Chapter Text
Dawn breaks the next day, and Runa is jolted awake as the morning sun caresses her face. Much to her surprise she’s in her bed, tucked in uncomfortably tight and dressed in her night clothes. She peels the blankets away and grimaces as she rolls out of bed, holding in a sharp cry of pain as she sits upright. Her hand instinctively darts to her side to address the pain, becoming cognizant of the bandages wrapped around her wrist - and her head. The Deviljho had done a number on her -Runa expected as much - but she’s more shocked to see the state her room is in.
Her normally neat room is a mess, clearly rummaged through. Her wardrobe is flung open, the clothes wrinkled and out of order; bullets and bottles strewn on the floor next to her shredded and bloodsoaked Lagombi armor; her leather sling pack tossed into the corner of the room, haphazardly discarded with no regard for organization or even a modicum of respect for her things. Did someone actually break into my house? And while I’m unconscious? Talk about low.
Runa lets out a pained grunt as she struggles to her feet, carefully stepping over the minefield of potions and ammunition on the way to the door. She didn’t know what exactly she’d be able to do in her condition, but after the hell she’s been through she knows nothing could be worse. The huntress’ frail hand pushes her door open to begin the search for answers, only to find her path blocked by a gargantuan woman cloaked in the navy blue and crimson flames of the Glavenous armor.
“Oi. Yer movin’ a little fast, aint’cha?” The woman’s gruff voice is strangely soothing, and very familiar.
“...Tarja?” Runa squints, and sure enough she spots that distinctive dreadlocked hair and a sympathetic smile. “W...What? What are you doing here?”
“Call it coincidence.” Tarja admits with a simple shrug. “Ma and Pa wanted me ta tell ya 'bout somethin', so I took an airship over yesterday. I ended up waitin’ for ya, and when ya showed up bein’ carried by yer buddies I figured it was time ta do my job.”
“My buddies?” The younger huntress groggily inquires with a slight frown. Looking out into the center of the village, she spots Baldur with its arm in a sling and Credell in his clean Zamtrios armor, both speaking with Shirley. They wore the gravest of expressions, huddled together in apparent concern.
“Aye. The three of ‘em brought yer unconscious body back from yer trip. Which I also heard about.” Runa cringes, but Tarja simply beams. “Aside from the part where ya prattled off like a madwoman 'bout the family, I’m pretty impressed. You and yer cat took down a Savage Deviljho with nothin’ but yer wits and a snowstorm to back ya up. Reminded me of Ma’s old stories.”
Runa can’t help but smile now; she hadn’t ever been compared to either of her parents before. Compliments on her prowess were practically nonexistent.
“Okay, so at least I know how I got home. But why is my house a mess…?”
“I had no idea where any of yer stuff was, and I had ta make sure yer cuts and stuff didn’t get any worse. Bit of a rush situation, sis.” Tarja admits with a playful shrug. “Not like I wanted ta make a mess cuz I missed ya a bunch. Nah.”
A knowing smile creeps onto Runa’s face as her eyes narrowed to slits. Tarja’s always been the type to pull little practical jokes here and there; Runa’s at least pleased to know that after being gone a few years, she hasn’t changed a bit.
“I’ll deal with you later, dummy.” Runa nudges the colossal huntress (who hardly budges), then hobbles down into the town square with the biggest smile that she can muster up.
The trio at the bottom of the hill continue to chat until Baldur’s ears twitch, and as it turns around its eyes light up with delight, excitement, relief, joy - the palico finally feels like it can breathe again as it watches Runa shuffle toward it. Before long Credell and Shirley take notice as well, and follow behind the cat as it bounces through the snow. Despite the pain Runa finds herself lurching faster, nearly losing her footing on the way down the hill.
“Runa, nyah!” Baldur hugs the woman’s shin tightly, nearly knocking the weakened huntress off kilter with its enthusiasm. The Palico chirps and purrs with delight, and the young woman’s weary smile becomes relieved laughter.
“I can’t believe you guys dragged me back!” Her eyes fall on Credell, and he simply shrugs in response. She can tell he’s trying hard to maintain his ‘cool and collected’ persona, and it irks her to no end.
“You uh...you really saved my bacon. I couldn’t just leave you there…” The young man clears his throat, giving Runa a pleading look. He hadn’t exactly come through the way she asked him to, but he helped her all the same. She’s simply too kind to expose the man’s cowardly antics.
“R...Right. Yeah. I appreciate that.” She exhales sharply from her nostrils, releasing the dark secret into the brisk morning air. He’s learned his lesson. Probably, anyway. “It was rough but I’m glad we’re all safe and sound. I’ve...I’ve never done anything like that before. It was unreal-”
“I didn’t think any of you were gonna make it back!” The guild quest giver interjects. “I thought I sent you to your death and when you all came back-” Shirley’s puffy and bloodshot eyes manage to find tears manage to find tears she thought she had depleted hours ago. She turns away slightly, covering her face to mask her tears. “Oh gods I promised I wouldn’t cry, this is the third time today!”
