This story has nothing to do with the previous chapter, but I though I'd post all my short stories in one place. So, without further ado… here is vignette number two.
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Taimi pulled her dark cloak tightly about herself as she crouched in the thicket, hoping she had not been seen diving to her hiding spot. Her rogue companion had been a little faster, and was well hidden several feet away. The strange man stopped, sniffed in her direction, then waved his pets onward, moving further into the Flayer Jungle. If she didn't know any better, she'd think the freak really could smell her trailing him.
When he was a safe enough distance away, she crept out of concealment and continued after him, the rogue trailing like a silent shadow.
It was no trouble staying on his trail as he tromped loudly through the trees. Again, she wasn't sure if he was purposely leading her further and further from Kurast, or if he was just an idiot. She liked to believe the latter, though she was prepared for an ambush.
On and on they followed. Always out of sight, but never out of earshot. Flawlessly he led them down paths and over bridges, continually making enough noise to wake the dead. She asked herself again, why was she still following the fool? The answer was the same as always. It was the thrill of the hunt, as stupid as the prey may be in this case.
Something about the stranger struck her as wrong as he strutted off Meshif's ship, the typical, arrogant male. She couldn't put her finger on it, so she followed him when he left for the cursed jungle. She saw him follow the Dark Wanderer, and realized quickly the two weren't friends when the terrible creatures left by the hooded being attacked the man. He wasn't evil, so there had to be something else that raised her blood about him.
Suddenly the voices of several dozen junglemen could be heard just up ahead. She and her shadow crept forward, a clearing coming into view. Fortunately, the annoying creatures were completely concerned with the man and his zoo as he led them on a rampage of destruction through the miniature village. The demons howled in pain, fear, and anger as they fought kamikaze-style against the larger beasts. Looking at the battle impartially, she almost felt sorry for the little monsters. They hadn't a hope… men, women, or children.
Something inaudible drew her attention behind them, and she just made out the armor of an Iron Wolf sneaking about. Now where did he fit in all this? Had he been following them all this time? She thought about it and realized it could be true. The other man had been deliberately loud to lead them and cover his own shadow. Perhaps he wasn't an idiot after all.
She signaled the rogue up into the treetops, the playground of the Amazon nation. Without disturbing a single leaf, they circled the clearing to the other side. The man sniffed around in the air again, but he looked baffled, as if he had indeed lost their scent.
The Iron Wolf slunk into the village a short time later. "Sorry, my lord. I've lost them. They went up into the trees."
"It is of no matter, Devak. We'll…" and she could make out no more of their conversation as the man had finally decided to be discreet. He called his wolves to him, and they all silently raced back into the jungle.
Now the game was truly afoot.
"Sister," she whispered to her rogue. "You follow low, I'll stay high. I leave the Iron Wolf in your hands."
The woman nodded and dropped silently to the forest floor. She hit the ground running. A great companion was the rogue, Paige. Taimi greatly depended on her. She knew with great confidence the mercenary would never get away with Paige on his tail.
The Amazon gracefully loped from branch to branch, never slipping, never breaking her stride. A birdcall sounded down and hundred meters to her right. She changed her direction to follow, knowing it was Paige's signal she was on the trail. There was a flicker of silver and maroon just ahead. The mercenary, Devak.
Suddenly Paige's whistle trilled. The prey had separated.
There… she saw the glimmer of movement in the opposite direction and broke away. On she and the man continued; she following the glimpses of him the trees allowed. She passed right over the village of more of the annoying little junglemen while he quietly slipped around, his pets having disappeard. He shortly ran out into an opening provided by the swamps as he crossed another bridge. Taimi was forced to drop back down to the ground, and she followed into the clearing after he had already disappeared into the trees on the other side.
She entered the trees cautiously, unstrapping her spear from her back. She strained, listening for any sound of the man, but she could hear nothing that gave him away. She crouched down, studying the jungle floor for footprints. It took a few minutes, but she finally found his trail.
He's good. She admitted to herself. Very good.
Taimi picked up her pace now that she knew the trail to follow, but she still carried her spear at the ready. A trill sounded through the trees. Paige was still on her mark. Taimi whistled back she was following, but uncertain of her own mark.
The trail grew fainter, but she was still able to slowly follow it until it finally led into a covered clearing. There the trail stopped cold.
Something glimmered in the ferns. Taimi carefully crept up to it, ready to strike at any movement, but nothing happened. She pushed the leaves aside with the tip of her spear, only to find the man's armor sitting there in a pile.
"What the…" she accidentally said aloud, cringing at the sound of her own voice. Not that it mattered. He already knew exactly where she was. Now all she had to do was look for his naked arse gleaming through the trees.
