FanFiction:The Art of the Hunt/Season 2/Chapter 5 - The Trek

T aka looked off into the distance. The fog was beginning to clear, as they drew further away from the oasis near which they had slept. Far and away, he could see a lone tree rising up in the distance. Nearer to them grazed Rhenoplos in a much less rocky sand field. The desert was enveloping them, swallowing them, and it had been but one hour since their departure.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Reia asked Taka as she power-walked towards him.

"Not yet sure. I believe that tree over there looks promising. It's the most lively place we've yet seen; there, we should be able to find signs of life," Taka answered, straining his eyes, as if by some power he could create a path of stone and wood directly to their quarry.

"That makes sense, yeah. Thanks, Taka." Reia said. She turned around and adjusted her pack, and moved to the back of the line, where Noami was walking.

Noami smiled and took out a piece of dried Rhenoplos steak. She broke it in half and handed one half to Reia, who gladly took it and began to nibble at one side. Noami, the trooper she was, took a small bite and straightened her back. Wincing in an inconceivably small and unnoticeable way, she marched onwards. Reia looked sympathetically towards her love.

"You are starting to look tired, so I'm gonna take your Long Sword," Reia said. Reia had not shouldered as much weight, as she was guarding the back of the column, and thus she wanted to make herself be of more use. Noami smiled gratefully and loosened the weapon's carrying strap. Reia took it and fastened it to her own armor, and let it conform to it. Smiling, she sped up slightly to keep up with Noami, and began to nonchalantly talk to her, while keeping close watch on the land about.

They marched on in haphazard fashion for several hours. Other than a few encounters with Rhenoplos and Jaggi, they encountered no resistance. The desert went on, unaware of their presence. Every now and again, a brave Felyne would approach the column and attempt to attract one of the hunters to hire him, but no Felynes were to accompany this trip. The hunters on the outside of the column would occasionally look about, admiring and assessing the expanse of white and tan sand. Delex swam in it, and above them, Remobra flew.

Around midday, when the sun was at its highest point and the desert heat began to pulverize the hunters with its hard hands, the column stopped. Taka, who was at the front of the column, sat down and began to read a map describing the Sandy Plains. Calli and Gamor stood to the side, looking around momentarily before going together to find firewood.

I wonder who would know how to read a map here, Taka thought silently. He grimaced as he realized that the only three members of the group who could both read a map and knew this area well enough were Yuki, Jeren, and Katrina. Jeren was busy sharpening weapons and repairing armors; Yuki was scouting; Katrina was the only available help. Taka grimaced, but knew that Katrina was the only one who knew the Sandy Plans and read maps well.

"Katrina," Taka said with a wince, "could you assist me?"

Katrina, who was busy contemplating life and the admiration of clouds, turned around with only a mildly hateful gesture. "Maybe," She said, walking over.

"I need help reading a map -- I do not know this area." Taka explained. This piqued her interest. Katrina had always loved maps; they had adorned her childhood home and she knew their importance.

"Right then," Katrina said, "I suppose we're heading for that mark, no?" She said, pointing.

Taka nodded.

"We need to do something along these lines, then," She said, and drew a line on the map describing their pattern. "This will take us across the Yellow Plains, and across Diablo's Ravine via land bridge. Then, we'll be but five miles or so away from this mark," Katrina continued as she pointed and inspected various things on the paper map. "Exercise caution near this circle," she continued, drawing a circle of an inch diameter around the point. "Once we're here, we'll be within danger." Katrina said. "Is that all?"

Taka smiled at the marked map. He looked up at Katrina. "Yes, that will be all. Thank you," The man said as he folded up the map and looked over at the distance.

On the other side of the group, Calli and Gamor sat frying a leg of chicken over a makeshift fire. Gamor, ever the thinker, had identified a few herbs that could improve the flavor of the food, and was collecting them. Calli was calmly stoking the fire and adjusting the position of the frying pan. The grease popped and sizzled over the hot fire; the cast-iron pan sat staunchly on top of the metal framework supporting it. Calli looked up and around and called out for Gamor curiously.

