FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 11

Hunter knew exactly where he was headed, during his run he of course noticed the tracks of the single ape and soon later of the entire group but he never bothered to examine them carefully. The scared ape described a terrain near a jungle in a shape of a stony circle, in fact in was nothing more than that, a circle made of stone, so either the ape really was left in the dark or the Dark Army doesn't know what that circle is, or perhaps they simply don't care.

If his ears would be more sensitive they would hear his own mind pulsing inside his skull as it was ceaselessly processing for some time now all the information he has gathered regarding the strange circle and the recent events. It occurred to him then that the Atlawa tribe inhabiting the Tall Plains had nothing to do with the odd stony pattern embedded into the greenish ground near their territory, in fact they've sounded pretty surprised themselves.

Hunter knew about the circle because he volunteered to be the investigator of this strange occurrence for the Dragon City. When he arrived at the scene he began his examination, but besides pointing the obvious- that a circle made of stone hardly fits in a terrain surrounded by only rainforest and grass, couldn't discover anything else. It's been weeks since his last appearance here, maybe he couldn't find anything because back then the whole Realms were mourning and talking about Spyro's presumed death.

It was then when something struck him, he froze, if the cheetah would be in some sort of a cartoon now a light bulb would appear above his head. The Atlawa arrived in Warfang two days after the dragon constellation appeared in the sky, two days after Malefor's defeat, two days after Spyro's disappearance. Knowing about the portals he had no doubt that the circle is related to these strange veils, he was quite certain that it appeared through one such portal. It seems that the Dark Army knows about them also, whatever they are trying to do it can't be good.

He looked up at hearing the sound of a falcon's urging call, listening to his avian companion Hunter darted forward, if the orc leader he fought earlier was speaking the truth he might already be too late. After a while he was beginning to arrive at his destination, but then something unexpected happened, a loud roar echoed throughout the terrain just like a very powerful thunder would strike nearby.

Hunter being surprised by the noise instantly adopted a crouching position and prepared his bow, his instinct kicked in, it always told him to be cautious of danger whenever something surprises you, this time however nothing attacked, nevertheless it's still better to be safe than sorry. The roar was unexpected but the sight some moments later shocked him even more.

His ears flattened on his skull as he looked up, the sky darkened in an instant, covering the Tall Plains in a coat of a thick darkness. He gasped when an yellow column of light shot towards the darkened sky, the moment it hit an unseen barrier of some sorts high above, the sky adopted the form of a spider web, it looked like cracks appearing on a block of ice. The yellow hue transformed itself into a completely white light, and moments later tendrils shot from the web and travelled through the sky, momentarily they disappeared behind the horizon.

The spider web faded, and together with it faded the artificial night, sun emerged again with the azure sky following in its wake. Hunter stared at the sky in awe, whatever just happened lasted for seconds, nevertheless it still was quite a sight. Hunter didn't waste time on sightseeing, his complete focus was turned towards the direction from which the column of light appeared, even if he didn't see the location yet, he was clearly certain that it led towards the stony circle.

Either this was a sign of something sinister really being prepared by the Dark Army or he was in fact already late, whatever the case may be he cannot allow the last group to escape, it would be an unpleasant surprise for the people living here when they would accidently encounter a group of enemy soldiers roaming their territory. Whatever the case may be he was quite certain that the Atlawa had to notice the beam and most likely their soldiers were already on their way here. The Dark Army most likely figured out that also, so he doesn't have much time before they will vanish, Hunter pulled on his hood, his purpose was set, he needs to stall them long until reinforcements arrive, hopefully.

He once again extended his arm and bent it in the elbow before whistling, it was a tune only one kind of creature understood. Seconds later the falcon's talons wrapped themselves against his red arm band, he patted the avian creature, it let out a cheerful cry while stretching its wings.

Hunter smiled " I know you are eager my friend but this time this is not your fight. Seek out the Atlawa, lead them here, make haste" he yanked his arm.

The bird took off with a loud call, it flapped its wings hastily and rose above the tree level, seconds later his avian companion disappeared from the cheetahs sight.

Hunter's eyes returned to the ground, another fight was approaching, he took a deep breath and ran his hand across his chest, as if trying to remind himself that a life of a fighter is a merciless one and every aching injury only proves that he is still alive.

He rubbed the yin-yang symbol with his thumb reverently " You are still with me aren't you?" he whispered but didn't receive, the feline smiled " Of course you are, I wouldn't be here otherwise" he narrowed his eyes on the path ahead " Let's make them regret their advance"

Hunter darted forward, always heading in the direction of the stony circle, yet always looking for every opportunity to get on higher ground. Whenever he had the chance he scaled some small hill, and after such every trek the sound of muffled voices were getting louder and louder, the noise making his sensitive ears twitch in anticipation.

The cheetah finally arrived on a hill that overlooked the circle, there were some thick bushes at its outcropping, a perfect place from which he could spread havoc among his enemies, and also eavesdrop on their conversation. His ears perked up under his hood the moment he crouched behind the bushes and moved away some of their leafs to get a better look on his opponents below.

His fears were justified, this is definitely the most dangerous group, besides spotting the ape leader of the group he eliminated recently, there was also an ape commander with his magical scepter strapped onto his back farther ahead. Next to him stood a very high orc cladded in a spiked heavy dark armor, there was a heavy dark shield on his back with a spiked club of the same color on top of it with a red gem inserted into the spiked ball.

That was a Hero orc, the most intimidating and dangerous foe from the Dark Army contingent, excluding Malefor, the alliance had to face. Besides the obvious elite group Hunter could spot several common soldiers with archers among them. Two of those soldiers were having a conversation right below him.

"What the hell was that?" one of the apes whispered to his comrade

" I don't know man!" the second man replied in a stifled voice " But it seems the big guy did exactly what he planned"

" I hate it dude, they don't tell us anything, they just treat us as cannon fodder"

The second soldier nodded " I hear you man, I hate it too but let's face it, everyone had to start from scratch. We just need to prove ourselves"

" Prove" the first ape scoffed " How can we prove ourselves when they keep us in the dark?"

