Fantasy Survival of the Fittest: Relentless Hunt

OMG A SEQUEL

Eric Rylan was not in a good mood. Maybe it was the fact that after three months of interrogation at the cabin, the Hunter prisoner still refused to give up any information. Perhaps it was the silence on the part of the Hunters that unnerved him. It could have been the mysterious "Japanese Taco" that he had eaten for breakfast that morning. Whatever the reason, the leader of the Draki Pride of Avon trudged down the staircase of his mansion. He wanted to work out his frustrations in a rigorous training session, but instead he had to prepare for his appearance at his children's school for an "open house". Eric didn't understand the necessity of such a frivolous event. The flyer had promised "a clear look into the stimulating and edifying experience that the children of Avon High receive". Eric was no fool, of course; the whole thing was probably a thinly disguised fundraiser, meant to encourage the more affluent parents to donate money to the school.


"I swear, it feels like we just had a fundraiser," Eric muttered under his breath as he adjusted his tie. Appearances were everything, especially for a Draki. Even though he worked at home, Eric had to look like the financially-secure family man that everyone expected him to be. Speaking of being a family man...


"Kids! We have to leave soon or we'll be late!" Eric called to his children, trying to keep his annoyance out of his voice. There was no point in taking out his anger at his offspring. After all, there were plenty of other things that he could be mad at them for.




"Easy," Cyrus Jaeger mumbled, rapidly scribbling the final equation down on the paper. "Almost insultingly so." The young man tried not to sound arrogant, but his homework really was underwhelming. The biggest issue he had with school was that he was finding himself struggling to concentrate. At this point, school felt like a waste of time. He had felt this before, of course, but now it felt like a costly waste of time. Luna, his twin sister, was in captivity, at best. At worst...Cyrus didn't want to think about it. Too many variables.


Cyrus had even gone so far as to complete all of the homework assignments for the next several weeks. It had taken a little bit of hacking on his part, but it had left him with much more time to plan. He did have to remember to avoid acting like the work was too easy for him, as turning in all of the assignment would be far too suspicious. No, he had to keep a low profile, as much as he hated to do so. He knew the general location of where his sister was being held (somewhere near a clearing in the woods), thanks to a tracker attached to a Draki during the battle three months ago, but there was no way to find out what kind of defenses the place had. The only thing they could do was prepare. Healing drugs, potent acids, a new attack helicopter (it had taken a lot of time and money to discreetly purchase a new one), and the...less appealing options. Cyrus had reopened several applied science projects that had been deemed immoral or too dangerous. He hadn't told his father about these developments, though he wouldn't be surprised if he already knew. Cyrus did feel a pang of guilt whenever he thought about the projects, but the thought of his sister being tortured always replaced it with a wave of anger.


Cyrus's phone buzzed. Ah, right. There was an open house at school that day. The young Hunter didn't want to go, of course, but he had to. It had taken a lot of work to keep up the illusion that Luna Jaeger was still safe (Cyrus had had to delete and restrict tons of online information, and he had even created a fake video from "Luna", who had reportedly taken a trip to Virginia to visit extended family), and it would be suspicious if Cyrus suddenly ruined his perfect attendance.

Crystal, putting her hairpin into her hair in the bathroom, heard her father's call. "Oh, yeah! Coming dad!" She replied quickly, pulling a few strands of hair back behind her ear. She came out of the bathroom in a hurry, and excitedly grabbed her bag. She opened it, and quickly sifted through the contents, making sure she had the essentials. Once done, she swung the bag over her shoulder and made her way to the doorway where her father was standing.


"Nice to see that you dressed for the occasion, dad." She said, giggling. She smiled brightly, then turned around and grabbed her shoes. She put them on, and adjusted her pack. "Alright, I'm ready to go!" She exclaimed, standing at his side, a small excited smile on her face. "So, do you think this is another one of those fundraisers?" She joked, lightening the mood as they waited for the others.