"Where'd you go--oh," Calli said as she spotted Gamor behind her. He leaned up and stretched, tired from the day's journeying.

"Right here," Gamor began, "I found some cyrinthium, as well as a few Blue Mushrooms. They should go well with the chicken," He said.

"Right then. Well, hand 'em over, and I'll throw them in." She asked, holding her left hand towards him and poking the chicken with a rod in her right. Suddenly, the grease popped and burned her arm. She yelped, dropping the rod. "Oowh," she grunted, "can you hand me the water and a cloth, too? Thanks!" She quickly said, tossing the herbs into the pan and rubbing her right arm.

Gamor smiled slightly, and went to grab the requested items.

Calli was the medical expert in their group. Between her, Taka, and Jeren, they could fix almost any medical mystery. Calli, however, was the only one who kept medical supplies with her, and she carried the bag in her pack. As Gamor leaned in to open it and locate the items, his attention was piqued by a curious item. Barely hidden inside a small pocket on the side was a roughly-kept diary, bound with leather and with covers of wood. He shook his head and drew his attention back to the items she had requested, and took them out of the bag. He finally took them back to Calli, who then grimaced.

"I suppose you saw the book, then?" Calli asked.

"Er, well, yes, but I didn't look at it. I didn't know you kept a diary." Gamor replied.

"I do." Calli said while squinting.

"Oh."

"..."

"I'll make myself scarce. Uh... There's that thing. I need to go do it. Yeah, that," Gamor awkwardly said, before starting to walk away shamefully, as if he had learned some deeply-held, personal secret.

"No, wait, come back! I didn't mean anything by it, come on." Calli said, patting her arm where she had finished administering a healing rub to it.

Gamor turned around, surprised. "Well, alrighty then."

Gamor walked back over, and sat down beside Calli. She chuckled lightly and smiled. "Sometimes, I feel like I'm teaching you how to be a person. It's quite amusing, you know."

"Thanks! Love you too," Gamor said jokingly.

He was never a social person. Most of this lay in the fact that Gamor, unlike many others around him, did not have the abilities required to socialize like other people. He always felt disconnected and lost around people, no matter how much he tried to be otherwise. Luckily, Calli understood this, and through their friendship, Gamor grew to socialize and live a fuller life. Calli, on the other hand, had grown to be a much more mature -- but still very unpredictable -- young lady.

“Heh, sorry!” Calli retorted. “It’s just the truth! Speaking of… eh, nevermind.”

“Eh? What’s up?” Gamor asked curiously.

“It’s -- it’s nothing. Well, ok. It’s the book,” Calli said uncomfortably.

“...Oh. Um… Oh. Anything I can do to help?”

"You can... Yes, ok, you can help." She replied.

"What do you need?"

"Answer me a question. It's really personal -- please don't laugh." Calli continued.

"Ok...." Gamor said.

"Gamor, I love you. I'm in love with you. Do you love me?" Calli said.

Gamor, who was sipping on a cold drink, coughed and sputtered. "Look at the time! I must be going. Um, yeah, anyway... I have to go. Do something. That's what." He said awkwardly. He looked at Taka and looked at the boulder by him, and ran towards it.

Calli sat alone and shed a tear. "Well, that went exactly as planned," she said to herself.

Little to her knowledge, Jeren had been sitting behind her. He nudged her very gently with his hand and asked her permission to sit down. She welcomed him and wiped her face. "Sorry," she said, "I hope you didn't witness all of that."

"I did, but no matter." He began. "You must give the boy time. He has lived a hard life and has seen many sorrows. I met a great many men like him in my fighting time -- men who would have given anything for the presence of another, but were wholly unaware of the steps necessary to be with them. He will come around; give him thinking time." Jeren said. He handed over a small concoction, made from various herbs and aged for several months. "I had been saving this for the right time; go ahead. It should be enough to lighten your thoughts," he said, handing over the flask.

Calli's eyes lit up and she drank the contents of the flask. She smiled and almost hugged Jeren.

"Oh!" she yelped, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--" she continued, before being interrupted by a comforting hug from Jeren.

