Hunt or Be Hunted
By Julia Cat
Part 2 - Desperate Measures
The long, melancholic wails of the savage creature could still be heard in the air as the small party of Sprites decided on their best option to win the game, with as few difficulties as possible. Each and every one of them knew that this was to be no ordinary game. Careful planning and cunning was their only choice in a situation such as the one in which they currently found themselves. As was expected, everyone turned to Dot for answers, though she had previously admitted that she had no idea of how they were going to evade, let alone kill, the unknown creature.
The party was now huddled under one of the spindly trees, having a discussion -- well, sort of. Not much discussion seemed to be going on between the five members of the little clan. Matrix was polishing his game-upgraded gun, smiling as he passed his fingers over its sleek surface. This was a little unsettling to Dot, who was not yet used to her bigger brother format's apparent obsession with his gun. AndrAIa was staring off into the distance, seemingly trying to devise a crude plan for survival, little Enzo was watching Matrix study his gun, Bob was trying to remember any information about this game he had heard during his time at the academy, and Dot was racking her brain, seeing if she could quickly put together one of her miraculous plans in order to quickly win the game.
The group sat in silence, each member tending to his or her tasks, for several microseconds. Dot and AndrAIa both seemed unable to think of anything that didn't involve endangering a member of their group. The silence was suddenly broken by little Enzo, as he got a brainstorm of his own. "Dude!" he exclaimed, "That's perfect!"
AndrAIa snapped out of her reverie and voiced everyone's thoughts, "What's perfect, Enzo?"
Enzo grinned slyly. He seemed proud that he had thought of an ingenious plan before anyone else, especially his sister, the master of such plans. He cleared his throat, and said, in a rather authoritative tone, "How about we make as much noise as possible, getting the monster's attention, then we kill it when it comes running?" At everyone's incredulous gaze, Enzo smiled sheepishly. "Well, maybe it isn't such a good plan, now that I think about it. It can be changed... right?" After receiving prolonged stares, Enzo's face fell and he muttered, "Or not."
Dot tried to soften the blow by attempting to console her brother. "It was a valiant effort, Enzo," she said carefully, "but it would just be too risky in this game. Too much is at stake. Alright?" Enzo smiled a little, and nodded, though a little slowly.
With that, the five Sprites went back to their former states. After another few microseconds, nobody had arrived at a solution to their pending problem. Matrix had finished admiring his gun and was now devising a plan which involved mass slaughter of the mysterious creature. A sigh from Bob interrupted the silence. "Well, gang," he said, resigned, "it seems like we may have to resort to desperate measures." He was rewarded with questioning looks from his companions and decided to elaborate, "In cases like these," he said, speaking with difficulty, for he did not like what he was about to say, "sometimes the best way to proceed is to follow our instincts and do what we think is best, no matter how risky." At Enzo's hopeful look, Bob shook his head, and the boy's face fell. "However," Bob added, "there are limits. I suggest we split up into two groups and search on foot for the creature. We have our communicators, which will help in our search, but I can tell you now, this will not be easy."
As the party members nodded, Matrix picked up Bob's plan. "As far as strategy goes," he said, "I don't think we should attack the creature as soon as we see it. This goes against everything I've lived for in the games, but, I think I speak for everyone here when I say that I don't want any of us to get hurt. We have to track it somehow... but we can't give ourselves away."
"But Enzo," Dot said, instantly remembering the renegade's preferred name. "Sorry. Matrix. Don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself? This Serengeti thing of yours is huge! How would we know where to start? Remember, we don't know anything about this creature, let alone how to trap it. We would have to know what it eats, when it's awake, what its hunting habits are, and so much more just to know how to approach it."
Here AndrAIa piped up. "Hold on a second, Dot. I remember all the survival skills needed in a game like this. In fact, if you remember, I used to live in a game where survival was a key factor. It's what I lived for. I happen to know for a fact that all carnivorous predators have weaknesses, just like we do. They all like to surprise their prey, which is pretty obvious. You don't see a lion, for instance, approaching its prey from the front, in full view, do you? We're going to have to pay very close attention to what's going on around us. Remember that my hearing is superior to anyone else's--"
AndrAIa's lecture was interrupted by a low growl that sounded like it was disturbingly close by. Matrix instantly whipped out his gun, and Bob did the same. Little Enzo, however, smiled as his teammates donned defensive positions. He knew that growl.
Dot jumped as a big red and yellow dog leapt out from behind a nearby tree and trotted over the group of Sprites. "Frisket!" Enzo exclaimed, as he was tackled by the oversized canine. "Where did you come, from, boy? You're a good dog, Frisket! You can really help us out in this game. You knew that, didn't you? Here, let me help you ReBoot!" The boy clicked the dog's icon, that Frisket was immediately transformed into a very savage-looking black beast with long, sharp teeth and a big strong torso.
The rest of the group recovered from the scare and were just as grateful as Enzo for the arrival of the loyal dog. The Sprites continued their conversation, with Frisket on the lookout for wild creatures, and soon they agreed to split up into two teams, little Enzo, AndrAIa and Frisket on one team, and Bob, Dot and Matrix on the other. Once both teams were ready, they wished each other luck and set out on their dangerous trek across the Serengeti, even though no one knew what awaited them. As long as Frisket was there, though, they felt a little more confident.
* * *
In a low thicket, a few dozen meters away from the meeting place, a pair of amber eyes watched as the two teams set off in their respective directions. The beast now realized it had new prey, yet it knew it had to approach the dog's team with caution. In a rather cowardly attempt to keep its own life, it kept a low profile and slowly followed the other team, hoping to catch them off-guard.
* * *
As the second crawled by, the sun seemed to get hotter, and to Matrix, who felt particularly uneasy, it proved to be a problem. Though he was a fairly big Sprite, he felt the heat more than either of his companions, and he realized that if they were to be confronted by the beast, he would be at a disadvantage, for he was getting weak.
The three had been walking for what had seemed like milliseconds, carefully taking in their surroundings as they made their way across the vast savannah. Finally, they came to an oasis where Dot filled her water skin, and the trio sunk down by the pool of azure water for a rest. They hadn't gotten any messages from the other team, which was both unsettling and gratifying.
Suddenly, Bob felt the hairs on the back of his neck prick up and he felt an uneasy feeling wash over him. Before he could warn his companions, a flash of gold and black pounced into the center of the group and began advancing on Dot. The three travelers were paralyzed with fear. This was no ordinary creature. It was about three times Frisket's size with golden fur with black marks no one had ever seen before. It was crouched low, in a stalking position. It was very much like a cat, but not at the same time. If asked to describe the creature afterwards, neither Sprite would have been able to. Its big amber eyes narrowed as it continued to approach Dot. In the blink of an eye, it pounced, and Dot screamed.
To be continued...