The Hunters Volume One: The Beginning

Chapter Nine: Darkness Descends

      On the north western edge of Starlight Bay, the forest surrounding the city gained a more hilly terrain. Large rocks and boulders occurred naturally and if one were to move further north, one would come upon a series of small mountains that lined the edge of the forest.
   The natural elevations stood out in the background of Starlight Bay like jagged uneven constructs. Despite their proximity to the  relatively popular city, the mountain range was seldom frequented by the local populace by reason of multiple urban myths of disturbing presences dwelling there. The leaders of the Starlight Bay had discounted these rumors and in the past, had embarked on a construction project that saw several roads built through and around the mountains. The aim then had been to encourage tourist trips to the admittedly grand view from the top of the mountains, as well as providing an easy route from Starlight Bay to the neighboring cities on the other side of the peaks.

   That had proved to be a terrible decision. Regardless of their best efforts, the city's leaders had not been able to overcome the inbred paranoia that had possessed the locals. And due to the fact that the same locals were the ones primarily interacting with the visiting tourists, it spread to them as well. The whole thing ended up being a waste of the city's budget and eventually the project had to be abandoned.
   Inevitably there would be the occasional daring tourist who would hike up the mountains for thrills and the like at their own risk as there was no official outpost for emergencies up there. But for the most part, the mountains remained bare of human life, simply standing sentinel over the contrastingly lively city.

   A brown fox darted out from a small bush where it had been lying in wait patiently for the past ten minutes. Its target was an unsuspecting rabbit that had been snacking on the leaves of a unidentifiable plant. Caught entirely off guard, the rabbit barely made it five hops away before the sharp canines of the predatory fox pierced its neck. A few seconds later, the fox dragged its prey over to the edge of the abandoned road to begin its feast. Suddenly its large ears twitched and the fox rose its head to take a suspicious sniff. It did not know why but it could sense a coming disturbance in the air. Such a thing was rare considering how rarely humans came up here. When the sensation increased sharply, the fox decided that it wanted no part of whatever it was. Promptly picking up its breakfast, it turned around and bolted away into the overgrown grasses.
   Less than a second later, a soft blue circle of light appeared out of thin air in the middle of the empty road that circled the largest mountain. The circle expanded continuously for a while, only ceasing to increase when it reached a certain size. For a moment, the light from the circle pulsed brighter than usual as two figures stepped out from the portal and into the abandoned road.

   The first to come through was a man. He looked to be just past his prime, with well groomed brown hair that could have passed for black under the right lighting. The expensive looking black suit he wore gave him the appearance of a high ranking corporate executive, although his well built form suggested he certainly did not spend most of his days behind a desk.
   Following him was another person, a woman this time. She looked to be of similar age, if not a few years younger than the man. Her dark blonde hair reached all the way to her lower back and seemed very well maintained. Her attire was simple; a plain white shirt with a long brown coat and a pair of dark blue jeans. The look on her face could be easily be found on any random woman on the street, but it was her eyes that really drew attention. If her expression could be called homely, then her eyes were nothing short of bewitching. They were the color of a refreshing blue sky, with a perpetual mischievous gleam in them that gave off a secretive vibe. As if she knew something about everything that no one else knew about.

   The well dressed man gave the abandoned road a disapproving look and scoffed in disgust. "Why we bother to meet with these uncouth creatures is beyond me."
   "Would you rather leave them to their own devices then?" The woman asked with a sly smile on her lips. "You know more than anyone how important this operation is. It is under your jurisdiction after all."
   The man sent her a mild glare and huffed, his breath misting in the cold mountain air. "Let's just get this over with. I certainly have better things to do with my morning."
   The woman simply chuckled at his disgruntled expression and began walking down the lonely road. Her companion spared the surrounding area one last look before following her. The pair moved fairly quickly, navigating their way through the gradually thinning forest as they made their way higher up the mountain.
   Eventually they arrived at their destination; a hidden cavity in the mountainside that had been conveniently concealed by the surrounding plant life. The rugged design and manner of construction made it seem man-made but the patches of dried blood around the mouth of the cave gave of the impression that a wild creature inhabited it. At least that was how it would appear to the unassuming.
   The two of them glanced around with thinly veiled disgust, at least on the part of the woman. Her male counterpart made absolutely no effort to disguise his grimace at the cave's external appearance.
   The woman smirked at her partner's pained disposition. "Come on. The sooner we're done with this, the sooner you can leave."
  
