Hunting
Disclaimer: Legacy of Kain belongs to Edios and Crystal Dynamics not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Vorador . . . then he'd be mine.
Rating: PG-13
Part: one of four
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The first few months of Raziel's unlife he and his brothers had been fed by their father. That is to say that Kain did the hunting and they fought each other for the lions share of whatever, or whoever he brought back. It was a brutal start to life and it didn't take long before Raziel started to question the merits of beating back his breatherin every mealtime.
It felt odd that Kain stressed cooperation amongst them at all times, and discouraged, sometimes forcefully, egotistical habits. Yet when it came to food it was a free for all. It was brutal and messy, with a great deal of the blood ending up on the floor while they squabbled and snarled over what they could.
They were always in a perpetual state of hunger that drove them to distraction at times, leading to pointless quarrels and minor feuds whenever Kain's back was turned. Fortunately, Raziel had began to suspect that their father was growing bored with doing all the work feeding them and even more bored watching the tear at each other every time he came through the door with dinner. His suspicions were confirmed when Kain announced one evening that they would be accompanying him on a hunt and that they could damn well feed themselves from now on so they'd better learn how fast.
He lead them out of the squalid little hovel they'd been calling home for the past two months and out into the outskirts of the city of Meridian. Raziel, expecting to turn deeper into the city was surprised when Kain turned North and lead them out and away from the city and into the surrounding scrub land and canyons.
"I have decided against hunting the streets of Meridian tonight," Kain said noting Raziel's expression.
"But I thought you liked the city?" Raziel frowned.
"I do," Kain nodded, "and once I can trust that you won't get yourselves killed every time a rouge hunter or thug wanders by we will start hunting there."
"I'd have thought it would be easier to run food down in the open," Dumah said. "I can't wait." He clenched and unclenched his hands in anticipation. Kain snorted at his eagerness.
"It depends on your preferred style of hunting, Meridian makes for easy pickings thanks to the rooftops." Again, he noted the confused expression from several of his brood this time and continued. "You can simply fall onto your prey, hunting in Meridian is easy if you are swift and silent, I doubt any of you are capable of such now."
"There's nothing out here," Rahab said softly. "It's a wasteland." Kain said nothing and Rahab fell quiet, none felt comfortable questioning their sire but all were concerned. The land they walked through was frigid and barren. The canyon sides reaching high around them, funnelling the air through twisting paths. The wind was sharp and smelt only of canon dust. There was nothing here.
They followed their sire in silence for most of the night, none brave enough to question. Eventually they reached a work yard, it seemed long abandoned, silent and empty. Kain stopped them at the gate, it had collapsed, torn asunder when the crane fell. Raziel found himself wondering what kind of accident must have happened here to cause such damage.
"This is where you will have you first lesson," Kain grinned at his children. "Beyond this place lies a bolt hole for the smugglers that haunt these roads."
"Smugglers," Zephon frowned.
"They are well tested and armed," Kain said. "As you are now it is unlikely you would be successful on a hunt."
"So why bring us here?" Turel said.
"Practice, with the promise of reward." Kain's grin took on a malevolent quirk.
"I do not like the sound of this," Raziel heard Melchiah mutter, he glanced back at his youngest sibling and frowned, encouraging him to hold his tongue.
"You will divide into two groups, one will be hunter the other prey," Kain said. "You have the work yard as your territory, you cannot leave it. Once you can successfully demonstrate the ability to evade and capture then we will eat and not before."
They were silent. Kain raised his eyebrows at them.
"Come on, get on with it."
End Chapter
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