[Set after Chapter 2-2: Eye of the Storm]
Base camp was always a hive of bustling activity. Despite being a hastily set-up, on-the-fly settlement, everyone appeared to be right at home. The place felt alive, warm in a way that made it feel like the harshness of the world was nothing more than a small hurdle to overcome, an utter triviality that would be usurped through everyone's cooperation and mutual care.
Which made their new location all the more dreary by contrast.
It was sufficient, no doubt, and clearly had all the amenities needed, but the pop-up camp was situated within a cave. The air felt stale, arid, and though a campfire was burning within arm's reach, Nata still felt that cold, icy pull deep in the core of his being, as he thought back to the events from before.
The White Wraith.
It was right there, so tauntingly out of reach as it wreaked havoc on the Rey Dau. Seeing the Bright Thunder Wyvern be reduced to such a state had caused a tidal wave of emotions to swell up inside him.
Fear, nervousness, worry.
But also anger.
So much anger.
This wyvern, this beast, had the gall to terrorise his village, leaving him lost and alone. The White Wraith was powerful, powerful enough to have fought and defeated two apex predators with barely any struggle.
So why?
Why did it see fit to come and tear apart his friends, his family, who were defenseless in the face of such strength? Nothing more than ants beneath its feet?
It didn't make sense, but maybe things didn't need to make sense. The White Wraith was a cruel, rabid monster. A terror that held nothing but malicious instincts to destroy everything in its path.
Fists clenched. Teeth ground together. Eyes narrowed.
The White Wraith didn't deserve to liv-
"Nata."
He flinched, raising his head towards the speaker.
Calm eyes stared back. The Hunter squeezed Nata's shoulder gently, before removing his hand and taking a seat next to him.
"Here."
A plate was unceremoniously passed over. The fresh scent of cheese wafted past his nose, and Nata immediately fought the urge to tear the naan bread apart. He'd never eaten such a delicacy before; he didn't even know food could taste so...unique. The first time Gemma had given him what she called 'grilled cheese', he'd devoured it before he even had the chance to blink. To say that he was embarrassed was a massive understatement.
A soft chuckle interrupted his thoughts. The Hunter was already digging into his own food, smiling as he ate. "It's fine kid, it's been a long day. No one will fault you for being hungry of all things."
Well, in that case...
"Thanks..." He got out, stuffing his face with the food.
The Hunter merely looked amused, spearing a large chunk of meat with his knife. "I always find that food is great for calming yourself down. It keeps the mind occupied, whilst nourishing the body." He paused to take a bite. "Your physical and mental states reach equilibrium, and as a result, your heart becomes serene."
Nata paused, taking in the Hunter's words.
"How're you feeling?"
He swallowed the last of the naan. Now that his hunger was satiated, he felt better. The violent emotional pangs that had previously plagued him had been reduced to a dull ache. Still there, still thrashing, but much easier to deal with.
Which meant that he could finally repay the man before him.
"I'm sorry." Nata dipped his head. "I...I shouldn't have acted the way I did before. I was reckless."
He was no fool. Now that his head had cleared, Nata could clearly understand what would've happened if the Hunter hadn't stopped him.
First the Uth Duna, then the Rey Dau. Both fell to the White Wraith's might.
Him? A mere child? There wouldn't even be remains left to scrape off of the sand.
"Apology accepted." The Hunter replied. "You're young, Nata. It's okay to make mistakes. What matters is that you understand that sometimes, the world isn't always as simple as we want it to be."
Nata bristled. "But the White Wraith! I know that my actions were reckless, but that thing is a demon! You know what it did to my village...what it did to me!"
His fingers grasped the pendant hanging from his neck, gripping it tight.
"I'll train." he started. "I'll learn how to fight. And one day, when I'm strong enough, I'll become a hunter like you. Then...then-"
He looked up.
"-I'll kill it."
The Hunter stared back, impassive. Moments passed as words remained unspoken, and Nata waited, waited for the man who could slay monsters ten times his size to respond. To validate his goal and tell him that he wasn't wrong.
"What do you think a Hunter does, Nata?"
He didn't expect a question.
"Um," he floundered. "it's in the name, right? You hunt monsters and put them down."
