"Are we almost there?"


"Not quite yet. We still have a little further to go."


"We've been hiking for hours Brena." The Weavile complained. "Where are we even going?"


The Alolan Vulpix stopped and turned towards him. "It's a surprise. Something special for your birthday."


"I keep telling you, my birthday's not…"


"Yeah, yeah." She cuts him off. "Not for another two weeks. But this is the best time to give it to you. If I wait until your actual birthday, it will be too late."


Now he was curious. What could she have possibly gotten him way up on the mountain that was time sensitive? Zephyr pondered this as they continued up the mountain. It was normally a two day trip to the summit, but since they both worked at the last outpost before reaching the top, it only took them about five hours. Zephyr looked around but didn’t see anything of note, only snow. “So what did you want to give me?”


Brena turned to him with a smile. “I want you to hunt me.”


He looked at her with confusion. “Hunt you?”


“Yep. That’s your present. Hunting me. If you can catch me before I reach Radar Station then you can do anything you want to me.”


“Anything I want?” He asked and then pondered for a moment. “No limits?”


“None. I will be at your mercy.” Brena replied.


A devious smile came across Zephyr’s face. “You know, you are starting to look pretty tasty. Better start running.”


Brena took a few nervous steps backwards after hearing what Zephyr had just said. “Uh, yeah.” She turned around and darted off down the hill and into the tree line.


Zephyr began walking in the direction she had run. Radar Station is a weather station in the same mountain range, and is about a three day trip from their outpost on foot. But that was only if you were following the trails. It would likely take Brena longer than that to reach it if she wanted to avoid detection by him. He now understood why Brena wanted to do this now and not in two weeks. It was currently the off season, which meant no one was out here. In nine days however, the mountain trails would start filling up with hikers. All alone on the mountain with just Brena. No, not Brena. His prey. This was going to be fun.


He had followed Brena’s trail for about an hour. She knew she was being hunted and that gave her an edge. Her white fur allowed her to more easily blend into the snow covered scenery. The tracks led him to a berry bush. A quick examination of the area told him she stopped to eat. Good, he thought to himself, she’ll need to keep up her strength if this little game of theirs was going to last. He decided to eat as well. He had been hiking all day after all. Fruitful berry bushes were rare this high up in the mountains. It was a lucky find for both of them.


After the meal he got back to following her. She hadn’t thought to cover her tracks. Zephyr could tell by the spacing that she switched from running to walking after eating. He planned on scaring her and letting her escape when caught up to her. Maybe that would make her more cautious. Make the hunt more fun. 


The tracks led to a slope. A large streak of indented snow marked where she had slid down. He moved at a brisk pace. Faster than what she was moving at based on her tracks. He continued on for another few hours before coming to a stop. Zephyr sniffed the air. Brena’s scent was getting stronger. She was close. He followed the tracks and his nose and spotted her. She had stopped to eat again.


This was the perfect opportunity. He had two options. Strike now and end the hunt, or scare her as he intended. He decided to stick with his plan. He rustled the leaves of a nearby bush. Brena froze, looked in the direction of the noise, dropped her food, and ran. He came out with a smile. Maybe now she would be careful. Stopping to eat or sleep was a risk that gave Zephyr time catch up and she knew that now. He ate the other half of the berry she dropped. Based on how many were still on the bush, it was a light meal for her. If she was hungry, she would make mistakes. He was enjoying himself far too much.


Zephyr took his time eating. He wanted to let Brena get some distance. They were still a long way away from Radar Station, so he had time. He followed the tracks for another hour. She had run for quite a while before slowing down. Her tracks suddenly vanished. She had finally gotten smart and started covering them. He was looking around for signs of her when he picked up her scent. The sun had set and it was dark out. No matter, he could see in the dark just fine. 


