Private Law of Nature

[Colette]

The prairie buzzed with life this morning. Yesterday’s thunderstorm had come and gone and left plenty of pools in its wake. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but the worst of it had already passed along with the rain. There was a fresh crispness to the air and Colette took a deep breath to revel in all the smells and sounds she experienced. Worms seeking air and birds seeking to feed; preferably on the worms.

The morning sun peeked through the scattering clouds to offer its colors to the world and for a moment all was right again. She’d have enough of life’s smaller things that she could forego one or two of the truly horrific ones. Today there would be no injustices, only the open terrain and a good hunt.

And a good hunt wouldn’t be such a thing without good company. She’d signed up with a smaller crew on this one but a crew that she knew to be a good bunch. Perhaps not as rigorous in their field dressing as she was, but that could be excused.

Four people in total, two groups of two. The two beer-knocking elders in one and the juniors in the other. Which was to say, a recreational team and an actual hunting party with Colette’s being the latter.

“Sleep okay last night?” Colette asked and rolled her shoulder where she’d slung her rifle. “Storm got pretty loud when it rolled over.”

Drifter

 

[Drifter]

Colette
​

Drifter stood with his hands on his hips, surveying the wide stretch of prairie that glimmered under the fresh light of dawn. The air still smelled of wet earth, puddles catching flashes of color as the clouds drifted past.

[ Welp, here we are, ] he muttered to himself, visor angling down toward his datapad. The bounty list flickered across the screen. He was here to try and bag a critter or two, with some of those required by Black Sun.

With a lazy swipe of his gloved finger, Drifter scrolled down to the name Oggdo and gave a low whistle. [ ...Well, feth, that's a doozy. ]

But a voice nearby drew his attention, his polarized helmet swivelling over toward Colette, where her reflection shimmered faintly across his dusty visor as he gave a loud snorting laugh.

[ That wasn't the only thing that was loud, ] he replied with a wry grin in his tone.

Everyone knew what he meant. The Devaronian's snoring had nearly blown the tent stakes out of the ground last night. But hey, a good joke never hurt before a hunt.

[ Alright, looks like we are dealing with a heck of a critter. Full of teeth, lightsaber resistant hide, spikes, and a sticky eight foot tongue that will nab you right into its mouth. Not too shabby right? ]

 

[Colette]

Drifter

There was no outright laughter, but it could still be seen in the gentle squint of Colette’s eyes and the lopsided smile. Once you learned how to fall asleep hidden in caves during a sandstorm there were very few places you wouldn’t be able to fall asleep in.

“Right. Bogano native, likes to bite.” Colette said and gave their surroundings another scan. “More than just a pest.” she said and frowned. “Someone must have put it here on purpose.”

Which wouldn’t make a lot of sense unless it was some sort of targeted attack. A prairie was a poor location for a creature that’d otherwise thrive in the crampedness of a swamp. Extend the tongue and the target would have plenty of time to dodge, at least if they were capable of using the force.

“Haven’t been able to hunt one until now,” she added. Her eyes flicked to the scratches on Drifter’s armor with a curious glance. “Take it you have and that’s why you’re so kitted out?”

 

[Drifter]

​

Colette

Drifter gave a scoundrel's shrug, the black leather of his songsteel-plated armor flexing as that polarized helm turned toward Colette. Amusement edged his voice when he drawled, [ Well, a little bit of column A… a little bit of column B… ]

The easy confidence in his tone said plenty. He'd done this sort of hunt before and didn't doubt his skill when it came to tracking down beasts, big or small.

[ What about you, kid? How good are you at tracking these things? ] he asked, curiosity slipping through the usual sarcasm.

The last thing he needed was a squealer. A runner, though, that wasn't so bad. Runners made for good moving bait.

 

[Colette]

Drifter

It had been a while since someone last called her kid. Colette threw another curious glance in 'Drifter's direction and shook her head.

"Never tracked this type of creature before." She admitted and shrugged. "But I've taken down a voxyn, so I imagine this is about the same thing if things go south."

The mention of the beast made her otherwise happy smile fade for a moment. Her attention set on the ground beneath her boots. How long had it been since then? Seemed like the other week, yet so much further away. Reina had been there, and now…

… Now she was not.

"It was an experience," she said and swallowed the maudlin feeling at the back of her throat. "In that… Morbid kind of way."

"That whole beauty in its horror kind of way."

 

[Drifter]

Interacting With: Colette

Drifter gave a low whistle, that polarized visor tilting toward her in what could only be described as impressed disbelief.