"In a way, you aren't wrong," The Hunter replied, reaching a hand into his pocket. "but it's not entirely correct, either." He pulled out a notebook, a small one at that; only barely bigger than his hands. It had a dark blue cover with silver trimming, and on the front a logo of some kind was emblazoned onto it.
The Hunter briefly rifled through it before stopping on a seemingly random page. Wordlessly, he passed it over.
With mild confusion, Nata accepted the notebook and looked.
It was a photograph, one where the Hunter took center stage. Judging by his appearance, the photo couldn't have been taken more than a few years ago. The Hunter was down on one knee, smiling at the camera with a cheery grin. His weapons, dual blades, barely peaked out of his back as he made some sort of hand sign at the camera; his index and middle fingers were extended, making his hand take on a 'v' shape.
His other hand lay on the hide of a monster.
Nata's eyes bugged out. He knew the Hunter was brave, he'd seen him jump off a damn sandship! But even still, being willing to stay so close to a monster, without drawing his weapon? That was bordering on madness.
But something about this monster was different. It looked like a giant, fat, four-legged lizard. Pale blue skin that faded into white near the belly, and a flare of vibrant orange at the tail. Its jaw was massive, giving off the appearance of an underbite, and its beady little eyes seemed to be staring off into the distance.
Most shocking of all, it was docile, completely unbothered at the fact that a human was right next to it.
Nata didn't want to admit it, but this monster almost looked...cute?
"Dodogama, the Rock Bandit Wyvern." The Hunter supplied. "They're a relatively passive species. Their diet mostly consists of rocks and minerals found in caves, and they typically keep to themselves."
Nata brushed his thumb over the photo. "Are they dangerous?"
The Hunter hummed. "They can be, but it usually takes a lot to anger one. They're more likely to just leave you alone as they go about their business."
Nata dipped his head in acknowledgement.
"So, would you say that this entire species of wyvern needs to be put down, Nata?"
The boy froze, his lips pinching together as he thought it over.
"...No." He replied. "I mean, it's not bothering anyone, so unless it was actively hurting people, I guess it's fine to let them be?"
"A sound decision. That's what the Hunter's Guild thinks too."
"Really?"
The Hunter nodded. "Really. In fact, in the rare occasion where monsters do become a threat, most of us Hunters prefer to capture, rather than slay them."
"But why?" Nata furrowed his eyebrows. "If they're hurting people, shouldn't they be put down? If you capture and then release them, they're just gonna go back to harming others."
"It's because we want to find out why they're hurting people."
"Huh?"
"Sure, we could slay every monster that posed a threat," the Hunter acquiesced. "but that wouldn't help us understand why they're acting in such a way. Without identifying the root cause and only treating the symptom, we can only postpone the issue, not solve it."
The Hunter took a sip from his canteen. "Everything happens for a reason. Wyverns, Carapaceons, Fanged Beasts. These creatures are alive. They breathe as we do, walk where we tread, and most importantly of all, they think for themselves."
The boy listened attentively.
"So when their behaviour changes, we must understand the reason. Perhaps it's a lack of food causing greater competition, or maybe an invasive species has encroached on their territory. The possibilities are as numerous as there are stars in the sky, and we certainly don't have a one-size solution."
"That's why you research." Nata realised. "You and Alma aren't just going around for no reason. You're looking for clues that would point you to a specific cause?"
"You catch on." The Hunter smiled. "But there's one more reason for why we do our best to avoid needless hunting."
Nata leaned in, hands gripping the edge of his seat.
"At the end of the day, when all is said and done, we all live under the same sky. Human, monster, what's the difference? We all return to the earth once our time comes. Rather than spend all our lives in conflict, wouldn't it be better for us to coexist?"
"I...I never thought of it like that..."
"It's true that sometimes hunting is unavoidable. Some villages are forced to routinely cull monster populations to avoid being stampeded, and I've had to hunt monsters that had gone mad with pain, lashing out without care. It's important to distinguish between necessity and excessiveness: one helps, the other harms."
The Hunter finally stood up, his meal finished. As he moved to pass Nata, he laid a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Nata. I know that right now the White Wraith seems nothing more than a demon, mindless and feral, and whatever you're feeling right now? I get that too."
The Hunter began walking away.
"But nothing in this world is ever so cut and dry, and if you must hunt, then do so from a place of sympathy, not anger."
Nata finally looked down, clasping his pendant in gentle hands.
The Hunter had given him a lot to think about.