FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 9

The sun beautifully illuminated the landscape of the Dragon Realms, sun perched high above in the sky served the biotic community with all its glory, giving them the much needed light and warmth and allowing them to grow and live with their own lives. The sun's partner in this truly arduous task- wind exhaled its cooling breaths, chilling the mentioned sun and its rays while also filling the lungs and feathers of those creatures who required its powerful and cooling effects.

The two partners served the world as best they could, even if the task given to them was arduous, it was their task, their sole purpose granted to them by the unexplained forces governing the Realms and they fulfilled it with great care. The biotic community thanked them in its own way, by thriving in the brilliancy of the two partners.

Among the creatures who basked in the glory of the two life giving forces was a sole cheetah. The feline kept running through the countryside at an extreme speed, this was his purpose, speed was his force, he was a Hunter after all. Wind helped the cat as best as it could, breathing behind him, cooling his working muscles and lungs.

The dark reddish cape fluttered in the wind as the cheetah made his way through the greenish landscape, his extended yellow tail covered in black ringlets bounced up and down as if dancing to a strange music with the cape. The sun rays kept following the feline, illuminating him and the path ahead just like he was the star of the day, just like the sun tried to make sure that whoever wishes to follow the feline's journey won't miss a thing.

The cheetah finally came to an abrupt stop, he ran his claws on the greenish cover of the nearby bush before crouching. The arrows in his quiver rattled as in anticipation, as if the wooden projectiles couldn't wait to fulfill their purpose. The feline rearranged his bow on his shoulder so it wouldn't hinder his movements after the run. He reached for the ground and run his claw along the dirt, his blue feline eyes read every detail that nobody else could notice, just like the ground would be some kind of a map, and the cat's blue eyes were the only means to translate it.

He picked up a patch of dirt and rubbed it between his fingers, the dirt kept falling back onto the ground just like some sort of a black rain. The feline placed the dirt covered paw on his bend knee and stared at the ground, the invisible map glistening in his blue eyes.

" We are catching up to our prey" Hunter huffed while rubbing the yin-yang symbol on his brown coat with his thumb. He raised and took a deep breath and closed his eyes" The Dragon City is fascinating but truthfully I've missed the boundless world outside" he opened his longing blue eyes " No words can describe how it feels to be free"

A sound reached him, his sensitive ears perked up at the noise coming from above, he looked up to see a falcon circling high in the air, calling out to whoever understood its language and was listening. Hunter smiled and extended his right arm to the side while bending it in the elbow and whistled. The bird called once again and with one final turn it descend quickly just to land on the cheetahs arm, the red band on the cheetah's arm served as an efficient protection against the bird's talons.

The falcon cried once more as it settled on the feline's arms, the bird flapped its wings a couple of times before it finally pressed them against its body. The falcons beak moved from side to side, its sharp yellow eyes scanned the surroundings intently.

Hunter smiled " The hunt wouldn't be as successful as it is now without you my friend"

The falcon cried out, for any other person it would be just a simple cry of a bird without any meaning. For the cheetah however it was a language, words that were meant only for him, a language only he could understand.

The cheetah's ears flattened against his head as he offered the bird a grateful smile. He reached down towards his waist, the two blue gems inserted into the sockets on his belt shimmered brightly under the sunlight. His paw patted at the side of his belt for a second before he unstrapped a small brown pouch with a yellow string hanging from it.

The feline reached into it and withdrew a bunch of seeds of a herb that only members of his former tribe know what their main purpose is. He opened his palm near the bird's beak, the falcon's yellow eyes shimmered for a brief moment before it started to poke at his hand fervently.

Hunter kept observing the bird as it kept eating from his paw " Feed well my friend, there is a long chase ahead of us"

The bird responded only by flapping its powerful wings. It wasn't long before the nourishment was gone. The falcon raised its head and cried out spreading its wings wide

The cheetahs ears stood up at the sight " Be my guide and eyes in the incoming hours" he whispered pleadingly

The bird cried out once more, its yellow eyes seemed to be sharper than before.

" Then raise and let the wind be your servant!" Hunter jerked his arm upwards. The falcon leapt from his arm and raised in the air, flapping its wings and emitting an intimidating cry

The feline observed the raising bird " How lost we would be without your guidance friend" he rearranged the bow on his shoulder once again " Let the hunt continue" he darted onwards

It has been some days since the Guardians sent him on this chase, he knew that he was gaining on them, the Dark Army wasn't moving quickly, well at least not for him. As every cheetah and especially the cheetahs that carried the symbol of a feather Hunter was a talented scout and a tracker. He knew the surrounding lands like the back of his paw, not to mention that as a natural scout he overcame every obstacle the world threw at him with ease, speed and dexterity were the archers best friends after all.

