Chapter 2: Moonlit Hunting

A/N: Reviews and a Beta would be mucho appreciated. Just updated this chapter, after another read through had spotted a few changes I wanted made. Chapter 3 should be up soon, a day or two max.


Slipping out of the tent, the man strode silently towards a few men congregated on the outskirts of the village. No one noticed his presence until he was only a few yards away, when the shortest member of the four-person group looked up.

"Still trying to scare the daylights out of us Xander? Well, too bad because we are finally getting used to your damn stealth. How you do it I haven't the faintest but would have loved those skills in my school days to peak on the birds in the locker rooms." Said the man jovially.

"Mind keeping that brain off the birds tonight, Jim?" said Xander, purposefully ignoring the rest of Jim's rant.

Jim Mytreus was a rather loud South African in his late 30s who stood about medium height with a barrel chest. He was also rather good at his job, which was why he was here tonight. Xander then turned the three others in the group.

"Anwar, Bekele, Dakarai, are we ready?" The three African tribesmen nodded in affirmation.

"Yes Andikan" one of them, Bekele, replied in his native tongue.

Xander grinned to himself at the name the African tribesman referred to him by, which means 'conqueror' in Bantu. Xander was not really sure just how he had picked up the name, trying to figure out what exact action had led to three of the strongest hunters in the local magical tribe to name him so. Maybe it was the fact he had beaten them all at once in a friendly spar a few weeks prior.

Xander smiled, 'They had that beating coming, I may be young but still no reason to be underestimated,' he thought.

Xander wasn't even his name either. Alexander Joseph Brennus was the odd combination of symbols that formed his name, or at least he was reasonable confident it was. Certain circumstances of his past meant he wasn't completely certain, but he was close enough. 'Xander' was the name he used in Creature Hunting circles, and was a reasonable derivation of his full name that he did not feel odd responding to it.

Refocusing on the task at hand, Xander followed Jim as they headed into the Congolese jungle.

"Eyes and ears open chaps, let's make it back home to camp safe and sound one last time" Jim growled out. Jim's demeanor had changed from jovial to dead serious as soon as they entered the jungle. The dangers in the jungle were great, and they had already had a number of narrow escapes.

'Circe help us if we run into a Nundu,' Xander thought as he softly followed behind Jim, keeping his senses on alert. Anwar was currently taking the lead, trying to find a sign of the beasts they hunted, while Bekele and Dakarai followed at the back of the party.

The jungle at night was a trying place on the senses. There was no silence, rather a steady cascade of small noises that constantly made the party flinch and spin around. Wind rushing through trees, small animals moving through bushes, and trickling water were just a few of the numerous sounds that surrounded the party as they moved through the foliage. After 45 minutes of traveling deeper and deeper into the jungle, Xander felt a prickle upon his senses and froze, turning to his right. The rest of the party, respecting immediately stopped as well.

"Got something? What direc..." Jim hissed until he was cut off by Xander's raised hand.

Jim then signaled Anwar back silently. Xander motioned towards Bekele and Dakarai to follow. Jim was an excellent Creature Hunter, but the experience Bekele and Dakarai had at moving silently through the jungle would serve them much better here. Xander drew his wand and unsheathed one of his swords, an ancient looking gladius style sword covered in runes. The trio moved across a few fallen trees, through a pair of ferns, and finally crawled upon a large boulder about 30 feet from where they split off from Jim and Anwar. From their perch they could see, in a small clearing, what they had been looking for: Tebo.

The group quickly reconvened.

"How many?" Jim quickly asked, seeing the look on Xander, Bekele, and Dakarai's faces.

"Eight, five males, three females…males are massive, at least the size of an Ox," Xander quickly responded.

Jim and Anwar both paled. Tebo were not quite in the league of dragons, nundu, or basiliks, but they were still some of the most dangerous creatures to hunt. Giant warthogs with razor sharp tusks, their hides were tough and spell resistant. To top it off, they could magically make themselves nearly invisible. In the local tribes it was considered an honor if two hunters themselves took down a single full grown Tebo.

