7 comments/ 8297 views/ 10 favorites The Last Hunter Ch. 00 By: Joedoe1025 Authors note: All characters, organizations, creatures, and events are fictitious in nature and are not meant in any way, shape, or form to represent any entity in reality. All similarities are purely coincidental and should be disregarded as a fictitious work of writing. Any characters who are involved in or conduct in sexual acts are over the age of 18. The chapters of this story also may contain graphic, or disturbing imagery and should be read at your own risk. A secondary note: characters used from Whitesabertooth's Kiss of the Moon series of stories and events in reference to those stories are the property of whitesabertooth, the universe I use is the same universe she has written it and is used with her express permission. This is my own spin-off of events from a new perspective and does not reflect the views of whitesabertooth. Prologue: When it Rains.... Joe was in deep shit this time. The wolf was quickly closing in on him as he put another round into the chamber of his .308 caliber hunting rifle and slammed the bolt home bringing it to his shoulder. Damn, too close! He fired and watched as a small patch of fur on the predators flank flew off. The wolf slams its body into Joe, sending him flying before he has a chance to even drop the rifle and he bashes against a tree. The wolf snarls at him and jumps on top of Joe, biting and scratching at him as he struggles to get up. Blood runs down his body from the tooth and claw marks as he yells in pain, reaching for his hunting knife just as the wolf bit down hard on his shoulder. Joe cried out as he felt the jaws of the beast crush his joint with ease, his head swimming with pain and blood loss. Fuck, I'm going to die..... The world started to get darker as the wolf looked back into Joes eyes; mocking, no... reveling in the pain he had caused Joe, content to watch the man bleed out instead of delivering the final blow to the throat. Joe stared back, and watched as suddenly out of nowhere a huge fox tackles the wolf and pins it down, ripping its throat out with ease. Joe was starting to lose consciousness, as the great red fox trotted to him, getting closer Joe could see the white stripe running from between its eyes to the tips of its ears. As Joe's lifeblood flowed from his body, his mind wandered. His only thought before slipping into the darkness was "how the hell did it end up like this?" His life began to flash in his mind. ******** I remember the early days of my childhood, a rather lanky brown haired brown eyed trouble maker I was born into a small town community somewhere in the middle of Colorado, the kind of place where everyone knew everyone else and the local secrets stayed buried. I had a fairly normal life as I grew; a decent house, my parents worked hard and were paid well, and my sister Sarah was born when I was four. All seemed normal, until I turned ten. On my tenth birthday, Joe Aster, the innocent child that grew up in a small town was thrown into a world of chaos and secrets. My parents whisked me off to some sort of compound in the middle of nowhere, the kind of place where it was almost assuredly off the grid and hidden from prying eyes. It would be here that I would receive his training for the next eight years. This was the training ground for the Order of Supernatural Creature Extermination. It is here where I was told the truth of the world; that creatures such as vampires, witches, and especially were-creatures walked the earth, hidden from the general for centuries. The Order as it liked to be called, was founded by Victor Van Hellsing after his legendary ordeal to kill the vampire lord Dracula and had spread globally in the centuries after his death. The Orders mission was a simple one, the complete eradication of all these hell beasts to preserve the purity of humanity, this was drilled into my head from day one and every day after for the eight years I spent undergoing "training and education." The only way to describe it now is hell with the thermostat turned way down. Everyday we woke, before even the moon set and went through drills, grueling runs, and rugged physicals. By dawn we were sat down in the only class room in the entire complex and taught history, math, and so forth. Then by the afternoon we were in the sparring hall, being taught everything from martial arts to fencing until the sunset. Only after all that were we allowed to return to our rooms to sleep and just repeat the cycle, over and over again for seven years. It's when we turned seventeen when we were told what the training was all for, that we were the chosen of the divine to serve as the purifiers of this world. They separated us from the younger populace, and took us to a wing of the compound where all those who came of age lived and trained, I remember walking down that white hallway with my buzz cut brown hair and my long and lanky stride almost mocking my long and thin body; with all the adults scurrying back and forth abuzz with the business that they had at hand or speaking quietly in the hallway, all wearing fatigues and white short sleeve tee's showing off the Order tattoo, the blessed shield and stars with a spear and sword crossed behind the shield, the proof that each one of them proved themselves when they turned eighteen. I was issued a assault rifle, a sleek silver-edged saber, and was assigned my own room and for the last year I trained in only one thing, how to kill. I showed great potential they said, that I could become the perfect instrument to purge the world of lurking evil. I was at the top of my class, learning all we had about vampires and were-beasts; the most abundant creatures that haunt the night. I showed amazing accuracy on the firing range and soon was enrolled in sniper training and by the time I was eighteen, I had graduated a class that should have taken any normal man two years to pass. ************ When my 18th birthday came they came at the stroke of midnight telling me to come and bring my saber. They led me down to the deepest part of the complex, deep underground. I don't remember how long we walked down those stairs, it felt like forever only before I knew it we came down