   The interior of the cave was to its exterior with regards to decorations and construction, if not even more eerie. Pale white skulls of different animals were deposited in piles in a manner that seemed far too intentional to be the work of a wild carnivore. Nearly every foot of the walls were covered in strange tribal symbols and diagrams, with the occasional splash of blood adding to the overall creepiness of the cave. Corridors diverted away from the main passageway, leading off into deeper sections of the mountain cavity.
   They continued on inwards until they reached a large chamber that had a tall raised platform in the middle. Unconventional torches fashioned out of wood and animal fat burned brightly in various corners, illuminating the other occupants of the chamber. There were over two dozen skinwalkers in the chamber engaged in various activities. As soon as the two humans stepped into the light, all eyes landed on them in both surprise and alarm. Some of them that were closer to the entrance began to move menacingly towards the duo who barely flinched at the multiple threatening glares they were receiving.
   "Who are you and why have you come here?" One of the skinwalkers growled aggressively.
   The man straight up ignored the speaker entirely, leaving the woman to answer in his stead. "Where is your leader? I believe you call him 'clizyati'? We have some business to discuss–"
   "Why are we wasting time talking with these fools?" Another skinwalker interrupted harshly and rose up from his perch on a high ledge in the chamber wall. "They dare to enter our lair and yet they have the audacity to make demands?"

   A deceptively calm voice replied the abrasive skinwalker. "I'd appreciate it if you refrained from interrupting me any further. I do not like such acts."
   The tattooed man barked a harsh laugh at her words and began stalking towards her menacingly. "Is that so? Well then, what are you going to do about it? Come if you dare. It's been far too long since I last–"
   The rest of his taunts never made it past his lips as the man's entire body suddenly exploded in orange flames. His agonized screams filled the hollow chamber and echoed off the walls. The other approaching skinwalkers halted in their advance as they watched their comrade stumble around aimlessly, his arms flailing about uncontrollably. Gradually his movements slowed as the damage overwhelmed him and he crumpled to the ground with a final strained cry. Despite the man already being dead, the flames refused to extinguish. Instead they intensified immensely, stretching out to reach over half the height of the chamber. Then suddenly without warning, the fire disappeared without a trace, leaving nothing but a pile of ashes on the ground.
   The warmth on the woman's face had disappeared, leaving her with a cold expression as she stared impassively at the remains of the decreased skinwalker. "What a fool." Then she turned back to the rest, her bewitchingly homely face stretched in a cheery smile. "Now, anyone else have any problems?"

   Suffice to say, none of the skinwalkers made any attempt to move an inch after that horrifying display. The lingering stench of charred flesh and bones had already begun to clear out. It was with no small terror that they realized that the man had been incinerated so quickly that there had hardly been any smell left behind. The formerly aggressive members of the crowd immediately sought to rethink their stance. No one wanted to die such a needlessly painful death after all.
   A tall tanned man strode out from among the crowd to approach the two humans. Hushed gasps sprung from various end of the chamber as he came nearer to the woman who had just publicly executed one of their own. Her smile slowly began to turn feral as she eyes his approaching form. The tension in the chamber was nearly palpable as the distance between them shortened with each passing second.
   "Oh? I didn't really think you would take me seriously? Oh well~" the woman said with a careless shrug and narrowed her eyes at the skinwalker.
   It was when the man noticed the hairs on his arm beginning to singe that he spoke in a slightly hurried tone. "Wait, I-I can take you to our leader."
  
   The woman smiled suddenly and the oppressive pressure that the skinwalker had not even realized had been weighing down on him disappeared as well. It might have been a trick of the light, but it almost seemed like the woman's eyes had gained a very soft purple gleam that faded away near instantly when she smiled again, far more genuinely this time than before.