[Prologue] The Hunt

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..The Hunt
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......*Past*
......A pink and purple wash filled the sky as the sun began to set on yet another day on the wild and untamed land of Terra Regnum. A cool breeze lightly shook the tall trees, the heat of the day retreating from the cool embrace of night. In many ways, it was nearly a perfect evening for the small family of three that was moving through the edge of the forest. The trio led a simple lift, or at least as simple as a group of people could possibly make due in the wild world they were in. They made their home on the edge of the northern forests, between the ruins of Medius and the dense forests that held the several tribal peoples of the land.

......The father was a hunter and an artisan, providing for his family the best he possibly could, while the mother was a cultivator of the land, mastering the fine craft of farming to provide her child and husband with enough food to keep them full and energized. Whatever was left over would be traded to the occasional passing traveler, or taken to the nearest outpost or settlement to barter away to other people. Through this methods they made a simple, yet adequate existence.

......Unfortunately, nature wasn't quite so ready to be tamed by a frontier family. The father would often venture into the woods to hunt, as the local game provided an ample amount of food for him and his family. He mainly hunted animals that weren't much of a threat, who lived their lives as peaceful creatures that fed upon the green world itself. The occasion would come, however, when he's set his sights on some of the more dangerous animals in the wilds. This wasn't for a mere food resource, but instead the fangs and pelts these animals possessed. They were prized by many that lived outside the forest, and their trade value was often worth the risk of the hunt.

......It was much more than a one man job, however, and that very fact brought the family as whole together for the hunt, the mother being much more able bodied than most other women would be; after all, out here there was no room for people that weren't capable survivalist. The three moved deeper into the woods, their target: a long hyena. In a pack they would be most dangerous, but when one was caught alone it was an easy kill.

......The child, little more than seven years of age, kept pace with his parents as they moved through the forest. His shaggy white hair bounces atop his head with each step he took, his makeshift shoes sloshing in the damp muddy ground they traversed. Even though he was extremely young, he held a mature aura about him that transcended what a child his age would normally posses. He was eager for this day ... excited that he would finally get to participate in one of the hunts that his father talked about so often. They made excellent bed time stories for the boy, and he always had a dream of participating.

......Lethe kept pace with his family, perhaps not as focused as his more mature parents. After all, he was still just a child, and he found himself gazing at the forested area around him as he walked. His gaze fell upon a particular interesting looking bird, that is until he ran face first into his father's legs. He stopped and stumbled back, falling on his behind with an 'oof'. "Shhh! Everyone, quiet!" The father commanded, kneeling down and peering around the large oak tree that was in front of him. He gave a head motion to the mother, who moved around to the left. It was apparent that they had come upon their target.

......Lethe, being the curious thing that he was, quietly snuck from a knelt position and took up hold behind a down tree trunk. There in front of them in a small clearing was a canine beast, a hyena. It had been separated from it's pack, and had stopped by a small body of water to drink. With it's pack gone it would make for an easy target. The animal's pelt was beautiful, and even at his current age the boy could see why someone would want the pelt and value it so high.

..Wordcount: 726
..EXP Gain: 789
..Other: +1 TEXP

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..The Hunt Pt II
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......*Past*
......So, this is what it was all about. The young boy's mind was racing as he watched his father and mother move in for the kill, eager with childish anticipation at the coming events. This was all so exciting to him, and even though he was not allowed to actually participate in it, he still derived a sense of pride from the potentially successful hunt. Part of him wanted to help, of course. After all, that was something most children wanted to do: help their parents and be a part of the activities taking place. But, before they had entered the forest his father had given him strict instructions to not interfere with what was going in. Instead, he was supposed to merely watch, study, and learn from what he was about to see.

