Chapter 11- Prey
Dressdon said nothing for a moment as he stared where Desstina had been, his face serious once again. Then without a word, he stooped down and began to finish butchering the animal. Zanas glanced up at the sky and realized the bright star was almost directly overhead.
She found her anger had completely dissolved, and she was left feeling confused. She had no idea why Dressdon had kissed her. There had been an irresistible urge in the air between them, one that she could not understand. In all honesty, she had not had very many interactions with the other sex. That was her sister’s domain. Zanas had never even had a boyfriend. It was not that the boys in her class found her unattractive; in fact, they found her breathtakingly beautiful. But she was not like other girls, she had never been. Zanas never lacked confidence or the fierce need to compete. For some reason, that seemed to intimidate the boys who wanted to approach her. This had never bothered Zanas however; where the boys were intimidated by her, she was disdainful of them. There was just something about them that she found unable to respect.
Her lips burned where his had been and she reached up and touched them with her fingers. Her heart began to pound in her flesh once more as she glanced down at him. She shook herself, her head buzzing with excitement, and pulled out her knife. Ignoring the flipping of her stomach, she leaned down and began assisting in the butchering.
“Soon the sun will come up,” he stated, no trace of the mocking tone. “We must make sure that we are back below way before then. We are adapted to below. You will not be able to come above when it is day, or you could go blind. Never come above alone,” he finished. Zanas nodded, not saying anything.
Weighed down with her kill, they began to jog back through the green jungle. Instead of watching the forest as she ran, she found herself watching him. His strong legs pounded steadily on the earthen ground, his toned arms moving in rhythm. He was once again without his shirt, and she found herself mesmerized by the way his line of soft glowing tattoos moved as he ran.
“Come on girl, you can run faster,” he growled over his shoulder.
Zanas felt her anger return, and in a flash, she had darted around him and took the lead. She felt her breath quicken and she let all her mental restraints fall away. Zanas stopped pacing herself with imaginary limits. If she had any before, Alwahi had long since dissolved them.
The brightly lit forest around her sped by, colors blending into each other like a stretched rainbow. The wind of the forest pulled at her hair, and she let out a small cry of ecstatic joy, startled when she heard it echoed closely behind her. She leaped over a log that lay across her path, ducking under the branches of a fallen tree, the vibrant colored forest flowing past her vision. The bright stars shined through the trees, making the dark aglow, as the crunching of their steps echoed in the night.
Zanas saw the small cave up ahead and she raced toward it stopping suddenly at the entrance, her bare feet skidding on the earth. Dressdon quickly followed behind her coming to a sliding stop, a wild windblown look about him, his eyes dancing with excitement.
They stared at each other, neither saying anything, as they inhaled deeply. The forest stirred once again, and the rest of the hunting party came into the clearing. The pangerra flowers had made canvases of all of them. Zanas found herself gazing at her team, each one alight with the bright colors of the flowers. Each of their bodies were covered in bright splotches of glowing pollen; with green, purple, pink and blue mixed together. There were streaks of colors, where hands had grazed across bodies. Their faces looked like wild exotic animals, a Technicolor display of light.
As quickly as they met, Dressdon turned and led them down the tunnel. Zanas took up the rear next to Ressna, and they lit up the tunnel as they ran through it. Zanas was reminded of how different their ascent had been. Before, the gentle blue glow of the Ulwahi had lit their path, and now they blazed through the tunnels, casting shadows on the walls as they ran. Before long, they had made their way to entrance and with a push, the door swung open, and they exited into the hallway.
After unloading her meat at the kitchens, Zanas paused by her room long enough to give Maleek some choice pieces and then headed to bathe. Once again, the pool was tainted with color, but this time it bubbled with bright swirls. She soaked in the steaming water thinking once again of the kiss. Dressdon had completely ignored her after they had reentered the hold. After unloading his meat, he simply disappeared into the dark tunnels.
When Zanas finally made it back to her room, she found Ressna curled up on her bed with Maleek. She was not surprised to find the girl in her room. Ressna had long ago made herself at home, sometimes even forgetting to knock before she burst in on Zanas. Although this could have upset her, she found the girl’s behavior welcoming, as it reminded her of her sister. Asenya had never felt the need for Zanas to have privacy. As far as Asenya had been concerned, Zanas was just an extension of herself. The thought of her sister brought an aching pain to her heart.
“So…” Ressna began, “what’s going on between you and Dressdon?” she boldly finished. Zanas stopped mid-step, her mouth open.
“What do you mean?” she asked, dropping her clothes into a pile and collecting the clean ones that once again were left for her. “Who leaves the clothes?” she asked absentmindedly, and she was answered by Ressna’s amused laugh.
