THE PUZZLED PIECES: Broken Pieces

1|23 ♥ A game of Tango 2 ♥

"We didn't realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun."- Winnie The Pooh

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Sounds of feet against twigs and fallen leaves filled the perimeter as the game trainees raced through the forest. Each one of the hunters striving to capture the target.

Santiago could feel the adrenaline rush pumping through his blood as his whole body flooded with excitement.

They all had a total of sixty minutes to find and capture the target. Once the time was up, and the target was still not captured, the target would automatically have the win and be upgraded to the next level. While the hunter with the highest predatory score prepares to be target for the next season.

Santiago felt the others who were running alongside him, but somewhat distant. In order to capture the target for himself, he had to take out his competitors before they got to her first.

Depending on one's strategy, taking down other hunters could be time consuming, and would offer more leverage for the target to get away. So Santiago knew he couldn't take down every single one of them except they crossed him first.

So his only focus was to hunt down the target, and only take down a hunter if they were first to attack.

Santiago was sure about being able to handle a level turtle, but a level hare might prove difficult. He just hoped to God that he'd still be able to pull it off.

It was a steep mountain forest with a lot of under bushes and sloppy rocks. So Santiago ensured to be careful with his footing as his legs worked quickly, darting from one corner to the other to avoid slippery areas and possible traps.

Moving further down the slanting forest, it got progressively busier with more and more trees closing in than it was at the peak.

There was a loud masculine scream from a distance. A flock of birds flew away from atop the trees due to the sound.

Santiago paused and looked to the direction of the sound. It sounded a bit far from him but somewhat close. He looked around, ensuring there was no threat surrounding him.

Something swished pass, making a tree beside him rustle more than it should. Santiago's gaze immediately shot up to the tree's high branches, which were strewed with immaculate green leaves, as his hand moved to his side for his dart gun.

The spaces between the leaves allowed streams of sunlight through, casting a warm glow on his face. His gray eyes searched around carefully as it darted from one tree to the other, breath heaving from all the running.

Drawing in a deep breath, he ensured to even out his breathing in order to hone his senses, and max his concentration.

Sounds of chirping insects filled his ears as well as the gentle rustle of the tall trees.

Any other day, this would have been a calming session for Santiago to bask in the warmth of his environment, but this was a rather unnerving time as the atmosphere remained thick with tension.

Whoever was near hid their presence well as Santiago couldn't grasp anything outside the ordinary.

Then there was a loud sound, like the low base of a large truck horn that indicated that a hunter was eliminated. Either by another hunter, or a trap.

He glanced at his wrist watch. A green string of characters merged together to form the number '20', which meant there were twenty hunters left, while the green colour indicated the target was still lose.

They had been a total number of thirty hunters in his group at the start, but just within a span of ten minutes, ten were already taken out.

Something squeaked loudly as it ran past some bushes, creating a rustle. Santiago immediately pulled his dart gun out of its holster and shot at whatever it was.