The same thing couldn't be said about the group he pursued, the Dark Army consisted mostly of some bulky soldiers, however the tracks also showed that not every member was encumbered. This led only to one conclusion, the heavier equipped members were guards, and the light weighted members moved at their pace so they could be easily defended if it came to battle. It was a good sign, whatever or whoever the Army is trying to protect is important, and as every important evil creature or some other thing it would be best if it didn't reach its destination.

Hunter darted through the land, the avian guide flew ahead of him every now and then crying out as if giving signals that only the cheetah was able to understand. Another day has passed and he kept running, he was far in the north now, it is only a matter of time before the landscape takes a drastic change and the thick tangling land of the Tall Plains will come into view.

Hunter kept running but this time he constantly stared at the ground. After a while he abruptly stopped and once again crouched to examine the dirt under his legs. He narrowed his blue eyes on the earth, there was something different about the tracks now. He rose up and started to run backwards before he noticed another characteristic spot on the ground, with a slide he stopped near the mark and crouched to examine it.

His suspicion was well placed, this track differed from the one he examined earlier, it was far more smaller. Hunter rose up and once more began retracing his steps, at first everything seemed fine, whenever he found a track it looked like the small one from earlier. A less skilled hunter would take that as a simple weakness, a hallucination presented by a tired mind.

Not him, Hunter kept retracing his steps, he had to somehow confirm his suspicion. He kept running with his feline eyes focused on the ground, but at first besides his own tracks and the ones he saw earlier there wasn't any other he could make out, that didn't discourage him. Finally he skidded to a halt, crouching he examined the ground closely, this mark he was actually looking at was bigger than the rest, just like the one he spotted earlier, the one that stood out from the rest.

He rose and looked around, the smaller tracks led through the more greenish part of the land, trees and bushes while the bigger ones took a turn towards the more mountainous landscape. This meant only one thing.

" Our prey got separated" Hunter muttered while taking a deep breath

Something was not right, he saw the same big mark on the ground not so far away to the north, this turn towards the mountainous land served only to confuse him and buy his prey some time. He ran forward following the smaller tracks as before until he returned to the spot that caught his attention earlier. Here the bigger tracks overlapped with the smaller ones.

He made his way slowly forward, examining the ground below him closely. He frowned when he spotted that now the bigger tracks led north, he retraced his steps and took a turn, here now the smaller ones seemed to head in that direction. He returned to the intersection and crouched, he began to examine the mark on the ground closely. Firstly he saw nothing, just a bigger trace since the group that firstly separated met here.

" Met here" he mused. His scout's instinct kicked in, he touched the ground with his claw and began to trace the mark with it. He could make out some boot marks, some were heavier than the rest leaving a deeper mark on the ground. The cheetah rose and examined the track again from this distance, it seemed big, a little smaller than the one to the north.

He made his way there until he spotted the big mark, crouching he traced it with his claw. Frowning the cheetah rose up and returned to the spot where the smaller tracks led just to repeat the process.

" Clever" Hunter exhaled a breath.

Firstly it was a simple partition, big and smaller tracks meaning a bigger and a smaller group from which one was a simple distraction. Now it has changed, the tracks were still split into a big and small one but they were exactly the same like the earlier ones. Meaning that there was an exchanged of soldiers between the groups, in such a way that they could still retain almost the same sizes of the tracks.

" Our enemy is intelligent, they've exchanged soldiers, now it's difficult to tell which one of the groups is a distraction and which isn't, or perhaps both are important. One thing is certain, they know how to lose their pursuers"

Hunter looked from side to side, thinking which tracks to follow, making his mind he decided to abandon the route he used so far and followed the smaller tracks. He kept running for a while, a sound of a flowing river in the distance reached his sensitive ears, it was there where the tracks led so far.

Soon he reached the reason behind all this noise, it was a flowing water parting two sides of the land. It was a shallow river, small stones jutted from the ground and even smaller fish maneuvered through them and made their way downstream. If one would decide to follow the fishes it wouldn't be a problem, the shallow and clear water was barely ankle deep.

The scout made took a sip from the river before crossing it, it was then when his ears perked up once more at the sound of the crying falcon. Something that seemed like the cries of a simple bird were so much more for the cheetah, he listened intently as if he would paying attention to an interesting speech. After a while the feline nodded and pulled on his hood.

