Why I Hunt

Chapter Eight

8

I am awake for a few minutes before I realize Charlie is here with me, and it takes me a few seconds of panic to remember what happened the previous night. She's still sound asleep. I had gotten her to stop crying sometime before we both fell asleep last night. Apparently, I provided suitable comfort. I kiss her on her forehead and slowly ease out of the sheets as not to wake her.

That's when I hear someone moving in the in the front room. I rush over to my bed and nudge Charlie. As soon as her eyes are slightly open, I say, "Do not move or make any sound, ok?" She nods, and I throw a sheet over her right as my brother walks in. "Home already?"

"It wasn't much... just a Rathalos. Mid-hunt at about three is when it got bad... it grabbed a snack." His tone sunk lower. Something was wrong... but what?

"Well, isn't that usually good? It renders the wyvern vulnerable."

"Yeah, but it was at the farm." He looks behind me. I turn around to see Charlie sitting straight up, eyes wide and jaw dropped.

"What?!" she exclaimed in a powerful whisper. Pete didn't answer. He was just as shocked as Charlie was, but for a different reason.

"They're gonna be looking for her," I tell Pete. "Let's get going."

- - - - -

The scene is chaotic. The barn is destroyed, pieces of fencing scattered, and five Aptonoth dead. One is missing a chunk out of its side; it must have been the snack and the other four in the way. Charlie begins to sob into my shoulder, and I can't take my eyes off the scene. Pete walks over to Charlie's father, who is assessing the damage done to the barn.

"What are you going to tell your father about where you were?" I ask her.

"I don't give a fuck about that right now, Nathan," she replies. Charlie walks over to one of the deceased calves and kneels beside it. After talking with my brother, her dad walks over to her. They are too far away to hear, but I can tell he's mad. This is probably about where she was last night. Judging by the couple of times he looked at me, he was putting the clues together but jumping to THAT conclusion. He then grabs her by the arm and drags her back to their house.

"Explain." I jump. My brother had just came up from behind me.

"Listen. It isn't what you think." I go on to recall how she was upset in the arena, and how our confrontation with the large gambling man went. I tell him how she was so stressed and scared and upset over the day's events that she wanted someone with her. Finally, I assure him that nothing happened between us but sleep. When I finish, he seems more relaxed.

"I believe you," he tells me. "I wouldn't try that again though. If Mom or Dad caught that, they wouldn't be so accepting.

We begin walking back to our house. I break the silence halfway back. "You know her father better than I do. How harshly do you think he'll react?"

"Not well, I can say that much," he responds. "I don't know, though. I definitely wouldn't count on her being at training."

We reach our house when Pete tells me, "Tell your friends to go to the arena. Don't worry; it's not more harsh training. I'm gonna go there to set up some things."

Before he walks away I ask Pete, "Did you get the Rathalos, or did he get away?"

Pete freezes his expression grim. "No," he answers. "He got away."