Hunting the Forest Hunter was easier said than done. If Ai had more time she would've set up a trap, formulated a plan. Something. It was a miracle that she got out the gate without being spotted.

Now she found herself at the closest stream with two daggers and the clothes on her back. This was not a recipe for success.

Her first item of things to do was to carve herself another spear. After at least half an hour searching she found a decent stick which was, more or less, straight. Then she used one of her daggers to whittle it to a point. Her prey swam oblivious in the stream next to her, assured of their place in the food chain.

She tested the point. It wasn't sharp enough to draw blood but it would still impale a Fonq if the right amount of force was put behind it. Another popup appeared before her, but she brushed it away without reading it. She already knew what it would say. All she really needed to do was work out a way to turn off the notifications; they were irritating.

Her features flat and unenthusiastic she waddled out into the centre of the stream. She didn't like it the last time she had to do this, and she didn't like it now. Atleast she wasn't going to be torturing herself about their families this time round. Always look on the bright side and all that.

She impaled three Fonq on her spear before deciding that it was enough. When she made her way out of the water her feet were numb with cold, and getting colder with the gentle breeze. Her tail managed to stay out of the water this time though, so that was one less limb to worry about. Was her tail actually a limb anyway? It was more like an extension of her spine.

Ai ran a hand through her hair sighing. The three Fonq lay on the ground before her. Very much dead. Perhaps she should spread them around a bit? That would probably attract a Forest Hunter.

She didn't want to touch them though. She had already had one bad experience with their poison and she 100% did not want to end up like Celina.

Taking another stick, she used it and the spear to widen the holes in their bodies, poking out intestines and spreading them across the ground. It was gruesome, unpleasant and not an experience she wanted to relive. Mutilating corpses was not her idea of fun. She wasn't even sure that it would work.

It'd better work.

She dumped the spear and stick in the river. She wasn’t sure how smart these Forest Hunters were, but if they were smart any sign of human interference might scare them off. She couldn’t do much about her scent, so she just hoped their noses weren’t too keen and the Fonq stank.

Rolling her shoulders she approached the base of a tree. She seemed to spend most of her time up trees nowadays. Up was one of the few places that animals often forgot to look. Humans included.

She clambered up easily, swinging herself round to rest on one of the lower branches. She settled herself back. She would probably be here a while.

In the meantime she tried to come up with excuses for why she would be late back. Hunting was an easy one, but it would require her to actually come back with something she had hunted for her to back herself up. She could also say she had been caught by Celina again. For, like, four hours. Maybe more.

It was around this point that Ai realised she really wasn’t very good at coming up with lies. She needed a cover story though. The best lies always have an element of truth.

Perhaps, just maybe, she could say she had been hunting a Forest Hunter. That she wanted to test her skills. But then if Ermine heard about it, and investigated the cave post-rat death he might put things together.

She sighed.

She wanted to test her skills. She went out hunting. She found a predator. Perhaps she injured it and it ran off.

Imbedded in her thoughts, Ai almost didn’t notice when an odd creature finally appeared below her. It was pure luck that the odd ripple in the air caught her attention at all.

It was coloured like the undergrowth. Slow, with lumbering steps it stood on its hind legs.

It was hard to tell, but Ai thought it was probably as big as she was.

It leant over and snuffled at one of the dead Fonq. Or, that was what Ai guessed it was doing. She couldn’t see any eyes. Or a nose. Or any of the things you normally find on a persons face. She guessed that all the important stuff must be on the bottom of its body. Like a Manta Ray. Or something.

She rubbed her hands on her short skirt before gripping the handles of her daggers.

She may be a little nervous. Which was to be expected. Given the situation.

She swallowed.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. I don’t even know if hitting in on the ‘head’ will knock it out. What if its brain is in its torso or something weird. I mean, that’s totally reasonable right? But I need to do this quest. I doubt I’ll get another opportunity like this. But it won’t do anybody any good if I’m dead. Least of all me.

I have to do this. Just move out on the branch a couple of steps. Okay, I’m right above it. It hasn’t noticed me. That’s good right? If I don’t manage to knock it out, I can always run up a tree. It might not even be able to look up.

I so should’ve planned this out. And got way more background info. This is a terrible idea.

But I can’t let it get away. Right?

Ai bit her lip at the Hunter pulled the Fonqs corpse around. Then slurped it up like a noodle.