" Thank you friend for the warning" Hunter whispered before equipping his bow " Our enemy has prepared an ambush, the group that we followed went downstream easily covering the their tracks while the rest was left ahead" he pointed forward " There amongst the big rocks and tall trees, the Army has set up an ambush, we could avoid them easily but we better get rid of them before some unlucky traveler will run into them. Evil is unwelcome here" he rearranged his cape and delicately rubbed the symbol that pinned it to his coat before bending on his paws and darting to the side.

He circled the ambush spot carefully and silently, the scout was already pressing an arrow to his bow, the first rule in the wilderness- always be prepared. Thanks to their heritage every cheetah had a talent for sneaking, their cat- like moves allowed them to move without even making the tiniest of sounds, not to mention that such an experienced scout as him knew also how to stay hidden even in broad daylight.

Eventually he reached a small slope but instead of climbing it and reaching its outcropping to get a better look on the valley he pressed himself against the farthest tree on the slope. Not the best viewing point but the shadow created by the trees' broad crown effectively shrouded his features thanks to the darkish cape he was wearing.

With his back pressed to the tree Hunter leaned slightly to see past the trunk, being blended into the surroundings like that allowed him to scan the surroundings with his feline eyes. He spotted an ape hidden behind a rock, he was rolling the axe in his hands impatiently and somewhat bored. He kept surveying the land, a orc was pressed to a tree and two small grublins hid in the nearby bush.

He couldn't spot anyone else but that didn't mean that the group wasn't larger, he has to be prepared for anything. However the attitude the soldiers presented gave him a clear image that they hadn't set up this ambush for him specifically, these soldiers were left here just in case and to stall any pursuer that might be after them. The cheetah was aware that it will cause his main prey distance itself from him, but he didn't have any other choice, Dark Army isn't allowed so deep into the Alliance territory.

The feline took a breath, the battle was about to commence , he strung his bow and left his cover, however the side of his body was still pressed against the trunk.

" Fortune favor us" Hunter whispered pleadingly and set the arrow loose

He immediately took cover behind the trunk while his eyes watched for the outcome of his shot. The arrow flew in a perfect straight line just like the wind didn't exist for it at all. The target was unaware of its approach, the ape was still playing with his weapon impatiently. The soldiers' anxiety was ended by an arrow which pierced his throat, it impaled itself in the spot where there was a slight gap between the helmet and rest of the armor.

The orc managed to let out only a stifled gurgle as blood started to flow from the mortal wound, he brought his gauntleted hand to his throat as if trying to prevent any more blood loss, yet with no luck. The soldier fell on his knees dropping the axe on the ground so he could extend his now free hand towards his oblivious companions as if trying to warn them or beg them for help. Nobody discovered the soldier's intention since moments later his lifeless body hit the ground, a pool of blood appeared below the corpse.

Hunter slowly pulled out another arrow, his eyes never left the group ahead of him. He pressed the projectile to his bow, preparing to string his weapon in case an alarm would be raised and he will have to defend himself, nothing like that happened, the rest of the soldiers seemed to be still unaware of his presence.

He crouched, there was no way he could now eliminate another member of the ambush party without the rest noticing him, most likely it's only a matter of time before they discover the body, his element of surprise requires haste. The scout slowly made his way to the other side of the slope, there was no cover here that would serve as a good survey point, the first tree that would be able to shroud his features was just next to the slope on the ground.

He made his way to the edge, and looked down, no sign of the enemy as far as he could tell. The feline placed a hand on the slope and jumped down, his stealth abilities made the fall perfectly silent. From this spot he had a better look on the surroundings, he began to look around, the moment he looked behind him his eyes shot wide open.

An orc just finished examining a small opening in the slope and turned around, the moment the soldier took a glimpse of the cheetah he raised his arm in the air preparing to sound an alarm. However a whizz interrupted him, the orc only let out a groan since an arrow impaled itself on his chest. The soldier impulsively looked down just to notice an arrow jutting from his chest, with shocked filled eyes he looked ahead just to see a cheetah ahead of him.

Hunter didn't waste any time, as soon as he released the arrow he unstrapped a dagger from his thigh and attacked the orc. The feline leapt at the soldier while covering the orc's mouth with one of his hand, his weight and speed brought the soldier down. Hunter being on top of him pushed the arrow deeper into the soldier's chest while at the same time plunging the dagger into his opponent's throat.

There were only some muffled groans and gurgles as both sharp objects invaded the orc's body, with a twist of the dagger the cheetah silenced his enemy forever. The moment his opponent stopped thrashing underneath him Hunter began to listen intently. He remained in that position for a while, but his perked up ears didn't catch any approaching noise, Fortune was favoring him after all.

