The hunted: but who's the True Predator: Closed Thread

[The_gladiator]

The moon shown full and bright as it slowly rose into the sky, casting fingers of shadow over the gathered group. They all clutched their weapon of choice. A few even looked like they knew how to use those weapons. Finally, one voice rose above the rest. “Is it true that they’re releasing the Hellcat? That’s really who we get to hunt?” The speaker was a slightly portly fellow clutching a short sword.

“Yes, and I’m certain that you will be the first to die,” General Trajan responded as he bent his longbow, snapping the string into place. This was not the only weapon he bore. He wore both sword and dagger at his belt and had some other nasty surprises for their guest.

The portly man chuckled, “You think an unarmed man will stand a chance against me?” he asked brandishing his sword.

“Of course. And, put that thing away before you hurt yourself or someone else.” Trajan was certain that the man would die, he was certain that all of the 7 nobles would die. It was fortunate that the hunt was not for them. No, they were just there as a political reward for their high station and donation to the crown. No, this hunt was for himself, the queen, and her dark shadow. But especially him. He had wanted that wretch Galan, the one that they called the hellcat due to his elven ears, at his mercy for the 5 years since he had captured the son of a bitch for daring to lead a strike team of elves in gorilla tactics against his army. His army no less. He would have him under his thumb. He would not be protected by the arena after tonight. He would either be free, or be caught. Now, if the queen would just get there, her and her shadow the hunt could begin.

Across the way from General Trajan Galan struggled against his captor’s grips. He knew it was futile, he could never break the chains that bound him at wrist and ankle, but he had to struggle despite knowing that. He would not lay down and die for these people, none of them.

A bored looking master of ceremonies snapped his fingers in Galan’s face. “Are you paying attention.”

The green eyes lifted to the man and there was murder in that gaze, they were the hell cat’s eyes. He should listen, the man was trying to tell him the rules that would govern this experience. “Rather than living in a life of luxury as the reigning champion of the arena, you have chosen instead the hunt.” Galan tuned that part out, that was all stuff he knew. Most of it was stuff he knew from hearing about it from other slaves who had been given this opportunity. The man pompously continued to pontificate about the rules, “You are to be released into that forest, with no weapons and not but the clothing you wear now.” Galan glanced down at the simple tunic, pants and soft boots he’d been dressed in. Other than the fact that they were white, something that would make him stand out like a sore thumb in the moonlight, they weren’t terrible.

The man continued, “You are to be hunted like the animal you are…” Galan blanked him out again, yes yes, by ten Hunters, he was to be unarmed, the man had said that twice. He suddenly payed attention, “You may not kill the queen.” How was that a rule, that didn’t seem fair, but he knew it had to be right if he slew the queen there was no way he’d make it out of the forest alive.

Finally, Galan spoke up cutting off the windbag. “So, you’re saying then, that I can kill everyone but the queen, and I just have to escape her?” he asked, his tone cold, business like. His elvish accent slightly lilting the common tongue.

“Well, yes I suppose, but you will be unarmed,”

“I am never unarmed,” Galan muttered and flexed his arm, making it ripple with muscle, and the man took a step back, probably chilled more by the utter fearlessness nature of Galan than the muscles he had flexed.

“Yes, of course,” he replied. “Look, the queen and her dark shadow come now.” And that’s when Galan, the fearless Hellcat’s blood ran cold. The queen’s shadow was to hunt him? Green eyes flicked to her. She would be impossible to see among the trees, with the skin of the dark elves but the same high elven black hair he bore. The night would swallow her. He couldn’t let fear rule him. Surely, she wouldn’t be hunting him too, right?

 

[Kaena]

Elera walked swiftly, her eyes continuously scanning the crowd for any sign of threat to her sister Queen Saeya, who walked at her side. If her ebony skin and long black hair didn't draw attention to her in itself, the weapons she had strapped to her side and leg would. Elera wore her weapons with pride, her reputation proceeding as someone who knew how to wield them with precision and without mercy. There was no doubt that she was dangerous to anyone who dared cross her or the queen. Saeya on the other hand was a stark contrast to her sister, her skin fair and her hair almost silver.

