Been a few weeks since I uploaded anything, and for that I apologize, but I hope this suffices. It's not the best, but next chapter should be better.

"Man, how much further do we have to go? We've been walking forever." Prompto whined from the back of the group, hunching over slightly.

"Quit being dramatic will you?" Gladio replied. They hadn't been walking that long, only for a couple of hours or so. Though to be fair, the heat always does make it feel longer than it's been.

Ignis was taking up the front, leading the way, "It shouldn't be too much further, but it would be faster if you two would pick up your feet." He countered, referring to both Prompto and Noctis.

"Can we at least take a few minutes?" Prompto straightened himself back out, stretching his back as he did so. "Or at least, ya know, catch our breath. Not all of us are made of the same stuff as Gladio after all."

Ignis sighed in exasperation, "We will be at the river soon. Once we arrive we shall stop for a few minutes, then continue to follow it upstream. We can't take too long though, or else our target would have moved on before we reach it."

"There you go again Iggy, being too easy on them." Gladio responded, half out of humor and half out of annoyance. "I say we make a straight shot there and give them the muscle and endurance they need. Wouldn't hurt them."

"Easy for you to say, big guy." Prompto ran up to be next to him, "You were trained for this sort of stuff."

Gladio smirked, "Why don't you make yourself useful and go motivate his highness?" He waved his hand, signalling for the younger man to do just that. Prompto slowed his pace back down until he was once again next to Noctis and matched his speed. He glanced over, noticing the vacant and distant look he had in his eyes. This seemed to have been happening quite frequently lately.

"Everything all right?" He asked, switching his attention back on where he was going. "You seem a little, how to I say it, off."

Noctis took a moment before replying, mostly likely comprehending what was just asked, or that Prompto was once again beside him. "Hm? Oh, yeah. Just these headaches won't go away."

"Are they getting any worse?" He asked concerned. It was obvious they were bothering him, but he wasn't sure how bad they really were.

Noctis slowly shook his head. "About the same actually. They're not all terrible, but every now and then one will hit and it's a little less than bearable." He saw the worried look on his friend's face and added, "I'm fine though, no need to make a big deal about it."

Prompto didn't buy into it so easily, but also didn't want to push it further, "Ok, if you say so. But, if it does get worse, then you won't hesitate to say something, right? We aren't mind readers." He gave him a reassuring smile, letting him know that they were there for him before changing the subject. "Well, we better hurry it up or Gladdy will give us one of his 'responsibility' lectures." He clapped Noctis on the shoulder, urging him to relax a little, and ran back ahead. He smiled to himself as he heard the footsteps behind him quicken as well.

Within the next hour, the sound of rushing water could be heard. It was quite loud for still being out of sight, indicating the sheer size of it. There was a little bit of foliage around them now as they were getting closer to water, which also meant a little bit a shade to spare them of the intense rays from the sun. They were all able to relax a bit thanks to this nice change in environment. Only downside was they no longer had a clear view of their surroundings.

They continued forward until the sweet sound of the water seemed to be just a few yards away. As they got closer, Ignis drastically slowed their pace, being extra cautious in this uncertain area. He didn't really trust anything in this place. One misstep could be the death of any of them. "Watch your step when we get closer, the river has eroded the area and flows several feet below where it once did." He glanced back at the others to make sure they heard the warning, and all nodded in understanding.

They slowly approached the chasm, and gazed down into the rushing ad violent waters below. It had to be at least twenty feet below them. They carefully stepped back away from it, not wanting to risk slipping, or unstable ground deciding it wanted to give out from right underneath them. "Does this mean we're almost there?" Prompto asked, staring up the river intently, "I don't see anything."

"I would imagine not." Ignis responded, "It's not as if it's going to be meeting us half way." He took a few steps away and took a quick look around, "Go ahead and take a moment, we will be moving on shortly."

Prompto stretched his arms upward, "Finally." He said with relief and went to lean against a tree. Gladio stayed where he was, not feeling the least bit tired, like usual. He was standing next to Ignis, ready to go as soon as the others were ready. Noctis was talking this time to try and relax, to will the last remnants of his last headache away. He let out a sigh of satisfaction as it slowly eased away. "Any better?" Prompto asked from a few feet away."

Noctis jumped slightly at his voice, and turned to face him, "Oh, yeah. For now it is." He brushed it off and changed the subject, "I'm just ready to hurry up and get this over with. I want to get back by night so we can sleep in an actual bed tonight.

"I second that." The blonde agreed, "Sick of sleeping on rocks myself." He pushed himself away from the tree, "I guess that means we should probably get going then." He pulled out his camera quickly, almost like it was an after thought. "I think I want to get a few shots first. If you can look past how terrifying it is, it's actually pretty beautiful down there." He eased to the edge and proceeded to take a few pictures.

"Alright, just be careful, will you?" Noctis asked as he watched his friend stand precariously close to the edge.