......Lethe fortified his position behind the trunk, ducking down and positioning himself between the ground and the fallen piece of timber. It was the perfect hiding spot for someone his small size and stature, and gave him some sense of protection. Even though there was only a singular animal and his parents were around, being in the deep forest at the time of night was still unsettling. Had he been older he may have questioned the decision to come here so late, but he could vaguely remember his father mentioning the nocturnal nature of these animals. Apparently that was different from the others in the area, and caused quite a bit of trouble for his family over the recent months. Domesticated animals seemed to disappear overnight, carcasses found the next day with much of the flesh ripped from it's skin. They'd even heard reports of people being attacked in these forest over the night. It was a distinction to this particular pack: they hunted under the moon.

......The boy grew still and quiet as he watched the hunt unfold, his excitement akin to a child waiting for his presents on his birthday. To the right his father kept quietly, drawing a short blade from his belt and holding it ready. To the left, his mother approached the drinking animal, moving quietly but not attempting to keep out of site. She would provide the distraction for this hunt while his father would take it down as it was locked in on what it assumed would be prey. A twig snapped as his mother made her approach, and the beast spun around almost instantly. It's hair was standing up on the back of it's neck and a deep growl, originating from deep within it's chest, made it's aggressive intentions known. One step. Two steps. Three steps. Lethe's mother continued slowly towards the animal, all the while his father approached it from behind. She drew forth a weapon of her own, but this was more of a thick blunt object rather than a blade. It would be used to bait the animal further.

......She tapped the club on the ground, kicking up leaves and dirt in the process. The hyena growl, then screeched in what sounded like an eerie laugh. The sound made Lethe cringe, and it only agitated his already uneasy feeling. It was amazing enough he was holding up as well as he was, sitting with quiet interest at the dance like process before him. With the third strike of the club the beast leap forward, attempting to pounce on his mother. It was rather strange, actually, since these creatures were almost always pack hunters rather than attacking by themselves. It was more expected for it to attempt to flee back to it's pack rather than attack his mother. But, it's actions didn't truly matter as the boy's father descended upon it in a matter of seconds. He leaped through the air, coming down on top of the animal before it could react, his weight driving it into the ground as he brought his weapon into it. The blade was dug deep into the hyena's abdomen, driven in a direction angle so that it shredded through it's heart.

..Wordcount: 670
..EXP Gain: 748
..Other: None

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..The Hunt Pt III
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......*Past*
......At first, he wasn't sure if he should be frightened at what he was seeing, or if he should be awe struck. In a way it was a thing of beauty: a hunter pouncing upon his prey and taking it down in near perfect fashion. The blade had pierced through the beast's ribcage, puncturing between the two upper ribs and piercing through it's still beating heart. The efficiency of the strike caused the animal to have a near instant death, it's only protest to the assault being a sharp but useless jolt against it's attacker. It have a meager yelp, and then ceased all movements, it's life finally leaving it.

......Blood seeped from the wound and stained the mixture of grass and dirt red. For some reason, Lethe could smell a scent on the blood. It wasn't like any of the other animals he'd come across, and especially not the regular scent most meats his parents previously brought home had. He was just a child, so he thought nothing of it and slowly crawled out from his hiding spot. He'd had a great view of the action that had taken place and he replayed the events in his head and head slowly walked over to his father. The sight of the dead animal didn't affect the young boy all that much outside of the usual response people give to large amounts of blood. His face scrunched at the sight, and he stood in silence as his father began to cut away at the animal hide.

......Lethe's father turned and looked at him, his well defined face greeting his son warmly. It was a skill, considering what he'd just done, to empathize so well with his offspring. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" He gave Lethe a strong pat on the head, "Now, son. This is a very important skill. The pelts these animals posses, as well as their meat, is important for survival. Watch closely." The man turned his attention back to the animal, where his blade began to precisely cut away at the animal's hide. he made a body length incision on it's abdomen, exposing much of it's insides.

