Several days after the incident at the Disc, the boys and (Y/n) find themselves at Whiz Chocobo Post. While the boys sat around a table, Death found herself sitting on the pen of the chocobo that had taken a liking to her during her first visit to the outpost. The bird chirped happily as it rested its head on her shoulder. She stroked the chocobo's feather, her head leaning against the bird's.
In the end, she hadn't told the others of the thoughts that plagued her mind during their visit to the Disc. It also seems the boys had forgotten her promise because none of them brought the subject up after they were safe. She knew their minds were occupied in finding the Regalia that had disappeared during their excursion of the Disc of Cauthess.
Unbeknownst to her, she hadn't realized the boys had chased after a black dog and vanished out of sight until she finally looked up. The table was empty, but she wasn't worried about them.
Suddenly, a chill shot down her spine and caused her body to go stiff. The familiar presence nearly had her tipping backwards and into the chocobo pen, but she grabbed the wooden slat she sat upon to steady herself. The chocobo turned its head in confusion as her gaze was directed to the area located behind the outpost.
Hoping off the pen, (Y/n) walked behind the building and peered down the cliffside. A severed arm was at the bottom of the cliff and a blood trail led to a thick and dense forest that was hard to see through in the distance. "Hiding, eh?"
Death leapt over the partly broken fence that was supposed to keep people from falling off the cliff and prepared to jump. One foot dangled over the edge when she heard Noctis' voice. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the hell are you doing?!"
(Y/n) didn't retract her foot as she answered. "There's a Wendigo nearby and I'm not letting it escape."
"We'll go with you!" Prompto shouted. The boy had seen the creatures for only a brief second and was frightened of them, but he knew Death shouldn't go alone.
The Horseman shook her head. "No. I'll be fine on my own."
Gladio placed a hand on Noctis' shoulder. "Remember what Gentiana said. We've got more important things to do and (Y/n) can handle that thing on her own."
The prince grimaced before sighing in defeat. "Fine. We'll find the runestones and then regroup-how's that sound?"
"Like a plan," the Horseman responds. Her back was still facing them as she couldn't tear her eyes from the blood trail. "Just use the summoning orb when you're done with your search."
"Will do," Noctis responded.
(Y/n) jumped off the cliff, startling the boys. Noctis dashed to the edge and expected to see her injured, but it was the complete opposite. There wasn't even a scratch on her as she smiled up at him. "You four be careful out there!"
"Says the girl who just jumped off a cliff! Why didn't you just take the path down like a normal person?!" The sapphire-eyed boy shouted from above as he was joined by Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis.
"Oh, please. "Normal"? I'm the farthest thing from it," she smirked. "Also, jumping down cut my time in half!"
Noctis sighed at her response. "You be careful, too, (Y/n)."
"Yeah!" Prompto shouted beside his best friend.
"I will. See you guys later," Death waved before turning and following the trail of blood, leaving the severed arm behind.
As the Horseman wandered down the trail, she searched for any signs that the Wendigo attacked someone or something. Amongst the putrid smell of the monster nearby, (Y/n) smelt something else. Her stomach churned at the odor as she covered her mouth and nose. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted a small portion of the blood trail that veered from the path. When she followed the trail, the odor worsened as she approached a bush.
Peering behind the bush, she found the body of a man torn in two with an arm missing. The man's legs were twisted in an inhuman way and bone was visible as it pierced the skin. "Oh, no..." Blood splatters surrounded his body, signaling the Wendigo had feasted on his body in this very spot. She recognized the apron that was torn and she knew the man was a worker at Wiz's.
(Y/n) stared back down the path that started at the base of the cliff and only could think of one possible way the blood trail reached this far. The Wendigo had wandered into the outpost and attacked the worker. The monster sliced the man's arm off and his body toppled over the cliff. Even after such a fall, the man had only broken both legs and crawled to desperately get away from the monster. The blood trail was created from the man's severed arm as he tried to escape. The poor worker only reached the bush before being slaughtered by the Wendigo and torn in two. After finishing its meal, the monster wandered into the forests, blood dripping from its mouth and claws.
Death's hands clenched into fists at her sides as she blamed herself for the man's death. She gritted her teeth, rage enveloping her. She stormed into the forest and summoned her scythe, searching for the Wendigo. The Horseman pushed through the flora and fauna with her blade resting on her shoulder.
<------<<<<<<
Before long, the sky grew dark and rain poured down. Thunder rang out and lightning cracked across the sky. Even though she was soaked to the bone, (Y/n) trekked through the forest and wouldn't turn back until the monster was dead.
Hours passed and Death could not find the monster. Though she could smell the Wendigo, she couldn't locate where it was hiding. The stench was overbearing and she felt sick to her stomach, but she refused to give up.
(Y/n)'s vision was obscured by the heavy rainfall and the frequent strikes of lightning. She failed to notice the glowing red eyes until it was too late. The Wendigo cried out as it swiped its claws at her. Pain ripped through Death's back as she screamed out in pain from the sudden attack. The force of the hit sent her to the ground, smothering her clothes in mud and forcing her to drop her scythe. Pushing through the pain, (Y/n) got to her feet and grabbed her blade. She felt blood dripping from the fresh wound on her back, but she had enough strength left to fight the monster. Raising her scythe, she dodged the Wendigo's next attack and sliced the monster's head off.
