Meant To Be

Chapter Four

It was the next cycle and the two now had to go and find food. The crimson slugcat was still asleep and Hunter decided that she would go and find food for her since she had finally managed to sleep and didn't want to wake her. After all, she had given Hunter food the cycle before and it was the least she could do for the grieving mother. As she was getting up to leave the shelter, the slugcat grabbed onto one of Hunter's arms in her sleep and made a small mumbling noise. Hunter blushed slightly and lay back down beside her, holding her close until she settled again. I guess it was a good call to catch extra prey last cycle. I was saving it for a cycle where I couldn't hunt and this seems to be one of those times, just not in the way I expected.

Hunter stayed by her side as she continued to sleep, snacking on a centipede she had found the cycle prior as she hadn't yet eaten that morning and was getting a bit hungry. When she had finished eating, she looked beside her at the slugcat and couldn't help but smile. This was the first time Hunter had really gotten to see her at peace. With some shock, she noticed how much smaller the mother slugcat was compared to her. Sure, the rot had amplified Hunter's abilities as well as making her notably larger than other slugcats, but this one was tiny. While she had managed to take down a lizard the previous cycle which showed her strength, it was hard to imagine such a small creature dragging a lizard corpse around. If it wasn't for the fact that Hunter had already known that she was a fierce predator as well, she might have mistaken her for not even being a carnivore as they were generally larger. At that moment, she began to feel a sudden urge to protect the slugcat sleeping next to her. Even though she had told Hunter that she had killed many scavengers to avenge the death of her pups, Hunter still felt that she might not be as fierce on the inside as she was on the outside.

As she thought this, the lump of crimson fur began to twitch slightly and sat upright. She jumped back hissing before stopping and sitting back down, looking at Hunter with embarrassment. "Sorry... I got scared when there was someone next to me when I woke up." Hunter giggled slightly, finding her over dramatic reaction funny. "It's fine. After all, it's always good to stay on high alert." There was a moment of heavy silence before either of them spoke. "I'm sorry about last night. I don't know why I told you all of that. I guess it was just becoming too much to deal with alone... I just-" Hunter cut her off, making eye contact and smiling a sad kind of smile. "You don't need to apologize. You were in a really bad place last night and I hope I was able to help you at least a little bit." The slugcat tried to smile back but was unable to, a single tear coming to her eye. "Thank you... but why did you save me from the rain? You risked your own life just to help me." Hunter inclined her head slightly at those words, confused on why she was making it sound like she had risked everything for her. Maybe she doesn't know about the cycle and thinks death is permanent? No, that can't be right. I've never met a creature that doesn't know about the cycle. I mean, there are exceptions like how once my rot becomes bad enough I won't come back and whatever caused her pup's death to be permanent.

I have developed a much better understanding of the cycle since entering this fandom and I plan to use this to my advantage. Cover art not by me.