"The danger is great Andikan…very very great," murmured Bekele.

"We are only two away from our contract quota, and we still have six days…" Jim said quickly.

Xander was barely listening, however, as he was already formulating a plan

"Oh Merlin, I know that look, we are going after the buggers aren't we," moaned Jim.

"We'll take a vote as always, but I have a plan." Xander said quickly. 'More of a general idea…but they don't need to know that,' he added to himself.

"Explain." Anwar replied quietly.

"Well, how's everyone's transfiguration?"

/

The group was loosely spread around the clearing, surrounding the small pack of Tebo. The Tebo were so far unaware of the group's presence; a few had taken to lying down while the rest were grazing. Xander's plan was simple; at Jim's signal (he had the best view from atop the boulder) they would transfigure walls around the Tebo, trapping them in.

Xander adjusted his wand and took a deep breath, calming his thoughts. A clear owl hoot streaked through the night and Xander began quickly muttering under his breath and swishing his wand. A 20-foot tall wall quickly formed out of the soil and mud at the edge of the clearing. Once completed, Xander transfigured the wall into solid granite for good measure. Xander's skill bordered upon prodigious; the entire process took less than five seconds.

Xander quickly peered around. Though the rest of the group's transfigurations were not of the same caliber of his, they would do the job

"Show off," muttered Jim as he joined Xander, clutching his knees and gasping for breath. "Thorough" Xander replied quietly. Jim had also made an earthen wall, about 15 feet high and reinforced with a few logs he had summoned to prevent its collapse.

The pair then walked over to Anwar and Dakurai. The pair were gassed and on their knees but grinning madly. They had combined efforts to transfigure the last portion of the wall, changing the grasses of the clearing into massive wood posts and growing them to be 25 feet tall. It was an impressive display of magic, but clearly both were spent.

"What are you two smiling so much about," barked Jim.

"Capturing eight Tebo a great honor for our tribe," responded Anwar, "We shall be celebrated for days when we returned," he finished as Dakarai nodded beside him. He then shifted his gaze across the clearing and waved.

Xander and Jim turned and saw Bekele jogging, practically skipping, towards them, oblivious to his surroundings. He had been on lookout duty during while the others focused on their casting. Suddenly he stumbled, and a piercing scream cut through the jungle night.

"Shit!" Xander cursed as he began sprinting over to Bekele, Jim following close behind.

"Careful, let's not get ourselves taken by whatever got him" Jim called out from behind.

They closed the gap in seconds only to find a frightening sight. Bekele was on the ground, clutching his a leg, eyes wide in terror. Across from him a massive 18 foot long Ashwinder was rearing and hissing, preparing for another strike.

Jim froze in fear, muttering, "Oh Merlin and mother of all that is magical," before letting out a stream of curses that would have made the drunkest sailor blush.

Xander never stopped moving. With fluid movement he quickly drew the Japanese katana on his back with his right hand and slashed it in unison with the wand in his left.

Most wizarding cultures had long abandoned swords and other weapons for solely using wands. The old War Arts that combined magic and sword had descended into a thing of myth and legend. They were difficult to master, and as magic had advanced and new spells had been created the Arts had become obsolete. Nevertheless, there were some instances, Xander knew, where the War Arts were unmatched. Sheer cutting power was one of them.

The cutting spell connected with the enormous snake mid-hiss, slicing it cleanly in half lengthwise. The spell did not stop, however, and cut through a dozen small plants and a rotten stump before finally hitting a thick tree, leaving a long deep gash along its trunk.

"Circe! That must have gone 30 yards. Never seen something like…never even heard of a cutting spell like that for Merlin's sake!" Jim exclaimed as he stared in awe.

Jim and Xander quickly hurried over to Bekele. Anwar and Dakarai, who both became very pale when they saw Bekele, soon joined them. "Damn!" Xander cursed.

