A Hunter's Pride

Thirty

Six months after the Raid

"Guardians. Today is a day of celebration! Today marks the annual Traveler celebration party. We now mark the countless years and remember all we have done, and all the progress we have made against the minions of the Darkness. From the destruction of Atheon, to the battle of Twilight Gap, to when we sent the first Guardians to Venus. We celebrate all guardians, old and young, here and gone, and all they have done for the City, and humanity. May I call the Vanguard to the podium?" The Speaker waved to the three vanguard, and they began to walk to the stage, with cheers from the crowd of Guardians. Cayde bowed and made kisses at the crowd with his hands. Zavala shook his head and dragged Cayde on stage.

"My fellow guardians. If you're new, I am commander Zavala. And yes, I am Awoken. I have been a Guardian for many years, and I have seen it all. But I am here to honor the fallen today. Our fallen Titans, the ones we lost in the raid on Crota. Havoc, we will begin with him. Not much was known about him, but he was a brave soul. A fighter, who refused to give up until his enemy was crushed to dust. A heart of honor, and a spirit of heroism. I hope we can honor his memory with a moment of silence."

The crowd lowered their heads, basking in the silent moment. Captain David Miller sat on the side, flanked by chairs that would've belonged to his teammates. Seats that they sat in just a year ago. He could still see them, talking and laughing, getting shushed by the speaker every so often. He shook his head. And Zavala continued.

"Next, a moment of silence for Leo Parker. As brave and strong as a lion. He was a titan to the core. He protected and fought for what he believed in with immeasurable conviction. He fought to the bitter end. For his friends, and his family. May we lower our heads in a moment of silence." The ceremony continued like that, honoring all the Titans we had lost that year.

Then, Ikora Rey took the stand, going on to speak of things like, Warlock intellect and all that. David wasn't really listening. All he could think about was how they really lost their lives. He'd been there for most of them. After about twenty minutes, Cayde-6 finally took the stand.

"Sup!" Silence.

"Okay, tough crowd. Hi, I'm Cayde, the life of the Vanguard I may say. And a badass, if I may also add. But this isn't about me, this is about the Hunters we have lost this year. And I'll tell ya, we lost some great ones. But I would like to call someone up to do the speaking for me. Will Captain David Miller join me on the stand?"

David looked up in shock. But nodded. He stood from his chair, walking up the stairs to the stage, and stopped beside Cayde.

"Now this man right here is a living legend. He has destroyed Atheon, charted the black garden, braved the vex dimensions, and battled the ruthless cabal. He went down to the pits of Crota and destroyed the hive. Now, I leave the mic to him." Cayde stepped back, silence spreading over the courtyard.

"Hi. I'm captain Miller. And I've had it rough, but I know the values I've learned. I'd like to honor the fallen today, as ikora and Zavala have before me. First, I'd like to honor a Youngblood I encountered not too long ago. I didn't know him at first, but I knew he had the heart of a Hunter. He gave his life saving his fireteam. We thank Garten Faros, for his sacrifice in the battle against the Hive on earth. Next, I honor my fallen team members. Six months ago, they went into the pits with me, and payed the ultimate price. Ferus, was tenacious and lively. But that wasn't enough." We bowed our heads.

"Next, Mason. I remember training day. I gave him some backtalk, but he never lost his respect for me. He lost his life trying to save that of his team. The highest honors to him."
After several more names, David finally came to the end.

"I would like to grant a personal farewell to Alessia Miller. My wife, my partner, the other side to my blade. She fought against Crota to the bitter end. And I'll never forget her sacrifice. If not for her, I wouldn't be standing here today. May we please bow our heads in silence." And they did. It was longer than most. And David said his thanks, stepping off the stage. The rest of the ceremony continued without him. He walked off to the barracks alone.

8pm, four hours after the ceremony. David sat on the edge of his bed, a large bottle of scotch in one hand, and  The Last Word in the other. He spun it on one hand lost in thought. He closed his eyes, remembering the fight against Crota. In the end. Unconsciously his grip tightened on the bottle, shattering it. He shook the liquid off his cybernetic hand, new. Holliday had teamed up with the medical team to create a hyper realistic replica of a human hand. It looked normal on the top, but it was the same old robotics beneath.

He aimed his hand cannon, at the mirror in front of him. He spun the barrel, loading a bullet into the chamber. He looked himself dead in his black eyes. His long hair, now cut off, short and spiked. A small scar down the left side of his chin, one eye lighter than the other. All his flaws laid out before him.

This was his chance to absolve himself completely. "One for the spirit." He let a bullet fly, cracking the fiberglass mirror. "And one for the soul." He said. Firing another into his reflection's chest. He tossed the gun aside, laying back on the mattress.

"Spectra, replay the message. Shade, lights out." Shade appeared, shutting the room's lights off, and Spectra, Alessia's Pale Dawn Ghost appeared beside him.

"Are you sure you want to hear it again David?" She asked sympathetically.

"Yes. Please."

"Alright. Here it is."

Hey hon, it's uh, just getting around morning now. I assume it's around the time you're going to bed now. Anyway, the scouting is going great. This planet is beautiful. If you get past the acid pits and hostile Fallen and Vex. But, I love it. I feel like a pathfinder. A trailblazer. I also found this sweet pool that maybe we can check out sometime! The water here is gorgeous. A great way to cool off when it gets hot. The air here is surprisingly thin, yet breathable. It's always hot, so it's great to cool off once in a while. Anyway, I'm rambling. I miss you. I hope you're missing me too. Tell everyone I said hello. Goodnight David, I'll see you before you know it. Goodnight and good morning. Spectra, send.

The audio fizzled out. David lay, tears in his eyes. Her voice echoed through his head. It felt like a million years. It's barely been six months. How could he go on like this? He pulled off his clothes, crawling under the sheets. Refusing to lay on her side. It was just as she left it. It even smelled like her still. He took a shuddered breath, fighting back the tears.

"I'm sorry.. "

"David?" Alli's voice said softly from beside him.

"Alli?!" He quickly looked over but saw Spectra hovering beside him, her eye a soft pink.

"Get some rest David. You need it. Especially for what lay ahead." Spectra said quietly. And shade agreed. "Yes, great trials lay ahead. I can feel it. I know it's hard David. Especially since we share a psychic link. Take a few deep breaths, and get some sleep." Shade comforted him, and he took his advice. Slipping off into sleep, knowing that the next morning would be the start of another journey.

One of redemption.

** hey everyone! We did it! Well over a hundred views later, we have reached our conclusion. It's been a hell of a ride. It was difficult in parts, but I powered through. And I'm happy with the results. I hope you all enjoyed A Hunter's Pride as much as I enjoyed giving it to you all. Next in the series, is a group of short stories, revolving around all the fan favorites, like Ryan, Havoc, even some of fireteam Lux, like Leo and Darrin. (rip)

Curious about what happened to David after this? Go to Cosori, and read her novel Broken Light, a sequel to this one. It follows a young hunter, and David Miller, on a new adventure. After you finish that, check out Ice and Fire for even more! Again, thank you all for your support. Go and check out Warfang if you haven't already. I'm serious though. Check out Cosori. Her books are direct sequels to this, and are excellent if I may add. Farewell all, thanks again.

Great thanks to flood123,blindvenum,Cosori, WrittenInAction, for helping me out, and of course, to you. My readers.

Read on friends.
-Scorpio ***