The second ape looked around as if making sure that nobody is listening before focusing on his partner " I overheard the commander talking with the orc, this has something to do with the Master"

The first soldier looked shocked " Malefor, seriously? Come on tell me what did you hear!"

His partner once again looked around before speaking " I don't know man, but I think they want to bring him back somehow"

" Impossible!" the first ape exclaimed "The guy is dead, those two kids whacked him up good"

" Shhhh" his comrade hissed while motioning with his hand to silence him " Keep your voice down" he looked around once more before returning to his partner " That guy was an evil genius, I'm sure he had a backup plan or something"

The first ape folded his arms and stared at his companion unconvinced " Then let's hope Malefor will arrive here since the lamas will be on top of us soon, nobody could miss that light"

"MOVE OUT!" the ape commander roared the moment he finished his conversation with the orc

The first soldier threw his comrade a meaningful look

The second ape rolled his eyes " Ok fine, maybe he is not coming back" he pointed a finger at his partner " but I'm sure that the Dark Master had something to do with all of this"

" You are making this up, shut up"

" Think whatever you want about this but I'm right about this one, I can feel it!"

" The only thing we will feel will be the boot of our commander on our asses if we won't move" he waved for his comrade to follow him " Come on"

The ape probably exaggerated but now Hunter without a doubt could say that he was late, whatever the Dark Army wanted to accomplish here managed to do it. Maybe he will find out what this was all about later, but for now his goal was to stall the leaving group, they cannot be allowed to roam free through the alliance's territory.

The feline strung his bow and moved it forward, the leafs parted before his weapon, the only thing that protruded from the bushes was the tip of his arrow. Hunter narrowed his eyes, held his breath and aimed, another battle was approaching.

The Hero orc observed the soldiers as they were gathering near their commander, during such examination the corner of his eye caught a glint of something silvery up the hill. Before he could react there was a sharp whizz as the projectile passed by him followed by a muffled grunt as the arrow impaled itself in the ape leader's neck.

The ape fell on his knees in an instant while tightly clenching the projectile protruding from his neck, blood was flowing down from the wound and down the soldier's armor. Second later the leader's gurgles and groans ceased and he dropped to the ground face first, a pool of blood covered the ground below his corpse immediately.

" TAKE COVER!" the ape commander roared, and as soon as he finished another arrow raced through the air and struck down an archer.

The soldiers as well as their officers scatter in every direction, the Hero orc with an aggravated snarl did the same. Another whiz, another gurgle, an archer who was running behind him dropped dead in his tracks. The orc unfastened his large shield, just in time in fact to block another arrow that tried to take the life of a soldier next to him.

Silence has befallen on the recent battleground, all of the soldiers who yet still lived ducked behind a tree, or a rock. The orc stoically dropped his heavy shield on the ground and leaned slightly, just enough that the corner of his eye could scan the surroundings without the risk of his head receiving an arrow.

The ape soldier panted heavily next to the orc, not from exhaustion, but shock " Where the fuck are they?" he blurt out

The orc intently scanned the hill, his experienced eye noticed a slight flaw in the bushes up above, it was unnatural that leafs would create such inconsistent pattern " Not they" the orc replied coldly " It's a lonely archer"

The ape's eyes widened " One guy? Where?"

" On the cliff" the orc rested the back of his head on the cliff and closed his eyes

" Have you seen how fast and accurate he is? And you want to tell me that there is only one guy up there?"

The Hero narrowed his red eyes on the soldier, it made the ape flinch" Watch your mouth" he snarled " I'm your superior, I know what I'm talking about, get a hold of yourself, you are a member of the Dark Army, act like one" he once again relaxed his head on the stone " No wonder the Master created us to be your replacement" he closed his eyes again

Part of the ape wanted to retort at this insult but the cautious part of his being won, the orc was in fact his superior and it would be unwise to antagonize his officer in a heat of battle. The ape managed to swallow his pride with much effort " So what are we going to do now?"

" YOU ARE TOO LATE CHEETAH!" the orc roared

Hunter frowned and looked surprised past the tip of his strung arrow, the fact the orc could discern his features when he was quite sure that he concealed himself pretty well only adds to the already high difficulty, those aren't amateurs. He threw a quick glance at his yin-yang symbol and sighed " I need you now more than ever" he looked at the sky with longing eyes before concentrating on the terrain ahead of him once more

" THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO NOW! WE HAVE ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED OUR GOAL" the orc roared again

The officer's words rang true, but he won't and can't let them get away with this. With a wiggle of his shoulders Hunter once again prepared his striking position

" THE MASTER WILL HAVE HIS REVANGE!"

" You sure he can hear us? He is quite far away" the ape blurt out impatiently

The orc frowned under his dark helmet " Be silent, you know nothing of your enemy" he snorted " You are pathetic"

Hunter narrowed his eyes, the orc was surely planning something, he didn't survive the siege on Warfang or the fight with the Destroyer to fall for a trick of a common soldier, no matter what his rank is among his contingent. However the mentioning of The Dark Master was somewhat unnerving, the cheetah was convincing himself that it was just a bluff, even if his common sense told him otherwise.

" THE REALMS WILL ONCE AGAIN BE BATHED IN DRACONIC BLOOD!" after his shout the orc nodded slightly towards the ape commander hiding some distance farther away from him behind a rock. The ape officer made a simple motion with his hand, giving a signal for the archers telling them to prepare themselves for an attack.

Hunter waited patiently, he had the upper hand for the time being, he was sure that the soldiers below are planning something, in fact he was certain that his time of advantage is limited but at least he will try and make the best of it.

The orc pointed at himself just to direct his finger upwards seconds later, the ape commander nodded understanding the signal.

" AND NOW WE WILL ADD YOURS TO THE POOL!" the hero roared, grabbed the soldier next to him and lifted him above the rock.

" What the fuck are you doing?!" the ape screamed terrified

Momentarily all available archers rose from their covers and aimed their bows at the cliff. There was a whizz of an arrow and a grunt soon later, the orc lowered the soldier and frowned when he noticed that the soldier was alive and kicking.

