1

Eight years ago, seemed like just yesterday. Crest was a young buck at the time and still learning the sword. He sat in the middle of an open field polishing his tiny tot of a rapier, barely a needle of a blade. Today was a hunting day. Hunting was a special activity that Crest had bonded with his dad over. His father, Sign, had started taking him and his brother Seal along with him to do their fair share of the work. He believed they were old enough to start pulling their weight when it came to catching dinner.

Tagging along for the ride was Leo Lamour, the brothers’ friend, and buddy; this was his third time hunting with them. He lived in a toxic household, one with an overbearing father and a weak mother. Finding more stability in spending his evenings eating with the Evermores, he chose to spend his time at their place instead. Of course, despite not wanting to have to work for his meals, Leo did his part. It wasn’t like he was getting a decent meal back at home anyway, so he did as he was told. That didn’t stop him from complaining though.

“Damn it’s hot today,” Leo sat across from Crest, perched on a rock and groaning. His body was blistering and soaked in sweat. The sun must have been having a field day with its victims because it sure wasn’t letting up. “I think I’m going to die.” The boy whined pulling at his shirt.

“Get used to it,” barked Sign stroking his black beard. “If you’re going to eat with us, you’re going to hunt with us. It’s the rules.” He turned to his oldest son, who was busy in the corner peeing on a tree. “You almost done with your pitstop Seal? Hurry up so we can get going.”

“Yes father,” the red-haired youth spoke softly. Done urinating, he pulled up his baggy pants and regrouped with everyone. He looked to his father. “I’m done.”

“Alright boys,” Sign called for Leo and Crest. “Let’s move.”

Getting themselves in gear, everyone followed in behind Sign as he led the way. Coming up past the clearing was a hill of trees and bushes. Unfortunately, the range up ahead was no pasture, the woods were dense and claustrophobic. The already musty air only became more noticeable as they entered through an opening where the wind was stifled. Perspiration seeped through their clothes. The boys were annoyed but complaining to Sign wouldn’t benefit them in any way, he’d just tell them to get over their problems. So, they usually didn’t share their grievances with him.

The hill seemed to go on forever. Minutes went by and the end was nowhere in sight. The pathway in front of them seemed to extend like a winding snakera, or something even larger. Hunting for monsters be damned! The forest was a monster all its own, and in more ways than one.

Crest ran in place behind his brother who was in front of him. Frowning, he appeared impatient.

“Can we hurry it up!?” He asked intolerant and wanting to hurry on ahead, the stomping of his feet becoming louder with each passing second.

“Crest, stop that!” Sign commanded, shooting his son a glare. “Doing that could scare off potential game. Be more mindful.”

The patter of his feet came to a screeching halt. Rolling his eyes, he groaned. “Fine dad. Fine.” Withholding his need to act out, his body went stiff and stilted, no longer jittery, but falling in line. Crossing his arms, he pouted to himself. Even tortoises didn’t walk this slow, and, at least in Crest’s eyes, to be a good hunter, you had to be fast. Sneaking up on an opponent was overrated. As long as you got where you were going in time, that was all that mattered.

He wondered to himself what type of beast they would find in the wild this time, what kind of delicious meal would be their dinner. Particularly, he had a hankering for bull slug or maybe devil deer. Smacking his lips, his hunger made him forget about how agitated his father had made him.

Just when he had found himself lost in a food fantasy, Leo spoke from behind him. “Hey Crest, I’ve never asked you. But are you fond of hunting?”

Crest paused in place and turned his head back. They were now lagging behind the others. Crest kept his voice low to keep their conversation private. “Why, are you?”

Leo’s face soured. “I am. But I do wish there was a reward for all our hard work.”

Crest’s face scrunched up in response. “Leo….our reward is that we get to eat. What more do you want? Besides, even though we all hunt together, only one of us actually scores the kill. So, there isn’t really an ‘our’ or an ‘us’ to speak of.”

He couldn’t refute him. “I guess you’re right. But don’t we deserve something? Don’t you wish in doing this we got something special in return, like money, prestige, or babes?” Leo rubbed his hands together like a miser. Clearly, he was thinking big.

That type of thinking escaped Crest.

Rolling his eyes, he started to walk again, Leo following in behind. “Hunting isn’t about that stuff. I’m not trying to be famous or whatever. I’m just some guy. I don’t need no stinking women or prestige.”

Leo smiled and pointed. “Ah, but you do need money.”

“Our family isn’t bad off,” Crest sneered. “We get by.”

He bumped him in the shoulder. “Come on, you know that’s not what I’m saying. We need our own moolah. When your dad sells the skins or…. or what we didn’t eat, who’s seeing that money? Not you nor I buddy. He’s cheating us…. yep.” He nodded his head as if he were agreeing with himself.