“Yah, change the subject,” she said, rolling her eyes. “The drudges bring them,” Ressna said shrugging. “Not all the city folk find cushy places. Some of them have no choice but to be servants to the clans.” She frowned slightly. “It’s that or starve, I guess.”
“Why don’t they join the clans?” Zanas asked and once again, she was answered by Ressna’s laughter.
“You don’t realize this, because you’re not from here, but the city born are weak and fear filled. They would rather live a life of drudgery, than risk their lives pledging a clan.” Ressna grunted in disgust. Zanas thought about this for a moment.
“But weren’t all Pursuers once city people?” Zanas asked. She could see the conflict that flashed in the girl’s eyes. Ressna did not reply for a moment, and then simply nodded in confirmation. Zanas knew that she was upsetting the girl, but still she continued.
“Then you were city born,” Zanas stated. “There are no children in the Pursuer hold.” Now she could see pain mixed in with the conflict in Ressna’s eyes. It was quiet in the room, only the chewing of a bone by Maleek to break the silence. Finally, Ressna sighed and then began to speak, as if she had come to some kind of resolution within herself.
“Yes I was city born. My father was…” she paused for a moment, “is a member of the assembly. The assembly makes the laws of the city. We lived in a grand house and father was constantly surrounded by supplicants trying to earn his favor. I was given anything I wanted, except the one thing I ever asked for, his blessing to pledge Pursuer. He saw no reason for me to join. He did not want his daughter joining a pack of heathens, as he stated it. I knew nothing else would make me happy, and that I could not live in his comfortable little world of pleated clothing and constant frivolous chatter,” Ressna said, pulling absently at a nonexistent thread on her clothing.
“I always knew I was meant to run with the Pursers, and so, I walked into the pledge house and I declared Pursuer. I have never seen my family since, although we are not banned from interacting. They have never tried to reach me, and I long ago lost the need to be accepted by them,” she finished quietly, shrugging her tired shoulders. Although she said this, Zanas could tell that Ressna truly did not mean it. Being ostracized by her family still brought pain to her.
“Anyway,” Ressna said climbing to her feet. “We are all going to meet at the rec center. Dressdon reserved the course for our team and we are going to play.” The energetic grin had returned to Ressna’s face, and all signs of the sorrow reflected there moments before were gone. “So grab your bow and let’s go,” she finished. They left, walking excitedly down the hallways.
> Although Zanas had never played, she understood the concept of the game by watching the Pursuers in their game of choice. They called it “the run” and from what Zanas had been able to gather, it was a type of hunted/hunter game. Half would carry bows and the other half would don a protective suit, complete with a mask that covered the face. She had watched the teams heading into the course, those in protected gear heading in first, and the hunters second. Zanas had also watched them exit the course, the hunted with arrows jutting out from their protective gear. The suits appeared to protect the wearers from the brunt of the injury. However, some deftly flown arrows still pierced slightly through the armor and into the flesh, leaving a shallow bleeding wound.
Even the bloody aspects of the game did not draw away from the fact that it was, indeed, a game. The teams that left the course always had the wild look of excitement in their eyes, and their laughter and teasing echoed the halls as they left. Zanas felt the rush of excitement she had come to expect in the world of Pursuers.
They met at the entrance to the course, a small room equipped with colored arrows and black hanging suits. The rest of the team was already assembled.
“So nice of you to join us,” Desstina growled as she gave the girls a narrowed look as they entered the room.
This seemed to amuse the twins and they quickly added, “We don’t have time for you girls…” one started.
“and your beauty sessions…” the other finished, both of them with wide grins.
“It must be sad to have to work at being good looking,” the first sighed in mock sympathy.
The team erupted in laughter, Zanas laughing heartily. Desstina let out a small huff of anger, and then began to pull herself into one of the suits hanging on the wall. Tress and Ressna glimmered in their black suits, the hoods pulled over their faces, reminding Zanas of some kind of phantom.
Dressdon walked into her view, again the serious look in his eyes. She narrowed her eyes at him; he was once more playing the responsible team leader. For some reason, this annoyed Zanas and she found herself glaring at him.
“You, Fless and I will be on one team. This round we will be the hunters. We will each choose our own colored arrows. Points are awarded for tagging an enemy, with higher points being awarded for critical shots. Second round we switch roles, with the same rules applying,” he ended his statement with a grin and then walked to the wall, collecting a quiver of black arrows. Zanas walked over to the arrows and pulled a bag across her shoulders, keeping one ready in her hands. Dressdon pulled the door open and looked pointedly at Zanas.
“The hunted enter first,” he said, and the three prey rushed out into the course. They waited quietly, not saying a word, and then they too entered.