Prompto waved his hand, "Yeah yeah, I got this." He crouched down and snapped a few shots before standing back up. "That should do it." Looking over his shoulder, he flashed Noctis a quick smile, "Alright, we can go no-" He cried out as he felt his foot slip from underneath him. Closing his eyes tightly, he anticipated what was to come. He slowly opened them back up when the falling sensation never hit him and he became vaguely aware of a grip on his wrist. He followed the arm and saw that Gladio had grabbed hold of him.

The larger man pulled him back to where he was standing steadily on solid ground. Prompto let out a shaky breath. "Th-thanks."

Gladio removed his hand, "What did Ignis say about watching your step?" His own heart was racing at the thought of what could have happened. "Try not to get yourself killed."

"Yeah, right." Prompto responded "I'll be more careful." He glanced once more behind him and took multiple steps away from the edge. He pocketed his camera and walked over to Ignis before nodding at him, letting him know that he was good to go.

Ignis glanced him over and turned to carry on, choosing not to comment on his slip up. He seemed embarrassed enough about it as it was. "We'll probably reach our destination within the next hour."

And true to his word, they hadn't been walking too much longer when their target was in sight. They stayed back, watching as its dark feathers ruffled in the slight breeze. This behemoth of a bird had to be at least eight feet tall, and from the looks of it, it wasn't standing at its full height. It hadn't noticed them yet as it was facing the other direction, paying the four of them no attention. They crouched low to the ground as they slowly began to creep towards it, being as quiet as possible as they did so. The immediately froze when the creature seemed to perk up, picking up on their presence, but it eased back down when it heard no other signs.

They waited a moment before pressing forward, giving it time to forget about its suspicions. And, being the animal it was, it didn't take long before its full attention was elsewhere, giving the group time to all duck into some foliage and get completely out of sight. Ignis waved his hand for the others to lean in close. "Alright, we need to take this cautiously." He whispered as his eyes settle on Noctis, "That means no charging in, and no reckless actions."

"What are you looking at me for?" Noctis asked, sounding slightly offended.

Ignis breathed out, "You aren't exactly known for you subtleties or strategic maneuvers." He removed his gaze and looked between the other two. "Prompto, you and Noct should try to attack it from behind." He then switched over to Gladio, "And the two of us will work as a distraction in the mean time." They nodded in understanding. "You two stay here until it is fully focused on us. Do not engage until then, and if you can, take out its wings first."

On Ignis' signal, both him and Gladio crept their way around, slowly making their way around the massive body and positioning themselves a few yards away. In unison they both left the safety of their cover and proceeded to taunt the beast with little attacks here and there, refraining from doing anything that would cause it to react too brashly.

Seeing as it was now completely distracted by the older two, Prompto summoned his gun and quickly made his way behind its left wing. With a clear line of sight he began firing at the point where the wing connected with the body, successfully rendering the appendage useless. "Yes!" He cheered to himself, and turned to see how Noctis was fairing on his end. He looked over to the other side, noticing that the prince was nowhere to be seen. "Noct?" He called out as he glanced around. As he searched he was vaguely away of the bird turning its attention towards the new threat.

His eyes fell on his friend still in the same spot he was. He was still crouched down in the bushes with his head cradled in one hand. Seeing that the creature was now facing their direction, Prompto wasted no time in rushing over to Noctis' side. "Hey, buddy, bad time to be doing this." He said as he gently shook his shoulder. He saw that what he was doing wasn't working, so he tried a different method. Wrapping one arm around the other, he forced him to his feet, practically dragging him up. "Come on, you gotta at least move from here." he tried to encourage as the beast was getting closer to the two of them.

"Prompto! Noctis!" Gladio called out, seeing the situation for the first time. The blonde looked to him then back at the bird, now seeing what he was looking at. It had its good wing spread outward as it was now standing at its full size. In one swift and strong movement it flapped its one wing.

"Crap." He grit out, seeing what was happening next. Without much time to react he turned the both of them around, trying to use his own body as a means of protecting Noctis what little amount he could. The gust of wind hit him all at once. Calm one second, and harsh the next. He tried to brace himself against the onslaught, but knew it was futile, the winds this thing could create were way to strong to resist.

Before he knew it they were both falling and he lost his hold on Noctis; it seemed to happen so quickly. He could hear the other two calling their names, but most was lost in the rushing air flying past him. He turned his head to look below them and saw the water approaching quickly. He turned back towards his friend who finally looked to be aware of what was happening. Prompto reached out a hand to him, but that prospect was swiftly tossed aside as and explosion of pain resonated from his left side.

Before he could inspect what was wrong though he found himself submerged as water flooded his airways. At this point he had no idea where Noctis was, but he was really hoping he reacted in time to at least warp to safety. He frantically tried to resurface, but the current wasn't having any of that as it kept pulling him right back under. With his strength quickly draining he felt himself being pulled further under as blackness was now creeping along the edges of his vision. Seeing nothing else to do he gave in to it and let unconsciousness claim him.

