"Hunter, this looks nothing like a Jaggi." The Doubtful of the council folded his arms. "You said it was going to be a Queen Jaggi."

"True, it is not a Jaggi, but now it is dead." I replied. Perhaps I put too much sneer into my tone, because the councilman smirked. "This beast and its offspring were trying to run the Jaggi out of their own territory. Had that happened, they would have raised a Queen for taking other territory- ours would be a prime spot to them."

"Then it is good you brought it back." Another of the Council beamed. "Is this the Azuros?"

"No." I frowned. "I've never seen anything like it. It seems to be related to the Lagombi, though."

"I have." One of the children of the tribe poked his head into the crowd. "It was a lot smaller. I saw it and a bunch of little purple ones swimming in the lake. It must have eaten a lot."

"Well, it certainly ate a good amount of Jaggis." I sighed. I could leave them alone for a bit. I thought about the Purples that escaped. If that meant more of these things, maybe I should hunt them down. "We need to send information about it back to the guild. Where's Hide?"

"Who?"

"The Mapmaker."

"Oh, uh, right." The councilman turned his face to the village. "Where is Torano? Has anyone seen Torano?"

The man came through the flap of his hut, and the crowd make some semblance of room for him to get through. He met them at the center, where the beast lay. It smelled. He looked up. "Uh, hi."

I looked him in the eye to get his attention. "Do you think you can take a piece of its hide, and make two sketches of it, the same way you made my map?"

"Uh, I don't really draw Monsters. I could try, though."

"Excellent. If it looks close enough, we can send it to the Hunter's Guild. Perhaps they know what it is." I smiled. "The other copy is for me. I want to make a log of the Monsters I don't recognize, so I can remember them, learn them, and fight them more efficiently in the future."

Hide smiled. "Well, if that's the case, then I'll set about it. I'll head down to the docks for ink and bones. Unless you want me to help you carve this, first."

"I could use the help, yes."

The Ratombi was a great change of meat from a month of Jaggi. I considered foregoing my visits to the Jaggi Camp, but I decided against it. I continued gathering, and when I made it as far as the Jaggi, I stood there. I watched them. I stood vigil for about an hour, and then I would leave. Just because I got rid of the Ratombi, didn't mean they were rid of me.

The Ratombi proved to be worth the kill. The bones were a great deal thicker and stronger than the thin bones of the Jaggi, and worked much better with the Aptonoth Bones for building. The Blacksmith was thrilled. He ended up claiming the teeth I had broken. The fur was thick and warm, and once thoroughly washed, perfect for bedding. The Chieftain's Wife was asked to test it for quality. We never got it back. The tail, however, stayed with me. I hung it in my tent with spices and preservatives as a trophy. We ate the meat for days.

It took some time for the tattoo of the Ratombi to be sent to the Guild. It took even longer to get a reply back. The day it finally arrived, the ship was decorated with one red sail. The kids pointed it out first, and said that a new Hunter was coming. The parents corrected them, saying we only need the one. I hadn't realized that I had come down on a ship with a Red Sail (somehow, score for me), but I learned that day that every ship on Guild Business had one.

"I never believed we'd see another Red Sail, after you came in." The Chieftain's Daughter, master of the Quiet Step, sneaked up on me. "They don't use it for every willy-nilly delivery. Not everything is Red Sail Business. This must be big."

"What do you mean?"

"We're about to find out."

The sailors came in, eager as anything to find me in the crowd. Apparently, since I sent the letter, I had to be the one to open the reply. The Chieftain's Daughter ushered me to a tall rock, where square announcements were made. What if this was private mail? I stared at the Crimson Parchment. If it was private, it would be a less visible colour. I shrugged, and broke the wax seal.

We have searched our records for a beast that matched your included imagery, and sampled pelt. However, nothing was found in the database that matched the description and provided sample.

We now congratulate you on your discovery of a New Beast.

Your suggested name of Ratombi has been accepted by the council. The enclosed pouch contains a currency voucher, equal to 50,000z. You may exchange it at any port or licensed changer for your local currency.

