Red Sky In The Night

One.

 The dagger was held carefully at Derek's side as he ran through the forest, leaping over fallen logs and trying to avoid the dry foliage which snapped and cracked with his hurried steps. The heat of the summer made the air thick and heavy, not helping him on his mission to get to the peak where he had spied the poachers camp. He hadn't called it in yet, wanting to get sight of the group first, but if they were anything like the last lot, he wouldn't have an issue scaring them away.

In the year he had been working as a ranger, well vigilante, he had saved many of the endangered species set to end up on the black market as exotic pets or worse, being killed for their pelts like the bears. Law was a mix of grey up here, not defined in black and white like the city he had come from, but even then he had learned the hard way nothing is ever what it seems.

Finally the sounds of their voices met him and he went on slower with more caution, hiding amongst the thicker berry bushes the telltale growl and roar of a bear had his blood running cold. This wasn't going to be simple as not only did he have the low life's to deal with, but the animal too.

Inching closer he was right about the bear, the old male was chained and caged, unable to move more than a step either side and the metal was cutting around his ankles from his frantic pulling to be free.

“Shoot him now before he damages those legs!” The dark haired man ordered, sitting up on the bonnet of the off roader the other three moved around to get ready for the kill.

This isn't what Derek wanted, but at least he still had time to save the bear. Ten years in the police force where three of those had been spent in tactical response, were about to pay off as he circled the setup while the men readied their guns. As if sensing his time was up the bear roared again, his lips quivering to reveal those deadly jaws, covered in foam from his saliva as he was wearing himself into exhaustion.

“Hold on big guy,” Derek whispered under his breath, cocking his own gun he didn't have time to screw this up. Out here he didn't have to answer the law, the philosophical tree making a sound when it falls twisted to suit his needs.

If these trespassers were killed in the forest with no one around to witness it, were they actually killed?

The first bang found it's target, the man in the red shirt dropping before the bear cage without even knowing what had hit him. The bear went crazy, twisting and fighting his chains as the gunshots spooked him completely and finally his front paw found freedom. Not paying attention to the creature, Derek took aim again only this time his bullet missed its desired target, getting the man in the arm instead.

By now they were all running around, random shots being fired into the forest where he had just stood and finding a new position, Derek got the man he missed in the chest and with a sickening scream he joined his companion in death.

Bullets rang out in his direction and dropping to the ground, he waited for them to run out of their ammunition, closing his eyes the haunting memory of the drug bust that had nearly cost him his life returned and he quickly opened them, not able to get lost in a panic attack or memories of another time.

Crawling along the dirt he slipped up to stand behind a tree, the cracks of splintering wood echoing all around him as in the distance the screaming cries of the birds taking flight from nearby offered him a point of clarity to clear his mind. The shots ceased and the frantic yelling took over giving Derek his signal and he stepped out from his hiding spot into the clearing. The remaining two had taking refuge by one of their cars and grabbing a pistol from his belt, the one Derek picked as the leader took a shot, barely missing his head and this only pissed him off.

“Drop your weapons or…”

“Go to hell!” Four shots left the pistol and one hit Dereks leg while the other grazed his arm. The burning pain ripped up his limb into his hip and unable to hold his weight, he fell forward and dropped his own gun to hold the wound.