The Hunter and the Hunted
He crouched amongst the branches of the tree remaining absolutely motionless and completely silent, intent on watching his prey on the ground below. His muscles were aching with the tension of restraining his urge to leap down immediately and pounce on his unsuspecting victim. His instincts were screaming for him to attack now while the prey's back was turned but he fought down the urge. Be cautious, wait until the exact moment and then and only then attack. Like all good predators he knew that patience was his greatest weapon, that and his claws. So he waited and watched, hazel eyes burning with anticipation and lips pulled back in a snarl revealing his impressive fangs.
"Well I suppose one advantage of this form over the old one is that my senses are a lot sharper than they used to be. Stars and garters, I never would have realized quite how wonderful these scents could be, so much that I missed as a human," Hank purred as he finished his musings inhaling a particularly delicious scent from the flower that he stooped to sniff.
Henry Philip McCoy also known as the Beast had always looked different from the moment he was born with unusually large hands and feet. At first he had looked fairly human if slightly apish and Neanderthal, at least he still fell somewhat in the human norm. Then due to his curiosity and an experimental serum he changed, acquiring pointed ears, sharp fangs and claws and luxuriant soft blue fur. Also his already preternatural strength, resilience, agility and dexterity were boosted to even higher levels. Still he had accepted his new appearance and even started enjoying life as a blue, furry gorilla. Not so easy to accept this new leonine form, especially since it had taken him months to learn how to write again, adapt his manual dexterity to these clumsy paws.
Still it was moments like these when he enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells that his new enhanced senses revealed to him that he appreciated the advantages his new form could offer. Plus he was even stronger and more agile than before, he had finally learnt to adapt to his new hands/paws and he had found that women now accepted his new looks. He could look in the mirror now and not loathe the way he looked. Yes life was good and he could enjoy himself.
He was quite at ease and he never once thought of looking up in the tree above him and he had no idea that he was being observed or that an ambush was imminent.
The predator was now grinning with savage joy. He could feel his pulse racing, the pounding of blood in his ear as loud as a drum beat. Long canines glinted in the light and the eyes were far more beast than man. Leaves brushed against his sideburns as he slowly inched his way forwards along the branch, never making the slightest sound, so stealthy that even a cat would not have heard him. Hank's back was turned and he was completely helpless and at the predator's mercy. No there would be no pity, compassion or remorse for this one, only the scream and the leap, and the kill. With a soft hiss the claws were extended as muscles tensed and the hunter sprang from his perch.
Hank heard the snarl, the eerie howl just in time to react with lightning speed. He twisted to the side just in time, claws shredding the sleeve of his shirt and shaving through his mane so that blue hairs and tatters of cloth tumbled to the ground. No blood was spilt though and apart from a near cardiac arrest he was otherwise unharmed. He turned to face his enemy who had landed neatly and was now crouched growling like a savage animal, a face nearly as hairy as his own bearing an expression of bestial fury. Shaggy black hair and muttonchops, fierce hazel eyes and perhaps too prominent canines gave the man a distinctly feral look. He looked not so much human as more like a werewolf or a predatory animal that walked as a man.
"Well curse my stars and garters; I suppose it will have to be a fight now won't it? Somehow I don't think you will settle for a nice civilized game of chess," Hanks voice was a heavy sigh.
"Ya got it in one fuzz-ball; now let's see if ya fight as well as ya talk."
His enemy charged him slamming into Hank and despite his superior weight and strength he was brought crashing to the ground. Grinning in unholy triumph the feral leapt on his fallen foe kneeling on his chest and crushing the breath from Hank's lungs. The claws were placed at his throat and they both knew that it would only take the slightest amount of pressure to end Hank's life. It looked as though there was no hope for him.
"Ya might as well surrender shaggy or it's going ta be curtains fer ya bub."
"No surrender!" growled Hank.
With blinding speed he brought his fist up, claws sheathed a roundhouse punch that slammed into his opponent's jaw. The impact flung the man through the air, and with a grunt he crashed to earth, stunned and dazed by the impact. He lay groaning and panting for breath, helpless but Hank knew he couldn't let up for an instant or his enemy would be fully recovered and this time Hank would not be so fortunate.
Hank sprang forward and this time he was the one to land on top of his enemy, six hundred pounds of muscles and fur pinning the enemy helplessly beneath him. Hank saw that his foes arms positioned so that any use of his claws would result in him stabbing himself in the back. His enemy was effectively immobilized. Hank placed a claw under the man's chin forcing his head up and then ran the fingers of his other hand across the tender skin of the exposed throat. They both knew that if the claws had been out, that Hank would have ripped his throat out.
"Bang you're dead Logan, I would have preferred to be merciful but it was kill or be killed wasn't it?"
Logan rubbed his sore jaw and gave Hank a rueful grin. He nodded in acknowledgement of the others skill. Hank had done a lot better than he thought. He had fully expected that he would have been the one to "kill" Hank and the defeat had been the last thing he expected. He was silent as Hank helped him to his feet and dusted him down.
"Yer right Hank, I wasn't going ta show ya any mercy so ya had no other choice but ta kill me. I must say ya have a heck of a punch; ya darn near broke my neck save fer the adamantium. Still ya have ta admit it was a good fight."
"I would have preferred that you would have warned me of the upcoming fracas but I suppose the whole point of this exercise was to see how I'd cope with an unexpected ambush. Certainly combat training with you is an interesting experience."
"Yeah well ya wanted ta see what yer new form was capable off and ya nearly as perfect a predator as I am. Well any questions bub?"
"Yes Logan you leapt me with your claws out and if I hadn't dodged in time I would have been run through. Was that your intention?"
"Nah, I knew ya would be able ta dodge and if not I would have retracted them and just slammed ya ta the ground. Still ya beat me fair and square so ya know what that means."
"Yes it means Logan that the drinks are on you, and that you according to our bet start shaving once a day for the next two weeks at least. It looks like you'll have to wait till another time to see what I look like with my fur died green!"
With a chuckle Hank walked back into the mansion reflecting that life was indeed good at the moment.