It was a dark night, not an exceptionally dark one, the moon shining in a subtle pallor up above in the star speckled sky. Storm clouds, though, were spreading, seeking to darken both half moon an pale stars above. She would wait for them. After all, there was a storm brewing, she could smell it. It would not pass. And she needed all light to be gone to make her move successfully.
Under a tree she sat, hooded and cloaked, pulling the dark fabric to further shadow her face as eyes gleamed out brightly from the shadows that would not allow for the showing of features. It wasn't the iris that could be seen, glowing out, for that was yellow, but rather, the pupil, glowing iridescently blue to utilize the darkness, to see where most could not. She was a hunter, a wolf in human's form, hungry, ready. Bright eyes narrowed at the moon. Her moment was nearing.
And then it came, as shadows swept across the night sky and a softly falling sweep of rain came down. A pleased growl rolled in her throat as she began moving. Swift as a shadow, and just as silent she swept over the earth, moving through the woods with the cunning of the wolf that she was. Until she was staring at the lights from houses, only a few lights left lit.
Her target, for the moment, was at one of them. But he wouldn't be for long. He had a home to get to. A home, a wife, and several children. She settled herself into the shadows of an alleyway to wait. What he had scarce mattered to her. All that mattered was that someone else wanted him dead, and would pay dearly for it to happen. Unseen her lips curved into a smile. A payment that would go to her.
He came out of the pub not to long after she had settled into her hiding place, not drunk, but pleasantly intoxicated. He would not be as easy or as quick to catch this way, but then, she loved the hunt. She drew a black blade from it's sheath, stabbing it into the ground and drawing it out again as she watched him. Black though the blade might be the mud would be for the best, to take away chance reflections from the torch-light.
Lowering her head lest her eyes give her away she moved by instinct, tailing him. She had to get him before he reached home. Though she did not mind the idea of killing them all, her prospective employer...did. She narrowed her eyes as she neared him. He was alone... he was hers... She began at a dash, but then, he did the same, she followed, stifling shock as he headed, not to his home, but rather the woods.
She kept out of the site of his torch, wondering how he had detected her following as he stopped. He turned, wielding a blade eyes focused on where, in the shadows, she was. "Impressive... hunter, were you tailing any man but me he would be dead. Now, step into the light where I can see you and we can discuss some things."
"I don't consort with prey," she growled, her voice giving away nothing, neither gender nor age, much of the reason she had picked up the growl.
"Come now, how much were you offered? I'm sure I can double that payment if you just give me the reason you are hunting me."
She stepped into the torch-light, hood hiding her features still, dark cloak, wet, but still whipped about lightly with wind. "That would break my codes," she snarled pulling her blade up and holding it.
The man looked at her cloaked form incredulously. "I guess I'll have to settle this the hard way then."
Then, without her even seeing it coming the torch was thrown in her face, burning the hood that protected her eyes from being scorched. She whipped the cloak off instantly. Kicking the torch directly in front of the man's path as he sprung at her, and tossing the cloak there as well. There it burned and the man sprung aside.
In the brighter light cast by the burning cloak he saw her for what she was, the eyes picking up the glow of the fire eerily. "It seems I have been hunted by a little wolf. Well Wolf, let's see what you can do." He sprung then, and his blade struck hers, the mud from hers splattering into both their faces.
She twisted the blade around, sliding through mud as the storm picked up, lightening lancing out across the sky in brilliant splendor. She swirled, a small knife sliding from her sleeve and towards him with lightening speed. Yet, somehow, he blocked it. Her eyes widened a moment as she saw the blade flying away from him, and imbedding itself in a nearby tree. Somehow she got the feeling this would be difficult.
He sprung again, sliding across mud which splattered in her eyes. With a howl of pain she pulled her blade up by instinct, blocking and lancing her foot out. She was satisfied by a grunt of pain on his part, but there was a downside. She fell, finding herself looking up at him. She kicked his legs with both feet, using them as springboards to slide backwards through the mud until she was far enough back that she used the momentum from her movement to flip up and to her feet.
She glared at him, realizing that he too had fallen, from her kick off mainly. Both of them were covered from head to toe with mud. She grinned savagely. They had only begun.
Their fight lasted perhaps an hour, the ringing of blade upon blade permeating the air around them. Only to be absorbed further away by the ongoing sound of the storm. And still both her cloak and the torch burned. That fire was not natural, hadn't been natural in the first place, else it wouldn't have caught a soaked cloak ablaze. She panted, her small form tiring to the man's relentless attack, and her relentless attempts to get him down as well.