Bekele was barely holding onto consciousness. He had been bitten just above the ankle and the wound licked with magical fire from the Ashwinder venom. A charred skin was steadily spreading up his leg.

"We need to cut it," Jim said grimly. "Fast."

"Stun him," replied Xander, who then turned towards Anwar and Dakarai and explained what they were about to do.

Xander sheathed his Japanese sword and switched it for the ancient gladius. Jim straightened Bekele's leg.

"Sword looks a bit dull…simple spellwork might be better here," said Jim with a questioning look. "See the runes? Makes it so the sword can only be messed with by really powerful magic. Hoping it will help against the venom." Xander replied. Jim nodded and bent Bekele's other leg back so it wouldn't be in the way.

"You cut, I'll be ready to close it up," Jim said gruffly. Jim had picked up some Healing skills from a brother who worked in a magical hospital in Johannesburg. Xander lifted the sword, and aimed carefully, then nodded to Jim. The blade came down quickly, shearing the leg off just below the knee in spurt of blood. Jim worked quickly to staunch the bleeding and seal the wound.

"Bugger!" Jim exclaimed, sweat pouring down his forehead. "I'm not skilled enough for this and if we don't get it closed soon he's a goner."

At that moment Anwar managed to snap out of his trance and pulled out a bottle filled with a dark green mud-like substance. "Good for wounds, made of jungle plants," he stammered before rushing over and unceremoniously dumping it all on Bekele's stump.

There was a tense moment before they saw that the bleeding had all but stopped. The wound was a raw, angry red as Jim went over and looked at it. 'Must be sort of like Dittany.' Xander thought to himself.

"No sign of any poison left, I think we made it or at least he's stable enough." Jim sighed in relief.

"Still need to get him to a Healer." Xander said. Ashwinder venom was not stuff you messed around with.

"Aye he should be fine though. I'll Apparate him back to the village and find the Healer." Jim replied. "Think you three can take care of the Tebo?" The trio nodded, in the rush they had nearly forgotten the Tebo that were penned in only a dozen feet away. "Then see you in a bit." Jim said before disappearing with a soft pop.

The Tebo hides needed to be intact to fulfill the Hunting contract, so Xander chucked a well-sealed vial over the wall and heard it break on the other side. The fumes from the potion would knock out the Tebo for at least a few hours. After listening closely for a few minutes and hearing no movement, Xander took down a portion of the wall and the trio went to work.

Due to the magical nature of the Tebo, they couldn't be shrunken whole. The trio went through the bloody work of decapitating each of the Tebo and then skinning their hides. They also cut off each of the tusks, which were also valuable as they were often used as wand cores. After an hour of work the hides had been wrapped and bound. Anwar and Darukai had shrunken the bodies of the Tebo and were packing them away as well.

"Tasty meat," Anwar grinned. "Jerky and stew too," Darukai replied. They were much chattier now that Jim was gone and they could speak in their native tongue, which Xander had picked up enough of to follow along.

As they were finishing up, Xander wandered over to the Ashwinder. It had been a monster specimen, thick as his thigh and sporting an enormous head. Xander could see as the insides of the serpent slowly burned up; the fire magic that had powered the creature in life now consumed it in death. Only the skin was being spared from the flames. "Your kill, Andikan, your spoils," said Darukai as he came to stand beside Xander. Xander nodded, "Help me skin it?"

They both kneeled down and worked carefully to remove the skin without getting burnt. Ashwinder skin was useful; it was extremely fire resistant and tough once treated.

'Could use some new gloves,' Xander thought to himself.

Anwar joined them and they had soon completed the task. Xander thanked the pair for their help before they also Apparated back to camp with a series of soft pops. The first rays of the sunrise had just begun to peak over the horizon.

/

Xander moved about his tent, weary from a night of work. The tent wasn't large by magical standards, but was comfortable. It was laid out like a loft, no separate rooms but containing a bed, desk, kitchen, and sitting area all in one space. A bathroom was through a door between the kitchen area and the bed. Xander propped his swords against a chair by the door, then slipped off his belt, boots, and jacket, all made of dragonhide. Xander then took off his simple cloth shirt and walked over to the kitchen sink, conscious that he had company.

