Sinnamon

Hunter and Hunted, Part Two

"You've got to be kidding me," Sindra exclaimed. "Now why would it run away?"

Koda shrugged. "Beats me. I'm only glad that it didn't kill us." He looked around at the circle and exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "That thing was a monster for sure, almost like nothing I've ever seen before. I mean, did that thing have wolf steroids, or..?" He began to step out of the circle, but Sindra grabbed his arm. "Wait. I don't trust this. We need to stay here for at least a little while longer, wait for it to change its mind or if it's testing us."

He nodded, standing stock-still while Sindra glared at the trees around her. It wasn't right. She didn't trust any of this. But were they supposed to spend the night here inside the sigil, in the middle of the woods? They had to leave eventually. She wasn't prepared to camp out here in the middle of the forest with a very powerful werewolf lurking around, no matter how protective the sigil was.

Sindra's hair was plastered to her neck despite the chilly air, and her back was sweaty too, all after running from the beast. Even though the werewolf was still out there, a shower would be the one thing that would clear her head and help her regain her bearings. More than anything, she wanted to stay out in this forest and hunt the werewolf, but one look at Koda told her that he also needed a refresh. So, cleanliness and rest won out. Just this time, at least.

"Alright, well that's enough for tonight. Let's just get out of here." As defeated as she felt, Sindra knew this would be the best choice for them. If they were too exerted, neither of them would stand a chance against the werewolf... no matter how experienced or motivated they were.

    "Great. I am all for that decision." Koda began scuffing the dirt, but Sindra stopped him. "No, just leave it. You never know if it'll be needed after we've left."

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Somewhere in Deschutes County, Sindra and Koda found a motel and camped there for the night, making plans to continue the hunt tomorrow. Although the full moon was tonight, it was still possible the track the werewolf in its human form tomorrow. One of the best things about it was that they wouldn't be hulking and furry as humans, and possibly not as lethal. But since most werewolves preferred to stay incognito, and most likely this one, the search could go on for days even. Deschutes wasn't that popular of a town, but it would still be like finding a needle in a haystack.

    But Sindra was determined to find it and execute it this time. After finding out that it wasn't her failed assassin (to be expected), her rage only intensified until it consumed her.

She could hardly sleep that night, and as soon as morning came around, Sindra resumed the search. Koda was groggy as he slowly pulled on a wrinkled t-shirt that smelled like a mix of mothballs and dated detergent. He looked incapable of hunting, but as soon as he came to they would leave. They couldn't afford to waste any time today.

    "So how did we manage to get tricked in coming out here?" Koda asked as soon as he gained his bearings. He was already heading for the door, as if he sensed Sindra's own urgency to hunt.

She slowly turned to face him as she pulled her hoodie sleeves down and tied her short hair into a ponytail. She made sure her knives were secure around her belt loops. "What?"

   "Before we left Florida, I had enchanted my charms to track your assassin. It's impossible for such a thing to fail... unless we're dealing with something else..."

Sindra frowned, in no mood for guessing games. "Something like what? It's not like we're going up against my werewolf... this is just another ordinary one that somehow knew to stay away from your sigil." Even that sounded ridiculous, but it still felt good to say it out loud, as if it needed to be verbally confirmed how odd this all was.