Darren was growing restless as he gazed into the distance, witnessing the sun slowly setting to give way for the night. Shifting his attention back upon the track in front of him, he froze as the footprints suddenly stopped abruptly, leaving him with no other clue where Ben could have gone. They were far beyond their time limit already, and if he didn't hurry and find him…
"Just where are you…", muttering under his breath in frustration, Darren took another look around the environment he was in, the dense forest of the Misty Peaks obscuring any good view he might have gotten if it weren't for the lack of sunlight. Soon, there would be more dangerous monsters lurking around…
However, a shiny object suddenly caught his eye before he hurried to get a better view, his eyes widening in utter horror once he realized what it was. He would recognize Ben's weapon anywhere…
He slowly picked it up from the ground before his grip tightened around the handle, an enormous feeling of dread coursing through him now that his fears were proven to be justified. And it only grew with every second that passed as he lifted his gaze from the longsword.
Just what would he do now? Try and search the entire forest without any source of light, multiple monsters lurking in the shadows and without any other trace to follow? Or to report back to the guild, asking for immediate assistance but with his consciousness biting him with every step that he would take?
He whirled around as a piercing roar suddenly filled the air in the distance, but not too far away from his own location. After several more moments of silent contemplation, his decision hurt him deeply as he begrudgingly turned around to make his way back to camp, intent on getting help as soon as possible.
He prayed that his friend would forgive him for leaving him like that…
A searing pain burned in his head as Ben slowly blinked his eyes, darkness still filling his vision as he desperately tried to remember what had happened. Every move that he made only added to the burning sensation in his head, and his body ached horribly. He could not even recognize where he was right now in the slightest…
He slowly came to his senses as he blinked once again to see more clearly, and it was only now that he realized it was nighttime already. The environment stilo suggested that he was within the Misty Peaks, but where exactly he still didn't know…
However, his eyes widened as he remembered their quest, not having a doubt that they had already surpassed their time limit. Was Darren searching for him right now…?
A sudden feeling of loneliness overcame him as he looked around himself, slowly becoming aware of an intriguing scent that he picked up from something nearby… however, as he searched the environment, he was taken aback at how sharp his vision was even in the dark. Was the moonlight shining brighter than normal…?
As he tried to get back onto his feet, the unfamiliar sensation in his legs caused him to look down upon himself, and his eyes widened as quickly as his heart was starting to beat, an instinctive fear overcoming him entirely.
There was… a tail. The further he followed it down, the more anxious he got as he slowly began to realize that it was connected to his body, giving him a view of shiny scales that were glimmering in the light, coupled with glistening, purple fur that covered the entirety of his lower body. As his mouth opened in utter horror, his eyes witnessed the glimmering flappers in the corner of his eyes which ultimately crossed every limit.
The birds scattered away in fright and multiple Jaggi's fled in the nearby areas as a piercing screech filled the air, one that was filled with every ounce of disbelief and shock that had gathered within himself. And it did little to calm the being that was standing in the middle of the forest, not recognizing itself in the slightest.
What happened…?
He shook his head wildly before his gaze caught his own within the reflection of the lake beside him, revealing the true shape of his fox-like head in all of its glory.
And all he could do was stare back at it in fright.
He was… a Mizutsune. A monster… something that he had hunted a short time ago…
And he had no memories of what had transpired.
It was not long until Ben collapsed in utter exhaustion, his stomach beginning to hurt him with the lack of any kind of food, and his mind was only filled with dread and despair. He couldn't handle it any longer, the pain, the fear of being helpless, the dreadful thought of his friend finding him like this…
A pitiful whimper escaped him as he succumbed on the ground beneath him, the exhaustion taking its toll before it overcame him entirely, his vision turning dark once again.
Unbeknownst to him, it was not long until a pair of eyes took note of his current state before it neared him with a low growl, a glint within its sharp gaze.
A sweet smell began to fill his nostrils as Ben slowly awoke from his slumber, his previous exhaustion having surprisingly worn off slightly as he could no longer feel the cold air from outside, instead, his eyes were met with the sight of a den in which he found himself in. However, it was not long until the sweet and inviting scent caused him to shift his attention towards a pile of fish that was laying not even a few inches away from his head.
He was still oblivious to the watchful gaze of the being that was staring at him a short distance away until it purred softly, causing him to tear his eyes away from the food immediately.
"You're awake…", a gentle voice filled his ears and before he knew it, his gaze met the watchful eyes of the Mizutsune that lay not far away from him, curled together in a ball with its head idly resting on the ground beneath her. However, he winced in pain once he instinctively tried to move his body further away, causing his counterpart to raise its head in alarm, regarding him closely.
"Don't move! You wouldn't want that in your current condition.", her words were accompanied by a scolding growl. His eyes looked back at the monster with irritation, which was returned in kind as the female Mizutsune tilted her head slightly with a narrow of her eyes, but she didn't say anything.
"You…"
"... have saved me? Yes, I have.", her expression didn't change in the slightest as she stated the obvious, finishing his train of thought. What she didn't know, however, was the fact that his once human-mind was overfilled with various things and confusion that resulted in him merely staring at her for several more moments of awkward silence before he turned his head away and faced the ground.
As much as she couldn't understand his actions, she didn't once comment on it and instead chose to observe him silently, a glint appearing within her eyes as she regarded him with curiosity.
"Why?", his sparse choice of words and behaviour only added to her gazing at him with wonder.
"Call it a whim… how are you feeling?", he noticed her tail moving slightly as it lifted from the ground before settling down upon it again. He didn't understand it in the slightest, a monster that was laying helplessly in the forest was merely bound to become another carcass for those who were stronger, and yet… all of this was destroying his former beliefs. All of it.
He looked over himself, noticing that his movements no longer resulted in any kind of pain unlike before… and it didn't take long until his gaze settled upon the pile of fish that was still laying in front of him, untouched in any way. In the heat of the moment he didn't once consider that his lack of a response could have been perceived as more than rude, if not outright offensive to the being that saw him as valuable enough to save.
And yet, she didn't once comment on it, instead, a small smirk formed on her mouth as she watched him practically boring a hole through the pile of fish with his eyes.
"It is for you, go ahead.", not realizing that his mind was secretly waiting for a permission to what he thought would have been even more rude, he wordlessly took a quick and small bite from one of the fish nearest to him. Before he knew it himself, he was devouring the fish in quick but great bites without holding back in the slightest, an instinct driving him to do so…
… and all the while, she merely regarded him with a glint in her eyes, her tail moving again in small movements, reflecting the mood of the Mizutsune in front of him without him ever noticing.
After the last bit of fish was eaten, he heaved a small but joyful sigh as his tail began to wag slightly but happily, causing her own to swish on the ground in content, a few bubbles starting to flow into the air.
However, his consciousness started to remind him that all he had done thus far was to eat what she had caught for him, to be within the den that was rightfully her's, and never once say anything in return. And as his eyes guiltily looked upon her, he was struck with an even stranger sensation as he witnessed her merely regarding him calmly, her tail swishing slowly but contently.
But soon, his eyes widened once he noticed the large cut that she was carefully concealing, keeping it covered with the rest of her body while being careful not to move too much to avoid any pain, making him aware why she was silently observing him without moving too much from her spot on which she had curled up upon.
And it was only then that he realized that his guilt was crushing him entirely.