"Glass of water, Jim?" Xander called out. Jim was standing in the entrance. "Sure."

Jim pulled out a chair and sat down at the table, watching as Xander grabbed a couple glasses and filled them from the sink.

"Ya got a collection of scars that could compete with any I've ever seen," observed Jim.

"Anyone in this kind of work picks up scars, you probably have quite a few yourself," responded Xander as he sat down at the table, sliding a glass over to Jim.

"Aye, but the one on your neck has got to have a story behind it," Jim said as he took a sip.

Xander raised his hand and felt behind his head. A thin scar started just behind his ear and ran to the top of his shoulder. It had been one of his closest calls.

"Picked it up in a cave in India, bit over a year ago," Xander responded quietly.

Jim leaned back and raised his eyebrows. "So those rumors involving you and couple of basilisks might not be rumors, Xander?" The only response Jim got was a shrug. Silence filled the air as the two sipped their waters.

"I don't mean to pry, but just how old are you?" Jim asked softly. Xander looked up at Jim and shrugged the question off again.

"Isn't my business I suppose, and well skill is skill and by Circe you have plenty of that." Jim then downed the rest of his water and stood up.

"Just wanted to let you know, Bekele is going to be fine. I contacted Gringotts to let them know we finished and they are going to pay us our fee and will give us the commission once the Tebo hides are sold. Should be good money for 45 hides."

Xander nodded before Jim continued, "I'm heading home, or well to a pub at least, by the end of the day after a nap, but I just wanted to let you know been a pleasure working with you these last three weeks, and if you ever need a partner for another contract, I'd be more than happy to work with someone skilled enough to take down a Tebo single-handedly as you did more than a few times."

Jim then put his glass in the kitchen sink and walked towards the door before stopping halfway there. Xander looked at him expectantly as Jim said, "Know it ain't my place, but you are as serious a person as I've ever seen. Good for work, but when I was your age, whatever it is, Merlin knows the most serious thing I was thinking about was whether I could get a bird or two to be my girl." Jim said. "Then again, was probably the only thing I was thinking about," he added on with a laugh.

Xander made no show of responding, and kept his features blank. He then gave a quick nod, a signal for Jim that that line of conversation was over.

"Just something to think about. Good luck to you and lemme know if ya ever need something."

"I will," Xander promised as he stood up. The two exchanged a handshake and goodbyes before Jim left the tent.

Xander wandered over to a mirror, replaying Jim's words in his mind. Xander's hands started tracing the scars that littered his chest and back. His right hand felt that back of his shoulder, where a small tattoo of an angry war god like Buddha was inked into his skin.

"But just how old are you?" Jim's words echoed in his mind. Sighing, he thought, 'I didn't answer not because I didn't know, but because I have no idea.'

Xander looked up at the mirror. He was tall, just shy of 6 feet, and slimly built but with extremely defined muscles. Not the kind of muscles that showed through clothes, but built for function over form. With his combination of muscles and scars a neck-down view of Xander would make one think of an older veteran warrior. However, the face did not match that image in the slightest.

"Haven't stopped growing yet, but I have slowed down," Xander muttered to himself.

"So what probably 16 or 17? Maybe 15, maybe 18?" Xander's earliest solid memories were from about 11 years ago, and he guessed he was probably around five at the time. Memories from before that time were very spotty and he didn't try to recall them often, for good reason.

Mentally ignoring the rest of Jim's speech, Xander wandlessly summoned a shirt and slipped it on. He then remembered that something had arrived in the Gringotts Transfer box that sat next to his bed and strode over to it. Settling onto his bed Xander quickly skimmed through the packet of files before setting it down next to him. 'Was planning on heading to Europe anyway, and I have never been to Britain before. Gives me as good of reason as any too' Xander thought to himself. Summoning his wand, he quickly set up a half dozen wards around his tent before drifting off to sleep.