A Hunter’s Tale

I tried to write this as a standalone story about the Hunters so it’s technically not part of Leyla’s Tale.  If you’ve read the first part of Leyla’s Tale, you’ll realize what this scene is.  If not, I recommend reading part one right after reading this.

This was Gustav’s first Hunt.  He had helped on other Hunts as a driver but this was his first time as an actual Hunter.  He was nervous and excited.  The creatures were dangerous, especially when cornered in their lair. 

     Gustav was twenty years old and had been with the Hunters for three years.  He had been allowed small portions of blood after the Hunts he had helped with.  As a Hunter, this time he would get to partake of the feast after the Hunt.  He would not get one of the choice organs, of course.  But he would get a share of the roast meat and a larger portion of blood.

     They arrived at the property just after midnight.   The cars were left well away from the house.  The Hunters approached on foot, moving quietly through the darkness. 

     Each Hunter carried a pair of knives and a pistol.  The group’s leader, Hans, carried a shotgun as well.  The creatures were to be captured alive if possible for maximum harvest.  If killing them was necessary damage to the organs was to be kept to a minimum.  The Hunters were expecting only three creatures, two adults and a cub.  But Hunts had been known to go bad. The shotgun was in case things got out of hand.

     Hans was ten years older than Gustav and one of the youngest lead Hunters.  He had earned the position after several successful Hunts and one that had gone disastrously wrong.  The bad Hunt turned out to be an ambush set by the creatures.  Out of a dozen Hunters in the party only Hans and one other had escaped alive.  Hans had vowed to never let that happen to him again.  His Hunts were known for their planning and high success rate.  Consequently Hans was in great demand as a lead Hunter.  Gustav considered himself lucky to be with Hans on his first Hunt.

     Gustav and another young Hunter named Uli ran up the porch steps to the front door.  They were carrying a cast iron battering ram between them.  They hit the door at a full sprint and smashed through.  The rest of the Hunters rushed in behind them.  Gustav and Uli dropped the ram and drew their pistols.  They stayed by the door as the others fanned out into the house. 

     Gustav heard scuffling from deeper in the house and a Hunter cursing loudly.  Then Hans called out.  “Gustav, come here.”

     He found Hans in the master bedroom.  The two adult creatures were lying bound and gagged on the bed. 

     “Take a good look, Gustav,” Hans said pointing to the bed.  “This is your first Hunt.  You’ve never seen the creatures up close before.  See how much they look like us, like a normal man and woman.  You might guess they are about forty years old but they are really closer to two hundred.”

     Gustav moved closer to the bed and looked into the terrified faces of the creatures.  He could not see anything inhuman about them.  The thought that creatures like this walked around undetected filled him with dread.  There was only one good thing about these creatures.  Consuming their flesh and blood granted health and longevity. 

     “We have a problem, Gustav.  The cub is missing.  Her bed is slept in so she was here when we entered.  There must be a hidden space in or under the house.  These creatures are clever.  We could search all night and not find it.

     “But these two know where the hidden space is.  I want you to persuade them to tell us.  Make it noisy.  Even if they won’t tell us where the cub is hiding, their screams will draw her out.  Start with the female.”

     Gustav put away the pistol and drew out one of his knives. 

     “No,” Hans said.  “Don’t use the knife at first.  We want to save as much blood as possible.”

     When the eastern sky started to brighten, it was clear the two creatures were not going to talk.  The cub had stayed hidden as well. 

     Gustav wiped off his knife and sheathed it.  There had been blood but not as much as he had expected.  The creatures healed quickly.  They were still alive but unconscious. 

     Hans pulled him aside as the other Hunters took the creatures out to the waiting cars.  “I want you to stay behind.  The cub will come out when she hears us leave.  Capture her alive and you will have first choice of her organs and meat when she’s harvested.  I will send a car back for you at noon.”

     “I won’t let you down, Hans.”

     “One last thing.  The cub will look like a small child but do not underestimate her.  Good hunting.”  Hans flashed a toothy smile.  He left the house and climbed into the lead car.  The vehicles drove off in a cloud of dust.  Gustav found a closet in the main hallway and stepped inside.  He pulled the door almost shut and waited. 

     About half an hour later he heard the kitchen door open.  He could make out the sound of a small person’s feet approaching.  When the feet were close he burst out of the closet.  He was behind a dark haired girl seemingly about ten years old in the hallway.  Gustav grabbed her in a tight bear hug.

     The cub squirmed in his grasp.  “Stop struggling, little girl.  I have to bring you in alive but that doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you.”

     Gustav realized he needed to subdue the cub quickly before she wriggled free.  He tried to shift her around to a one handed hold so he could get a knife out.  The cub grabbed one of his fingers and bent it back.  He dropped the cub when the finger snapped.  Gustav howled in pain and rage.

     The cub ran to the kitchen.  Gustav drew out a knife with his good hand.  Even in his anger he knew not to kill the cub immediately.  He would not let his first Hunt end with a bad kill.  But that cub would pay for his finger.

     He followed the cub into the kitchen.  She was searching in a drawer.  With another loud bellow he charged at her.  The cub spun around.  A knife was in her hand.  She leapt at him with a cry of her own.  He was caught off guard by the creature and fell backwards to the floor.  The cub’s blade slashed across his throat.

     Gustav tried to scream but could only make gurgling sounds as the cub plunged her knife into him repeatedly.