The village was silent. Then the village rejoiced. Without a money changer anywhere nearby, not for a few days on water, the voucher became a safety deposit that was kept in the Chieftain's Treasury. Here, by their own village, was a new beast. Already, everyone felt more wealthy.

"Do you know what this means?" The Double Councilman dug a frown deep into his face.

"If we find more, we can sell it all for exorbitant prices!" One of the fishermen cheered. "Hunter! Seek out the young, the ones that you said escaped. Watch them for when they grow!"

"No!" The Councilman was not on the rock but he did not need it. His voice quieted my thoughts and grabbed my attention by the short and curlies. "This means that there are more monsters out there, ones no one knows about. There are monsters that can do things that no one has seen before. This Hunter is only valuable for her knowledge. Without it, she is as dead as the rest of us. We need to abandon this village and find somewhere better explored."

The villagers looked to me. They were looking at me to lead them. I figured I do the smart thing and look at the Chieftain. He smiled back at me. The villagers looked back and forth.

"Do you think you can learn these beasts and conquer them?"

I paused. I took a deep breath. The air felt cold. "I...know that at one point, we knew nothing about any beast. I know that at one point, we were at the mercy of Fortune and Death. From our experiences, we have learned a great deal about the Beasts and Monsters we know today. I have been raised on the techniques that transcend species, and have taught me to live even in the strangest of circumstances."

The village started to beam with pride. Then they noticed how long my pause was. They began to doubt, to fear, and on my behalf, to worry.

"If I cannot defeat each and every one of these mysterious monsters, then at the very least, I can pave the way for others who can. From now on, I will take extensive logs about each fight. I will do the best I can to learn each beast, and send reports of my findings back to the Guild."

The people were saddened by the mixed feelings of the answer, but inspired all the same. After a moment of reflection, one of the kids ran up to me, and hugged me. I hugged him back. The people cheered. The Chieftain kissed his wife on the forehead.

"Then we will stay to support you." The Chieftain raised his voice over the crowd, only to be swallowed by the din that followed. He waited for the village to lose their breath. "Starting today, we will gather the resources and tools to build a camp in the valley, to serve as a base of operations."

It wasn't long before the Jaggi population sprang back, and so my duties of culling their numbers returned. They went back to hating my presence, and things, more or less, returned to normal. Some of the older boys in the village were granted permission to learn gathering out in the field, so long as either Hide or myself were with them. They were always eager to go, anything but housework or a Farming Apprenticeship, and they were all hoping to find one of the Purple Babies of the Ratombi.

During this time, the campsite was slowly built. It was constructed in a small corner of the valley, halfway between the far reaches and the village itself, along a wide brook. It was a perfect spot, with a long tree towering over the space and providing shade. The tree, in truth, was less like a tree and more like a collaboration of vines- reaching out and then reaching back down to the ground to spread more roots. It was a maze of branches and vines, large leaves and surfaced stones. It took days to cut through the vines to make space for the tent, the fire pit and the boxes, but the thick vines were perfect for spokes to build things into. It was going to be a exquisite campsite.

While Hide was cutting into a particularly thick vine, with the help of the old farmhand, when they noticed that some of the vines had been severed at the bottom. They hadn't been completely cut through, not yet. The vines' cuts were still wet. Hide pushed the boy away, out of the maze of branches. "Go find the Hunter. Go, now."

The boy didn't need to be told twice. He wove through the cut branches and at daylight, broke into a sprint over the stream. He had to run halfway to the Jaggi's dirt-grounds to find me. When he did, he collapsed onto his knees. It took him a minute to speak.

I gave him some water and some well cooked steak. He finally got up. "Hide said that you have to go to the campsite. Something was eating at the vines. I think it was one of the Purple Babies, but I didn't see any."

I nodded. I waited until he finished the meat, and then we started running. Thankfully, I was more experienced at running, and so when we were close, the boy dropped into a drag and made way for the brook. I bounded a cross and tripped on the vines. It took a second to get to Hide, deep into the tree. He was sitting, clapping in irregular patterns. I supposed that it was to scare off anything that might return.