to a great iron door. There before the door, my parents stood smiling at me, almost bursting with joy that I had come this far. The man who led me down there opened the door wishing me luck, and I walked out into a almost arena like area. Men and women sat in the booths around the ring; I could already tell they were high ranking Order members by the way they looked back, firm and in command. One stood up and spoke into a microphone. Even from where I stood I could identify the Commandant, the leader of the Order. His long white beard against his sky blue uniform and his grizzled and scarred face were a testimate to his long service to the Order. "Joe Aster, upon this day of your birth you come of age to join our holy cause. We have watched you grow and flourish, overcoming all in your way. However one final challenge awaits." With that he motioned to the other end of the ring, where a door opened and a figure stumbled out into the bright light of the arena. "You have been trained to slay the beasts that threaten humanity itself, and so now comes the time to prove that you can perform this task. Before you sits a monster, a foul meld of beast and child. Slay it now before us all and prove your worth!" A cheer rolled through the crowd as I felt my face drain. They want me to do WHAT?!? The figure on the other end of the ring stood, looking at me with her pale, hollow blue eyes peeking between long matted red hair. She was a tiny thing, no more than a child who looked about for a way to escape. Then she looked at Joe and her eyes narrowed. He barely got his Saber out of its scabbard as she charged and slammed into him. He could hear her snarl as she clawed at his face. He shoved her away and swung his saber, slashing at the beast and cutting deep into her arm. The girl cried out in pain as she jumped away holding her arm. Joe watched as she snarled and changed into a small catlike beast. He couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a tiger or some sort of lion it was so thin and the hair of it was so matted with mange. It roared as it charged again, this time Joe was ready and sidestepped and slashed down the beast's side. A yowl of pain echoed as it turned and lashed out but Joe sidestepped the weak attempt and instead cut the creatures arm off. The cat crashed to the ground, yowling as it changed back to the little girl, crying and screaming in pain as blood poured forth from her now missing arm. A cheer rose from the crowd and the haunting chant that was as old as time itself. "Kill, kill, kill, kill!" Joe looked down at his fallen opponent, and she looked back pleadingly into his eyes, tears streaming down her gaunt cheeks. I took a breath and swung with all his might, removing her head with one swipe as the crowd cheered him on. I could remember puking my guts out over the next week. The memory of that.... THING looking back at him, pleading. I had read about how were can come in any shape or size, but a child? It was one thing to read about it, a whole other thing to actually kill her... The week after the fight, I was assigned to a squad as part of the special operations division, known to all the others as "Purification squads." For the next two years we went out on mission, after mission in the monotony of slaughter and death turning me in to a cynical bastard with no remorse over all the lives that were lost, including the one I loved. ************ She was a sweetheart and probably didn't even belong in the order, but Janice was one hell of a fighter. She wasn't short or tall, but had strikingly deep blue eyes and a head of curly blond locks, her body well built and muscled from years of training and conditioning. She was one hell of a lover as well. We had gone out for a little over three months since we ended up drunk and having what we originally thought was going to be a one night stand. After we sobered up though we found we truly enjoyed each other's company. You can say we fell in love that first night. She transferred to my squad as one of our close combat experts and I'd always back her up from afar behind the scope of my rifle. Life almost seemed worth living, until that one mission where that all changed. We had been assigned to clear out a den of vampires that operated a night club in downtown Denver, Colorado. We weren't meant to leave survivors, human or vampire, and raze the building down to rubble. I was positioned outside the front, in a near-by building with my rifle and Janice was part of the main entry crew. Around midnight we stormed the place in a blaze of gunfire and screams as my squad entered and began to slaughter everyone. I slowly picked off anyone I could see through the windows, sometimes getting the satisfactory dust cloud of a vampire turning to ash at the piercing of his heart by my Silver .308 caliber bullets. Things seemed to be going smoothly, and then I saw it happen. Janice was pitching Molotov cocktails around the 2nd floor when a vampire jumped down and pinned her to the wall. I brought my rifle up to fire but it was too late. The bloodsucking bastard bit into Janice's neck just before my bullet pierced his heart. I dropped my rifle as Janice slumped down the wall holding her neck, trying to staunch the blood pouring forth from her neck. By the time I got to her side she was pale and her breathing was shallow. I called for a medic but it was too late. The Janice I knew and loved died. My commander handed me his pistol, to do what had to be done. I took it and poured the entire clip into her body as it slowly stirred into un-life, causing her to shudder and slump down in her final death. ********** From that night onwards I never had trouble shooting the bastards, with no remorse or care for the bigger picture. The mission of the Order became my life, extermination of all those foul beasts. Those beasts that took away my heart, and stole her soul from me. It was a little over a year later before we heard great stirrings in the ranks of the high-ups in the order. Rumors started to fly that we were fighting a losing battle, and things were about to change. I remember beating the crap out of one of the rookies just for saying that we should give up. A few weeks before my 21st birthday, the