Bounty Hunter

Act I - The Decaying Light

[Author's Notes]

Hello and welcome back to the next chapter of Bounty Hunter! I hope the cliffhanger wasn't too intense, I really need to stop with this, I bet it gets obnoxious at times!

As usual, I hope you're all doing well and have had a wonderful day. I'm very thankful to be your choice for today, whether you're just browsing through the website and have found this fanfiction whilst binge-reading the chapters or if you're a veteran returning for some more action; each and every one of you have my gratitude!

Feedback is highly appreciated, whether it be positive or negative; I like to think like there is no good or bad news, there is no good or bad criticism either... Unless it's extremely hateful. Each review leaves an impression and tells me how engaged you all are with the fanfiction as well as helps me improve as a writer if any criticism is offered!

Adding onto this, I'd like to give a tremendous thanks to Footrot Flats for catching an error in my last chapter. Sometimes these things slip through the cracks and thanks to their observational skills, I was able to correct them and learn from it!

We'll be picking up straight after where we left off from the last chapter, so hopefully your memory serves you well and you can anticipate what's to come... Ah yes, that reminds me, I should probably get to presenting the chapter!

Without further ado, Naidvar proudly presents to you...

The Decaying Light...

9 PM - Makeshift Campsite - Unknown Forest...

A night without moonlight fell above this dense forest, the hearts of the three warriors beat like a determined drum. Whilst Lynqi was locked away safely in the tent, she was still panicking as it had been a significant amount of time since she had heard any activity. Meanwhile, Po and Tigress were currently shaking like autumn leaves as the eerie nature of the forest shook them to their cores. Po was understandably terrified as he had never stared into the darkness whilst expecting something, his fear amplified by the possibility that he detected something in the distance.

Fortunately for him, Tigress was bringing it all to the table to put up a front against her own emotions and to reassure Po; her rigid facial expressions and occasional smiles back to the panda calmed him... Yet she couldn't help but feel like she wasn't alone when it came to the thing she saw in the woods. After picking up on the distant rustling of leaves and she was able to hone in on the source of the location, she snapped to her right and unleashed a ferocious growl to warn the intruder to leave or fight.

Tigress's reaction to the noise triggered Po's instincts, allowing him to see and hear with greater ability as his awoken eyesight scanned the vicinity for any threats. He could swear his mind was fooling him as he too turned to look towards Tigress's direction and caught wind of a set of beady brown eyes, seamlessly blending in with the nearby trees. The sickeningly large figure twisted around the tree in an attempt to hide, at least that's what it seemed before those eyes wrapped around the forest and appeared on Po's left.

After an uneasy amount of silence fell over the forest, the whipping winds were reduced to a mere breeze and the lashing rain was downgraded to a drizzle, the figure unleashed a demonic cackle before the clanging of metal could be heard bouncing off a tree. The figure lit a lantern from beyond the vision of the two warriors, entering a standoff as he brought it to his face... At first, nothing was revealed besides his black fur. This figure brought this lantern close to their face whilst keeping their eyes sealed, revealing himself alongside his facial features and army with a great jolt; the wolves behind him began to growl and he unleashed yet another arrogant cackle into the distance.