The Hunters' Rest (Fang)

[bark]

Deep Jungle, for once in a long time, lay still at night. The mighty and proud gorillas lay sleeping in their canopies, the ferocious beasts ended their rounds, resting at last before their next hunt, and even the birds of flight’s calls that usually dominated the landscape had quieted down, leaving little but the nocturnal roamers to take the dawn for their own, searching for their own prey. Yet still, the land laid quiet.

And it allowed another predator to take form.

A loud splash of water rang out in Deep Jungle as a creature crawled out of the murky depths, red eyes blazing as a fish floundered between his jaws. He was large and imposing, his body that of a physically powerful human scarred and beaten, yet his body language taking obvious cues from many of the beasts that roamed in this world. This was not a man, nor a beast; this was Alonzo, the savage Keyblader. Right now, he just wanted to be left alone.

Knife-like ears twitched as the hunter raised his head to the night sky, the big, fat, glorious moon shining overhead. His nose gave the slightest of movements, attempting to sniff out any creatures that hungered for his own flesh. There were none, for now, who had broken their sleep cycle to hunt him down. So far, he was lucky. Instinctively, Alonzo gripped the fresh wounds at his ribs that he received on his first day here, and hissed in pain as he remembered the strikes given to him by a… leopard? Was that the word? He had slain one before, after all; a supposed member of the legendary servants of the Warlock, whose spotted skin now served as the main portion of his vest, accompanied by the fragments of the lion and the wolf. Ah, but words did not come easy to Alonzo anymore. They were ephemeral things that he desperately attempted to hold on to, with no avail. Much like the big cat’s wound at his ribs, he feared that soon his method of communication would fade as well, that he would become a gibbering monster.

The savage growled. Dis-re-gard thoughts, Alonzo,, he thought. No have time. Wound fester. Must heal. Must consume. The savage crouched down and ran deep into the underbrush, prey in jaws, disappearing in the darkness.

Eventually, Alonzo crawled out of the wood, finding his ramshackle camp; a cavern, leading to a waterfall. Not the greatest of places for most, surely, yet few beasties found themselves here, and Alonzo came to appreciate the running water. Game him white noise that he needed to relax.

Slowly, Alonzo crawled his way up the rocky surface surrounding the waterfall, till he reached the top. He threw his fish over the edge, ensuring it would land on the pile of aquatic creatures and fruit he had gathered. Recently, in his wounded state, Alonzo found himself needing more and more to eat. The wounds that… leopard had given him were severe, and he was lucky he had managed to consume enough to at least let him walk again. Slowly, and with great deliberation, Alonzo removed his wet vest and stretched his back, powerful muscles and ugly surgical scars revealed in full on his dark skin, a tell-tale sign of both his experimentation and his rough lifestyle. The savage tossed the article of clothing over his shoulder as he unwrapped his bandages over his wrists, hiding more surgical scars, letting them flutter down to the ground next to his vest. He sighed and turned his attention to his final preparations for the night.

Broken planks of woods were scattered, and a quick burst of fire gave Alonzo the heat and warmth he would have for the night. The sudden sound of the combustion awakened the blue butterflies that also took a claim to this cavern. The red-haired beast did not react to the insects; they, too, also relaxed him with their beauty. He observed them silently for a few moments, taking in their splendor before he turned his attention back to tonight’s feast.

The Path to the Forest, Alonzo’s Keyblade, appeared in a flash of light, yet rather than gripping it his jaws, he took the blade in his hand. He stabbed the blade into one of the fish he had gathered and held it over the fire, waiting for it to turn dark. If he was going to eat, after all, he would at least like to pretend he was civilized enough to know to eating food raw was savage. Of course, he secretly admitted that he wouldn’t have minded either way, a fact that frustrated him to no end.

The savage sighed as he cooked his food, his mind drifting to what he would do for tomorrow, when he would be ready to leave. Time would tell, he supposed.

Perhaps, just perhaps, this unfortunate sojourn to Deep Jungle would end uneventfully.

[fang]

The combination of many worlds opened one up to a lot of possibilities. The fact that Pulse could be anywhere out there, amongst the stars, had bothered Fang for some time. She stared at the sky for many nights, wondering how to get from one world to the next ... Others had talked about it, and some even made a living out of it. It was hard enough to travel between Cocoon and Pulse when they once had, but without Bahamut, the l'Cie was stranded. Only after inquiring to a man about traveling away from the world she'd awoken on, did Fang find herself on a strange ship among the stars themselves. However, an argument broke out just as quickly as the offer as a ride had, and the stubborn Pulsian found herself abandoned in a humid environment, thickly grown over and hiding who-knew-what.

Yet here, in this wild land, she'd felt more at peace with herself. More at home. Maybe it wasn't such a bad place to be temporarily lost.

