Little Hunter

They settled in a place like the last two Nanku found Bitch at.

It was a big warehouse-like building, but clearly purposed for holding and caring for animals. Rooms absent furniture where dog beds, toys, and 'running wheels' were set up. A few rooms for storage and sleeping. Showers and baths that seemed more fit for dogs than people.

Unlike in Brockton Bay though they were surrounded by trees with good cover from the road. There was a lot of open space for the dogs to run around and Bitch had quickly set shifts for her people to work in to manage the animals.

"How long do we linger?" Biter asked.

"Till the PRT does or doesn't do something," Bitch answered.

That seemed to be enough for her people. There were even more of them now. About a dozen men and women, and another young girl besides Colt. Apparently, Bitch had a lot of dogs she took care of and more than one kennel in Brockton Bay.

The new location was temporary, but large enough for all the animals and her people.

Which somehow included leaving Nanku some space for herself.

She felt like she was imposing, especially since she'd made the mess for them.

Unhelped by the head looking over the top of the stall separating Nanku's naked space from other people's naked space.

Nanku ignored her.

Or tried to.

At least.

"Stop moping."

She wasn't moping, she was brooding. She knew the difference!

Cassie flung water at her, and Nanku scowled.

"That." She pointed over the stall, unashamed. "Stop doing that."

Nanku returned to cleaning her hair. The braids had to be undone every now and then, and she was overdue. It was time-consuming.

"I'm fine."

"Oh," she feigned. "They do that too where you come from."

"Do what?"

"Lie until they trick themselves into thinking it's true."

"Hunter's never—"

Nanku stopped herself.

She had lied. More than once. Far more than once, she realized.

She couldn't even tell where it started. It simply… Escalated, until she was even lying to herself. Going after Stalker like that was stupid. The coward's death was well deserved, but because of her, Bitch was in trouble. So were her dogs and people.

Nanku chastised herself and started soaking her hair under the water.

"Stop! I said stop!" Cassie began flicking her fingers with both hands. The stupid thing was that Nanku couldn't really feel it. Since they were in the shower. "Stop it!"

"No," Nanku refused.

Cassie rolled her eyes and got off whatever stool she was standing on. "Go ahead and pout then."

Nanku was glad for the peace for about two seconds.

"Why aren't you angry?" she asked.

"I am angry!" Cassie called. "It's like watching the one decent person on Survivor kick their own ass because the seasonal super-douche did a bad thing and they couldn't do anything about it!"

"What?"

"You know what I mean!"

Nanku really didn't. "I meant why aren't you angry about Brockton Bay."

"Huh? Oh. That. Eh. It's whatever."

"Whatever?"

"Yeah. Whatever. I mean, am I bummed a bit? I guess. I had a mani-pedi I'm going to miss now. That was scheduled six months ago!"

Nanku didn't know what that was either.

"But that's cape life. Or hench life. Whatever."

"But—"

Cassie looked over the top of the stall again. "I will find a hose. And I'll point it at you. And I will leave it on until you stop moping!"

"I'll have Dusk and Dawn eat you."

"Yeah, Bitch will love that."

Nanku grimaced.

Cassie smirked. "Besides. You don't hurt anyone who isn't going to fight you back. I paid attention, and I have your number. Come at me, and I fall on your sword in the most pathetic way possible."

"That's insane."

"And insanity beats crazy." Cassie vanished again. "I win, bitch."

"What?" Bitch called.

"Not you!"

Nanku grumbled and clapped her head against the wall.

This was her fault. This whole feeling. Entirely on herself.

She could have found another way. A cleaner way. One that didn't expose her swarm and blow back on Bitch. That was her fault and she had to do something about it.

If only she knew what.

There was time.

She had time.

From a phone, she'd checked the information Tattletale gave her and knew where Krieg was. It appeared to be truthful. The man in the pictures had a different name but it looked exactly like him. He'd obviously put on a new mask to hide himself at some point.

And he was her next step.

But she needed to be cleaner about it.

Nanku stood under the water for she didn't know how long. She busied herself gathering a new swarm. Spiders. Wasps. Bees. She'd grabbed what she could on the way from Brockton Bay. If the swarm was exposed she might as well build a better one. More stinging and biting.

She also kept an eye on the woods and roads around the kennel. Unlike the city, there were far fewer people and much less traffic. Anyone approaching or watching their location was far more obvious here.

…

How was it they'd slipped away? Were the enforcers that bad at finding things?

Nanku supposed they'd failed repeatedly to do anything about the Pure.

Cassie and Colt were outside, which meant they'd left the shower. Nanku had probably been in too long. Her fingers and toes didn't wrinkle up like they used to, but her hair probably needed to be dried off.

Nanku reached for the handle on the side wall.

And Bitch was there. Staring at her with an unreadable expression. Which was unusual. Nanku usually found Bitch more sensible than most humans.

She didn't explain it either.

Which left Nanku to stand there and try, and figure her out.

She did.

Eventually.

"You too?"

"Stop," Bitch said. "Would have happened either way."