Elera was a full elf, born before their mother married Saeya's human father, the former king of Kailla. She had never known her father. Her parents love had been forbidden, her mother was a high elf princess, promised in marriage to the human king of Kailla to join the human and elven kingdoms and he was not only a commoner, but a dark elf, a race that was looked down upon by the high elves. Their affair was revealed when Elera was conceived and her father was killed by her grandfather in a fit of rage. After that her mother had been shipped off to marry the human king and despite her heartbreak from losing her first love, she grew to love Saeya's father and settled in as the Queen of Kailla with ease. Not long after, Saeya was conceived. Though she was not the king's true daughter like Saeya, Elera was never treated any different. She was taught by the best tutors and trained to be a warrior alongside her sister. The only thing her parentage restricted her from was being Queen of Kailla, but, in reality she didn't want that responsibility and was happy to concede it to her sister. Instead, she acted as her sister's enforcer, her shadow as most called her. A force to be reckoned with.

Where Elera gave off an aura of danger, Saeya was more subtle. Her fair skin and light hair often made others think of her as weak, someone who hid behind her sister and wouldn't fight her own battles. Often she ended up surprising those that tried her, her skills with her weapons matching her sister's equally. In some ways she was more dangerous than Elera because no one expected it from her.

The sisters were both dressed in similar clothing. A soft tunic under a leather corset, tied tightly to keep the cloth from impeding their movement. The tail of the tunic was tucked in neatly to a pair of soft leather pants which were tucked into a pair of knee high boots. Elera's clothing was a shade of black that closely matched her skin, making her impossible to see under the fall of night. Saeya's on the other hand was white, to complete the contrast between the two. The both carried a sword gifted them by the former king, strapped at their waist. Aside from that, Elera had a dagger strapped to each thigh, as well as a bow strung over her shoulder. Saeya had one dagger strapped to her thigh, but also had one inside her boot and another strapped to her wrist under the sleeve of her tunic. Instead of a long bow like her sister, she carried a cross bow along with a sheath of deadly bolts made of silver and tipped with a poison that could paralyze a man for several minutes.

Elera smirked at the small group of nobles that had come out for the hunt. She found it rather amusing that they thought they had any chance of capturing the one they called the Hell Cat before he was captured by the queen or herself. She would be surprised if any of them even made it out of the forest alive, even though the man they were hunting was going in unarmed. Her eyes moved from the group of nobles to General Trajan. Her loins tingled at the memory of him beneath her the night before. Now him she had no doubt would make it out alive but would make an attempt to capture Galen, even if to just present him as a gift to the queen.

After surveying her pitiful competition, her eyes moved the man who they were about to start hunting. She had seen Galen fight many times in the arena and knew he was a dangerous man. She had been disappointed that he had chosen the hunt instead of continuing a life of luxury as the queen's prize arena slave. Most arena slaves had eventually ended up in her or the queen's bed, however, she had never had the pleasure of him warming her sheets. Now if she wanted him she was going to have to catch him, which in reality she didn't think was really going to be that hard.

"He is a nice specimen isn't he," Saeya's teasing voice pulled her from her thoughts. It was obvious by the smirk on Saeya's lips she knew what thoughts were crossing Elera's mind in regards to Galen.

"He will do," Elera said dismissively, though she knew she would not be able to deceive her sister. There bond was beyond just being sisters, it was almost as if they could read each others minds.

" Lets get the fun started shall we?" Saeya called out, turning to the master of ceremonies. "Release the prisoner. Let's see how long he can last against us."

Bowing his head, the master of ceremonies motioned to the men holding Galen. They removed the chains and forced him to his knees in front of Saeya.

"This is your last chance at freedom," Saeya said, reaching out to run her fingertips down the side of his face, admiring his handsomeness. "Once you are captured you will belong to whoever it is. I cannot say what will happen to you then."

Taking a step back, she looked around her at everyone waiting in anticipation before returning her gaze to him.

"If I were you I would run," she called out, drawing her sword, the noise matching that of the clang of weapons being drawn from the others. "Run." The simple word an order in itself.

