Ben was laying just in front of the entrance to their den, curled into a ball as he gazed at the night sky. He couldn't take his mind off of what had just transpired, and neither could he stop his thoughts from reminding him of his previous actions. It was him that had inflicted this pain upon her in the first place, when he was still ignorant of his senseless attack. It was him, a hunter at that, that she was deeming valuable enough to save after his change, even if she would never know that…
… and now?
He couldn't help but wonder what she would think about him if she were ever to learn the truth. If she were ever to find out that the one she wanted to be with was in truth the very same hunter that had once seeked to hunt her. He couldn't bear the mere thought of her expression… although he doubted that she would ever believe a single word from him.
And yet, he still didn't know how he had changed in the first place, and neither could he be sure if he would forever remain like this. What would happen if he were to wake up one day, only to realize that he was normal once more…? She would not hesitate to kill him.
Despite how often he thought about this matter, he would always come to the same conclusion. He didn't wanted any of that, he desperately wished he could go back in time and never hurt her in the first place.
He wished that she wouldn't see him like this… she didn't deserve any of it…
Unbeknownst to him, Blackclaw was regarding him from behind with a glint in her eyes. Seeing the way he was gazing outside with a hollow expression, it teared at her from the inside. She couldn't bear to see him like this, and neither could she understand what was the cause for his sudden hesitation… but she wouldn't leave him be like this.
Shifting from her position on the ground, he failed to notice her approach since he was still lost in thought, at least until she suddenly curled around him from behind, gently wrapping her tail around his own. His eyes widened slightly once she laid her head next to his, nudging it playfully.
"What is bothering you?", her voice brought him out of his trance. But it didn't solve his internal turmoil… however, another gentle nudge forced him to look back at her, not allowing him to lose himself in his thoughts again.
"Tell me what is bothering you, I merely want to see you smile again…", she purred, subconsciously covering the ground with foam to make it more comfortable for the both of them, bubbles beginning to float around in the air. And yet, what could he possibly say…?
"I'm alright, thank you.", after a small moment of silence, he couldn't do otherwise but avoid her searching his, obviously not believing his words. Regardless, despite feeling the disappointment dwelling within her, she merely opted to place her head against his own with a purr, trailing her tail along his own which earned her a small shiver from him.
She wouldn't push it… but she wouldn't make it easy for him to resist her either. She would be waiting for him, as long as he needed.
However, suddenly her head perked up from his own, looking outside of the den with narrowed eyes, causing him to glance at her in concern. She could sense something nearby, and she didn't like the feeling of it…
During the confines of the newly created camp within the Misty Peaks, several hunters were preparing themselves for whatever the Guildmaster had in mind as he stood within a small tent, regarding the pair of hunters in front of him that just returned from their previous quest within the Tundra.
"You've done a great part in my research, it was a good decision to send the three of you to retrieve the stone. Well done.", the Guildmaster inspected the shimmering object with a content expression, multiple thoughts coursing through his mind as he pondered about their next course of action. However, the two hunters in front of him merely glanced at each other, barely able to contain their concern.
"But we've lost Darren on our way, he was taken away by an unknown monster!"
"So I see. It's more than unfortunate that we have to search for them both now…", his expression turned thoughtful for a moment before a small smile suddenly appeared on his face, slightly confusing the two agitated hunters.
"Very well, we will take over the search for Ben while I want you two to check on any large monster reports in the area. We can't just search the sea without knowing what to expect, so I will leave that task in your hands.", unbeknownst to the two hunters, this sudden turn of events proved to be quite useful. He couldn't need them for the next step, for he doubted that they would be able to keep their questions to themselves.
What they were about to discover with the stone now in his possession, it could change everything they previously knew about monsters. In fact, it was something that he didn't wanted to be known by anyone else, for it was not meant to be like this. He knew what had most likely happened to their friend, he had previously only read about it in his various researches, but he would have never believed that something like this would actually happen to one of their hunters…
The fact that such a horrible change was possible in the first place was something that he couldn't accept, and he needed to destroy any evidence of it. Such an interaction between monsters and hunters was simply not meant to be.
Darren felt more than exhausted as he slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times to see more clearly. His entire body felt numb, and he couldn't remember what exactly had transpired after he was taken away from the ship. The mere fact that he was still alive baffled him, but the more he thought about it, the more he was concerned what would come next. He doubted that whatever had taken him here simply did so out of boredom…
Trying once more to move his limbs, he became more frustrated with each passing moment since his body simply refused to act. However, he froze as a growl suddenly caught his attention, causing him to stiffen even more despite his paralysis. He wasn't alone…?
He closed his eyes in utter fear as the unknown monster approached him from behind, its claws tapping on the ground as it growled once more. He refused to open his eyes again, whatever it was, he begged for it to end this quickly. He wouldn't have thought that it would end like this…
… but nothing happened.
It seemed as if the monster was merely regarding him from behind, apparently not being interested in moving at all. Darren couldn't bear the tension any longer, and just as he opened his eyes once more he could see a pair of monster eyes gazing back into his own from above, feeling more helpless than ever before.