He withdrew the blade and his hand from the corpse and stood up. The dagger was covered with a red liquid, his other hand wasn't in better shape, his palm was completely covered in blood since the soldier was gurgling out blood as he was taking him down. This is a clear sign that orcs even if they are artificial creations made from earth itself were just another specie with the right to live. Unfortunately the hostility between the cheetahs and grublins forces both sides to shorten the life of the other, preferably by severing the line of line with one's own hands.

Hunter left the corpse and returned to pick up his bow that he dropped when he attacked, with everything back in its rightful place the feline hid near the tree he planned to use earlier. Once again he leaned to scan the surroundings , from this position he had to really look hard to properly survey the area.

The two grublins in the bushes couldn't be seen from here, however he could clearly see the tree where the orc was hidden but now there was no sign of the soldier anywhere. Then something struck him, he examined the body and compared its armor with the one on the orc from his memory, it was a match. Luck didn't abandon him it seems, the soldier he eliminated had to be the orc from behind the tree, one less bad guy to worry about.

The corpse of the ape was still in the same spot, not yet discovered. From here he could spot two more soldiers just slightly ahead of the rock behind which the body of the fallen ape was sprawled. The two soldiers hidden farther amongst the trees were so close to each other that there was no chance to take out one of them without the second noticing that.

Suddenly a falcon's cry was heard, Hunter's ears perked up instantly very sensitive to the familiar sound. The scout looked up, there was an another cry as the bird began circling in the air slightly to the west from his position. The cheetah focused in the ground and thee moment he did that he instinctively bend down on his legs trying to shroud his form as best as he could while using the limited cover he had at his disposal.

There was an orc leader outfitted in a medium sized spiked armor and a huge axe hung on his back, he was heading through the slightly mountainous terrain towards the group of concealed soldiers. The leader wasn't alone, he was accompanied by two ape archers who were carrying four dead rabbits, looks like it was a fruitful hunt. It seemed like his luck was just about to run out, there was no chance that the approaching hunters wouldn't notice the dead body by the rock, the stealth mission was about to turn into a full scaled battle and there is no way he can prevent that from happening.

On the ground he is vulnerable, if he has to blow his cover he has to do it from a good spot. Hunter flung his bow around his shoulder and thrust his claws into the trunk of the tree, he then slowly but steadily began to climb it. He kept going up until he reached the spot where the leafs were dense and the branches allowed a good foothold. From here he can easily leap at the slight slope just next to him, an exit point is always handy.

The scout prepared his bow, while pulling out the arrow he looked for the perfect opportunity where he can do the most damage before he will be discovered. The leader would be the best choice, but seeing his armor and it was very likely that the arrow would glance off his spiked armor without causing any harm, besides he could barely spot any opening, all things considered it was not worth the risk.

The two archers were easy pickings, lightly armored it would be just a matter of a well-placed shot and they would collapse on the spot however seeing as the surroundings didn't favor archers very much Hunter decided to leave them alone. The trees and rocks will effectively serve as cover when the battle will start, no need to waste his element of surprise on those two.

With no other option left he aimed at one of the soldiers who hid amongst the trees, just when the feline was about to set the arrow loose his blue eyes caught something else. One of the grublins left the protection of his bush, the creature stood in plain open looking around. They had to figure out that something is wrong, the silence ironically was so loud. The creature grumbled something loudly to his companion, the grublins were just about to figure out what is happening.

Without wasting any more Hunter strung his bow and aimed at the little creature, even if he was a small soldier the grublin was still a worthy opponent and in this terrain where he could easily conceal himself even more so. The arrow was sent flying, the moment it was set loose Hunter prepared another projectile while at the same time an alarm was raised as soon as the grublin hit the ground with an arrow jutting from his chest.

The feline made a sharp turn and released an arrow towards one of the archers, just when the projectile was about to pierce the surprised soldier an armored spiked gauntlet rose in its way deflecting the arrow as a result.

The same gauntlet pointed at the tree crown " KILL HIM!" the orc leader roared

The surprise attack and the terrifying roar of their leader startled both archers, however they both knew that they can't hesitate or the consequences would be drastic. With shaking hands both soldiers fired at the crown.

Even if their aim was poor Hunter experience told him that he would avoid the flying arrows, he compelled. The scout hastily flung his weapon on his shoulder and leapt from the tree, as he jumped he could hear the arrows Impaling in the wooden branches behind him. With a roll Hunter gracefully landed on the slope and already prepared his weapon.