Luna paced around the small room she was locked in. It had a small bed, a little table and a sink. If she needed to go to the washroom or to take a shower there was a button by the door that she could push to talk to whoever was watching her through the camera mounted above the door. Three times a day meals were brought to her and breakfast came with clean clothes. There were three outfits in rotation, they were always washed and neatly folded when she got them. Luna wondered who was cooking her meals and doing her laundry, she didn't have much human contact besides being questioned almost daily.


She had quickly discovered that the door was not only locked but guarded. A punch to the head had been the result of breaking the lock and trying to escape, worst headache ever. Luna had pretty much given up trying to escape at this point, though she always watched for a weak spot in their security, busting out was clearly not the solution. She wondered what her family thought. Did Cyrus think she was dead and give up trying to get her out? Did her Dad go mad when he got the news of her capture? She didn't know if she would ever see them again.


Luna flopped down onto the bed staring at the ceiling. She really hoped Cyrus was taking care of her jeep.

Sid was waiting at the door, he had been ready for 5 minutes prior to everyone's getting ready so that at the very least he would be ready to go on time. He stood there thinking about what might happen at the open house, mostly of what could go wrong, he was good at making sure every situation was accounted for and came with a solution for each.


Sid was dressed in something mildly fancy, a button up shirt and to add a little extra fancy he wore a bow tie. "do we even need more fund raisers, its not like they're effective in any way shape or form." sid said casually

Okay, he understood why he had to attend the open house; showing off school pride and all of that bull. He needed to basically flaunt to others how happy he was to attend Avon High. That was all a given. The parents needed to be reassured that the school that they were sending their kids to wasn't a complete nuthouse where education was thrown out the window. Plus, maybe the High school could score a few dedicated donators through the event. Alex had to give them some brownie points for a slapped together plan; mostly because it actually worked with quite a few suckers--erm, loving and caring parents.


What he didn't understand was why he had to be so freaking formal about it. The young Draki had managed to weasel his way out of a full-on monkey suit; but he was still stuck in somewhat fancy attire. The blonde was clad in a neat white button up shirt and jeans. Before tonight, he never thought that the pants could be so uncomfortable. Seriously, who was the wise guy who came up with formal clothing? They sucked. Besides, Alex was pretty sure that he was going to be close to the only idiot at the event who was going to be running around looking semi-fancy. Among the guys, anyways. Girls tended to be a bit more excited about dressing up for even the smallest occasions.

Despite Eric's previously foul mood, the sight of his children, prepared and attentive, brought a thin smile to his face. It had been a while since they had done something together, as a family. "It's not 'officially' a fundraiser, Crystal," he replied to his youngest daughter. "But there's no doubt in my mind that the event has a double purpose. And you'd be surprised, Sid; fundraisers can be extremely profitable, when done right. It all depends on the audience. For example, the school wants money from the parents, which means they have to impress the students as well. There will most likely be a speech about 'life lessons' and improved grades and 'fun gatherings' and other fluff. The parents see that their kids are doing well, the students think more highly of themselves, and the school gets a pile of money."


Eric checked his watch again. "And so ends the morning lecture," he said dramatically. He was sure by now that his children were sick to death of hearing his discussions, but they would come to appreciate them sooner or later. Most likely.





Eric's phone beeped. Another update from the guard Draki he had placed at the cabin. They were to check in with him every eight hours and relay any new progress. The message that they had sent to him was the same as it had been for the past several weeks: "No developments". The Alpha frowned. Besides one particular breakout attempt by the Hunter girl, the prisoner had been largely quiet. Some of the Draki had requested a more...aggressive approach to the interrogation, but Eric had ordered that the Hunter be treated with honor. After all, they were not Hunters. But if the girl proved to be too stubborn or disruptive, Eric would have to become personally involved.


But not now. Now he had a boring event to get to.


@Kurai Okami @MoltenLightning @Ashaficent




"I'm going to school early!" Cyrus called up the stairs. He didn't wait to see if his father responded. Things between him and his father had been tense since Luna's capture. It wasn't that Cyrus blamed his father for his sister's predicament, but he wished that the elder Jaeger would have done something to prevent it. He had always believed his father to be the best Hunter alive, and yet Luna, his daughter, had been caught. But Cyrus knew that this wasn't fair; before the battle, he had been happy that his father was retired. After all, they had already lost Mom; they didn't need to lose Dad too.


