Open The Hunter or The Hunted?

[Fyra Ashworth]

It was the 16th of Summer when Fyra and her cousin, Col, set out into the Northern Wilds to hunt. As usual, Fyra was the first to awaken in the morning. She liked to watch the sun paint the sky gold, blotting out the unfeeling stars. This morning the metal sky was not gold but rusted red. Fyra thought it odd to see the sky painted so, but, as she strung her bow taught to prepare for the hunt, she cared little for this peculiarity.

Fyra heard footsteps behind her. She whirred around. Nicola stood in the doorway of their home, her mouth a hard line. Fyra had hoped that it would be Col. He would have greeted her with a smile.

"You're going hunting?" Nicola inquired.

Fyra nodded.

"Make sure you wash the blood off this time. It's not right for you to come in all covered like that."

"I'll try." It was an empty assurance. Fyra didn't care if she was covered in blood or mud or manure.

As soon as Col was awake and packed, he and Fyra headed into the Wilds. Fyra told him about what Nicola had said.

Col laughed. "That sister of mine. Sometimes I wonder if you and her were switched at birth."

Fyra smiled. "Nah. You and I are the same age. I can't imagine those horrible doctors at the city clinic managing to deliver twins and keeping the mother alive."

"Yeah, you're right. I wouldn't even go to them for a cut."

"You wouldn't need to. Aunt Eda would stitch you right up."

"True. Let's not get hurt out here, though, okay?" Col suggested.

"I was planning on getting sliced into bits, then roasted and eaten, but now that you mention it..." Fyra joked.

Suddenly Col stopped walking. "Shhh. Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Shhh!"

Fyra rolled her eyes. "You can't ask a question and then shush me when I answer."

"Quiet. Might be prey. I'll track. Follow."

Fyra knew that Col was serious when he spoke in short sentences. She hunched over, hiding behind the brush. Col stealthily approached. From behind a tree, he motioned for her to approach. Fyra joined him, careful not to break any twigs with her boots.

Col raised a finger to his lips, then motioned with his head for Fyra to look. Slowly, Fyra peeked around the tree and over the undergrowth.

[Koruma]

Ashen eyes cracked open as the first rays of the sun filtered through his dirty and cracked window. A frown crossed his face as he pushed his gangly hair into his eyes and groaned. Specs of dust danced above his head as they ducked in and out of the light. His breath came in slow and deep as he tried to ignore the day. Yet, the nagging need to awaken was enough to cause the boy to roll out of bed with a groan as the frame creaked beneath his shifting weight. Koruma hobbled towards the pile where he left his darkened shirt and shorts, pulling them on with a lackluster attempt as he yawned sleepily. Without even attempting to reach for his brush, Koruma ran his slender fingers through his hair a couple times to tidy his bed head. With a quick shake, he grabbed his knife belt and crept out the door. The young boy took each step carefully, putting every ounce of concentration he had as he rolled his feet to stay silent. The last thing he wanted was for Jillene to wake up as he tried to leave the orphanage. Each wrong step and squeak of the floor boards was painful to his ears and he flinched as he slid down the hallway. His breath came quickly and his heart raced as a bead of sweat dripped down the back of his neck. Slowly, carefully, he inched his way towards the door. When he finally managed to grab hold of the knob, he yanked the door open and fled without looking back. Over-sized feet pounded against the earth as the boy dashed through the town. His hands pumped and his breath came in ragged gasps as he dove through the nearly empty streets. Part of the sky was still dark as the sun rose slowly from the horizon, illuminating Koruma's mad dash to the north. I have to train. Even if he had failed utterly as an Assassin, he didn't want Red Wolf to think he was doomed to die. Although there was a part of him that longed to simply let everything go and slip away, he couldn't help but remember Red Wolf's words. She was right. Preachy, but right. Ducking his head, Koruma pressed on as his heart pounded in his chest. He didn't pay attention to where he was going, he just let his feet carry him. By the time he reached the edge of the forest, the boy was wheezing and his brow and back were drenched with sweat. Koruma collapsed against a tree, his hands bracing him as he panted. Drops of sweat fell from his mop of hair and his knees threatened to buckle beneath him. Koruma stood there for several times, forcing his breath to become even as he tried to keep his empty stomach from attempt to evict itself from his body. With a great gulp of air, Koruma stood and continued into the forest. His pace had slowed to a pathetic jog and his chest heaved as he tried to keep himself from tripping over logs and tree roots. Yet not even ten chimes later and Koruma was back to panting as he put his full weight against a tree. His breath came labored and intense as his eyes scanned the forest. Movement out of the corner of his eye jerked Koruma upright. His muscles tensed up as his hands slid towards the dagger that hung on his hip. His tongue slicked across his dry lips as he pushed himself against the tree. "Wh-Who's there!"