unthinkable happened. The great were and others protest that occurred worldwide with a young woman by the name of Amy Luis at the helm. The truth of the matter was, we WERE fighting a losing battle. Reports came pouring in from every continent, every country, hell just about every freaking city that we had spies in. The monsters we had sworn to eradicate, not only outnumbered us but apparently were part of everyday life. My mind spun over the question. What now? It didn't take long before the ranks demanded action, despite the high-ups refusal to give out any missions until they had time to grasp the scope of the situation. We didn't know what had deadlocked them other than hearing that someone wanted to disband the Order. A few nights later, the Commandant of the order was found dead with a nine millimeter slug in his skull, and so his 2nd was promoted. Under Commandant O'Bradey, a stocky pig of a man, the order was set into motion on its greatest, and final mission. Total war against were and any other non humans. We went city to city, moving in the shadows as we eliminated hundreds, if not thousands of were. It was only a few months before we finally set the ultimate goal, the elimination of Amy Luis and her family from the face of the earth. That final battle in that small, almost invisible town on August the 3rd was the last time the Order stood its ground. What few of us that remained since the change in command recruited local townsfolk to rally with us as we ambushed Mrs. Luis's convoy with rockets. Chaos spread through the town like wildfire as what we had planned to be our greatest triumph, backfired into our faces. Despite our best and most covert warriors pushing the leaders of the rabble we slowly but surely lost the battle, especially after the armed reinforcements from the local Army base turned on us and sided with the were. A few of us were even brash enough to take to fighting in the streets themselves, bringing their swords and toxic coatings. The battle was nearing its end, when the town shook with the roar of a great saber fanged beast in the town square, causing the last few of us to retreat. I watched that beast change with my own two eyes after I had fired upon a team of combatants from my sniping position. That ear shattering roar shook me to the very core, wondering if we lost before we even began. The week after the battle, the few survivors convened in the main hall of headquarters to listen to the O'Bradey's next move. Only a handful of officers were left out of the original combined forces of the Orders chapters worldwide, and the ranks were thin. When we convened, the look on his face told the story. We had lost. On that day, the Order of Supernatural Creature Extermination was disbanded by our commandant, despite the protests of the remaining members of the Order. Then the Commandant pulled his side arm and shot himself in the head, stunning us into silence. Life truly fell apart as some of us fell and wept openly, the realization that their entire existence was nothing more than a farce, others stood there in shocked silence trying to comprehend what happened. Our existence, the very way of life that we were brought up as children to follow, had ended. That night my parents committed suicide by shooting themselves with a pistol, unwilling to live in a world where the monsters of their nightmares were everywhere with no Order to save them. My sister had watched it all happen and she failed to kill herself. Her mind snapped after that, flying between rage and sadness, to complete blank silence. I committed her to a mental facility, angry that this had happened. That those monsters had won, and ended up taking away the thing I needed the most, direction. ********* I wandered for some time after that, carrying my rifle and my sword with me wherever I went. I watched as the world I once knew so well changed as Amy Luis directed it to. She was elected to the Senate and strings of pro-were policies were passed under her administration. I watched as those monsters, who once hid in the shadows from mankind now walked broadly in the daylight, proud in the fact that in the span of a year they had overthrown humanity. I hated them for it. I soon entered the black market, selling my only skill. I became an assassin for hire, relying on my anti-were and my anti-vampire training to sell me to highest bidder. For a bit over a year and a half I worked a few contracts. Eliminating rival were-gang leaders and dignitaries. Occasionally I got contracts to eliminate whole families just because some big shot with a wallet wanted to see the bastards disappear. I was 24, and was staked out on the rooftop of a high rise looking down a side street. I was to eliminate some average John because his landlord found out he was a were. After some digging I found out that the man's wife and daughter were human, un-corrupted by his blood. I spotted them walking down the street to their apartment, the man standing what had to be six feet tall and massive build with his small curly haired red head of a wife and his daughter with short brunette hair. I got ready to take them out with a heavy duty .50 cal rifle with silver tipped explosive rounds, then the unexpected occurred. A group of gangsters quickly pulled up and blocked their way, I could see their leader shouting some sort of argument at the were as his daughter and wife clutched to him. A fight broke out as the gangsters tried to beat the man in an attempt to take his wife and daughter. I watched as he fought back, protecting his wife and his child, despite being outnumbered. I watched as members of the gang shifted and they fought on, in a deadly dance of tooth and claw. The leader shifted into some sort of massive cat and had pinned the man down to the ground. The members of his gang laughed as he clawed the mans chest and face. His gang surrounded the woman and her daughter and one of them reached out to take them. Inside my head I could remember that little were girl from the arena, pleading. I didn't hesitate for a second. My bullet sheared the delinquents arm from his body in a flash of blood and spatter. My second and third shots went through the legs of his buddies, snapping their