in and they realized that they had the opportunity to bring down three injured prey.

The Qurupeco suddenly dashed, attempting to use the distraction to escape, but got cut off as Eleanor fired several rounds into his path.

"I'll deal with the ankle-biters," Levin said to her. "I'll see if I can't scare them away. Try and lead the Qurupeco into the trap."

"Got it," Eleanor replied, firing a few more rounds to the Qurupeco's side, making it leap even closer to the trap. Levin jumped behind Eleanor, and she could hear him batting away several Jaggi that had tried getting close to her.

Eleanor charged forward, loading several Pellet shells into her bowgun. The Qurupeco charged, trying to pin her down with its rapid-fire pecks, but Eleanor managed to duck past it. She turned to fire, trying to get it to dodge toward the trap. But she stopped as the Qurupeco reared back. She recognized that stance; getting blown across the room certainly was powerful motivation to remember a monster's skill set.

She jumped away from the Qurupeco's direct line of attack as the bird leapt forward. She felt the concussive force of the explosion she'd predicted would come and some of the heat, but nothing that hindered her ability to fight. The Qurupeco turned, preparing another jump in her direction, when a watermelon-sized rock dislodged from the ceiling, smashing into the bird's back. Eleanor winced as the Qurupeco's legs buckled slightly under the impact, but prepared for another rush from the bird as it straightened up, eyeing her angrily.

She was at an odd angle to the trap at the moment. She knew the quest depended on getting the Qurupeco into the trap and tranqing it without killing it or ruining its beak. That limited her firepower options. But she had to get the Qurupeco into the trap for the sake of the mission. Had to.

She felt a rush of determination and her focus began narrowing, centered between the Qurupeco and the trap to the side. A flicker of worry flashed through her mind, and she shot a glance over to Levin, relaxing slightly when she saw he was beating back the Jaggis successfully. Only five remained, and they were all glancing about nervously. They seemed uneasy on their feet, though. Eleanor vaguely felt the earth beneath her feet shaking, but shrugged it off to the unsteadiness she had felt earlier, turning her attention back to the Qurupeco. She was going to get this damn bird into the trap no matter what.

She leapt to the side as the Qurupeco charged her, placing herself between it and the trap. She was dangerously close to falling in, only a couple feet from the edge of the sifting dirt. But the placement was perfect. She slid several low powered Normal shots into the chamber as the Qurupeco turned back around. Several more rocks fell from the ceiling, clipping the Qurupeco's wings, making it look about in confusion. Eleanor fired, her shell pounding into the bird's wings, bringing its attention back to her.

The Qurupeco glared at her and brought its head back, preparing to leap at her. Eleanor braced herself, ready to leap away at the right moment. She vaguely heard Levin calling out to her, but she focused on the Qurupeco's movements.

The Qurupeco leapt at her, head bobbing back to project its mucus. Eleanor leapt away, the Qurupeco sliding past her. She felt the power of the explosion as the Qurupeco clacked its wings together, then heard its cry as its momentum carried it over the edge of the pitfall trap and into the dirt. Eleanor turned, grinning as she found it struggling in the mud, nearly face down in the trap. She quickly ejected the Normal shots in her gun and reached for the Tranq shots, ready to put the bird to sleep and finally end the mission.

Suddenly she found herself yanked back, being dragged backwards by the back of her clothes. She flailed wildly at her attacker, desperately attempting to free herself. Had Levin accidentally let one of the Jaggis through? She had to Tranq the Qurupeco! She had to finish the mission!

Then a rock from the ceiling dropped down, smashing onto her foot. Pain tore through her as she cried out, instinct making her reach down to cradle her injury. But she couldn't seem to reach her appendage while being dragged backwards. She twisted her head, trying to catch a glimpse of her capturer.

"Levin?" she cried in surprise. What was he doing?

"We need to run, dammit!" he yelled, still dragging her behind him. "The whole place is coming down!"

All at once the room seemed to come into better focus than before. She could hear the earth around her heaving and weakening as the cave fell apart. Rocks and debris fell from above as the ceiling's supports began to fail. Cracks and crevices tore up the walls, showing the weakening rocks.

Fear ripped into Eleanor. She turned quickly along Levin and ran alongside him, allowing the two of them to increase their speed, dashing blindly towards the cave entrance. Rocks and boulders dropped near them, many coming close as they ran, the rumble of the cave grew in magnitude as the ceiling crumbled, like a howling beast about to sink its teeth on them.

The two hunter apprentices dove as they reached the cave entrance as a resounding sound like a crack of thunder ripped through the cave. They huddled close to each other, covering their heads as the roar and rumble of the falling rocks shook the earth around them. Eleanor quivered in fear as the horrible sound continued for what seemed like an eternity, threatening to bury them under its force.

But the sound soon began to fade. The roar died away and the rumbling of the earth dimmed and died away. Soon, all that remained was silence, the sound of terrified birds flying away into the distance all they could hear. The two remained huddled, covering their heads for a minute or two. Eleanor felt Levin sit up next to her and braved opening her eyes.

The air was thick with dust and dirt, making Eleanor squint to avoid getting anything in her eyes. She gasped when she caught sight of the cave entrance. Half of the entirety of the cave had collapsed in on itself, leaving only a thin tunnel to act as a path into the side of the cape. A few pebbles and stones rattled down the side of the pile of rocks.

"Wh-What happened?" Eleanor asked in disbelief. "Why did it cave in?"

Levin turned and eyed her. "The concussions of the Qurupeco's explosions weakened the rock. You didn't hear it falling apart while we were in there?"

Eleanor sputtered, unsure how to answer. "I… I thought I was just dizzy from the explosion."