......"Now, I know we've been over this before, but how about a little field review? Come." Lethe nodded, and fell to his knees near the downed animal, sitting back on his calves and feet. His father used his knife to direct his review. "Most internal organs are edible, but you should stick with the easy ones if you don't know what you're doing. The liver, heart and kidneys are probably the easiest to recognize and are packed with vitamins and minerals. These should definitely be eaten. The rest would require extensive preparation, and should thus be avoided until you're more skilled." The father stopped, having cut away said organs in the process and handing them over to the mother, who put them in a leather bag used to transport their freshly killed meat. "Oh! The leftovers you can use. You may want to use some of these as bait for other animals or fish. After all, in a few years you'll be able to go out and hunt alone." He gave his son a warm smile, clearly looking forward to that day. In his mind, it was a rite of passage.

......"Now, son! I'm going to finish skinning this beast and stripping it of meat. After that we can head home." The man turned away and continued back to his work. Lethe, on the other hand, rose back to his feet and began to look around. Even with as exciting as everything had been, there was something else that kept pulling at his attention. Something in the forest. What was it? It was unlike anything he'd felt before, and someone as young as him couldn't truly articulate it. It was a sense of dread.

......And whatever it was, it was getting closer.

..Wordcount: 650
..EXP Gain: 709
..Other: None

Mystic Elder Rep! : 31

The child was correct in his suspicions, for crouching in the darkness of the frowning forests framing the scene was the beast's clan, drawn by the scent of death to the primal scene. A mirthless laugh interrupted the steady sounds of the downed hyena's processing, one more akin to a jittery sob than the giggle its species' call was usually characterized as.

The largest of the beasts stepped from the cover provided by the surrounding bush, making absolutely no attempts to conceal its approach. It was a truly magnificent specimen and the matriarch of its clan, as black as the void with unnaturally green eyes that seemed to glow in the fickle light of the early moon. The arch of its neck bristled nastily as it bared its teeth, its lone ear cocked forwards as it drew closer, stopping a few dozen feet away and glancing at the woman and child on the other side of the man.

At that moment, the other members made their presence known, creeping gingerly out of the brush and circling the family, snarling and snapping, but keeping a respectful distance away until their leader initiated the combat. This group was relatively small, 10 members strong with the fallen one at the father's feet, but they still outnumbered the family severely and didn't mind taking advantage of the situation. They were highly territorial creatures, and planned to kill the family more for the encroachment upon their home and murder of one of their numbers than anything else.

Even the smallest member of the clan, a white, spotted thing about half the size and weight of the 200 pound female leading the attack but staying only half the distance away that the others did, showed a confidence about her walk not common to normal wild animals.

When the others moved well into position, the matriarch gave a final chuckle of wrath and charged the man. If it was prey they were after, they would have charged the child, then the woman, but as things were it was warfare against an invader and a killer of their kind, and the man was the strongest-looking threat there.
[EXP: 440 || TEXP: +1]

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..The Hunt Pt IV
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......*Past*
......What was that? The boy's attention was now fully focused on the forest around him, paying not attention to his father who continued to speak and instruct him on how to skin the animal to preserve it's pelt in the correct fashion. At first the young boy thought he'd heard a growl. No, wait, it sounded more like a laugh. Or maybe it was a growl. Whatever it was, it seemed to beckon him into the brush, and he began to take several small steps towards the edge of the clearing. He had that feeling again, and worse now than it had been before. It was so intense he almost felt like vomiting.

......Another rustle of the brush revealed the source of those sounds, and the troubled feeling he was having.

......He froze in his tracks as move hyenas revealed themselves, a large and intimidating one apparently leading them. It made no attempt to hide it's presence. It didn't take Lethe that long to figure out what was going on. Even someone of his age knew that when you're surrounded by creatures like this, it meant death more times than not. He backpeddaled, nearly frozen in fear. He managed to stammer out a few words to his father, though he doubted it was loud enough for him to hear. It seemed coming out here wasn't a good idea, after all. They'd taken far too long, and his father stopping to show him the ropes was going to seemingly claim his life.

