Unlike my other, lighter Harvest Moon fic (which is detailing the story as I play it on my game), this is a darker turn on the characters of Mineral Town (and proves my nerdiness). The Predator, the ultumite hunter, has landed in Mineral Town. And his first victim is...well, I'll leave you to find out. Warning: Contains scenes of blood. DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH!

Prey to a Hunter

Chapter I:

Make a Wish

Incident+000 Hours. Date: Fall 10th, Year 5

"There it goes! Make a wish, Jack!"

My beautiful wife, Ann Rutan, whom I had been married to for only about a year, smiled at me as I closed my eyes in thought. It had been one year since we had been married, and our baby boy, currently being babysat by close family friend Cliff, born two seasons after that. And it had been five years, five long, happy years, since I had moved from the city to the quiet, peaceful Mineral Town. And I had loved every second of it. No regret or tears were shed over my leaving the city; my parents, who had died only a season ago, sent their regards and were proud of my for restoring my Grandfather's farm.

Ann and I had seemed the perfect couple when we had been married; both or us avid animal lovers, pacifists, and wildly in love with each other. The warm feelings, like the heat of a setting sun, had not dimmed at all over the last year, only increased, especially after the birth of our son, Charlie. Cliff, his babysitter at the moment, I knew, was only still in Mineral Town because I had the sense to indirectly give him a job during my first year at this wonderful slice of paradise. I had secured Cliff a job at the Winery in town, and he had worked there ever since. Cliff had once harbored a crush on Ann, and I did not doubt that it still lingered, just past the surface of consciousness. I did not really care; Cliff was a good person, and a loyal friend.

Almost all the young couples in Mineral Town were here, at the peak of Mother's hill, watching the stars with us. Karen and Rick, the town hottie (I still snickered at the Doctor's assessment of Karen) and the town's resident nerd (it seemed almost unspoken, because of Rick's appearance and dedication to chickens). Mary and Grey, the quiet couple, only recently married, were silently observing the peaceful night sky a little farther away from us. And the town's Doctor and Elli, his partner and lover, held hands as they gazed at the stars. I could imagine that Kai and Popuri would be here, as well, had they not moved away to the city only weeks ago.

My farm, which had belonged to my Grandfather Wallace, had been nicknamed "Trayus" by him. I did not understand the significance of the name, and I guess my grandfather had taken the secret to the grave with him. At first, only a modest shack, small barn, and miniscule chicken coop adorned a derelict field, but five years of dedication and hard work had transformed the place from dump to paradise. Eight plump, well fed, happy chickens laid something I had never thought possible; "Golden Eggs", nicknamed as such by residents of Mineral Town for their excellent omelet potential, greeted me every morning as I went out to work on the farm. Four sheep and six cows, happy and middle-aged, thrived in the ecosystem that was my farm. The wool my sheep produced made excellent yarn, and the milk of my cows was rich and thick. The entire town was almost spoiled with the bounty of our crops that I gave to Zack every day to sell.

Farm life, at first, did not have silver lining and was not easy. I had worked for two years before even considering upsizing the tiny shack that was home. Gotz, the lumberjack, of course, was a good friend and only too happy to help. With his help, the farm expanded, and ran like a well-oiled machine. My first two chickens, John and Linda, had died of sickness and my ignorance. I had almost lost my first three cows to a pox during my third year in Mineral Town. After my third year, and after I had learned the ropes of farming life, the farm became self-sufficient.

Since I first crossed the threshold of the Inn and met Ann and Doug, I had always loved Ann. She and I had become friends almost overnight, giving me hints and advice about farm life. I, of course, welcomed the help. Conversation came easily to us, hanging out at the spring, the Inn, and even at various festivals. I imagined Ann could probably make a great farmer, had her father owned a farm at all. A fiery temper compensated for her kind personality, and I had unfortunately been on the receiving end of her anger more than once. The bruises and cuts from our various fights had lasted for weeks on end. Ann was very strong, and could stand toe to toe with any other male in town, except maybe Zack. The image of Ann, the tough little tomboy, however, melted away before my eyes as Ann laid her head on my shoulder and sighed. Smiling at my good fortune, I wished that times like this would never end, just as a large star shot through the clouds.