" You are crazy!" the terrified soldier yelled

The orc ignored him and looked past his body to notice one of the archers who was supposed to attack the cheetah drop dead with an arrow between his eyes. He growled " FLUSH HIM OUT!"

Hunter remained calm, he had seen through their ruse, the archer he just killed forced the rest of the attackers to miss their target by meters due to shock. He quickly strung another arrow when he heard the orc's cry, seconds later every capable shooter appeared once again, together with the ape commander. Hunter managed to strike another archer before a volley of arrows and a fireball reached him.

The cheetah quickly got up and jumped forward, the volley of arrows landed on the ground behind him with an audible smacking sound. The fireball also made contact with the ground, he could feel the heat as soon as it burst out flames after the impact. However that was the least of his worries, the flung fireball after collision created such a shockwave that the strong gust of wind that followed soon after forced him to slide from the hill at a great speed.

" ATTACK!" the orc roared while unfastening his weapon " KILL THE CAT!"

Hunter slid down from the rough cliff on his belly, he could feel the terrain ripping apart his freshly treated wounds. Impact with an obstacle at such speed would only knock him out, and it goes without saying that he would never again open his eyes when a thing like that would happen.

He reached down his belt and unstrapped two daggers, with gritted teeth he slid down farther until a tree came into sight that was just at hands reach. The moment Hunter reached it he thrust the daggers into its trunk, the blades didn't really sink into the wooden structure, instead they tore off the bark as they slid across the tree's trunk.

The end result wasn't exactly what he planned, he was still sliding down but at least he managed to drastically slow down. Unfortunately the daggers didn't hold him, their blades were thrown from the wooden structure with enough force to make Hunter's body spin, instead of sliding he now rolled down the slope.

Luckily for him he never reached the bottom since he soon stopped on a nearby tree, tangling himself in the long lianas that hung from the crown. He didn't have much time to regain his composure since he heard the sound of approaching footsteps from both sides, the enemy was beginning to surround him.

With his instinct kicking in Hunter used his daggers to quickly climb the tree and cut the liana from the farthest pint he could reach. Dropping down he sheathed his dagger, picked up the wooden vine and started to run back up the hill, with the liana dangling behind him.

" KILL HIM!" the orc roared while pointing his spiked club at the running cheetah before he himself started his pursuit after the cat

Hunter began maneuvering as he ascended the cliff once more, he could hear the arrows whizzing past him but his attackers were running just like him, that's why their accuracy was that lousy. As the cheetah kept pushing on he tied the liana around his waist in a tight knot that almost took all of his breath away, however such thing was necessary.

As he was nearing the outcropping he noticed quite a big stone protruding from the ground, he stopped and hid behind it just to fling the liana around its stony surface. He impulsively rose his head above the rock as he tied the vine into a tight knot. His head remained above the rock maybe only for a second since the moment he set his eyes on the steep terrain ahead his ears dropped on his skull and he had to instantly duck to avoid several arrows flying above him.

Without wasting any more time and with the liana tightly wrapped around his waist he left his hiding spot and darted towards the outcropping. As he ran he unstrapped his bow, with a corner of his eye he could see his enemies nearly behind his tail, they were close but he was faster than them nevertheless. Hunter unhesitatingly leapt from the cliff, the moment he raised into the air he spun around while stringing an arrow and just before he disappeared from his enemies sight he managed to surprise them by killing one archer.

An orc dropped dead just right next to the hero orc, the creature growled in frustration " IDIOTS!" he yelled while directing himself towards the stone with the liana tied around it.

With one strong blow he severed the connection, parts of the vein fell on the ground while the rest followed the falling cheetah. Hunter's eyes widened when suddenly he didn't feel any pressure around his waist, he instinctively yanked the liana just to find it loose. Luckily he wasn't far from the ground so the collision with the earth below wasn't that drastic but it still knocked out breath from his lungs. Groaning he opened his eyes just to see the hero orc leaning from the cliff and pointing his weapon at him

" FINISH HIM OFF!" the orc commanded

Focus returned to the feline in a matter of seconds when he noticed that the red gem embedded into the orc's weapon began to glow. Hunter quickly got up on his feet and darted forward, just in time since soon later a fiery hot red beam struck the place where he laid just mere seconds ago.

An furious roar of an ape commander echoed through the air, there was no use for words, the angry cry was enough to make the rest of the soldiers understand its meaning. The remaining archers released another series of arrows at the running cheetah, the ape commander didn't watch, the magician himself launched a small but very quick fireball at the dashing cat himself.

Hearing the sound of incoming arrows and magic projectile Hunter understood that he won't be able to outmanoeuvre the incoming projectiles. The feline instead leapt into the air and with his body and arms stretched forward he jumped above one of the many rocks his enemies used previously as cover. He could feel and hear the arrows bouncing off the stony structure, unfortunately he wasn't able to avoid getting hurt. Just before his legs could slump behind the rock the fireball collided with its surface, the flames it blurt out forth managed to catch the cheetahs still unprotected legs.

Hunter groaned painfully through clenched teeth as he slid down behind the stony surface, the flames managed to reach his flesh even though his pants and ankle bands. While still clinging to his hiding spot Hunter heard a falcon's cry in the distance, soon his sensitive ears picked up two more calls. Hunter understood the message perfectly, the Atlawa were coming, however judging from the cries of his flying friend the lamas were concentrating on a direct assault, they were instead surrounding their enemies, cutting of any escape routes in the process.

The cheetah with a painful sigh prepared his bow, with a quick breath he pulled himself up and took a quick peek from his cover. Only two archers remained on the cliff, they fired their bows at him but the apes were much less skilled than he was. Hunter easily dodged the projectiles just to fire an arrow of his own, the projectile didn't hit its target but it went pass by the archer so closely that he won't be trying to attack anytime soon.

The cheetah swiftly prepared another arrow to scare off the second archer but then his sensitive ears picked up movement on his right flank. He spun around and released the projectile, only a stifled grunt was a sign that there was really someone there. Another sound, this time coming from his left side, with a quick spin Hunter repeated the procedure, it ended exactly as the previous one.