It was a battle of survival, on both sides, she realized. For him, it had been from the beginning, but for her, he wasn't just defending himself. He would eliminate the threat in the process. She focused bright eyes on his. She wasn't the only one tiring...
At last, a strike struck, piercing his stomach and blood spilled out. It didn't go deep though as suddenly the flat of his blade slammed against her head. She flew back, her hand clenched on her weapon and pulling it back out of the wound it had caused.
She lay there, dazed as she looked up to him, fist clenched on the hilt of her sword as he approached, blood streaming from his stomach. It was just a flesh wound though, and she knew it, she knew her blade hadn't gone deep enough for it to be more. She tried to pull herself out of her daze to whip the blade back at him, but moved to slowly.
His foot slammed down on her hand, pressing it against the ground hard enough that she had no choice but release the weapon or have her fingers crushed. She released. He grinned, looking at her for a moment, holding his blade casually. "Well done little Wolf, but now I think, you might like this bargain. I will let you keep your life if you give me the name of the man who hired you." He grabbed her short hair, muddy though it was, and pulled her head up slightly to emphasize his point.
Her eyes narrowed and she spoke, voice no longer in a snarl, "That I can not say, for doing so would be breaking my code." The words seemed regretful, as though she wished she could tell.
"Code?" he questioned rhetorically kneeling down, his knee pressed on her stomach as he pulled her face to his. "Then by code know this, your life is mine Wolf, and I spare it only because I choose. Use it to hunt me, or any innocents that I hear of and I will take it back." He slammed her head back to the ground, pulling a knife from his belt. "Now, lest you forget," he paused speech, pressing her down by the shoulders. She closed her eyes in a wince as she felt a quick swipe run from forehead to cheek, yet, fortunately, missing the eye.
Her eyes opened and she winced as salty, metallic blood poured into her left from the wound. "What's your name Wolf," the man questioned softly, almost kindly.
She closed her left eye again to keep the blood from it. "Dawn," she said softly, a name she had never given to prey or to employers before, a name that, in fact, she hadn't used except to herself in a very long time.
The man gave a small nod, "Don't forget, Dawn." And with that the hilt of his knife slammed against her skull, and she knew no more.
Under a tree she sat, hooded and cloaked, pulling the dark fabric to further shadow her face as eyes gleamed out brightly from the shadows that would not allow for the showing of features. It wasn't the iris that could be seen, glowing out, for that was yellow, but rather, the pupil, glowing iridescently blue to utilize the darkness, to see where most could not. She was a hunter, a wolf in human's form, hungry, ready. Bright eyes narrowed at the moon. Her moment was nearing.
And then it came, as shadows swept across the night sky and a softly falling sweep of rain came down. A pleased growl rolled in her throat as she began moving. Swift as a shadow, and just as silent she swept over the earth, moving through the woods with the cunning of the wolf that she was. Until she was staring at the lights from houses, only a few lights left lit.
Her target, for the moment, was at one of them. But he wouldn't be for long. He had a home to get to. A home, a wife, and several children. She settled herself into the shadows of an alleyway to wait. What he had scarce mattered to her. All that mattered was that someone else wanted him dead, and would pay dearly for it to happen. Unseen her lips curved into a smile. A payment that would go to her.
He came out of the pub not to long after she had settled into her hiding place, not drunk, but pleasantly intoxicated. He would not be as easy or as quick to catch this way, but then, she loved the hunt. She drew a black blade from it's sheath, stabbing it into the ground and drawing it out again as she watched him. Black though the blade might be the mud would be for the best, to take away chance reflections from the torch-light.
Lowering her head lest her eyes give her away she moved by instinct, tailing him. She had to get him before he reached home. Though she did not mind the idea of killing them all, her prospective employer...did. She narrowed her eyes as she neared him. He was alone... he was hers... She began at a dash, but then, he did the same, she followed, stifling shock as he headed, not to his home, but rather the woods.
She kept out of the site of his torch, wondering how he had detected her following as he stopped. He turned, wielding a blade eyes focused on where, in the shadows, she was. "Impressive... hunter, were you tailing any man but me he would be dead. Now, step into the light where I can see you and we can discuss some things."
