Shadow Of The Colossus- Taming The Beasts

Chapter Four- Quadratus

Aiko led Valus down into the plains, needing to encourage him a bit to hop down the ledge. With each movement, his fur swayed elegantly. Despite previously being stabbed in the head by Wander years back...He didn't mind Aiko standing on it. Soft purrs rumbled in his throat...he enjoyed her company. It had been a while since he'd had a companion.

Slowly but surely, he made his way near the temple. Valus looked up at the beams, sighing softly...He knew that the rest where going to be revived. The question was when. 

He chirped a bit, looking at his arm as Aiko hopped from his shoulder to his stone bracelets, then down to the ground. She walked in front of Valus, causing him to halt. He didn't want to hurt the poor girl. Valus watched curiously as the girl climbed up another fruit tree and plucked a fruit. This one coated in a hard, protective outer husk, much like a coconut. This didn't deter Aiko, however. Her tribe lived near the shoreline, so she was taught how to husk a coconut without using any tools at a very young age. She took one of the fruits and jumped down with it. 

Valus, curious about the fruit, tilted his head as he watched Aiko inspect the fruit. She knocked on it with her ear pressed against it; almost identical to a coconut husk. She turned it to it's softer side, and then bit into the husk. Tugging and spitting, she tore the husk off with her teeth. That, fortunately, was the only thing in the way of the fruit. Aiko split the apple-like fruit in half, taking a bite to see if she liked it. 

She looked up at Valus, who was peering down at the other half of the fruit. He snorted inquisitively. Valus picked up the fruit and inspected it, even sniffing it. Sadly, he couldn't eat it. He had no mouth.

Before Aiko could say anything, the ground started shaking again. A pillar of light, this time, far north, began to absorb the black tendrils. It shot down, causing rumbles and the fruit on the tree to fall. Once the shaking stopped, Valus huffed and sniffed curiously. Aiko was interested too...Hopping on Valus' head, the two made their way to the source. 

A crumbly, stone bridge overlooked a lake, the shore having a scent of salt. A shattered wall laid on the sand. The bridge was split in half from age, the remains clogging a waterfall. And in front of the rubble of the wall...A beast. Its right horn was broken off, presumably from a fight. It was four-legged, resembling a ram or a goat. 

Valus, being able to withstand the impact, jumped down in front of the colossus. Aiko yelped in surprise, but held on. The crash made the beast jump up and groan, trying to sit up. It fell back down onto the ground with a yelp, its eyes orange with fear...But he wasn't looking at Valus; he was looking at the tiny human on his head. Valus put his hand out for Aiko to stand on. 

Quadratus growled and whimpered at Aiko...he had a visible limp. Each movement was painful with the arrow lodged in the underside of his hoof. 

"...Let me down, Valus."

Valus, although hesitantly, put his hand down onto the ground. Aiko skittered off, slowing down once close. Quadratus growled, trying to back up. He was scared, not aggressive. Walking at a slow and steady pace, Aiko held her hands out, speaking softly.

"Hey, hey, hey...You're okay, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you..."

Quadratus stopped backing up, but he was still afraid. A deep, comforting rumble came from Valus in an effort to calm him down. Quadratus responded with a rumble of his own...they seemed to be communicating. Aiko stopped in her tracked and observed the beasts. 

Valus continued bellowing, Quadratus silent. After a couple of head tilts and rumbles, Quadratus looked at Aiko and showed his damaged hoof to her. She saw the arrow; hundreds of years in dirt and rock had kept it in place. Slowly and gently, Aiko gripped the arrow and pulled, placing her leg on the hoof and grunting. She fell back, the arrow slipping out of Quadratus' hoof. 

Quadratus squealed a bit at the sudden sting, but it was quickly overwhelmed with joy; he could stand! With some assistance from Valus, he was able to stand on all his legs.

"Better now?"

The mammoth turned to face Aiko, much more curious than scared. His eyes glowed a brilliant blue as he observed her and her tattered dress...He playfully snorted, a gust of wind blowing Aiko off her feet. She giggled, happy to see Quadratus okay. A thought popped into her head.

"Valus, who is this?"

Valus perked up, looking at Quad. He called out to him, and Quad responded back with a deeper bellow. After getting his answer, he began to write in the sand.

"Quadratus".