Since I've been getting so much encouragement, I decided to push myself and write another chapter! It might be a little small, but I think it's pretty good.
Thank you to all of you who read my story and give me encouragement to keep writing! I've been really nervous about how people would react to my story, and it's turned out waaaay better than anticipated. This is an amazing experience for me.
As always, hope you enjoy!
Slight swearing.
Sleeping was somewhat difficult, but the redhead finally managed to emerge victorious. She woke up to the sound of shuffling feet and clinking, light shining through the tent flap.
"Huh...I must have slept in a little..." She thought to herself. Groggy hands once again put her long flaming hair into the usual high ponytail, ready for the day.
As she exited the dark tent, all of the boys looked her direction: Noct and Gladio were sitting at the table while Prompto was handing out plates, Ignis at the stove, cooking something.
"Well, look who's up." Said Gladio. Dawn couldn't believe she woke up last out of all of them, even freaking Noctis of all people, the one most known for hating mornings.
"Oh! Um, hey Dawn!" Prompto greeted while setting down Noctis's plate in front of him with a hard 'clink', waving.
"I guess now you can get off my back, Specs." Noctis said in a playful tone. "Sleeping Beauty here likes her sleep more than I do."
The redhead only saw the dark-haired Prince joke around a few times, but never directly at her. It was almost like he didn't even know she was there most of the time, but now it seemed like he was getting a little more used to her company.
However, despite the lighthearted joking that he did, everyone seemed to freeze for a minute. They all knew that Dawn was one to sometimes get mad quickly...and the Prince's joke towards her could have just sealed his fate.
Dawn laughed and punched Noct's arm playfully. "Shut up, lazy-ass. You're the one who constantly whines about having to camp."
The boys visably relaxed upon knowing that Dawn wasn't going to turn the Prince into pulp. "She's got you there, Noct." Ignis chimed in from the stove without even turning around.
Prompto made a sizzling sound. "Ouch...that burn must have hurt!"
"Buzz off." Noctis replied with a grin.
The side where Gladio and Noct were sitting looked full, so Dawn ended up sitting next to Prompto. Upon seeing this, the blonde seemed to perk up a bit.
"So...Dawn?" Said Prompto as he turned to her.
"Yeah?"
"This monster that you're hunting...are we getting close to it?"
It was her turn to freeze. She was so focused on Ignis and the vision that she forgot to keep up with her cover. Her mind raced to come up with something, and fast...because now both of the boys across from her were looking her way, waiting for an answer. "I...believe so, yes. It hangs out around areas like this...only...it's pretty hard to find."
"Oh...and once we find it, you're gonna kill it and take it back to the other Hunters?"
Without realizing it, Dawn's face dropped slightly. "Yes...I am, Prompto."
She might not have realized it, but Gladiolus did. "Something wrong?" He asked.
She shook her head quickly, fiery red locks brushing her face. "Uh, no. Nothing's wrong. Just...still sluggish." She silently hoped that would be the end of that.
The tall man studied her face for a moment. Thankfully, he wasn't around her long enough to tell whether she was lying or not. "If you say so." He responded, seemingly satisfied.
A few long minutes passed until it was time for breakfast. Dawn's nose was proven correct as the dish was placed in front of her. Finally, a dish she recognized.
"It's nothing special. Just some eggs we came across." Said Ignis as he took his seat next to Dawn.
"Aw, don't say that Iggy. Anything you cook is special!" Prompto replied, happily drowning in the wonderful aroma.
"You flatter me."
Everyone dug into their share, engrossed in the perfection that is Ignis's cooking. Dawn wondered to herself how exactly he was so good at it. She herself was somewhat decent at it, but she had to be extremely focused and careful; all the while the brunette does it all without even second guessing.
The gang was going through their last bites when Dawn spoke up. "Where are we headed next?"
"Galdin Quay. I've heard that the seafood there is positively divine." Ignis replied, obviously looking forward to the food more than anything.
"Don't think we're gonna find Dawn's target there." said Gladio thoughtfully. "She said it only hangs out around here."
The redhead in question looked up to face the tall man. "Well, no. I said it hangs out in areas like this..." She said.
"You think it'll be found near Galdin?"
"It's a possibility...like I said, this thing is hard to find."
Ignis finished first, standing up. "Hopefully we'll find the beast. Best not to keep your group waiting too long." He said.
"Right..." Replied Dawn with the 'clink' of her fork hitting the plate. How long could she keep this up? How long until the truth came out? If at all? These men have showed her kindness like she's never experienced before, and seem to trust her. A feeling of guilt started to rise in her stomach...
With the plates cleaned, the tents folded up, and the equipment packed, the gang was ready to head off to Galdin Quay, the relaxing beach resort. Dawn had never even seen a beach before, let alone been to one. She was actually excited to visit there and see the big body of water herself.
The sun was now fairly high up in the sky as the gang packed into the shiny Regalia. The cars were still so new and strange to the redhead, but the more time she spent in one, the more used to it she felt; hearing the roar of the engine was now an expected sound and not one that made her jump. In fact, Eos was beginning to feel more and more like a place she wanted to be in...humans really weren't as bad as the books in Titania claimed them to be. They saved her life, supported her, and even complimented her.
