Night Of The Hunter

Volpe tilted his head. Alkyone... I'll have to keep her in mind. Volpe itched at the chance of new information. He was somewhat tempted to go seek her out now, as it might take a while to find her. On the other hand, there was a wealth of information in this Darkblood city.

Volpe's attention wandered as Silas spoke. He lifted his nose to the air, his nostrils flaring. There it was again. Those two humans had fled and coincidence brought Volpe and Silas upon them again. Volpe angled his head, trying to better direct the sound of human speech to his ear. He paused a moment after Silas finished speaking, "Do you smell that?" Volpe said softly, "Or hear it?" A smirk grew on his face, such an unlucky pair of humans. "Are you up for a little fun Silas?" Volpe asked. "Or would you rather leave two troublesome theives alone? Seems one is attempting to steal from your city."

(Sorry! I was banned from my computer DX Back now!)

Silas grinned looking at Volpe,

"Always." He chuckled, "lead the way." He followed beside Volpe, his head loward, swiftly stalking along in a hunter like mode.




(Welcome back :D)

“Only if you consider a healer who never fights and never leave his island a threat...” Lycu answered jokingly.

Linx nodded at Lycu's reply,"What he said." she added.

Marrinus cast a critical gaze at Lycuvayu, his silver eyes narrowing as the Air Shinlai grinned and tilted his head before dissipating into the night air. There was something about that answer that didn't completely feel right. "You're not mentioning something," the Dark Shinlai thought suspiciously.

But before he could continue to ponder over it, Lycu interrupted his thoughts and Marrinus cast his negative suspicions to the back of his mind. “Shall we go then?” The male had nearly disappeared completely as he began to pad off.

Inclining his head, Marrinus followed suit without question. There was no sense in boring into his colleague's reasoning without merit. If Lycu found this human girl a subject worth questioning, then by all means he would make sure to see it through. Glancing back to Linx as she fell in behind him, Marrinus let his energy embrace the darkness around him, and became one with the shadows once more. Chuckling under his breath all the while, "No sense in being the odd man out, is there?"

"You're insane."Echo said

“You have no idea.” Iapto muttered under her breath, standing up again.

"I suppose you're right though. But the bounty ain't worth your life." He added with a chuckle.

Iapto smiled and held out her hand down to Echo. “Very true. But right now I think the most important thing to do right now, is to get the hell outta this city.” She said. She could smell sawdust and hear the gentle nicker of horses nearby. “Can you ride? If you’ve ridden Nootau then I’m guessing you know the basics.” She said slowly. Helping echo to his feet and peering through an open window.

About five horses were lined up in their stables, the tack and halters hung up on the wall. “C’mon.” She encouraged, before clambering through the window, grabbing a saddle and reins on the way. She heard the pad of large paws and beckoned urgently to him.

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Lycu padded silently down the street, watching as Silas and Volpe further down the road, seemed to start stalking too. He gave a snort and increased his pace to a light trot. He wanted to ask the female some questions before she was found by those two.

He glanced briefly over his shoulder. Just in time to see Marrinus vanish into the darkness, and Linx trotting along after them. He turned back to the street ahead of him and headed down an alleyway into the next street over. His bright eyes flicked around the dark street, and he listened for any sound of the humans.

They could be anywhere, an alleyway, a house or hiding in the shadows. He slowed to a stop and lowered his head sniffing for them. “No point in hiding.” He said softly.

"Can you ride? If you’ve ridden Nootau then I’m guessing you know the basics.”

"Horses? I mean...I rid Nootau, but he wasn't like a horse. Besides horses don't like me."

“C’mon.” he watched as she climbed through the window and followed after her "I don't even--can't I just ride with you?"

Volpe waved his paw through the tiny lights he created and they dissipated like mist. Volpe sensed some lamps in the alleys, flickering feebly. Volpe blew air through his mouth, like he was blowing out a candle, and they all blew out. Now the alley was completely sheathed in darkness and Volpe sensed no more lights.

He lowered himself into a prowler's crouch. His feet padded silently against the ground. He moved slowly, even for someone trying to go unseen, and he tended to brush obstacles with the tip of his nose before going around them.

Volpe's keen ears caught the sound of nickering horses, rather than soft, heavy breathing of the sleeping beasts. Were they in there?