There was something wrong, these soldiers were committing suicides, their moves were uncoordinated, they seemed to forget about his hearing. Cheetahs can be surprised but you have to be very careful as you sneak towards them, and these soldiers weren't. Either the commander is throwing everything he has at him, which would have no sense at all since they clearly outnumber him or...

" We need to go!" Hunter muttered with a raised voice when realization struck him.

His enemies movements were uncoordinated because their commander wasn't here, and since the orc also vanished it could only mean one thing- both officers are retreating, they have to know that the Atlawa will get here sooner or later, and if they would linger around here for too long they would get surrounded. Darting forward Hunter made his way towards the area behind the cliff since that was most likely where both officers went.

However before he could truly begin his pursuit he was stopped in his tracks by two soldiers, the apes pointed their swords at him and charged with a loud war cry. Hunter being swift on his legs sidestepped to avoid a thrust and ducked under the second sword without even slowing down. He then leapt at one of the soldiers while he raised his weapon for another attack, with the cheetahs weight pressing on him the soldier couldn't keep his balance and fell to the ground. Hunter rolled forward while tearing the soldier's weapon from his hand, he then quickly got up and with a swift spin unstrapped one of his daggers and flung it at the standing soldier. The ape caught by surprise couldn't dodge it, the blade impaled itself in the soldier's throat, without wasting any time the feline rose the sword above his head and plunged it into the chest of the fallen ape, a gurgle and blurt out blood from the soldier's mouth was enough of a sign to tell that the thrust was a fatal one.

Recovering his dagger, and picking up the sword Hunter continued his pursuit, he could hear the soldier's shouts from behind him as they began to chase him, but he didn't care about them, he is fast, he can outrun them with ease and by the time they'll find him the Atlawa will be here. Hunter whistled a tune that only his flying companion could understand, as soon as he finished he could hear a falcon's cry in the distance as if in acknowledgement. The first call was soon followed by two more, which ordered haste.

Hunter nodded slightly, his message was understood, nobody can escape and the two officers are way too powerful to be handled alone. Nevertheless he never stopped, he had a goal to stall them, and he will accomplish it no matter what. Soon he picked up the trail, the two elites weren't really bothering to cover them, probably thinking that the soldiers would stall him long enough to give them time to escape.

The trail with each second became more and more apparent, he was gaining on them and soon he will catch up with the two soldiers. As he scanned the ground his keen eyes noticed disparity on the ground, his eyes widened when he realized that someone was meddling with it, it only meant one thing- this was a trap.

Years of experience and natural reflexes allowed Hunter to dodge the trap in the last second, unfortunately he wasn't able to avoid entirely the swinging black club appearing from behind a rock, the spikes caught his arm, tearing out fur and flesh, luckily for him the spikes didn't go far, yet the hit from such a massive weapon even if not a clean one managed to throw him off balance. Hunter couldn't regain his stability and fell to the ground face first.

The hero orc smirked as he turned to face the fallen cheetah while rotating the massive club in his hand " Told you he would come after us"

The ape commander stepped out from behind his cover while examining the disparity on the ground with a frown " You also told me that he would trigger the trap and be dead by now"

The orc shrugged " A small detail that can be easily corrected" he narrowed his eyes on the cheetah " Time to get ourselves a pelt"

With a roar the orc charged with the club raised above his head, Hunter rolled to the side just in time to avoid the strike, bits of grass and dirt bounced off his face as the club hit the ground. The ape commander charged his magical scepter, the air became suddenly cold, Hunter knowing what was happening reached down his pantleg and with a swift move threw a dagger at the ape. It didn't strike the commander but the blade managed to collide with the ape's weapon throwing it slightly to the side.

It was then when the ice bolt was released, bits of ice managed to scar the cheetah as the magical projectile shattered just a few meters from his body. The orc attacked again, and once again Hunter rolled away from the spiked club but this time when the strike missed him he adopted a crouching position and made a quick swing with his leg dragging it across the ground. The orc toppled to the ground with a grunt as he was thrown off balance.

Hunter instantly jumped forward above his fallen enemy, just in time in fact to avoid another magical missile. With a roll he unstrapped his bow and while in crouching position he spun around and immediately released arrow after arrow in quick succession at the ape commander. The projectiles never found their target since the orc rose in their way and blocked their path with his heavy shield.

When the last arrow shattered on its metallic surface the orc lowered his shield and with a roar pointed his weapon at the feline, the red gem was already glowing with energy. A red beam was set loose soon after, Hunter jumped to the side, as he rolled the scent of burning material invaded his nostrils. Only when he got up he realized that the beam melted entirely the bottom side of his cape.

The moment he rose Hunter released an arrow at the orc to prevent him from charging his weapon again, his enemy of course blocked the shot with his shield but it was enough to stall the orc even if for a little bit. He could feel the pulse of magical energy as another missile was being thrown at him, Hunter swiftly leaned his body backwards, the ice bolt flew just past his eyes. Even if the attack was a miss, the bolt still managed to leave an icy painful trail on his chest.

He won't be able to keep up with his enemies at this close range, he might be fast but everyone has his limits, the constant dodging was tiring and exhaustion only mean slowness. He had to retreat to a safer distance, he isn't a fighter, he has no chance of survival in close combat against such powerful opponents. Hunter didn't really have the time to come up with a plan since the orc charged immediately.

The orc flung his weapon vertically, the cheetah sidestepped avoiding the blow just to pin the weapon to the ground as he put his legs on the orc's arm just to leap forward above his enemy head to land behind the orc's back. It didn't went as he planned, as he was in the air the officer somehow managed to slightly fling his heavy shield, it was a slow move, even for a beast like him it was quite a feat to raise such a shield above his head. Unfortunately for the cheetah it was enough, Hunter managed to avoid most of the spikes but one found its mark, the black spike tore his coat and the side of his body leaving a bloody cut on his left side.