legs into little more than bloody tissue. The leader looked around, stunned, and made a break for the car, shifting back to his human form as my final round took him in the back of the head. The last few members of the gang scattered, some stopping to pick up their wounded to drive off in their cars, leaving the mother and daughter rushing over to the side of the fallen man. He weakly sat up as his wounds bled slowly, he looked about to see the carnage and then looked in my general direction. His wife and daughter hugged him tight and he raised his hand in thanks to his family's unseen savior. ******************* After that I had enough, enough of the stupidity, the confusion and the troubled sleep. I canceled all my contracts despite protests and death threats, and picked up and moved north to Montana, buying a small cabin out in the wilderness. Here I tried to ignore the world around me, and let my mind settle. I let my hair grow out of its military style buzz cut into a shaggy cover of dark brown hair, and shaved occasionally growing scruff. I grew my own food and hunted for any meat I might need. Purified my own water using a modified still, and even bought some livestock to keep me company and help feed me through the winter. Life seemed tolerable now, and I slowly felt myself shed some of that old tension and fear that dogged me since I got sucked up into the Orders business. However the dreams didn't stop. I continued to have nightmares; the face of that first little girl that I had slain haunted me. I constantly battled with myself over whether or not my life had been a complete waste. I often contemplated just turning the animals loose and then just ending it out there in the woods. The Last Hunter Ch. 00 Then I woke today, feeling the strange need to hunt, despite having plenty of meat. I dressed and pulled my .308 caliber rifle down. I pocketed some of my silver bullets, just out of habit and left the cabin going no way in particular. I walked for maybe three hours, the sun had been up for maybe a single hour as I began to stalk a deer. I slowly got down wind and lined up to take my shot, then the deer looked up and bolted. What? I didn't make a sound! I looked around, and began to notice the hairs on the back of my neck stand. It was dead silent, in a forest where the birds should be chirping and the angry chatter of squirrels should be heard. I don't like the sound of this... I walked a bit up the side of the hill and pulled out my binoculars, looking around and seeing what the hell was going on. Then I spotted them. Two rather large men were carrying the limp body of a woman, one bald the other with scraggly looking black hair. Now what the fuck are they doing out here, its fifty miles to the next town. I focused on the woman, she was slung over the shoulder of the large bald guy, her long brown hair bouncing as the brute carried her. I could see her hands and feet were bound and suddenly my mind seemed to narrow. They're kidnapping or killing her, either way she's doomed if I don't do something. I have to get closer and try to get in range. I moved quickly and quietly through the brush, hoping to cut them off where the canyon narrowed. Every step of the way the alarm bells in my head were screaming for me to turn and run, but I felt almost compelled to at least try to save that woman. I found a low ridge and scanned the low ground slowly until I spotted them. The two men seemed to be arguing about something, the short one waving his arms about threateningly as the other poked a finger into his chest. I slowly loaded my rifle with the silver bullets, my hunting bullets not going to be going fast enough to reach them. I slowly began to draw a bead on them, watching for the most opportune moment. That's when shit went all to hell. The big guy dropped the woman on the ground as he shoved the other man back and took a swing of which the smaller man deftly dodged and planted his boot into his opponents gut. The big guy staggered and then lunged at his opponent, his body growing and changing into a monster. I cursed under my breath as the half-shifted were pummeled his partner until he was barely breathing. I lined up my shot and fired. My bullet traveled the distance breaking the speed of sound as it found its mark in the skull of the beast, releasing what little of a brain he had out the back of his cranium. His partner startled looked around and then looked at me snarling as he shifted into a mangy timber wolf and ducked into the brush. I took a few pot shots, hoping to finish the bastard off as I slowly made my way down to the clearing, looking for the woman when the wolf burst from the brush charging him. I took a shot and cursed. I'm in deep shit this time. The Last Hunter Ch. 01 Authors note: All characters, organizations, creatures, and events are fictitious in nature and are not meant in any way, shape, or form to represent any entity in reality. All similarities are purely coincidental and should be disregarded as a fictitious work of writing. Any characters who are involved in or conduct in sexual acts are over the age of 18. The chapters of this story also may contain graphic, or disturbing imagery and should be read at your own risk. A secondary note: characters used from Whitesabertooth's Kiss of the Moon series of stories and events in reference to those stories are the property of whitesabertooth, the universe I use is the same universe she has written it and is used with her express permission. This is my own spin-off of events from a new perspective and does not reflect the views of whitesabertooth. Hey guys, I just wanted to thank you all for the overwhelming amount of views and positive feedback. Before I start this next chapter I wish to clarify a few things for how things will operate as to postings and such. This story is going to be comprised of small chapters (well 8 pages in Microsoft word but none the less...) this is because of a few things, mainly the time it takes to write each chapter. I was originally going to push for 12-15 pages a chapter however my writing style and the events I've got planned out for each chapter won't allow a overwhelming amount of pages but considering it took me a month to figure