Hunter and Prey

Chapter 9: What Lurks in the Dark

Rays of warm sunlight cascaded over and through the branches of the trees in the surrounding forest. Warmth drifted over Rose as she lay curled up comfily against something soft and warmer than the sunlight that fell over her. Her five long tails wrapped over her legs softly, her ears twitching softly as something soft tickled them, still in a light sleep. Her mind played on the border of consciousness and she giggled softly in her sleep, at whatever was tickling her ear. "Nnn- hehehe~! Stop it, that tickles..." Her mind foggy with the dream world as she lay there, hearing a returning chuckle, a familiar voice echoing softly in her ears. "Heh~ that's my fur lass, and it's hard for it not to tickle when your face is snuggled right up in it... Especially since you're clinging to me." Confusion welled in her and she started to wake, slowly stirring and opening her eyes, looking confused. "Hhnn?..." Opening her slightly blurry sighted eyes from sleepiness, looking up, seeing a pair of bright, beautiful glowing blue eyes looking down at her. Her memory crashed back into her mind and panic surged through her as she remembered the wolf who had chased her, seeing those eyes stare right back at her. Her pupils shrank to slits and her ears flew flat down against her head as she screamed and pushed away from who was holding her, scrambling backward in the leaves and twigs on the ground, pushing her back up against a tree, panting and shaking in fear. "G-Get away from me!!!" She shuddered and breathed heavily, heart pounding in her chest as she stared ahead of her at what lay before her. "Rose, are you okay?... It's okay, it's just me, Kimata..." His soft and reassuring voice soothed her as her vision came into focus, finally seeing the white handsome wolf in front of her with his soft blue markings and blue tipped dark grey hair hanging down the side of his face. His wide brimmed hat tilted back to reveal the softer and kinder light features of his face, his eyes loosing some of their fearsome glow to them as he watched her. She looked him over, seeing his dark long-coat looking ruffled and messy like something had disturbed it. He was sitting cross-legged and stayed where he was, giving her spaced so she was able to breathe, still staring at his coat. He must've wrapped it over her as she slept to keep her warm. The cold air around her in the shade made her realize how warm she'd been against him while she slept. Her fear slowly faded away when she realized it was only him but confusion soon took hold of her. Where was the massive wolf who had chased her down last night... How and why was she not dead!? A headache suddenly pulsed it's way into Rose's head and she grabbed it, groaning softly in pain. "Damn, my head..." She whimpered softly and caught a glimpse of Kimata as he got up slowly and walked towards her, kneeling down by her and gently placing his hand to her forehead where she'd hit the tree when she fell. She winced and braced herself for pain but it didn't hurt as much as she thought it would at his touch. He examined her head and gave the bruise a soft rub with his thumb and smiled. "Got a nasty bump on the head last night lass... I lost you not long after we started traveling, I guess you fell behind, and then after an hour or so of searching I found you unconscious against a tree, shivering and crying in your sleep. So I fixed up a poultice for your head and kept you warm while you slept, until this morning." His soft voice soothed her as her head still swam with questions like, 'Didn't he hear the howl of the wolf?', and 'How did you get so far ahead not to hear me screaming?' But her mind went a bit dull from her sleepy state and she nodded slowly. "Yeah... I must've fallen pretty far behind. I was lost in thought, I guess that's how I lost you... I don't even know how I'm still alive. Did you happen to see a massive white wolf by me when you found me?..."

