The Hunt

Part 1

The Hunter leapt from tree to tree, careful to ensure that each branch he landed on was strong enough to bear his weight, always keeping his prey in sight.

The human stood out starkly in the Hunter's thermal vision against the icy backdrop of freshly fallen snow. He screamed as he heard his pursuer leaping through the trees behind him. The man's breath billowed out in bright reds and yellows in the Hunter's thermals.

Most of the Hunter's people hunted on hot planets or at least during the warmest seasons on their chosen planet, but not the Hunter. He was called Three Claws, a name he'd earned thanks to an old wound that had left his left hand two fingers shy. Three Claws enjoyed hunting in the cold. The cold made him...more sluggish...it slowed his reaction time. Three Claws enjoyed testing himself...pushing his limits. He enjoyed the extra skill and fortitude it took to hunt in the cold.

The human broke through the treeline and out into a clearing, kicking up snow with each frantic step. A chasm gaped open at the far edge of the clearing, causing the man to skid to a halt in a spray of snow. Three Claws waited in a treetop at the clearing's edge, rendered nearly invisible by his suit's cloaking device. He tilted his head to one side as he watched the human, curious to see what his prey's reaction would be.