 

[The_gladiator]

Galan relaxed in the grip of his captors. He was mentally preparing himself for the hunt to come. This was no different than warfare, no different from the 5 years he had fought in the arena. Each battle had its own challenges. He had already sized up the competitors in those silent moments through half-lidded green eyes. Pathetic. Seven of them would die, he was sure of that. General Trajan, that one could be trouble. The queen he could not kill, so one way or another he would avoid her. There was only one he feared. She stood there, a dark reflection of her sister. Perhaps a bit taller, perhaps a little less well endowed. Perhaps with a bit more of the willowy elven grace, but otherwise a perfect dark replica. Their mannerisms making what ever small physical differences other than their coloring seem superfluous. Their coloring on the other hand was emphasized to an extreme. It was meant to and succeeded in causing fear. He could admit in that moment that even he was not immune.

At the queen’s order His chains were removed. Galan did not fight. He did resist going to his knees before the queen until a spear butt across the backs of his knees showed him the error of his ways. He knelt before her. He looked up at her and there was the hell cat’s fire in their green depths. He actually nuzzled her hand where it brushed his cheek, almost as if he were marking her, as if he really were a cat. However, if the look in his eyes meant anything, he was marking her for only one thing, death.

When the queen told him to run, Galan rose to his feet slowly and moved towards the forest. He did not run, he almost sauntered, or swaggered. He knew not a single one of them would pursue until he was safely in the trees. Why would he waste his energy? They could all hold their breath in anticipation. Five years in the arena had taught him to be a showman. As he walked, he removed the tunic. This revealed his muscled torso. This brought gasps from some of the onlookers and made at least one of the noble’s blanch just a bit. Unwilling to discard the shirt but not wanting its flowy nature to impede his movement, he tucked it after rolling it tight through his belt. Later he might need it to keep warm, but now, lacking it the son bronzed skin of his torso would be better camouflage than the white of the tunic. Though as half-elven as the queen, Galan had been raised among the elves as she had the humans. There were only telltale things like the sun kissed tan from hours in the arena that set him apart from being full blooded, just as the signs were there marking her mixed breeding as well.

He turned at the treeline and flashed the queen a mocking salute, and then was gone. As soon as he hit the treeline the hunt was on and it was clear he knew it based on the burst of speed he used to dart into the forest.

It did not take Galan Long to go up into the trees, and also to stop running. They would expect him to run far and fast. He would watch them pelt by below him, and he would now hunt them, one by one. He suspected he would not be without a weapon for long.

 

[Kaena]

Saeya pretended to not notice him nuzzling her hand as she brushed his cheek. To a passive observer it would almost seem like the touch was almost loving, but, she knew better. She knew by the look in his eyes what he truly meant by it. The thought that he would even think that she could be marked for death by his hand amused her. He would learn in a quick and painful way that she was not easy to be killed, if he dared try.

Her gaze, along with Elera's never faltered from his muscular form as he sauntered slowly to the treeline. He was taunting them and though she enjoyed the view of his young body without a shirt she was growing tired of his show rather quickly. When he finally slipped into the cover of the trees, she watched as the nobles rush in after him, their weapons held ready. She knew most of them would be dead before the night was over, if not all them, and honestly she didn't really care. The men and women she chose to be "honored" to be part of this hunt had been chosen for a reason. They were pawns in the ultimate game, chosen for their lack of respect to the queen and rumours of their talk against her. General Trajan being the exception. He was there at his own request, one Saeya was sure was steeped in his own desire to bring this young hell cat to his knees once and for all.

As soon as Trajan moved into the trees behind Galan, Elera and Saeya moved forward, almost in unison. Elera pointed up into the trees without saying a word. She knew where Galen was and was interested to see how it would play out to the others. Stopping at the edge of the trees the two women waited in silence, the cool breezing brushing wisps of hair that had escaped from their braids across their face. They were not stupid enough to go after him yet. The would wait until he tired himself out first taking on the others before they made a move. Though he was called a Hell Cat, they were in the cats in this scenario, stalking their prey, lying patiently in wait. He may not have realized it yet, but he was the mouse.

 

[The_gladiator]

General Trajan followed the nobles into the forest. He like the queen and her shadow, did not run. He did walk faster than they. He knew the others were bating. His plan was to get the drop on the hellcat as he made his hit on one of the others. He wished as he knocked an arrow, that he had opted for a shorter bow. In the densely packed trees, the greater distance of the longbow was wasted and since the cat wore no armor, he did not need the greater force. However, it did not stop him from cutting a wide circle around the others based on their sounds.