Rose looked up at him and for a moment she thought she caught a glimpse of fear in his eyes, but if it was ever there, it quickly vanished and was replaced with a soft assuring smile. "No I didn't, but perhaps it ran off when I approached." Rose nodded softly, still unsure, but agreeing to his statement anyway. "Yeah... I guess I fell behind pretty far while I was in thought..." He looked at her curiously, tilting his head softly. "Why do you ask lass?... What happened to you last night?..." Rose shuddered as she looked up into his soft inquiring eyes, trying to think of how to describe her attack last night. "When I realized I was lost and alone I started looking for you... I couldn't find you anywhere, but something else found me instead. A massive male white wolf with bright blue eyes came out of nowhere and chased me down until I tripped and hit my head on a tree. The last thing I saw was it standing right beside me, it stood at least 5 or 6 feet tall at the shoulders... I don't know how I'm not dead." Rose shuddered and her voice trailed off as she finished, looking down at the ground. Kimata smiled softly and reached up, gently rubbing her shoulder reassuringly, drawing her attention back to him."I don't know what happened last night or why this wolf didn't kill you, but... Perhaps it chose not to kill you for the same reason I didn't..." Rose's ears perked and looked up at him confused. He smiled as he looked into her eyes, softly lifting her chin with a finger to level her gaze with his. "You are very beautiful... But true beauty is on the inside. And it's so rare for one to have the traits in a heart of both. When I first saw you I was stunned by your beauty, but I was truly moved when I saw your kindness as well. Perhaps this wolf saw it too..." Kimata smiled charmingly and Rose blushed deeply at his comment, cheeks bright red as she looked up at him both shocked and flattered. He smiled and chuckled softly. "Sorry for flattering you again lass~... Though I don't get tired of seeing your face turn into a tomato, he he he..." Rose shuddered and looked away shyly, ears flat back in a bashful manner. The white wolf smiled more and slowly stood up, offering his hand to help her up. The young leopard glanced away shyly and took his hand, standing up and dusting herself off, trying to flatten her fur which was now standing on end. "T-thank you..." Her voice shakey, barely breathing it out as she spoke. "No problem milady..." He looked around, gathering his bearings and readjusting the strap of his satchel. His gaze turned towards the rising sun in the east, glancing back towards the western mountains and the valley ahead. "We should get moving before anyone notices anything suspicious about both our disappearances... Come on." Rose watched the bounty hunter start to head towards the mountain valley that lay several miles ahead of them now. "He paused for a moment after taking a few steps, looking back at her and smiling playfully with a touch of seriousness in his gaze. "And... Please stay close this time? I can only protect you when you are with me, do you understand lass?" Rose started walking towards him and caught up, starting to walk alongside him, nodding softly and smiling. "Yes... I'll do my best to stick close from now on." Kimata smiled and looked back to face the direction they're heading. "Good... And if that wolf comes back, I promise it won't be able to touch you with me around."

Rose smiled at his heroic vow and stuck to his side like glue. She was glad to stay close, even if she still didn't fully trust him. Her hot red cheeks still shone tomato red as she kept good pace with him, remembering when he'd frightened and teased her back at the hollow. As scared as she had been, she believed he was just toying with her for fun... He didn't mean any harm, he was just... Like he said. Playful but harmless to her... If he kept his word anyways. She pushed the up easing thought away and smiled, seemingly skipping as she walked with him towards the foreboding mountain range, but she nearly forgot about the tales of it altogether in the air of happiness that now lifted her soul. She watched as he glanced over at her, a playful and gentle grin rising over his lips as he raised an eyebrow at her skipping and lighthearted mood. "You alright there lass?" He inquired softly, chuckling lightly under his breath at her happy-go-lucky mood. She stopped skipping, seeming embarrassed as she kept pace, now walking, gaze down shyly. "Y-yes I'm alright... Just happy, is all."

He smiled more, his eyes seeming to light up. His stride was strong and sure as he glided gracefully over the growth covered ground, hardly making a sound as he walked. Rose took note of it but didn't lay full attention to it, ears perked as he responded calmly and happily to her. "Well I'm glad, milady... If there's anything you need, ask and I'll do my best to deliver." She nodded and smiled softly, wondering what he might mean by that but pushing the thought aside as she decided to inquire a few things about him instead or things he could answer. "So... That wolf from last night was hardly normal... Any idea what it might've been?" Rose was surprised when she thought she saw him shudder as she finished speaking. Seeing him smile again and keep walking with her at a steady pace, keeping his senses keen on what lay around him. "It could've been a few things.... One, it could've just been a very large wolf... Two, it was an experiment, or animal from the beyond, and three, it might've been a werewolf...." She wondered if he had noticed his uncomfortable state around the question, but then thought she might've imagined it or he noticed because he adjusted quickly and gave off no other sign that he might be uncomfortable about the topic. She thought for a moment. "Well... How do you tell the difference?" Kimata sighed and smiled, thinking for a moment. "The chances of it being a large wolf are slim, because the size you described is unnatural. The chance of it being from 'the beyond', this far from the mountains if also slim since no one ever sees creatures cross over here from that land... So the best chance was that it was a werewolf..." His voice drifted off and his gaze never met Rose's as he spoke. She wondered if she brought up a touchy subject to him or something... After all she knew nothing about his past. Maybe his parents were eaten by a werewolf. Pity washed over her at the thought so she decided to change the subject. "Where do you come from?" Kimata smirked and glanced at Rose with a sly grin. Continuing to walk swiftly, looking away again, eyes focused on the path ahead. "Far away... Very far away..."