Once the Wendigo's body was motionless, (Y/n) dispelled her scythe and watched as the monster's body disintegrate. The four claw marks on her back pulsates in pain as blood continued to seep through her clothes and down her back, combining with the rain cascading down her skin. Due to the origin of the Wendigo, Death was unable to heal her injuries. She breathed heavily as she wandered through the forest.
The rain slowed and the clouds began to clear. As the rain vanished, (Y/n) nearly tripped over her own feet due to her vision blurring from the blood loss. She had no curatives with her and she had no way of reaching the others until Noctis summoned her. Leaning against a tree, she desperately fought against the blood loss and pressed a hand against her head. She closed her eyes, unable to keep them open.
<------<<<<<<<<
Noctis and his friends return to the surface from the depths of Fociaugh Hollow, noticing the clear sky above. "Hey, it stopped raining!" Prompto chanted.
"Guess Ramuh finally got sick of showers," Gladio said. An enormous winged ship flies overhead, grabbing their attention. "Up there-it's huge!"
Prompto was in awe at the sight. "Way bigger than the last one we saw!"
Noctis' cellphone rang and he promptly picked up. "Yeah."
"Hey, Highness. About your car..." Cindy sighed on the other end.
"Yeah?"
"Well, I found her, but she's at a base."
Noctis groaned at the revelation. "Ugh..."
"Now, I can handle garage folk no problem, but sweet-talkin' the empire? That'll take some doing," Cindy said.
"Don't worry about it. We'll figure it out."
"You sure about that?" Cindy inquired.
"Yeah, thanks for the heads up. Later." The prince hung up and placed his phone back into his pocket.
Gladio was curious as to who contacted the raven-haired boy. "Who was that?"
"Cindy," the prince simply responded.
"What!?" Prompto gasped. "You can't talk to her like that."
Noctis rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I can. I just did."
"And did she have any choice words for you?" Ignis questioned the boy.
"Yeah-the Regalia's at an imperial base."
"Oh, boy," the sharpshooter mutters.
"Guess that just leaves one question," the bodyguard stated.
"When do we retrieve her?" Ignis questioned, finishing Gladio's statement.
"I'd say "now"," the raven-haired boy responded.
"This is nothing more than conjecture, but I suspect that ship was due to arrive far earlier. The thunder and lightning must've slowed it down. There's a chance they intend to transport the Regalia back to Niflheim," the strategist exclaimed.
"We oughta thank the thunder god for buying us some time," the brute said.
"But that time is running out," the gunslinger added.
"Yeah, let's run in and ride off," Noctis stated.
Prompto placed his hands on the back of his head. "Better summon (Y/n). We'll need her help."
"Yeah." Noctis pulls out the sable orb and it glows faintly as he summons Death. Within seconds, the Horseman appeared before them, but the prince knew something was wrong when he saw she was covered in blood and mud. "(Y/n), what happened to you?"
The girl wasn't able to answer as her eyes became vacant and her legs gave out from under her. Noctis was the closest to her and he lunged forward to catch her before she hit the ground. His arms hooked under hers and placed his hands on her back. When he felt his hands were covered in something warm, he lifted one of his hands and saw it was covered in blood. "Shit... Ignis!"
Ignis raced over to (Y/n) to provide first-aid. Lifting her bloodied sable tresses, he saw the large gashes on her back. "Do we posses a potion?" The advisor questioned. Prompto stormed over and handed a spare potion, worry brimming from his azure eyes. Ignis took the curative and held it over (Y/n)'s back, the bottle shattering and a green glow surrounded her wounds. He watched as the skin mended and was relieved at the sight. "The wounds have mended."
Noctis and Prompto sighed in relief while Gladio's tensed shoulders relaxed. The prince adjusted (Y/n)'s body as he kneeled on the ground with the girl in his arms. He wiped blood and mud from her face and a few places on her arms. When he stared into her (e/c) eyes, he watched as the life returned to them. Her eyes dilated before she blinked a few times and her pupils shrunk. Then, she inhaled deeply and gasped for air. The Horseman coughed and flew out of Noctis' hold to catch her breath. "Dear Astrals above..."
"What the hell happened?" Noctis demanded, helping (Y/n) to her feet.
"Ambushed by a Wendigo. The heavy rain obscured my vision and it snuck up behind me. Didn't know it was so close until it struck me."
"Are you gonna be okay?" Prompto asked.
"Yeah. I'll be fine, Prom. Just gotta get all this mud and blood off me. Any luck in finding the car while I was gone?" (Y/n) wondered.
"That's where we're headed right now. Found out it's being held in an imperial base," Gladio answered.
"Not surprised. You four go on without me. I'm gonna find someplace to clean myself off. You know what to do when you need me."
Noctis nodded in understanding. "Alright. Guess we're goin' separate ways again."
(Y/n) heard the tinge of sorrow in his voice and offered a smile. "I won't be long. Give me a max of two hours and then summon me. I'll be there and not covered in mud and blood."
Noctis smiled in return. "See ya soon, (Y/n)."