The Hunters Volume One: The Beginning

Chapter Ten: True Intentions

     The skinwalker led them deeper into the cave, navigating through various tunnels with ease. An uneasy silence hung around them, mostly on the part of the skinwalker due to the gruesome display earlier. The tunnels were somewhat stuffy though an occasional draft of wind would waft past the group through the multiple holes that lined the cave walls.
   The trend of markings along the wall seemed to increase as they went deeper. Various scenarios were depicted in the illustrations, some of them showing vaguely disturbing scenes. The visiting pair had different reactions to the diagrams and symbols. The man in the suit was obviously less bothered with the images, instead he seemed more annoyed with the fact that his colleague chose to display some mild interest in them at all.
   "You can ask for a tour of the place the next time you visit, Katherine. Although I doubt they would be willing to get within ten feet of you after that stunt you pulled."
   The woman, Katherine spun around to give him a sidelong look. "You're really not in a good mood today, are you Julian?"
   He scoffed at her with a growing growl in his voice. "Like you would be any better if you were in my shoes." Julian shifted his stern eyes to the skinwalker. "How much longer is this going to take?"
  
   Caught off guard by the sudden change in tone, the 'guide' stumbled lightly in anxiety before ushering them into another tunnel that had an entrance bigger than any so far. He led them inside the dark passage with soft hurried steps until the tunnel reached an end where it fed into a large room-like cavern. It was not as spacious as the other chamber, but there was certainly enough space in there to fit a few small cars. Skulls of various shapes and sizes were positioned in specific places all over the cavern. Animal pelts had been used to create a sort of collection on one part of the wall. They hung there in a macabre display that would give any normal person entering pause.
   In the middle of the cavern, there was a large circle that had been drawn with what looked suspiciously like blood, only dried and darkened with time. The whole thing looked similar to a witch's circle, except for the fact that most of the runes had been replaced with traditional Native American symbols. A man sat cross legged in the center of the circle. He looked to be just past his prime, with strong facial features and bone white hair that fell well past his shoulders. The man's attire was like the other skinwalkers, if a bit more traditional. His torso was uncovered and numerous tribal tattoos littered the expanse of his upper body.
   Surrounding the man were sixteen clay pots, each of which were half full of a strange black liquid that bubbled ominously. Steady streams of black smoke drifted upwards from the pots to swirl around the man continuously. His eyes were closed in concentration as he worked to absorb the smoke into his body gradually.

   "Nice place you got here," Katherine commented as they entered the cavern.
   The man's eyes shot open to reveal his pitch black eyes before the darkness surrounding his sclera cleared away. He looked at the woman with a glare that faded away the instant he saw the man following her.
   Julian strode across the cavern to stand a few meters before the man. His polished shoes had barely an inch separating them from the circle on the floor. "We have much to discuss."
   The man stared at him for a few moments before his gaze shifted to the skinwalker that had led them here. "Leave us. Now."
   The skinwalker gave Katherine a strange look, as if unsure whether to leave his leader with the woman after her previous display. She simply returned his look with a smile eerily similar to the one she had worn back in the other chamber.
   Within seconds, the three of them were alone in the cavern.

   "What do you want Julian?" The man asked, choosing not to comment in his subordinate's suspiciously hasty exit.
   Julian narrowed his eyes. "Are you really asking that question?"
   "You agreed to give me free reign over this operation–"
   "And you have yet to achieve anything worthwhile so far. I have allowed you as much leeway as I can and you have not proven your worth."
   The white haired skinwalker's tone remained unshaken despite Julian's words. "We...encountered some difficulty last night. The Hunters, they were a bit more prepared than we had expected."
   "A bit more prepared?" Julian repeated in a slowly rising tone. "Of course they would be more prepared! They've been doing this sort of thing for hundreds of years now!"
   "Hence you understand the difficulty involved in such an endeavor." The skinwalker's tone was unyielding. "We cannot afford to make a single mistake in something like this. Last night was almost a success, which means that we still have some leverage."
   "Why did you fail even?" Katherine asked suddenly. "I mean, you had an army of undead at your command, and you lost against some half baked witches and a single Hunter?"
   "That 'single' Hunter was Michael," the skinwalker replied with some heat in his voice for the first time. "And besides, there was an Exorcist there. Her ability was...unfortunately suited for dealing with the Baykok."
   Katherine looked genuinely surprised for a moment. Then she regained her normal look and continued her examination of the cavern. "An Exorcist huh? Well that doesn't matter anyway. Tell him the fun news Julian."
   The skinwalker who had been glaring at her stopped to look at Julian. "What does she speak of?"
   The man gave Katherine a glare of his own before speaking. "The higher ups have deemed you unable to accomplish this task. From hereon, I will take control of this operation."

