Note to Silverlings- This chapter is short for a reason. It was to give a better look into the mind of a very distressed Dr. Beck.
The Hunt
Dr. Beck stood silently and watched as his pack looked around the small alcove, sniffing at the air for a scent to follow. He knew that their quarry had been there, he could see the obvious signs they had left behind; half-eaten rabbit, a snuffed-out fire, a few silver feathers laying about. The master tracker and his pack of ten canine hybrids weren't going to let their prey escape so easily.
"They seem to have left about an hour ago, in a hurry. They're flying east, toward the Cave of Mazes." one of the hounds, a scruffy looking fellow, reported gruffly.
"The Cave of Mazes? If we don't catch them, they'll just get lost and die in there. If the reptilians don't get them first. At any rate, we had better kill them before they reach the cave. General Kreeth won't be happy if they escape." Dr. Beck sighed and picked up one of the silver feathers, twirling it between his fingers thoughtfully.
Dr. Beck sighed and dropped the feather, watching it slowly flutter to the ground. He looked around at his pack, his loyal hounds, who had hunted with him for so long. Before they had been captured by the Knights, they had been the best hunting party in their village. They would bring back big game, such as deer and wild hog, and the village would feast. But that was the past;all that mattered now was the uncertain future.
"Come on, we have to stay close to them. If we want Lord Malnice to spare us from his great purge, we cannot fail." he barked.
The others nodded, and the whole pack took off running at a surprisingly brisk pace, Dr. Beck in the lead. They ran in silence, focusing only on the chase before them. Tracking flying prey wasn't much more difficult than ground prey, but catching them was. This was why Dr. Beck had insisted that they each carry a bow and quiver full of arrows;so they could shoot the prey down if need be.
Dr. Beck glanced around at his pack once more, contemplating their fate. He could only hope that they would be spared from Lord Malnice's brutal multiple-race genocide, but a gnawing feeling in the back of his mind made him doubt it. He could sense the madness growing within his master's black heart, and it made him uneasy. He didn't want to die, nor did he want his pack to perish, but something inside him warned him of their impending demise.
"That's why I can't make any mistakes. We have to succeed."