She was just about to go high again, when a low growling noise stopped her cold. Actually, it wasn't just 'a' growling noise; it was several. She slowly turned, gripping her spear tightly. Facing her were half a dozen of the largest wolves she had ever seen, and in the middle was a snarling beast that could only be described as a hound of hell. It was massive, deformed, and angry. Taimi knew if she moved, she would surely die. And if she didn't move, she would still probably die. She had one good attack she could get in with her spear before all the beasts converged on her. If she did it well, she could take out the ugly one and have one chance to get up into the trees away from the others. It was her only choice.
But the beast seemed to know that if it attacked, it would meet her weapon. So it held it's ground, putting on a frightening display of teeth and hatred. The other wolves ever so slowly moved in closer.
Another call sounded through the trees, frantic. Paige had lost the Iron Wolf. Suddenly the big beast raised its head and howled. Taimi seized the moment of distraction and leapt up into the treetops. The tables had turned, and now she was the hunted. She knew it without a doubt. She raced through the upper highway, but she could hear the steady breathing and rhythm of padded feet below her. All too quickly she reached the end of the trees as they broke for another swamp crossing. The beasts burst out of the jungle and prowled around the clearing, growling, daring her to continue.
She turned and went back through the trees, again the wolves right below her. The trees ended so abruptly, she nearly fell out in her haste. That's when it dawned on her… he had led her to an island. And not just any island, but one with a terrible beast on it.
She whistled to Paige a full retreat, but there was no confirmation reply.
Concerned and tired, Taimi decided to rest a while. She was safe up on her perch. The beasts paced restlessly below, but they could do nothing from down there. For once in her life, she truly regretted not taking up the bow, and she had made the oh so wise decision to leave her javelins in her stash. She could have just sat up here and picked them off one by one. Brilliant girl… just brilliant.
Eventually something unexplainable happened. The Iron Wolf strolled into the clearing, confident as you please. He walked right up to the hellhound.
"Where is she?"
The beast turned its muzzle up in her direction. She waved back and blew a kiss.
The man snorted a laugh. "Cocky thing, isn't she. Don't have to worry about her friend, though. She's been… well taken care of."
Taimi fixed her glare on the now smiling mercenary. This time it was he that blew her a kiss. Rage began to consume her as she imagined every possible fate Paige may have met with at this man's hands.
"How are you going to get her down?" Devak turned to the beast again.
Impossibly, it reared up on it's hind legs, and began to rain heavy, thundering blows against the trunk. The Amazon was nearly unseated. She bolted to the next tree, but her attaché followed. Every time she stopped, they began to pummel the tree. She tried stopping on a large one, hoping to just wait them out until they exhausted themselves. But suddenly a monstrous grizzly bear meandered into the clearing. Between the hound, the bear, and the mercenary's sword beating at the poor tree, they brought it down. She had just managed to escape the entangling branches and leap for the next tree, but now she was too low, and she was stranded with no other branch to jump to. The bear began to climb up after her.
"Just give up, girl." Devak teased her. "We won't kill you… well, not right away anyway."
"Where is your master, puppy?" She goaded him, since the situation was beyond help. "Looks like he's bolted on you when the going got interesting."
"Oh, no." He laughed. "He's enjoying this more than I am."
And that's when she finally realized what was really going on. The hellhound was the man she had been following. That's why he had left all his gear in the clearing. He couldn't wear it and transform at the same time. Now she knew who to kill. Kill the big beast, and the smaller ones would no longer be under his control. And the mercenary was definitely no threat to her skill.
Silently, like a bird of prey, she dove out of the tree, her spear aimed for the top of the hellhound's spine. But one of the other wolves leapt onto the hound's back, and her spear drove into it instead.
She hit the ground, rolled, and was on her feet and running again, but a tremendous weight drove her into the ground. A massive paw rolled her over and pinned her down. She looked up into the open maw and glaring eyes.
Wishing for a clean death, she closed her own eyes and lifted her chin, exposing her throat for the kill…
But it didn't come. Instead she felt a lightening of the weight on her chest, though it never moved. And then… incredibly… soft lips met hers.
She opened her eyes to find a handsome, red-headed man looking down on her. A very naked, incredibly handsome man, to be exact.
"You are my mate." Was all he said to her.
And for some reason she didn't fight him as he kissed her again, ardently, deeply. And she didn't tell him to stop as he began to undo the buckles on her armor. And the part of her that had before only known a woman's touch, ached to join with this man.
And they made love passionately, right there on the jungle floor…
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"And that's the story my grandmother always told about how she had met my grandfather." I sighed, dreamily caught up in the romance of it all. I shook myself back to the present. "But why did you want to know that story? All anyone cares about is how they, with the help of Devak and Paige, defeated The Prime Evils."
"Your grandmother was the greatest Amazon warrior in recent history. I needed to know why she turned from the sisterhood to the world of men." The old woman replied.
"True love… the kind only a man and a woman can share."
The ancient warrior looked me deeply in the eyes for a long moment. "I guess my love just wasn't enough." And she turned away and left the tavern. I never saw her again.