Butterfly Wings and Stranger Things
The large hunter fiddled furiously with the itchy collar strapped to his neck. His nice clothing had been replaced with dreadfully boorish cloth of a more alien make. It was among the articles of clothing provided to him by Muntz, better at least than the rags he'd been wearing when they'd found him. Gaston took an idle glance out the large glass window of the airship, feeling himself grow queasy at the vast expanse before him, the ground so far away from his feet. Best to look away, he thought to himself, holding back his food.
With a sigh, he bent down in his seat, securing his boots for the third time in the last few minutes, tying them tightly, before moving to secure his blunderbuss, the only comfort he'd had afforded to him in this… this prison! Oh sure, being surrounded by men like Clayton and McLeach sounded like the best time, men that could share his passions with him! But this damn collar! It divided him from his fellow hunters, pointed him out as a Frenchman that couldn't keep up with these… these American's! As far as they were concerned, he was just another one of the dog's for now.
"Hello." A gentle, tiny voice shook the man from his furious thinking, being translated back to him through the damned collar. He swept his head toward the voice, prepared to roar at their interruption, before stopping suddenly. A petite child, blonde of hair and wearing a knee length dress, blue and white of color, the girl herself no more than twelve. She fiddles with her hands momentarily, before offering him a slight bow. "My name is Alice, and I've, well I haven't the chance to speak to anyone aside from some delightful dogs, for quite some time, and you seem… new, yes I do believe that's the right word for it."
Gaston allows the girl to speak, taken aback by her cheerful nature. It's the first anyone has bothered speaking to him in quite some time. And even so… "Leave me be." He decides on, gruffly shooing her with a hand. His only speaking companion, a child? Ha!
The girl frowns suddenly, letting out a sigh. "Oh, I… I apologize sir, I haven't had the chance to speak to anyone for some time now, as I said before, and I thought…" her eyes begin to water and for a moment Gaston can't quite process what's about to happen, before he realizes suddenly. She's about to cry.
"Stop, stop," he begged with desperation, waving his hands about. She sniffled, holding in a breath, Gaston sighing. "Sit." He remarked coldly, pushing out a nearby seat for the girl. She sniffled once more, choking down the beginnings of a sob before complying. In silence they sat, Gaston angrily cleaning his gun, while Alice sat with her hands in her lap.
"Do you shoot many things?" She asked eventually, tone more even, though still with the lingering threat of tears on the precipice.
The hunter waited, considering. "I'm a hunter, actually." He clarified, a note of pride coming out through his voice, the girl's eyes appearing to light up. "Game Warden of my hometown, in fact." He boasted, for what felt like the first time in ever, the child leaning forward eagerly.
"Oh, that sounds most dangerous - did you ever get frightened?" She questioned with childish innocence, Gaston laughing in a bestial manner in response, Alice jumping at the sudden sound. He chuckled, shaking his head.
"I've never been scared before," he offered with a boisterous grin. The memories of an animal, double his height and with the wits of a man, flashed through his mind, and Gaston went silent. He remained silent a few more seconds, before sighing. "... Once, actually." Alice tilted her head, legs swinging below her seat.
"Might I ask about it?" She inquired curiously, Gaston gritting his teeth. Still… he could occupy the girl, and he'd never had the chance to tell anyone this particular story.
"It was… a beast, unlike any other." He offered quietly, unlike him, his hands clenching tightly into fists.
"A lion? Perhaps a tiger… no, a bear, wasn't it?" Alice asked quickly, Gaston eventually settling on an amused smile.
"Larger, and more dangerous than all of them put into one." He said with an ominous air, Alice gasping dramatically, but utterly sincerely. "It was the toughest hunt I've ever had… and I almost died in the process." He spoke solemnly, leaning back to remember the moment.
Alice waited along with him, before speaking, "How did you kill it?"
The sight of the Beast roaring above him, claws at the ready and prepared to kill him in a single blow, felt as if it were happening all over again. But then… the roof gave out beneath the creature, sparing him as the Beast let out a guttural and mournful cry, plummeting to its death.
"Ingenuity and quick wits," he answered back eventually, flashing a smile to the child, which she met back with one of her own.
"How brave," she said with a note of awe, before pouting. "I've never been much for bravery myself. Foolishness, my sister used to tell me, was more of what I tended to act upon," Alice appeared to go sullen, sinking into her seat. "I… do miss my sister. I wonder what happened to her?" Gaston winced at the sound of the child's heartache, struggling to muster the compassion to say something… compassionate?
"Foolishness and bravery are two sides of the same coin," he settled on, drawing the girl out of her thoughts. "Without being at least somewhat foolish, you'll never have the drive to be brave. Being courageous is rarely the smart thing to do." He spoke boldly, crossing his arms and speaking with a fervent passion.
Alice hung on the words, before smiling brightly. "I suppose, you must be right." She said back, appearing tickled by the thought of being brave. "I must be very brave then," she spoke, ending with a giggle, the first since Gaston had met her.
Gaston felt rather pleased with himself at having gotten the laughter out of the curious child, before continuing to regale her with tales of his exploits. "Hunting isn't all I've done," he enticed her with a grin, the girl leaning forward eagerly at hints of a new tale. "Why just a few nights before, I was evading the dastardly grips of these lunatics!" Alice gasped, while Gaston allowed his story to intensify with passion. "Following the deranged orders of their leader, the 'Immortal Pope Frollo'," Gaston let out a scoff at the name, Alice nodding with wide eyes, "they apparently heard rumors of 'magic' in our town, and set to burning it to the ground! Well, I managed to take a few shots at those crazies, and I escaped their torment."
The girl could hardly contain her excitement, eyes wide like saucers and firmly gripping the edge of her seat.
"I was rescued by our… 'illustrious leader'," Gaston rolled his eyes, "a few miles from town. A shame, as I'd finally managed to gather up a pittance of funds through hunting the local wildlife. Though I imagine that's what drew the attention of this lot." Gaston settled back in his seat, more cheerful than he'd been, but once more reminded of his current situation - forcibly admitted into the ranks of this… Hunters Guild.
"I…" the girl began, looking around carefully, with fear. Cocking a brow, Gaston twirled a finger round, gesturing for her to move along her words. "I don't much like… That Man." She eventually said, clearly referencing the leader. "His eyes are cold." She settled on, looking in this moment very frightened.
The larger man frowned, letting out a sigh. "You're safe here at least," he offered his reassurance to the girl, who looked up before nodding with a gentle smile. "Besides," he spoke with a grin, "we're both prisoners here in a manner of speaking."
"Misery adores company." Alice agreed.
A few miles away
From the view of the treetops, a giant figure hung atop one, his form too large and bulky to seem as if it could possibly manage such a task as dextrous as climbing it. Nonetheless, the beastly figure somehow did, letting out an angry huff. Adorned across the creature's neck, a bright green amulet in the shape of a reptilian eye, hung ominously. Eyeing the fleeting foreign vehicle that traveled across the air, the creature gazed at it with a deep set hatred.
With quick movements, it climbed down to the bottom level of the forest, comfortable to apparently continue its travels on foot. The Hunters Guild traveled, searching for its latest hunt, and the Beast followed.
