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The sounds of drums resounded in his head a constant beat pounding in tempo with his heartbeat. His body was a giant ache in particular his legs were on fire due to constant running without a stop. He was in fact still running hell for leather.
“Aack!” Delton cried out as he tripped over an upraised root to be sent tumbling head first into the forest floor. “Shit!” he mumbled as Delton scrambled to put himself behind a towering birch tree trying to become one with the tree trunk.
With his back to tree Delton tried to calm his ragged breathing he had to be silent he couldn’t let them catch him or it was game over. He carefully peered around the tree into the darkened forest. He strained his and ears for a moment seeing and hearing nothing. That of course meant nothing. He had had no visual or audible confirmation of them other times before but, they had been there watching waiting for some sign that he had relaxed and let his guard down. Delton didn’t kid himself it was only luck he still had his head attached. “Shhsh.” He snapped his head toward the noise so fast he swore he felt something pop.
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Seek him. Find him. Hunt him. These were the only things that mattered at the moment. White Star loved hunting with her brothers and sisters. It was so rarely over the changing of the seasons that they had gotten to hunt with a great one. Even if the great one currently leading was still a young thing herself. A slight breeze through the trees carried the acrid sent of sweat and the sour tang of fear. A commanding presence bade them to listen “Aack!” All throughout the pack ears perked up in unison as a hum of excitement thrummed in the hunters. As one being they leapt forward the hunt continued and the prey had been found.
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Fuck Delton thought their here. Delton bolted forward resuming his mad dash head long through the birch trees. Delton could hear them now. Ever so soft thumps and clicks of padded paws and the slightly heavier thumps of boots on a forest floor. The thought came swiftly to the front of mind some long near forgotten piece of advice from his grandfather. “It is naught the braying of the hounds that you should fear but, the silence of the wolves on the hunt for you will not even hear your death coming.” Well Grandad you were right too damn bad I didn’t pay attention then Delton thought. He could hear sounds behind him and to his left and still more sounds now coming behind and to his right but, Delton did not dare to look lest he run head long into a tree which would only arrest his flight when he could ill afford it. Either way any more delays in his run would only end in one way. His death at the hands of fang and claw.
Delton burst into a clearing lit by the light of the full moon above and immediately bolted for the other side not even pausing a moment to take a breath. He spared a single thought to where the clearing had come from for he had not seen it in his path. Just as he was about to enter the forest again a force slammed into his chest. Delton was sent flying backward what little breath left in his lungs rushing out in a wheezing cough. Delton stumbled to a halt in the center of the clearing managing to keep his feet. He looked up and immediately wished he had not. The clearing was no longer lit solely by the light of the moon there was now a roaring campfire not two feet to his right. The clearing had grown to a size of about thirty feet and he was surrounded. “You lose Delton Alexander Teaks.” The voice that spoke was all grey smoke and soft shadows with female overtones in it. It came from a tall lithe female figure in dark brown leather pants and a dark brown leather vest over a black T-shirt. She had short silver hair with two short silver beaded braids hanging from behind her right ear threaded with copper and obsidian beads. Metallic tones that gleamed in the firelight. It was not of course the hair that gave away her inhuman origin or the ears that came to viscous points so sharp they could probably draw blood. No it was the eyes that gave her away. They were twin pools of shifting shadows that seemed to never still and never settle. She smiled and it was not a happy thing no it showed far too many pointed teeth for that, but there was satisfaction in it. A kind of smug assurance that his little run had ended exactly how she wanted it to. It told him clear as day that he never stood a chance.
“It is time to finish this.” She said gesturing around the clearing. Delton followed her gesture looking around the clearing to watch as wolves of living shadow emerged from the darkness of the forest. He chanced a quick glance behind himself. Nope he thought as more shadow wolves melted from the forest line behind him. He was surrounded. Delton looked forward again the females head was tilted slightly to the left as she looked at him no trace of the smile of earlier on her features now. He shuddered there was something very animal like in that head tilt. Something very much like the wolves he once saw at a zoo trip when he was a child. They had been looking at the people gawking at them just as hungrily as this woman was looking at him now. “You didn’t really think you would win this run did you?” she questioned.
“You said I would get a fair chance to win.” He said it with accusation and venom lacing his tone heavily as he practically spit his words out at her.
