His feet hurt, the soles torn and bruised from the ground he was forced to run on. He wasn't running by choice, but rather an internal fear that had drove him to the point of no return. If he was caught he'd be done for, no escape and no hope after that point. He could smell the hunter right behind him, a vile scent overtaking him. There was no telling how close he was and that left Roxas no choice but to keep up with the grueling pace.
He could hear the labored breathing of the man behind him and it drove him to move at a faster pace, his feet now hitting the ground with such force he was propelled with each step. Roots were leaped over; rocks stepped on and embedded into his soft soles. There was nothing he could do but run and hope the hunter gave up, but what his mind remembered from the stories he was told as a child there was little to no hope in the area.
Hunters.
They were never supposed to be real, the stories he'd been told as a child were to keep him away from the forest's edge were just stories told by the elders. They were stories of an older time when danger ran rampant across the world, the men and women who had devolved into creatures of hate and blood lust just mere memories of the past. Fast and lethal, ever searching for innocence they could corrupt and hold hostage, the torture giving them a reason to live.
Stories that Roxas had never help much belief in. There was no way a human could devolve into such primitive creatures in his mind. Savages were one thing he had encountered, but a being that had teeth as sharp as knives and eyes that could pierce the night but held the form of a human was just a myth to him. Something the elders liked to pretend existed to hold the people of the village in place with fear. Manipulation was one of their strongest powers.
Roxas could hear his heartbeat in his ears, the drumming a constant sound now that kept up with his pace. Beat after beat landed as his feet pounded the ground, crystal blue eyes scanning the area for an opening to make a dash, hoping to throw off his pursuer. There was no clear area, the trees and brush too thick to easily dart through, the path his only source of constant ground for now.
It was hopeless, this chase, there was no way he could out run a creature such as the one behind him. It was toying with him in such a way that was cruel. The footsteps behind him would fade off, seeming as though the creature had given up but as soon as Roxas even attempted to slow down they would return as loud as ever. Closer and closer they would get only to fall back and let him run on. The moment he was wanted he'd be caught, he knew this, but his feet wouldn't stop moving. He was a participant in a game that was unwinnable. He'd been the number one contestant since he entered the forest.
The breathing that hit the back of his neck didn't go unnoticed and Roxas' heart dropped in his chest, bile and vomit rising up from his stomach which left him no choice but to fall to his knees and empty his stomach. It burned, bile rushing up his throat and falling onto the ground in a less than graceful manner from his gaping mouth. Tears burned in his eyes, breathing labored and short as he panted, eyes closed.
He was waiting for the fatal blow, whether from a spear that the man carried in his belt or from the razor teeth that would be tearing into his flesh in seconds. The drumming of his heart continued for what seemed like forever until he heard the beast move beside of him, something sharp sliding against the side of his neck until it was positioned at the front of his throat.
He waited for the blade to slice into his flesh; he'd welcome the killing blow with open arms. Death was much better than what he had been expecting to happen and after beat after beat sounded off he opened his eyes and looked up, gasping when crystal blue met toxic green.
There was no beast in front of him, but instead a man. High cheek bones and pale flesh was the first things he noticed, the weird markings underneath his eyes coming into focus next. There was nothing frightening about his appearance like he expected, but the blade against his throat still held him at a still with fear.
Roxas' throat bobbed as he swallowed down the plea that was bubbling up, thinking it wise to not annoy the man who was holding his fate by the tip of a blade. One quick flick of the man's wrist and he'd be bleeding out, blood flowing down his chest and into the ground to be soaked up. There would be nothing after that but pain and shock until his brain gave out and he'd lose all aspects of life. He had no choice but to kneel and listen to the constant drumming of his heart.
A soft growl sounded off beside of him and a hand was in his hair, finger threading through the blond locks only to make a fist and jerk him to his feet, blade still held in place. The blade was pulled away after a second and the hand hesitantly left his hair and he was free. Free to run away and move on his own, but the green eyes remained trained on him as the man rummaged through a pack that sat on his hip. Roxas was wiser then to try and run, but his body kept twitching in preparation for the movement.
Time moved slowly, or at least it seemed to drag on for what seemed like hours even though it had only been minutes. Roxas' knees were bruised by now, the rocks and twigs that had made their home in the dirt now embedded into his skin. He wanted to shift, move into another position but the eyes that remained locked on him kept him it place. It was like he was held captive by just their gaze, emerald green containing him in a state of stillness.
He let his eyes slip close, blue eyes now being covered by darkness and the sight of his captor engraved in his memory. It was a stain he couldn't remove, perhaps for the better. It kept him locked into position, one movement could set the Hunter off and his mind didn't hold back in supplying him with torturous images.
A small leather strap was wrapped around his throat, breath halting In his throat as it tightened around the muscle. Strangulation was what he was expecting, but the soft click of something snapping behind him let him breathe again. He had been collared, throat constricting as he tried to swallow down the idea that he had be marked like some animal; a pet even. He felt something slide in between the strap and his skin, eyes flying open to meet the small rope that was now his life line.
Standing, the hunter pulled on the rope lightly giving Roxas a chance to stand on his own. Even with his muscles prepared to run he couldn't move. It was like he was frozen on his knees, mind moving a mile a minute with scenarios coursing through his mind.
Another tug came from the leash, and he was forced to step forward as the man stepped back and watched him with careful eyes. His feet throbbed, knees shaking as another tug came and he was forced to step forward once more.
The man grinned, sharp teeth flashing in the light as he turned and began to walk along the path, Roxas forced to follow behind him like a pet. There was nothing he could do but watch the ground as step after step led him to a fate he couldn't imagine. There was no escape. No way out. He was at the complete mercy of the Hunter.