Hastily, Theodore trudged through the forest, his icy blue eyes watchful of sudden movement, attempting to provoke the hunter into coming after him, utilizing droplets of Lila's blood from the spent Medix, the environment, the hunter will want to track him.
Just to make it look good and give credence, Theodore went far as cutting his own hand with a flat sharp rock lying on the ground, draping the ground below in his own blood, to give the appearance that Theodore became injured stumbling through the forest.
It'll heal within a moment's time, his injury, but the blood's fresh enough to give the hunter something to ponder as he worked to hunt his white whale.
Hadn't seen him, yet, but Theodore found fresh footprints, so he isn't far.
Slowly, Theodore moved through the thickets, dispensing the blood all over the ground, as he went, with no animals, the silence added to the unease as he searched for the hunter and his base.
Should Theodore find the hunter's base, he'll steal whatever he can grab before the hunter becomes alerted, bring it back to Lila, patch her up properly, and go after the hunter, again.
On Theodore's mind, he kept Lila company, calming her as she slowly recovered from the side effects of using two Lv. 3s at once.
He encouraged her to sleep, though nervous as she sounded, he calmed her, soothing words, before Lila agreed to try, Theodore promising her that it'll be all right.
"Don't make promises you can't keep, spaceman," Lila reminds him, but Theodore insisted that he won't stop until he finds where the hunter's setup.
Going over a large mossy rock buried in the dirt, Theodore dropped to the soft mossy ground below, he's obscured by thick reeds that were taller than him.
As he slowly made his way through the reeds, he stopped as his icy blue eyes narrowed to a sight ahead, he sees the hunter.
Reaching into the running stream, the hunter filled his canteen.
Too far to make a run at him, too close he'll easily see Theodore from a distance, get a clear shot on him, made Theodore wait in the reeds, as he silently watched the hunter.
Undisturbed, despite hunting two people, the hunter didn't seem worried, confidence oozing from him, he wasn't concerned about traps or attempts on his life.
Slinging the canteen over his shoulder, the hunter disembarked on his hunt, Theodore's icy blue eyes following his every move.
Watching him disappear through the thickets, Theodore slowly left the reeds, retracing the hunter's steps as he watched his, mindful of where he stepped, while focusing his icy blue eyes where the hunter went.
The hunter would've set camp close to a water source, Theodore's sure of it, and on his large nose he smelled faint smoke.
Following the smell, continuing his search, Theodore spotted old footprints in the lush mossy ground, though the hunter intentionally walked over the same spots, he can tell that the hunter frequented this part.
Walking over the same footprints, Theodore went the same direction as the footprints ahead, the faint smoke growing stronger.
Like he and Lila theorized, there's an encampment in the centre of the forest, not far from a running water source, and mindful of his steps, sure to follow the same direction as the hunter, Theodore sees a campfire dug deep into the earth, to control the smoke, and prevent people from seeing the smoldering embers.
A fancy hunter's tent, Theodore struggled as he kept his composure, not running right towards it, though the hunter might've not had traps laid out for him, it didn't mean he wasn't thinking ahead.
Even the most experienced hunters knew better than to leave things out for their quarry to stumble across.
Though the same hunters were prone to making mistakes, too.
Going up to the tent from behind, Theodore ripped his way through, the interior nothing short of a storybook, with the large illustrated globe on a swivel, but the thing that caught Theodore's eyes were the taxidermies that loitered the tent.
Game animals, mostly.
Thankfully, the hunter wasn't delusional enough to make taxidermy out of the humans he killed, but Theodore didn't want to be wrong in his assumptions, so he hurried as he went through the tent.
Alcohol, fine brandy, everything a hunter needed to treat himself after a good hunt.
Opening a cabinet, Theodore's icy blue eyes widened as he sees the medical kit.
Checking it to be sure it hadn't been tampered or used, already, Theodore's elated that he found something for Lila.
Quickly, he stole it from the cabinet, closing it, before hurrying out of the tear he made through the thick tent, covering up his tracks, and going back the way he came.
With the kit in hand, Theodore hurried as he retraced his steps, blotting areas with Lila's blood, until there's nothing left to wring out of the spent Medix.
His efforts hadn't gone to waste, he noticed areas he went through prior been checked thoroughly in areas where he used Lila's blood.
Not Theodore's proudest moments, to be sure, but he did what he could for her sake, as he fled through the forest, retracing his steps back to the waterfall.