......"Lethe!" a voice from behind called out. It was his mother, and she moved forward and in a moment grabbed up the boy, pulling him back from the surrounding animals. Unfortunately for his father, his mother's call came too late. By the time he realized what was happening, he'd only been able to spin around in time to see the pack leader descending upon him.

......The child screamed.

..Wordcount: 316
..EXP Gain: 347
..Other: +1 TEXP (May 18, due to 250xp earned)

Mystic Elder Rep! : 31

Many predators are lone hunters or defend kills from members of their own pack with ominous growling and displays of rank. Hyenas are unique among them in that their feasting is more akin to a race, and in the name of speed and expediency they began the contest before the man's final thoughts faded from his mind. The creatures are naturally fast eaters, yes, but their demon heritage granted them an even greater haste as they ripped and tore and shredded meat and bone alike, treating the human flesh below their heavy jaws no different than they would treat a normal beast's. Worse even, as this was clearly the body of an enemy of their kind. Out of all of the local demons, this hyena clan was the least tolerant of any humans who would dare raise a weapon against their members. They had no awe of mankind, and their leader led them to attempt to dominate the tool-using creatures as she'd convinced them to dominate all other living things in their domain.

The two lowest-ranking hyenas of the pack, ones who would likely not get much of the relatively small carcass of the father (for there were 10 hyenas and they each required at least 30 pounds of a carcass to be satiated) danced around the woman and her son, chortling their implacable vengeance all the while and ensuring any paths of escape for the woman and child were closed. One of these, a drab brown beast with dim eyes full of a wanton and terrible hunger, even ventured to run behind the woman and snap, attempting to send her closer to the dogpile of the feeding pack and convince them to divert their attention to fresher fare.

He did get the attention of the white subadult who smiled with a vast lack of comprehension for the events unfolding around her. Yes, it was her own father who had fallen prey to the spearman, but she had yet to understand what a "father" was. It was a human concept that she wouldn't understand until a later awakening. For now, she did not miss what she never had. Besides, she managed to come out of the fray with a wonderfully muscled shoulderblade with its upper arm, and there were no others of her age that she had to share it with. She lay on the ground a few yards from the circling lower-ranked pair, her blue eyes on the two people defending themselves from the encroachment of the fanged avengers.

[EXP: 488]

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..The Hunt Pt IV
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......*Past*
......Horror didn't even begin to describe the feeling that was overcoming the small child. Here he was on his first outing with his father to hunt, to take down a beast that had been troubling their lands for the past few months, and now they were seemingly minutes away from death. Lethe couldn't believe how quickly the pack had descended upon his downed father. They tore away at him as if they were rabid, though it was nothing more than natural instinct, eating him alive as if he was any other meal. There was a lot of blood. Oh, how there was a lot of blood. It was probably the most profound detail of the whole ordeal, and up to this point in his life the young boy hadn't seen the much blood at once. Even when they'd go out and take down an animal for the coming week, it never bled like that. Of course, maybe the meal being his father only intensified it all.

......His father screamed in agony as he was ripped to shreds, a blood curdling shriek echoing into the distance until it died down. Soon, no noises came from his father except for the sound of the animals tearing away at his flesh and snapping bones in the process. The boy was in shock, unable to move and only able to watch in horror as the man he was closest to in his life was taken from him in one of the most violent ways possible. He couldn't believe it. Surely, he'd wake up and this would all be some sort of bad dream? Surely?

......The only other person in his life now was his mother, and that abruptly changed. There was suddenly a sound that drowned out the messy feast his father had turned in to, and it was his mother being taken down by more of the beasts. This one was perhaps even worse than the last, as the woman screamed in an even worse shrill agony than his father had. These screams, they would surely haunt him for the rest of his life. What was he supposed to do? What could he do? Tears filled his eyes as the magnitude of the situations began to weigh on him, and he burst into an angry sob, running over to the club thrown from his mother's corpse and picking it up.