As Cyrus walked to the garage, he spotted Luna's Jeep, her prized possession. Cyrus wasn't a particularly talented mechanic, but he knew some people who were, so the vehicle had stayed in pristine condition, only being driven as necessary. Cyrus entered the car adjacent and drove off.


Avon High wasn't really a large school, but then again Avon wasn't really a large city. It was, however, very impressive-looking, thanks to the generous donations of several wealthy contributors. Cyrus nodded politely to the workers who were setting up big banners with the words "OPEN HOUSE" or "WELCOME" on them. No one seemed surprised that Cyrus Jaeger was at school a bit early; it wasn't like it was an uncommon occurrence. Cyrus quickly found his class and sat in his usual seat. He had some time left, time enough to access the school's files through a backdoor he had installed a long while ago. He scanned the faculty's emails. Most of them were standard school messages, a little gossip here and there, but nothing that seemed to scream "Draki".


A pity.


@Meowfyre

Cerise was dressed casually, in ripped jeans and a purple tank top. She had added in a bit more of color, she might have looked like a frickin rainbow. But Cerise didn't like rainbows. She preferred purple and blue. Just those two colors.


When her father started to ramble on about 'fundraisers', Cerise discreetly rolled her eyes. It was the same routine every morning before they left for school. Complain about the school and its precious fundraising techniques, end with a dramatic flourish. But then again, it never really got old, so... Who cares, right?


"Well, if you guys are ready, we can get going!" She said, checking her watch. "We might reach there a bit early, though."


@kaito9049 @MoltenLightning @Aridis

She looked over at her father, and nodded, though it didn't look as if she were listening to very much of his rant, she still cared about what he had said. She looked over at her sister, Cerise, and smiled happily. "I second that vote!" She exclaimed, laughing at the stupid voice she had done with the announcement.


Her get-up was a denim jacket, with a blue and white shirt underneath it. She wore some formal black boot cut jeans, and had some very nice looking brown high tops. Her messenger pack over her shoulder was a brown leather bag, with a numerous amount of key-chains hanging from several different areas.

"Then what are we waiting for? Oh, that's right. Dad?" Asked Cerise, tapping her feet. She was wearing black combat boots so it made a rather deep sound, mostly muffled by the carpet they were all standing on. "We have to goo!" She tugged on Eric's arm, as if that would solve everything.


@MoltenLightning @kaito9049

Eric sighed. "Yes, yes, we're going," he said, walking to the car with his keys in hand. "And don't think I didn't notice that eye roll, Cerise. Keep it up and your pupils might permanently get stuck in your eyelids." Ah, teenagers. Power of a mythical beast with the obedience of a feral cat. Truly this was how the earth punished its inhabitants.


The Alpha didn't say much during the drive over to Avon High, preferring to let his children talk in the back. It would have been much faster if they could fly to their destination, but doing so would be suicide. One day Draki like his children would be allowed to fly in the sun. But until then, the war against the blasted Hunters would continue. "We're here," Eric said, smoothly parking into the rapidly filling lot. Some high school students were walking around with their parents. Others either couldn't get their parents to come or didn't want to be seen with their parents, and so decided to hang around with their friends. "Alright, then," Eric said, resigning himself to a day of misery. "Where do we go first?"





@MoltenLightning @Kurai Okami @Ashaficent

Crystal got out excitedly, then before she was able to speak, she coughed, as if her throat were dry. "Oh, yeah..." She whispered, searching in her bag for something. Her eyes widened, then she calmed down as she found her water bottle decorated with seahorses and dolphins. She took a swig, and she seemed to almost rejuvenate a small bit. "Ahh... Water, the saver of life." She stated, looking at it admirably.


She glanced at her dad, and looked away shamefacedly. "I didn't forget about it! It just.. kind of slipped my mind. Yea, I did forget to get into the water today, but its hard to remember sometimes..." She drifted off, feeling ashamed. She took another sip to try and preoccupy herself.