Though, Fang knew that she would be a fool for not treading carefully. That was a problem after all, the fact that this wild was not her home. She was unaware of what dangers, frightening beasts or landscapes it could hold. Was it even habitable? The sounds of life, singing loudly into her ears, assured her that it was brimming with wildlife. The first day she'd explored the jungle, she became more familiar with it's occupants, avoiding them for now and defending herself when necessary. She found water, made a temporary stock of food to keep herself fed until the hunting began, and a place to rest at night, away from the creatures on the jungle floor. She found that she wasn't completely alone in the canopy, however, the animals kept their distance from her. They didn't look as tough or grotesque as the monsters from Gran Pulse. But, more dangerous things had come in more beautiful packages.

The second day was much more interesting. Fang had returned to the waterfall that she'd found the day before to do some casual fishing with her spear. The water was bright and clear, and brimming with fish of different colors and sizes. They'd made for easy enough prey, and cooked fast over a fire. She eyed a cavern in the rock face of the waterfall area, but paid it no mind for the time being. While on her ventures, the woman sat and watched many different beasts roam the area. Small ones, larger ones, some that almost resembled a human being. There were very interesting, and a nice break from the strange shadows she'd encountered on other worlds, as well as the monsters and machinery from Pulse. Some were exotic and beautiful. However, after having masked her scent with foliage from the area, they hardly paid her any mind. She spent the day around the area of water for the most part, picking odd fruits to store and found herself a temporary shelter.

Hasn't been so bad. Not yet, anyway, the l'Cie thought to herself as she stared up through the canopy at the fat, smiling moon and the twinkling stars. She was lying in the sturdy vines of a large, thick tree that served as her current home away from home. Really, the only issue she'd run into was, quite possibly, the biggest.

She had no idea how to get away from this place.

Fang would have contemplated this problem for the rest of the night, until sleep claimed her before the sun rose. However, she felt herself being pulled from her thoughts by a presence. Something lurking nearby, something that make the hair on the back of her neck stand up. The young woman froze, breath halting her chest as she strained the rest of her senses for what had suddenly caused her to be on edge. Fingers gripped the vines underneath her tightly, muscles in her legs tensing up as she prepared to propel herself from the tree. No, Fang recognized this feeling. Something had it's eyes on her, with malicious intent, watching her every move. She was something's prey.

[/i]

That thought sunk into her consciousness and rooted there, multiplying her sense of urgency. There was no telling what lurked in this forest at night, what kind of monster it could have birthed for her. Typically, the l'Cie would stand and take on anything this jungle would throw at her, but she could hardly see through the light that barely made it's way through the canopy. If it was something to big to handle ... SNAP. In a flash, Fang was flying down the tree and across the damp, jungle floor. She could hear the quick steps of a stealthy predator behind her, on her heels. Her hands instinctively reached for her spear as she swung it behind her. One satisfying thunk and a harsh, angry growl convinced her that she'd temporarily hit, and pissed off, her mark.

In a matter of moments, Fang was back in the area of the waterfall. She eyed the cavern, noting the very soft, orange glow that must have been caused by someone's fire, as night had just settled. The l'Cie ran along the river until she was back at the rocky wall and into the cavern, leaping high, scampering from one rocky foothole to the next, higher and higher, towards the orange glow at the top. She paused only to look down at the creature that followed her, as it was now forced into the bright moonlight at the mouth of the cavern. It was some sort of feline creature, pawing back and forth, hissing and growling. Fang sighed irritably and turned away from it, continuing to scale the inside of the cavern, Just some sort of cat. If I'd known that, it'd be a pelt by now.

With a final pull, the young woman was at the top, and she carefully regained her footing and began to catch her breath. Green eyes landed on the fire she suspected to be up at the top, then darted to the pile of food and- ... Fang froze again, carefully watching the man .. beast .. sitting by the fire. He was cooking a fish over the flame, though he looked a mess. Were those scars? Was he injured?

"... Got room for one more?" Fang asked the man with a crooked smirk, watching him warily from her spot, perched at the edge of the platform. Echoing through the cavern, she could hear the frustrated growls and hisses of the leopard, assuring her that it hadn't given up just yet, though it refused to enter the cavern. After all, she could still stumble down. What a mess, though. If this man proved to be as savage as the beasts in the jungle were, Fang had all but sealed herself a difficult fight. [/blockquote]

[bark]

Some things were odd about Alonzo’s life. Well, that was not true. A lot of things were odd about Alonzo’s livelihood, his appearance, his very nature. He was a giant compared to most men, and freakishly mutated to look more like a garishly dressed beast, and he fought like one too. However, he at least tried to fight his fate using the Path of the Forest, tried to help the common man for the greater good, as he was instructed by the Man of the Tree.

The Keyblader would be lying if he said he was winning the struggle, for often he found himself falling more and more into savagery. The hide he wore over his back was proof of this enough; only a savage would willingly wear the skins of fallen foes like trophies, yet despite himself, he could not abandon it. It was his, after all, he had earned it. And sometimes, he feared that if he could speak to beasts, like the very one that just scarred him this week, the leopard, it would reply with that very same answer as to why it had the right to kill.