The orc leader roared furiously and began to flail his hands ordering everyone to push forward " ATTACK! KILL THE CAT!" he roared once more

Hunter ran to the far end of the slope, not the outcropping but the other side, he ran with his arrowed already strung. Soon he found out that it was wise to listen to his instinct, the moment he jumped from the slope an ape was about to behead him using his edged sword. The soldier never had the chance to finish his swing since an arrow pierced his skull momentarily.

As soon as the body dropped to the ground the cheetah ducked under another swing of some other soldier while still darting forward not even taking a moment to stop and fight back. He arrived in the plain open the path seemed like a bridge spanning two sides of the river. Arrows were sent flying his was immediately, as he rushed through the path Hunter could hear the projectiles whizzing behind him, with a corner of his eye he could see the orc leader snorting as he eyed him carefully.

The cheetah disappeared into the trees ahead, never stopping he made a sharp turn to the left, only the glimpses of the fluttering cape could be seen flashing among the trees. Hunter using his natural predatory speed made his way through the thicket, he prepared another arrow and strung his bow while aiming it to his left side. He observed the flashing Images behind the trees patiently, narrowing his blue eyes Hunter set the arrow loose the moment the image of the orc leader appeared before him.

The orc snorted and jerked his body sharply, the arrow flew just inches from his nose, he was unaffected by the near death experience, the orc growled as he observed the flashing cape amongst the trees. Even the sudden stifled grunt and soon after something heavy falling to the ground behind him didn't move the orc. However after a while the leader seeing the terrified reaction of one of his archers took a quick glimpse behind his shoulder, the second archer laid dead on the ground with the feathers of an arrow protruding from his left eye. With a snort the orc returned to observing the cat.

Hunter blinked, it didn't go exactly as he planned, it should have been the orc leader laying on the ground right now, not the common soldier. At least now he has more insight on his enemy, obviously they are now one person less but it also shows that their leader isn't someone who can be underestimated.

Before he could plan another strike he was attacked, out of nowhere a grublin jumped at him, the creature pointed its sword at a straight angle ready to pierce the cheetah's chest. Thanks to his reflexes Hunter instantly spun around while still running ahead, the roulette he made allowed him to avoid the deadly strike. As he saw the flying creature failing at his attempt to kill him, the grublin still managed to harm him, it had to be a shock for the soldier that someone managed to avoid such an surprise attack so he swung his sword in a wide arc not really thinking what he was doing. It worked, the sword sliced at the cheetahs arm leaving a bloody cut, the strike forced a painful growl from the cheetah's throat.

Hunter impulsively covered his wounded arm, his hand instantly got soaked with red thick blood. The grublin yelled and attacked once more, staying in one position would be dangerous so Hunter instead of fighting decided to run, he was faster than the small creature, it was only a matter of minutes before he left the soldier far behind him. Even if he wanted to fight back it would prove really difficult in this environment, to many places to hide, there was always a probability that the grublin wasn't smart enough to use the surroundings to his advantage, but he still didn't want to risk it.

As he ran through the trees he threw a quick glance at the open path, his eyes widened when he noticed that the leader and the accompanying archer were gone. He didn't really have the time to concentrate on that now since suddenly he felt that someone tackled him. The sudden weight pushed the cheetah out of the trees and into the plain open, to make things worse he landed on his chest with his opponent laying on his back.

Hunter forcefully jerked his body upwards trying to push off his opponent before he could pin him down. The soldier on top of him fought to stay on his winning position while also trying to take control of the cheetah's arms. The struggle continued for a while but eventually Hunter managed to free one of his arms, without hesitation he reached behind him and plunge his claws into his opponent's neck. The soldier groaned painfully grabbing the feline's arm and yanking it sharply, the claws dragged bits of flesh along with streams of blood with them as they've been removed.

The cheetah waited for such an opportunity, with the soldier distracted he jerked his body once more. The move was enough to make the soldier loose his balance, he felt his enemy involuntary leaning forwards. Hunter threw his head backwards, he could feel blood drenching the back of his hood as it made impact with most likely the nose of his opponent. One last sharp jerk was enough to push the soldier off of him.

He turned around preparing to get up but unfortunately a punch to his face forced him to drop on his back. The ape soldier with a broken instantly jumped on the scout and served him another painful blow. Hunter's head jerked to the side after the strike, as soon as his head returned to its natural position he saw the ape dropping his arms down, a dagger was tightly clenched in both of his fists. The feline's eyes widened, he instinctively grabbed the blade of the dagger at the place where his hands met with his opponent's.

Both fighters were letting grunts and groans of struggle as they fought to overpower one another. Being on top the ape had more strengths to push the dagger down using the weight of all his body, however even from his losing position Hunter didn't give up. As the blade was approaching his chest he had a sudden afflux of energy that allowed him to push the dagger away. He knew he can't keep fighting like that for long, sooner or later the ape will overpower him.