......He let out a high pitched cry; one of agony, sorrow, and the kind of unintelligent reaction that only a small child could have. He was scared, that much was true, but he didn't care much anymore. He just wanted to hurt everything around him.

..Wordcount: 439
..EXP Gain: 460
..Other: None

Mystic Elder Rep! : 31

The family had paid in blood for the taking of the clan's male, and the intense feelings from the event had largely dissolved among the demons. It was a male member of theirs, and thus not a very important one. Indeed, those who hadn't occupied themselves with butchering the woman had fallen upon the skinned corpse of their fellow, swallowing it in great, hasty chunks as they had the human. As creatures with no sense of the past nor gods to align themselves with, they assumed that the consumption of their fallen kinsmen would allow him to live on in the clan. Besides, it would be wasteful to let the worms and the maggots have him, so they ate.

By the time the enraged little human came clumsily swinging into their midst, striking out against forces of violence the magnitude of which he had yet to understand, the brutes simply moved out of the way and smiled at him, their teeth and muzzles coated in blood as they expressed their feelings on his weakness with their unsettling, jeering calls. They only valued strength. Strength was all that mattered in this universe, and this boy was weak and something to be destroyed. His weakness amused them in a dim way as far as they could understand something as silly as a small human only able to wield a tool as nonthreatening as a basic club at an entire pack of full grown demons. He didn't even seem able to see in the dark as they could. So they jeered with their shivering cackles, laughing at this curiosity and this futile expression of worthless life. They were full and lazy from feasting on his parents and they thought to have a little bit of fun instead of killing him outright.

The white cub simply absorbed the scene with her blue eyes. She comprehended more than they, but she remained silent. They could not understand that the boy struck out in defense of his family as they had struck out in vengeance for the clan. To the other hyenas, she knew, this boy was no different than a fawn or any soft creature. They had absolutely no empathy for anything other than themselves. It was okay, though. They weren't cursed with understanding as she was. Understanding lead to mercy, and mercy to destruction, as the matriarch had taught her and the rest of the clan. Knowledge of everything other than killing food and enemies was no less a hindrance than a tumor.

So she lay there, chewing on the shoulder and arm of this little human's clanmate, watching with cold and bemused eyes as they leaped about him. One of the larger females even allowed him to land a blow, afterwards limping away and feigning pain with loud yelps and an exaggerated limp. The clan erupted into a chorus of derisive laughter.

[EXP: 596]

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..The Hunt Pt IV
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......*Past*
......The boy cried out as he swung with all his might. Unfortunately for him, his swing didn't meet it's mark and the weight of the club caused him to stumble forward. Truth be told, even if he had connected with one of his parent's murderers, it would have done little to no damage. Anyone of a riper age would have known he was acting in futility. There was nothing he could do for his parents, and there was nothing he could truly do to save his own life. But, the little one continued on, too lost in his own undeveloped emotions to truly know what he was doing. This was a cold testament to the rules of the wild. Only the strong survived, and the only thing the savage nature cared about was strength.

......Strength. Power. Authority. Three things that the boy would dream about at night, peacefully in his bed away from the savagery of reality. Tucked away from the dangers of the world in a secure surrounding. But here, there was no serene tranquility, comfort, or protection, and unfortunately for the white haired child he possessed none of those virtues that the wilds respected. He was pathetic, little more than a play thing in their eyes. He swung once more, and missed. Lethe was tired by this point, his breathing labored from swinging a weapon that was so heavy relative to his strength.

......And then, it happened. One, no, two of the hyenas had apparently decided they'd had enough of the display. After all, if they were in a community anything like a human gathering, they were taught that they shouldn't play with their food. That's all he was to them, anyway ... a mere meal. One attached to his back while the second bit down into the soft flesh of his chest around the ribcage. The boy screamed out in pain, wishing that something, anything, could stop the pain. He nearly fell unconscious from the intensity of the pain, the feint sound of yelling keeping him in the world of the living.