“Your chance was in the two and a half hour head start you had before the pack and I started hunting you. You were also able to choose the location.” She said this calmly no reaction to the venom in his words.
“This forest takes four hours and twenty minutes to get through if you keep to a steady run. At a human pace.” She adds with a nod as an acknowledgement to both his own humanity and her own inhumanity. “You chose this particular forest for the hunt. You could have chosen a city knew well instead.” The smile if it could be called that on her face was as terrible as it was mocking as she finished speaking.
“Even I know that to hear the hunt is to join the hunt and, I had no desire to add to my hunters.” Delton shouted harshly. He was wildly looking about the clearing with crazy eyes for a chance to escape. He just needed one instant that he could seize just a single chance. But it did not matter where or how hard he looked the only opening he could see was the one behind where she was standing.
“Look all you please. You no longer have any sort of chance to escape. As I said now is the time to finish this hunt.” She said this with a quiet finality to her words as she started to move forward toward him.
“No! No! No! Things do not end here. I will not die here.” Delton shouted hysterically practically foaming at the mouth his pupils pinpricks in the light. He bolted toward the woman in one last mad dash determined to push past her. He didn’t even make it a single step as he was suddenly coughing up blood as he clutched at the blade that had sprouted in his chest. He looked up and there she was right in front of him with blank look on her features. “I guess it was too much to ask that you die with some courage as payment for your sins.” She sighed looking up at the moon then looked back at him as he sunk down on his knees blood and spit dribbling down his chin. “Delton Alexander Teaks you are hereby sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a daughter of the Summer Court on Winter Court lands. Madeline Lillian Avery was on Winter lands with permission and guest rights. Therefore you have you committed crimes against both courts and as this is a grievance of both courts it falls to the dual aspects of the Wyld to give the punishment. As a daughter of the Greater Wyld it is my duty and pleasure to sentence you to your end as punishment for the crimes committed against the Summer and Winter Courts” as she spoke she reach forward and pulled the sword from his chest. Using a cloth she pulled from her pocket she wiped down her sword and sheathed it as she turned her back to him walking away. Glancing over her shoulder before she left the clearing she spoke a single word before leaving the clearing completely. “Gwledd.” The last thing Delton saw was the pack descending on him in a mass of fanged shadows.
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Reagan walked into her house quietly closing the door behind her. Taking a moment to hang up her coat by the front door she walked into the kitchen where a rough wooden bowl was waiting. Reaching into her pocket she pulled a plastic bag from it. Opening it Reagan pulled a blooded cloth from the bag and placed it into the wooden bowl. Disposing of the plastic bag she rummaged in a drawer for a moment before pulling a box of matches out and closing the drawer. Pulling the bowl in front of her and pulling out one of the matches Reagan muttered as she lit the match and dropped it into the bowl “I'r haf a'r gaeaf breninesau.” The bloody cloth in the bowl quickly caught on fire before a soft blue and red light engulfed the bowl and when the glow faded the cloth was gone leaving in its place two roses one red and the other blue. Reagan cleaned the kitchen up putting away the matches and the bowl and placing the roses in their own separate vases on the kitchen counter to be dealt with in the morning. Damn but she was tired was the thought in her head as she proceeded to her bedroom quietly opening then closing the door behind her as she changed out of her clothes and into pajama bottoms and a tank top. Reagan carefully slipped into the bed and under the covers to curl up next to her girlfriend carefully pulling her back against her chest so as not to wake her up. Before drifting off into sleep she acknowledged the Siberian husky that walked out of the shadows from a corner of the room with a quiet hum and a slight hand gesture to hop up. Having acknowledged the dog she finally let herself drift off into much simpler dreams. The dog carefully hopped up onto the bottom of the bed to lay down still licking her muzzle clean of the blood on her glossy fur.
Every myth, legend, and story has a grain of truth to it somewhere and every culture has a tale to tell that has a basis in reality. Just because humanity has chosen to blind themselves to the things they think they have long outgrown does not mean that the things that hunt in the dark are not there. The unexplainable happens all the time and people live their lives walking through life with the inability to see beneath the mask to being underneath. At least till you find yourself on the wrong end of fairytale. Remember manners and common kindness cost you nothing to use and just might save you from things best left alone. So listen to your elders, use the manners your parents taught you, and respect your fellows because you never know what is out there watching.
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