The Hunt

Chapter 3- Wolves

Cecily's hunt found her on the outskirts of a camp deep in the woods. The close trees allowed for good hiding between the wolves as well as the hunter. There were blankets and clothes slung together as a top to protect from the artificial sun.

A crack a few feet behind her made her turn. Her sword was placed at the left side of a wolf's neck. He looked at her fear clear in his brown eyes.

"Good," Cecily said, her ever so smooth voice quiet. "Good. Answer me something, wolf. You should have a man hear, about five feet eleven inches. Brown hair and eyes. Tanned skin. Careful of your reply."

"Tam?"

"Is that his name?"

The man didn't dare nod, the sword still pressed to his throat. He could feel the cold tip of death, ready to take him away. Instead, he gave a hum of a reply.

"Where is he?"

"In the camp. Under the blue tent."

The hunter gave the wolf one last terrifying, heart stopping look before sheathing the sword across her back. That's all she brought to slaughter the man who stole her axe. A simple double edged sword.

Without any hint of secrecy, she waltzed into the camp, alerting several more wolves of her presence. When she caught the glare of one of them, she let out an animalistic growl.

They cowered before her, not daring to stop her. The auburn hair. The black eyes. The small body. The hunter.

She marched her way to the blue tent at the far side of the camp where she could see a man lounging in a chair who hadn't yet caught sight of her.

"You." She said, her voice still. "Thief."

His gaze turned back to her. His eyes were filled with cockiness. "Hello, little hunter. What can I do you the honor?"

Damn him for his bastard hands. He dirtied her precious weapon with those hideous, awful-

"I want what's mine."

He smirked, not even pretending he wasn't there. Instead, he picked it up off the table in the middle of the camp. "You mean this?"

I'll kill him. I'll cut him limb from limb so he can never touch anything of mine again. Maybe gouge his eyes out so he can't even-

"Give it back."

He smirked. "No."

Her patience snapped and she lunged, only to be met with her own axe.

"Now, calm down," the man said, still smirking. "There's no need for violence. How about a deal. You come with me to my bed. Entertain me, hunter. Maybe then I'll consider-"

He ended in a spray of blood. His body fell in two halves. One half, his left arm, down to the hip bone. The other, his cocky smile and right arm.

Better him dead, now that he can't think about my weapons.

She pried the axe from his still warm hands and tucked it safely away.

Her glare turned back to the other wolves, all watching her with weapons drawn. "You wanna fight, pups?"

Her growl made a few of them flinch, but none backed down. Stupid, insufferable pups. All of them.

She was a flurry of blades and blood and titanium. And limbs, there were lots of flying limbs too.

She zeroed in on the last man standing.

"Run, and I might give you a chance."

The man dropped his weapon, a dagger that she'd already seen too many duplicates off, and ran.

The thought crossed her mind, to throw the axe and hit him from behind. But she was a hunter and she didn't kill without reason.

Besides, she had other things to attend to, such as looting the camp.

She kneeled down, taking an extra bag from a dead half of a body to fit more goods. Well, it wasn't stealing if they were dead. It was looting. In a grave, it could be looked down upon. Here, it was a lifestyle.

She didn't need much food, so the extra bag hadn't been necessarily needed... Until she found a set of daggers strapped to a man's waist that she'd never seen.

It was enough to make her think of the perfect space on her-

There was a snap in a branch behind her.

Her right arm, the titanium one, already had her sword drawn and facing in the direction of the noise.

A boy who looked about eighteen was staring at her and shivering.

"You killed them," he mumbled.

She nodded, sheathing her sword. He was no threat to her. She could nearly smell the weakness radiating off of him.

"Why?"

"They took something from me."

"But...you kill-you slaughtered them all."

Not true. She let one get away. But she didn't necessarily feel like explaining that to the boy who looked like he was about to piss his pants.

"You're knew," she said, instead.

The age limit for the prison was eighteen. If you were younger, they kept you in a normal prison until you were old enough.

He bobbed his head a few times, flopping his sweaty brown hair.

"A bit of advice, don't get in my way."

He flinched as she strut by him, afraid that she'd cleave him in half like the man who stole from her.

She didn't even give him a passing glance. He wasn't worth it. No one in this gods damned prison was-

There was a buzzing, followed by a flashing white light, blinding the prisoners.

"What's that!" The boy yelled, his eyes covered as he clenched his ears to the loud noise.

"They're here," the hunter replied, the first tremor in her voice in years.

She started off in a dash, her half open eyes keeping her from tripping over uplifted roots and bushes.

The guards were in the prison. If the guards were in the prison they wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone they saw. They'd shoot her dead with an arrow in her back without a second thought.

She had to get to safety. Her home was the only safety.

So she ran, dropping her bags and everything else to loose weight. Even the sword strapped to her back was lost in the run. She'd hunt them down later.

Cecily stopped when her foot thudded against the hollow of her home. As fast as she could, she peeled open the hatch and slid it, closing the door behind her.

She retreated to the far side of the room, still not feeling safe as she peeled open a grate. A small compartment that she used for nothing but hiding.

Like a dog with its tail tucked between his legs, she scampered in. Cecily prayed to whoever was listening that the guards weren't here to kill her for surviving too long.

---

"You're sure about this?" Reiko asked, sitting in the drivers seat of the car.

"I already sent the guards to fetch her," Zephyr replied, leaning on his hand.

"Jesus, Zeph! You probably scared the girl shitless."

"What?"

"The guards there are as insane as the prisoners. You tell them to get someone and they crawl in there shooting everyone they see. They'll grab her with one of those chocked leashes they use on dogs while they disarm her and chain her up."

"Shit," Zephyr cursed. "You don't think I could ask them to take her nicely?"

"Hell no. They'll laugh at you. What you already did, just leave it at that. They'll doubt you if you take back your order."

"I hope she isn't pissed at me."