[Trade] A QUIET NIGHT - Zataro hunt / Sonora and Higatami

A QUIET NIGHT
(Legendary Hunt - Rampaging Zataro)

It was a quite bright night in Vitalus, when the two Tyrians departed from Salt City. They had to fly North, toward the forest of Ebrus. A Rampaging Zataro had been sighted not far from a small village, which meant people and reoseans might be in danger of becoming Zataro’s food soon.

Higatami wasn’t really happy with her companion Sonora: she disliked anyone who was too talkative and was a little envious of the other’s abilities too.
Sonora was, after all, an excellent Adventurer, which meant that she was far more skilled in navigating harsh territories. The forest wasn’t really that bad, as long as you knew where to step and where to NOT step.

Crystals? Sure. Near dark colored rocks? Nope, unless you wanted to be bitten by some vipers.

Higatami huffed, flapping her wings. At least, following the incessant chatter of the other was a good way to not get lost, as she was blind.

“And then, he jumped right on my hunting partner-”

Sonora was talking apparently about a Zataro she fought in Thedale, a Pouncing Zataro. Higatami had fought one once, and she wasn’t really interested in talking about it. She had to be a lure for it, and you could bet she was not going to do that again.

“So, how do we fight it?”

She interrupted the reddish Empyrian, who didn’t seem too bothered by it, far too excited to give her piece of mind to the Zataro.

“Oh, I have a perfect plan! We dive down from the trees and boom! Got ‘im.”

“...That’s your plan?”

Higatami asked in disbelief, blind eyes wide. That had to be a joke, for sure… She hoped. Sonora didn’t seem to be worried about her shocked expression, or maybe she was concentrating already on the tall leafy trees under them.

“Don’t worry my friend! We will get that lil guy in a flash!”

“LIL’ GUY?! ARE YOU INSANE?!”

Higatami screamed, and Sonora laughed.

“Nah, but really! Just fight it like a bear and everything will be fine!”

The shadow coated Empyrian had a very hard time believing that.

***

A couple of hours passed, and the Zataro still hadn't been found. Higatami was starting to get a little impatient, and she kept flicking her ears back and forth.

“Relax! We'll find it soon.”

“Sure, you said that two hours ago!”

She hissed, and Sonora smiled. Even though Higatami couldn't see her doing that, she could feel it. It was annoying. She could feel the smile in the other's chatter, and her happiness was like a dead rat in a corner.
Well, Higatami was a bit excessive sometimes, but she really hated the other.

“Mh! There it is!”

Higatami froze on her tracks, nearly falling after such a immediate stop. Under them, basking in the little moonlight that filtered through the thick foliage, there was a big creature. Greenish, with dark brown-red body and twice as big as the Empyrians, with the dangerous stingers curled up near its snout.
The Zataro might have been a beautiful creature, but only from afar... Not that Higatami could enjoy its beauty, since she couldn't even see it.

“Now what? Do you hav-”

Higatami felt a change in the air, as if someone near her had just dived.
She wanted to go home, once she realized that Sonora had started the fight, launching herself down on the slumbering Zataro, fangs bared and claws ready.

“You- If I die, I will haunt you to death!”

She shouted, before following Sonora, a growl deep in her throat. Sonora hit first, chomping on the Zataro's neck. The beast woke up with a wail, screaming so loud for the fright, the pain and the anger that Higatami's ears rung.
Sonora embed her fangs in the skin and fur, so when she tore them out she took both off the Zataro's neck.

The beast roared and Higatami was still in the air, afraid to go down and fight. She usually wouldn't be so fearful, but the lack of a plan made her so.
She hissed, but couldn't bring herself to stop beating the air with her wings.

“Come on Higatami! You got this!”

Sonora encouraged her, while facing herself the Zataro that now had regained its footing and was ready to charge.
Higatami snarled and dove down, trying to claw the back of the beast, but it noticed her and whipped its stingers toward the shadow Empyrian.

“Watch out!”

Sonora snarled and attacked directly the beast, trying to stop its attacks, while Higatami dodged, but also crashed on the ground with a growl. Sonora shouted at her to get up, and the other Empyrian did, wings trembling a bit. Being stung meant death, and she did not want to die there.
She could see the bright feathers of Sonora's tail being hit by the stingers, luckily shielding her against the deadly poison.

“Come on Higatami! Bite it!”

Encouraged Sonora, whipping her head around the Zataro to land a couple more bites. Higatami sighed quietly, raising her head. She hoped that the two moons in the sky didn't shine enough light to get noticed right away by the Zataro.
Sneakily she moved behind the beast, then, as it lunged to claw at Sonora, Higatami dove in and bit his hindquarters, HARD.

The Zataro yelped in pain, and Sonora took the opportunity as soon as the beast turned its head. She jumped it, biting the soft underside of the neck until she felt the blood.
The creature trashed, and Sonora folded her long and feathery tail over herself, while keeping the jaws deep in the Zataro's greenish fur. The stingers like before merely grazed the feathers, ruffling them a bit but that was it.
Higatami bit the legs of the beast, shacking them, and soon the Zataro was on the ground... A few minutes later, dead too.

“See? It wasn't so hard!”

Trilled happily Sonora, while Higatami still was trying to catch her breath. Sure, it wasn't the first time she hunted a Zataro... But it was with the craziest party.
Sonora then started processing the beast, humming a tone, while Higatami melted on the ground, too tired to move.
She laid there, wondering how many stars there were in the sky that night.

***(1045 Words)***