Zanas was looking up at tall cliff walls. She could see different shafts that were visible ahead, and it was quite evident that this was some kind of maze. Dressdon and Tress split off in different directions, choosing separate access points into the labyrinth. Zanas stared ahead and scanned the other openings in the cliff, not sure which entrance to follow. She closed her eyes for a moment. She would let her instinct lead her. Opening her eyes, she began running, going the way that felt right.
Zanas strung her arrow as she ran down the path, surrounded by high cliff walls. The canyon was void of all sound, reminding Zanas eerily of death, and possessing the faint scent of spilled blood. Her arms begin to flex as she pulled on the string of her bow, sensing stirring up ahead. It was Tress darting down a side tunnel. Before he could fully round the corner, Zanas let her arrow fly, striking his leg.
She heard a soft curse as she rounded the corner. Tress had stopped and waited for her arrival. He tried to maneuver around her and run back down the way they had come from, but Zanas had already notched another arrow. As he leaped in the air, the arrow sailed straight into the center of his chest. He crumbled to the floor, seeming like a lifeless body, and then began to beat his hands furiously on the ground. Zanas could not help but laugh, his actions reminding her of a naughty toddler throwing a fit.
“Curse you woman, you have killed me all ready? I’ll never hear the end of this one.” He sighed as he pulled himself up and began to walk back to the waiting room.
Zanas pulled another arrow from her quiver and continued down the closest tunnel, picking up her pace. She found Ressna next, running with lightning fast speed. Zanas closed in behind her, letting loose her arrow and just as it seemed as if it would strike Ressna, the girl flipped to the side and it flew past her in the air. Out of the corner of her eye, Zanas saw a black arrow flying towards her target, striking Ressna in the arm.
Ressna fell to her knees just as a second black arrow flew through the space, were just moments before, her heart had been. Zanas scanned a side tunnel and saw Dressdon standing with his next arrow aimed at Ressna. She felt her vision turning red as she let her arrow fly. It was though it soared at Ressna in slow motion, flying straight and true, as it slammed into her suit directly where the heart was. Just a split second before a black arrow struck beside it. Ressna looked down at the two arrows sticking out of her chest.
“Curses!” she cried, shaking her fist in the air and then gave them both a look. “Sheesh, you two are deadly.” She grinned pulling off her hood and walking back towards the entrance. Zanas saw Dressdon’s eyes flash for a moment and then he disappeared down another passageway. She had just picked up her pace, when she heard a commotion and knew that the last prey had been terminated.
When she stepped into the room, they stopped chatting and looked at her, Ressna grinning.
“You scored the highest this round,” Ressna said with an excited laugh. “Two critical hits and one minor hit. Dressdon came in second, with one critical and one minor and Fless hit nothing,” she finished, giving Fless a sheepish grin. He pretended to scowl at her but instead broke into a smile of return.
“These hands were made for smashing,” Fless said as if in explanation.
“Come on. Stop wasting time and get in your suits,” Desstina said making a face at them, the blonde girl walked over to the arrows, pulling the red ones to her back. She viciously pulled an arrow out and gave Zanas a menacing smile.
Zanas walked over to the wall, grabbing one of the suits, and began pulling it over her clothes. The black material was lightweight, but it was obviously extremely durable. As she pulled over her mask, she caught sight of Dressdon watching her. He raised an eyebrow in challenge and she felt her anger rising. It was Ressna who opened the door for them this time, and Zanas quickly ran into the first tunnel she came across, trying to get deep into the labyrinth.
Once again the quiet of the human created canyons, seemed eerily empty. Her feet landed softly onto the rock floor, as she made her way towards the center. Zanas realized that the course had limits, these canyon walls did not run on forever. She ran faster, pushing herself to gain time. When she made it to the center, she circled back, taking the outer passageways. Zanas knew her opponents would be making their way toward the center and she could sneak up behind them. She came up on Ressna first; the girl did not even hear her coming as Zanas quickly stepped into one of the side tunnels and avoided her.
Zanas heard Desstina before she saw her. There was a slight movement of air as Desstina breathed in and out. The blonde had climbed up on the ledge of one of the canyons. Desstina was not stalking her prey, but instead was waiting for it to come to her. She had anticipated Zanas’s plan of evasion and had quietly waited, preparing to ambush her. Desstina already had an arrow cocked and ready, and just as Zanas heard her steady breathing, she heard the soft hiss of an arrow being released. She felt the pain as the arrow pierced its target and punctured the material, plunging into Zanas’s flesh.
The impact of the arrow knocked her to the ground and she lay there for a moment dazed and confused. The sound of soft laughter reached her ears, and she realized that it was the joyous elation of Desstina. Her vision turned from hazy, to red, as she felt her blood boiling. Two
green eyes appeared above her and Dressdon was pulling her to her feet. Her chest throbbed and she felt blood begin to trickle down her stomach. Zanas felt no pain however, only one thought echoing in her mind.
She was going to make that girl bleed…