@kaito9049, @Kurai Okami, @Ashaficent

Luna had heard whispers that the Alpha Draki and his kids had somewhere to be today. She needed to do something to let her family know she was alright. She listened at the door, one Draki (in human form) was all she could hear. She pressed the button and calmly told the guard that she needed to go to the washroom. This was nothing out of the ordinary and because she had been mostly unaggressive during her forced stay, the guard would think nothing of it.


When he opened the door and stepped into the room she let him take her arm to lead the way like always but instead of going quietly she twisted his arm back, and kicked him in the back of the head. He was out cold. Luna smiled to herself knowing her dad would be proud. She dusted her hands off and reached into the guard's pocket, finding his phone. Lucky for her it wasn't password protected. She quickly texted Cyrus, "I'm alive. Help"


Luna ran down the hallway not knowing where she was going, they had brought her here blindfolded. The only other place she saw was the bathroom and that was at the other end of the hall. She came to a set of stairs and quietly snuck up knowing there was likely other Draki around. Her goal wasn't to kill or injure any Draki, just to escape but if they got in her way she would do what she had to do.

Okay well, this sucked.


Despite his mother getting just randomly sick, he still had to be fancy. Don't get it wrong, Alex was super concerned about the sudden fever. However, if he recalled the words correctly, his mom would 'skin him alive and sell the scales to some Dragon fanatics if he missed his own Open House.' And his father was of no help in this situation; the guy was being kept late at work. Again. Another thing that absolutely sucked; he wasn't allowed to take care of the lady who raised him. Stupid stubborn adults.


So, yeah. Alex was now headed toward the school alone. Since he knew that he would probably lose a wing or two if his mother found out that he had been late, the blonde took the family car there. He probably could've gotten away on a bike, but honestly didn't want to go through the pain of trying to find his way back in the dark. So, use of the fossil-fuel dependent, metal box of transportation was very much a thing. Even though he had arrived a bit early, it wasn't such a large time gap that the building would be completely empty of students and parents.

Eric sighed and looked at his daughter. "You have to be more careful," he told her, leaning close to make sure no one was listening in. "They could be waiting for a chance to strike. If you get dehydrated, they'll have their chance." He didn't need to specify who he was talking about it. The thought of his daughter being captured by the Hunters was almost to much for Eric to bear. Oh, well. At least Crystal was smart enough to remember to bring a bottle of water with her.


The Alpha's phone beeped again. The interruptions were beginning to become annoying. But when Eric read the notice, his eyes went wide. The motion sensors had detected movement. The Draki on guard wasn't answering his radio. Eric nearly broke his phone in half as he grit his teeth. Did the Hunter break out? Or did she have help? The cabin had no other defenses; they would have looked too suspicious to satellites. Luckily, there were miles of forest the prisoner would have to get through before reaching the city. He was about to order his children to return to the car when he realized something: Hunters could be watching. If the prisoner had managed to contact others, or the alarm was just a trick, observing Hunters could identify him if he ran. Were even the Hunters that smart? Was Eric just being paranoid?


But this was no time for indecision. He was the Alpha; he needed to act now. "I want you kids to stay here," he whispered, gathering his children close. "Keep your eyes and ears open for any suspicious activity. I'll be back in a bit." They didn't need to know what was happening; their nervousness might tip someone off.


@MoltenLightning @Ashaficent @Kurai Okami




Cyrus's hand shook as he read the text. He didn't know what to think. Was it a trap? How could the Draki have found his number? Should he move now, or wait for backup and supplies?


He needed to breathe. Focus. Panicking wouldn't save his sister. First things first: trace the text. Casually looking around to make sure no one was nearby to stare at his tablet screen, Cyrus ran a quick track on the number. It was from a burner phone, so no identities, but the text had come from the forest area, though a more precise trace was impossible there.


Message received, Shade. Cyrus quickly texted back. Prepare for extraction.