Her scent grew stronger and he stopped to look around. At first he didn’t see anything, then he caught a twitch of movement. Brena had hidden herself under a bush. She was curled up and likely getting ready to sleep. He looked at her closely. She wasn’t moving at all. She must have been holding her breath. That meant she knew he was here. He scanned the area, but kept her in his peripheral. His ear twitched as he heard the crunch of dirt and snow coming from her direction. She was getting ready to flee. He walked away from the bush, pretending to search for signs of her. He waited until he was out of sight before circling back around. He checked the bush. Good. She was still there. He quietly climbed a nearby tree. He would resume the hunt in the morning.
Light broke through the treetops. Zephyr stirred awake and took a moment to take in his surroundings. He climbed out of the tree and checked the bush. Brena was gone, and she had covered her tracks. He would have to try harder to find her now that she wasn’t leaving an obvious trail to follow. He took a look around the area and found some signs. For as careful as she was, she couldn’t cover everything, not without wasting valuable time. He set off in the direction he thought she went and the hunt resumed.


Half the day had passed. Zephyr had stopped to eat twice now. He found no signs that she had stopped to eat. Signs of Brena were few and far between. It was putting his tracking skills to the test. He heard the sound of footsteps in the snow. He rushed towards the sound and stopped when he saw a Sawsbuck. He immediately recognized the deer like Pokémon as Paul. He casually approached. “Hey Paulo.”


Paul jumped and whipped around to face Zephyr. “Zephyr! You surprised me.”


“Sorry about that. You out on patrol?”


“Yeah.” Paul replied. “You know how some of these hikers get. They just can’t wait to get out onto the mountain. How about you? Giving everything one last check?”


“Yep.” Zephyr lied, “Got to make sure everything is cleared and safe. Don’t want any accidents. Had a record low of only 12 incidents last year and I want to get that even lower.” He paused. “Have you seen Brena? She ran off ahead and I haven’t seen her in a few hours.”


“I saw her about half an hour ago.” Paul looked off in the direction she had gone. “She seemed like she was in a hurry. Didn’t stop to talk like you did. She seemed jumpy. Looked like shit too. Something happen to her?”


“Not that I’m aware of. Maybe she ran into some trouble. I better hurry up and find her.” Zephyr started running in the direction Paul had pointed him. “Nice talking to you Paulo. Stay safe.”


“You too.” Paul called back before getting back to his patrol. “I hope Brena is alright.”


Half an hour wasn’t too long ago. He could easily catch up to her if hurried. But if he went too quick and didn’t pay attention, he could lose her trail. He lurched to a halt as he came to a steep slope. A quick look showed a spot where someone had tumbled. He followed it down with his eyes and saw the tracks leading to the tree line. He caught only a brief glimpse of Brena limping away. She had injured herself coming down the slope, and he probably would too. He needed to find a way around.


Brena was injured and moving slowly. This gave Zephyr time to find a safe way down. He didn’t know how serious it was though. If it was something simple like a twisted ankle, then she would be moving normal again in no time. If she sprained or broke something, then this hunt was already over.


He reached a point where the slope was not so steep and made his descent. He hurried back to where he last saw her. If she was seriously injured then he was going to help her, hunt be damned. Brena is his friend after all. If she was okay on the other hand, then the hunt would continue. And at that point, it didn’t matter that they were friends.


Zephyr arrived at the point she had tumbled and followed her tracks. He came to a spot where it seemed she had laid down for a bit before moving again. Either her injuries weren’t that serious, or she was that determined to stay on the move. After all, the more time she spent resting, the more time he had to catch her. Her track covering had gotten sloppy. She was most likely fatigued.


As he pressed on the sky darkened and the temperature dropped. It was still a couple of hours until sundown though, so why the sudden change. You looked up and saw the sky had filled with storm clouds. The sudden gust of wind told him that a snow storm, possibly even a blizzard, was coming in. That would be bad for both of them if they did not manage to find shelter. 


