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A/N: And here is another chapter! A reminder, REVIEW ALL CHAPTERS, even with the ultra-fast updating.

Chapter 1: Stalking Game

Upon the windy branches of the tall trees of Besaid loomed a new presence, one whose kind hadn't visited the planet, let alone the island itself, in many decades.

Cold gusts of wind blew back and forth across its bare skin, but it casually shrugged it off; the weather was an unpleasant change from the strong heat it was so accustomed to, but sacrifices must be made in the pursuit of Prey. The astounding height was no concern, however; on the contrary, stalking Prey from the upper echelons of the jungle gave it more freedom of movement, a higher point of attack, and an easier chance to move about totally undetected.

Intently it watched the throngs of creatures called fiends moving to and fro amongst the noise of the jungle, trying to find a bearing on its first Prey. This would be the preliminary procedure, grabbing the attention of the main Target by eliminating its familiars.

Unfortunately the incredible numbers of fiends below were warping the heat signatures, blending them into a single mass of red, orange and yellow. No problem, a true Hunter always had other means of detection at hand.

Sound, for instance. Its hearing was extremely acute, the sensors in its helmet amplifying desired signals and processing them into a visual code which it could use to plot trajectory and vector angles.

And there it was, as clear as glass, two vocal patterns it had preprogrammed its helmet to recognize and seek out. One human male, the other a human female, originating 0.41 kilometers northeast from its current position.

The Hunter, Dachande, made sure all his gear was in place and immediately leapt from its vantage point on the branch to another thicker branch fifty-feet away. His bare feet easily gripped the surface as it continued to run, from treetop to treetop until the audio signal could be properly locked on and a visual track could be attained.

Six stories below, a wooden platform of some sort was connected to a ship of some kind and people were filing into it. Including the Targets. With a tap on his wrist-mounted control pad Dachande was able to magnify their visual images: a bunch of human males and females, all a half-meter below its own height, all in apparently excellent physical condition. They followed the crowds into the ship and behind them the ramp was pulled back.

The Hunt begins.

"The best, huh?" Tidus boasted to the air as if his Dad could hear him, having just done the Jecht Shot. He had performed it once more, for Yuna and the Aurochs then they had filed off to bed. Tidus had remained lying on the deck. When he felt that he had gloated enough to the non-existent spirit of his father, he got up and headed for the cabin.
Dachande crouched behind the crate and drew a tracking device from his utility belt. His Main Target was drawing close, and his tracking device, should he get a chance to plant it this early, would make the Hunt much more interesting. The Target came even closer, and Dachande tensed. He started to hiss in anticipation, but quickly silenced himself. Any second now…
Tidus stopped as he heard an odd croaking noise. Slowly drawing the Brotherhood from its sheath, he crept forward. Footsteps were coming around the corner. Raising the Brotherhood, he brought it down as the source of the footsteps rounded the corner. The blade slashed through the air…

… and impacted with the spherical surface of a blitzball. Tidus peered around and noticed a terrified Wakka. "Holy shit! Wakka, you scared the bejesus outta me! I thought there was a fiend on board!" Wakka, who was evidently more creeped out than Tidus, simply nodded and gestured down to the stairs leading to the cabin, apparently a bit too shocked and surprised for words.

Dachande cursed under his breath as his Target stopped just short of his location. Another of his targets emerged from below the ship, and his Target attacked it, obviously thinking it was something else, perhaps a fiend. They conversed in their language for a few moments, and Dachande made sure his recording device got it. It could come in useful in the future. They left back into the ship, and Dachande vented his frustration at the wooden deck of the ship. The wood splintered, but slightly. Had he used his full strength, the noise would be enough to wake the dead.

No matter. Another time. His Prey would not escape him.

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