He paused. Should he tell her to destroy her phone? It was the only source of contact that they had right now, but the texts could be traced back to him. ...No. At best, the Draki would get the location of the school, which was crowded enough to be difficult to search. Now he had to formulate a plan.


Cyrus really wished he had more time.


The young Hunter texted his father: I talked to sis. She's feeling homesick. He would know what it meant. Cyrus continued: Should we bring her home? He paused. Could he really wait for his father's permission? Cyrus had his mask, a pistol, and a few medical supplies in a hidden compartment in his car, but were they enough? He could be going against several Draki. But if didn't get to Luna now, she could be killed. Cyrus had known her location for a while now; he was just waiting for the right time to strike. He thought about what his sister would do if their situations were reversed. There was no doubt in his mind that if it was up to her to rescue him, she would already be on her way by now.


Cyrus stood up, feigning a headache, and very carefully walked towards his car, brushing past a blond-haired boy as he did. It took all of his willpower not to break into a sprint.





@Meowfyre


@Lithia


@Aridis

Crystal understood immediately, and stayed where she was. She looked at Cerise and Sid, and nodded. Trying to look casual, she walked over to a bench. There, she beckoned her siblings over, staying silent, but smiling. It was believable enough, but if they heard their dad they would know she was feigning. She made it look as if they were waiting for friends or something. She took another swig, but this time out of anxiety. "C'mon guys! We gotta wait for..." She drifted off, then recovered with, "Our pals..!" She was smiling still, closing her eyes because of how awkward she felt.

As Luna crept around she didn't hear or see anyone else. Maybe the Draki figured that since she had been cooperating, at least to the point of not fighting back, the one guard was enough. Still she didn't know how long he would be out for, she had to move fast. Some of the doors she tried were locked but after going down a few different halls she came across what seemed to be the front door. The phone she was still holding buzzed with a text from Cyrus, he was on his way. She could do this, just a few for steps and she would be through the door. Luna didn't know why but she was a tiny bit afraid, it had been three months since she'd been outside, and if the hunters caught her again she doubted they would be as considerate a second time.


Shaking her fears from her mind she quickly opened the door. The sunlight felt warm and nice on her face, but there wasn't time to enjoy it. Luna bolted for the treeline without looking back or even closing the door. She had an idea of the direction she was running because of the placement of the sun in the sky, not that it did her any good without knowing where she was. She hid behind a tree and texted heading east. How was Cyrus going to find her in these woods? She slowed to a walk. The poor girl was short of breath after three months without any training or running. Luna was a little annoyed with herself for not taking a minute to grab some food in case she was out here for a while. At least it was early in the day, she didn't like the idea of being in the woods at night when the Draki could take their more dangerous form. Small blessings were better than no blessings, she thought.


As she walked further away from the Draki cabin the hunter wondered how long it would be until someone found her, either her brother or one of the Draki. Cyrus knew the direction she was heading in but the Draki could probably track her, in her rush to get away she'd hadn't exactly covered her tracks. Luna sat down to take a break, her back against a tree. She felt weak and tired and she hated that. She knew she had lost a bit of weight because her clothes were a little bit too big and the meals she was given weren't all that much. They had probably done that on purpose, it was smart actually.


Luna had no idea what would happen when she got home. The Draki knew her, at least to look at her so she wouldn't be able to be seen with her family or they would be in danger. This whole situation was messed up, in some hunter circles they would probably have abandoned her to the Draki and let them kill her, just to not have to worry about her being a liability. She shivered at the thought. She knew Cyrus and her dad would never let that happen but that didn't prevent it from crossing her mind.


Not wanting to stay in one place for too long Luna got up and started walking again. She was being slow and quiet this time just in case anyone was close by. If Cyrus was around Luna knew he would find a way to let her know he was there without her having to give herself away.

He had just stepped out of his own vehicle, and was headed toward the building, when the other walked right past him. Now, this wasn't anything that special. People have legs. People are allowed to walk past other people. It was an everyday occurrence that was far from exciting. Hell, Alex didn't even have a reason to give the kid a second glance. It was just mere curiosity and boredom that drove him towards the action. He needed to get to know who his fellow students were, and yada, yada, blah, blah, etc.