Silas grinned wickedly when Volpe put out the street lights.Using the darkness to his advantage Silas shrouded Volpe and himself in shadow, disguising them almost perfectly. Silas crouched next to Volpe, he sniffed quietly, attempting to pick out the scent of human. Aware that Volpe's blindness made his other senses stronger Silas asked quietly,

"Do you smell them?" His eyes were fixed ahead, trying to peek inside.

Volpe tilted his head slightly. He thought he felt a more secure darkness, more than the darkness he saw day in and day out. He frowned, maybe it was just a trick of his mind. He hadn't realized Silas covered the pair in shadow.

"Do you smell them?"

Volpe's breathed in deeply through his nose, his nostrils flaring as he scented the air. His dailian blinked irritably at the sudden rush of air right by the pair. He smelled the obvious musty barn scent. It was a rather heavy scent though, and masked most other scents. "No.... Not quite. However..." Volpe paused and heard a soft clink of stirrups and quiet slap of leather of saddles. He heard scuffling- not a horses clear clopping hoof. "There are humans in there, tacking the horses or something of the sort. I don't know if it's the exact pair we're looking for- but I scented them not at all far from here. It probably is them." Volpe took a step forward and hesitated he smirked at Silas, "Should we confront them or wait and enjoy a chase? I'm good with either." He chuckled softly.

"I don't even--can't I just ride with you?" The question made Iapto stop in reaching for a horse, her mind quickly running through her plans, changing it to work.

“We’re gonna need a bigger horse.” She muttered. She shifted down the stalls looking for a horse of decent size. She found a large, dark coated horse and lead it out of its stall, quickly pulling the reins over its head and buckling the saddle on. She led the horse to the mounting block and gestured for Echo to get on.

“Hang onto the front of the saddle.” She instructed quickly. She could hear the soft faint murmur of voices outside. Quietly she reached under her coat and drew one of her knives, hanging onto the horses reins with the other. Her eyes flicking from the doors to the windows.

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Lycu heard the faint tread of paws heading towards the stable, swivelling his head around to face the noise he used a whisper of air to feel around and locate them. Silas and Volpe were stalking towards the stable, heads held low and intent on the target. Silently Lycu bounded towards them, only able to feel with the wind, the pair where shrouded in Darkness.

He slowed as he neared them, just in time to hear Volpe’s voice say. "Should we confront them or wait and enjoy a chase? I'm good with either." Lycu snorted down at the two Lai’s having snuck right up behind them.

“I wish to interrogate the female.” He said, a faint trace of warning in his voice. “Once I have finished you may do as you please with them.” He said, mainly aiming his words towards Volpe. “You may be a guest, but there is some business I have to attend to.” He said.

The deep-throated murmur whispered faintly on the breeze and Marrinus's cautious eyes settled on the spot as the muted sound of Lycu's silent padding made swift work of the distance between their group and the hunting pair separating them from their intended targets. Immediately registering the voices of La Volpe and Silas, Marrinus picked up his pace, a sense of urgency in his bound, after the emboldened Air Shinlai.

By the time he caught up with Lycu, the silver-coated Shinlai had already reached the pair. Walking up behind them, he hissed, “I wish to interrogate the female. Once I have finished you may do as you please with them.” he added to Volpe, “You may be a guest, but there is some business I have to attend to.”

"However," Marrinus cast Lycuvayu a warning glance as he eased in beside him continuing, "We do apologize for the intrusion." He turned his gaze to the shadowy expanse he assumed was Silas, holding back the urge to grit his teeth in bitter rage. "Damnit Lycu!"

“We’re gonna need a bigger horse.” a while after finding one, Iapto gestured for Echo to get on. He mounted and grabbed on to the front of the saddle like he was told, minding Iapto's dagger.

"Did you hear that? The voices?" Echo asked, throwing his gaze from window to window.

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Linx caught up a while after, behind Lycu and Marrinus

“I wish to interrogate the female. Once I have finished you may do as you please with them. You may be a guest, but there is some business I have to attend to.” Lycu told the two.

Linx didn't object, she simply rolled her eyes and looked away from the group "Another bloodbath. Well I suppose it may be somewhat amusing." she mumbled

“You may be a guest, but there is some business I have to attend to.”

"My apologies," La Volpe couldn't speak for Silas but honestly he was rather interested in what Lycu had to ask. Afterall, an interrogation was the easiest way to get information. What did Lycu have that was so urgent anyways? Why would he be interested in a mere human.