   The skinwalker sprang to his feet in an instant. His eyes held no small amount of fury in them and the smoke around him swirled faster in slightly uncoordinated patterns. "What? You cannot do such a thing!"
   "No one asked your opinion, witchdoctor," Katherine retorted from where she stood with a deprecating smirk.
   The skinwalker flared his power threateningly as he gave her a sidelong glare. "And why are you even here? I do not know who you are not do I have business with you."
   Without waiting for an answer, the skinwalker turned back to Julian, choosing to ignore the annoying woman entirely. To his slight surprise, Julian let out what sounded like a sigh of exasperation.
   "You really shouldn't have said that."
   "What are you–gah!"
   The skinwalker felt his knees grow weak as an immense pressure settled down on his shoulders. He grit his teeth and struggled to look up, suddenly finding it incredibly difficult to even move his body. The skinwalker attempted to summon his power to alleviate the pounding sensation in his mind. Drawing upon the dark magic in his soul, he repulsed the suffocating feeling and managed to steady himself. A few meters away, Katherine raised an eyebrow at his resilience. Her eyes had gained a six petaled flower pattern that glowed bright purple in the semi dark cavern.
   "Oh? Seems like you're quite the stubborn one, aren't you?" Her tone became increasingly cold as she spoke. "Know your place, you little–"
   "That's enough Katherine," Julian spoke up. She shifted her stare to him, and Julian felt the pressure move to land on his form. He barely flinched, instead he leveled Katherine a flat look that conveyed his thoughts. After a few seconds, her eyes returned to normal and she backed away with a shrug.
   Julian turned back to the skinwalker leader. "I understand your reluctance, therefore I am willing to give you another chance. You get one more opportunity to prove yourself. Fail and we will have to reconsider your usefulness."
   He turned on his heel and moved towards the entrance in quick precise steps. Katherine ceased her examination of the place to follow him close behind. At the mouth of the cavern, Julian paused to regard the leader of the skinwalkers once more. One of his hands slipped into his pocket and brought out a shiny silver coin. His eyes were cold but strangely bore a hint of pity within them.
   "Remember what is at stake here. You are the reason she is gone. It's up to you to bring her back. Your efforts shall decide."

   The coin soared through the air to land in the skinwalker's open hand. He looked up to watch Julian and Katherine disappear into the darkness beyond the light of the cavern's torches. His right hand tightened around the coin and he closed his eyes solemnly.
   He could still hear her voice. Her glassy eyes frozen in an eternal plea for help. The memory was so strong that he could almost perceive the smell of burning wood and scorched flesh. Her pained screams reverberating through the night....
   Eyes snapped back open, the entirety of their surfaces blacker than coal and filled with a dangerous fury. The dark magic in the cavern began to swirl faster than before, turning into a cyclone that funneled directly into his body at a much higher rate than it had previously.
   Julian was right. It was all up to him. And this time, he would not fail. He would bring her back. He would save her.
"Hatsi'...."

AN: Hello my readers! Thank you for all your support so far! I've decided to continue this book on  Goodnovel. It's already been completed there so if you want to finish this story, copy the link below:
https://m.goodnovel.com/book_info/31000392571/Paranormal/The-Hunters-Volume-One-The-Beginning?shareuser=45646469&ch=apps