[Fyra Ashworth]

Fyra spied the boy. He was a gangly thing. Although he looked to be no taller than Fyra, his feet were unusually large. Between that and his twitchy mannerisms, Fyra could not help but be reminded of a rabbit. Just last week she had brought home a rabbit. Her arrow had missed its mark, hitting the tender part of its neck rather than its eye, causing the beast to scramble about. Fortunately, Col had tracked it down, but not before the thing really felt the pain. Fyra snapped the creature's neck without a thought. She wiped it's blood on her pants before turning to Col, who stood pale-faced beside her. He never liked the killing much. He enjoyed the searching, the trapping, the hunt. But someone had to finish it.

That's not to say that Fyra enjoyed killing. It just wasn't a big deal to her.

For a second, the boy before her really was a rabbit. Fyra's hands moved to her quiver.

Then he called out, "Wh-who's there?"

Fyra blinked twice, remembering herself. Col looked in Fyra's hazel eyes, then at her quiver, then back at his cousin. "No," Fyra mouthed, but she understood her cousin's mistrust. In Sunberth, even the most carefree children are wary of strangers. This stranger, however, was just a child, too pathetic to warrant real danger.

Still, probably best to have an arrow at the ready...

Fyra strung her bow. Then, ever so slowly, she stood up, her arrow aimed just left of the boy's head. She cleared her throat and spoke, "My name's Fyra. I don't mean to alarm you, but you are very lucky that I didn't mistake you for prey. I'm hunting, you see, and I'm a fair shot. If you want to continue to be lucky, you'll tell me your name and what you're doing here."

Fyra really hoped she wouldn't have to follow through with that threat. She knew that she could kill if she needed to. That wasn't the issue. She was worried for her cousin. If Col paled at a bloody rabbit, she couldn't imagine how he would react to a dead boy.

[Koruma]

Koruma's fingers slid to the but of his dagger, grasping the hilt with as much strength as he could muster. His ears were alert and his eyes wide as he scanned the forest. He was no stranger to the dangers of Sunberth. A crack of a twig caused the boy to flinch as he spun to face the girl who stood before him. Koruma had expected an animal or some large stranger, yet she was a girl not a few years older than he. Koruma could feel his jaw drop slightly as he watched her step out of the shadows. She was disheveled and wore men's clothes, but she was certainly a girl. Koruma shut his jaw, swallowing as he recoiled slightly on her approach. His eyes shifted nervously from the forest to her and back again. The arrow pointed at his head didn't help much. His fingers flexed on the hilt of the dagger as he tried his best to control his still unsteady breath. Although she claimed he was lucky he wasn't mistaken for prey, he still felt like prey with the arrow pointed at him. "I, uh... I'm Koruma." Koruma glanced around, not entirely sure what to say his purpose was. He didn't really have a purpose and besides, she didn't own the woods. His eyes hardened slightly as his mouth set into a hard and he looked her straight in the eye. "It's none a your business." Koruma swallowed and his courage abandoned him. He gave a quick shrug and stared back at his feet. "But I was just running."

[Fyra Ashworth]

"Running?" Col stood straight up, a grin spreading across his lips, "I'll race you!"

"Col!" Fyra scolded. In truth, she wasn't angry. This boy, Koruma, couldn't even look her in the eye. He was no threat. Still, Col was foolish to give himself away so soon. Fyra knew that he was unarmed aside from a simple kitchen knife, and that even with a real weapon, Col would be defenseless. He could fight alright with his hands, sure, but he refused to cause any real damage. He was an easy target.

Fyra lowered her bow but, ever cautious, she kept the weapon in hand. "I wouldn't mind a race myself. Are you fast footed, Koruma?"

"Of course he is!" Col exclaimed. "He wouldn't be running so lightly armed in the woods around Sunberth, no less, if he wasn't fast. His only real defense right now would be to run."

"So he is either fast or a fool," Fyra teased. "Tell us, little boy, which is it?" She was careful to keep her voice free of malice lest he confuse her challenge for a more serious taunt. She brushed a strand of hair away from her face, smudging her cheek with dirt in the process, and grinned. Fyra loved a good race. While Koruma did not appear to be a tough adversary, she knew that size was sometimes deceiving. Still, it was hard not to underestimate the boy.