As the wind made the redhead's ponytail flail around, she thought about her current options. If things continue like this, the vision will come true...and Ignis will...
"I can't let it happen..." Thought the panicking Dawn. "I mean, I like being around Ignis and his friends, but...leaving might be my only choice...I've already pushed Ignis away from me and look what happened instead..." The more she thought about leaving for good, the more her emotions stirred...but she also realized that the more time she spent with them, the more that leaving would hurt. Right now, they didn't seem to mind when mentioning her 'returning' to her 'group', so now might be the best time to just...go.
They had finally arrived to their destination: Galdin Quay. Dawn was almost in a trance when she layed eyes on it: The sparkling water, the smooth sand, the calming trees. No wonder humans flocked to places like this.
"Whoo baby! Smell that air!" Prompto said excitedly as he took a huge whiff.
Noctis followed suit, but not as excited. "Heard this place is amazing at night." He said, taking in the sorroundings.
"I kinda wanna go for a dip." Gladiolus said as he eyed the bright water. Ignis cut in, as serious as ever.
"We must procure a ship. I'll go see if there's one in the port. The rest of you can do as you please." He finished with a push of his glasses, stepping towards the building.
As soon as the brunette left, Gladio turned towards Dawn. "We should probably look for that beast you're hunting, Dawn. I mean, we're heading to Altissia soon, and I'd hate to have you go it alone."
"You mean...Dawn's leaving us? Already?" The excitement and energy in Prompto's voice was gone; he looked at the redhead with a disappointed face.
"Well yeah. She's gotta get back to her group, and she can't do that if she's in Altissia."
The blonde was about to protest further until Ignis finally returned to them. "No luck...the port's closed, and there are no ships to be found." He said with a huff.
"Tch...just our luck." Noctis said, crossing his arms in annoyance. "Now what?"
"I suppose we settle in for the night, try again in the morning."
The Prince stretched his arms. "Alright."
The group ended up in the nearby trailer, as their wallets weren't exactly breaming with gil. Prompto and Noctis were the most disappointed about it; they certainly prefered soft beds over squishing together in a trailer or tent. When things were still getting set up, Gladiolus approached Dawn, who was looking out over the open ocean.
"Ready to roll, Dawn?"
The redhead quickly turned to him. "For what?"
"Your hunt, remember? Now's the perfect chance." He already had his sword, ready to be used from its resting point on his back.
A voice spoke up from the direction of the trailer. "Actually, I was hoping to borrow Dawn for a bit." Ignis said loudly, only his head peeking out from inside the trailer.
"What about her target? You said it yourself: She needs to get back to her group soon." Gladio replied.
"It won't take long. There will still be plenty of daylight left, but I suppose it's her choice."
The tall man crinkled his eyebrows. "Huh...that was kinda out of the blue." He said, almost to himself. He turned back to the redhead. "Well?"
Dawn shifted slightly, growing more and more uncomfortable under Gladio's gaze. "I'll...go and help him. We can hunt for the beast later."
"If...that's what you want."
With that, the uncomfortable woman headed to the trailer, silently thankful to Ignis for getting her out of that situation. Her cover was sure to be blown if they ended up hunting for a beast that didn't exist.
Before she got to the door, the brunette stepped out of the trailer. "Ah, so you're coming along?" He said.
"Sure. But, uh...to where?" Dawn said with confusion. Gladiolus was right: this was kind of out of the blue...
"I need a hand gathering some ingredients. Supper tonight should be quite good if we manage to find them."
"Alright then. Let's go."
The duo left the beach of Galdin, heading into the rocky wilderness that was home to a wide variety of plants as well as creatures. Back at the beach, Prompto ran out of the trailer only to see Ignis and Dawn leaving.
"H-hey guys! W-" A big hand suddenly stopped the blonde in his tracks before he could chase after them.
"Don't. Leave them be." A calm Gladiolus said, sword now put away.
"Huh? Why? I've got nothin' better to do."
"Those two need some alone time. We should let em' do their thing."
Prompto's mouth then grew into a wide, goofy grin. "Ahh...well, what do you know?"
The duo in question now had a good distance between them and the beach; they were well in beast territory now. In truth, Dawn felt a little uneasy without all of the eyes watching her back. There were a lot more blind spots now.
She wondered to herself why Ignis specifically asked for her and her alone. Any of the other guys were way more capable with their knowledge of the world being superior to hers...and Prompto would most likely be the most eager to help out...so why her? There was also the knawing reminder of the vision...
"Shit...this might not have been the best idea..." She mentally kicked herself. "Should have just refused them both."
Suddenly, Ignis stopped walking. He just stood there, looking at the ground.
"Did you find something?" Dawn asked him, wondering why he was just standing there.
The brunette sighed, still not meeting the redhead's gaze. He made no movement as he spoke. "Dawn...we're not looking for ingredients."
A red flag sprung up in Dawn's mind. "What? What do you mean we're not?" She said, her head tilted in confusion.
"I...need to ask you something...and please, tell me the truth."
When he finally met with her eyes, she started to panic. "Ok? What is it?"
The brunette shifted, eyebrows crinkled, mouth a stern line.
"You're not really a Hunter, are you?"
Oh snap. Dawn's in some hot water now. Let me know what you guys think!