Hunter roared in pain but unfortunately for him that wasn't the last of his worries, the ape commander irritated by his constant misses tried a different approach. He charged a shockwave that didn't require a clean hit to be effective, the ape pointed his scepter outwards and released the charged spell. Hunter only grunted when he was hit by the invisible force, he was shot from the sky just to be flicked like he weighted nothing into the nearby rock, the shockwave forced the hero orc to teeter and fight for his balance.

Cracks appeared on the stony surface as Hunter collided with it, he felt as an electric pulse ran through his spine, to make things worse blood started to trickle down the back of his neck, the impact left a cut on the back of his head that was bleeding profusely. Not to mention he had difficulties to let out a single breath, the world swirled before his eyes, the dizziness made him sick.

During his near fainting state he noticed the ape commander approaching him, he couldn't really tell but he thought he was laughing. He saw the ape unsheathing a sword, Hunter tried to pull up but every attempt ended with him hitting the ground, he saw the ape raising his sword and then everything went black, before he lost contact with the world he was glad that at least he was spared the sight of his own death.

Surprisingly Hunter managed to force his eyes open, through his blurry vision he saw the commander sprawled on the ground in front of him shredded by arrows. He could also hear some muffled sounds coming from the many indistinct forms littering his sight. He couldn't focus on the shapes since soon his vision was once again shrouded by darkness.

Hunter opened his eyes again, but this time there was a blurry image of a member of the Atlawa tribe kneeling before him. The lama's green eyes were observing him closely, the cheetah tried to make out some features but the only thing he managed to discern were the tribesmen's whitish wool with a steel blue hue in the middle that ran upwards and circled around the lama's eyes. A pointy mane was situated on the creature's head between two long ears, the mane just like the ears had the same color his wool had, with the steel blue covering the upper side. Hunter could also see the lama's leather armor and a tip of a spear protruding from behind his back, he tried to focus and make out some other details but his eyes were already closing, the last thing he saw was the tribesman waving for someone to approach.

Hunter's eyes opened yet again just to see nothing else but his avian companion standing before him, the bird looked at him, parted its beak and let out a cry. For the cheetah's dizzied sense it sounded like the most beautiful lullaby, the feline drifted away momentarily.

When he opened his eyes once again he was in entirely different place, instead of an azure sky a wooden ceiling greeted him. Hunter slowly looked around the room, it looked like the typical bedroom one could find in every village located in the wilderness. A simple closet, a nightstand with a burning candle placed on top of it. There was also a table in his new room with all sorts of medicine laying on its top, starting from simple bandages just to end on some strange looking mixtures.

The sound of opening door reached his ears, he looked in the direction from which the sound came and saw two female lamas entering the room while laughing cheerfully, one of the females was carrying a bowl. Their laughs ended abruptly when they laid their eyes on him, the female who carried the bowl leaned towards the other one

" Go get Kane" she whispered and the second lama disappeared in an instant.

She smiled as she began approaching the cheetah " Good morning"

Hunter focused his eyes on her form, she was wearing some simple brown pants, a white tank top and an apron on top of it. A khaki wool covered her body which turned more crimson around her red eyes

" Who are you?" Hunter asked in a muffled tone

She giggled while placing the bowl on the table " Don't worry I'm not some sort of a guide who wants to take you to Werint"

" Werint?" the feline repeated the unknown name, he also noticed crimson stripes of wool on her mostly khaki arms, the crimson color also covered the top of her ears

" That's right I've forgot completely" she kneeled next to his bed " You are not familiar with our customs" she placed her hand on his forehead

Hunter surprisingly relaxed under her touch, he began to examine his surroundings " Where am I?"

She smiled, stood up and approached the recently placed bowl " You are safe" she uncorked a bottle and filled the bowl with its contents before mixing the substance with a spoon. After a short while she poured the mixture into a mug and turned towards the cheetah

" Welcome in Atlawa territory" she announced

Hunter adopted an alarmed look, he only had brief dealings with the lamas before, or more likely the dragons had, he only observed the creatures from a distance. He only heard rumors about the Atlawa, that despite their peaceful nature they are barbaric people who worship strange gods and commit all kind of atrocities in their name.

He is far more open minded than any cheetah but that doesn't mean he can just ignore the knowledge his tutors passed onto him specifically the lessons about rumors, his tutors always repeated that they always hide some truth. They always told him that uncertainty means usually danger, that was enough to make him cautious, not to mention that he was now deep within Atlawa lands.

Remembering his lessons Hunter narrowed his eyes on the cup " What is it?" he asked with palpable alarm in his voice as the lama was approaching him with the strange concoction.

" Poison" she replied without any emotion in her voice, just right after he finished his sentence

Hunter's eyes shot wide open, he began to wiggle in the bed just to get as far as possible from her but he just couldn't his strength left him completely. " Don't come any closer"

The lama dropped to her knees right next to the bed, placed the mug on the ground and threw her arms upwards while staring at the ceiling " Oh great Werint hear your humble servant!" she exclaimed

He started to thrash more fiercely, being defenseless right next to such crazy girl trigger more fear in him than the earlier fight with the orc and the ape.

" I present you this sacrifice! Feast on his life force and let us seep from your glory for all eternity!" she squealed while pulling her ears down before dropping her head onto the sheets.

The bed shook slightly when her head hit the sheets, he DEFINIATELY needs to get out of here, the girl is clearly out of her mind, the rumors are true after all. Groaning Hunter began to pull himself up, the adrenaline pulsing through his veins allowed him to push himself to a sitting position despite his lack of strength.

" Relax!" she exclaimed and pushed him onto the bed once again, while still holding his shoulders she grinned while looking him straight in the eyes " I'm just messing with you" she giggled

Hunter panted, he tried to shake her off but couldn't, the simple move tired him completely, without nothing else to do he looked into her red eyes. Surprisingly they weren't filled with evilness or craziness, they were radiating kindness, happiness and youthful jauntiness. Just looking into her eyes calmed him.