[ A voxyn, huh? Didn't take you for the type to wrestle death itself for fun. ] He gave a short laugh, shaking his head. [ Gotta admit, kid, that's pretty damn impressive. ]

The Hunter shifted his weight from one foot to the next, his gloved hands settling at his belt as he glanced over the prairie ahead.

[ You're right, though. Nature's got that kind of irony, so damn pretty you forget it's trying to kill you. ] A pause, then a smirk behind the visor.

[ Guess that's why the galaxy came up with the crazy hot scale, huh? Applies to people and wildlife. ] He joked, giving a short mischevious laugh that was the kind that carried just enough self-awareness to soften the tease. He turned back toward the others, jerking his chin toward the horizon.

[ Alright, enough standin' around. Let's get to it before the suns bake us where we stand. ]

A gloved hand gestured for her to follow, the crunch of dirt under his boots sounding with every step.

[ So, tell me, how would you start trackin' this critter out? ] Drifter asked, curious. He wanted to see just how sharp the girl's instincts really were.

 

[Colette]

Drifter

For fun was certainly one way to look at it. Colette's head was shaking back and forth and she hadn't even noticed it. The headshake would switch to a nod real fast once the man started talking about the beauty of nature for a moment, but then stopped when he mentioned the 'crazy hot scale' which was a concept Colette was not at all familiar with.

Her brow rose but quickly sunk for a moment when she was asked how she would track the beast.

"Eyes and ears." She said and began to scan the horizon. "Creature like that will have a difficult time staying quiet. Heavy footfalls, tiny growls, that kind of thing. Given the open terrain, I'd say we're more likely to hear it before it even gets close to us."

"Overconfidence will get you killed. Eyes on a swivel, try to stay quiet."

 

[Drifter]

Interacting With: Colette

Drifter gave a low chuckle, his lips twisting in mirth under his helm. The sun caught the edge of his visor, throwing a gleam across his faceplate as he watched Colette with an amused tilt of his head.

[ Eyes and ears, huh? ] he murmured with a chuckle, hands finding their usual place on his belt. [ Smart. Practical. You might just make it out here longer than I thought. ]

He moved forward with an easy going gait, but also the kind born from someone who'd been in too many bad situations to ever truly let his guard down.

[ Don't worry, ] he added, a smirk clear in his tone. [ Overconfidence isn't my problem. My problem's usually the part after I get confident. ]

The wind carried across the prairie, brushing against their clothes and the hum of the distant thunder. He tilted his head, scanning the horizon. [ Alright then, kid. Let's see whose eyes and ears pick it up first. ]

And with that, the scoundrel set off into the open wild, the gleam of challenge in his stride.

The land stretched endlessly ahead of them, sun-warmed and shimmering. Every sound stood out, from the chirp of insects, the soft creak of shifting grass, and somewhere distant, the low rumble of something heavier. Drifter's helm tilted slightly.

[ Hear that? ] he said quietly, brows drawing close, his gruff voice adding as he mused what he was able to sense. [ Off to the east, past those rocks. Something big. ]

Quietly, he moved and crouched low, pressing a gloved hand to the ground. The vibrations thrummed faintly against his palm, and he gave a small, crooked grin.

[ Hmm... looks like you were right. Our dance partner's already warming up. ]

That polarized helm popped up, scanning the area, his senses reaching out into the Force for what was there beyond the life that fluttered around them.

[ Question is, do we sneak up on it... or let it come to us? ]

 

[Colette]

Drifter

A shot of indignation pierced through Colette's pride at the remark that she 'might just make it out here.' She gave the man another once over and tried to figure out who he was and what he looked like beneath the helmet. From the looks of it he was just some guy. The way he spoke and how he walked put his age range somewhere a bit higher than she might have expected at first.

That meant that he was for all intents and purposes talking mad chit. She had been shooting vermin since he was about yay high, or at an age far earlier than he could have dreamed off. She kept her expression still. A slight raise of her brow gave her feelings away, but that was it.

She continued walking towards their target's last known location. Her ears and eyes attuned to her surroundings as they crept closer to their destination. Something felt off about it and she slowly reached for her rifle to hold it at the ready. A simple slugthrower made from worn ash and steel, but no less deadly than any other weapon. Clearly old and well-maintained from an uncountable number of hunts before it.

"Both." Colette whispered and got low, placing her knee to the ground. "We take a shot at it to get its attention. If I can get it's attention, you might be able to ambush it from the tall grass. Would need something sharp to get it through all that skin and sinew though…"

"Got any knives on you?"

 

[Drifter]

Interacting With: Colette

Drifter let out a knowing chuckle that rumbled through his chest more than his lips. He tipped his head toward Colette, visor catching the sun.