Once he uses the kit on Lila, it should be enough to finally nip the bleeding in the bud, should the Lv. 3s fail, and if they succeed, well, Theodore has something to help further clean everything up, and when that's done, then it'll be a proper game.
"Lee?" Theodore called out to her in his mind, when he heard her murmuring, he informed her that he'll be back to the waterfall, a change of plans.
He found her a kit, he'll use it on her when he gets there, not to worry if she hears sudden footsteps, but of course, told her the safety word.
"Quantum," Lila murmured as she recognized the word needed to prove that it was Theodore that found her, not the hunter.
Cooing, Theodore promised he'll be back at her side within a moment's time, as he proceeded to retrace his steps.
Interestingly, he noticed that the areas he clearly went through showed alterations that he hadn't noticed before, there's large flowers that went from a pink hue to a completely deep navy blue, and Theodore's sure he wasn't crazy, as he swore it wasn't the case when he came through here just moments ago.
Finding the same rock he climbed down, Theodore's perplexed as he noticed it's completely devoid of the moss, he's sure it was there, thick like a carpet from the seventies, it didn't even have marks where he slid down to the ground below.
His icy blue eyes moving, Theodore noticed the reeds that obscured him from the hunter's gone, too, but he was sure this was the spot he climbed down!
Climbing back up, going over the same rock, Theodore reached the top, finding his footsteps, he retraced his steps.
Careful, Theodore covered his tracks, leaving confusing trails for the hunter to wander as he follows, the blood from him and Lila helping keep up the façade of them injured by the forest.
Hearing the waterfall in the yonder, Theodore's elated, as he hurried back to the hidden cave with the stolen kit, soaked but worth running through the cave, back to Li…
Something's wrong.
Instantly, Theodore noticed something wrong.
His icy blue eyes wearily looked around as he slowly walked, hesitant to call Lila's name, he tried reaching her from his mind, but she hadn't answered.
Creeping along the cave floor, Theodore found the hiding spot.
The large med kit fell to the ground in a thud as Theodore ran towards Lila, laying on the ground underneath his long coat.
A red spot formed on the long coat.
Rushing to her side, Theodore called out to her, but she didn't answer.
Like a scene out of a horror movie, Theodore slowly pulled his coat away from her, his eyes widened when he saw…
No….
It's not…
It's…
No!
No!
No!
No!
No!
He was only gone for an hour!
No!
Panic overtook Theodore as he maddeningly searched for a pulse in Lila, despite the blatant gunshot to the chest staring him in the face, Theodore persisted as tears ran down his face.
No!
No!
Sweat pooled around his eyes, mixing with his tears as they poured over his cheeks, while Theodore let out an anguished howl.
That…
That hunter!
Somehow…
This…
Why…?
He was careful!
He made sure!
No!
"Oh, my Lee, my beloved," Theodore wept as he helplessly strokes Lila's cold cheek.
How did he not feel it?
How did she not see…?
"Oh, my Lee! My dear Watson!" Theodore squeezed his eyes closed, tears dripping off his eyelashes as he punched the cave walls closest to him, hard enough to leave an indent.
Overwhelmed with emotions, Theodore tended to Lila's body, wrapping it in his coat, in between spurts of anger towards himself, he wept over his failures.
"I… I should've…" Theodore whimpered as he stared at the wrapped body.
He made sure he was careful, he did everything he was taught, followed everything he learnt, yet it didn't matter at the end, the hunter found and shot Lila.
"Al, if you're out there somewhere…" Theodore tried reaching out to the TARDIS, "…please… find us… me…"
It hurt him at his core, adjusting his speech as he gingerly touched the wrapped body of his love, his friend, the only reason he got out of bed in the morning.
As he held his dead love in his arms, he prayed to any being listening to grant her eternal rest. She deserved that much. Tucking his head against hers, he cried silently.
"Father… what… what would you do?" Theodore broached a topic with his late father, sniffling as he rubbed away the mucus built up from the emotions.
Silently, he heard the answer, and he nodded in agreement.
"I won't… I won't let him… I'll find him," Theodore vowed as his reddened eyes filled with silent rage.
If the hunter wanted a dangerous game.
If killing Lila was his way of punishing Theodore for taking too long for his liking.
Then by the gods of old, the hunter's getting a dangerous game.
"My beloved, you will rest, I promise you, you will rest, and he will burn," Theodore cradled her body, a look on his face.
The game's afoot.