Trust you //\\ W.I.P ArtiHunter story

\\ 4. Grief. //

[ ARTIFICER'S POV ]

[ This takes place a few hours after Artificer and Hunter met. They filled up their food pips with the Lizard, and are now going for a walk. The sun is starting to set. ]

I met a SlugCat.

    A rather strange one at that. Her name's Hunter, and she had a scar over one eye- Actually, she had scars everywhere- But the one over her eye didn't damage the eye, unlike mine. She also had these strange growths on her- Each one marked with an 'X' shape. Her fur is pink, like that of some Noodlefly children.

    I was not sure if I was ready to interact with another SlugCat after what had just happened a day ago, but Hunter was kind despite her appearance, and so it made it easy to talk to her. And I guess she felt the same about me, because we were sharing many details about our lives in no time at all.

    She tells me about her background. How she was created by an Iterator named No Significant Harassment with a mission to deliver a glowing green neuron to the broken Iterator that went by the name of Looks to the Moon. She tells me she has a disease called the Rot, which is why she has the strange growths, but she doesn't go into much detail. I get it. It must be a challenging topic.

    I heard her finish up her life's story, and ask "What about you?" I tilt my head. "My story, you mean?" Hunter nods. "If you don't mind, of course." I don't know what clicked in me. I thought I had promised to not let my feelings out again. I guess that promise was really short lasting. Only a few hours.

    "I used to have..." I choked on the words a moment. "Pups. I used to have pups." Hunter's cheerful facial expression softens. "Oh, I'm so sorry..." She says quietly. I nod, thankful for her sympathy. 

    "Pearl and Dewdrop. I just lost Dewdrop..." I have to take a deep breath. To swallow the bile rising in my throat. "Just last cycle." Hunter's sad expression changes to one of shock, her dark eyes going wide. "So... A day ago... Not counting today. Right?" I silently nod again. I continue, unaware that my voice was wavering. "I lost both to Scavengers. Pearl, well... ironically... Found a pearl. From a Scavenger Toll. The Scavengers attacked, and, I lost my eye... And my pup. As for Dewdrop... Well, I passed through that same Toll. Without paying. I could never pay such filthy creatures. One of them threw a grenade. Mid-jump. He was on my back, and..."

    I couldn't finish the sentence, but I could see that Hunter understood. I turned away. I heard Hunter's voice. "That wound on your back. It looks painful." I shrug, although it hurt worse than a spear to the head. I decided to not make eye contact. "I think I know where to find Popcorn Plant leaves. Not too far from here. Just the next room, actually. Could help wrap the wound. Keep it from getting infected." She continued. I shrug again, trying to pretend I didn't just dump my trauma onto a random pink SlugCat I only met a few hours ago.

"Sure, sure. Let's go."

[ 587 Words ]

[ YOO! MY FIRST FANFICTION I MADE 5 PAGES OF IN ONE DAY! AWESOME! I hope you guys are enjoying so far, but I'm gonna go to bed now! Have a great day/night! ]