Who Says A God Can't Be A Hunter Too?

Chapter 18

"Are you feeling okay? Your movements are a bit sluggish," I noted as I turned back to her, stretching out my hand and running it over the top of her head. She raised her head until we were at the same eye level, a position that would be quite terrifying for anyone else, before she dropped her head lightly on my shoulder, her forked tongue snaking out to touch my cheek.

We were far from where we spent the night, and as far as I could tell there was no one in the surrounding area. "We might as well take another rest for now, don't you think?" I asked, looking up and observing the sun already quite high overhead. It had to be somewhere around noon by now, which meant it was a good time for lunch. Walking so much had worked up my own appetite, and I was eager to fill my rumbling stomach.

I follow Eitri as she slithered through the grass towards the largest tree in the area and began to pull herself up, and I sat down at the base and dropped my bag and bow besides me. I pulled out my gourd and took a few sips of water before laying it in my lap, heaving a sigh as I laid my head back.

"You know, I think this is one of the most tiring phases so far. Not so much physically as it is mentally though. I'm used to wandering the forest," I spoke to Eitri, reaching into my bag for a small pouch of berries and fruits I had scavenged along the way. "Not knowing who may be after me and my tag or what their abilities are, and knowing some aren't above trying to kill me to get what they want – it's pretty taxing. Not to mention having to be on alert nearly every second is really frying my nerves."
I glanced up at Eitri who had coiled herself in the branches above, squinting when I saw an unnatural bulge in her stomach. It was a seemingly heavy weight lodged about mid-torso, and I wondered what she could have eaten. Whatever it was, that was most likely the reason she had been so sluggish all day. She was digesting something. She had grown enough to where small things wouldn't show if she swallowed them, but something that big definitely drew attention, and I felt a sudden chill run down my spine.

"Eitri?"

My voice was deathly quiet, and it seemed my pet already knew what I had just assumed.

But...how? It made no sense – I hadn't let her wander off...

Oh, hell.

I'd forgotten. When I went after Hisoka, I had left her alone. But it was only for five minutes at most. She hadn't moved that quickly, had she?

I stood up and turned to face her, my arms crossed over my chest as I observed her. She slowly turned her head to look at me, her forked tongue flicking out at me in a mocking manner. She knew.
My blood ran cold, then burning hot.

"Really Eitri, you ate someone, again!?" My voice boomed through the forest, startling even the birds that nested in the trees above.

Eitri laid her head down on one of the branches, her tongue flicking out lazily. No wonder she had been so sluggish – she wasn't just digesting something...she was digesting someone. I let out an irritated groan, my hands flying up to tug at my hair; she'd be useless until she regurgitated her meal. "Just make sure you don't throw up my badge when you hurl up the poor soul you swallowed!" I yelled angrily, snatching up my bag and bow from the base of the tree and walking off from where she had settled.
I trekked through the surrounding area on my own, not planning to go very far, while anger still raged inside me. No matter how I had tamed her, she was still a wild, vicious animal. She knew not to turn on me at least – but she easily disregarded that courtesy for anyone else.

'Really, you'd think asking her not to kill people would be such an easy task – but no! And it's not as if she's stupid, she just doesn't care! She knows I can't punish her for it, that I most likely won't, and so she does whatever she pleases!'

I hadn't realized that I was wandering farther and farther away as I mentally raved and ranted, and hardly realized what a scene and how much noise I was making until I accidentally came face to face with another applicant.

The man was short and stout, with dark hair that was already showing signs of gray pulled back in a ponytail. He had bushy eyebrows, small, watery eyes, and a large crooked nose. He wore a large blue cloak with a matching dress underneath, and a rapier was secured on the right side of his body. He must have been a left-handed swordsman.

I had all the time to take notice of these things before actually taking notice of the man himself, but as soon as I did... I ran.

"H-Hey, wait!"

My hair whipped behind me as I dashed through the underbrush, ignoring the branches and thorns that snagged at my clothing as I raced through the woods. I ran blindly – there was no point in going back to where I left Eitri, since she was pretty useless at the moment. Not to mention she was usually her most vulnerable when she was digesting her food.

Damn snake.

"Stop! You there, stop!"

Was the old man crazy? No way in hell was I stopping! I wasn't going to risk myself getting killed, or even mildly injured – all for a badge that I didn't even have on my person at the moment.

I sprinted through the undergrowth, winding my way through the forest at a dizzying speed – and yet still, the old man managed to keep up with me.

'Damn! I need to lose him before I go back to Eitri...why is he so persistent?!'

Okay, that was a stupid question.

I took a sharp right, veering out of the way of a small circular clearing when a tremor went through me. The sensation crept down my spine, almost making my next steps falter. I could still hear the other applicant following not too far behind me, but my mind was far from that now.

My gaze traveled down to the crimson thread tied in a knot at the base of little finger, and my breath hitched in my throat.

•••

His approach was like a fire in my blood.
I felt my stomach drop, my mouth suddenly becoming unbearably dry. The world around me seemed to slow as I watched the dazzling crimson thread that connected us begin to slacken as the two of us drew closer to one another.

His presence was merely a shadow at this point, the precarious magician a figure unseen; I couldn't feel him approaching, but I knew that he was straight ahead of me. The old man was still following after me, but I gave no thought to him or his wellbeing at this point. Hisoka was at the very forefront of my mind. I needed to get out of the way.

It seemed to take a great amount of effort for me to branch off the path I was on, but a glimpse of scarlet from the corner of my eye seemed to kick in the adrenaline I needed to hightail it out of there. I didn't care about the noise I made now, it hardly matter at this point – I could already feel the change in the connection between Hisoka and I.

He had spotted his prey.