out this chapter I had to rethink my strategy. Know that this will also keep the quality you all seem to appreciate, and in the long run the chapters will come faster (every 2-3 weeks, kinks not withstanding) Secondly I want to just reassure everyone that I do in fact have whitesabertooths permission to use her universe (as stated in my disclaimer) and that the story might not make a lot of sense right now, but in the end it all will, so be patient, enjoy the ride, and without further ado, here's chapter one! The Last Hunter Ch .01 Fever Dreams Joe felt somewhat detached from his body as his mind slowly began to resurface. He could feel him being dragged along the ground on top of something, with a fierce burning sensation coursing through him whenever he was jostled. He weakly looked about to see that the forest was slowly going by but could tell that whoever was dragging his broken body was taking him up to his cabin. He felt a surge of pain as the stretcher ran over a large rock and groaned in pain. All motion stopped as he felt eyes focusing on him from behind. He tried to move but his body protested with another fiery shock of pain. He felt the front end of the stretcher lower as and saw motion outside the side of his peripheral vision as a canteen was gently raised to his lips. He drank carefully feeling pain anytime he took a large swallow. The canteen was pulled back and he felt a finger press against his wrist, checking his pulls before the figure went back to pulling the stretcher. Joe oddly enough didn't feel any fear, or anything for that matter, just a soothing calm as his mind drifted back into the darkness of slumber and dreams. Micah watched her charge drift back to sleep, the man was a bloody wreck, and almost certainly would go into shock if she wasn't diligent on checking him. She shook her head a bit to clear her long brown curls from her face before she picked up the end of the impromptu stretcher she had fashioned out of sticks and what remained of the man's clothes, save his boxers. She kept dragging him along, following the sent trail he had inadvertently left behind when he stalked her captors. Time seemed to drag on forever as she kept moving, stopping only to check his pulse. Damn it, this would be so much easier if I could shift. She thought to herself, as her stomach rumbled loudly; a stark reminder that her captors hadn't fed her in the three days they had been dragging her along forgotten logging roads and game trails after being kidnapped after getting off the bus in Missoula. Motherfuckers could have at least given me a sandwich or something. She gritted her teeth as she dragged the stretcher over the ridge and was welcomed by the sight of a small cabin and corral of animals. She almost jumped for joy before a moan escaped the lips of the man. Hang on just a bit longer... She pulled him into the cabin gently, searching shortly for a first aid kit before patching him up as quickly and thoroughly as she knew how. She now regretted not having paid attention to the lessons the pack healer tried to teach her after her parents insisted she learn some of his skills. She worked quickly and in silence, carefully cleaning and stitching his deep lacerations and carefully bandaging the punctures from where the wolf's teeth had bitten down hard. The more she worked, the more dire his injuries became apparent, tallying up to at least four broken ribs and completely shattered scapula and clavicle, and more flesh wounds and lacerations than she cared to count. Goddess of the moon... how is he still ALIVE? She asked silently to herself after she finished, laying him in the only bed in the entire cabin. She looked at him closely, for the first time really noticing his features before shaking her head. Focus. I can't afford to get distracted. She looked at him closer before she finally got up and walked to the small kitchen to raid whatever he had in the fridge. He's really handsome though... She idly thought before she began feasting on what was in the fridge. ******* Joe crashed through the brush and stumbled, his body rolling to keep from hurting himself as he hit the ground only to get back up and take off running again. He looked over his shoulder to see the burning red eyes still right on his heels as they ducked and wove through the forest. Joe pumped his short ten year old legs as hard as he could, hearing the snarls and the roars of the creatures that dogged his every step. He tripped over a root and fell hard, his face slamming into the dirt as he panicked, sprawling to get back up. He stopped dead in his tracks as he heard one of the creatures get closer to him, he turned slowly to see a huge and menacing monstrosity of man and beast as it snarled and walked closer, its red eyes almost piercing deep into Joe's soul as his lips upturned into a menacing grin of sharp fangs. Joe cried out, "Stop, Please stop, leave me alone.... I don't wana die!" his tiny voice echoing across the forest. The creature kept approaching, almost within reach stopping only a fraction of an inch from him. It stood there looking up past Joe, and he turned to see a great red fox standing there, growling at the beast its gleaming white teeth bared in a vicious growl. The monster snarled and charged the fox, which artfully dodged and sank its fangs into the arm of the beast, causing it to howl in rage. Joe watched in awe as the fox jumped to and fro, scratching and biting the creature while dodging its counter attacks. The deadly dance seemed to go on for hours, the fox easily running circles around the enraged beast. The monster slowly but surely retreated to the safety of the forest leaving Joe and the fox in the clearing, its yellow gold eyes looking at him before it pressed its snout to his head enveloping them both in a brilliant white light. It's time to wake up. ********* Joe groaned and looked about the room, just as the young woman walked in carrying a tray of broth and water. Joe tried vainly to sit up before the pain in his body forced him back down to the pillows. "Don't try to get up, you'll bust open your stitches." The woman said as she cautiously raised him, using a pillow to prop him up. Joes head swam for a minute before he focused