[ Do I have a knife? ] he asked, the grin evident even through the polarized helm.

[ Oh yeah. I got a knife. Don't you worry, kid. You grab its attention and I'll come up behind and saddle it. ]

The Hunter straightened with the swagger and confidence of someone who'd been skinning beasts since he was small. He reached for an alchemized slim blade at his hip and flicked it free, tossing it in a lazy arc. The knife spun once, then hovered in midair above his gloved palm, courtesy of a little telekinetic help for the theatrics.

[ Sharp enough to punch through hide, light enough to work with. ]

A small jut with his chin pointed toward the east, where a scatter of jagged rocks rose out of the prairie like broken teeth and a shallow watering hollow glinted in the heat. That was the kind of place an Oggdo liked, cover to crouch and the water to hide by. Tall grass ribboned the approach, perfect for an ambush and perfect for the kind of trap Colette described.

[ We push it toward the grass by those rocks, ] he instructed. [ You draw it with a shot, I come out of the grass and make it regret everything. ]

The world narrowed to the sound of distant insects for what was to come up next.

[ Ready? ] he asked, the grin back in his tone.

 

[Colette]

Drifter

There was a saying. Better to be quiet and be taken for a fool than speak up and remove all doubts. It was a saying that Colette held particularly dear that Drifter very clearly did not. He wanted a reaction and he got none. No ogling the blade, no hint to feed his ego. Not even a recognition that it was really there.

Hunting was important to her. It was something that she felt extremely passionate about, and it reminded her of what mattered. Hunting was a combination of nature and survival, the two pillars of her existence.

Drifter crawled through the grass and so did she. Where he was armored, she was not. Dirt and mud smeared across her entire body to help mask her presence in the wind. She caught sight of Drifter's go ahead signal and gave him a quiet thumbs up.

She brought her rifle to her shoulder and looked down the scope. The oggdo rested in a nearby pond. Alert, but not aware of the predators encircling it. Colette let in a deep breath, and then let it out. Her teeth sunk into her lower lip, nostrils flaring with one more breath.

The beginning of the end for this creature started in 3…

2…

1…

Bang.

Colette eased her finger off the trigger to chamber a new round. In the distance, the oggdo had recoiled in pain and confusion as its leftmost eye blew out. A frustrated groan blew through Colette's gritted teeth. She had aimed for the mouth.

She took one more shot, this time on target. She threw her rifle to the side and got up on her feet again to fully draw the attention of the now charging beast. Colette spread her arms wide and shouted at it. With luck, Drifter would be able to get it down fast.

 

[Drifter]

Interacting With: Colette

Drifter felt the vibration of the first shot roll through the ground before he heard it. The crack of the slug echoed across the prairie, followed by the guttural roar of the wounded Oggdo. His grin spread wide under the helmet.

[ There we go, kid. Nice and angry. ]

He moved fast, low to the ground, muscles coiled as the creature thrashed in the water. Mud splattered up his armor, and he could smell the metallic tang of the beast's blood even through the filters. The thing was huge, skin like wet leather, jaws snapping wide enough to take a man in two bites.

Drifter didn't flinch. Nah, he liked these odds.

The Oggdo turned toward Colette, its bulk surging forward in a spray of muck and water. Perfect, exactly where he wanted it.

[ Keep its attention! ] he called, the words rough and urgent through the voice modulator of his helm.

The hunter broke from the tall grass, sprinting hard. The knife in his hand caught the sun as he ran up, trying to wrangle it by jumping on its back. The Oggdo staggered with a bellow, thick limbs thrashing. Drifter didn't stop; he grabbed the hilt and then jabbed down hard. While its skin was lightsaber resistant, stabbing it worked just fine as it gave a huge bellow.

[ Told you I had a knife, ] he sang out, all smug...until everything went wrong.

The Oggdo let out a sound that was less a roar and more a guttural crack of fury. Its body convulsed, eyes rolling white, and in one violent motion, its massive tongue lashed out. The sticky, muscular appendage slammed into Drifter's chestplate, wrapping tight before he could move.

[ Aww, come on -- ! ]

The rest of the curse was lost as he was yanked off his feet. The world spun in a blur of mud, teeth, and sky before he crashed hard into the ground, the breath knocked clean from his lungs. His knife slipped free, skidding across the muck.

[ Yeah, okay, that's new, ] he wheezed, scrambling to his knees as the beast turned its fury on him. Its tongue reared back again as it tried to attack again.

The Hunter reached for his knife, summoning the Force to draw it back into his hand, mud dripping off the grip.

[ Yo kid! Any time now would be really awesome! ]