Darren watched in surprise and confusion as he noticed his two friends being there as well, the Guildmaster regarding the trio with a small grin.
"You called for the three of us?", as much as Darren wanted to speak with the others about Ben's disappearance, he knew better than to interrupt the Guildmaster when he obviously had something in mind, and judging by the stares he received from his friends, they were as surprised as he was. In the background, he could see several Guild members loading supplies upon a ship, likely preparing for a long trip.
What was it that the Guildmaster had in mind all of a sudden? Did he already forget-
"I'm glad that you are here now, for I have an important request for the three of you. As you may know, I am currently invested in an important research that could drastically improve our understanding of monsters, but as it is, I require something that is located within the regions of the Tundra. And I need the three of you to fetch it for me.", Darren couldn't help it as he narrowed his eyes slightly, but before he could protest, the Guildmaster had already taken note of that.
"I haven't forgotten about your missing friend, not in the slightest. As I previously said, our hunters are searching restlessly, but if it should help to ease your minds, it is your friend that I intend to help with the results of my research."
"And what exactly is it that we need to search for?"
"A stone, one that is unique to the Tundra. The exact location is up to debate, a long search will be inevitable, but you will recognize it once you find it, you can't miss it. I have already taken the liberty to prepare your transport.", motioning towards the large ship in the back, a Guild member on board signalled that they were ready for departure.
"Wait, how exactly is a stone going to help us in any way? You haven't even explained anything about that supposed-"
"If I believed that you could understand the topic, I would have done so. Now, if there aren't any other questions left concerning your trip, I still have matters to attend to. I wish you all the best.", once again, Darren was left frustrated about the lack of information as the Guildmaster took his leave.
However, suddenly a hand was placed on his shoulder, causing him to look up at his friends.
"I think we have no other choice right now other than to believe in his words that they are doing their best in their search. If that stone should really prove useful, then we can at least do our part.", heaving a sigh upon hearing that, Darren calmed down ever so slightly. To see that their hunting group was incomplete tore at him, but they were right, if they could do something to help, then they were obliged to do so. For him.
"We'll find Ben, I'm sure of it.", both of them looked back at their normally silent companion as he spoke with genuineness, holding a hand to his chest in reassurance.
And for once, a small smile came to his lips.
Ben was silently staring out of the entrance of the den, the night sky having long replaced the light of the sun. And yet, he couldn't find a single moment of rest as he stared at the world outside, reminding him how different it all now seemed to be. In a way, he felt as if it was more open, free from any restrictions… and yet, the price for it was evident, he was alone in this new world. One that was completely unfamiliar and harsh in its own way.
He shivered ever so slightly as the cold air from outside slowly crept into the confines of the small den, curling his tail stronger around himself as he felt the tinge of loneliness tearing at him again. He almost wanted to laugh at the irony, and it would have only come out as a snort. He never once imagined that being alone would be something he feared, he relished in the peace that he received from it… and now here he was, feeling abandoned…
Eventually sleep would claim him as well, and yet, what he failed to realize was that he was not alone. A warm feeling suddenly enveloped him, and despite his confusion, a gentle purring washed it away, promising him safety and care. It was not long until he fell asleep while Blackclaw regarded him intently, protecting him from the cold as she curled herself around him more closely, laying her head beside his own.
She had witnessed his shivering, and she didn't allow that for a second. He instinctively brushed his tail against her own, causing her to growl in content before she eventually fell asleep as well.
Darren stared into the wide sea in front of them as he stood at the back of the ship along with his two friends. The Guild members on board were preparing the supplies and weapons for their arrival in the Tundra, and the air became colder with each moment that passed.
"I still can't believe that we're supposed to search for a single stone in the entire Tundra.", Darren held a hand to his head, imagining them striving through the area while destroying every single rock they could find. With that in mind, he was sure that the major part of their supplies consisted of pickaxes.
"Well, the Guildmaster said that-", his friend was promptly interrupted when the boat suddenly shook ever so slightly, much to their confusion. Every single member on board seemed to stand still for a moment before they hesitantly resumed their work, not hearing or catching sight of any kind of threat. Darren blinked once before his friend resumed his train of thoughts.
"... as I said, the-", suddenly the ship shook again, something large crashing against it from below, causing Darren to lose his balance for a moment as he fell forward.
"What the…?", a roar erupted from the sea, the former caution of the Guild members having changed into panic. A light flashed beneath the sea, blinding everyone for a moment before something crashed against the ship again with a lot more force than before. Just as Darren got up again, he stumbled forward, a feeling of dread coursing through him as he almost fell overboard.
Holding a hand to his chest, he sighed in relief as he turned around to face his friends.