Her hands tightened around the daggers. She swayed, one moment ready to jump, the next ready to move back to the tree trunk.

Do it. Do it. Just do it.

And she did it.

Her feet hit it first, sinking into the soft flesh of its back. She bought the bottom of her daggers down hard where she guessed the base of its skull must be.

The creature buckled under her weight, and she lost her balance. She landed hard on her side, shoulder slamming against the ground. And probably against some guts too.

She grunted as the air left her. Move move move! She screamed at her unresponsive body. After an eternity it responded to her, and allowed her to stagger to her feet. Just about at the same time as the Hunter got to its feet too.

It swung round to face her.

Needles. Hundreds of them covered its underside. A sideways mouth. Small beady eyes.

That was all Ai had time to take in before she was rolling instinctually to one side. The Hunter lashed through the space she was moments ago.

She jumped to her feet, and hesitated. She wanted to run, oh so badly. But she didn’t dare turn her back on the Hunter.

It came at her again, both arms out as if to give her a hug. The sort of hug that and Iron Maiden would give.

She moved back, lashing out with one of her daggers. She hit. She knew she did. The beasts skin was like rubber though. No blood. Only a long scratch.

I’m screwed.

It didn’t stop moving towards her. She tried to dive to the side but one of its arms caught her round the bicep. Wrapping around it like a tentacle.

She stabbed towards its head with her free arm, heart beating rapidly in her chest. She felt light headed, but oh so alive. Adrenaline coursed through her body.

Nothing. It didn’t even react.

She didn’t think. She just wanted to get away. She tried to kick off its body with one foot. One foot that was instead speared with needles. She could see them poking through the top of her foot. Her stomach lurched and she felt faint.

Nononononono-

It tightened its grip, pulling her closer even as she pulled away. Pulling her into its embrace. She was going to die.

Nonono-

She stabbed. She wasn’t even looking where anymore. Its head. Its arm.

Its grip loosened and she kicked with her impaled foot. She was going to get away.

Then its grip tightened again. It’d slipped down onto her wrist now. A lance of pain shot through her. She shrieked. One dagger fell to the ground.

Stab. Stab. Stab.

Its other arm wrapped around her calf, just as her wrist was released. She fell back, her torso on the ground as it dragged her towards it with her leg.

She hit whatever she could reach. Legs, feet.

Fucking tentacle monster! Die die die-

It loosened its grip again, and she wriggled like a worm stuck on a hook.

Let me go!

Her leg pulled free. She didn’t stop. She twisted around pushing herself to her feet while moving forwards. She staggered and her right foot twisted. She fell.

She looked back.

She stopped.

The Hunter was swaying back and forth, head lolling round in circles. She pushed herself further away with her long good leg and hand, keeping an eye behind her.

It swayed back, further, further, then lost its balance and fell on its backside.

It made a weird noise.

Her muscles locked and ready to run Ai forced herself to stop moving and think.

Either she had hit it somewhere important and not noticed, which didn’t seem very likely, or it was drunk.

Drunk on poison. From the Fonq.

No way.

But as she watched it roll on its back, making strange huffing noises it was the only thing that made sense.

That meant…that meant she could’ve stayed in the tree. She could’ve just watched it until it fell over by itself. And not almost died, or get injured.

No. Her upper lip curled back.

Fucking hell! Damn it! Stupid fucking-

She punched the ground with her good hand. She had almost died. For no reason.

No fucking reason.

She forced herself to take a deep breath, even as anger buzzed like a horde of trapped wasps in her head.

She evaluated her body. Now that she was paying attention, it seemed to hurt more. Her wrist was black and purple, already swelling up. Her foot was covered in blood. She couldn’t tell if it was still bleeding heavily.

The red gel was in her bag. Which was stashed up a tree, along with the veg. A tree she was in no state to be climbing.

Unexpectedly, tears sprung to her eyes. Gritting her teeth she rubbed them away with the back of her hand. She wasn’t going to cry.

She would fix what she could. Ripping cloth off her top and wrapping it around her foot was a two handed job. It felt like it took her a painful eternity with one hand. All the while she had to keep an eye on the Hunter. Making sure it was still drugged up, and not going to come over and finish her off.

She cradled her injured wrist to her chest as she somehow got to her feet.

It hurt. It hurt like a motherfucker, but there was no way in hell she was going to have done all this for nothing.

She was going to get the bloody Hunter to the cave, even if it killed her.