Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt: Hunter x OC

Foreign Contaminant

Hunter let out a slow exhale, finger steadying on the trigger as the animals milled about near the river below. There were far too many young males in the herd, which had resulted in a great amount of fighting for dominance to determine the social hierarchy. While it was sometimes entertaining to watch, it gave him all the more reason to thin out the kod'yok as the females huddled nearby, ears flickering in mild irritation at the pervasive atmosphere the males had created. Their meat was always in demand at the butcher shop, so Hunter was grateful for the situation he now found himself in.

One male mounted another, bugling triumphantly before being quickly headbutted by another ambitious adolescent. The ruckus spooked everyone for a moment, scattering them for a few moments before they slowly reconvened. Hunter sighed, finding himself too distracted to just take the shot already.

"We could have been done an hour ago," came Crosshair's slithering words from beside him on the grassy knoll where they'd both posted up. "Do you always make it so miserably drawn-out?"

"Sorry," Hunter mumbled. "Stuff on my mind. You didn't have to come, you know."

"I told you I wanted to shoot something."

"Well, when that one singles himself out again," Hunter replied, nodding toward the largest male, "You can go ahead."

"I thought you have your process," Crosshair remarked snidely.

"Yeah, well... Let's just get it and go."

They sat in silence for a while, watching the herd mingle and squabble, neither willing to admit how much they truly enjoyed the waiting. It was peaceful and quiet, the breeze bringing a hint of warmth that suggested an upcoming return to the more temperate weather on the island, and the sun had poked out from behind the clouds to provide a toasty blanket of light across the entire scene.

"How's the observatory?" Hunter finally asked, voice barely audible in their shared space.

"The work is fine. The people are loathsome."

"Naturally."

"The Xyloan keeps praising me for following the island's will and has tried to 'read my face' about fourteen times now. I'm going to smack her if she tries it again."

"You are not."

"Maybe not," Crosshair said with a small smile, indulging in just the thought.

"What's the deal with the Zygerrian?"

A visceral sound of disgust.

"That bad, huh?"

"He's nothing like the rest of his people. Must have been dropped on his head as a baby."

"I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing..." Hunter observed, tilting his head to sneak a glance at the side of Crosshair's face for a second before returning his focus to the herd.

"It's unnecessarily complex," his brother explained, hissing his words with a particular vitriol. "He somehow broke free from their brainwashed sort of herd mentality and is just full of love and rainbows for all living creatures. He thinks everyone he crosses paths with is just wonderful."

"Ah, yes. Sounds terrible."

"It's annoying."

"Mmm."

Silence fell for a while, Hunter mulling over all that his brother had been through and fighting a smirk at the sniper's purported repulsion toward any sort of optimism or ebullience. But the Zygerrian's positivity certainly seemed refreshing in comparison to the bitter, cynical types Crosshair had typically entertained since arriving on the island. Hunter didn't think he was legitimately attracted to such harshness, but he still seemed to be working through the weight of his past and his own perceptions of his self-worth. Hunter was privately holding out hope for his brother to realize and accept the deep desire to care and be cared for.