Aetherra; by Isaac Ostlund; Chapter 2, Reunion, Part 1

Pon perched on a tree branch, light flitting through the leaves above. She held her breath, listening to the heavy footsteps below. Carefully, she peered from her hiding spot, hoping the beast was leaving. The tree shook violently. It had found her.  She leapt from the branch as the tree splintered behind her. Rolling to cushion her fall, Pon sprung into an all-out run. The creature roared as it crashed through the trees behind her, gaining despite every obstacle Pon put between them. She was blinded for a moment as she broke into a bright clearing. Sprinting across the field she used her spear to vault onto a large boulder. She couldn’t hope to outpace it in the open so she turned and planted her feet, ready to face the monster.

                The brossen broke into the clearing and locked eyes on her. It charged with six powerful legs thundering against the ground in terrifying rhythm. A grey blur of claws and fur the creature crossed the field in a matter of seconds. It stopped barely an arm’s reach from her face. For a moment it just watched, and then it opened its mouth and let out a deafening roar.

                “Alright Hoblin! Alright! You found me,” The young girl said, slumping onto the stone.

                The brossen stopped roaring and excitedly spun in place. After a moment it nudged her expectantly with one of its massive horns.

                “Fine! You vulture. I guess you’ve earned it.” Pon said, pulling a green melon from her bag and throwing it into his mouth.

                Hoblin chewed happily as Pon caught her breath. Only a few months ago she could have outrun him but there was no hope for that now. Every day he got bigger, faster, and even smarter. Brossen were naturally clever, but Hoblin was learning all sorts of things from Pon that other brossen never figured out. By now he knew all her tricks and hiding places. More importantly, he was getting much better at staying still and doing as told.

                Pon grabbed her spear and jumped onto the beast’s back.

                “We’re going to a new place, and you gotta be careful,” Pon said as she patted his side. “No roaring or jumping around, alright?”

Hoblin clawed at the ground eagerly, he wanted to run.

They’ll like you. Definitely. How could they not?

“Just take it easy,” Pon told him as they started for Kressing. ‘Otherwise they might stab you when they see you.”