Zephyr continued on as the snow started to fall. Visibility was dropping fast. He needed shelter and quick. He spotted something ahead and rushed towards. It was Brena. She was lying unconscious, half buried in the snow. Her left hind leg was swollen. He picked her up and put her on his back. The trees swayed as the wind picked up. It wouldn’t be long now before travel was completely impossible. Between the darkness and the flurry of snow, it was almost impossible to see, but he managed to make out a small alcove that was shielded from the wind. He set Brena down inside and leaned against the wall.


Brena slowly stirred awake. She jumped back startled when she saw Zephyr, only to collapse to the ground, wincing in pain. Zephyr noticed she was awake and moved towards her. He said something, but she could not hear him over the sound of the wind. He reached a hand out to her and she braced herself for the worst. She was surprised when instead of pain she felt a gentle caress. She looked up and could see his lips moving, but the wind drowned out his voice. “What?” She shouted out above the wind.


“I said are you okay?” He shouted. He had a concerned look on his face.


“Not really. You caught me. So now you can do what you will with me.”


“I didn’t catch you. I found you passed out. You’d be out there in this if I hadn’t.” He reached out and touched her swollen leg. It had gone down some, but not much. She let out a pained yelp when he touched it. “This is pretty bad. We need to hurry and get you to Radar Station for medical treatment. You can still back out of this you know.”


“No!” She pushed him away. “You need to finish your hunt.”


Zephyr got angry. “Why do you want to be hunted so badly anyways?” The wind had let up, so his shouting was more impactful.


Brena broke eye contact and said. “It’s personal, and I thought it would make you happy. I can keep going if you give me the chance. My leg isn’t that bad. I just need rest.”


Zephyr didn’t like her answer, but he accepted it. “Fine.” He responded. “I’ll keep hunting you. But not tonight. Neither of us is going anywhere until this lets up. At least try and get some sleep.” As soon as he had finished speaking, the wind had picked back up. Brena curled up and Zephyr leaned against the opposite wall and closed his eyes.


Brena’s ear twitched and she slowly looked up. The storm was over and it was morning. Zephyr was nowhere to be seen. She stretched and put some weight on her bad leg. It was sore and bruised, but at least she could put pressure on it. She took a few steps out into the fresh blanket of snow. Zephyr didn’t leave any tracks or signs of where he had gone. At least none that she could make out. She darted for the treeline and took cover in a bush. She did a quick scan and then cautiously moved from cover. She didn’t know where Zephyr was and that put her on edge. He was in all likelihood waiting to ambush her. She had to move smart and not fall into a trap.


Brena’s stomach growled. She had not eaten anything the day before. With Zephyr ahead of her, she felt a bit more confident in stopping for food. She searched for a berry bush. It took her nearly an hour before she finally came across one. Three berries were all that were left on it, and she ate them all. With her hunger partially sated, she began moving towards Radar Station again.


It had been several hours. She was beginning to wonder if Zephyr was really lying in wait, or if he was just heading for the weather station? After last night, she wasn’t so sure he wanted to continue hunting her. As she was thinking this the familiar sight of Radar Station came into view. It was a ways off in the distance, but she could see it. It would still take her the rest of the day and then some to reach it however. Excitement overtook her and she broke out into a sprint. That didn’t last long however, as her leg started hurting and she bumped it down to a light jog.


Zephyr sat at his vantage point. His eyes scanned the environment for any movement, and his ears were carefully listening for any noise. His ear twitched and his head quickly swiveled to his left. He could hear a faint crunching. The sound of footsteps in the snow. He moved with purpose towards the noise. He saw Brena making her way through the snow at a good speed. He was glad she was alright, and it made him feel less bad about what he was about to do.


He followed her from the tree tops. The branches rustled and dropped their snow as he moved, giving him away. Brena looked up at him and went wide eyed before she started running. He kept pace with her no problem. He waited for the prime opportunity, and then struck. Zephyr lept from the tree and landed on top of Brena. He leaned in and whispered into her ear, “Gotcha.” 


