Requiem for a future

Kerrigan trudged through the undergrowth, enjoying the relative peace and quiet of this small section of the Angeles National forest compared to the Hunters camp. They were alright, she thought. They treated her fine so far, and she felt a sort of kinship she had never known. Still, sometimes it was a bit much.

It had become almost a habit; she'd sneak out of camp as best she could, making excuses or just saying she needed to be alone for a while. The desire to be alone was a rare feeling to some Hunters, and the strange looks she may have gotten were a small price to pay for the freedom these excursions let her feel. And she did feel it; since she'd joined the Hunters, she'd felt a certain peace emanating from the wilderness. Imaginary, maybe, but it calmed her. The encompassing silence was the perfect canvas for her to paint upon.

After hiking for a few more minutes, she came upon a large rock perfect for her purposes. Stringing her custom guitar off her back, she sat down. Producing an MP3 player and accompanying headphones from her pants pocket, she plugged her ears with headphones and started up one of her favourite playlists.

Picking up her guitar, she ran her hands over the beautiful instrument. As she touched the strings, she felt her hands move to their comfortable and usual positions, and played a tune in time with the music in her ears. Closing her eyes, she hummed the first few lines before rising into the chorus.

"My face was always pressed against the glass
You were the only one who ever asked
"Why don't you come inside?"
We watched the hotel lights and I was mesmerized..."

She smiled in between verses, her eyes still shut and her body coming alive. This what it, she thought. This feeling of pure elation was what she lived for.

"Voices float through the walls
And from the streets of New York City down below
Some are surprised to find the world is just as small and sad
The higher that they climb..."

Belting out the words in her own special way, her hands coerced the gentle and sombre tune out of her guitar that accompanied them.

"You once told me that when the night is frozen wait for the golden sun
If that's the one thing you believe in well, then, I guess we're even, love
It's comin' up..."

Opening her eyes, she let the music fade away before taking a deep breath. A broad smile crossed her thin face. Here she was, alive.

And what a beautiful new life it was turning out to be.

Los Angeles, California. It wasn't the farthest away from camp, which was ironic for Abigail. It was once home, after all. It's where her mother and step-father lived, and where her brother lived when he was actually at home. Of course, she wasn't around any of the homes she'd live in during her youth, not gated nor slums. These were the forests, the place Abigail had long since considered her new home. Thought today in particular, she had a task in mind. She was looking for someone, one of her own sisters, as a matter of fact. One recruited by Asina, as a matter of fact.

Abigail had been less aggressive with Asina, though the rivalry was still burning. Whether or not it was petty judgement or a true suspicion, Abigail felt the need to keep her eye on the newer hunter. She was a mortal, which meant that Abigail at least felt she had a chance to prove herself. You never knew what a mortal had in their genetics; some could very talented while some were just wasted time and life on the planet.

She, for instance, certainly didn't get her gift for archery from Boreas. And while the blessing of Artemis was certainly of assistance, it didn't define what her capabilities with a bow were. Still, Abigail was curious as to why the mortal girl was always leaving for every reason in the book. Today she intended to find out why.

Tracking her wasn't easy; it never would be easy to track another hunter. Though it was pretty clear that she wasn't attempting to cover her tracks, which meant she probably wasn't going to do anything that would be disrespectful of Artemis, unlike that daughter of Himeros had some time ago.

Of course, her track was abundantly easy to pick up when she heard singing. One of Abigail's eyebrows rose up, something she was getting pretty good at when she was skeptical. It wasn't quite as dangerous for a mortal to be out alone, but even mortal hunters could attract monsters. Combined with the noise and headphones? Abigail gave the girl credit for having the guts, though she supposed she was close enough to camp that it could be a lot worse.

"Didn't realize this is what you're usually doing when you leave camp." Abigail said, though oddly enough she respectfully waited for the end of the song before interrupting.

Startled, Kerrigan immediately faces the direction of the voice, spotting Abigail. She somewhat hastily gets up from her perch, standing beside the rock and holding her guitar by the neck while it's bottom rests on the ground. Nervous, she gives a smile

"Not hurting anyone, right? I can hear.. myself better out here. Did you need something?"

She tries to keep her gaze on Abigail's face, refusing to seem weak.

"No, you're not." Abigail said, with a simple shrug of her shoulders. Her arms were crossed over her chest at this point, her form leaned against a tree. It was one of her more liked stances, despite it being impractical in a combat scenario. It wasn't like Abigail was planning on anything coming to be combative between herself and the new hunter. That was better saved for the practice rink, and even then, Asina never turned down a chance to show off her extensive knowledge of weapons.

She had almost two millennia more time to learn though, Abigail had a very difficult time keeping up in any sense. Except with the bow, Abigail's truest pride and joy.

"But, just saying, it's worth noting that it isn't the safest practice. You never know what's lurking out here, and if they can hear you and you can't hear them? It could be sloppy." Abigail noted, her icy gaze didn't leave the mortal for a second. But, Abigail offered her the same thing she would any other mortal. "It sounded pleasant, actually. But, still not the safest. Hey, if you can handle whatever comes after you though? All the power to you."

Kerrigan sat down on the rock and breathed out, her anxiety of the situation mostly gone, at least for the moment.

"You're right." She brushed a stray strand of hair behind her right ear.

"Dumb idea, I know. I just like to be alone sometimes. You can only play so much around a campfire."

She looked up at the other Hunter, smiling a bit more sincerely.

"It's easier to practice while you're alone. It's not exactly like archery; not that I would know. I'm still awful at it."

"It doesn't pay to pity yourself, rookie." Abigail warned of her. When it came to Abigail's time entering Camp Half-Blood, she'd learned quickly that it payed to be a winner. Abigail had worked quite aggressively to learn the skills she needed, especially when she became a hunter. She'd spent tireless hours working on tracking, hunting techniques, and everything else she needed to know. If there was anything at all that came naturally to her, it was archery.

"You should trust in the blessing of Artemis, even the worst of shots have been able to hit targets because of it. Train hard; if not for your sisters, then for yourself. A day will come when you'll have to rely on what you know, and you know alone. But that isn't the scary part, the scary part is when someone needs you. And if you can't save them, well, ironically, you'll be the one who can't sleep at night." Abigail said, her voice as cold as her father, Boreas.

Abigail considered adding in a comment about how impressed she was with Kerrigan's ability to play the guitar so well. The daughter of Boreas bit her lip, she was becoming soft, and she wasn't any help to people if she was soft. No, she needed to stay strong and keep people in check.