Summery A year after the events of 'Wordless' Hunter is trying to rebulid his life.But with Phil still hanging around and Hunter still plagued by nightmares, it can't be long before something breaks...

Disclaimer I still don't own them... damn! Oh well, I can mess with them on paper instead!

Well this is it! The sequal to Wordless - finally! I has only taken me oh about a year to get this chapter up. A huge thank you must go to my sister, Natalie, for badgering me, bullying me and having enought patience with me to make me sit down and write and to also read through it thousands of times searching for all my (many) spelling mistakes and most of all for reassuring me that what I wrote is good enough for you guys! I was amazed at the support I got for Wordless and wanted the sequal to do it justice... I'll let you decide if it has!

Yeah, I'll stop rambling now! Here's chapter one of a whole new story! Enjoy (and tell me what you think!)

The Dream

The footsteps were getting closer; he was coming. Hunter ran up the stairs, his heart beating fast in his chest and his breath coming in gasping sobs. The footsteps behind him sped up, and even as Hunter pushed his body to its limit, he knew he was going to catch him.

Fear drove him to put on a final spurt of energy and he reached his room. Slamming the door shut he paused, straining to breathe as his chest was tight and his throat constricted with terror. He couldn't lock his door, not from the inside. The footsteps drew nearer – he was almost here.

Hunter crouched down in a corner of his dark room, his knees drawn up against his chest, shaking. He couldn't stop the tears from running down his cheeks, even though he knew they only brought more pain. Nor could he hold back a cry of fear as the door slowly opened, with a silhouette of a man framed in the doorway.

He had arrived.

The figure moved towards Hunter like a leopard stalking its prey; a leopard that doesn't change its spots.

The man raised his fist and brought it in a downward strike towards Hunter's unprotected head…

xxx

"No!" Hunter sat bolt upright, his eyes snapping open as he woke. His bed sheets were tangled from where he'd been thrashing about in his sleep to escape the nightmare. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead and he was breathing heavily. A hand on his shoulder made him jump and he turned to see his brother sitting beside his bed, his face just visible in the dim glow given off by Hunter's nightlight.

"You ok?" Blake asked, worry in his brown eyes.

Hunter took a deep breath and nodded as he tried to calm his breathing. "Just a dream," he said, "Did I wake you?"

Blake sighed, "Just a dream? Hunter you were screaming so loudly I'm surprised next door didn't hear. Would it help if you talked about it?"

"Blake what is there to talk about? I've already told you everything."

"Everything that happened to you when you were a child Hunter, but not what happened to you last year – and what still is happening to you."

Hunter gave Blake a sharp look, "What do you mean?"

"I'm your brother Hunter; I'm not blind. I know Phil's still bothering you. Why can't you just tell me these things?"

Hunter gave a small groan, "I didn't want to worry you."

"Worry me?" Blake asked incredulously, "Gods Hunter, you scared me half to death last year."

"I'm really sorry, I guess I've just got so used to keeping things to myself that it's natural." It wasn't entirely a lie – but Hunter didn't want to tell Blake the real reason why he hadn't mentioned Phil.

Blake gave his brother a suspicious look but apart from that seemed satisfied with Hunter's explanation. "What was it about?"

"Huh?" Hunter looked puzzled.

"The dream; what was it about?"

Hunter shook his head, "I can't remember," he lied. "As I said, it was just a dream." Then he faked an elaborate yawn, "I'm still really tired, what time is it?"

"Too early to get up," Blake replied. He stood and put a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Go back to sleep, Sensei's training session is in a couple of hours."

Hunter smiled, rolled over and shut his eyes, feeling bad for deceiving his brother. He kept his eyes shut until he heard Blake's footsteps leave the room…