Monster Hunters

The Man Himself: James Crawford

As Ben yanked the knife out of the bottom of the bear's torso, the bear's entire insides began to pour out next to Ben as the now deceased bear's corpse fell to the side and onto the ground next to Ben. Standing back up, Ben opened his satchel again, pulling out a tiny cloth that he began to use it to wipe the blood covered blade of his hunting knife.

Ben: Man, who would've thought bears had so much blood in them? This thing's a mess. Either way, I'd rather my knife be covered in blood than me, so I suppose that's the best way to look at it. Now, what was I doing before a grizzly bear tried to maul me? Oh, yeah! I was looking for food! Honestly, I'm to the point I'd settle for a squirrel after that mess.

???: Ya know, grizzly bear actually tastes pretty good if you know how to cook it.

Ben turned to see a figure standing on a giant branch higher up on one of the trees. The figure was a mixed skinned man with dark brown hair and a slight beard with his right eye's color being a light gray color and the left eye having a scar going over it and being almost white. The man seemed to be a fairly older individual and seemed to be standing at about six foot and two inches tall, not too much taller than Ben. He was clothed with a dark blue unzipped vest around his torso with a lighter blue t-shirt under it and gray pants that matched that of a wolf's fur. Although, the man's boots were almost identical to Ben's with them both being brown and both latching onto their given belts. After catching a glimpse of the man, Ben seemed as though he was about to explode with excitement, almost as if he knew who the man was. As the man jumped off the branch, he pulled out a sword from a holster that was over his shoulder with the pocket to put the sword in going down his back in a diagonal angle. The man dug the sword into the side of the tree he had jumped off of and used it to slide down the tree and onto the ground safely to greet Ben. Being able to get a better look at the blade the man was holding, Ben noticed that it seemed like a perfectly normal sword with the only true uniqueness coming from the fact that the sides of the blade were white with symbols going down the two given sides. As he approached Ben, the young teen couldn't help but become filled even more with excitement; so much so that he couldn't bare the thought of remaining quiet anymore.

Ben: Wait a minute, you're...

???: Nobody? Yeah, that's right.

Ben: What? No! You're James Crawford!

James: Like I said... I'm nobody.

Ben: What do you mean? You're the greatest Monster Hunter of all time! There isn't a soul who doesn't know who you are!

James: Yeah, well, there's a reason I'm the only Monster Hunter still around... It's not something to get excited about.. and it's definitely not something to dream about doing... Besides, what's a kid like you doing in the Titanic Forest?

Ben: Oh, nothing really. I'm just hunting for my family, that's all.

James: You're just hunting for your family, huh? Why did you pick this of all places to do that, exactly?

Ben: Well, where it's so hard to hunt in the Titanic Forest with how big the trees and everything are, not many others choose to hunt or even come here for that matter, and not many animals necessarily hunt each other down aside from the occasional bear mauling like today. I guess I just find it to be easier.

James: Well, it seems like you handled yourself quite well from where I was watching, so I'll give ya props there. You did manage to teach that bear a lesson in humility, that's for sure. All the same, though, I'm still not entirely sure why a kid of all people is willing to put themselves in harm's way just to make hunting a bit easier. May I ask why exactly you would do that?

Ben: I... I don't know... I guess I just never think about it because it helps my family out.

James: You sure sound dedicated to your family... I gotta say, it's pretty cool to see someone like that... I wish I was like that...

Ben: What was that, James?

James: Oh, it's nothing... Well, I guess I should probably get going. I'll see ya around, I guess.

As James turned his back to Ben and began walking off, Ben stopped him dead in his tracks.

Ben: Hey, James?

James: What is it?

Ben: I know I'm probably asking for way too much, especially since you just said that no one should dream about it, but.. can you teach me how to be a Monster Hunter? Like I said, I know it's probably more than a lot to ask for, but the truth is I've been dreaming of being just like you my entire life. So, will you please teach me?

James remained silent at the question that was placed in front of him as if to show that he was genuinely thinking about how to respond. After looking over at Ben for a brief moment, it's as if James had grown a bit of a soft spot and was debating between whether or not to say no. After a fairly lengthy moment of hesitation, James had finally managed to allow a few words to escape the confines of his lips.

James: You truly wanna be a Monster Hunter? Well, I'll be the first to tell you that it's gonna take a hell of a lot more than teaching to make you one...