Chapter Text
“You don’t have to keep checking up on me, Sylus.” MC rolled her eyes but kept her other senses alert as she patrolled the park. “Besides, I’m sort of busy right now.”
On the other end of the line, Sylus let out a deep chuckle. “Too busy for me, Kitten?”
“Well, I’m literally hunting an unidentified beast right now.”
Sylus hummed under his breath. “Right. The Linkon reports. You’re alone?”
“And armed.” MC approached the wooded area of the park, which sat on the outskirts of Linkon. The beast had apparently started on the outskirts on the opposite side of the city, then again within the city itself. With a lot of ground to cover, the hunters were spread throughout the city. If the beast was just running straight through, someone was bound to at least see him.
“Did you bring the special gun I gave you the other day?”
“Maybe…” MC looked at her hip. When on the job, it was better to use her own weapons. But if the beast was big, Sylus’s gun might be the better choice.
“Kit--- St---Sa--” The call broke up and MC sighed. Communications were going down all night. If even Sylus was having trouble, it might be too much to ask for other calls to go through. She hung up and tried to reach the other hunters. Nothing but silence and static.
“Better safe than sorry.” MC drew the other gun and entered the woods. She wouldn’t leave the area just to make a call. If she missed her chance to get this beast, she’d kick herself for weeks.
Suddenly there was movement on her left. She turned, gun aimed as something sprang out of the trees. Huge, covered in fur. She shot.
The beast went down like a log.
“A wolf?” MC’s heart raced as adrenaline pumped. How was the wolf so big? And it snuck up on her better than any wanderer. She kept her gun pointed out at it and reached out for her comms before remembering they didn’t work.
“Damn it.” She looked back at where she’d come from. Would the wolf get away if she left the woods to call for backup?
“What the hell… Where’d you get that gun?” A low voice came from behind her. She turned and her jaw dropped. Sitting where the wolf had been was now a man. Except… he had wolf ears and a tail. His shoulder was bleeding and he glared down at the wound, as if more offended than actually hurt.
“Where? How?”
The man looked up at her and cocked his head to the side. Yellow eyes scanned her face, and his nose scrunched when he growled.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” he muttered. He started to shove himself to his feet, and MC stepped backward, aiming her gun at him once again.
“Stay where you are. I’m with the Hunter’s Association, and you’re detained until we figure out what is going on.” MC’s mind raced. Was he some sort of wanderer? An experiment gone wrong?
The man arched a brow and chuckled. “A hunter, huh? Well, I hate to break it to ya but I can’t stick around.”
“I’ll shoot,” MC said as he began to turn away again.
“I don’t doubt it. Not with that fancy little gun you’ve got there.” He looked over his bleeding shoulder at her. “But hunters aren’t the only things after me. And not what I’m worried about.” His wolf ears twitched and he looked toward the park. “Great. You delayed me enough for Ever to catch up. Thanks.”
“Ever?” MC followed his gaze. She didn’t see anything, but his ears had caught a hint of what was to come. The man tensed, then turned back to her.
“Right… You’re gonna have to tag along, MC. Ever might decide it’s a two for one special.”
How did he know who she was? MC barely had time to consider an answer before he was at her side and throwing her over his injured shoulder. “Hey! Put me down.”
“Don’t squirm or I’ll drop you.” He smacked her butt and then started running. The wind was knocked out of her lungs as she bounced on his shoulder, hand still gripping her gun. Even when he wasn’t in wolf form, the man was beyond fast. She watched his tail as he ran, a sudden urge to grab it despite the threats coming after them.
Was she getting kidnapped? She hadn’t exactly agreed to go with him, but she’d stopped struggling. If she happened to fall at the speed he was going, she’d definitely get hurt. Then there was the issue of Ever. If they were his enemies, chances were he wasn’t hers.
Racing through the trees, Linkon got further and further behind them. She could feel blood from his shoulder seeping into her shirt. Hopefully, they stop soon. The bouncing was making her nauseous, and he could possibly bleed out.
“Close your eyes!” He called out to her. MC did so without question. Even if he were dangerous and kidnapped her, she still had weapons. She could take care of herself.
The man jumped. MC was slightly airborne on his shoulder, his arm keeping her in place. Hitting the ground hard, she grunted as his shoulder jabbed her stomach. After another minute, they slowed down and MC opened her eyes. They were in a cave in the forest outside of Linkon. It was dark as hell, with only slivers of moonlight showing here and there.