[Koruma]

Koruma practically jumped out of his skin when another person erupted from the bush. He yanked the dagger free from it's sheath, putting the small knife protectively in front of himself as he jerked backwards several paces. But the childish grin and offer to race quickly slowed Koruma's beating heart and he lowered the dagger. "Um... I don't... I was just... practicing." Koruma's eyes flicked up at the pair and to the ground repeatedly as he awkwardly shuffled his feet. Fyra lowered her bow and to his increasing dread she asked him for a race as well. Koruma swallowed as he raised one hand to run along the hidden scar on his forehead. Things just grew worse when Col insisted that he must be a good runner because Koruma couldn't think through anything and had made yet another bad decision. The tips of his ears turned red as the boy blushed deeply, his eyes still flicking nervously. When Frya demanded an answer, Koruma looked directly at her with ashen eyes. "Fool." That's what everyone said. It was a miracle in of itself that Koruma had lived as long as he had, and most of it was due to a whole lot of luck and the generosity of the gang that had raised him. Yet, both had run out and Koruma was on his own.

[Arvo]

Another day out in the woods hunting meat for the blucher man had left Arvo rather bored. It was time for a smoke, he decided, searching around in all of his pockets to acquire his wooden tobacco pipe. He’d start doing his job in a minute, or maybe 15. There was a good high tree he could climb, with strong branches to sit upon just ahead. Marci trotted beside him obediently as he walked. He commanded her to sit and wait at the base of the tree as he searched for a good foothold. Placing one tentative foot in a dip in the tree’s surface, he pulled himself upwards onto the lowest branch. He climbed slightly higher until he had reached the branch he’d had his eyes on. Leaning back contentedly he lit is pipe and began blowing calming little rings into the air.

He sat there for a good while, watching the clouds lazily traverse the sky as he made little clouds of his own. Sallowbell Tobacco was his favorite because of how slowly it burned, and how full the taste was. It also calmed his nerves and allowed him to relax, especially before a task which required as much of his concentration and focus as hunting did. This was why, when Marci started growling, the shock almost sent him out of the tree and crashing to the ground. Somehow he managed to catch himself before he fell. “This better be petching important, Marci.” He muttered, jumping down from the tree branch and landing next to her.

He could hear it now too, the sound of muffled voices in the distance. “Hm,” He pondered, “Lets go check it out!” He decided. Afterall, who ever it was might interrupt his hunt, and he couldn’t afford that at all. They sounded loud, and excitable to his ears. Or at least two of them did. The other voice was jittery and nervous. Arvo made sure Marci walked behind him, incase there happened to be another hunter about who might mistake her for a wild animal, and peeked through the leaves to see who had alerted his dog.

When he saw them, he rolled his eyes at Marci. It was a couple of kids, talking about racing one another. How troublesome that would be for his hunt. Arvo took another drag from his pipe, and then made himself known “If you are planning to race one another, I’d suggest you do it somewhere else so you don’t scare all the game away.” He said loudly, leaning against a tree. He eyed the girl with the bow “Surely you didn’t bring that along for no reason.” Marci growled again, and Arvo shushed her “Lie down” He commanded her, and she did as she was told, relaxing somewhat.

He peered over at the little boy. He was holding a knife but he looked more likely to injure himself than anyone else. Arvo wondered what he thought he was doing out here in the woods holding a dagger he looked too scared to use effectively.

[Fyra Ashworth]

Fyra realized that Koruma was too jittery to take to teasing. She hadn't meant to make him feel uncomfortable. Usually children in Sunberth were tough enough to hold their own with taunts. Some of them had even sharper tongues than Fyra. Not this boy, though. Fyra didn't want to seem like a coward in front of Col, but she instantly regretted challenging this boy. Was it too late to take back the dare? Maybe she could use her words to find a way out.

"Look, Koruma, I didn't mean-," Fyra began, but before she could finish her sentence, a voice to her right loudly interrupted her.

“If you are planning to race one another, I’d suggest you do it somewhere else so you don’t scare all the game away.”

Fyra inhaled quickly and swiveled to the right, her heart racing. A threat? Her first instinct was to protect Col. She tightened her grip on her bow, half raising it before realizing that she was not yet in danger.

A young man leaned against a tree, looking right at her with large golden eyes. She had never seen a man like this before. His skin was as pale as the whitest cloud, but his hair was dark and wild. He stood, cooly confident, his pipe still leaking tendrils of smoke into the shadowy forest air. She estimated that he was about half a foot taller than her, and maybe a decade older at most. A dog stood by his side.