" Why would you do that?" he finally asked when his breathing returned to normal

" You sure ask a lot of questions" she pulled away from him " I saw that glow in your eyes, I had dealings with dragons before I can recognize it. You thought that I'm some crazy chick wanting to eat you or something" she reached down

Seeing her eyes from up close he just couldn't help himself but to feel guilty " I'm sorry, I didn't want to offend you"

She stood up " Don't sweat it" she offered the mug to him " Bottoms up!"

Hunter curled his nose, even if the female really seems to be a kind person his instinct still warn him to not touch the unknown " No thank you, I'm not thirsty" he replied, perfectly hiding his cautiousness

She raised her brows in sincere awe " Niiiice you are making progress, you tell me to bug off without being rude" she raised her thumb " Point for you!" she once again offered him the mug " But that doesn't change anything, you still need to drink it"

" It's not necessary, thank you"

" Oh come on! It will get you back on your feet. Promise!"

Hunter delicately leaned away from her " I already feel better"

She placed one of her hands on her hip " I can see that, you again try to run." she sighed " Ok we will do it like this, either you are going to drink it yourself or I'm going to shove it down your throat"

He considered his options, the lama didn't see like the aggressive type, he was quite certain that she is bluffing " I'm sorry but I still have to decline"

" Damn!" she stomped her foot and leaned closer towards the cheetah " I wasn't really intimidating was I?"

Hunter's eyes widened when seeing her reaction, he didn't say a word, he just shook his head

The female snorted " Every single time" with a shook of her head she straightened up " What would convince you to change your mind..." she mused loudly, after a while her eyes widened " I KNOW!" Hunter jumped slightly on his bed after her sudden squealing shout " What if I'll take a sip first? That way you will see that it isn't poison or anything. What do you think?"

" Ummm... that's a good idea but..."

The lama bounced happily " YAY!" after her shout of happiness she adopted a more serious posture and raised the mug " Ok here goes!" she dipped her lips and as soon as the mixture flew down her throat her face curled in abhorrence " By the gods" she muttered in disgust " This is horrible! And here I thought people were complaining only because they wanted to make fun of me. Ugh I need to really work on the taste"

She shrugged and smiled " Anyway your turn now! Now when you think of it this thing can't be poison right? If I wanted to kill you I would give you something far more sweeter" she offered the mug again " Here you go"

The lama had a point he couldn't deny it, if he really wanted to poison him she wouldn't try to force him to drink something disgusting. And if she wasn't acting then that was truly medicine, and medicine usually has a bitter taste, he learned it the hard way. Hunter took the cup from the lama's hands and sniffed the mixture, surprisingly it didn't have any scent at all. With a sigh he moved the mug towards his lips

" A word of advice before you drink it!" she blurt out, Hunter looked at her surprised.

The female giggled " I shouldn't say anything since I've made this potion but you should drink it all at once, don't take any sips just drink it. This thing is disgusting, and I mean REALLY disgusting, so..." she clapped her hands and smiled " Bottoms up!"

Hunter regrets it already, but he had to do it otherwise he really doubts that she would stop pestering him. With a breath he poured the mixture into his mouth and swallowed

" And, and, and?" the lama blurt out excitedly while staring at him closely with her fingers crossed in front of her face

Firstly he couldn't feel anything, but after some seconds the most disgusting taste invaded his palate, stomach and all the other parts of his body responsible for digesting liquids. Momentarily he began to gag

" Bowl!" she exclaimed in horror " Bowl, bowl, bowl" she repeated quickly while looking around the room, after a while she grabbed the bowl which she brought here moments ago, emptied it through the window and offered it to the feline.

With one of his hands covering his mouth he motioned for her to stop with the other one while shaking his head. After a few more gags everything returned to normal. Hunter exhaled a breath of relief

" Delicious" he smiled weakly

" You didn't throw up!" the lama threw her hands up, the bowl hit the ground with an audible clatter

" You look surprised"

" Of course I am surprised! Everyone who drank this potion threw up soon after, firstly I've thought that they are overreacting but it happened to EVERYONE! But you...you managed to hold up" her tail waggled happily " I'm making progress! And here I thought that I used the wrong ingredients"

Hunter narrowed his eyes on her " You want to tell me that you are a healer who doesn't know what she is doing and is experimenting on her patients?" he sighed " A comforting thought"

" Oh no, no, no" she shook her head " I'm not a healer, I just love mixing stuff and see if it works. Since nobody here wants to test my products you volunteered"

" I don't remember that I volunteered for anything"

" Or they volunteered you when you were knocked out. Doesn't matter, it works! And that's what's important!"

" You were sent here to experiment on me?" Hunter blurt out indignantly

She raised her hands defensively " No! Nothing like that! I aspire to be a healer you see, but I also love making all kinds of healing potions and since all of my mixtures were failures until now Kane forbade me from testing them on our people, but since you are not one of us...ummm...yeah"

" That is experimenting" he replied coldly

She bit her lip and folded her arms behind her back " But you feel good right? It seemed to work...but ok I shouldn't have done this" she chuckled softly and shrugged " Sorry?"

Hunter shook his head, he couldn't believe his own ears, however somehow she managed to help him recover " So it seems I'm lucky that you have a natural talent for healing"

" Talent?" she scoffed " I suck" she leaned closer " Between you and me I have no idea what effects the potion I gave you has, I wanted it to be rejuvenating but you know..." she smiled with a shrug " I suck"

Hunter sighed deeply " Just drop it" He narrowed his eyes on the lama when she suddenly kneeled next to his bed " What are you doing?"

" Questions, questions, relax I need to check you out" she cupped his head in her hands " I've mastered the basics don't worry" with a grin she delicately moved his head to one side " Does it hurt?"