"Look," He started to say. He pointed to the bottom of the vines. "See?"

"Yeah. Two thick groves, really close together. Long teeth. Definitely something a tiny Ratombi would do."

"Then we need to flush it out before we finish this camp. If one is hiding here, there might be more of them."

"Seems reasonable. They were all together before. Let's give the kid a few minutes to get his strength back, and then we'll send him back to the village to get help."

"Alright, fair."

It was a fifteen minute wait, when the boy came back to see what was going on. They gave him instructions to find the Fishermen, if he could, and tell them of his suspicions. When he turned to go, I grabbed his shoulder.

"Go into my house, and in my box, there is a net trap. Bring that back to me. Be careful with it- you don't want to get caught. Understood?"

"Yes, Hunter."

The wait for reinforcements was surprisingly short. They brought a barrel to wheel the boy in, and the trap he brought along. I stood outside the camp to meet them. I greeted them with a finger over my lips. The men nodded. The boy smiled, and copied me. He gave me the Net Trap. I bowed with thanks, and then took him around to the back of the tree. I showed him how to set up the trap. He was elated, learning how to trap a beast.

"Isn't this too big for a Purple Baby?"

"Yes. It is meant for much larger monsters. However, they only come in one size. Besides, we saw signs of a baby, but we might be in for the full Ratombi itself, if we're unlucky."

"We're not unlucky. You have your hammer."

"Let's hope that's how this goes."

The group of men came through the cut of the tree. They stood with Hide, and waited for me to return with the boy. "What's your plan, Hunter?"

"Chase them out this way. I have a trap set opposite us."

"Hopefully its not too big." The boy frowned. I hadn't wanted to say it, but the boy was right. "I don't want them all over the place."

"True. But if possible I do want to catch them alive. I want to know as much as I can about them."

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"I can keep it here at the camp."

"We'd have to halt construction for some time."

"Better than bringing it back to the village, I say. If they don't get caught, kill it."

"That's the plan." I smiled.

The men knelt down by the vines, and then took a deep breath. They waited until the count of ten, for me and one of the other men to get into position. The boy was sent across the brook, to keep safe. Hide stayed in the tree.

Then they hollered. They howled. They made so much horrible noise I thought they were dying, just for a brief moment. Then, like clockwork, the Purples burst forth from the far side of the tree and right into the trap.

Or rather, right over the trap. They were too light, and even in one bunch, they did not weigh enough to set the trap. Careful not to set it ourselves, the man and I did what we could to close off their running space. I slammed down with the hammer. He outright kicked them in the side. We counted four, out of breath and seriously beaten Purples. They had grown, since I had seen them, but not to the size of the Ratombi. Neither had they turned brown. They were just as purple as before. How long did it take for a Ratombi to mature?

I took out my net and I wrapped one up. No sooner had I gotten it around the hind legs that it whipped about and snapped at my hand and the netting. It was too weak for a full on fight, but it wasn't weak enough to give up. I lunged back, partially reflex and partial surprise.

"Scrappy little f...buggers." The boy had come around the tree to see them.

"They don't look like babies." The boy kept a wise distance.

I stood up. I took the net off the one Purple and moved to another. I kept going until the last one, who was too tired and too close to death to care. "Well, they're not full grown. When I'm done wrapping this one up, throw it in the barrel and take it back to the village. Don't open it until I get back. I'm gonna make sure these three are dead."

"Are you sure you wanna kill off the species?" The boy frowned. "I mean, what if they're actually...good?"

"Just because we only saw these, doesn't mean they're the only ones." Hide came around the other side of the tree. He beat the dirt off his knees. "They had to come from somewhere."

The boy frowned. "I guess that makes sense."

The men took the Purple Baby and shoved it into the barrel. They wheeled it back, and the boy walked with them. Hide left some time after, and I was left to carry the three dead specimens back to the village. I hoped their bones were as good as their adult form. As I dragged them back, I considered upgrading my hammer. Ha! The first hammer made from Ratombi. I would have to speak to the Blacksmith about it in the morning.