on the food in front of him, his stomach growling loudly. "Mmmhmm I thought you might be hungry." The woman chuckled as she raised a spoonful of broth to his lips. He ate it eagerly, his mind slowly starting to process what it was seeing. "Who are you and how did I end up here in my cabin?" he asked as he realized the bed he was laying in was his own, the woman however only looked vaguely familiar, almost as if she were in a dream...or horrible nightmare. "I'm Micah," the woman said introducing herself as she feeds him another spoonful of broth, "and as for how you got here, I dragged you on an a stretcher up here, it was the closest place I could set you down to work on stopping your bleeding." Joe processed the information a bit as he continued to be fed, his brain vaguely remembering the pain of being jarred and rocked across the ground in something. "Well now you know who I am, how about you tell me what your name is?" Micah asked as he finished the last spoonful of broth. Joe thought for a moment, trying to focus his mind that just wanted to curl up and sleep, now that he was fed. "Joe Aster." He said with a mighty yawn, she laid him back down and covered him with blankets as his mind was claimed by the sleep his body was demanding. ***** Joe was walking down a long corridor, his saber hung at his side as the guide led him down to the depths of the compound. His combat boots made barely a sound on the cool concrete as he felt the cool chill of being deep below ground through the small military style cropped hair. They stopped at a pair of large steel doors, with gentle writing scrolled around the emblem of the order. Joe looked close and read the inscription. Walk with our savior with your head held high, for thy judgment is that of the human race. He knew it as a quote from the first and only true master of the order, Victor Van Hellsing. He looked at his parents and his young sister, their smiles bright but tainted only with a bit of fear for him. He hugged them close. "Don't worry. This is what I've been training for, I'll come out alive." He said to them soothingly before he stepped back, only to see them gone. His eyes looked around, but he didn't see them, and felt hurt that they didn't even say goodbye. He shook it off, and looked at the door again, this time the hairs on the back of his neck raising, feeling like he was being watched before he took a breath and opened the door into the ring.... He looked about the small coliseum; all he could see was a small ray of light that shone down on a small figure in the center ring. He walked slowly, his ears straining in the deafening silence of the area. His mind screamed at him to turn around, leave and never return. He silenced the quiet voice as he came to the small crumpled figure. The young were looked at him, her eyes hollow and accusing through her tangled red hair. Joe felt a pain in his chest, as he slowly realized who this girl was as a small tear escaped his eye. The girl stood and growled at him, slowly walking towards him, her eyes changing to a deep, glowing red as she snarled. Joe stood there, and watched as the girl grew, her human form slipping as a snarling beast stood before him, the same that had plagued him in the forest. Joe shook his head as his mind battled his guilt. "Please, I don't want to kill you. Just go away." The beast roared as it walked towards Joe, who retreated in a vain attempt to escape. The monster snarled as it got closer to its prey, its long deadly claws ready to rend the human to shreds. Joe felt the cold wall behind him as he looked for an escape, but there was none as the monster grew closer, its red eyes burning. Suddenly it stopped, dead in its tracks as a lone howl was heard. Joes mind suddenly cleared, no longer afraid of the beast as it looked at him in pure rage. He drew his saber, brandishing the weapon as it became cloaked in a faint light. The monster lunged forward, moving in for the kill as Joe's shout was heard, meeting the beast head on... Joe stood over the body of the young girl, her eyes looking at him pleadingly in defeat. Joe gripped the hilt of his saber harder in indecision, he could hear the faint roar of the bloodthirsty crowd as it taunted him, crying for the girls blood. Joe took a breath and looked around the crowd, seeing the shadowy forms of the Order officers moving with excitement. His eyes slowly came to rest on a lone fox sitting in the crowd, watching him; her eyes seemingly burrowing into his soul, almost asking him what he was going to do. He looked down at the girl who clutched the stub that once was her arm as it tried to stop her bleeding. He knew this girl was doomed, and if he didn't kill her they'd both be killed. Survival of the fittest the small voice in the back of his head whispered as he swung his sword in its deadly arc, severing her head from her body. Suddenly there was nothing. Joe stood there in the black recesses of his mind, somewhat aware that he was dreaming, but yet not dreaming. He could hear faint movements but could not see where they came from. "Hello?" he called to the inky blackness. When no answer returned to him he began to walk, no direction in particular and soon he could make out a faint shape in the darkness. He walked closer, squinting to see before the fox bounded in front of him, her hackles rising as she snarled at him. Joe stumbled back, falling promptly onto his ass as the fox trotted over to him, looking at him in the eyes. You should not be here. Her mind flashed at him. His body trembled as the words seemed to echo in the space around them."Where is here?" he asked honestly. He didn't understand where he even was. He's coming, it's time for you to wake up. The fox pressed its snout to his head and the whole world was gone in a brilliant flash of light. ********* Micah was sweating bullets as she pulled herself out of Joes mind, never in her life had she seen such troubled nightmares than the ones Joe was having. She carefully got up from the small wooden chair as she moved into the cabins living area before she plopped down on the couch. She groaned a bit as her half-healed ribs protested such a rough landing but she didn't care, her mind was focused on other