“Can you put me down now?” she asked, struggling again. He just gave her another smack and kept walking. Not one falter in his stride, MC decided he either had great night vision or knew exactly the layout of the caves. After a few twists and turns, the light from the moon vanished completely.
“Don’t try anything.” He stopped and slid her off his shoulder and leaned her against the wall.
“Why shouldn’t I? You kidnapped me.”
In the darkness, his laugh sounded scarier than before and her grip tightened on her gun.
“You could have done something when we were running,” he said, stepping away from her in the darkness. “Shooting me while on my back would have made me stop. Seems like you wanted to get kidnapped.” From further away came the sound of a box opening, then a click before a lantern turned on.
The cave was small, the size of a bedroom, and had a bunch of supplies piled at the opposite end. The man had taken a lantern from a large box. He sat beside it and reached in to get out a first aid kit.
“No one wants to get kidnapped,” MC muttered. His yellow eyes locked onto her and his smile flashed.
“Whatever you say.” Without hesitation, he stripped off his shirt. MC looked away and he laughed again. “Is it the blood or the skin you have an issue with? I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of both.” MC’s cheeks burned and she chose not to reply. Instead, she tried her comms again.
“You won’t be able to reach anyone here. Besides the blockers from Ever earlier, we’re in a cave.”
MC turned back to him, watching him efficiently clean and bandage his wound. “Did the bullet pass through?” Her own concern surprised her, but the man smiled again.
“Of course. That’s a powerful gun you’ve got there. Typical of the N109 Zone though.”
When her eyes widened, he laughed. For a bleeding man on the run, he sure had a sense of humor. “It’s clearly not a hunter weapon. And the construction alone suggests the N109 Zone. The bullets… Well, I’m pretty sure I know who made the weapon.”
MC didn’t reply, but ran her finger over her gun. Sylus had told her to use it, as if he knew it would be helpful against the beast.
“Why is Ever after you?”
His ears twitched at her question and he leaned against the cave wall, smile finally fading. “Multiple reasons. They don’t like me very much.” He wagged his tail at her. “It’s their fault this is even showing right now.”
“You mean you don’t always have a tail and ears?”
The toothy grin made her uneasy. “How could I live a normal life if I always had a tail and ears?” He closed his eyes and rested his head against the rocks. “They hit me with something earlier. That, paired with the supermoon, made it impossible to fully change back. It’ll wear off soon enough.”
MC was sure the Hunters Association would have heard if there was a man walking around with a tail and ears. She accepted it all easily enough. After all, Rafayel didn’t have a tail all the time.
“I’m Valko.” He opened one eye and smiled again, like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“You’re on the run and you’re just going to hand over your name like that?”
He shrugged, wincing as he irritated his wound. “I know your name, so it’s only fair. Besides, it wouldn’t be a secret for long. A little birdie is gonna find you and the truth will be given.”
A little birdie? Mephisto? Seemed likely if Sylus could find her himself at the moment. He’d be the only one aware that she was missing. Xavier might too, but she’d been on the phone with Sylus when her communications got cut off.
“So you’re not giving me the information because you’re gonna kill me?”
Valko’s look of disgust could rival Rafayel’s. “You’ve gotta be joking.” He waved a hand in her direction. “You’ve got multiple weapons on you and you’ve already injured me. If I wanted to take you down, I’d have disarmed you. Besides, I saved you.”
“They weren’t after me.”
“Not now. But better safe than sorry. Sometimes Ever’s decisions are far from expected.” He covered a yawn and closed his eyes again. “There are snacks in this box if you want ‘em. We’re sticking here until morning.”
MC looked into the darkness of the cave tunnels.
“I suggest you stay put,” he said without looking her way. “You’ll get lost in the caves if you try. Ever won’t stick around past sunrise. By then, I’m sure a certain someone will be in the area ready to fetch you from my claws. Rest for now, MC. I’m no threat to you.”
If what he hinted at was right, then he thought Sylus would be coming for her. But he also wasn’t worried about that. Only an idiot wouldn’t be. But even though he joked around, Valko probably wasn’t an idiot. MC looked at the tunnels again, then sat down and rested against the cave wall. She wouldn’t sleep, but she’d stay. Getting lost in the dark wasn’t something she wanted.