Something whizzed past Cathie's head and she ducked instinctively. She heard a thunk and looked to see a disk with sharp edges buried deep in the trunk of a tree. The projectile had been close which meant Ali had been right; the Yautja wasn't trying to kill her, it was only testing her, trying to get a reaction from her.

If it wants a reaction, I'll give it a reaction, Cathie thought to herself and she turned around to face the woods behind her.

Nothing moved or made a sound. Suddenly, the branches high above parted and Cathie could just make out a blurry outline as it slammed into the ground. The Yautja rose to its full height as the cloaking hiding it melded away. Cathie stood her ground, waiting for the Yautja to make the first move. However, the Yautja only growled in that low clicking sound that Cathie was beginning to familiarize herself with. When the Yautja still hadn't moved, Cathie made up her mind. She mentally prepared herself for what would happen before launching herself forward, straight at the Yautja. The Yautja waited until she was within a couple of feet before dropping into a low crouch and swinging its arm toward Cathie. At the last second, Cathie realized the Yautja's arm was armed with two sharp spikes and she quickly ducked to avoid the blow.

The ground was hard when she slammed into it, catching her off-guard and sending all her air shooting out of her in a great whoosh. She rolled to her side to avoid the second attack and the Yautja's blades sank deep into the ground. The Yautja roared and ripped its blades free, sending dirt flying. Cathie backed away so that she would be out of range of the blades, but the Yautja didn't seem fazed. Instead, it rose smoothly back into a standing position and towered over Cathie. What happened next went so fast that Cathie barely had time to react. There was a soft whirling sound as a small device on the Yautja's shoulder extended out and aimed at her. Cathie jumped out of the way as a loud explosion split the air. The shock wave blasted her in the side and she was flung into a tree. Her shirt was now spotted with holes as sections of the material were burned away in the blast.

Now, the only thought running through Cathie's mind was 'get away'! The Yautja watched, head cocked slightly to the side, as if waiting for Cathie to run. However much she wanted to stay and face this hunter, she knew it would only lead to her getting injured, making her easy pickings for the next time it showed up. So she did the only logical thing she felt she could do, she ran.

The sound of stomping behind her told Cathie that the Yautja was giving chase and she tried to urge her legs faster. An idea flashed through her head and she decided to roll with it before thinking it through. She quickly checked her surroundings and turned sharply to the left, cutting in a new direction. The Yautja roared, but continued to give chase, its stomping growing louder as it gained on her.

Just a little further! Cathie begged her legs. Her lungs were starting to burn and it felt like she was breathing in fire with each breath she took.

The sound she had been waiting for finally reached her ears and she grinned, forcing another burst of energy to carry her just far enough. She finally burst through the trees and reached a flat, open area. While it seemed like the worst possible thing to do when being chased, her true goal stood before her; the river. The hidden current caused small disturbances on the surface of the river, merely little waves and bumps in the water. Cathie smiled when she saw it and she took the several strides necessary for her to reach the water's edge. A loud crash from behind warned her of the Yautja still in pursuit and before she could back out of her plan, she plowed into the water.

The water was cold as it splashed up Cathie's legs as she moved further into the water, but it was a welcoming cool as the humid air and running had caused a layer of sweat to cover her body. When the water was up to her waist and the current was beginning to tug at her, the Yautja finally broke through the cover of trees. Cathie stared at it as it came to a halt and it stared back. The Yautja cocked its head to the side, as if curious, not expecting this kind of maneuver.

"I bet you can't swim," Cathie cried boastfully at the massive Yautja.

The Yautja only stared at Cathie and she didn't give it a chance to recover from its confusion, she launched herself backwards and into deeper waters. The current caught on to her quickly and she was pulled away, the Yautja quickly shrinking into the distance.

Cathie wasn't sure how far the current had carried her when she finally crawled on land, dripping wet and exhausted. The forest was still all around her, no sign of anything lurking in the shadows or waiting for her in the trees. She wasn't sure how much time she had bought herself by running away from the Yautja, but she hoped it was enough for her to figure out another plan. Right now, however, all she cared about was finding a hiding place to rest up and perhaps dry off. Sighing, she forced herself to move to the line of trees, but before she could reach them there was a loud crash from within.

Panicking, afraid the Yautja had been able to follow her after all, Cathie scuttled behind the nearest tree. There was a loud cry that sounded like a cry of pain, but it was hard to tell if it was human. The trees parted as two creatures locked in a tense fight rolled out into the open and moving dangerously close to the river. One was defiantly a Yautja, but the other was smaller, maybe a human. The human suddenly seemed to gain the upper hand and the Yautja was flung onto its back. The human wasted no time and was on top of the Yautja in a heartbeat. There was only one person that Cathie knew of who could move that fast.

"Ali!" she called out.

"Still alive, I see," Ali answered her, not taking her eyes off the Yautja underneath her.

Cathie nodded, but then realized Ali wasn't taking her eyes off the Yautja so she shouted back, "Yeah."

"Well, that's a relief," Ali said, although her tone suggested she couldn't care one way or another, "How was the fight with your hunter?"

"I ran away."

"Always a brave thing to do."

The Yautja beneath Ali seemed to have recovered from her surprise move and the blades on its wrist extended to their full extent. Ali ducked and the weapon sailed over her head, missing it by inches. However, she soon lost her balance on top of the Yautja as it rolled to throw her off.

"Any time you want to join in," Ali said, finally taking her gaze off the Yautja to stare Cathie down, "it would be greatly appreciated."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Distract him."

"How?"

"Think of something!" Ali screamed.

Cathie looked around for something that could aid her, a sharp stick or a rock. Meanwhile, the Yautja pulled out a bladed disk and flung it at Ali. She avoided it with ease, but wasn't expecting the device to suddenly turn in mid-air and fly back at her. She was struck in the shoulder from behind and she went down, her blood splashing across the ground. By then, Cathie had found a medium sized rock and she picked it up and hurled it at the Yautja. It struck him in the back with hardly enough force to cause any real damage, but it did what she had been hoping for and made the Yautja look around. That was all Ali needed to draw the knife from a makeshift belt she must have made using vines and jab it deep into the Yautja's calf.

Bright green blood ran down the Yautja's leg as it roared in pain. Ali was once again on her feet and, with a mighty push, sent the wounded Yautja toppling into the river.