"I could have—"

"Moment you were cornered, you'd use the swarm. Moment you used the swarm, everyone would know."

Bitch flicked water at her.

"Nothing to do about it. Stop moping."

Was everyone going to keep saying that?

She wasn't moping.

…

She wasn't.

Dusk and Dawn started pushing and Nanku let them skitter into the bath. They played with the puddles of water they passed but didn't linger. The Twins surrounded her protectively, despite the room being empty and both being intelligent enough to recognize no one nearby was a threat.

"I'm not moping," Nanku insisted.

Dusk and Dawn didn't say anything.

Nanku was certain they had no idea what moping was. They weren't that smart.

She did leave when she was tired of sitting. Dried off. Rang out her hair and combed it with her fingers. The weird hot air blower the other women used helped. That way she didn't have to wait for it to dry in the air.

Her room was tucked to the side with a door leading out behind the kennel. Bitch seemed to think she'd like that. Inside it was barren save for a sleeping bag and her equipment.

Nanku sat and started the labor of retying all her braids. One after the other. Each tight and neat and clean.

The process still took time. Nothing changed while she worked. The others were either relaxing or tending to the dogs, and Bitch was talking to someone on the phone. Nanku thought it was probably Tattletale but she didn't eavesdrop.

She wasn't moping but she needed to refocus.

Krieg was in Boston. She knew that.

Her father's killer could be anywhere.

So, Boston first. Maybe with some care this time, instead of an impromptu assault. Krieg's power seemed troublesome. Some kind of ability to manipulate movement and energy. Assault was a problem for that reason.

The plasma caster was an option but a lethal one.

She needed Krieg alive and conscious enough to answer questions.

She'd have to scout. More than she'd done for many of her previous attacks. It was possible the man would suspect he was being targeted. He wasn't part of the Pure but information had leaked. Maybe more than she knew.

Her connection to the camp. To Weaver. A warning from Rune or Night and Fog. Any of them could tip the man off, or the PRT itself. She'd just assume Krieg was expecting and plan for that.

Nanku needed to get her hands on the Internet.

With her last braid set, Nanku rose and dressed. She wore plain clothes. Ones that actually fit her for once. A top that seemed stylish but practical, jeans, and shoes that were a little hard but did their task. A shuriken and spear went into her pockets and Nanku left through the back door with Dusk and Dawn.

She started with a patrol around the grounds.

The forests were young. Replanted in the last twenty or thirty years. That meant they were thin and not the best cover. None of the branches could support any weight. An unfortunate terrain disadvantage.

Though Dusk and Dawn could still climb some of the taller trunks with their claws.

Before long, Nanku noticed Angelica following her.

The little one-eyed beast trotted at a distance. Never getting too close, but never falling too far behind. For being so small and missing an eye, she was a good tracker. Many of the domesticated animals lacked those old instincts from what Nanku had seen.

Maybe that was why Bitch liked her.

Hopefully, that's why Bitch was coming toward her. Just following Angelica.

"She likes you," Bitch said.

"Dusk and Dawn think she's a pet," Nanku replied.

Bitch looked at the Twins. "They have pets?"

"Their hive had these frog things they kept around for their spit."

"Where was that?"

Nanku shut her mouth.

So far, no one had said alien. She supposed in a world full of superpowers, those were a much more straightforward explanation for anything strange.

Bitch unfortunately was smart.

She noticed Nanku's apprehension immediately.

But she said nothing about it.

"What do you do now?" she asked.

Nanku held her tongue again.

Bitch came over and reached down to scratch Angelica's head. Dusk and Dawn tugged and Nanku let them scuttle over to her to demand equal treatment. Bitch started with Dusk but didn't stop scratching Angelica. Dawn turned to Nanku since her hands were free.

"You're not giving up," Bitch observed.

"No," Nanku confirmed.

"Going back to Brockton Bay is stupid. They'll call in someone big. Alexandria. Narwhal. Dragon. Defiant."

"I'll manage."

Bitch frowned. "No. You won't."

"I'll manage." Nanku kept her eyes forward, toward the East. "Krieg is in Boston."

"How?"

"Tattletale told me."

Bitch got an odd look but seemed to accept it. "You'll go after him?"

"He knows something."

"And when the Protectorate comes after you?"

"I'll take more care. Try not to bring more trouble on you."

Bitch scoffed.

"Life is trouble." She looked over the woods and the relative silence. "It's nice here. Dogs will like it more."

"Bright side?"

"Sides are just sides. Stupid idiom."

She crouched, scratching at Angelica and Dusk.

"What about Krieg?" she asked.

"I'll find him," Nanku answered.

"When?"

Nanku frowned. She wasn't sur—

"Stupid." Bitch scoffed. "Don't need a babysitter."

A strange pang struck Nanku's stomach. She wasn't trying to imply Bitch was weak. "My fault."

"Get over it."

Nanku was over it. She was! "You wanted to stop me."

"Revenge is stupid. If you have to do it, do it. It's still stupid."