She struggled to get out from under him. He dug his claws into her thighs and that quickly put an end to that. He dragged them along, ripping her flesh. She let out a cry of pain as he did. “Last chance to call this off before I do any permanent damage.” He told her.


“I’m scared.” She said, voice trembling. “I’m scared.” She repeated herself, tears welling up in her eyes. “I’m scared and I don’t want to die.” He began loosening his grip on her as the tears started to roll down her face, but tightened back up as she continued. “But I don’t want you to stop either. This is…” She took a moment to choke back the tears. “This is a dark fantasy of mine. One I never expected to get to play out. Being hunted by my natural predator. I…” She paused and turned head to look at him. “I’m glad it was you. You’ve earned your prize. Do whatever it is you want to do with me.”


A wicked smile came across Zephyr’s face. It had been a good hunt, and now it was time to claim his prize. He rubbed his crotch against hers. Brena was his dear friend, and he wanted to leave her with a parting gift before she became his next meal. He flipped her over onto her back so that he could look her in the eyes as he fucked her. She gave him a blush and looked away as he continued to grind against her. With his erection now ready, he plunged into her.


Brena let out a gasp as she watched, and felt, Zephyr enter into her. His hand caressed her thigh. It moved to her stomach and up to her chest, fur running between his claws. They touched her neck and sent a  twinge of fear throughout her body. That feeling quickly subsided however as they slid on up and gently rubbed her cheek. She looked at him. The look in his eyes was a gentle one, like those of a lover. He held her as he started to move his hips.


The mountainside was quiet. The only sound to be heard for miles was them, deep in the throes of love making. Their ragged breaths appearing as steam clouds in front of them. He kept his eyes on hers as their hips collided again and again. It made Brena feel at ease, despite knowing what he would do to her once he had finished. It wouldn’t be long now. His pumps were getting faster and rougher. He finally broke eye contact with her as he came, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. She did the same.


Brena was caught in a moment of bliss as the warmth of Zephyr’s cum filled her stomach. She then felt a sharp and a different kind of warmth that worked its way up her stomach and into her chest. She looked down only to see her guts spilling out. She coughed up blood and looked at Zephyr. His lips were moving, but she couldn’t hear anything over the ringing in her ears. He leaned in and kissed her. Her tongue danced with his for a brief moment. Then everything went dark, and she was gone.


Zephyr broke the kiss and let go of Brena, her body falling limp into the snow. He reached inside her chest cavity and wrapped his hand around her heart. It was no longer beating. He used his claws like scissors and cut the various veins, arteries, and ligaments holding it in place. He pulled it out and took a bite out of it like an apple. Raw flesh was forbidden, but it was oh so good. He finished the heart and looked at his friend's dead body. Weavile were normally pack hunters, and one Vulpix would usually provide one meal for the pack, but he was a lone hunter. The cold would help preserve her for a few days, but there was no way he could finish all of this meat on his own. Her body was losing its heat quickly, and he finally pulled out. He stood up and stretched. He would either need to hide or dispose of the body without being found out.


Zephyr froze as he heard footsteps behind him. He didn’t dare turn around. The only people out here were employee’s, and he can’t imagine what his coworkers reactions to what he had done would be. An unfamiliar female voice came from behind him. “Is that fresh blood I smell? How delightful. Would you mind sharing your kill with me?”


He was caught off guard and turned to see who it was. Before him stood an Alolan Ninetales. Her eyes were a hazy grey, and she seemed to be looking less at him, and more through him. “Uh, yeah. Go right ahead. It’s more than I can eat on my own anyways.” He stepped to the side and let her approach.


The Ninetales walked up to the body and began sniffing it, before giving a lick to Brena’s cum filled snach. “Seems like you had some fun with this one before you killed her.”


“She was a very close friend.” He replied, a hint of sadness in his voice.


