Hunnt wiped the sweat from his brow, finishing another round of stomps and dashes. His chest rose and fell heavily, each breath burning. He was about to collapse into the grass when something unusual caught his eye near the edge of the clearing—a small, furred figure, half-hidden under a cluster of leaves.
What… is that?
Curiosity overcame exhaustion. Hunnt moved closer, cautious yet drawn forward.
The shape resolved into a body—small, battered, and breathing faintly. Tiny claws twitched, ears flicked weakly, and shallow, uneven breaths escaped its chest. Hunnt knelt down, heart quickening.
"A… Palico?" he whispered, eyes widening. Then louder, panic seeping into his voice: "Wait—are you okay?"
The Palico stirred. A single golden eye cracked open, dulled with exhaustion but sharp enough to measure the boy's intent.
Hunnt hesitated, then carefully scooped the small creature into his arms. Its body felt lean, its fur marked by fine scars, its frame trembling with weakness.
The Palico's tail flicked once in surprise, but it didn't resist. Hunnt's expression softened into a smile.
"Don't worry… I won't hurt you," he murmured, tucking the little one gently under his arm.
A faint, hesitant purr rumbled in response—fragile, uncertain.
For a heartbeat, the world around them stilled. The boy who had mastered nothing but his fists, and the Palico who had lost everything, stared at each other in silence.
Pyro's whiskers twitched, his golden eyes half-lidded. There was no playful spark, no feline mischief—only a deep, hollow grief clinging to him like smoke after a fire.
Hunnt's grin faded, his chest tightening. He crouched lower, lowering his voice until it was almost a whisper.
"You're going to be okay now," he said, not knowing if the Palico even understood.
Pyro could not speak. His body was too broken, his heart too heavy. Yet his gaze lingered on the boy—a quiet, fragile tether forming between them.
No words were exchanged, but the promise was clear.
As the morning sun filtered through the clearing, warming the air around them, boy and Palico shared their first bond—silent, unshakable.
Together, they would endure.
Together, they would grow.
And one day… they would fight side by side.