A low whistling noise split the silence of the night. Looking up in surprise, I saw the star I had wished on wasn't gone. It was accelerating at a phenomenal rate. Mary and Grey had sat up, intently staring at the approaching fireball. Karen and Rick were transfixed by the glowing sight before them.

"Do you think this one will touch down really close to us?" Mary wondered aloud. Rick shrugged.

"Dunno. Maybe it'll burn up before it hits the ground" he muttered. Ann raised her head and stared at the approaching projectile, staring at it with a mixture of wonder and confusion.

"What do you think it is?" she asked me quietly. I shook my head.

"I don't really know. Maybe it's some sort of sign. You know, maybe, a premonition…to a happy life, for all of us" I rambled dreamily. Ann shook her head and poked me.

"You think too much, sometimes, Jack, you know that?" she snickered playfully and punched me on the arm. I smiled at her challenge and pinned her to the ground.

"Ooh, what'cha gonna do now, Jack?" Ann giggled, looking at me.

"Not here. Maybe later" I whispered to her. Ann flushed slightly and smiled. The other couples, however, were staring intently at the fireball in the sky, which drew closer and closer to the ground. My head snapped up as a loud, deafening roar echoed through the lonely mountain peak. A small hole had been punched in the forest, about half a mile away from the hill. A column of smoke, barely visible in the darkness, spiraled lazily towards the sky.

"Maybe we'll check it out tomorrow. I'll bet it's some sort of moon rock!" Rick stated happily. Mary shook her head.

"I doubt it. It's probably just a big lump of nickel" she countered. Rick scowled.

We split up as we descended down the mountain; Karen, Rick, Ann and myself going one way, and Grey and Mary going another, taking a small path that led back to the Library. Rick glanced around nerviously.

"You know, the woods sure are scary at night" he moaned. Karen glared at him.

"Oh, don't tell me my big, strong, Rick is afraid of the dark?" she mocked, secretly winking at Ann behind Rick's back. Rick stiffened and puffed out his chest.

"Of course not! I'm just…noting that you ladies might be scared! Hah! Yeah!" Rick quickly recovered. Karen and Ann rolled their eyes, and I snickered at Rick. Rick turned about to retort, but he suddenly vanished, with a scream! Karen wheeled about and searched the woods for her husband, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Ok, Rick. This isn't funny. Come on out, now!" she called. Silence greeted her.

"Aww, man, Rick! You got us! We're leaving now!" I called, hopefully trying to lure Rick out of hiding. Still no response.

"Ah, he probably got scared and ran. He'll be home wearing his Dracula mask and ready for me" Karen said, rolling her eyes. Ann snickered, and I grinned.

"Well, when you get back, tell him he's a wuss for me, will you?" I ribbed Karen. Karen momentarily scowled at me before replying;

"Don't worry about that, Jack. He's right behind you, look!" Karen said, pointing. I turned; the path behind us was empty. Karen looked into the shadows, puzzled.

"That's weird. I thought I just saw him. He was right behind you, Jack" Karen stated, confused. I shrugged.

"Maybe it's the bogeyman" I smirked. Karen shook her head at me.

"Grow up" she told me.

As I opened my mouth with a comeback, a loud, shrill, fearful scream punctured the night like a knife. Ann's eyes widened in terror as something dripped onto her shoulder. Even in the darkness, I saw the liquid was red. It was blood.

"That was Mary and Grey! Come on!" I shouted. Knowing that we were already too late for whatever happened, we sped along, anyway. Reaching into my pack, I drew my hand-axe, which I had forgotten to put away this morning. I had been chopping wood earlier to make firewood for the upcoming winter.

No matter wherever I turned, I could not shake the sense that we were being watched. And stalked, like prey before the hunter closes in for the kill. We were the mouse, innocent and unsuspecting, and the hawk circled out of reach, ready to strike. Mentally, I slapped myself upside the head. What was I thinking this stuff for? I was never a really pessimistic person before.