"I don't consort with prey," she growled, her voice giving away nothing, neither gender nor age, much of the reason she had picked up the growl.
"Come now, how much were you offered? I'm sure I can double that payment if you just give me the reason you are hunting me."
She stepped into the torch-light, hood hiding her features still, dark cloak, wet, but still whipped about lightly with wind. "That would break my codes," she snarled pulling her blade up and holding it.
The man looked at her cloaked form incredulously. "I guess I'll have to settle this the hard way then."
Then, without her even seeing it coming the torch was thrown in her face, burning the hood that protected her eyes from being scorched. She whipped the cloak off instantly. Kicking the torch directly in front of the man's path as he sprung at her, and tossing the cloak there as well. There it burned and the man sprung aside.
In the brighter light cast by the burning cloak he saw her for what she was, the eyes picking up the glow of the fire eerily. "It seems I have been hunted by a little wolf. Well Wolf, let's see what you can do." He sprung then, and his blade struck hers, the mud from hers splattering into both their faces.
She twisted the blade around, sliding through mud as the storm picked up, lightening lancing out across the sky in brilliant splendor. She swirled, a small knife sliding from her sleeve and towards him with lightening speed. Yet, somehow, he blocked it. Her eyes widened a moment as she saw the blade flying away from him, and imbedding itself in a nearby tree. Somehow she got the feeling this would be difficult.
He sprung again, sliding across mud which splattered in her eyes. With a howl of pain she pulled her blade up by instinct, blocking and lancing her foot out. She was satisfied by a grunt of pain on his part, but there was a downside. She fell, finding herself looking up at him. She kicked his legs with both feet, using them as springboards to slide backwards through the mud until she was far enough back that she used the momentum from her movement to flip up and to her feet.
She glared at him, realizing that he too had fallen, from her kick off mainly. Both of them were covered from head to toe with mud. She grinned savagely. They had only begun.
Their fight lasted perhaps an hour, the ringing of blade upon blade permeating the air around them. Only to be absorbed further away by the ongoing sound of the storm. And still both her cloak and the torch burned. That fire was not natural, hadn't been natural in the first place, else it wouldn't have caught a soaked cloak ablaze. She panted, her small form tiring to the man's relentless attack, and her relentless attempts to get him down as well.
It was a battle of survival, on both sides, she realized. For him, it had been from the beginning, but for her, he wasn't just defending himself. He would eliminate the threat in the process. She focused bright eyes on his. She wasn't the only one tiring...
At last, a strike struck, piercing his stomach and blood spilled out. It didn't go deep though as suddenly the flat of his blade slammed against her head. She flew back, her hand clenched on her weapon and pulling it back out of the wound it had caused.
She lay there, dazed as she looked up to him, fist clenched on the hilt of her sword as he approached, blood streaming from his stomach. It was just a flesh wound though, and she knew it, she knew her blade hadn't gone deep enough for it to be more. She tried to pull herself out of her daze to whip the blade back at him, but moved to slowly.
His foot slammed down on her hand, pressing it against the ground hard enough that she had no choice but release the weapon or have her fingers crushed. She released. He grinned, looking at her for a moment, holding his blade casually. "Well done little Wolf, but now I think, you might like this bargain. I will let you keep your life if you give me the name of the man who hired you." He grabbed her short hair, muddy though it was, and pulled her head up slightly to emphasize his point.
Her eyes narrowed and she spoke, voice no longer in a snarl, "That I can not say, for doing so would be breaking my code." The words seemed regretful, as though she wished she could tell.
"Code?" he questioned rhetorically kneeling down, his knee pressed on her stomach as he pulled her face to his. "Then by code know this, your life is mine Wolf, and I spare it only because I choose. Use it to hunt me, or any innocents that I hear of and I will take it back." He slammed her head back to the ground, pulling a knife from his belt. "Now, lest you forget," he paused speech, pressing her down by the shoulders. She closed her eyes in a wince as she felt a quick swipe run from forehead to cheek, yet, fortunately, missing the eye.
Her eyes opened and she winced as salty, metallic blood poured into her left from the wound. "What's your name Wolf," the man questioned softly, almost kindly.
She closed her left eye again to keep the blood from it. "Dawn," she said softly, a name she had never given to prey or to employers before, a name that, in fact, she hadn't used except to herself in a very long time.
The man gave a small nod, "Don't forget, Dawn." And with that the hilt of his knife slammed against her skull, and she knew no more.