Seth and the Prometheus Guild

A Game

The forest sang to him, a song of nighttime, cool air and hunger. It  thrummed through Seth's body, loosening some shackles he himself hadn't  even realized existed. His muscles felt fluid, his gaze sharp, his  heartbeat steady. This was where he belonged, this was home.

Except  his current body meant he wasn't fit to survive here anymore.  Nonetheless, it spoke to him in a way the cold and artificial human  buildings never would.

Benson, on the other hand, was not  at home. The forest rejected his presence, clutching his clothes with  thorny branches and tripping him with thick roots. The human tried to  move with purpose but every second step was a stumble and he bit back  curses with each breath.

This forest belonged to the monsters. And Benson wasn't welcome.

Seth  studied his prey with single-minded focus. In his haste, the man had  only taken the time to grab both his rifles - one for the darts and one  for killing - and slung a belt with ammunition haphazardly across his  shoulder. There was no armor guarding his back or flanks and his reddish  neck was exposed over the collar of his black shirt. This was almost  too easy.

Seth lowered himself, the forest welcoming him with soft  moss cushioning his feet and ferns tickling his face. A dulled animal  roar echoed in the distance and Benson whipped around, tension vibrating  in the lines of his body. The human was on edge. Seth almost scoffed  and slowly slithered closer.

Just wait a second longer, dumb human ...

He  paused next to the man, picking up the sharp scent of his sweat. Seth  was close enough to touch him, but the human's own heavy breathing  deafened him to all other noises and his narrowed eyes couldn't pick  Seth out between the overgrowth.

"Where are you hiding?" Benson's voice was a low grumble, his finger hovering over the trigger of the dart rifle.

Right here. Quick as a striking snake, Seth shot forward, grabbed the man's ankle and pulled.

"Aah!"  The heavy body crashed to the floor, making enough noise to startle a  flock of sleeping birds into flight. Benson rolled around, fumbled to  his feet, panting in shock, the rifle clutched to his chest. His wide  eyes darted to the thicket around him, but Seth was long gone.

A  flash of silver to his right had the man whirling around, but all he  could see was the dark outline of trees with skeletal branches. "Come  out, you little pest!"

"Poor human," Seth whispered. Benson turned  lighting quick and fired a shot without warning. The dart found a tree  trunk with a hollow noise, but the pale-haired child was nowhere to be  found.

"Such bad eyes."

The voice sounded directly behind Benson, and this time he jumped.

Nothing. Every time Benson turned around, he was greeted with empty darkness.

"Can't find me."

Another dart whistled through the air, skewering a harmless tree.

Seth  could hear the human's heartbeat, a thundering staccato that edged his  own excitement on. His prey was blind and too slow, blundering around.  He watched him grab for his other rifle, the one with faster and  deadlier projectiles.

Seth sneaked closer and whispered: "The ears are no good either."

Before the man had time to locate him, he glided away, back into the welcoming embrace of the forest.

"Quit  your silly games, or I'll have your head," Benson threatened, the  knuckles of his hands white in strain. His eyes looked wild, darting  around without seeing anything.