Hunter let the dagger get closer while still maintain a firm grip on the blade so it wouldn't pierce his chest, the blood dripping from the ape's nose splatter on his face. The ape clenched his teeth and started to growl as the illusion of victory clouded his judgment, as soon as the ape was close enough Hunter sharply swung his elbow striking the ape in the temple. The blow in that particular vulnerable spot left the ape slightly dizzy, the cheetah could feel the pressure on the dagger quenching down from the soldiers' side, he repeated the strike once again, then again and again.

The ape finally had enough, he let go of the dagger, the scout didn't waste any second and kicked the soldier off of him. Hunter quickly got up but before he could strike with the blade he received a powerful kick in his arm, the unexpected attack forced him to drop the dagger. To his surprise the ape was once again charging, the fall on the ground must have woken him up.

Before Hunter could react he received a painful hook into his chin, as his head tilted to the side he felt two hands firmly grabbing onto his shoulders. An armored knee was heading just right into his abdomen, with his reflexes kicking in Hunter deflected the incoming blow and soon after headbutted the ape, hitting once again his already broken nose.

The soldier let him go as he stumbled backwards while groaning in pain and covering his bloody nose. With a shake of his head he snapped from his befuddlement, with a furious snarl he uncovered his bloody mouth and charged the cheetah once more. The soldier swung his arm but Hunter managed to duck under it, after that a boot was heading his way right in the guts, he avoided that strike too. However he was defenseless against another hook to his chin. Hunter swayed on his legs slightly after the blow and before he knew it the hands of the angry ape gripped his shoulders tightly once again, locking both fighters in another embrace.

As they fought like that, exchanging kicks, blows and the like Hunter noticed the ape smirking for a brief while, at first he didn't understand what it meant, it was not like the ape was winning the fight after all. Soon after that sighting a falcon's call could be heard, Hunter learned to understand the meaning behind such calls since he was a child. Judging from the distance and intensity of the cry, the scout knew that the imminent danger is coming from behind him.

Another cry followed by a quick descent of the falcon, the bird began harassing the ape Hunter was fighting with. The falcon hit the apes head with his wings and plucked at his broken nose with its beak. With an irritated growl the ape let go his opponent and began to fling his arms chaotically to just get rid himself of the annoying bird. Hunter didn't waste any time, he grabbed the ape and with a sharp turn he spun around with him, now Hunter was in the position of the ape.

He made the turn just in time since as soon as they stopped spinning a huge axe impaled itself into the ape's back. The soldier spit out blood after the impact which covered Hunter's face, besides of the cry of the startled bird the scout could also hear the sounds of armor breaking and bones snapping. The ape was still holding onto the cheetah's shoulder as gurgled an incomprehensible message before life finally ebbed away from its shelter and the apes falling body stopped on Hunter's chest.

The corpse slid down the cheetah's chest for a while before he made a step back letting it finally hit the ground. Hunter stared at the huge axe stuck into the ape's back for brief second not really believing what has happened. After a short while he raised his eyes and spotted the orc leader and his archer companion next to him, the leader seemed unarmed, no wonder since his primary weapon was lodged into his own soldier's back after he flung it at the cat.

With instinct kicking in Hunter readied his bow and sent an arrow flying, after the first projectile was released he fired another one, then another and another. The orc leader frowned, completely unmoved by the startled gasp of his cowardly companion, the arrows were approaching him at high speed, even his armor wasn't able to withstand such force. The ape archer was overwhelmed with fear, as a beginning mercenary he couldn't really tell thanks to his shock that the arrows weren't heading his way, he prepared to run just to avoid being shot.

The orc leader snorted and grabbed onto the ape's arm and pulled him in front of him, the archer managed only to emit a stifled scream since soon an arrow pierced his chest. When the next one hit the ape didn't have the strength anymore to even try to scream, arrow after arrowed got stuck in his chest and a stifled gurgle was all the ape could utter after each received shot.

Hunter wasn't really surprised to see something like this, the grublins and especially the orc are known for being relentless. He didn't even try to fire another arrows since he knew that he could only maul the body of the poor ape even further, and it was unnecessary. The cheetah turned around and darted into the forest, he is an archer not a fighter, he would rather attack the ape from a safe distance.

As he ran towards the rocks to hide himself he noticed the small grublin leaving the thicket finally catching up to him. Hunter could hear the orc leader barking out orders to the soldier to pursue him, even from here he could hear the grublin's tired panting. The cheetah quickly unstrapped his red cape while still being on the move, after some minutes he turned towards a nearby tree and flung the cape on its branches in such a way that a part of the material protruded from the safety of its trunk.

