TRENCH

Bandito

September 8th, 3000
I could take the high road.
But I know that I'm going low.
I'm a ban- I'm a bandito.

The morning sun christened the peaks of the emerled green mountains with a warm September glow.
I watched Josh seizing a dead vulture.
Josh was lying low against the ground, his head between his paws, and his eyes closed.
The vulture, which Josh was using as a vessel, soard through the sky, dipping and diving.
It dived at me and I ducked, but it still scraped the top of my head with its claws.
The vulture appeared exactly like a live one would, the only thing that gave it away were the eyes, they were blood red and unblinking.
Josh sat up and opened his eyes.
The vulture immediately fell to the ground, dead.
I smiled at Josh.
"Okay, I'll admit it... That was impressive, but THIS... This is like nothing you have ever seen."
I morphed , and made my way over to the body of the vulture, I put my mouth around it's leg, and it burst into flame.
"Holy hell!" Josh exclaimed, "when did you learn to so that?"
"last night." I answered proudly.
"What? how?"
"I rembemberd what the Elder said... About druids... And their power over the elements, so I said I'd give it a go."
"Wow... Clancy that's amazing, it's gonna be so useful."
I agreed, and we set off to hunt for rare mountain plants.

September 9th, 3000
This is the sound we make.
When in between two places.
Where are we used to bleed.
And where our blood needs to be.

Today was my first day of training with the Banditos.
We were going to go hunting.
The day was dark and stormy, rain pelting us from all sides, and a feirce wind threatening to blow us down the cliff-face.
"Are you sure we shouldn't cancel?" I asked Sharik as we all gathered In the middle of the camp.
"No...not at all, our camp needs food... We can't let our children starve... Anyway... A little bit of rain never stopped the Banditos."
We set off across the mountains, all morphed, and walking in pairs.
I was paired with Ruby.
I explained what life was like living in Dema as we walked.
She didn't understand how I could have ever lived the way I did.
And neither did I.
Ruby's wolf had a sandy coloured pelt, with white in places.
I struggled to walk against the wind and rain, being pushed backwards from the gust and pelted by rain.
Ruby didn't seem bothered by the weather at all, in fact, she seemed a lot more bothered by having to wait for me to catch up every few yards.
I felt guilty for delaying the hunt, but I needed to join them, no matter what it took.
We traveled down the barren mountainside, and I spotted a hare, doing it's best to hide by pinning itself to the ground and staying completely still.
"Now's your chance!" Ruby told me.
I bolted, but so did the hare.
It raced across the ground, running in a zigzag pattern to try and disorientate me.
I ran in a straight line, hoping to snag it as it crossed my path.
It did.
I swerved and caught it, locking my Jaws around it's neck as I tumbled forwards.
I got up, their was a taste of blood in my mouth, I had killed it.
I was glad it was small, because I had to carry it for the rest of the hunt.
We eventually found ourselves in a small valley, it reminded me of the one where camp was built, only with a vast abundance of trees and shrubs.
We crouched in the bushes and watched a group of deer picking at the foliage beneath their feet.
The breeze was less harsh here, and the rain didn't pelt the valley the way it did the mountains.
Skye turned to me, she hadn't spoken to me directly before and she had a coldness in her voice that scared me.
"Clancy, I'm going to seize that hare, and we'll use it distract the deer, that's when we'll strike."
I nodded, and gave her the hare.
She lay down and closed her eyes.
The hare sprung to life, it's ounce hazel eyes glowing a soulless red.
It ran out into the clearing, and they turned their slender necks to watch as it darted across the grass.
That's when we attacked, the wolves had, unbeknownst to me, already chosen their targets.
One was a young buck, strong and healthy, with a lot of muscle on it.
The other was an older doe.
The wolves split in half, some opting for the buck, others the doe.
I went with the doe.
It made a break for the trees ahead but the wolves blocked it's path, I struggled to keep up with them, meaning the doe came hurdling back in my direction.
It's thin, springy legs and sharp feet were coming right for me.
I made a dash for it, but ended up in between it's legs, I was lucky not to get struck by one.
I saw my chance, and locked my Jaws around it's left hind ankle.
It tripped and fell, and I was thrown to the ground.
I got up and shook myself off.
At that point, Sharik, Ruby, and another wolf had jumped on the poor thing.
Ruby had ripped it's throat out, and it lay motionless, forever entangled in it's final strangling moments on this planet.
On the far side of the clearing, Skye was struggling to take down the buck.
We all watched on as she clung to the animals throat.
The buck struck out, and it's cloven hoof made contact with her ribs.
She growled, and held on tighter.
Two more wolves came to her Aid, pulling the buck back down to the ground from behind.
She finshed the job in a bloody wrath, looking nothing less than impressive as she shook the blood from her grey pelt.
Sharik and skye carried the carcasses back to camp, and I lagged at the back of the group with Josh.
"Thanks for helping us out." he told me, as we made our way up the mountainside.
"I didn't do all that much." I replied.
"Doesn't matter... Hunting isn't everyone's thing anyway... I'm terrible at it."
I looked at him, suprised.
"Really? Why?"
"I don't have it in me... to kill, not even animals, it's just... Can't handle it."