“I’m really glad you’re safe, nyah!” The cat’s muffled voice exclaims. Runa was probably most relieved to see the warrior felyne, relishing in the tiny embrace and welcoming words. “I haven’t seen guts like that in a long time, kid! I had my doubts, but not anymore!” The cat detaches itself from her leg to stand back and beam with pride, paws on its hips.
“You guys…” Runa murmurs, sniffling as she dabs at the corners of her eyes. Confidence swells inside of her, the butterflies in her stomach making her feel as though she could take off and soar. “Oh...goodness, you guys are too kind. I guess I’m more of a huntress than I thought I was…”
“Of course ya are. It’s in yer blood. Ya just try ta run from it all the time.” Tarja declares with a hearty chuckle as she approaches, towering above Runa and the others. She acknowledges each of Runa’s acquaintances with a nod and a pleasant smile, but not even that could diminish the terrifying presence of a woman with enough bloodthirst to slay a Great Jaggi at the ripe age of 6.
“You sound just like Pa does…”
“Sure, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong eh. One way or another, the hunt’s gonna find ya.”
Runa pauses; a retort stays trapped inside of her indignantly puffed cheeks. Their parents stressed just how important of a job it was to hunt on behalf of the guild, trained them as children and even walked them into the guild to acquire licenses. She might’ve been good at it, but enjoying it was another matter entirely. The pain she felt when capturing the monster failed was...excruciating, to say the least. But no matter how hard she fought it, the gun she used to have couldn’t go unloaded. Tarja couldn’t be more right; the hunt always managed to sniff Runa out.
“So...what will you do now, Runa?” Shirley clears her throat, offering up an exhausted smile. “Probably just rest, huh?”
“I was thinking so, yeah.” She reaches back and rubs the back of her neck, careful to avoid her bandaged head wound. Her eyes naturally come to rest on the mountain’s peak, ever-shrouded in icy clouds. “Y’know...I never got that snow herb. It would have tied my room together…”
“Forget that! I got a surprise trip planned fer ya!” Tarja proudly declares, firmly turning her sister around to face the airship attendant at the edge of the village. Another woman ill-equipped for the winter weather, Runa hadn’t spoken to her since she arrived. Why inquire about a ticket out when she planned on permanent residence?
“Where am I going?” The words form slowly as the younger huntress turns to face her elder sibling, eyes narrowed with an expression of tremendous uncertainty.
“Not just you. Both of us!”
“That doesn’t make me feel any more comfortable. The last time you surprised me with a trip we laid in the mud with Barroths…”
“Trust me! There’ll be much less mud, promise. We’re gonna go...explorin’! New things ta see, flowers ta pick, monsters ta hunt…there’s a whole continent out there that the Research Guild’s found. But you and I are gonna do a lil training before we go. No more runnin’ from the hunt, ya hear?”
Runa’s expression twists, distorted with both excitement and confusion. The idea of exploring somewhere new would be incredibly fun, but fully embracing hunting is such a foreign concept to her that she can’t figure out how she feels...
“The only way you’ll let me onto the boat is if I start hunting, isn’t it…?” She asks meekly, and Tarja simply nods in response. It places the young woman in a precarious position, and her confusion only deepens.
“Can I go with you two, nyah?” The question is so unexpected that Tarja herself is taken aback, staring at the Palico with a mild amount of awe. “Runa’s got talent. It’s in there somewhere, and I wanna see what she can do with some practice. I’m even willing to work for free, nyah.”
“Oh, gods-” Runa mutters with a slight frown. The walls were closing in on her fast, now. Four sets of eyes watching her intently, waiting on bated breath for her final decision. “I’m not sure…”
“I’ll buy you a new bowgun, too. It’s...it’s the least I can do for you. I’ll have quite a bit of extra coin after I sell this armor off.” Credell chimes in quietly. Runa can look at him and tell that knows he can’t pay to absolve himself, but the subtle knowledge that he won’t do something so reckless again is a step in the right direction.
“And...and I can arrange to have your things sent with you! I still have a lot of friends in the guild, it won’t be a hassle at all!” Shirley jumps in as well, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. Runa never would have never guessed that even the woman that she only visited to get assignments from to be so kind...and perhaps a tad dramatic. “Please. You put your life on the line to make hunters in this village a little safer. Let us help you.”
With the support from her acquaintances overwhelming her, Runa couldn’t help but to give in and allow herself to be trained. Within a few days she had recovered fully, and by week’s end the life Runa spent years building in the quiet little ice village had been packed away. She traded in luxury sheets for roughly hewn sleeping bags; a cozy home for a life constantly on the move; a life of picking flowers for trapping monsters. And while she might’ve hated it in the beginning, she grew to tolerate the hunt. She developed a respect for monsters not based around non-violence, but instead a reverence for their awesome strength. Every day was a new lesson, every day another step toward her next adventure:
The New World.