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| Part seven: the hunters and the hunted | ||||||||||||
| By Richard LeBlanc | ||||||||||||
| The next night - Skamms was resting up. Even though his adventure the night before brought a smile to his face - he was still uneasy with the fact that Axis was gone. He had committed so much time and planning into how he would deal with him - all of that planning - gone. | ||||||||||||
| "You stupid loser," he muttered in disgust. | ||||||||||||
| "Talking about someone I know?" a soft female voice asked. Instantly Skamms was to his feet - shotgun ready. His eyes darted around the dark forest around him - but could see no trace of whoever was speaking. | ||||||||||||
| "Okay - I don't believe in ghosts - really - so who want's to get my attention?" he asked. Just then - a tall thin woman stepped out from behind a tree and smiled at him. It was something that made a chill run down his spine. | ||||||||||||
| "You are the one - he who is called Skamms?" she asked coyly. | ||||||||||||
| "You are she who is treading a very thin line. What do you want?" he warned - arming his gun. The woman quietly laughed as a feral growl began to sound. He looked around and realized - that it was coming from her. | ||||||||||||
| "I am a hunter - seeking prey - seeking - you," she hissed. He watched as the thin looking woman slowly mutated into a large feral looking werewolf. Skamms almost went cross-eyed as he watched the werewolf slowly heading his way. | ||||||||||||
| "It is going to be one of those nights," he muttered. in a blur of motion the werewolf pounced. Skamms fired the gun - hitting the massive monster of a beast in the shoulder. In spite of being knocked back by the shot - she swung around and raked her powerful talons across his chest - sending him soaring into a tree. He slowly looked over and saw the gunshot already beginning to heal. | ||||||||||||
| "Show me - why you worthy prey - for me," the wolf hissed as she raced at him. Skamms dodged to the side - just in time to avoid a punch that smashed through the tree. "You is a quick one," she hissed. Skamms watched as she ripped the damaged tree into two pieces and wielded it as a giant club. | ||||||||||||
| "You - have got to be joking," he muttered as he rolled out of the way as the tree smashed down where he was just moments before. Before he could even think of reacting - the wolf pounced through the fallen tree and landed a powerful punch across his face. Skamms was sent rolling for about a hundred yards when he finally came to a halt. | ||||||||||||
| "Have to think - have to think," he muttered as he forced back the pain. | ||||||||||||
| "You disappointing me," the wolf taunted. Skamms concentrated on his lesser injuries. | ||||||||||||
| "Not trying to missy," he looked around and saw that his gun was on the other side of where the circling wolf was. "Uh - you want to make a sport of this?" he challenged. The wold stopped moving and looked at him with interest. | ||||||||||||
| "Talk," she stated. | ||||||||||||
| "Face me without the fur and claws - see how much sport I am then," he stated. The wolf looked to the side and then up at the sky. He then saw the wolf slowly shrink down to the size and shape of the woman he had seen just moments before. | ||||||||||||
| "You think me to be less dangerous now? You is very silly," she muttered madly as she slowly made her way towards him on all fours. | ||||||||||||
| "Never said that," he began - but once again - in a blur of motion she was on him. Skamms did what he could to keep her hands from closing in on him. But even in her human guise she was easily twice as strong as he was. | ||||||||||||
| "Give up prey - you can not win," she hissed. Skamms watched as wolf like claws began to extend from her fingers and moved slowly closer towards his exposed throat. Skamms could feel her strength beginning to overpower him. It was then that inspiration hit him. In one fluid motion he released her wrists and guided them away from him. She involuntarily lunged forward. He shot his head up and head-butted her nose. He watched as the werewolf rolled away holding her face. | ||||||||||||
| "Head hurt," he muttered holding his head. | ||||||||||||
| "My nose - you - hurt," she began as a look of sheer madness crossed her face he looked over and saw that from her nose to her chin was coated with blood. Her eyes flashed as she changed back into a werewolf. "You will wish for death," she hissed as she madly charged at him. She pounced at him - he dodged - but just barely. The werewolf skidded and crashed into a tree. It was then that Skamms noticed his gun a few feet away from him. The wolf charged again. He rolled back towards the gun and fired - hitting her square in the chest knocking her back. Unfortunately - it had as much affect as it did before. | ||||||||||||
| "Doesn't anything just die anymore?" he muttered sarcastically. | ||||||||||||
| "You - will," she hissed as she raced at him again. He tried to shoot - but the gun jammed! It was then that the wolf seemed to spasm and stopped a few feet away. Skamms looked at the gun and then clubbed the werewolf across the head - no effect - the wolf slowly glared at him - but then a vacant look crossed her eyes. | ||||||||||||
| "Someone - is hungry," Skamms hissed baring his fangs. Before the werewolf could react. He pounced. He was on her back and in one fluid action sunk his fangs into the neck on the monstrous werewolf. The werewolf spasmed! The look of confusion was gone. Skamms eyes began to turn red as he drank from the magical creature. | ||||||||||||
| "Get - off," she strained. She rolled over - but Skamms held on and continued to feed. Slowly the wolf seemed to shrink until was in her human guise. She then collapsed to the ground panting - still he did not stop. "Get," she strained - but could not continue. The last bit of life left the Lupine. Skamms rolled off her and began to involuntarily twitch as the werewolf blood coursed through his system. at the sacrifice of a great deal of will power - he managed to calm himself down - enough to keep himself out of frenzy. | ||||||||||||
| "That - was seriously unpleasant," he muttered - a burp followed. "Let us - review - let us not do that again - ever," he panted as he looked at the unmoving corpse before him. he slowly crawled over to where his shotgun was and checked to see why it jammed. "Seems good now," he commented. He then aimed it at the corpse and unloaded shots into it until the weapon was out of ammo. "Stay," he muttered - tossing the gun at the corpse. He then looked over in the direction of the prince's haven. "Guess I put this off long enough prince. You wanted my attention - you got it," he muttered as he slowly forced himself up. Unfortunately - he lacked the strength to stay up. "Maybe - a little nap first," he slurred as he fell into unconsciousness. | ||||||||||||
| To be continued... | ||||||||||||