Even as fear claimed his body, Darren found himself unable to move anyway, the paralysis holding him in place despite any of his struggles. And thus, he was forced to look into the eyes of the Lord of the Seas itself, its gaze not once shifting away from him as he desperately struggled in vain.

"Not… good…", his almost silent whisper caused the monster to tilt its head slightly, and his fear only amplified. The fear of the unknown, of what it would do, of how it would kill him. Would it toy with him…? Or merely-

His thoughts turned blank in utmost horror once he felt its scaly nose nudging him ever so slightly from behind, the feeling sending more than chills down his body, and the fact that he was paralyzed in place only added to his internal torment as there was no way to relieve all of the tension within himself in this state.

In the end, there was nothing he could do anymore. And it would be best if he simply closed his eyes and-

A sudden noise from outside gained both the attention of the Lagiacrus and its captive hunter, and even though he couldn't turn his head, the footsteps that were drawing near caused a sliver of hope to return to him before he heard a threatening growl from his captor, its eyes directed upon the entrance to the cave.

It was then that a sudden flash of light illuminated the entirety of the cave, blinding both Darren and the Lagiacrus in their waking until it dissipated again as quickly as it had appeared, yet the monster was still left disoriented as it violently shook its head.

"Now, it's our chance!", Darren's eyes widened despite his blinded state, and he could hear weapons being unsheathed before the Lagiacrus growled threateningly once more. His senses slowly returning to him, he found that the electricity holding him down had finally lessened and he wasted no time in moving his body to, albeit awkwardly, stand up from the ground, his limbs still wavering.

The moment he witnessed the scene in front of him he froze once more, for he could almost not believe it as he saw his two friends pointing their weapons against the leviathan. The tension was almost unbearable as the monster was standing protectively in front of Darren, and upon realizing that the two hunters didn't heed its warning, it finally released a deep roar which echoed throughout the cave, causing the hunters to cover their ears.

He couldn't stand by like this… not when…

"Stop it!"

Both parties suddenly halted in their motions when Darren suddenly moved between them, his friends staring at him in shock and the Lagiacrus gazing at him with its head pulled back slightly in obvious surprise. It might have been the most risky decision he had ever made, but still… it didn't harm him…

His friends continued to stare for what felt like an eternity to him, but the moment he saw them lowering their weapons, he shifted his attention towards the Lagiacrus as it relaxed ever so slightly as well, regarding him closely.

"No harm, please…", for a long moment, an uneasy tension reigned in the air as Darren could almost hear his friends taking a step back, but ultimately, the monster suddenly took a step forward, causing the hunters to almost instinctively reach for their weapons before they simply froze in place.

Instead of planning an attack, it merely curled its head around Darren's figure, pulling him closer towards itself in the process while simultaneously keeping its eyes fixated upon the two hunters who were standing still a few paces away, an obvious warning directed at them.

And Darren could almost not believe the entire situation once more, his eyes glancing at his protective new friend as he shifted slightly in its hold.

"Aren't you an affectionate one…?", he tentatively placed a hand onto its neck, feeling a small rumble coursing through its body as it growled lightly in return.

Once again, his friends exchanged glances once more before they ever so slowly allowed themselves to relax, albeit they still kept their distance as they slowly started to realize Darren's situation.

"If we had known that you found a new friend instead of being in mortal danger, we could have relaxed a little in our search.", directing a glare at his friends, they stumbled back in shock when the Lagiacrus growled once more, almost threatening in a way as it narrowed its eyes at the two hunters.

And Darren couldn't hide the grin that was growing on his face.

"Suits you well."

Sighing in the process, one of them held his hands up in defense before he dropped the irony.

"With all the humour aside, we were really worried. If we had lost you as well, then…", his words died in his throat as he simply didn't know how to express himself, which the silent one noticed before he continued in his stead.

"The Guildmaster thinks that he may have found a way to find Ben. They are currently on an island not far away from here, now that we're reunited once more, we can finally join them! Although… I don't think that our boat is capable of transporting us back anymore, not after your friend has given us a warm welcome on our way here…", a snort was the monster's only response as it held its head closer to Darren, rubbing its snout against his head.

And still, as he hummed in amusement at its affection, an idea formed in his mind immediately before he glanced back at his friends, barely able to suppress the smirk that was threatening to form on his face.

"I think we won't need your boat anymore…"

The moonlight was once again shining into the den, cold air slowly creeping into its confines while Blackclaw was curled around Glowscale's sleeping form, his breathing calm and even as he subconsciously rested his head against the purple fur upon her chest, causing her to shift her attention towards him with a gentle purr before she ever so slightly curled closer around him.

She could sense the presence of hunters nearby… she knew not how many were in their proximity, but she could almost hear the frightened and cautious noises of smaller beings. But regardless of how many there were, she wouldn't allow any harm to come to him. She was not going to make the same mistake again, and she did not want to take any chances with them anymore.

He may not be her mate yet… but she wanted him to come with her. It didn't matter to her where they went, but if these hunters would not leave, then they had only two choices. Would he regard her as weak if she wanted to leave without the need for aggression…?

She placed her head against his own, causing him to purr contently in his sleep as his own shifted closer towards her, seeking her warmth. No, he was not like most. He was different.

And she knew that, in the end, he would be her's.