He himself hid behind the nearby rock so he could clearly see the back of the tree where his cape hung and strung his bow. He had to wait for a while but eventually he heard the quick and shallow breathing of the grublin, some seconds later all the sound died down. His plan was working the grublin was sneaking towards the cape, thinking that he is hiding behind the tree and was clumsy enough to give away his position.

Hunter held his breath and waited, moments later there was a triumphant cry as the grublin jumped from behind the cover and stabbed with his sword. The soldiers triumphant cry ended abruptly when he noticed that he stabbed the air, he didn't really get the chance to change his shocked expression since the last thing he saw was the sharp tip of an arrow heading his way.

The grublin fell backwards on the ground with an arrow sticking out from between his eyes. Hunter ran his finger delicately against the surface of his yin-yang before he pinned the cape to his coat.

" GO GET HIM BOY!" a shout echoed throughout the mountainous terrain.

Hunter's ears instantly perked up, that was definitely the shout of the orc leader. The falcon circling above cried once more, the cheetah looked up as is absorbing the information before his eyes returned to the ground.

" Death Hound" he muttered under his breath

From where the beast came from he had no idea, but that was unimportant right now, that creature is made to fight dragons and that means that his chances against it are very slim in a duel. He eyed the tree near him from top to bottom, he considered climbing it and shoot the creature from there, but moments later his ears flattened around his skull when he realized that it would most likely be a suicide, the hound isn't that stupid to get killed like that and with the orc somewhere out there it would be only a matter of time before he would be thrown down from the tree straight into the beast's jagged maw.

Another falcon's call reached his sensitive ears, Hunter nodded " Thank you friend"

There was another call

" We cannot fight a beast like this in a fair duel, the odds aren't in our favor" he looked up with grateful eyes " There is a waterfall nearby, with luck we might outsmart our enemy"

A shrilling howl was carried by the wind

The cheetah looked in the direction from which it came " There is no time to waste" with that he scurried south.

Hunter ran as fast as his legs could carry him, every now and then he threw a quick glance to the sky to make sure he was heading in the direction. He ran like that for a while, as mere moments have been passing he knew thanks to the increasing sounds of barking, snoring and howling he could tell that the creature was gaining on him.

Finally the sound of a water falling was swooshing in the distance. Moments later Hunter reached his destination, there was quite an outcropping, a big part of the stony ground was set directly near where the waterfall was, at both sides of the block were two strong currents which met behind the ground to create the waterfall. Parts of the block clearly fell off some time ago, that's why there was no possibility to reach it just by walking since between the part of terrain he was standing on right now and the stony block was a crack filled with sharp stony spikes separating the terrain. From the crack protruded some parts of the block that managed to survive the separation, those remaining parts were weak, they were ready to crumble in any moment when too much weight would be pressed on them, however they were also the only way to reach the slab of terrain ahead.

Without much choice Hunter sped up and jumped, firstly he landed on the protruding remains, the moment he placed his feet he could feel the remains shaking as if they were screaming that they are at their breaking point. From here the cheetah leaped further to reach the block of stone, however when he lifted himself from the ground something unexpected happened.

He received a powerful blow in his back that left scratches and threw him right onto that platform. As he slid on his belly for a while he could hear the parts of the floor cracking, it was obvious that they won't withstand another pressure like that. He made a mental note about that then looked behind his shoulder, his eyes widened when he spotted a Death Hound standing there, the beast managed to catch up to him.

With a shrilling roar the hound jumped onto the platform, Hunter quickly pulled himself up to face his enemy. While still observing the hound he slowly made some steps backwards so he was standing near the edge of the outcropping. However the beast didn't leap at him as he planned instead it ran in his direction and swung its paw.

Hunter avoided being hit the strike by mere inches, however the dodge made him loose his footing, he might have avoided the strike but now he was laying on the ground on his chest while the upper part of his body hung from the outcropping.. As his hand hit the rough surface he felt something protruding from the rocks, he blindly reached for it, grabbing the object he pulled it out, it was quite a big and thick branch.

A snarl forced Hunter's instinct to kick in, he dragged the branch and with a fast move turned on the ground so he could land on his back, as he did that he made a swing with the heavy branch. The hound that tried to finish what it started got hit in the snout, with an angry growl it backed away some steps. Hunter pulled himself up while the creature shook his head to shake off the dizziness, its yellow eyes focused on the feline.