Getting out in front of them the general swung up into his own tree and sighted an arrow on the place he expected the hell cat to attack from. He had studied Galan’s military tactics. Not just his strategies in the arena but having lost some major battles to the bastard, Trajan had made learning his opponent a key strategy.

Galan across the way from the General watched the ground below him. He had missed Trajan’s approach at first, but eventually grew aware that he was there. This would reduce the amount of time he had to make his strike, but he would not abandon his plan just because the general was there. He knew it had to be he, there was no way a noble had flanked him, or that the queen’s shadow would have let him spot her in any way, not in the darkness.

The group of nobles pelted down below him, much as he had predicted. He dropped down onto the portly man, and true to Trajan’s prediction he was the first to die. As he tumbled out of the tree, Galan had caught the other man’s head in his arm and as he fell, rolling to avoid the zip of Trajan’s arrow his momentum whipped the man’s head back, snapping his neck with a sharp pop.

Just like that he was gone. Trajan swore under his breath as he knocked his arrow. It had only taken a second, and even though he knew what he would do, had fired at him, he had missed, and now Galan was gone again, but this time he was not unarmed. The portly man’s sword had fallen from nerveless fingers, but was gone now even as Trajan’s eyes tried to penetrate the darkness, moving the arrow point back and forth sweeping the open ground for a target. At least his arrow had prevented Galan from sticking around to lute the body for other possibly helpful items or weapons. The sword he couldn’t help. He couldn’t be that dangerous with only a short sword, could he. Who exactly was General Trajan Kidding? The amount of arena battles he won with just a short sword made that a silly question.

 

[Kaena]

One thing Elera had as an advantage over the others was the ability to see in the dark. Once the shadows of night started to fall over the forest, she could easily make out the others as they made their way through the trees, trying to find Galan. She watched as Trajan made his way into a tree and drew his bow and as the hell cat dropped down and took out his first victim. She had to say she wasn't sorry to see the man go, many times she wanted to snap his neck herself for the rude comments he made towards her and Saeya when he thought he nobody was listening. As Galan picked up his newly acquired weapon she felt a shiver of anticipation. The thrill of the hunt was calling to her and he had just proven himself a worthy prey.

Motioning her intentions to Saeya, she moved quickly into the trees after him, keeping back enough so that he wouldn't know she was there but close enough that she didn't lose sight of him. She was in no hurry to catch him yet. She wanted to see what he was capable of and whether he would be able to take out the other nobles as quickly as he did the first. She quickly moved to the base of the tree where Trajan hid and looked up at him shaking her head. Though she carried a similar bow, she didn't agree with his weapon of choice. He should have known that it had its weaknesses in the dense forest. The only reason she carried a long bow was for if Galan ever made it out of the trees into the field beyond. It would be easy to pick him off as he ran. She preferred to use her knives for the most part, as adept at throwing them as she was in drawing her bow.

Saeya watched as Elera made her way into the forest. Though her clothing did nothing to camouflage her, Saeya followed after her. She knew Galan would not be stupid enough to try to kill her and she intended her presence to instill fear in his heart. She was sure he would know if he saw her, that Elera was somewhere close by and there was no way he would be able to see her coming. Breaking away from Elera, slightly to the left of the direction Galan was headed. She intended to head him off deeper into the forest. As she ran she heard a scream break the silence of the forest. Another victim had fallen to Galan's sword. Two down and 5 to go. She wondered how long it would take him to rid herself of their nuisance.

 

[The_gladiator]

Trajan frowned down at Elera who was almost invisible to his eyes, the moonlight the only thing that allowed him to see her, and the telltale red of her eyes glowing in the infrovision of the elven people. That was one thing that the queen, Elera and even that hell cat had that he didn’t, the heat seeking sight of the elves. Though it was his understanding that the half elves only had it for about half the distance and clarity that the full blooded Elera would have. The circlet he wore under his hair, stone on his forehead took care of that problem for him. It did not give him the heat seeking sight but made it as if everything was bathed in starlight. It beat the pitch blackness that it could have been for him. Worth every penny was the amulet.

Elera seemed to almost silently mock him for his bow and the missed shot. Climbing from the tree, he retrieved the arrow and headed off to rejoin the battle.

Galan had acted very quickly killing the portly man with almost no effort. However, the general’s shot had warned him not to take the time to lute the corpse properly. Even so he held the short sword. The make seemed to be well balanced, high quality, and someone had honed it to a razor sharpness. He thrust it through his belt. Only a fool ran with a drawn blade if he could help it. Light feet carried him after the nobles.