He doubted many others knew of that kind of struggle.

However, he could not help but wonder if others endured the other curse that seemed to afflict him; the curse of unfortunate coincidences. Merely a moment earlier, he had hoped that perhaps this dreadful journey to this jungle would be ending soon, yet already, he heard the same beast return to his new hideout, anger obvious, it’s dreadful growls filling the tight cavern. It seemed to want to finish the meal it started earlier.

Of course, that is what Alonzo thought before he saw a powerfully-built woman lugging a spear behind her perch on his platform.

The savage tilted his head at this lady as he swallowed down his fish meal in one gulp. In the Dark Woods, an equal amount of both men and woman alike shared the passion for warfare inspired by their xenophobia and hatred for the Sable Dynasty. Rarely did you find any lass not prepared to fight and die for her nation, armed to the teeth in hateful steel. Eleanor was among the many who shared such vigor. She fought with several weapons, most terrifyingly her own hands in one grisly encounter Alonzo remembered with clarity he often wished he lacked. She was perhaps one of the best soldiers on their world. Certainly the best he had ever seen.

So, seeing this woman put Alonzo on edge. What was her reason to pick up a lance? Did she defend her own nation, and was another wayward traveler of this cosmos? Or, more unfortunately, was she a hunter? As a hunter himself who was hunted before, Alonzo knew that type even better; when he killed, Alonzo knew he was savage and merciless, and as one of the altered beasts of his world, he was often shadowed and led to traps himself so he could be captured by some enterprising Bian man or woman seeking to fill their purse with gold and their mantle with trinkets from fallen prey. Alonzo feared that he had been discovered by someone seeking a prize, and that as soon as she saw her visage, this little meet would become very, very bloody. In order to combat this urge, slowly, Alonzo arose, his gigantic stature obvious now that he wasn’t hunched over any longer. Unsteadily, he took the slightest inch forward, and eyed the lady, particularly her weapon. He had felt the pain of a spear head before and he had not even the slightest desire to relive such memories this night. He bore his sharp teeth, and growled a fair warning to this trespasser, keeping himself within the shadows, and hoped that these signs alone would be enough to show he was not an easy prey to fight.

However, his message was drowned out by the big cat lurking outside the cave, and suddenly Alonzo remembered that, even if this lady was a huntress, she could perhaps at least be convinced to leave. The animal had no such reasoning ability. Again, he growled, and scooped up a piece of burning firewood. That monster would have to be dealt with first. He leaped over the flame he started and now perched himself next to the woman, only he kept his gaze down to the entrance, where the big cat stalked. He pulled back his head, and when he lunged forward, opened his maw and released a loud, primal roar right back down to the leopard. To follow up his cry, he tossed down a block of firewood, intending to push the beast away, and if that proved not enough, he summoned his Keyblade and fired down a burst of serpent-shaped fire at the entrance. The flames would not last, yet hopefully the beast would be kept away. For now, at least.

"…leo-pard. Worst beast. Will re-turn, when flame dies. P’rhaps still rest? Will see,” he muttered to himself. The savage man growled low once more, and then, remembered he was not alone. He took a good look at the woman who had entered his home.

…she was not ugly. Far from it. She was a woman of with a head of black, adorned in fine blue garments. Her wear seemed designed for someone who lived a life in nature, rather than the tight, constricting wear worn in the royal houses or the massive, cumbersome plates the knights of Alonzo’s world forced themselves into. Indeed, she had to be a tracker or hunter; only in that sort of field would such garments be appropriate. Despite himself, as Alonzo stared at this woman, he found the fear and hesitation he felt slowly moving back. Her eyes did not seem cruel or cold. Perhaps she could be convinced to spare him. Above all else, the savage had no wish to fight such a lady. Not when she seemed innocent. He only hoped he wasn’t being naïve.

Uncomfortably, Alonzo coughed, and rubbed the back of his scarlet head. He had not set a good impression before. Time to make this right.

“Er… he-… ha-… hullo,” he muttered. He nodded his head approvingly, and slightly sarcastically as well. Yes, indeed, Alonzo, that is how you greet someone. Now, continue.

“…’pol’gies. Alonzo not ex-pect… guh-… guests,” he said, and nodded again, as if to remind himself that no, he certainly was not expecting anyone here today. He took to all fours and padded away, back behind the fire, where he once originally sat. His bare, scarred skin seemed to almost glow a harsh red from the fire’s red, and while usually this would only heighten his fearful appearance, right now, he seemed… timid. Awkward, really.

“…make self home, yes. Hrmm… care food? Fruit, may-be? Oh!” He picked up a fish from the pile and crawled back to this odd woman, who still very much concerned him, and held up a fish a foot away from the woman. He attempted to force a grin, which only came out as his usual grimace. As it usually did.

“Fish…! Er… still fresh.”