He stared back at the creature with the branch tightly clenched in his hands, the armor embed into the creature's back shimmered under the sunlight for a brief moment as it bent on its paws adopting an offensive position. Hunter didn't move an inch, that was a mutated dog after all, by challenging it with cold stare he wanted to show it that who is a more terrifying fighter here.

However momentarily his demonstration of strength was proved to be worthless against the hound's appearance. The beast's growling maw parted in every direction, saliva trickled down from its razor teeth as the mouth grew to enormous sizes, the gaping maw finally stopped growing reaching a point probably where it could not stretch no longer, it was still enough to sever the cheetah in half with just one snap. With a confident and furious roar the hound charged.

Hunter pulled the branch up and as the creature approached him he shoved the wood vertically into the beast's maw, that prevented from clamping its gaping maw. The hound began to thrash, its mouth was shivering slightly as it tried to close it, even from here Hunter could see that the pieces of the wood were falling down already, the branch won't last long.

Maybe the hound couldn't use its teeth but it still could swing its paws, one of those swings surprised the cheetah, with a quick dodge he managed to prevent the claws from making deep lacerations in his body that would probably reach his spine but it wasn't enough to avoid the strike completely. He screamed as the claws managed to make three cuts on his chest, ripping the fabric of his coat to pieces.

Hunter fell on the ground only to realize that there was no ground behind him, with instinct kicking in he managed to grab onto the ledge of the outcropping before he fell down. The howling waterfall next to him effectively blocked every sound. A wet drop that fell on top of his head made him raise his eyes, the hound was leaning from the edge staring at him with hungry eyes, the branch that held its mouth was gone.

He looked down, with nothing left to loose he thought about letting go of the ledge and fall down along the water, it was still a better perspective than to be eaten by the hound. However before he could make his mind a whimper startled him, the cheetah looked up just to see his falcon plucking at one of the eyes of the creature. The hound was growling, whimpering and thrashing as it tried to crush the annoying bird, yet its struggle was in vain, the falcon managed to pierce one of its eyes.

The hound howled and began swinging its paws and snapping its mouth wildly completely blinded by rage, Hunter reached down and unstrapped the bag where the bird's food was located, with it in his hand he whistled and the falcon instantly clamped its talons on the bag. With a cry the bird took to the air and ripped the bag with its talons, the contents of the bag began to stream down towards the ground and exactly into the hound's eyes.

The creature began to whimper as it was in pain and completely blinded, when the creature began to thrash the bird hovered just inches from the edge of the outcropping. There was an furious roar when a brown spot passed by the creatures eyes, blinded by rage its swung its paw at the shape only to realize that it was further than it seemed at first glance. While trying to reach the bird the hound leaned over the edge, blinded by the contents of the bag it didn't realize that there was no ground below it, so when it tried to place its raised paw on the ground it found that the floor was gone.

Still growling the beast leaned over the edge and fell down. Hunter observed the falling creature, he could see it swirling in the air and still swinging its paws, he watched the beast until its form finally disappeared below the water. With a painful sigh he pulled himself up, as he laid flat on the solid ground he noticed the falcon standing in front of him. Hunter smiled and nodded his head, the bird cried out and took to the air.

With a painful groan he pulled himself up, he touched his chest and looked at his paw soon after, it was covered in blood. With a painful hiss he looked ahead just to realize that the orc leader was staring at him from the other side with his axe held in his hands.

" it doesn't matter if you survive this, our mission was to stall our pursuers and we did just that. You are too late cat" with that he roared and leaped at the protruding remains.

The remnants of the block had enough, they began to shake violently, the orc standing on them fought valiantly to regain his balance. He would perhaps do just that if not for an arrow hitting the shaking remains, the tip severed the already unstable construction. There was only a loud rumbling noise as the remains finally gave away and crumbled, the sound of a gurgle followed soon after.

Hunter approached the crack and looked down, the leader was there, his body was arched upwards, a bloody stony spike was protruding from his spasming body.

The cheetah kneeled down, unsheathed a dagger and began to turn the blade around in his hand while observing its silvery surface " Tell me what are you planning and I'll end your suffering, I promise"

The orc gurgled in response, blood shot from his mouth and covered his face. After a failed attempt to voice his thoughts the orc began to move his lips slowly as if he was whispering.

Hunter leaned forward to make out the response, but instead of receiving an answer the orc spitted at him. The leader emitted a weak cackle before he exhaled his last breath and passed away. Hunter wiped the bloody saliva from his face and headed back the road he came here while tightly clenching his wounded chest. As he returned to the river where the group of enemy soldiers separated he began to clean his cuts, but no matter how carefully he did that he just couldn't stop thinking about the orc's words.

" Too late for what?" Hunter muttered