He came on one of the women next. She was limping, clearly favoring one ankle, perhaps in a fall or misstep. The hell cat wasted no time. The lion had spotted a wounded gaze and he struck. His initial thrust Slid between her shoulder blades. He missed the heart due to her stumbling on the ankle. Careless of him. Her scream was short lived though, for as she fell, he rode her body to the ground, knees pinning her lower body, and the sword that he had pulled free slid around to slice out her throat as his free hand caught in the long dark hair jerking her head back in a nice clean line. Her scream ended abruptly in a wet gurgle.

The cat left the second body moments later, a dagger in either boot, tucked safely behind the bones of either ankle to hold them in place, and now he had a short bow. The quiver wasn’t as full as he would have liked, what exactly had that woman done with some of her arrows. Had she been shooting at shadows? Even still there was more than a handful left, and if he was careful it would be enough.

Two down, 5 more to go, then that would just leave the queen, her shadow and General Trajan.

 

[Kaena]

Elera stood passively in the dark as she watched Galan kill his next victim. It would have been easy for her to kill him when he took the time to loot the body, but, instead she held back, giving him a false sense of security. As Galan took off into the trees again, she watched as Trajan made his way after him in the trees, his skills at stealth better than his knowledge of weapons. She smiled as she finally saw a flash of white break the line of the trees as Saeya made her way forward as well, it was apparent that Saeya had fully committed to their cat and mouse style of hunting Galan.

Walking over to the woman Galan had killed, she gazed down at the pool of blood that was now collecting beneath her body. Using her foot to roll the body over she shook her head as her eyes flickered over the once pretty face. Of all the nobles that were part of the hunt, this one was the least despised in Elera's eyes. She had been even fond of her at one time, opting often to take her to her bed. It was a pity that she had started to turn against Saeya and therefore sealed her fate. Checking the body to see if Galan had left anything of use, she found that he had taken all of her weapons. Removing a blood stained necklace she had given her from her neck, she slipped it into her pocket before straightening up to scan the trees once again. Though she couldn't see Galan directly, her eyes could see the heat trail left by his body in the direction he ran. Moving stealthy, she followed after him, once again staying from sight.

Saeya leaned against a tree waiting for Galan. Her elf ears gave her the ability to hear even a small mouse moving in the grass, therefore she had no problem hearing his approach. She could also hear the sounds of the remaining nobles stumbling through the forest, making enough noise to wake the dead. Even though they would be aware by now that they were being picked off one by one, their arrogance still made them think they had a chance and they took no precautions. As she saw one of the nobles she hated the most stumble past her, she pulled out her cross bow and fit it with an bolt. Why should the hell cat have all the fun in killing off her enemies. No one would ever know she was the one who did it, and even if they did, it would act as a cautionary tale to the others not to cross her. Calmly raising the bow, she took her aim and fired, the bolt burying deep in the neck of a man she knew as Fabian, a despicable man who was constantly undermining her. He fell to his knees, his eyes full of shock and disbelief as he saw her step from the trees, her figure almost glowing in the moonlight. Blood spurted from his mouth at his attempt to speak before he fell face first into the dirt, still. Walking over to his body, she calmly pulled the bolt from his body and wiped it on his tunic before returning it to its pouch before moving back into the trees to wait for Galan to reach where she waited.

3 down, only 4 to go. Saeya could feel the thrill of the hunt calling to her, but the kill had quelled it a little, enough so that she could once again wait patiently and toy with Galan.

 

[The_gladiator]

Trajan knew he had to think of some way to get the cat. He had not seen him make his second kill, but he too found her body. He spat on the corpse. Fool should have known better than to take part in this hunt. He too had invited this one into his bed more than once and he was sad to see her dead. Honestly all of the nobles were friends of his, and it was just now sinking in that that fact was true, and that they would probably all die in here.

Galan was walking the arboreal highway, high above the ground when he saw the fading heat of the third body. This was not his kill. He knew it had to be Saeya. He still suspected Elera was behind him. He knew that she could have probably killed him more than once now, but he had not concerned himself with it yet, she would not end the hunt so soon. He had to admit there was a part of him that thrilled at the challenge of this.