Noctis winced as he finally started to come to, immediately coughing up what little water remained in his lungs. Breathing was painful and it felt as though he hadn't taken in any air in ages. He ached all over and he quickly became aware of how soaked he was. His clothes were absolutely drenched. He vaguely remembers falling and having the air knocked out of him with the impact. But there was something else he couldn't quite put his finger on that he was forgetting. Then a sharp cry set itself as his reminder. He shot upright, cringing at the lightheaded feeling the motion brought.

He glanced around the area, eyes falling on something lying a few feet away. That's when he heard the whine again. He forced himself onto his hands and knees and painstakingly made his way over until he could make out Prompto's face, which was scrunched up in discomfort. "Prompto?" He whispered, not trust his voice to be steady, feeling the soreness in it. The blonde cracked open and eye and stared blearily at the other.

"H-hey." He grunted out, curling up a little as he did so. Noctis quickly looked him over, searching for the source of his discomfort. His eyes landed on his side, which was covered by Prompt's hands. Without hesitating he grabbed his wrists and pulled them away, ignoring his protests as he did so.

"Dammit." He breathed out, feeling slightly panicked.

Prompto made no move, but tried to take a look for himself, "What is it?" He asked, still ignorant as to what was causing his pain. "What's wrong?" Noctis didn't answer right away as he just stared at the shard wood protruding from his friend's side. It had to be at least an inch in diameter. It wasn't sticking out very far, which meant it was either short, or it was in there pretty deep.

"Ok, ok ok. Umm. Stay calm." He released Prompto's wrists and held his hands up for emphasis.

Prompto slowly nodded, but if anything he looked even more concerned. "Ho-how bad is it?" He asked, his breathing speeding up as another wave of pain was rolling over.

Noctis didn't know how to respond. "It's, well, it's not good." He leaned down more to get a better look at it. "I'm going to need to get a better look at it though, alright?" He waited for Prompto to give his confirmation before gently prodding the area a little, stopping as soon as the blonde gave a sharp gasp at the slightest touch. "Sorry, I'm so sorry." Noctis quickly apologized, instantly feeling guilt for causing more pain.

The other shook his head, "It's fine, go on." He squeezed out, trying to relax more.

Noctis nodded and went back to what he was doing, feeling around the area, finding that it wasn't short like he was hoping. Getting a bad feeling now he slowly turned Prompto further onto his side and looked away as he saw the other end of it. It had gone all the way through.

He slowly took his hands away. "You're not going to like this. Hell, I'm not going to like this." Prompto looked into his eyes and saw the sympathy filling them. Noctis looked away before continuing. "I...I'm going to have remove it."

Prompto paled at the sound of it ad thought for a moment and quickly made up his mind. "Do it." He said, closing his eyes.

Noctis sighed and placed his hand around the stick, adding a little pressure on his side to get a better hold. He carefully began to pull it out, hand automatically slipping from the blood. Prompto couldn't stop the scream the escaped as the object was jostled. He was taking in quick and short breaths, "Just yank it out quickly." he forced out in a shaky voice.

Noctis looked around for anything to help him get a better grip. Spotting the bandanna, he untied it and wrapped that the stick, holding onto it tightly. He looked into the other's face one last time and held his breath. In one swift and strong motion, he jerked the piece of wood from the blondes body. He winced again at the sound he made, it tore at him to hear it.

He threw the stick aside ad placed his hands over the now heavily bleeding wound. "You still with me, buddy?" He asked. He got no response and looked up to his face. His eyes were open but they seemed to be looking at something distant and he was taking in gasps of air. "Hey, don't pass out on me now." He took one hand and patted it against the side of his face, not caring that he was smearing blood on him. "Come on, stay with me."

Prompto came through a little as ever exhale became a small whimper now. About a minute later and his breathing was evening out. "I'm good, I'm fine." He tried to reassure Noctis, as well as himself.

Noctis felt relieved, but fearful at the same time as the crimson liquid was still seeping out between his fingers. "We have to stop the bleeding." He looked around for anything that could be useful, but seeing nothing. Then a sudden idea hit him, and he hated that he even considered it. "We need a fire." He said plainly. He grabbed Prompto's hands and placed them over his wound. "Keep your hands there, and don't move them." He ordered, pulling his own away.

Prompto did as he was told, although his hands didn't work much in stunting the flow as the were mainly limply resting there. He could hear Noctis shuffling around dragging things, moving things, but didn't care to much to turn his head and see exactly what he was doing. Didn't have the energy to really care. He thought he saw a flash of light and felt warmth next to him, but still didn't feel like satisfying his curiosity. The next moment Noctis was back in his line of sight and he had his sword out.

"Wha are you doing with tha?" Prompto slurred out, eyeing the blade intently.

Noctis looked from the sword to the fire, then to Prompto. Without speaking he held the blade in the fire, and kept it there until it started to get a slight red glow to it. The other was able to put two and two together, "No, please." He almost begged. "Another way...has to be."

Noctis didn't respond as he carried on what he was doing. "Prompto, move your hands." He commanded instead of asking. Prompto hesitantly did as he was told, knowing there was no arguing with him. Noctis lifted his shirt above the puncture wound, and gave it a second's though before quickly pulling the blade out of the fire and pressing it against injury.