Crest scoffed. “Oh, ho, ho! If you want to complain to the big man that you're not getting paid, be my guest. But we both know how that’s going to turn out.”

Leo gritted his teeth.

Crest continued. “That’s not to say anything of this ridiculous notion that we should be swimming in whores and being knighted by kings. Father is just a hunter, we’re just hunters. This lifestyle doesn’t permit us a life of luxury just for killing monsters.”

Leo quickly retorted. “What about enforcers? They make money killing rabid beasts all the time. They work for the king and some of em’ are probably swimming in whores. Don’t you envy them?”

Crest was feeling particularly disagreeable. “Bit of a bad comparison. We’re from two different worlds. Enforcers kill when there is a threat to the kingdom, themselves or the people. We kill just to put food on the table. We both kill, yes, that's where were the same. But hunters like us are just looking to get by. We don't work for the king, so we shouldn't expect lavish living. Honestly I'm surprised at you. Someone looking for a meal, should be focused on getting fed first, not on such frivolous things. You're in the same boat as me, dad or Seal.”

“So?”

“I'm asking what your point is,” Crest rolled his hand about as if slightly irritated. "We aren't as similar as some might believe, so why treat things as though we are?"

“My point is you don’t hate recognition, you’re just shy. If you could be like them, you would.”

Hm. Shrugging in response, Crest couldn’t think of a comeback. It wasn’t as if he lusted after the lifestyle that government workers had, but he considered it might not be so bad to be one. In fact, he thought that it just might have its benefits. But chasing renown wouldn’t do much for his stomach. And at the moment, he was more just hungry than power-hungry. “I won’t argue,” he said. “But honestly, it doesn’t make me no difference.”

Leo wasn’t buying it. Everyone who was anybody wanted to be somebody. All talented people had desires, and Leo saw Crest as someone with a lot of talent. Slapping him on the back might not have been the friendliest thing to do, but he did it anyway. “Come on Crest,” he egged him on. “Everyone with talent wants to be known for what they do. They want to be top dog. Not everybody is made to be top dog, but I think you’re one of the elite Crest. I truly mean that. You’re pretty good at hunting and killing, so there’s always a possibility that you could get recognized and classify for enforcer one day. But maybe your dreams lie elsewhere. Is there something other than hunting you would like to do?”

That was a good question. Crest hadn’t really thought about his dreams or aspirations, or what he would do when he got older. He kind of always figured that he would be hunting forever, just like his dad. Believing dreaming to be something only people with too much free time did, his head wasn’t in the clouds like most others. But it wasn’t as though it was beneath him, he just wasn’t that ambitious….at least not yet.

He sighed. “Haven’t thought much about it.”

Leo also sighed. “You’re a fickle one Evermore.”

As his buddy, Leo wanted to do his best to encourage Crest. Though his delusions of grandeur made him practically intolerable. Despite his haughty nature, Crest never gave him shit for it. In fact, he could ignore him most of the time. What he couldn’t ignore was his belly growling.

It was an unpleasurable feeling, but Crest tried to keep his eyes on the road.

Further on up the path, a voice called out to them. “Hurry it up you two,” Up ahead, Seal had been standing there waiting for them with a frowning face. One that said it was bothering him to have to wait.

“We’re coming,” Crest shouted all the way from the lower end of the hill. Crest’s face appeared smiling at first, but when he was sure Seal was no longer looking, he rolled his eyes from afar. Lowering his voice, he muttered something antsy under his breath.

Snickering all the while, Leo couldn’t help but feel amused.

2

The forest was thick at the top of the hill. Crest, Leo, and Seal, rejoined with Sign who was looking out over into a clearing. From where he was standing, he could have taken a nasty fall. Below was a deep chasm, a landslide that led to a dirt road. Sign was looking on with the eyes of a hawk, intent and waiting. For what reason he had suddenly stopped, Crest and the others were uncertain, but they were sure to find out.

Always the one to get to the bottom of things, Crest was unsurprisingly the first to open his mouth. “Dad what are you—”

“Hush,” he said in reply, holding his hand to his ear. He was listening for something. Something that the others couldn’t yet hear. But he could. “There’s something down there. It’s coming this way.”

The boys looked down the chasm into the clearing. Their eyes examined the area from left to right, forwards and backward, determined to find their prey. Suddenly, the sound of a hideous snorting made itself known. It was vile and eerie. Only moments later a rustling noise came from a pair of bushes on the right-hand side of the bottom path. Huddling together, the boys prepared themselves. One of the things that made hunting thrilling was not knowing what you would run into when you were out in the field. And the boys were always running into something new. This time the target would be a special one, Crest could feel it. Hell, they could all feel it.

The tension was thick, and the pressure was on. This was the thrill of the hunt, the excitement of chasing monsters. And from the shrubbery came a mammoth of a monster.

The gorgon swine!