Marrinus came up behind them and hastily apologized to Silas. Volpe chuckled under his breath, Lycu was rather brisk about his request after all.

"I must warn you though Lycu," Volpe called after the silver Lai, "They know we're here, although I doubt you were planning on being very secretive."

Lycu's approach served to only irritate Silas. He pulled the shadows back from himself and Volpe. He glanced over at Lycu,

"I do hope this interrogation is worth your arrogance." He said simply, allowing him to continue.

Lycu listened to Marrinus’s hasty apology. “Yes, my apologies.” He added inclining his head. “I tend to get, caught up, in the moment...” He said slowly. He smirked at Silas’s words. “I hope so to, if she is useless then I have no objection to you two... having ‘fun’ with them.” He said with a cold smile.

Quietly padding towards the main doors of the stables he sniffed the air. The smell of sawdust and hay masked most smells other than the strongest scent of horse. He gave an agitated snort and looked down at the latch holding the doors shut. He raised a brow. ‘Do humans really think that’s strong enough to keep horses inside?’ He mused a little disbelievingly.

With a slight shake of his head he hooked the latch with his claw and flicked it off. The doors creaked slightly and began to swing outwards. Lycu crouched, his teeth bared in a fierce grin. He was met with a loud yell and several horses ploughing towards him.

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Iapto stood quietly listening. She could hear them quiet clearly. They knew they were there, it was just a matter of waiting to see who would move first. She patted the horses side feeling bad for what she was about to put it through. A small idea came to her. Moving quickly but staying quiet, Iapto ran to each stable and ushered the horses from their pens, encouraging them to cluster near the doors surrounding the horse Echo was perched on.

Once she was certain they were in position, she grabbed several ropes and carefully weaved through the horses and climbed into the saddle behind Echo. With the reins in her free hand she moved their horse closer to the doors. Watching how the other horses followed. Satisfied she gripped the ropes and reins tighter.

She heard the pad of paws as well as a snort close to the doors. “Hang on tight.” She muttered to Echo. There was a clink as the latch was unlocked and the doors started to open. She caught a brief glance of a pale mask. Without waiting to see which Shinlai it was, Iapto gave a loud yell and forced their horse forwards and out of the small gap in the doors. Flinging the ropes at the group of Shinlai’s feet, nothing much, but still a distraction. The horses burst from the stable in a panic. Before they could scatter Iapto steered their horse away from the Shinlai up the street. Instinctively the other horses followed suit.

La Volpe chortled, it's not like it was that hard to know what had happened- even without sight. Lycu was nearly stampeded by several horses. "Smooth." He smirked, picturing the look on Lycu's face. "Seems that interrogation won't be happening until you chase them down." Volpe trotted forward- just as one of the ropes caught his foot and tied it up with his hind paw. With a yelp Volpe tripped and fell flat on his side.

He growled and quickly got to his feet. "I swear I'll..." He muttered curses under his breath. Volpe focused on his element, his eyes glowed brighter than usual and all the lights on the street turned on at once, slowly getting brighter. Oil lamps grew so bright that a few shattered their glass windows, sending shards flying- if they didn't cut than they surely startled the horses.

Silas watched Lycu quietly, sitting beside Volpe. The horses stampeded from the barn and Silas jumped to his feet, watching as the humans attempted to ride away. With a snarl he started to chase after them , easily cathing up. He was just about to knock the horse over when the lights burst, successfully blinding him. He roared and stumbled into the horse anyway. Sending it sprawling with the humans. He got up and shook his head, blinking to try and see.

"VOLPE!" He bellowed in frustration. He reached out with the his element to feel around. The shadows, spread out across the street. If the humans didn't move quickly, they would be in his grasp.

Volpe growled and was about to crank up the lights more, enough to cause pain to the eyes, when he heard Silas roar in frustration. La Volpe had been too preoccupied startling the horses to notice Silas' heavy paws thumping as he chased the humans.

"VOLPE!"

Volpe growled- he would have liked to blind those humans- although there was little sense in blinding the rest of his companions. Volpe took a deep breath, calming himself. He drew all the light towards him. In his forepaws now was a small, single orb of extreme brightness, but everything else was now pitch black. By sucking all the light towards him he had deprived the rest of the surrounding area of it. All that was visible now was a faint glow between his paws. He had pressed the light between his paws and the ground, but it still glowed through slightly. Volpe couldn't completely banish light- but he could isolate it.