Maybe she was right.

Nanku took out her anger on Shadow Stalker and Kid Win. She didn't feel any better for it. It wasn't right. That's not how the Yautja did things.

It was too human.

"Besides," Bitch continued, "Nazi fuck knows about the camp."

Nanku nodded.

"Different. Not just revenge. Making sure it doesn't happen again."

Nanku doubted that, but she appreciated the distinction. The matter with her father was purely personal. There was something personal with the camp too, but Nanku did want to get justice for the other children. It wasn't just about herself.

She wasn't sure the distinction was enough. If she really thought about it, the camp too was about her. She wouldn't do anything if she hadn't been there.

There was no distinction that mattered.

"Stop the moping," Bitch said once again.

"I'm not—"

"Can't control Weaver. Can't control the Ambassadors. Did what you could. Didn't work out. Not your fault."

Nanku cocked her head to the side. "In Brockton Bay you wanted me to stop."

"Wanted you to stop chasing your dad. He's gone. Nothing to do about it."

"And Krieg?"

"Fuck the Nazis."

Nanku huffed. "And my father?"

"Revenge is stupid." Bitch glanced away, her brow furrowing. "I'm not stopping you. Do what you have to."

Nanku stared.

"Take a break and go," Bitch said plainly. "Probably be here for a bit."

That was different. Everything about Bitch was different. She just made sense. Why did she make so much more sense than other humans? Cassie was nice enough and Imp was okay, but they did things for reasons Nanku didn't understand.

Not Bitch.

Bitch was… Bitch.

Nanku looked back toward the kennel. The dogs. Cassie. Colt. Biter and the rest. All out in the sun looking fairly happy and content, but completely open and vulnerable.

"Heroes won't come?" Nanku asked.

"Heroes here are weak. One villain but he's weak too. Nothing you need to do anything about."

Nanku supposed she'd made enough trouble anyway.

Bitch rolled her eyes for some reason.

But… Maybe… Nanku was moping. Just a little bit.

She didn't like it. It wasn't like her and it definitely wasn't what she wanted to be doing.

"Done moping?" Bitch had an odd smile on her face.

Nanku rarely saw her smile. "Yes."

"Good."

"Experience?"

"I attacked people."

Nanku took a breath. "Pe'dte told me attacking in anger was foolish in all ways. I didn't understand until now."

"Sounds wise."

"She is."

"She going to help if the heroes get you?"

The heroes wouldn't, but, "No." And Nanku didn't expect her to.

Bitch nodded and rose to her feet.

That pang came back and Nanku watched her closely. There was something, but she didn't know the words for it. It was weird. Mildly annoying.

"Thank you," she offered instead.

"Nothing." Bitch waved Angelica off and the dog replied readily.

The feeling was still there. Warm and fuzzy. Low in her gut and in her throat. She wanted to say more, but what?

"You're different," Nanku opined. "You understand things most humans don't."

"Say that like you're not."

"Are you?"

Bitch shrugged. "Not a dog. Not that stupid."

"People think that?"

"People are dumb."

True. "People think they can control things. Control isn't real. It's…"

Nanku trailed off, her thoughts overtaking her words.

"Yeah," Bitch agreed. She glanced to Angelica while the dog trotted, and then Dusk. Her gaze lingered on Dusk for a while. "People do that."

Nanku supposed she was people too, however much she aspired to something different.

"Thank you," she repeated.

Bitch waved a hand. "Whatever."

Despite the word being dismissive in nature, it sounded warm.

Bitch went toward where Angelica waited. Dusk followed for a moment but quickly turned back to occupy Nanku's side opposite Dawn.

Nanku looked blankly into the woods.

She'd linger just a few more days. Make sure nothing immediately happened.

Then she'd got to Boston and get answers out of Krieg.

One way or another.

And then Cassie was there. She whispered something, twisted Bitch around, walked her back to Nanku and told her to sit.

Bitch didn't but Cassie left and took Angelica off herself.

"What was that?" Nanku asked.

Bitch stared forward, red in the face with what Nanku assumed was restrained anger. "No idea."

Nanku waited but no other answer came.

Bitch stood stiffly for a time. A good time. Longer than Nanku had ever seen her just stand. What had Cassie said? Nanku hadn't sent any bugs close enough. The whole encounter happened so quickly.

"She's weird," Nanku declared.

With that, Bitch's shoulders relaxed and she look down at Nanku. "She's weird?"

"Yes."

Bitch scoffed and looked forward once more.

She sat.

There was no explanation.

Nanku would have preferred an explanation.

"You're going to let her tell you what to do?"

"Nothing important to do anyway," Bitch replied cooly. She relaxed and leaned her chin into her own palm.

They sat a good while. Nanku kept expecting her to get up, but she didn't. She just kept sitting. When Dawn nearly jumped over Dusk and pushed against Bitch's hand, the girl responded by scratching but that was it.

Bitch yawned.

Nanku shrugged.

They sat in the shade of the trees in a pleasant breeze.

It was oddly relaxing.