He swept the area looking for the queen. She couldn’t have gone far. Her white clothing should make her easy to spot.

Knowing he couldn’t kill her he had to move on, and so he continued to slip through the forest. Two men had met one another just ahead. They whispered thinking they were being quiet, whereas all three with elvish blood could surely hear their every word. “Someone got Rhona,” one said to the other.

“I heard her scream. How when he isn’t armed,”

“Don’t be foolish, if he killed fatty, he’s at least got a sword,”

“What makes you think he killed fatty?” the other man just going along with the derogatory name for the portly fellow.

“Logic, plus, Trajan said it, he would die first. I trust the General to know what he’s talking about.”

“Fine, and whatever weapons Rhona had too, he’ll also have.”

“At least her quiver isn’t full,”

“I told her not to shoot at shadows during the last hunt,”

“How many does that leave?” the other asked the two men unconsciously putting their backs to one another as they dropped into defensive crouches. They didn’t quite look scared, but they did look more prepared than the others.

 

[Kaena]

Elera moved along the forest floor in silence. She knew he was in the trees above her, but, it was obvious he was not aware she was there. When he stopped to scan the forest, she did so as well, her eyes catching a glimpse as well at the fading heat of a third body. She frowned at that. She knew he had not killed another, since she had him in her sight the whole time. Her question was answered as she caught a glimpse of white before her sister disappeared into the forest. It appeared her sister was growing impatient at how the speed he was killing off the others and had decided to help him out by lowering the numbers a little. As she passed the body, she gave it a quick glance to see who it was. When her eyes fell on Fabian's lifeless corpse, she smiled in approval. Her sister had killed off the one noble that she had wished she could have killed herself. Fabian was a despicable man and deserved to be left to rot on the forest floor.

She paused at the sound of voices on the path ahead. Looking up into the trees, she saw that he had paused as well, listening to the conversation of the two men. A smirk played on her lips as the one man inquired as to how many of them were left. They still didn't know about Fabian or that their certain death was waiting in the trees above them, waiting as a cat ready to pounce on its prey. At least they seemed to have a few more brain cells than the three that had already been dispatched to their maker. They crouched down in defense, their back to each so that no one would be able to sneak up on them without them being aware. But, the man hunting them was not just any man and she was sure they were soon to find this out. She moved silently to lean against a tree, her hand idly fondling the hilt of her knife at her belt. She itched to plant the knife between the eyes of the closest man, but, she restrained herself, intent on watching what his next move would be.

Saeya as well had settled in to watch what would transpire on the path behind her. She had made her way into the thickest part of the trees to ensure the men could not see her, though she knew Galan would be able to. She was intrigued as to what he would do. Would he attack both of the men at once, or find a way to separate them and pick them off one by one. Either way, she intended to stay around to enjoy the show.

 

[The_gladiator]

Galan saw the two men, but passed them by. The looked too tempting. Since he could see Saeya, and knew Elera had to be behind him, he had to do something else completely.

Trajan arrived looking down on the men as well. The fellows did not even know they were surrounded. However, Galan did not stick around long, as he fled getting out ahead of the other two final pursuers. For the first time fleeing rather than hunting, make them chase him for a while. He loved his new plan. He would still hunt them but he would make them think they were finally hunting him.

Trajan dropped from the trees in front of the two men. “Idiots,” he snapped, “He has fled and you two stand there afraid of your own shadows, follow him,” he snapped, taking charge as he was wanting to do.

 

[Kaena]

Elera was disappointed when she saw Galan move on further into the trees. She had hoped he would have engaged the two men in a fight or something. Instead he took off, seeming to flee for the first time, most likely expecting them to chase him. She was slowly becoming tired of this game of cat and mouse. She would follow him, but it would be on her own terms, not his. She slid back into the trees and made her way in the direction he was headed, her expert hearing quickly picking up his movements with ease. It wasn't really chasing him, if she knew exactly where he was the whole time.

Saeya sighed and walked out into the clearing to where the men stood, making her present known. She was just about to berate them for their idiocy when Trajan dropped from the trees above them. She smiled at the sight of him and amused at how angry he seemed towards the two men in their path. At Trajan's words, the two men looked back and forth between Saeya and Trajan, a sudden realization in their eyes at how easily they had become surrounded. They jumped to their feet and bowed low to Saeya before running off into the trees.