Cyrus wasn't even that much of a stranger. This wasn't the first year that they had been stuck in the same building together; or had come within 10 feet of each other. Again, just a normal, boring occurrence. The blonde wouldn't say that they were friends or anything. But, Cyrus' dad was a little itty bit well known around these parts of Avon.


Glancing back at his fellow student for a moment, Alex frowned softly. The guy seemed a bit tense. Although, in all fairness, he also seemed to be having some pain in the noggin area. So, it was only natural that one wouldn't be the most relaxed person after a bit of hurt. Thinking nothing more of the brief encounter, the Draki shrugged his shoulders lightly, and continued his journey across the ever-dangerous parking lot; and toward his designated High school. He grabbed onto the railing beside the short staircase and quickly darted up to the top of it. The entire time, he kept an eye out for someone he knew.

Cyrus' call to his dad, telling him that he is once again going to school early, easily carries to Jonathan's office. Calling down in reply, he jovially says, "Try to not break to many academic records while you're gone!" Smiling to himself at his quip, he types away at his computer, working at another business email. Keeping his smile up in case of his son deciding to come up to see him, he waits until he hears the door close shut before dropping it. His smile falls, with his head following to be held in his hands. It's been three long month's since his daughter's capture. And though Jonathan has been putting up a good facade of being fine, when he's alone the act drops and he shows what he is right now. A scared, worried father who is torn up by guilt and fear for his daughter.


Jonathan believed his kids were ready to be on their own, to carry on the hunt. Because he believed that, because he wasn't there, Luna, his dear Luna had been... Shuddering into his hands, Jonathan raises his head. Luna wouldn't want him to be torn up like this. It's what he tells himself, over and over to try to make it better, but it never works. But Jonathan knows something that would work. His eyes drift to a drawer in his desk and his hand slowly reaches for it, pulling it open to reveal it's contents. An old bottle of vodka, perfectly preserved that hadn't been touched in years. Jonathan didn't allow himself to drink, not when he had kids to take care of. But now, when one of his kids is in danger, Jonathan is never more tempted to finally open the bottle.


A text alert rings and Jonathan is snapped out of his introspective trance. His eyes dart to the sender and he pushes the drawer closed. Whatever Cyrus sent him was more important by miles. Unlocking his phone, Jonathan's eyes widen as he gazes at the message. Hastily tapping away a reply, he's up from his chair in an instant and running into his bedroom. Clumsily typing two messages, Jonathan sends them off. If my little girl wants to be home, then say no more! I'll be there in a flash.


Jonathan crashes through his bedroom door and heads to a bookcase. Pulling on a fake book, (Jonathan has a fondness for such tropes) a bookcase moves to the side to reveal what Jonathan hoped to never need again.


A black longcoat hiding Kevlar beneath it, a pair of dapper pants and gloves, a crossbow with bolts like miniature spears, a brutal looking cleaver, and a maliciously grinning mask with an accompanying top hat. Jonathan's hunting gear, the tools of The Laughing Hunter. He hoped to never need them again, but Jonathan has no time to regret their need again. Ripping off his current clothing in an instant, conventional undressing taking too long, Jonathan dons the clothing with the speed of a man possessed. Hanging the cleaver at his waste and affixing the crossbow to his back, Jonathan stares at the final pieces. The hat and mask, there's no going back from wearing those. Jonathan pauses as he reaches for them for a second. But only a second. Affixing the mask to his head and donning the top hat on top, Jonathan dashes out of his room, closing the secret wardrobe behind him.


Arriving in the garage, Jonathan jumps onto an all terrain motorcycle. There were plenty more durable choices, but Jonathan would not be delayed anymore. Accelerating out, Jonathan speeds towards the forest. Jonathan would bring his baby girl back if he had to carve a path through the draki.