“Oh? And what led you to kill your dear friend like this?” She asked, before biting into Brena’s leg and ripping off a chunk of meat.


Zephyr thought about it for a moment before coming up with an answer. “It’s what she wanted. I guess it’s what I wanted too.” He took a seat in the snow and used his claw to cleanly cut one of her front legs off and started to eat it.


She swallows a chunk of meat. “Interesting. And what do you intend to do now? Will you go back?”


“I don’t think I can go back. At least not without a lot of questions and an investigation.”


“Then why not disappear?” Zephyr looked at her in confusion as she made this remark. She however did not look at him as she talked. “You could come live with me. My home is far off the trail and hard to reach. It would be nice to have company. Or possibly even,” She paused for a brief moment. Her head turned to him, and he stared into her vacant grey eyes, “a mate?”


“I don’t even know your name lady.” He said rather bluntly, taking another bite from the severed limb.


“My name is Selene. It is a pleasure to meet you.” She said with a bloody smile across her face.


“I’m Zephyr, and I might just take you up on your offer, Selene.” He bites off another chunk of meat. “We’ll haff ta shee about the matsh part.” He said while chewing.


“Excellent. I shall show you to my den when we are finished here.” The two continued to eat in silence. When they had each had their fill, Zephyr picked up the leftovers and followed Selene. The trek was difficult, but they eventually reached the mouth of a cave. “Here we are. Home sweet home.”


Zephyr entered the cave and set Brena’s carcass down. He then noticed a large and familiar body in the corner of the cave. It was Paul. He was dead and partially eaten. It was hard to think that he had just talked to him the day before. “That’s Paul. Did you kill him?” Zephyr asked with some concern.


“I did not. I found him dead this morning not far from my den. The storm likely claimed him. I merely brought him here after the fact. No sense in letting a good food source go to waste.” Selene said rather coldly. Zephyr let out a sigh of relief and set out to explore his new home.


A few days went by, and an Abomasnow approached Selene’s cave, having seen her resting near the entrance. “Excuse me miss. May I ask what you are doing out here? Mountain doesn’t open for another two days.”


Selene doesn’t look at him. “This is my home. I have lived here for many years.”


“Right. Sorry.” Someone living in a cave in these mountains was news to him. “Then perhaps you can help me. I’m looking for some missing Pokémon. Perhaps you’ve seen them.”


She frowns. “I am afraid I have not seen much of anything in a very long time. I lost my sight when I was still young.”


“I apologize. I didn’t know.”


“No need to be sorry for me.” Her voice was soft and gentle. “Can you describe the missing Pokémon for me? Mayhaps I have encountered them.”


“Three missing. Two men and a woman. One of the men is a Sawsbuck named Paul. The other is a Weavile named Zephyr. The woman’s name is Brena. She’s an Alolan Vulpix. They were out when the storm hit a few days ago and never returned.” He looked into her cave and saw nothing. He could tell that it went deeper in than what he could see, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched. “If you know anything, please let me know. Even if they are dead, we still need to find out what happened to them.”
“I am afraid I have not encountered any of these individuals, and you are the first Pokémon I have had contact with since the storm. I am sorry I could not be of more help to you.” Selene vacantly stared out at the rocks trees. Her face was emotionless and hard to read.


He let out an exasperated sigh. “Thank you for your time ma’am. If you find anything, make sure to report it. Stay safe.” He walked away from Selene’s den.


“You too.” She said out of courtesy. She waited until she could no longer hear him before swishing her tails. With the all clear signal given, Zephyr stepped out of the shadows. “It seems you are officially missing. You will have to be careful not to be spotted when you go out.”


Zephyr smiled. “I can forage at night. Maybe pick off a hiker on occasion.” Having spent some time with Selene, he learnt that more than half of the people who go missing out here annually fell victim to her, and now, they would fall victim to him.


“Only when I am with you. I so do love a good hunt.” The pair ventured deeper into the cave. Their new life together had only just begun.