" No"

She began to move his head to the other side, when their eyes met she smiled kindly. He knew her only for a while, she seemed to be infantile but there was something to her that made his heart pump blood faster

" Nothing" Hunter said when his head was moved to the other side, anticipating her question

She let go of his head " Great, your spine seems to be fine, now I need to check out your senses" she suddenly pressed her forearm to his nose " Sniff"

Hunter eyes widened when her soft wool touched his nose, to say that she is impulsive doesn't give her all the credit. However he did as he was told, her wool brushed his nose. Besides the delicate scent of a female, he could also smell an intense scent of someone who was hard working and didn't have the time to properly clean himself, yet out of politeness he decided to conceal the fact

" You smell nice"

The lama smiled " How nice of you to lie to me like that but I exactly know how I smell" she withdrew her forearm and sniffed it herself, her nose curled in disgust " Gods I stink! That's what happens when you spend all day in the fields and don't even find the time for a proper bath" she sniffed her forearm again " Ugh"

She clapped her hands " Anyway since you can hear and see me I say your other senses are fine, despite the fact that you threw yourself at the whole contingent of enemies who just tossed you like a ragdoll"

" Somebody had to stop them" he replied confidently

" Yeah I know, but ALONE? I've seen what you did to some of them, pretty amazing but stupid nonetheless" she giggled " Who I am to judge? I'm not perfectly sane myself, besides someone will lecture you soon enough"

" Who?"

She waved her finger " Oh no, no, no, it doesn't work this way. Now it's my turn to ask questions" she dropped to her knees, placed her elbows on the sheets of the bed just to rest her chin on her palms while observing the cheetah intently " You must be really tough to be able to survive such beating, how did you manage to withstand so much pain?"

Hunter impulsively touched his wounded arm " Years of training and fighting teach you resilience"

" You are being taught to fight as a child?"

" Yes"

The lama frowned " That sucks, it leaves no room for true childhood"

Hunter frowned also, he wasn't really following the cheetahs traditions himself, but to hear someone mocking his people way of life was irritating " This is a dangerous world, if you won't prepare to face its dangers you will fall"

" Whoa, I've accidently found a soft spot" she smiled " Change of topic. All of you are so fluffy?"

" Fluffy?" he repeated confused

" Yeah, fluffy. I know that this is a stupid question but I've never seen a cheetah before, I don't know where to start"

Hunter's eyes widened " I am the first cheetah you see?"

She waved her finger threateningly " Hey don't forget that it is my turn now" she scolded him " But yeah, you are my first so to speak. Don't look at me like that, I've lived here all my life"

He pitied her, he was so close to share her fate, but he followed the dragons, abandoning all the traditions he was taught from childhood. To not be able to see the wonders of the outside world, a cruel path he was so close on following all those years ago

" I'm sorry, I can only imagine how hard it had to be for you"

For the first time he saw her sincerely irritated " Sorry? For what? Maybe I didn't see the world but I lived a happy and interesting life here. There is always something to do in the jungle"

At least now Hunter knows they both have one thing in common- both of them respect the customs of their own people, no matter how far they stray for them " I shouldn't say anything"

" Don't sweat it" she smiled and tenderly touched his wounded arm, where now a fresh bandage could be seen " Freedom comes with a price, I can only imagine how it had to hurt, you are basically injured from top to bottom, luckily the cut on your head wasn't a deep one" she looked at him with shimmering kindness in her eyes as if she tried to force him to stop thinking about the bad things that happened recently " Wanna see how good I am at bandaging?"

Hunter smiled " Sure, why not"

She grinned " Sec" with that she jumped from the bed and rummaged through the room, moments later she approached him carrying a mirror " And?"

He looked at his reflection, there was nothing special in the way she bandaged, one thing that he really noticed was the fresh material wrapped around his head. This was a very painful mission " Thank you for patching me up"

She withdrew the mirror " And it's been a looooot of work let me tell you, especially down here" she grabbed the sheets and flicked them to the side revealing his bandaged chest. The lama delicately ran her fingers across his bandages " Didn't they tell you that a cat should avoid a dog? Still it healed pretty well thanks to that thing in your bags, you have some amazing stuff there. How did you make it?"

Surprisingly Hunter didn't try to get away, something in her touch took all the pain away " I didn't make it, it's the work of our healer"

" I had to use plenty of that stuff, you were wounded absolutely everywhere" she grinned " You know what's the best part of this job? I got to strip you naked" she beamed proudly

Hunter blushed " Oh...is...is that so?"

" Yeah! And I've checked every part, you know you have to be thorough when it comes to healing"

He didn't say a word, he just laid there without even looking at her

The lama laughed " Relax I didn't go below the waist"

He looked at her, his blush slightly fading " I see"

She shrugged " I only took a peek"

His blush returned with greater intensity " This is embarrassing"

The lama burst out laughing " You are so serious! I'm kidding, I'm not perverted" she patted his chest " Cheer up!"

Hunter groaned in pain, she gasped and covered her mouth with one hand " Oh I'm sorry!" she muttered still giggling while she massaged his wounded abdomen with her free hand " I didn't mean to hurt you"

The cheetah looked at her, and when he noticed her chuckling face he just couldn't help himself but to start laughing with her. They both were so lost in glee that they didn't even hear the door opening

" I see Nilla that your attitude is already affecting our guest here" a male voice echoed throughout the room

Startled she pulled the sheets over the cheetah's chest and instantly jumped to her feet " Kane don't sneak like that! I've almost had an heart attack"

The male lama smiled and began to approach the bed " How is he feeling?"

Nilla pointed at the cheetah with her open hand " Ask him yourself, but you better hurry since he loves questions himself" with that she began to pack her things

Kane stopped just next to Hunter's bed and watched him carefully, he didn't say a word until he heard the door opening " What is your name?"

Before he could answer his eyes traveled towards the door where the girl dropped a mug on the ground, he saw her picking it up and cleaning it with her apron. She was taking her time, the lama was really giving much attention to the mug, just like she tried to make it shine. The feline eventually focused on the male next to him

" Hunter" he introduced himself, his eyes again traveled to the now closing doors, the female lama was gone

" I'm Kane" the cheetah's eyes returned to the male lama

Hunter narrowed his eyes on the tribesmen, he was certain that he saw the lama kneeling before him when he struggled with dizziness. The hue of his wool a clear sign of that, white color with a steel blue pattern as an addition, it seems his avian companion managed to lead the leader of the Atlawa to him.

" Nilla worships the god Ummes, his disciples cherish happiness among other things. The glee together with her jauntiness makes her rather eccentric and tiresome at times"

The cheetah chuckled " She is alright"

Kane took a deep breath " Tell me Hunter, are you suicidal?"