"Rocks were falling from the ceiling!" Levin cried. "I know you saw them falling! How did it not occur to you the place might be coming down? And I called out to you to run before the place came down!"

Eleanor was speechless, trying to remember. "I saw the rocks, but I thought it was just luck that they fell on the Qurupeco. I just remember thinking that I needed to capture the Qurupeco and I was so focused that I…" Suddenly, realization hit Eleanor. "Oh, god. I was so focused on the capture, I didn't realize what was going on."

Shivers shot up Eleanor's spine as the memory of the fight pieced itself together in her head. Her voice came out in a breaking tone. "I… I lost sight of my surroundings. I could only think about the mission. I couldn't think, I couldn't rationalize, I couldn't change my mind. What is going on? Why is this happening to me? What's wrong with my head?"

Levin was beside her, trying to calm her down. "Ellie. Eleanor. Get a hold of yourself. You're safe. Calm down."

"How can I calm down? My mind is making me ignore important details! I almost got killed because I didn't realize the roof was collapsing! I barely realized you were even there! I…" Eleanor suddenly gasped. "Oh god. I almost got you killed because of this thing. You got attacked by a Jaggi because of this. And this has been happening the whole time I've been hunting big monsters! Something's wrong with me and it's getting us both hurt. What's wrong with me?"


Levin looked down on Ellie as she panicked. She hadn't spoken in a while and had barely reacted to him at all in that time. He'd attempted to talk to her, but she had withdrawn into herself. He had noticed swelling in her foot not long after, and had forced to remove her boot himself, revealing a badly sprained foot. Ellie hadn't even flinched as he'd tried to treat it.

Levin sighed in frustration. Was this what Marshall had been taking about when he had said the two of them would have similar problems when learning to become hunters? Not being able to think straight? Or was the problem that Ellie was thinking too straight? Getting too focused? Not exactly the same kind of problem Levin had dealt with.

He absentmindedly toyed with the hilt of his great sword. Marshall had suggested this particular weapon when he'd come to Boma. He'd said considering Levin's mentality, it would be an appropriate weapon to use in the field. Levin understood the thinking behind Marshall's reasoning after all this time. The great sword's full power depended upon the mentality of the wielder and Levin certainly fit the bill, considering his own problems.

But how was he supposed to use that kind of information to help Ellie? Was it fear that fueled this strange affliction? Anger? He couldn't guess, not yet. He sighed again, uncertain what to do. He'd have to send up a flare and get the transport ship's attention at least. Ellie was in no condition to walk back to Boma; they'd have to hitch a ride back to avoid irritating her injury.

Suddenly, he picked up a sound. A faint warbling sound echoed out of the cave. He stood up, checking Ellie quickly and determining she wouldn't be going anywhere, and stepped inside. He wandered deep into the dark confines of the collapsed cavern, prepared to run at the first sign of remaining instability, when he found the source of the sound.

There lay the Qurupeco, buried up to its wings in sifting dirt and even further in fallen stones. It honked feebly as Levin approached, too weak and beaten to do much else. Levin wasn't sure how much longer it would survive in this cave. He glanced over in the direction of where Ellie had been fighting the Qurupeco earlier, and unsurprisingly found it completely buried under rock and rubble.

He thought for a moment before pulling a flare from his pouch and hurrying back to the cave entrance. He wasn't sure how much good it would do, but maybe finishing this mission successfully would have at least some good effect on Eleanor. Reaching the bright sunlight, he scanned the water for the transport ship, and upon catching sight of the ship, ignited the flare and waved it to catch their attentions. When he saw them turning his way, he set down the flare and headed over to Ellie.

"Good news Ellie," he said quietly. He waited for a moment for her to respond, getting only a slight adjustment of her line of vision. Good enough.

"We managed to capture the Qurupeco," he told her. "It's alive and we'll be able to turn it over to the Aviary Society or whatever. It might not have survived if you hadn't lured it into the trap. I know you're not really fond of monsters, but you saved its life. That's something."

Ellie grunted softly. He wasn't sure if that was a positive or negative response, but at least it was something. "The transport ship is heading this way. We'll be heading back with them as they carry the Qurupeco back to Boma, okay?"

Another grunt.

Levin sighed softly and sat down next to Ellie to wait for the approaching crewmen. They wouldn't be happy having to drag the Qurupeco out of the cave, but at least it had been captured alive.

He looked over at Ellie. He was insanely worried for her. He wanted her to get better. He knew how she felt, and wished he could help her get over it faster.

"I'm going to help you get better, Eleanor," he said quietly to her, "no matter what it takes. You can count on that."

Ellie shifted a little where she sat, but was otherwise unperturbed. Levin sighed and lay on his back, waiting for the crewmen to arrive and thinking madly of a way to help Ellie.


Author's Note: Please review!

Okay, took a little longer than predicted to write this up. I blame the Halo. Don't know how long it'll be for the next chapter. It's gonna be a long one I think.

On a side note, I went to a website recently called "I Write Like." Basically, you slap a paragraph, a post, a chapter, or whatever in the box, and the site analyzes your writing and gives you a famous author that has a similar writing style to you. I decided to throw chapters 4, 5, and 6 in there and see what it gave me. My results were: Leo Tolstoy for chapter 4 and 5, and H.P Lovecraft for chapter 6. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

I find that when I'm writing, my style has a tendency to deviate depending on what books I'm reading or games I'm playing at the moment. While writing this chapter, I was reading a Robert Ludlum book and playing Red Dead Redemption (among other things). I kind of wonder if it shows… say so if you think it does.

Reading – Matarese Countdown by Robert Ludlum
Playing – Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, Halo Reach, Bioshock
Listening – The Album Leaf, Anberlin