Monster Hunters

Legs of a Bear

As the last word had escaped James' breath, Ben stood confused at what James could've possibly meant in saying what he did.

Ben: What do you mean by that?

James: Heh... Do I actually have to explain it? To become a true Monster Hunter, you can't just be taught by another one. In order to become a true Monster Hunter, you can't be like any other Monster Hunter to come before you. You have to be different, and even then, your difference can be what gets you killed.

Ben: I'm not entirely sure I get what you mean, sir.

James: I don't expect you to. The point is that a Monster Hunter has to be unique while at the same time being prepared to handle the exact same things as everyone else.

Ben: Oh, I get it! So, what you're saying is you have to be different while also being able to handle the same stuff, right?

James: Precisely... Look, I'll have you an answer the next time I see you, but for now, I have other business to attend to. Although, in case you were planning on hunting for any amount of time longer, you should just take some of that bear with you. I'm telling ya, bears are really good if fixed properly. Here, I've got a place not too far from here. Why don't you take some of the bear with you and I'll take the rest back home with me so it doesn't get bad, and you can just come find me whenever you need some of it.

Ben: Wait, you'd really do that for me?!

James: Hey, now, don't start getting all excited unless you want me to take the offer back. You wanna do it or not?

Ben: Oh! Yes, of course! That'd be great! Thank you so much, James!

Ben jumped up for joy and reached out and eagerly shook James' hand as James simply tried to free his hand from the overly excited fifteen years old. As Ben continued to shake up and down, beginning to make James' arm a bit sore, James decided there was only one way to get Ben to let go of his dual handed grip. James gripped the hand of Ben's that was shaking it which caused Ben to quickly release his hold as he winced a bit in pain.

Ben: Man, James, you have a strong grip!

James: Hehe, yeah, I get that a lot... Anyways, I guess I'll get some of this bear cut up for ya, and you can be on your way.

James took out his extremely unique looking sword once again and slashed off the bear's two hind legs in one single swing. The precision and power behind the swing both astonished and amazed Ben, who was already fanboying as it was. As the teen watched the much older adult at work, he failed to catch himself dozing off into his own thoughts.

Ben: Oh, man, James is even cooler than I imagined! I can't believe he's actually willing to store food for me just out of the kindness of his heart!

James: Well, there's your legs, I guess, hehe. Well, I suppose I should get going now. I'll see ya around, kid.

Ben: Uhhh... Oh! Y-yeah! I'll see you around! Although, are you sure you don't need any help with the rest of that?

James: Oh, this thing? Nah, I got it.

Ben: Oh, uhhh... Ok! I just figured I'd ask, that's all!

James nodded with a slight, but barely noticeable grin on his face as he turned to face the bear. He slowly made his way over to it, kneeled down, and lifted the entire remnants of the beast onto his shoulders as to Ben and disappeared into the forest. Once Ben had dozed off again at the sight of the man he's looked up to for years walking off into the distance, he quickly brought himself back to reality as he glanced down at the two severed bear legs sitting in front of him on the ground. He quickly took a harness out of the satchel that was going around his torso, picked the two legs up, strapped them onto his back with the harness, and turned to leave the massive maze that was the forest. After walking for a bit of time, he noticed that the sun was just now starting to pass over him, meaning that he was actually ahead of time like he had hoped. He continued walking a little ways further until he finally saw the houses of his village in the slowly nearing distance. He tried to run but immediately decided to continue walking due to the extreme weight of the two bear legs he was carrying on his back. As a way of reminding himself that he wasn't in any real hurry like he normally is, he glanced up to see the sun just now going directly over him, which gave the signal that it was just the afternoon and that there was no need to hurry.

Ben: It's ok, Ben. You don't have to rush. Today was actually a really easy day compared to just about every other day. It's funny. I still have almost the entire day to myself. That's something I'm definitely not used to. Once I get home, I am going to take a quick power nap. Then, I'm gonna go out and have some fun. Man, imagine that. Just being able to go out and do something for fun for a change is something I could get used to.

As Ben got lost in his thoughts for the umpteenth time that day, he completely failed to acknowledge that he was being stared at by countless people as they all continued to gaze upon the sight of him carrying two grizzly bear legs on his back. Upon coming back down to Earth, he realized that he was just a few steps away from his home. Excited to show what he had managed to kill and to get in his bed and go to sleep, he used what strength he could muster up and ran up to the door of his home. He took off the harness that was keeping the legs strapped to his back and opened the front door to go inside.

Ben: I'm home!