Fyra instantly admired him. She had a habit of judging people very early; like how she knew that Elauni would become her friend. This, however, was different. Fyra was not sure if he felt the same way about her. Did he see her as a woman or as a child? Usually, this would pique her curiosity rather than fear, but in this case Fyra felt nervous. She wished she was his age and beautiful, not an almost-eighteen-year-old dressed like a boy with a smudge of dirt on her face. Fyra blushed. For a second, Fyra began to think that Nicola's way of life might have merit.

Then the man said, “Surely you didn’t bring that along for no reason,”, referring to her bow, and Fyra remembered who she was. The blush faded from her cheeks.

The dog growled. “Lie down,” the man commanded, and the dog obeyed.

Fyra addressed the young man. "My cousin and I," Fyra motioned to Col, "came here to hunt, when we found this boy running through the woods. He's lucky that I make sure to spot my target before I shoot it, or he," she indicated Koruma, "would have an arrow through that round face of his." Fyra looked at the child and added, "Really, Koruma, you should be more careful. Who knows if other hunters will be as cautious."

"Good thing I'm a decent tracker, so I found him first," Col added, puffing up his chest and placing his hands on his hips. A goofy grin crossed his face.

Fyra turned to the young man and rolled her eyes. Would he find her cousin's childish behavior as comical as she did?

[Koruma]

Koruma wasn't really used to hanging around with other kids. Sure there were the children at the orphanage, but he never really bothered to hang around them. Most of his life had centered around the band, failing to learn from his Masters. To him, teasing was just another form of belittlement. Ashen eyes stared hard at Fyra as she began to backtrack, but the scent of a pipe and Koruma whirling. His dagger rose to his chest in a protective manner and his entire body grew tense at the arrival of yet another stranger. Standing before him was a mutt of man, with striking golden eyes and skin as pale as death. Black hair fell down and framed the man's face as he used a tree for support. Koruma swallowed and kept his dagger raised as the man proceeded to loudly complain about their presence. The boy's gaze drifted towards the dog as his nose wrinkled from the smell of smoke. Koruma's lips pursed as he fought back the desire to go up to the hunting canine and try to pet the beast. The growls did little to drive away the need. Koruma jolted as Fyra spoke, teasing him again about his poor life choices. A frown etched into his features and his jaw set into a hard line. "I can run where I want..." He mumbled before glancing back at the dog, desire taking hold. "I'll go if I can pet your dog." A shadow of a grin tugged at the corners of Koruma's mouth before he added, "Please."

[Arvo]

There was a noticeable moment of shock when Arvo suddenly appeared. The girl lifted her bow, and then seemed to realize there was no immediate danger. He watched her study his appearance, and noticed her cheeks redden slightly before she seemed to catch herself. She was a small thing, messy hair, smudges of dirt on her face and loose clothing. She also looked fairly weak for a Sunberthian, but he dismissed the thought. She was out here hunting, so she was probably a good shot with her bow. Her cousin looked just as goofy and childish, if not more so. It was strange to find this level of innocence in children, especially here in sunberth. Arvo just raised his eyebrows at the boy “Good at tracking, hn…” He mumbled to himself. Then he addressed them both,

“Well then” Arvo said between drafts of lazy white smoke “In a moment, lets hunt, since you two are obviously such confident hunters and trackers, am I right?” His words suggested that he might be up for a challenge. He was curious at their skill level. His attention turned to Kourma, who surprised him. He kept looking down at Marci longingly, seemingly unfazed by her growling. Arvo blinked “Friendly.” He told Marci, who visibly relaxed and changed moods, wagging her tail back and fourth rapidly. He looked at Kourma “Go ahead and pet her. She’s very well trained. Wouldn’t keep her if she didn’t do what she was told.” After all, Marci was simply a tool in essence. If she died, it would be like loosing all of his arrows on a hunt, not like losing a friend.

He looked at the little kid more closely now. “Kourma, is it?” Arvo said “What are you doing out here, kid? Escaping from something, or someone? Maybe ” A grin tugged at his lips “Can ye actually use that there dagger, or are you hoping to bluff your way out of danger every time? Better learn how ” The dagger was actually a very effective weapon, if one knew how to use it. It was easy to conceal, and fast to swing or slash, faster than a sword anyway. However, you had to be fast yourself, and very precise. You had to be able to get close to an enemy without being stabbed. Arvo preferred something with a little more reach, like the shortsword. He couldn’t afford another weapon right now, so it was all he had, as well as his trusty bow.