Minutes later, Brutus walked over. For once, he did not say anything obnoxious to ruin the moment. He waited.

"Jeren, when you're done, we need your help putting a wagon together. We found some ruins, they have the parts, but you're the mechanic here, am I right?" Brutus said, only half joking. Jeren finally looked up and nodded. "Yes, quite true. Alright, show me."

Jeren and Brutus walked over to the wagon they were attempting to restore. As they walked, Brutus leaned over to Jeren. "Tryin' to capitalize? Nice," He said, whispering. Jeren instantly knew what he meant, and shot him a look filled with disapproval.

"I am an honorable man," he said calmly, "and she is a loyal girl. You know better than to say such a falsity," he finished, quietly enough that no one else heard.

Brutus looked mildly irritated, but did not continue. He walked faster, away from Jeren, reaching the wagon within a few seconds.

The dismantled transportation device had been sitting there immobile for days, perhaps weeks. Some of the hardware was beginning to rust, while termites and altaroth had rendered much of the wood unusable. Most of the wood was the color of faded sand, and the wheels, in their decrepitude, had never been replaced. Nearby lay some abandoned food, infested with Bnahabra maggots and smelling of Jaggi dung. Grass had began to grow around the food and around the wagon, showcasing its growing age.

"A farmer and his family used this wagon," he said quietly, musing over the skill required to fix it, "perhaps it would be wiser to move on."

Noami, Reia, and Ali looked dumbfound. After a moment had passed, Reia looked at him with curiosity. "Why?" she asked, her voice bearing the slightest hint of conviction.

"See the wood? Smell the rot? Even if we repaired it, the scent may draw unnecessary guests." Jeren explained.

Noami looked carefully at it. She adjusted the weapons on her back. "Please?" She asked Jeren, looking at him with eyes that would melt steel.

He relented. "Ali, go in that cave and fetch some water. While you're in there, find some Blue Mushrooms, Exciteshrooms, and if you can, an antidote herb. Noami, Reia, you two go cut down one of the smaller trees over there," he said, pointing. The three went off on their ways to fetch the needed materials. Jeren, meanwhile, spent a few minutes scavenging through the wreckage, finding the necessary bolts, axles, and wheel parts. Luckily, all of the wheels were still operational, though they were dirty and in need of minor repairs.

He fetched his knife and set to work carving the wood as soon as Noami and Reia came back with their tree. "We need several planks, and we need axle holders, this might take a while." He said, somewhat regretfully.

Taka walked over and looked over the wreckage. "Would things go faster if I employed myself in this task?" He asked.

"Perhaps. We need three more planks. Carve two and I can make the frame and bucket," he said, handing Taka a knife. Taka took it and began carving himself.

"Noami, Reia," Jeren queried again, "look around in that cave -- find some Slagtoth. Their oil is necessary for this project. If you can't find a slagtoth, though, we might be able to use Dragonshrooms..." he said, his voice trailing off. The two girls went to do as he asked in order to speed the process, while the other members of the group kept to themselves, making preparations.

Midday had passed. Afternoon was passing. They had walked for five hours, quite contrary to their expectations, and now they had begun a project that would not be finished for a while. Taka, taking notice of this, put down his carving knife and the rod he was making for the steering controls and went to start a fire.

"Yuki still isn't back yet -- has anyone heard from her?" He asked, approaching the group that had gathered around the fire.

"No," Gamor spoke up, "but before she left she asked us to signal her back with fire," he said.

"Alright, I guess we better get started," Taka said, taking notice of the quickly dissolving afternoon.

Taka managed to build and maintain a fire, and Calli went to fetch some green leaves to make more smoke. She eventually came back, placing them on the fire as she sat down. Afterwards, Taka, one of two people who knew smoke signals in the group, used another large leaf to signal Yuki back.

An hour passed. On the horizon, the group saw Yuki riding back upon a domesticated Aptonoth she had presumably found. The group gazed at her, bewildered, and as soon as she was within earshot, began asking her questions.

"I saw it," she said, shivering with fear -- the most frightened any of them had seen her, "and it's terrifying." she finished grimly.