......Maybe it was his screams. Or perhaps his parents. Whatever was the truly alarm raised didn't matter, all that did matter was that one of the local tribes had apparently heard the victims. Lethe's sight was fading as he lost blood and succumbed to the pain, but springing out of the clearing from a single direction was a large group of human hunters. The wore garments that had light armor stitched into it, and moved with a steady grace that only the people's of the forest could. They yelled and screamed at the pack, spears and finely crafted blades in hand. Their priority was the boy.

..Wordcount: 450
..EXP Gain: 500
..Other: None

Mystic Elder Rep! : 31

The cackling horde was loath to leave its prey, and only the sharp red hurt of a spear piercing a backside or a shoulder could dislodge the beasts' jaws. They turned with snap and snarl on their aggressors, but they all knew from the start that the effort was useless. Now it was they that were outnumbered, as reluctant as the androgen-fueled horde was to admit it and retreat. The lesser hyenas, the ones who had initially assaulted the boy, retreated first. The others retreated backwards slowly after them, keeping their broad shoulders facing the advancing warriors as they backed into the shadows of the bush they'd initially emerged from.

Last to leave were the matriarch and the spotty white cub. The subadult stared wistfully with her faded blue eyes at the advancing men valiantly coming to save one of their own, blades bared... blades that were better than the teeth and claws nature had given her, but so very alien. The humans were like gods to her. They took inanimate matter, wood and stones and strange shapes, and hurled them forth like Zeus throwing lightning bolts down at an awestruck world. Their torches burned and forced light into the darkness of the forest like little suns on a stick. They walked on their hind legs, standing head and shoulder above most other creatures of their mass. Yes, the cub was awestruck by mankind and recognized in them some danger... some huge potential for hurt....

But she was the only one. Perhaps the matriarch's age gave her an acceptance of these things, or more likely she simply didn't think about them. With a sharp cry, she beckoned the infant demon to flee, and it took several of the piercing calls to convert the smaller one from the pillar of salt she'd become into a fleeing creature again.

But the form of the boy she kept in her heart. She had some notion of vengeance, and she felt as though if the boy were allowed to mature into a man, he might one day threaten her and her clan.

The larger hyena had no such thoughts, however, and her word was the law for now. So the white hyena left the scene with a parting cackle at the gods assembled behind.

[EXP: 452]

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..The Hunt Pt IV
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......*Past*
......The boy groaned, falling into a delirium that rendered him unable to comprehend what was fully going on. Gushing red, the wound on his side was bleeding, as the each sharp tooth of the two attackers had punctured deep into his skin. Lethe attempted to look around, but his muscles failed him. The only thing he could hear was the growling of the hyenas, and the eventual fade of the noise. Those men he had seen earlier, they had driven off the pack somehow.

......"Easy, little one, you're safe now." A warm voice spoke to him from above, and as the wounded child was rolled over on to his back, he caught a good sight at his saviors. They all looked like great warriors ... though, just about anything that had driven off certain death was a great warrior in the boys eyes, akin to the people depicted in the stories he was told at night. The men continued speaking among one another, but Lethe's concentration was so broken he couldn't make out what they were saying. The only thing he could make out in his current state was the name of the man above him. The others referred to him as Tarush. Even without being told, the boy could tell this was their leader. The other men looked towards him for direction, moving at his every command. Perhaps someday, should he survive, Lethe could attain such a status. He could hope,anyway.

......The last thing Lethe would remember for the next few days would be being lifted off the ground, reassured that he was going to be alright.

..Wordcount: 266
..EXP Gain: 293
..Other: +1 TEXP (5/18, posted 5 times in one day)

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

Thread Totals:
Wordcount: 3,517
EXP Gain: 3,846

Mystic Elder Rep! : 31

Totals: 1,976 EXP || 1 TEXP

» [Prologue Arc] Shard VI - The Hunt
» Demon Hunt: The Chase
» Demon Hunting: The Hunt
» Demon Hunt: Inanis
» [Prologue II] A Small Tear