things. Goddess Luna above, what have I gotten myself into? She thought silently to herself. It had been a week since Joe's botched attempt to save her from those thugs, which means a little over a month since she slipped away from her pack to explore the world. Daddy always said the world was dangerous outside the pack, but I never realized this much shit could hit the fan. He's gonna be even more pissed now though. She rubbed her eyes a bit as she shrunk at the thought of her father finding out about this mess. She laid there on the couch for a bit, her small but moderate build fitting it like a glove as she stretched gently as not to anger her ribs any further. She stared at the ceiling aimlessly with her brown eyes as her mind turned over what she knew. More than a few times after he had passed out she had gone through the cabin top to bottom, going through his possessions to learn as much as she could about him, and turned up almost nothing. The fire in the hearth burned low, crackling every once and a while as she closed her eyes and thought over his dreams she had watched unfold in his mind. He obviously had some kind of past... but she couldn't discern what could be past experience or just terrible nightmares. All she knew is that his newly forming beast was fighting to claw out of him and she had to do her best to keep that nightmare of a creature from his mind until he was healed. Her ears picked up the sounds of Joe waking up, hearing the growling of his stomach. She chuckled a bit, I swear he could out eat a were. She got up and reheated some stew she had cooked the night before on the stove before walking into the bedroom. "Morning sleepy head, how do you feel?" she asked cheerfully. Joe looked at her as he blinked the sleep from his eyes and studied the room for a moment before throwing the covers back. Micah gently caught him as he tried to get up. "Whoa, you need slow down there. Your wounds haven't healed up yet." At least they shouldn't be, she thought quietly. Joe grunted a bit under the strain. "bathroom," he said. She nodded in acknowledgement supporting him to the small bath room and sitting him on the toilet before walking out to give him some privacy as she checked on the stew, which was nice and warm as she dished it up. Joe flushed the toilet and washed his hands and face carefully and hobbled out of the bathroom and was almost to the living area before Micah swooped in and supported him. "Settle down Joe. Let me help you." She told him softly as she gently lead him to the couch. "Sorry, just needed to move around a bit, and get out of that bed for a bit." He replied calmly as he gently sat on the couch. When Micah was sure he was ok, she brought over a bowl of stew to him and a small canteen of water. "Eat and drink all of it. I heard your stomach growl from here." She chuckled a bit. She knew any normal person wouldn't have heard but to a Were it was loud enough to be heard from almost any room as long as it was quiet. Joe attacked the meal with gusto even before she finished her sentence, barely taking time to chew between mouthfuls. "Slow down or you're going to make yourself sick." She chastised lightly, and Joe slowed down a little bit, but in the span of a half hour, not only did he finish that bowl, but second and third helpings as well. He sat back when he finished with a contented sigh and looked at Micah. "Sorry bought all this miss..." he paused for a moment before flushing a little as he realized he forgot her name. "Micah, Micah Viden," she answered, waving off his botched attempt of a apology, "and don't be sorry, I knew that you'd need a lot of care when I dragged you up here. You didn't force me to help you." Besides, how else am I supposed to repay you for saving my neck, she thought quietly, shivering at the thought of where she could have ended up. "Are you cold?" Joe asked with slight concern, he noticed her shiver and hoped that she wasn't coming down with something serious. Micah shook her head, "I'm fine, just a bit tired. I'll take a nap in a while." Joe nodded, as he gently stretched a bit, wincing a bit as his body protested. "How long have I been out for?" he asked as he rubbed his ribs a bit. Micah leaned back against the wall as she thought. "About a week, give or take a day. Not surprising considering how banged up you were." She said. Joe rubbed his temples slowly trying to piece together what happened in his head. "Try not to think about it for a bit, for now you need rest." She said as she walked over to him, before stopping dead in her tracks. Joes eyes had snapped open and narrowed before he looked at his bandaged arms. Oh shit. She thought as she could smell his panic. "Calm down Joe." She said slowly, coming a bit closer. Joe looked at her in recognition, his mind had finally snapped all the pieces together as he recognized the woman he had saved a week ago. "You.... You were being held captive by those thugs...." He said slowly as the images started to slash through his mind, he started to shake as he realized what had happened his eyes going wide as he shook his head in disbelief. "Oh sweet savior above.... I've been bitten.... That means...." Micah gently tried to take his hands but he shot up escaping her hands. "You have to get away from me...." He said looking around in panic, his mind reeling from the realization that he was infected. "Go, run before I turn into.... Into... one of those THINGS." He started to tear at his bandages in panic his heart racing. "Joe, you have to calm down." Micah said sternly, not budging from her spot, "nothing bad it going to happen." He shook his head in disbelief, he had seen what happens to people who got scratched or bitten by were, and how they turn into those nightmares of creatures before they went on rampages. "Bullshit, I'm infected." He said angrily, he paced and looked at the door before he bolted. "JOE!" Micah shouted chasing him as he ran out of the cabin, stumbling off the porch before picking himself up. Joe ran as hard as he could into the forest, stumbling over roots and smacking into low hanging branches as his body screamed in pain. The Last Hunter Ch. 01 Micah gave chase, resisting the urge to shift as she followed him into the