Cyrus wasn't particularly a good driver, not as good as Luna was, at least. And he couldn't draw attention to himself by speeding towards the forest. Neither of these observations made him feel at ease. Eventually Cyrus did reach the edge of the forest, at the expense of several precious minutes. He checked his phone again. His father was on his way, and Luna was headed east. The young Hunter quickly checked the satellite map, drawing a path east from the cabin. He quickly sent the information to his father.


It was then that Cyrus realized that his father was coming out of retirement as a Hunter. A few months ago, he would have vehemently objected to the notion, but now...he was just happy to have some backup.


Cyrus went over to the trunk of the car and raised it, sliding open a hidden compartment in the floor. Laying there was a large black case, containing the essential tools that he needed. None of them were as effective as, say, a tank, but it would have to do. He slammed the trunk shut and started into a sprint into the forest. Once he was a sufficient distance away from prying eyes, he opened the case. Front and center was his mask, a rather cryptic-looking thing that had often scared him when he was younger. Cyrus held no such fear now. He slipped it over his head. For a second, there was darkness, and then the lenses came to life. He had made a few adjustments to his mask since the last battle. Besides a mist-penetrating view, he also had thermal sensors, zooming cameras, and night-vision. There was also the syringe hidden in the "beak" of the mask, but Cyrus was hoping that he didn't have to use it.


The Hunter quickly loaded his sidearm, a well-modified Glock 22, and slung a pouch containing several vials and syringes over his shoulder. It felt a bit strange, getting back into the swing of things after such a long break. In a way, though, it felt good--almost like slipping into a glove. Cyrus broke into a run towards the direction his sister was headed.


@Lithia


@Meowfyre




Eric sped through the streets, breaking a couple of regulations in the process. The Hunters could already be on their way to retrieve the prisoner; there was no time to waste. The more he thought about it, the more Eric was beginning to think that maybe he should have brought his son along with him. Unfortunately, there was no time to go back and get him, and Alphas did not go back on their decisions!


The man did have one advantage that he could use. He had always known that he might need a way to quickly get to the cabin, so he had mentally mapped out a hidden path through the forest. Eric parked on a curb next to the forest. To the casual observer, there would be no way that one could easily get through the dense foliage. Eric, however, knew of a slight part in the trees that would lead to a shadowy trail. Making sure no one was watching, the Alpha pushed his way through the shrubs and starting running, his feet finding the familiar dirt road. Eric thought of heading to the cabin, but the hidden cameras had not detected the Hunter. Besides, why would she stay? Instead, he crossed the few paths leading from the cabin, his speed bolstered by his smoldering rage. There! Tracks! Eric smiled grimly. The Hunter would not be getting away. Eric's nerves tensed, and he began to manifest. Hands grew into claws, his back sprouted wings, and his face elongated into a fearsome maw. Within minutes, Eric Rylan had become Draki.


Eric dashed after the tracks. He was fast in his Dragon form, but not very maneuverable on the ground. No matter. Any trees in the way were smashed to splinters. The girl would be tired, underfed; she wouldn't get far. Indeed, the tracks became more recent, and Eric knew that the Hunter was close. The Alpha wasn't one for suitability. "COME OUT!" he roared in the human tongue. "Face your death with dignity!"

Cerise couldn't help but feel sad. Another thing that has to be settled by war. She thought, frowning. But for the sake of the public, she smiled brightly. "Crystal, darling, I think our friends are going to take some time to get here!" She said. "So why don't we go sit inside?"


@MoltenLightning

Luna heard the Draki tearing through the forest before she heard his voice. He was risking a lot manifesting during the day, even if it was the deep forest and in theory no one else should be around. Her ears seemed to pick out and highlight the word death. So this was it then, he was done playing this stupid game of cat and mouse. He wanted her dead. And he was the Alpha. Shit.


The way she saw it there were two choices here. She could do as he said and face her death with dignity or she could make a run for it. He chances weren't all that great without a weapon or anything at all but she wasn't the type to walk to her death. She would much rather go down fighting. Maybe there was a third option? If she could keep his attention long enough for Cyrus to get to her maybe they would have a chance.


