Hunter stood for a moment and stretched his arms up over his head. Duna was still looking down at the water, so Hunter decided to talk to Travers.
"So, where are you two going?" Captain Travers asked.
"We're going to visit my mom." Hunter said.
"Oh, one of those invite my girlfriend to see if my parents approve sort of thing?" Captain Travers asked with gesturing air quotes.
"I guess you could say that, but I haven't seen or heard from her since you took me to Vivosaur Island three years ago. Hunter said.
"That makes sense." He leaned a little closer and asked, "I take that girl is one of them, correct?"
"Excuse me?" Hunter asked confused.
"You know, one of those 'aliens' that came here recently. He said curious.
"Yeah, she is and her name is Duna." Hunter said with hostility.
"Hey, don't get like that. I didn't know what their names were, so I was just asking." Hunter could tell that he was being sincere.
"Right, sorry. It's just that she and her people have faced discrimination. Oh, and her species is Dinaurian. Hunter said.
"Truth be told..." Travers started, "I always wanted to meet one of them, they are really interesting. And a beautiful race. I wish people were more accepting." Captain Travers said.
"I get that. It's so frustrating." Hunter said in an annoyed tone. Travers nodded.
In some ways this was like a mini vacation for Hunter and Duna. As they've been stuck on the Island and it was a chance for Duna to see what life was like outside of Vivosaur Island. Hunter turned to Duna and called her over.
"Duna, I would like you to meet Travers. He said.
"A pleasure to meet you, Duna." Travers said as he extended his right hand to her.
"Likewise." She replied smiling, shaking his hand. Hunter walked back over to his seat and watched as Duna and Travers talked back and forth about multiple things. As Hunter sat there watching he felt himself begin to doze off, and finally he closed his eyes for a quick rest.
Hunter started dreaming about Duna and himself and the life they had together until something started to feel wrong. Duna was starting to become more distant to him and eventually disappeared entirely. Hunter looked around and started calling her name.
"HUNTER!" a voice screamed in pain. Recognizing her voice, Hunter started running towards it calling Duna's name worriedly. All of a sudden, the ground opened up underneath him and he fell into a dark abyss.
Hunter woke suddenly and looked around. Duna was still talking with Travers. He looked at the horizon and noticed the sun was setting. He stood up, shook the nightmare away, and walked over.
"So what are you guys talking about?" He asked, seeing Duna was back to her Dinaurian form.
"We were talking about the Dinaurian pendants, and what they symbolize." She responded.
"It's a rite of passage to get this pendant. When we're fifteen years of age, we go through a rigorous training exercises to earn our right to wear this. Our last test involves us killing an large herbivore from our planet. It looks much like an Anato. The difference is that these creatures are larger, are covered in darkish pink plumage, have four fingers, and a trail of spikes down its back." Duna explained.
"Huh, when did you earn yours, Duna? You had it before you turned fifteen." Hunter asked.
"Well, being raised by King Dynal and becoming a part of his royal guard did let me have this earlier than most, but sometimes it is out of necessity." She said.