He was surprised by the lama's sudden change of topic and overall mood, yet he didn't betray his sock" No"

Kane huffed " Yet we found you fighting alone two Dark officers. If your bird wouldn't lead us to you, you would be Muril's snack by now"

Hunter furrowed a brow " Muril?"

" Cowardly creatures which feed on dead and weak" the lama shook his head " Unimportant" with that he narrowed his fierce gaze on the feline " Why did you attack the whole group?"

" Because they were a threat to safety of innocent beings"

Kane sighed " You cheetahs are so short-sighted, you don't respect life"

Hunter growled, there was something in the lama's tone that he didn't like very much " We are trained from our earliest years to fight, it's our duty to protect the ones who can't protect themselves"

" And by doing so you stand against superior numbers. Sorry Hunter but this is pure waste"

" Then you propose to allow the next group that slips through roam freely through your territory?

" Of course not, but you are missing the point. Vanquish the enemy when you have the chance, but don't blindly pursue them or you might get yourself killed"

" That is the fate of every warrior"

Kane shook his head disappointed " When you cheetahs will finally see the big picture. By letting yourselves get killed you waste your extraordinary skills which in the future might save even more lives"

" The present is important, not what will happen tomorrow"

" This is going nowhere, you are just like the rest of your kind." Kane exhaled a breath " What are you doing here?, I don't remember calling for help"

Hunter frowned " You've sent two of your people to Warfang seeking assistance so stop pretending like you don't know anything"

Kane nodded " Yes I did send my men to the Dragon City, but they didn't seek the Guardian's assistance. I've sent them for Spyro, his tribe needed him"

Hunter knew the story, Spyro after saving the Atlawa from Cynder's forces was to be worshipped by the lamas as a god yet he declined. Kane trying to show how grateful he and his people are made Spyro a member of his tribe, with or without the young dragon's consent.

" Spyro couldn't make it so I took his place"

" They shouldn't have. Atlawa business is for Atlawa only but since you are already here..." Kane reached down his pocket and withdrew a small dark red crystal, he threw the gem towards the cat " Here, take it, I know that Spyro has a talent for solving troubles and mysteries"

Hunter grabbed the crystal with ease and examined it, it had a dark bleak green color, as he turned it around he noticed a drop of dried blood on its back. There was something familiar about the gem, he could swear he saw it somewhere " Where did you get it?"

" The hero orc carried it"

The cheetah nodded " Thank you"

The lama returned the gesture and made his way towards the door " I don't want to sound rude but when you will feel better I want you to move on, we will of course escort you to the border." Kane opened the door " Don't forget to take the bird with you, it's scaring my people" the door closed

Some hours later Hunter emerged outside, fully dressed into his now sewn clothes with a falcon sitting on his shoulder. He took a deep breath, how nice it was again to feel the fresh air, as he opened his eyes he noticed the familiar female lama standing before him with her thumbs hidden inside her pockets

Nilla smiled at him, yet it wasn't the same beaming smile he got used to " Leaving already?"

" Yes, I'm sure they are getting worried in Warfang" he smiled " Thank you again for taking care of me, the potion seemed to work"

She averted her gaze " I'm glad"

" Let's go Hunter!" Kane yelled from further down the road " Time is of the essence!"

The cheetah nodded " Best of luck in your experiments"

Nilla smiled and went her own way without saying a word

Hunter joined his escort and the group made their way slowly towards the thick jungle, as his legs carried him onwards Hunter couldn't help himself but to look behind his shoulder.

They've been marching for some days now, mostly in silence. He didn't know much about the Atlawa, people said they are strange and mostly keep to themselves. Which is true, but even in such a secluded community there are people who stand out from the typical superstitions. His reflection was ended abruptly by Kane's raised fist, the group halted instantly.

Hunter could hear something ahead, many creatures were not far from their position, they didn't notice them yet, their chaotic movements proved that. The group sneaked forward with their weapons at the ready, Kane signaled for the rest of the team to split and take flanking positions. He, Hunter and some other lamas pressed forward.

After they've peeked from their cover a gruesome scene welcomed them. Blood drenched the green ground, lots and lots of blood, bones were scattered all around the place, pieces of flesh were still hanging from some of them. There were also bodies of three dead dragons, their bellies ripped open, entrails laying on the ground, parts of their bodies ripped off to the bone.

Perpetrators of this scene were some small goblin like creatures, with huge eyes and scaly hide, they were jumping all around the places with their maw drenched with blood and pieces of flesh. Dead bodies were laying everywhere, Hunter figured out that this have be the Muril's Kane spoken about. He strung his bow but Kane with a motion of his hand ordered him to lower it.

The lama unstrapped a horn from his belt and blew it, the creatures screeched in horror and scattered in every direction. Kane stood up and approached the scene carefully examining the scene.

" What happened here?" the lama muttered under his breath

Hunter with his scout's instinct fallowed in the lama's wake, firstly he approached the fallen dragons, their bodies didn't have any visible mortal wound, but something killed them. His eyes traveled across the drake's body until he spotted the odd angle of the dragon's head. The drake had a broken neck, he examined the rest of the draconic bodies, all of them had broken necks. It was strange, dragons are known from their powerfully built bones, to break their necks they would have to fly straight into an obstacle headlong without even trying to slow down.

He moved then towards the pile of bones, he crouched and tenderly poked the remains with a stick. He frowned, he could tell from the remains that the creature was just about his height and nothing else, the bones didn't resemble any being he was familiar with.

He tenderly picked up a bone, looking for a way to understand this mystery, as he turned the bone in his hand a red drop appeared on its surface. He ran his finger across the drop and rubbed it between his thumb- blood and a fresh one at that. Another drop appeared on the bone, they seemed to be coming from nowhere, momentarily another one splattered on the bone's surface. The drops were clearly falling from above, Hunter looked up and his eyes widened in shock

He dropped the bone " Kane! I need help over here!" the cheetah yelled at the top of his lungs