Creature Hunters (Draft)

Chapter 1: Creatures

It was a late night in the forest and the moon's light hardly pierced the trees. A young man by the name of John, ventured alone to find his first companion. The quiet of the night occasionally broken by the cries of nocturnal creatures. With a hand firmly on his blade, John readied himself for conflict. He had only one capture box, so his first move was the most important. He approached a clear area of the forest, where moonlight gave the area an enchanting glow. He followed his training and remained out of the light.

Sure enough, a small yellow creature revealed itself from the bushes. It had spiked yet soft fur and walked on all fours. It had a friendly-looking face and was naturally docile. It was unaware of John and his intent to capture. With his left hand on the handle of his sword, John was ready for the battle. Everyone knows that you weaken the creature in battle first. Luckily, creature hunters use special gear that doesn't actually harm, but saps magical energy before capture.

The wind stopped and the light dimmed ever so slightly. The yellow creature seemed alerted by something further into the forest. John tried to investigate, but it was too dark to see. The yellow creature ran off and John sighed from failure. The wind started to pick up and there was a sudden cry from a creature in the forest. John wielded his blade, ready to defend and hopefully capture. As the creature emerged from the shadows, it sent chills down John's spine. This was a creature not recorded in any of the creature books and John had no strategy for something unknown. As it slowly approached, John began to shake. It lept at least 10 feet into the air and its four legs pinned John to the ground in an instant. He was helpless on the ground and unable to defend himself. As he thought about all of the ways he could die, John blacked out.

John awoke in his bed and peered outside. The markets were just setting up and the workers were leaving their homes. The stone roads still empty and the sunrise beamed over the wooden rooftops. Still covered in sweat, John's reality finally settled in and he panicked. He still had his gear and had no wounds, but the fear is ever-present. He immediately ran to the other room to find his mother. His mother, Liana, sat at their old oak dining table and had a hot breakfast ready.

"Mother." John said nervously.

"Good morning, sweetie. I trust you've learned your lesson our there." Liana replied as she peered outside intently.

"I thought I was going to die... I thought I was ready to take dad's place for when he steps down but-"

Liana looked to John.

"He would have been furious! To put yourself in danger I-"

Liana looked back towards the window, tears falling from her face.

"Mother, I'm sorry. I just needed to find a creature companion. I can't be a guardian without one."

"And if you died out there, you wouldn't be alive to be a Guardian!" Liana shouted, staring at John.

John hadn't thought about it that way and felt awful for his mother. It sounded so simple, to just go capture a creature and become a Guardian. His father makes it look so simple. Aqua Town is lucky to have had his father protecting them.

John looked to his mother.

"How did I get out of there?"

"You didn't come home on your own?" Liana replied, with a grim face.

"I... I was attacked. All I remember is being thrown to the ground by a scary creature then... nothing."

Just then, sounds of shouting could be heard outside. John looked out the windows to witness people being attacked by Bandits. How did they get so far into the town? Surely his father would have intercepted their advancement by now. John rushed to meet the attackers outside, wielding the freshly smoothed blade his father bought him for the day he passed his tests.

"John, no!" His mother cried out.

She reached out to grab him before he could leave, but it wasn't quick enough. John emerged from their home and rushed the closest bandit. He wasn't silent and blindly attacked. The bandit in his sights noticed immediately and readied his hand axe. Just as the axe was inches away from making contact with John, a creature pounced onto the bandit. John recognized this creature immediately as one of his father's creatures, Mino. A large humanoid with hooves and horns, resembling that of a bull on two legs.