"That was close…", suddenly, something appeared out of the water before a tail wrapped around his waist, pulling him along with it and into the sea. The two hunters stared at each other in shock, running to the edge of the ship with their weapons drawn while the Guild members fired with canons into the water below.
But the monster had long disappeared, along with their friend.
Ben awoke with an instinctive purr, feeling better than he had for a while. Shifting his head, he buried himself further into the warm pillow around him…
… he blinked his eyes, immediately snapping back to attention, all the while missing the smirk Blackclaw was wearing as she regarded him. Her tail swished on the ground as Ben finally realized just what was responsible for the comforting warmth, a purr coming from behind him before he looked at his companion who was innocently staring back at him.
Since when…?
"I hope you slept well.", Ben merely stared at his counterpart, her head tilting to the side slightly in feigned ignorance. Shifting his eyes away from her own, he realized their position before he tentatively looked outside, remembering the night prior. It was her that warmed him…
"I didn't mean to disturb you, I just… you were cold, I couldn't bear to see you like that…", her tail brushed against his, unwillingly causing a low growl to escape him in content. Unbeknownst to him, a glint appeared in her eyes as her smirk grew, seeing the uncertainty in his eyes. She would get to it eventually…
"Would you like to hunt something with me?", Ben regarded her for a moment before he reluctantly nodded, if only to escape the current situation. What he didn't know was that Blackclaw didn't plan to use their small trip for nothing.
…
A small river ran through the forest as both Mizutsune regarded the fish that were yet unaware of their imminent fate. Unbeknownst to her, Ben was anxiously glancing at the ground, for he had no idea how to catch a fish in his current state, and the thought of trying his luck…
Blackclaw regarded one of the fish closely before she moved swiftly, catching it within her mouth. Ben watched her contently taking a bite, the latter glancing at him out of the corner of her eye with a feeling of pride coursing through her upon having successfully gained his attention. Ben looked back at the water before he stepped closer towards it, regarding one of the fish as well. Trying to copy her movements, he merely managed to grasp the end of the fish in his mouth before he threw it into the air.
Blackclaw eyed his actions with awe as he caught it in mid air and placed it on the ground before taking a bite of his own. He was unaware of the stare he received from behind, merely being happy that he had managed it in his own way in the end. She had never seen such a method before…
Her previous sensation diminished slightly, however, as she saw him happily eating his fish, she couldn't help but move slightly against him, pulling the fish beside his own before she resumed her own meal. Ben glanced at her in confusion as her tail brushed against his again, contently enjoying her fish.
He blinked, but suddenly his head perked up as he sensed something nearby. Blackclaw regarded him with concern before she started to look around as well, picking up the faint sound of footsteps nearby.
"Hunters…", she growled, remembering her last encounter with them. However, unbeknownst to her, Ben was filled with worry, for he didn't wanted to get into trouble with them. He presumed that they were searching for him…
Not a moment later a group of hunters stepped into the area, taking note of the two Mizutsune nearby. Blackclaw merely regarded them carefully while Ben narrowed his eyes, the hunters hesitating in their next course of action.
"Those must be the ones they warned us about…", one of them muttered while another pulled out a small book, looking through its contents.
"But it says that they are not really aggressive as long as they are not threatened.", the group waited for a moment as both parties merely looked at each other, neither doing much. As much as Blackclaw was still aggravated from her previous encounter with that pair of hunters, she still couldn't find it within herself to simply attack out of her own volition. And glancing back at Glowscale out of the corner of her eyes, neither was he…
However, one of the hunters couldn't tear his eyes away from the two fox leviathans as he unconsciously lowered his weapon.
"Think what you want, they're absolutely beautiful…", Blackclaw snorted upon hearing that, rolling her eyes in amusement.
"Yes, you look lovely as well with… whatever dead body parts that you are wearing.", Ben looked back at her in surprise while she merely lifted her head, her tail trailing on the ground as bubbles began to float around in the air, a trail of foam covering the ground as well. The hunters watched in awe while Blackclaw merely snorted again.
"Are you… showing off?", Blackclaw looked back at him with lidded eyes, brushing her tail against his in an innocent manner.
"Maybe…", however, she didn't speak out the rest of her thoughts. She wasn't doing it for those puny hunters…
Witnessing the small interaction between the two monsters, the leader motioned for the others to slowly move away, leaving them in peace much to Ben's relief. And yet, now that he could witness her thoughts during such an encounter, a wave of guilt washed over him once again. If only he hadn't acted upon his instincts when they first met at the waterfall… even if she might never know it.
And he couldn't help but wonder… what would she think of him if she was aware of what he once was…?
7sky: I haven't updated chapter six yet, it already had the individual name before, so perhaps I should have changed the title to avoid confusion, but I still have to edit that one as well.