"Goddess, how has he not killed them already," she speculated out loud. "They have about as much stealth as a herd of stampeding wild horses. Nodding her head to Trajan in recognition of his presence, she moved stealthily into the trees after them. It appeared their prey wanted to play more games and like her sister she was also growing weary of it all. There were 4 nobles left, other than herself, Elera and Trajan. They needed to step up their game and capture him, or he needed to stop fooling around and kill them off, or as she had with Fabian, she would start weeding out their numbers on her own. The night was still young, but she wanted to be home in her bed before the sun came up. Seeing her sister standing in the trees ahead of her, she moved to catch up with her.

"He's pretty good," she said, drawing Elera's attention to her, not that she didn't thing that she was aware of her presence well before she even arrived. "I think we will enjoy this one once we capture him and bring him back to the castle. It is amusing though how it appears he thinks we are gonna chase him. I know you had many chances to pick him off already with your bow. I just wonder how long before he realizes running is pointless and will just wear him out."

"He is smarter than he looks," Elera corrected her, smiling at her sister. "He knows what he is doing. Don't underestimate him. His plan is not intended for us. He is drawing out those other fools, toying with them. They don't realize it but really they are the prey and he is the hunter. Come sister, lets continue on and see what he has up his proverbial sleeve next." Putting her arm around Saeya, she led her into the trees towards where Galen had finally disappeared from her sight.

 

[The_gladiator]

Trajan nodded to the queen as the men pelted off. He would have preferred they stick with him and actually do something more organized, but he realized he was not dealing with that level of talent. Those two were smarter than the others, but that honestly was not saying much.

Galan did not run for long, just long enough to entice one of the remaining men into running blindly after him. That one didn’t even make a sound as Galan struck from above, a vine his weapon of choice. He used it like a rope around the man’s neck strangling the man as he pulled him off the ground, suspending him from a sturdy limb.

As the man hung there struggling, Galan fired an arrow into the man’s eye, putting him out of his misery. And the man’s struggles slowly subsided, growing weaker and weaker. Retrieving his arrow, he slipped back into the trees to wait. He had the bow ready. Someone would find the dead man, and who ever approached to check him for life would die. He did not have a lot of arrows, but he didn’t need a lot, just enough. The short bow was a perfect size for this forest. He would wait and he would see what there was to see. This was too easy.

 

[Kaena]

It didn't take long for the sisters to come upon his next kill. The man hung from a tree in the middle of the clearing, a vine twisted tightly around his neck. If the ugly shade of purple his face was wasn't an indicator of his demise, the gaping hole where his eye had been definitely was. They recognized him as one of the two they had come across earlier in the clearing. Obviously he had not learned anything from the scolding Trajan had given him.

"Now he is just mocking us," Saeya fumed, pulling her knife as she moved to cut him down. She was stopped by Elera's hand on her arm. She flashed her a confused look, shaking off her grip but making no move to go any further.

"He isn't mocking us," Elera said, her voice falling to a whisper. "Its a trap. He is expecting someone to come along to cut him down, leaving themselves completely open to his attack. You almost fell right into it."

Saeya's cheeks reddened in anger and embarrassment at these words. She had almost ran head long into the clearing without first checking her surroundings. If it hadn't been for Elera, she could have perhaps been the next to fall under his blade, or arrow, or whatever new weapon he had managed to get his hands on. Though he was forbidden to kill her, she wasn't stupid enough to think that he wouldn't try if she was the last one left alive and it came down to just the two of them.

"You're right Elera," she whispered back as she notched a poison tipped arrow into her crossbow. She scanned the trees around them, looking to Elera for confirmation that he was hiding somewhere within them. Elera pointed subtly in the direction to where she knew he was, her eyes finding the heat of his body easily. Once Elera has pointed him out, Saeya quickly made out his figure crouched low. He appeared to be watching the clearing, just as Elera had said. Taking aim with her crossbow, she pulled the trigger, intent on only grazing him as a warning, not expecting to make a direct hit. As she did this, Elera took her bow and notched an arrow, letting it fly to split the vine holding the body above ground. The body fell the ground with a thud and her eyes went to where he had been hiding. Between her sisters arrow and her own actions, she didn't expect him to still be there and he would be a fool if he still was.