forest. Theres no way in HELL he should be able to move this quickly so soon. She thought to herself as she slowly gains on him, she winced as he stumbled and skid to a halt in the dirt. She quickly ran to him and kneeled next to him and saw stars as he lashed out and hit her with the back of his hand, sending her flying against a tree. She cried out in pain and looked up as he picked himself up, taking only a step before his body started to shift. Goddess, help us..... She watched as his body tried to grow with the sounds of popping and reshaping bone. Grey fur started to grow as Joe cried out in pain of his body going through such unnatural changes. "Joe, you need to calm down.... Focus!" Micah called, hoping she could get through. Joe fell to his knees as a roar escaped his mouth as he pressed his hands to his temples. Micah shook with fear, watching his mental struggle as his body suffered. She walked to him. "Joe I know it hurts, but you need to calm down or it'll only get worse." She wraps her arms around him and pulls him tight to her. Joe's body froze, unsure how to react to the unexpected close contact. She made soothing sounds as his body slowly started to force its way back to its normal form, causing a groan of pain to escape Joe, Micah just held him there as the final changes reverted. Joe groaned in pain as he slumped against her, his head on her shoulder, nose catching the faintest whiff of the most soothing scent he had ever smelt before his mind slipped into the blackness of unconsciousness. Micah held him there for a while, ensuring he was out cold before she gently slung his arm over her shoulder, careful to avoid opening his wounds any further. She carried him slowly back to the cabin as the sun slowly started to set over the mountains. She laid him down on the bed and quickly set to bandage the worst of his wounds as best she could, all the while as the whole situation replayed in her head. What the hell was I thinking... Hugging a enraged were? I must be out of my freaking mind.... She looked at his sleeping face, and before she knew what she was doing she was tracing his face. The fox in the recesses of her mind trotted up and watched the man curiously, the hairs on the back of her neck stood, wary of this man. His scent had changed, from the deep grained scent of human to something more... familiar. Micah stopped for a moment, letting her fox register with who this man is. The fox started to pace in her head, she couldn't figure out what this man was. He smelled like any other turned human she's come into contact with, only a lot more alluring... and dangerous. The fox urged Micah closer, to smell him. She leant down to the junction of his neck and shoulder and breathed deeply. The fox's tail stood straight up and rushed to the front of her mind, breathing in again just to be sure as Micah's body felt like it was just thrown into a sauna. Oh you have GOT to be kidding me. She thought at the fox as she quickly pushed it back to the moderate space. The fox growled at her, Micah knew exactly what it wanted, seeing enough of her pack members go nuts at the first smell of their mate's scent. Settle down before you piss me off, she sent the fox who growled again, sending back images of Micah stripping the man down and taking him right there. Micah shook her head trying to clear the thought as her face lit up crimson. What the hell is wrong with you! She sent angrily, Look at him. He's hurt, BADLY, and you want to jump him? She quickly stifled mental images of them making passionate love, trying to ignore the heat pooling between her legs. The fox cocked its head in her mind, considering the point. She understood the fact he was hurt and slowly started to settle down, whimpering a bit in shame. I know it's hard, but he's not even gone through a willing shift, nor does he know what we are. You've seen his mind, he might react badly and run again and this time might actually kill himself. The fox growled angrily at the thought of HER mate running and possibly dying just because he rejected her. We have to take it slow, after he's adjusted then we'll make our move, Micah promised. The fox huffed before retreating to back of her mind. ***** Joe was in the forest again, his movements silent as he walked between the trees. The sun shined down gently warming his bare body as he moved, wandering seemingly aimless through the dense pines not questioning where he was or why he was naked. He could feel the gentle breeze roll flow through his shaggy brown hair, bringing to him the earthy scent of pine and grass. It felt like hours that he walked, yet the sun never set. Soon, he came to a pool of water, fed by a natural spring its crystal clear waters shimmered in the sun as he bent to take a drink. He heard the faintest sound of footsteps behind him causing him to turn to the beautiful sight of a woman. Micah stood there in all of her naked glory, her locks of curly brown hair framed her beautiful brown eyed face and luscious lips. Her deep tanned body revealed its subtle curves and lustful beauty from her perky breasts to her glorious womanhood. Joe stood there stunned, never had he seen any woman look so...right. She approached slowly, her hips swaying as she came closer. She stopped right in front of him, looking up to his face. Joe didn't realize that she was this short compared to him, he almost melted as she pulled him into a close embrace, burying her face into his chest. His heart pounded for a moment before he hugged her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her. This... this is right. But how can it be right? I don't even know her... He thought silently to himself. But you do know her, silly cub. A strange voice reverberated in his mind, causing Joe to nearly jump out of his skin. You've known here many times, and many times she has been lost to us. You may not know her but you will. The voice continued. Who are you? Joe thought, unable to bring words forth from his lips. You will also learn to know me, but for now, sleep. The voice replied. Joe then heard a long, lone howl from somewhere, he felt Micah look up from his chest. He looked down at her, into her deep golden eyes for a moment before he kisses her deeply...