"You would kill me even with all the information I have?" she called out to the Draki. It didn't matter if she gave up her location at this point, her best shot at survival would be to appeal to his alpha side, the side that needed the information she had to protect his family. "I know things that could save Draki lives. If you kill me you have no chance at ever finding any of that out." Luna quietly dropped the cell phone on the ground and stepped out from behind the trees her arms up in the air. "How much do you care about keeping your family safe?"

Cyrus vaulted over a fallen tree, pushing himself a little faster. He couldn't stretch himself to the limit, at least not yet. It would be bad if he reached Luna and then collapsed from exhaustion. He had been training more since Luna's capture, in anticipation of the next conflict, but he still relied more on his mind. "Last time I had a military 'copter," he muttered under his breath. "Now I have three mags of ammo and a few chems. Why did I think this was a good idea?"


Pushing his doubts to the side, Cyrus continued to run towards the cabin. He tried to see ahead, but his view was blocked by the shrubbery that filled the area. He then switched on his thermal vision and nearly stopped in his tracks at what he saw. Two shapes, in the distance. One was glowing bright red and was quite large. The other was smaller and much more temperate. There was no doubt about what he was seeing: a Draki and a human. Adrenaline pumping, Cyrus decided to forgo his previous energy conservation and broke into a swift sprint. He was getting closer, but was he quick enough?


Cyrus carefully slid behind a rock behind the Draki, keeping himself out of sight. Thinking quickly, he took out a vial and emptied its contents onto the ground. It was a black powder that, when ignited, would create a smoke screen. He just hoped that Luna would see what he was doing before the Draki did.







In a rare moment, Eric hesitated. He thought about his children, his prized offspring. It made sense for a Hunter to hold back Draki-saving knowledge. Did this girl really hold such secrets? Or was she simply trying to buy time? Eric's thoughts turned to his father, whom the Hunters had ruthlessly murdered, and his thoughtfulness turned to anger. His hesitation squelched, the Alpha could hear his father's voice in his head: The Hunters want nothing more than the death of the Pride. And the Alpha must protect the Pride.





Eric stomped the ground and breathed smoke and he advanced towards the Hunter. "This is your only warning! You will tell me all that you know!" he demanded. "Or I will paint this forest with your blood!" A little theatrical, sure, but such was the way of the Draki. Besides, Eric truly meant what he said; every day the Hunter was left alive was another day she could escape. He would not allow himself to make the same mistake that the Hunters had did. A tiny voice in the back of the Alpha's mind raised doubts about whether or not killing a young girl, even if she was a Hunter, could be justified. He himself had two daughters around the same age. But Eric crushed these nagging thoughts; he had to act for the good of his family. They would not be hunted to extinction.





@Lithia

Luna slowly backed up as the very large and very angry Alpha Draki stepped closer to her. She wanted as much distance between them as possible. "How do I know you won't breathe fire on me the minute I tell you what you want to know?" she questioned. "I think this conversation would be better if you were in your human form," the hunter didn't know how long her luck would hold out or how much patience the Draki Alpha had, but she had to try or she was dead anyway.


"Look, I have no weapon, I'm just a girl, I didn't hurt you or anyone in your pride. Minus the guy I knocked out... but I could have killed him if I wanted to. I chose not to. You can choose not to kill me and to listen to the knowledge I have. The knowledge that I will only share with you after you demanifest and I know you're not going to scorch me." She folded her arms across her chest hoping that he didn't get royally pissed and burn her to a crisp.


Luna sighed, the whole situation was frustrating. She was so close to freedom, so close to seeing her family again. She had no idea if she'd get another chance at an escape. "I'll even walk back to your cabin with you without so much as a peep or an attempt to get away. But this conversation, this exchange of information, or I guess betrayal of hunter knowledge needs to take place somewhere safe. Without the presence of overgrown fire breathing...." she cleared her throat. "Without dragons."


Cyrus should be here by now, maybe he was. Luna wasn't sure, all her focus was on not dying right at the moment. If he was close by though and they went back to the cabin maybe he could sneak in or at least survey the area and come back later with a well thought out Cyrus type of plan.