A Final Battle

The wanderer shrieked as the bullets tore through its shattered form, crumbling into ashy pieces as the protofield dissipated and the breeze scattered the remains into the night.

The battle had been long and intense, it really should have been fought with a partner but it was late and too far in the No Hunt Zone for anyone else to join the mission.

A hiss was drawn from her lips at the sudden emergence of sheer pain rippling through her body. The ****************************** from the fight was wearing off and the full extent of her injuries were now becoming apparent. Before she could blink, her knees buckled and the hunter collapsed in the frosty grass. Pressing a hand to her side, blood instantly seeped through the tiny leather gloves of her uniform. The gash was deep and a shrill beeping alarm from the Hunters watch indicated the rapidly dropping vital levels.

The Hunters brow furrowed before letting out a soft sigh and falling back to lay in the grass, frosty blades tickling the exposed skin and warming under the dropping body heat. Gazing up at the sky, a ******all ******ile twitched at her lips, the sky was beautiful. The full moon shone directly into the grove the protofield had been formed in, and the stars twinkled like thousands of silver fireflies.

Raising her blood covered hand, she reached out weakly, the stars dancing between her crimson fingers. She wondered briefly how many other Hunters had joined the stars on a night like this. How many had fought to gain a glimpse of signal in the static of the communications, how many had fought to patch themselves up and fight another hour or day.

Slowly the hand came down and clasped at her chest. She didn’t have any fight left in her.

Was the zone really too far away to call for backup? Was it not known that Hunters also worked through the night when help was needed? Or were they just pathetic excuses she’d tried to convince herself of so she could do this alone?

Deep down she knew the answer.

Weary eyes watched the puffs of warm air dance in the night from her shallow breaths. Her nose twitched in the cold and her fingers had gone numb. This was it. The beginning of the end.

She was okay with it. Really, she was.

Her gaze was still fixed upon the chorus of celestials, it almost felt homely, everything felt right when she gazed upon them dancing and singing in their glow. Even as exhaustion settled over her body, clouding her vision and hazy mind, all she felt was relief.

The night grew colder, leaving a frosted trail of tears, the gentle breeze dancing through the grass and above all in the sky, a shining star streaked through the inky black and found its place in the co******os song.