We reached a turn in the path. I whipped around the corner, almost trampling Mary, who crouched, horrified, over what looked like a piece of raw hamburger meat. Grey stood stock-still, his face only displaying horror. Turning back to the mess on the ground, it took me all of a second to realize the thing I was staring at was flesh. Human flesh.

Karen's eyes widened as her gaze traced over the trees. Blood was painted gruesomely across the treetops, like a body had been dragged across them.

"Oh…oh my god" Karen moaned. Then it hit me. I looked down at the bloody mess at my feet. Beside the pile of human innards, lay a pair of bloodstained glasses.

"Rick…" I gasped. Karen knelt and sobbed, dry, racking sobs. Ann knelt by her friend, holding her as she sobbed on her shoulder. I shook my head in pity at Karen's loss, and turned to Mary and Grey.

"Did you see what happened?"

Mary's eyes never left the gore splayed out in front of her. Her eyes had become glassy, distant. Shell shock. My grandfather had told me about soldiers, after experiencing death firsthand, had just blanked out, a classic case of shell shock. He would know; he was a World War II veteran.

"I…I don't truly know, Jack. I doubt I ever will. We…we heard this rustling noise above us, in the trees. Someone screamed, and this…" he began, gesturing towards the mess on the ground, "fell down on us. Is that…Rick?" he asked, horrified. I nodded solemnly. Grey stared blankly at me, shifting from the gore to me, and back again.

"Let's get to my farm. It's closer, and whatever got Rick could still be out there. Let's go" I suggested, clutching my axe like a club. The feeling of being watched did not end as we proceeded towards Trayus. The familiar lights and plowed fields wrought a sigh from me as I lowered my axe. My dogs, Revan and Malak respectively, trotted up to me and licked my face. I scratched their heads and led the others towards my house. Opening the door, I let everyone else in first. As I turned to shut the door, I could have swore a pair of eyes were gazing at me from across the feeling. Repressing the urge to shudder, I locked the doors and windows before sitting everyone down at the table. Reaching into the refrigerator, I pulled out some wine and crackers and distributed them to everyone. No one ate or drank, even Karen, who was notoriously fond of wine.

"Alright, everyone. Let's start from the beginning. What happened?" I began arbitrarily. Karen's eyes watered, and she put her head down on her arms, sobbing again. Ann patted her back and looked at me imploringly. I sighed.

"Ok, so, we don't know what is out there, exactly. Do you think there's someone in town that has some kind of grudge against Rick?" I asked. Mary and Grey shook their heads.

"Nobody. Not even Kai, who he hated with a passion. Rick was liked by everyone. You know that, Jack" Mary silently noted. I sighed.

"Yes, I do. I'm sorry. We're all…disturbed, ok? Let's take it from the top, now. What do you think…attacked Rick?" I asked. Mary and Grey were silent.

"There aren't any cougars or mountain lions near Mineral Town" Ann piped up. I nodded at her.

"Any bears?" I asked. "Bears can climb trees, and I guess if they got hungry enough, would eat someone…"

Mary spoke up.

"But there haven't been any sightings of bears in Mineral Town since the founding days! And in the first five years, all bears in the area were hunted to extinction! So how can it be a bear?" Mary asked rhetorically.

"Ok, guys. This isn't going anywhere. Why don't we all sleep on it and we'll get Harris and the others in the morning. It'll get better, I promise. This could even be all some kind of prank!" I said, trying to lighten the mood. Karen sniffed at me through bloodshot eyes. Grey and Mary lay on twin sleeping bags that belonged to myself and Ann, and we took the beds. Karen sat upright in her chair, staring silently out of the window.

Before going to bed, I reached behind my shelf and pulled out a long package. Dust had settled over it, a testament to the fact I hoped I would never have to use it. Opening the dusty package, I beheld my father's Remington Model 87 shotgun. Loading a trio of shells into it, I slid the receiver back and into the ready position. It slid with a sinister click. Placing the weapon under the bed, I climbed into bed next to my sleeping wife and closed my tired eyes. Before I fell asleep, I could have sworn I saw a pair of yellow, glowing eyes outside of my window.