#Alright! Time for Safine to butcher this poor innocent animal! JKBRIUWHGOJQLKBDHJAYIUHDV

[venalos]

There we go. Now this is what Safine liked to see.

She did not get to enjoy the embrace for very long before Isa began running in literal circles, but Safine hardly seemed to mind. Though Isa's comment of kissing her did make a slight blush cross over Safine's cheeks, the latter was simply relieved to see the knight so active and chipper again. So active and chipper, in fact, that Isa even went to far as to climb down and towards Area 4 again, much to Safine's abject horror.

Fortunately, whatever higher powers there were be thanked, Isa had more than enough sense to scramble back into camp the moment that same Anjanath from before loudly announced its presence. Quite rudely, too. Safine quickly embraced Isa again in an attempt to reassure the other, to make her feel secure, to make her feel safe in the former's soft yet strong arms.

"Shh, don't worry, I'm here. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

The Anjanath finally revealed itself, stomping its way past and just below the entrance to the camp, its raised fins peering over the edge like a shark's fin cutting through the surf. The fact its sails were flared was a bad sign, however, a sign that it was quite literally fired-up and in a bad mood. Its nose-bone was also puffed up, twitching and moist with disgusting, stomach-churning snot, a clear symbol of agitation. Its jaws were filled with green feathers but its face was covered in a thick, purple liquid. Poison.

It would seem that the Pukei-Pukei just barely managed to escape these jaws of death.

The source of the Anjanath's anger; a generous dose of toxins, an empty belly, and not to mention the terrible headache it still had from the earlier beating readily provided by Safine herself. It huffed and puffed some embers and flames, talons scraping across the soft jungle earth to leave behind deep gouges. This brute wyvern was not having a good day, and it was ready to make it everyone else's problem.

Safine inhaled deeply and sighed, Isa still in her protective hold.

"Here's what's gonna happen," Safine whispered into Isa's ear, still holding her close. "I want you to stay back and watch from a distance. This Anjanath's too dangerous to leave active this close to Astera, so I have to take it down. As I fight, take careful note of what I do. There will come a day where you'll have to fight one, too."

She pulled away, smiling reassuredly, then let Isa go and jumped over the cliff edge with shocking speed. The Anjanath, even with all its superb senses, was too preoccupied with its own frustration to notice Safine approaching from behind, hiding behind the enormous trees and the table-like shelf fungi.

It'd taken far too long for Isa to stop sobbing, and even longer to understand what Safine had meant. She wasn't... Going to be useless anymore?

It started as a slow building of energy in her legs, then her stomach, then her chest and head; a leap given into the Huntresses arms, a cry of laughter and happiness breaking the solemn mood she'd brought up.

It was a strange turn of events for Isa to find such happiness in someone else; it were as if she was starved of it, her body clinging to the positivity the other radiated.

╰┈➤ ❝ Do you truly mean it!? Truly? Truly!? ❞

Isa had never felt so happy before; a new adventure! A new trial to overcome, but this time with proper training. More ways she can protect Rika, more ways she can advance.

More ways she can bring them closer to the closing of their own travels together.

But the thought of loss was entirely lost to the Knight at the moment. It seemed Safine's pep-talk had worked.

Her arms were outstretched as she jogged around to let off energy, the pain inside of her entirely forgotten about.

╰┈➤ ❝ I could kiss you! I could kiss the commander! Truly, you're not having me on!? ❞

It seemed she couldn't quite grasp that someone was willing to do this for her, despite Isa's past mistake, as almost grave as it were. She wanted to do better; for herself, for Rika, for Safine.

This was going to be so exciting! So much, in fact, that Isa...

Decided to start scaling down the side of the camp, eyes wide with excitement and wanderlust, a cry out of--

It was that roar again. That one scream of terror that shot fear directly into her veins. As if commanded by some higher force, she'd scale back up the wall, crying to herself.

Perhaps this Anjanath had done a bit of a number on her, mentally, right now. She'd never felt so terrified before in her life, hands clutching at herself - and then towards Safine as she reached the peak again - before panting, eyes darting across the darkness for any sign of terror.

╰┈➤ ❝ I-It's still here... How has it found me!? ❞

Her voice shook with anxiety, hands darting to her sheathe, mentally crying and physically groaning at the loss of her weapon. She felt naked, she felt scared--

╰┈➤ ❝ We need to leave, please... Please! I can't take another cry from that thing! ❞